"Xellos," Lina said quietly. "Amelia, Xellos is dea- gone. Gourry and I were both there when it happened. So, it's impossible." She nodded, a small smile upon her face. Saying it aloud made it a lot easier to believe. "Besides," she said, forcing an insincere chuckle, "even if he were back, why would Xellos be after you? You barely knew him."
"Well…" Amelia compulsively played with the corner of the blanket as she thought. It was as if she couldn't let herself entirely focus on the unpleasant memory of her attack. "I think he's mad at me," she confessed after a moment. "I mean he had to be!" she blurted out. "You don't bite someone if you're happy to see them, right?"
"Xellos is not mad at you," Lina said with a more genuine laugh. "I think if he came back, he'd have more important things to deal with than you. What, did you steal from the collection plate or something?"
The redhead had meant the question as a joke, something to calm Amelia down a bit, but she took it quite seriously. "N-No! Of course not!" she stammered, a horrified expression on her face. "When I was with the circus, I didn't get to go to church as much as I should have, but I wanted to! I really did!" On the verge of tears, she whimpered, "When I did go, I didn't have much money, but I tried to give what I could! Miss Lina, did… did Xellos attack me because I didn't tithe enough?"
Lina knew that she shouldn't laugh. Amelia was upset and it was a serious situation. She could have been killed. But something about the idea of Xellos coming back from the hereafter because someone was a skinflint was incredibly amusing. She bit down on her lip, almost drawing blood in her attempt to keep a straight face, but it was a lost cause. Not wanting Amelia to be too upset with her, she leaned forward and flung her arms around her friend, muffling her laughter in the acrobat's sleeve. "That's brilliant!" she managed between giggles. "Xellos came back because you're a cheapskate!"
"Miss Lina, you're horrible!" Amelia yelled indignantly. She struggled to detach herself from Lina's grip, but the effort made her dizzy again.
"I'm sorry," Lina said earnestly. She gently helped Amelia back to a prone position and pulled the blanket up about her again. "Really though, I'm sure there's another explanation for it. Do you remember anything else about last night? Anything at all?" She turned to pour herself a fresh glass of water.
"I remember singing. Marco and I both heard it. It was a beautiful song. So pretty, but so sad at the same time. Something about loving the light but losing it…" Amelia almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the crash. She turned to see Lina trembling uncontrollably, the shattered remains of her glass on the floor at her feet. "Miss Lina?" she whispered, quickly sitting up in bed in case Lina needed some kind of help. She needn't have worried as the redhead quickly shook her head and turned away.
Lina squeezed her eyes shut as she struggled to get herself under control. "It's just nerves," she explained to Amelia through clenched teeth. "It happens sometimes." She hugged herself tightly, eager to have a task for her hands to keep them from shaking. "It just happens," she said again, as if repetition would make it true.
Amelia watched her friend lurch to her feet woodenly. "Is there anything I can-"
A violent shake of Lina's head cut Amelia off. "No," she said, struggling valiantly to keep her expression neutral. "I just need my medicine." She staggered over to the door as if something had physically wounded her. Pausing just for a moment, she sighed shakily and said, "You're probably right, Amelia. Xellos came back because you didn't give enough to the church." She quickly stepped out of the room and slammed the door so that she wouldn't have to hear Amelia's response.
Now that that was taken care of, there was the small matter of finding her cape. Lina looked around the kitchen, vaguely remembering that she'd removed it here before her tryst with Gourry. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw a pile of scorched black cloth in the corner. "No," she squeaked as she hurried over to the remains of her cloak. Unmindful of the fact that she was getting soot on her borrowed dress, she tore through the garment like a woman possessed. Her hand struck something hard and she breathed a sigh of relief. Her relief quickly turned to horror as she pulled her empty flask free. The cap was gone and the interior was utterly empty.
Lina's eyes misted up and she flung the worthless flask across the room with a cry of frustration. Sadly, it didn't break anything, instead hitting the wall and clattering to the floor uselessly. It would have felt good to hear something break. Crawling on all fours, she arduously made her way into the master bedroom and then into the closet. Nestled comfortably among the clothes, she pulled the door shut. Only then in the privacy of the darkness did she allow herself to weep aloud, her sobs so violent that they physically hurt. Somewhere over the course of her venting, she popped a thumb into her mouth, unable to cope with what she suspected.
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"What's the plan, boss?" Jillas nervously inquired. On the trip back to the village, he'd seen a strange transformation come over his master. He'd been quiet, mulling over the pursuit of Marco. That was nothing new. The boss spent a lot of time thinking and Jillas was glad for it. It wasn't something that he was terribly good at himself.
Something had changed though. Zelgadis had been muttering to himself as they walked through the forest. He almost seemed to be carrying on a conversation. The strange thing was that he didn't seem to be talking to Jillas. "We don't need to punish him," he reiterated for what must have been the tenth time in five minutes.
"Punish who, boss?" Jillas had foolishly asked the first time it had been mentioned. Zelgadis had given him a look of such fury that he'd promptly stuck his fingers in his ears to avoid hearing anything further. Apparently, what was being said was supposed to be a private conversation between the boss and… who?
"Jillas!" Zelgadis bellowed.
The fox smiled sheepishly and pulled his fingers out of his ears. "Sorry 'bout that, boss. Jus' thought ye wanted some privacy." He stood at attention; eagerly awaiting whatever command Zelgadis would see fit to give him.
Zelgadis looked down on his servant disdainfully. He'd have to get rid of him somehow. "Go back and find the boy," he commanded. Without even waiting to see if he'd been obeyed, he turned to return to the village.
"Whacha gonna do, boss?"
"Not that it's any of your concern," Zelgadis hissed, turning his frightening gaze back on Jillas, "but we're going to see Amelia."
Jillas cringed in fear. Something dark and mean flitted about behind his master's eyes. "We?" he managed to whisper.
A look of horror crossed Zelgadis's features and he quickly shook his hand and said, "I didn't say we. I said 'I'. I am going to see Amelia." He shuddered violently for a moment, struggling with whatever it was that haunted him. His fingernails bit into his palms, drawing blood as he clenched his fists. "Not we. I," he reiterated, more to himself than anything. He glanced at Jillas in surprise, as if just noticing that the fox was still there. "Don't you have something to do?"
"Just leavin'," Jillas said, turning to run back into the depths of the woods. He was torn between loyalty and, well… loyalty. His debt to Zelgadis demanded that he obey any command unquestioningly, but there was something wrong with him. Something that made him worry about Miss Amelia, his other master. Things could get so very complicated sometimes…
Zelgadis watched the fox leave with a mistrustful look. He'd be trouble and would have to be dealt with. He shook his head, trying to free himself of the whispering voice within. He could scarcely believe that he was considering murdering his loyal servant. No, not him. His companion wanted Jillas dead. The voice also wanted to see Amelia.
Hissing in pain, Zelgadis clutched his skull, digging bloody furrows into his forehead with his talons. Talons? When had he had talons? His hands shook as he glanced at them in fear. His nails had always been weapons, razor sharp blades on his fingertips. He was a predator after all, and they helped him bring down his prey.
But now, they would scarcely pass for human. The color of obsidian and almost corneous, his fingers were nothing if not knives now. Gloves, he thought desperately. He'd need some heavy gloves to go with his cloak. If he were going to survive, he'd have to pass for human.
His decision made, Zelgadis turned towards the forest, meaning to leave Amelia and the others. He was becoming something… different and had no idea of what to expect next. Still, there'd be no harm in saying goodbye to Amelia, would there? He stopped in his tracks to ponder that thought. She'd be upset if he left without so much as a wave. He'd go back then. For Amelia.
A hungry smile on his face and darkness behind his eyes, Zelgadis turned and hastily made his way back to the village.
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Marco leaned against a tree somewhere deep in the woods struggling to catch his breath. He'd thought that those guys had him for sure, especially when the fox chased him into the brambles, but he'd given them the slip. Or they'd given up? He wasn't sure. Either way, they'd been gone when he'd mustered the courage to slow down and look over his shoulder. Looking around, he realized that he was in an unfamiliar part of the forest. Apparently, he'd run further than he'd first thought. Great. How was he going to find Sarah when he was lost himself now? "Nice job, stupid," he grumbled angrily.
The sound of laughter drew the boy's attention and he glanced out from behind the tree to see two people making their way through the forest. The first was a slender woman wearing a sky blue dress with long blond hair. She wore a cheerful smile that just seemed right on her face. Marco couldn't imagine her frowning.
Her companion was a bear of a man, tall and heavily muscled with a mop of slightly unkempt hair slightly darker than hers. His arms seemed to be almost as large as the woman's torso. One of them was wrapped lovingly about her waist, while he easily carried a huge sack in the other.
Marco grinned, relieved to see some familiar faces for once. It was his neighbors, on their way home from their buying trip by the looks of the bag. That meant that he wasn't quite as far from home as he'd thought. Stepping out from his hiding place, he waved cheerfully and called out, "Hey, Mister Gabriev! Missus Gabriev!"
"Hey, Marco!" the huge man rumbled, raising his hand in greeting. "How ya doin' kid?" Grateful for the excuse to stop, he set his bag down with a grunt and stretched. The pops in his back sounded like a series of small explosions. "Damn, it feels good to get that load off my back."
"Goren, I'll thank you to watch your language!" his wife said crossly, swatting him on the arm in irritation. "There's a child present!"
"Sorry dear," Goren mumbled apologetically.
Marco snickered at the sight of the huge man being reprimanded by someone less than half his size. Although she might seem a little irritable, there were few people more kindhearted than Lily Gabriev.
Having sufficiently scolded her husband, Lily turned a slightly stern smile on Marco. "What are you doing way out here? Your mother's going to have a fit when she finds out, you know."
"Well…" Marco grimaced inwardly. It was true that Missus Gabriev was kindhearted, but she was also incredibly protective of all the children in the village, probably due to the fact that her own son had run off a few years ago. Gary or something. He couldn't really remember. He'd been pretty young at the time. He smiled at the woman sheepishly, hoping that she'd let him off the hook. From the looks of things, that wasn't happening. He must have been right in his first assumption that he was pretty far from home. He was probably going to be in for it when he got back. The last thing he needed was Missus Gabriev telling him not to worry about Sarah and escorting him back to the village.
Thankfully, Goren made the save, selflessly throwing himself into the line of fire. "Ah, let the boy alone, Lily," he said with a deep chuckle. "He's probably up to some sort of mischief or something."
"You say that like it's a good thing," Lily said crossly.
An expression of mock surprise on his face, Goren asked, "It's not?!" This sparked a bit of a tirade from his wife and he was immediately on the defensive. "Dear, it was a joke. No, I don't think it's good for the boy to get into mischief. Lily, I'm sure he's not going to become a hoodlum. You're overreacting. Yes dear, I know you don't overreact." Now that he had her attention focused on him, he gave Marco a surreptitious wink and nodded towards the trees, indicating that it was time for the potential hoodlum to make his exit.
Marco threw Goren an appreciative wave and beat a hasty retreat into the forest. He was immensely grateful that at least one of the Gabrievs had apparently been a kid at some point.
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Amelia had been dozing fitfully, her dreams filled with frightening images of a purple haired priest possessing large fangs. His horrible mocking laughter drove her back into consciousness with a gasp of fear. The first thing she noticed upon opening her eyes was that it was dark. The shutters had been closed and the curtains drawn for good measure. The only light in the room emanated from a single candle sitting on the bedside table.
The second thing that caught Amelia's eye was the figure sitting next to her bed. She jumped a bit in surprise, before recognizing her companion. "Mister Zelgadis?" she said questioningly. "What are you doing here?"
Zelgadis's expression was inscrutable in the shadows of the room. "I came to see how you were doing," he explained in a strangely neutral tone. Nodding at the shuttered window, he said, "I closed them. There was a strong breeze and you were shivering when I came in. Typical of Lina to forget something that important."
"She's not that bad," Amelia said with a nervous chuckle. "She's trying her best to help me. I just don't think she's ever done anything like this before." She looked at the shutters longingly and said, "It is rather dark in here. Do you think-"
"I like the dark," Zelgadis interjected. He leaned forward so that his face was barely illuminated by the candlelight. His pale skin made him look almost insubstantial in the flickering light. "It's comfortable. In the light of day you have to work that much harder to conceal what you really are. The darkness is much more liberating."
What a strange thing to say, Amelia thought. "Well… what are you really?" she inquired as she anxiously took in the sight of Zelgadis's wings. A dark sense of menace hung about him like a shroud. This was the kindhearted man that had escorted her to the ball? She barely recognized him.
"I'm not sure just yet," Zelgadis admitted with a shrug. "I was once Zelgadis Greywords, Chief Minister of Sairaag. That was before. Now, as you've undoubtedly noticed, I've gone through some changes. I'm becoming something else." A wicked grin split his face, revealing needle sharp fangs. "Something better."
Amelia slunk down in the bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin fearfully. She resembled nothing more than a small, frightened child in that moment. "I don't think so," she ventured. "I like the old Zelgadis. He was nice." She compulsively clutched at the medallion that Lina had given her that morning.
"I can be nice," Zelgadis said with a shrug. "I'm just a bit famished at the moment. You have something I need, Amelia. Won't you help me?" He laid an icy hand on the acrobat's cheek, causing her to recoil.
The notion that Zelgadis was just like Xellos flashed through Amelia's mind. The hungry look in the eyes, the sense of menace, and the cold touch; they were all the same. Instinctively, she withdrew her medallion from under the covers and thrust it in Zelgadis's face; Lina's promise that it would protect her echoed in her memory bringing a small measure of comfort.
Zelgadis instantly recoiled, his face a mask of rage. That rage quickly gave way to confusion as whatever was in him retreated to the safety of the darkest recesses of his mind. "Oh no," he whispered. "Amelia, what happened? Did he hurt you?" She looked unharmed but the expression on her face betrayed the fact that something terrible had almost happened.
Amelia didn't answer her companion, instead scrabbling to the far side of the bed, trying to put as much distance between herself and Zelgadis as possible. She looked up at him fearfully, struggling to ascertain whether or not it was really him or something that looked like him. The guilty expression upon his face convinced her that for the moment, she was safe. "I'm sorry, Mister Zelgadis," she said, as if it had been her fault that he'd just tried to feed on her. She tentatively reached out to touch his hand as a show of trust. It was cold as ice and his nails were-
"Don't touch me!" Zelgadis snarled, snatching his hand away from her. Intentionally or accidentally, it was impossible to say, he dragged his claws across her palm when he pulled his hand back. Something laughed in the back of his mind as he stared, utterly transfixed by the blood dripping from Amelia's hand to stain the coverlet.
Immediately understanding what had happened, Amelia snatched her hand back, concealing it beneath the blanket, hoping that the other man wouldn't return. The other man; it was surprising how easily she'd assumed that Zelgadis couldn't be the one responsible for what he'd just tried to do. It made sense though, or it didn't, but she'd heard of such things from Martina. Seers sometimes took on the characteristics of those they were channeling, right down to their mannerisms and speaking patterns. It looked as if that was what had happened to her friend.
At the moment, Zelgadis was torn between the two personalities, the sight of blood almost driving him mad with need. But, when Zelgadis was in control he was cool and refined, with a stiff demeanor and a scowl fixed on his face. When the other Zelgadis came out, things totally changed. He hunched over a bit more his scowl turned into a sickening smile. His normally cool voice became raw, barely hiding the desire he felt.
Amelia waited with much trepidation to see which one would win out this time.
Zelgadis gasped in pain as his internal companion conceded this battle. It made a point of making him gouge his wrist with his nails though; a not so friendly reminder that he'd never really be in control. Despite the pain, he smirked, reveling in his victory. He'd spent a lifetime controlling his thirst and forced it down as he had so many times before. "Your hand," he whispered in concern, nodding at the bloodstained blanket.
"Oh, it's fine," Amelia lied, trying to keep the pain from registering on her face. It hurt. A lot. But, she couldn't risk looking at it until Zelgadis left.
Zelgadis looked at the acrobat crossly, as if reading her mind. "Let me see it," he said, his tone indicating that it was a command and not a request. When she reluctantly drew it out from beneath the blanket, he seized her wrist, perhaps a little more tightly than necessary. It was messy, but shallow and he breathed a sigh of relief. Putting his talons to good use for once, he quickly cut a length of cloth from the end of his cape. The wicked blades sliced through the heavy material as if it was air and he shuddered. How far would the changes go?
Shaking his head to dispel that decidedly unpleasant thought, Zelgadis went to work wrapping Amelia's hand. "You shouldn't lie to me," he chastised. "Were you just going to sit here and bleed to death?" He felt guilty when he asked that. As much blood as there had been, she might actually think that she could die from the wound. "It's not that bad," he explained. "Just a shallow cut."
Amelia nodded mutely, watching as Zelgadis worked. His hands shook almost uncontrollably, betraying the fact that while he was speaking to her quite rationally; he was locked in an unending struggle with whatever was within him. She felt a sudden wave of pity wash over her and quickly quashed it. He was quite perceptive about emotions and she didn't want to make him feel worse by thinking of him as a victim. He had a lot of pride.
"There," Zelgadis whispered, forcing a smile. He patted the back of Amelia's newly bandaged hand sympathetically. "Sorry about that." He quickly released her and stepped back when he remembered that he was touching her with his claws. Self-loathing consumed him momentarily and he wondered if the world would be a better place without him. He knew how to end his own life. Perhaps he should do so.
Fear was all that stayed the vampire's hand. He'd once asked Lina what Hell had been like, one late night on the road when the others had been asleep. She'd not said a word, instead giving him such a look that even he was shaken. The subject had been dropped without further discussion. He knew that was his fate. Even if he hadn't been branded a heretic, he entertained no foolish notions of salvation for himself at the end of the road. He was a wicked creature; less than human, yet at the same time something more. Either way, he had no desire to hurry along his path to damnation.
Slowly, Zelgadis came to the realization that Amelia was looking at him. He nodded to her and said, "Right then. I really just came to say goodbye. I want you to stay with Lina and the others. They'll take care of you."
"Goodbye?" Amelia repeated in disbelief. "Where are you going?" Mister Zelgadis needed help and he was leaving? It didn't make any sense.
"Away," Zelgadis stated. "I need to be away from people. Away from temptation." He turned and made his way over to the door. Don't look back, he thought. If you look back, she'll be crying and it'll be harder. Why'd you get so close to her anyway? The rustling of the sheets drew his attention and he ignored his own advice in favor of looking over his shoulder. "What are you doing?" he asked with an irritable sigh. Whatever she was doing, it wasn't crying.
Amelia was wobbling dangerously but had somehow managed to sit up and put her feet on the floor. "I'm going with you. You'll never solve anything if you hide from the world." Struggling to her feet, she fixed Zelgadis with a determined gaze and said, "Mister Zelgadis, it's wrong for you to suffer needlessly and… oh my." The effort of standing and speaking at the same time proved to be too much and she was overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness. She blinked at the floor stupidly as it rushed up to meet her face.
Luckily, Zelgadis had already moved to catch the woozy acrobat. She tumbled into his open arms and he suddenly found his face less than an inch from hers. They both gasped in surprise, caught in a moment that seemed to stretch on forever.
Amelia turned pink as she stared at Zelgadis, her cerulean eyes wide with wonder. She couldn't recall ever being this close to him before and, truth be told, it was kind of nice. There was no malice in his eyes at the moment and he looked just as shocked as her to be there. Did that mean that maybe…?
"Ooh, now it's saying that soon you will meet your one true love. How very romantic! I'm so jealous of you, Amelia!"
Martina's words came unbidden to Amelia's mind as she hovered there in Zelgadis's arms. "My true love…" she whispered thoughtfully as she gazed at him thoughtfully. The fangs were a little off putting, not to mention the claws. And the wings… well, Martina had never said that true love would be easy, right? Ack! He was blushing! It was at that moment that she realized she'd whispered, "My true love," aloud.
Zelgadis turned away from Amelia and coughed embarrassedly. "You'll catch cold," he mumbled as he gingerly lifted her and laid her back in bed. A moment later, he was pulling the blanket up to her chin, being careful to keep her medallion exposed. "I don't expect you to understand why, but I have to go."
"You think you're dangerous," Amelia replied sadly. She knew that if he left, she wouldn't have the strength to follow him. And then, he'd suffer in solitude. She didn't want to see that happen. Because… Well, because he was her friend and friends tried to help each other.
"I don't have any friends," Zelgadis stated coolly.
"I'm your friend," Amelia shyly said. "Or, I'd like to be if you gave me the chance. I don't know what's wrong with you, but I promise I can help. Don't go, Mister Zelgadis."
A long moment of silence followed in which Zelgadis and Amelia gazed into one another's eyes, caught in a test of wills.
Sighing regretfully, Zelgadis was the first to back down. "I'll stay, but despite what you think, I'm dangerous." He knelt down beside the bed and looked at Amelia's medallion. It wouldn't be pleasant, but he had to show her that she needed to be cautious around him. With much trepidation, he snatched up the silver dragon and held it tightly within his fist.
The effect was immediate. Zelgadis hissed in pain and his knuckles turned white from the exertion of holding onto the pendant. A faint sizzling sound could be heard as wisps of gray smoke emanated from between his fingers and the sickeningly sweet scent of burning flesh permeated the air.
Zelgadis released an aborted cry of pain and flung his face down into the blanket so Amelia couldn't see the tears of agony rolling down his cheeks. It felt like his entire arm was burning with his hand being the worst of all. "You see?" he gasped. "Dark creatures cannot abide the light. 'I' am a creature of darkness." He felt Amelia trying to pull the medallion free of his grip, heard her pleading with him to release it, but somehow he managed to clutch it even more tightly. "Remember this."
With that, the vampire was no longer able to maintain his hold on Ceiphied's image. His fingers sprang open of their own volition, dropping the medallion back onto the blanket, and he snatched his hand back. The dragon seemed to glower at him with its silver eyes, unwilling to tolerate his existence. He glared back at it defiantly. Ceiphied be damned, he'd never asked to be born like this. With agonizing slowness, he dragged his gaze up until he was looking into Amelia's frightened eyes. "Remember," he repeated, tears rolling down his cheeks, "I'm not human. I never was. I'm a danger to everyone around me." An imploring look upon his face, he said, "I want you to promise me that you'll never remove that pendant. I-I'm always hungry, Amelia. I used to be able to control it, but now, I'm not so sure I can anymore. Lina's right. The medallion will protect you and if you honestly want me by your side, you'll need it. We both will."
Amelia silently nodded, unshed tears in her eyes. Zelgadis must really care about her to do something so horrible to himself. She wanted to take the awful thing from around her neck and fling it out the window; it'd hurt Zelgadis so it had to be bad, right? The pleading look on his face stayed her hand though. She wasn't just wearing it for her, he'd said. It was for him as well. "We'll help you," she repeated, almost as if it could become true with reiteration. "Miss Lina, Mister Gourry, and I."
Zelgadis nodded gratefully and righted the chair that sat next to the bed. He'd knocked it over as he'd thrashed about while holding the silver dragon. Lowering himself into the seat, he smiled at Amelia, indicating that he wasn't going anywhere and it was okay for her to sleep. Thankfully, she did so after a few moments. Her exertions had exhausted her.
Once he was sure that the acrobat had drifted off, the smile dropped from Zelgadis's face to be replaced by a look of total agony. The pain in his hand was the most horrible torture he had ever experienced, worse even than when Grou had impaled him so long ago, and he very seriously considered the possibility of removing it to slacken the pain. Experimentally, he tried to flex his fingers. He immediately bit down on his lower lip drawing blood, in an attempt to stifle a cry. That had been incredibly stupid.
Instead, Zelgadis drew his injured hand up to eye level to discern the amount of damage that had been done. His eyes widened in shock and this time he was unable to suppress a moan of despair. Thankfully it didn't wake Amelia, but he was past worrying about her at that point. The mutilation was far worse than he'd ever imagined. There was an indentation of the dragon burned into his palm, but instead of just scorching his unnatural flesh, it had burned almost all the way through. Bleach white bones were visible in his palm surrounded by charred flesh that was still smoking slightly. At two places, he could see light from the window through his hand. The flesh of his fingers that he had encircled the dragon with had been mostly burnt away leaving naught but charred tendon and bone.
He might never be able to use the hand again, Zelgadis thought as he tore his gaze away from it, unable to stomach the sight of it any longer. He quickly slipped the entire arm beneath his cloak and shook his head irritably. The hand might be gone. It might not. Either way, Amelia understood what he was and would be safe. That was all that mattered. Still, how vile was he? He used to be able to tolerate the image of Ceiphied, had actually gone to church as dictated by his duties as Chief Minister. But now, it seemed that piety was a most virulent poison. What was hiding within him to elicit such a reaction from the image of the Flare Dragon?
Haunted by these thoughts, Zelgadis watched over Amelia as she slept, occasionally whispering heatedly to the voice that had taken up residence within him.
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Unaware of what was happening a few feet away in Amelia's room; Gourry cautiously called out, "Lina?" as he poked his head in the front door. After having breakfast, which had been totally unfulfilling, even if it was his grandmother's cooking, he'd returned to his task of harvesting lumber. For some reason, Leon hadn't felt like helping and excused himself, saying something about getting to a doctor. Apparently, he wasn't used to almost getting killed by infuriated women.
Gourry shook his head sadly. It was a talent one either possessed or didn't he supposed. He'd gotten used to Lina's outbursts fairly quickly and had actually learned to anticipate them and counter them at times, a fact that pleased him to no end. In fact, he'd actually had the forethought to bring Lina a present after her tantrum earlier that morning. In addition to the bundle of boards he carried under his arm, he also bore a basket, filled to overflowing with wild berries. After all, if he was hungry, it stood to reason that Lina must be as well.
The swordsman called Lina's name again, his gaze darting around the kitchen nervously. He did want to see her. And it'd be much better for him if he saw her before she saw him. That way, he could offer her the berries before she had the opportunity to turn them into jam. Not to mention him. Assuming she was still mad, of course.
Noting that he was apparently alone in the house, Gourry sighed in disappointment and set the lumber down on the floor. He grimaced as he looked at the wall. That had gotten the worst of things, the timbers scorched to the point of uselessness. It'd be a long job, but he wanted to get it done before his parents arrived. To have them see that he'd ruined their kitchen after being away so long would be disappointing to say the least. He began to take down the old boards, but paused in mid-pull. He'd heard something faint.
Crying, Gourry realized. Someone was crying. Curious, he abandoned his work in favor of following the noise. A moment of investigation revealed that it was emanating from the master bedroom. "Hello?" he quietly called, wondering if some child had wandered into the house. The weeping sounded like a little girl.
The bedroom appeared unoccupied, things just as he and Lina had left them that morning. The sheets had been flung off the bed in Lina's haste to get to Amelia's side. The nightstand leaned precariously against the wall, balanced on two legs after Zelgadis had collided with it. The crying temporarily forgotten, Gourry hastened about the room trying to set things right. Sometimes he hated being so forgetful. What would mom have said if she'd seen things so messy?
A quiet scraping sound in the closet, so faint as to be almost inaudible, instantly drew Gourry's attention. Absentmindedly tossing a pillow he'd been holding aside, he turned and crept over to the closet door. Ever so slowly so as not to disturb the occupant, he laid his ear against the door, listening intently. There was the crying again, quiet as if whoever it was didn't want to be heard. It was his house though.
"Hey, are you okay in there?" Gourry asked, turning the doorknob and slowly pulling the door open. An instant later, it was snatched violently from his hand and slammed shut again.
"Leave me alone, Gourry!" Lina's muffled voice commanded. She'd tried to make it sound like a threat, but it'd come out more as a plea. She sniffled loudly a moment later and cursed aloud at her own weakness.
Concerned, Gourry almost reached out to yank the door open again. Lina was crying and that meant something was really wrong. He restrained his impulse at the last second and instead sat down next to the closet. "What's wrong, Lina?" he gently asked. An apprehensive look on his face, he cautiously inquired, "Is this about breakfast?"
Lina swore at Gourry and there was a loud thud as she slammed her fist into the door in her irritation. Okay, maybe this wasn't about breakfast. Speaking of breakfast…
"Hold on a second, Lina," Gourry said, as if Lina could be dragged from the closet by force, much less leave of her own volition. He scrambled to his feet and ran out into the kitchen where he snatched up the basket of fruit, spilling dozens of them on the floor. It didn't matter. There were more important things to worry about now. "I've got food," he said eagerly as he plopped back down by the door to Lina's sanctuary. "Aren't you hungry?"
A quiet sniffle was followed by a few seconds of silence. "Well… what kind of food?" Lina hesitantly asked.
Gourry grinned. Things must not have been that bad if she was thinking about food. "Berries," he explained. "I picked them when I was out earlier. They're good." He popped one into his mouth to emphasize his point, uncaring of the fact that Lina couldn't see him.
The door swung open just far enough for Lina's hand to snake out and pick a few of the berries from the basket. "Thanks," she whispered, withdrawing her hand back into the darkness. There was the sound of quiet munching and then silence.
"Did you fall asleep or something?" Gourry muttered, turning his head and putting his ear to the door again. All of a sudden, it was flung violently open, slamming into the side of the swordsman's head and knocking him onto his back. He glanced up just in time to see the basket being pulled into the closet before the portal swung closed again. "That good, huh?" he asked, rubbing his abused skull.
Lina grunted in agreement as she gorged herself on the fruit. A moment later, the empty basket was flung out of the darkness, almost as if the closet itself had emptied it.
"Feel better?" Gourry asked, being careful to stay out of reach should Lina decide to throw the door open again.
"A little," the muffled voice admitted.
Sighing in relief, Gourry moved a little closer and laid his back against the door. Unbeknownst to him, Lina was doing the same thing on the opposite side, making them look like bizarre shadows of one another, the swordsman in the light and the Slayer in the dark. They sat that way for a few moments, unconsciously comforting and drawing comfort from the other's presence.
Then Gourry broke the silence. "Um, will you tell me what I did?" he sheepishly asked. "Because, I can't say I'm sorry if I don't know what I did wrong. And I want you to be happy."
There was a sad little laugh from within the confines of the closet and Lina said, "You don't know what you did wrong? Gourry, you bait for brains. You didn't do anything wrong… well, nothing that I didn't already punish you for anyway. I mean, 'rabid hyena'? That kind of hurt, but I'm over it now."
"Sorry," Gourry said with a pained expression. "But, if I didn't do anything, what's wrong with you?"
"What do you know about me?" Lina asked in return.
Ooh, the swordsman hadn't expected that. Was there a right way to answer this? Thinking for a moment, he decided that he'd answer it the way he answered everything else: honestly. "I know your name's Lina Inverse," he said, starting with the obvious. "You're a Slayer, which means you kill evil things and help people who can't help themselves. You're kind of short tempered and irritable sometimes." He could almost feel her tense up behind him and quickly added, "But, you're usually very nice and when you smile, I forget about the bad stuff. I know that you're beautiful, even if you don't think so sometimes." He smiled and quietly said, "I know that you're incredibly ticklish, especially when I kiss your-"
"Okay! That'll do, Gourry." Lina laughed embarrassedly, an incredibly pleasing sound after the sobs that Gourry had heard before.
The doorknob turned and the swordsman moved away from the door so that Lina could get out. The door swung halfway open, but the closet's occupant didn't emerge. "What gives, Lina?" Gourry cautiously poked his head into the closet and saw the redhead hastily wiping away her tears.
"Sorry," Lina said with a quiet sniffle. "I'm not quite ready to face the world yet. Will you stay with me for a bit? I know you have things to do, but…" She shrugged helplessly, unwilling to admit that she couldn't stand the idea of being alone anymore. She'd spent the last few years in solitude and now that she'd tasted companionship, she found that it was something that she was unable to live without.
Several things ran through Gourry's mind. He had to fix the kitchen, straighten the bedroom, and he really should see if Leon was okay. So, it only made sense that he found himself squeezing into the closet beside Lina.
Lina gasped as the air was driven from her lungs. "Not enough room," she hissed at her protector, hoping that he understood that she was being crushed to death. A moment later, his arms had encircled her waist and pulled her free. She found herself sitting in his lap, looking up into his loving eyes. "That's better," she said, her face turning a bit pink. She laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his fingers gently running through her hair.
"Feel better?" Gourry whispered into the redhead's ear. His question was answered by a happy sigh and a quick kiss on the cheek. He put his arms around her waist and drew her close. "Do you want to tell me what was wrong?"
"Mmm," Lina muttered in response, not quite ready to vocalize her dark suspicions. Maybe she would sometime down the road, but now she just wanted to be with someone. Specifically, she wanted to be with her Gourry. She buried her face in his neck and hugged him tightly, wishing that she could become a part of him. When she was with him, her worries seemed utterly inconsequential. Still, she knew that just because she wanted them to, her problems wouldn't leave so she reluctantly drew away from her protector and looked into his eyes. She was almost overwhelmed by what she saw there. "You do love me," she whispered in wonderment. "You love me and you don't even know me."
"I don't?" Gourry replied, his expression one of befuddlement. He knew that Lina was a kind and caring person who needed him. What more was there to know?
"No, you don't," Lina said with a sad smile. "We'll fix that though." She couldn't bring herself to share her problems with Gourry just yet, but she could share a little bit of herself. It'd make a good starting point. She cleared her throat and haltingly said, "I-I was born in the province of Zefielia. I had an older sister, Luna, who I think I may have mentioned before…" Hesitantly at first, but with increasing confidence, Lina began the terrifying process of letting someone truly know her.
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"Sarah!" Marco's voice cracked midway through his friend's name, making it sound like a croak. He winced and rubbed his throat. He'd been calling her name for an hour and was starting to lose his voice. It didn't stop him though. Somehow, he knew that something was wrong. She'd never been late before and he was going to find out what was wrong.
It would be nice to get a drink of water though. Marco coughed, an extremely painful sound. He was going hoarse and his throat felt like sandpaper. He desperately took in his surroundings, looking for a stream, puddle, or even a leaf filled with the last remnants of the morning dew. Anything would do at this point.
It was an extremely pleasant surprise when he heard the sound of water dripping nearby. He quickly located the source of the noise. It was a small hole in the ground, so overgrown that he hadn't even seen it. Luckily for him, he hadn't stepped in it. He probably would have broken his ankle. Curious, he lay down in the grass and cautiously peered into the opening.
What he'd first assumed was a small rut in the ground actually turned out to be a decent sized opening. Cool air blew in Marco's face, indicating that it stretched fairly far into the earth. It wasn't nearly large enough to be called a cave, but was just wide enough for an ambitious young man to wiggle into, which he proceeded to do. There was something creepy about the darkness, but there was water down there somewhere and it was rather exciting. He'd have to remember to tell Sarah about this when he found her.
Ever so slowly, Marco made his way into the darkness, drawn on by the tantalizing sound of water. The first few feet of the tunnel had been a tight squeeze, but thankfully, it opened up a bit as he made his way in. Able to move a bit more freely, he crawled forward on hands and knees, going faster than he should have in the dark.
So, when Marco set his hands down on thin air, he was already leaning too far forward to stop himself. He yelled in surprise as he tumbled forward, flipping in midair to land on his back with a loud splash. He was immediately chilled to the bone as two inches of icy water eagerly soaked the heat from his body. "Jeez!" he yelped, leaping to his feet and hastily shaking himself off. Well, he'd found the water.
Somehow, that knowledge brought Marco little comfort. He glanced around, his eyes struggling to adjust to the darkness. About a dozen feet above, the light from the opening shined down on him almost mockingly. "Great," he muttered, cautiously making his way over to where he thought the wall would be. The floor was treacherous; innumerable fissures hidden just beneath the inky surface of the water. His hands found slimy stone and his hopes fell. There was no way he could climb it. That meant that he'd have to wait for someone to come along and the odds of that were-
Marco's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of something large splashing in the dark behind him. He turned too quickly and slipped at the same time. By some cursed luck, he managed to wedge his foot in a crack in the floor as he fell. There was a loud snap, barely noticeable over the splash of the boy striking the water for the second time in two minutes.
Whining in pain, Marco sat up and instinctively reached out to grab his ankle. He yelped when he felt something shift painfully and wisely decided that holding it wasn't the best course of action. Suddenly remembering why he'd fallen, he looked up to see a humanoid shape looming over him. Before he could react, a pair of arms snaked out to grab him by the shoulders and lifted him out of the water. For just a moment, he thought that the stranger was going to help him out of the pit.
Those hopes were dashed when Marco's assailant violently slammed him into the wall. He saw stars for a moment, but was quickly brought back to the present by the unpleasant sensation of the jagged stone digging into his back. He saw that his attacker was not alone. There were a dozen more figures flanking him and more shuffled out of the darkness as he watched.
There was the ominous hiss of a blade being drawn in the darkness and if he hadn't known before that these people were hostile, he knew now. He tried to cry for help, but an impossibly strong hand clamped around his throat, robbing him of his breath. He managed a pathetic gasp as he saw a rusty dagger glint in the meager light.
All of a sudden, the dagger was gone and he felt a small sting in his belly. This was quickly followed by a sensation of sickness and Marco felt as if his stomach was turning flips. He looked down and was surprised to see that he was right. His stomach, along with the rest of his guts, tumbled free of his body and struck the water.
As his world began to go gray, Marco looked up again, trying to see the face of his attacker before he died. What he saw in the gloom confused him to no end. It might have been a trick of the light, but it appeared as if his assailant was missing half of his face.
Marco didn't have time to ponder his new development as shock and massive blood loss pulled him into death's cold embrace.
The child's body was cast down on the floor like so much rubbish. The dark things looked at him curiously for a moment before some unseen signal drove them forward as one. They surged forward, trampling Marco's sad remains, and slamming into the wall like a living wave of water. Many were crushed to the point of uselessness as they crawled atop one another in an attempt to reach the light that had delivered the intruder into their world. It mattered not. Where one fell a dozen more rose to mount his body like a stepping-stone. There had been a disturbance in their world and soon there would be retribution for it.
The darkness had begun to move.
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Aqua was sweeping her front walk, just as she always did after lunch. It may not need it, but there was a comfort in the routine that she took immense pleasure in. Although she had to admit that it was nice to have a few surprises now and again.
Surprises like her dear grandson showing up after all these years. She'd honestly never expected him to return again. The eager glint in his eye when he left gave her the impression that he'd gladly allow himself to be swallowed up by the outside world. So, it was quite a pleasant surprise to have him and his friends show up at her doorstep yesterday.
As nice as it was to see Gourry again, his companions were a bit perplexing. The younger girl had been nice enough, a cheerful sort who seemed genuinely excited to meet and greet everyone in the village. His male companion had been suspicious looking, but of course, she was too polite to say so. That brought her to his lady friend…
Lina was quite the enigma, talking about killing vampires and such. At first, Aqua hadn't believed it, but she spoke with such sureness that the old woman had been won over. There were legends, after all, and such legends had to come from somewhere, right? Every story had a kernel of truth to it, as her dear departed mother had told her long ago.
Surprisingly enough, it wasn't the talk of the walking dead that had bewildered Aqua so badly. It was her questions. The way she'd looked at Gourry when his age had been mentioned. Almost like she didn't believe it. And this morning, she'd asked what the date was, a peculiar question.
The strangest thing was that Aqua couldn't remember what the date was. Chalk it up to old age, but she was having a great deal of trouble just remembering what month it was. Summertime, to be sure, but all she had to go on was the blooming foliage and the weather. She'd almost asked Mister Einberg about the date, but had relented at the last moment. He'd probably think her silly for getting so mixed up. Or worse, what if he didn't know either?
A sudden gust of wind roared through the village, startling the old woman out of her thoughts. She lost her grip on her broom, which went sailing down the narrow street. "Oh bother!" she exclaimed, the closest she'd ever come to cursing. It wasn't so much the fact that she'd lost her broom, as she'd been frightened out of her wits by the suddenness of the wind. It was unnatural. She glanced up at the sky and frowned.
Dark clouds were brewing on the horizon. With frightening speed they seemed to pour over the hilltops and envelop the sun. The light was snuffed out almost immediately as the wind continued to howl. Day had become night as something terrible turned its eye on the village. Streaks of lightning leapt between the clouds temporarily turning the false night into day again. The first fat drops of rain began to fall, slowly at first, but quickly picking up speed and intensity. This was followed by hail.
Her broom forgotten, Aqua turned and hurried back into her house to close the shutters and prepare for what looked to be a monster of a storm. All around her the rest of the villagers did the same.
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Lina snuggled up to Gourry, wishing that the moment could last forever. She'd told her story, a bit of it anyways, and it'd been incredibly liberating. She'd omitted the part about Luna's death and what happened after, but still she felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her chest. There would be time to tell the rest later. All the time in the world. "Gourry?" she whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Do you like it here?"
"Why do you ask?" Gourry inquired in return, planting a loving kiss on Lina's forehead.
Lina smiled at that bit of affection and explained, "Because, I like it here. It's a nice place, well, aside from the vampire in the woods of course, but an expert Slayer like me would have no trouble dealing with that." She chuckled a bit at that. All vampires were dangerous and never to be taken lightly, but with Gourry by her side, she was sure they could kill it with little problem. "Anyway," she continued, her face turning bright red, "the people are nice, nobody wants to hurt us, and well… I'd be happy staying here for a little while… you know, with you. Only if you wanted to, of course."
Gourry was about to answer when a particularly violent gust of wind rattled the house as if it were nothing. "That sounds pretty bad," he said, his brow furrowed in concern. He quickly climbed to his feet, never relinquishing his hold on Lina.
"Um, you can put me down, you know…" Lina nervously suggested, half expecting Gourry to charge out into the storm with her in tow.
Shaking his head in indication that Lina should be quiet, Gourry quickly stepped out into the kitchen; seemingly following a sound only he could hear. "It's strange…" he whispered. "Almost like…"
Zelgadis's voice startled Gourry out of his thoughts. "By Ceiphied, you're insatiable, aren't you Lina? Just like a couple of rabbits." He smirked at the couple from across the room where he'd just emerged from Amelia's sleeping quarters.
Lina started kicking wildly in Gourry's arms and shook a fist at Zelgadis, which, of course, was exactly the result he was going for. "That's none of your business, you pervert! If you weren't breaking into my room at three in the morning you wouldn't have to worry about it! Besides, we weren't…"
Zelgadis's expression turned grim as he tuned out the rest of Lina's tirade in favor of looking at Gourry. "You heard it too?" he asked, already reading the answer in the swordsman's expression.
"What? Huh? Heard what?" Lina asked, her anger quickly forgotten. She glanced back and forth from Gourry to Zelgadis in rapid succession. She was missing something here and she hated it when she missed things. "What's going on?!" she demanded when it was becoming obvious that her queries were being ignored.
"Go stay with Amelia," Gourry instructed as he hastily set Lina down and snatched the Sword of Light from atop the kitchen table.
Lina's ire turned to fear as she watched Gourry hastily don his sword belt. His hands shook as he buckled it, making her even more afraid. Nothing shook Gourry. It was a rule of nature or something. "What's wrong?" she asked, struggling to keep the fear from her voice. When her protector seemingly ignored her again, she lost her temper and bellowed, "Jellyfish! Why won't you answer me?!"
Gourry shook his head, indicating that Lina should be silent while he finished his preparations. He wished that he'd had armor, but it was too late to worry about that. There were far too many for armor to make a difference anyway. He had the idea that Lina was yelling at him somewhere in the distance, but was too focused on preparing himself for the fight to care.
Zelgadis rolled his eyes, growing tired of Lina's tirade, and pointed at the front door. "You don't hear that?!" he asked.
Lina cocked her head and listened and for the first time she heard what had spooked Gourry and Zelgadis. It was no wonder she hadn't heard it before. Zelgadis had senses far beyond those of normal men and being a mercenary, Gourry was familiar with the noise. It was a low rumble that she'd mistaken for thunder at first, but this was ceaseless and it sounded as if it were approaching. "Soldiers?" she guessed after a moment.
"Yeah," Zelgadis said with a terse nod. "If I had to venture a guess, I'd say that Rezo's troops have found us." A moment later, he'd flung the door open and rushed out into the storm with Gourry right on his heels.
Lina stood there for just a moment before shaking her head and muttering, "No way am I playing nursemaid," just before darting out the door after them. If something happened, Amelia would be just as dead if she were there or not. And she was not going to sit by like some frightened little girl and wait for the soldiers to come for her.
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"Lily!" Goren bellowed, trying to be heard over the wind. They'd almost made it to the village when the storm had come out of nowhere. Being built like a tank, he was having little trouble with the wind, but it was battering his wife around like she was nothing.
Somehow, Lily managed to make it under the relative shelter of a nearby tree. She held onto the trunk tightly, lest she be blown off her feet again. Never in her life had she seen a storm so strong. She tried to put on a brave face to put Goren at ease, but only managed a grimace.
Goren lumbered over to Lily and sheltered her from the wind with his body. "Let's go!" he yelled, pointing to a few dim lights at the bottom of the hill. They were within a mile of home. "We can't stay here!"
Lily shook her head and clung even more tightly to the tree. "I can't make it! Let's wait it out here!" The tree trunk creaked loudly and ominously, drowning out the last bit of her speech.
"Gods, woman! You can be so stubborn sometimes!" Goren grumbled irritably.
"I am not stubborn!" Lily angrily retorted. "There's no reason not to wait it out here." She yelped in surprise as a hailstone the size of her fist struck the ground beside her.
"That's reason enough!" Gouren yelled as he flung the sack of goods down on the ground. A bolt of sky blue cloth fell out of the bag and was immediately snatched up by the wind and carried off into the dark.
"What are you doing?!" Lily demanded as she watched the purpose of their entire trip snatched away by the storm. Cloth, tools, foodstuffs, they were all gone in a few moments.
"We can always get more!" Goren replied, easily scooping Lily into his massive arms. He could have carried the bag as well, but he wanted both arms free to better protect his most beloved treasure from the elements. "Cover your eyes!" he instructed as the hailstones began to fly almost horizontally towards them. He grunted in pain as one of them gashed his cheek drawing blood. Slowly but surely, he began to make his way down to the village and shelter.
Before Goren had taken ten steps he heard a sound. It must have been impossibly loud to be heard over the howling of the wind. The ground began to tremble and he briefly wondered if they were suffering an earthquake on top of the storm. It'd be just their luck.
"Goren, look!" Lily called out. She was looking at something over Goren's shoulder with a terrified expression on her face. "What are they?!"
Goren turned to see an army marching on the village below. He thought it was odd, but perhaps a passing patrol was just seeking shelter from the storm, just as they were. He was about to call out to them, to tell them to follow him when lightning lit the sky.
The soldiers were dead to the last man. Grievous wounds marred rotting bodies making it impossible to tell how some of them managed to keep in step. In fact, some of them didn't. One warrior who was missing a good portion of his left leg hopped, looking almost comical in his attempt to keep pace with his brethren. Unfortunately for him, he slipped on a muddy patch of road and was immediately trampled to paste by his comrades.
Having seen more than enough, Goren turned, meaning to run to the village with as much haste as he could muster. He had to warn them about what was coming. Somehow, they had to-
A spear came sailing out of the ranks of the dead, flying against the wind through some unnatural power and buried itself in Goren's lower back. He bellowed like a wounded animal and dropped to one knee. "Run," he told Lily, the look in his eyes telling her that this was no time for complaints.
Lily nodded and tried to do as she'd been instructed, but the wind made it almost impossible to progress. For every two steps she'd take forward, she'd stagger back another one. Still, it was a mercy that she had something to do. So intent was she on making it home that she didn't have to see the dead tear Goren apart. A few moments later, she died instantly as a rusty sword pierced her heart from behind.
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"This doesn't look good," Gourry admitted as he watched the swarm of soldiers sweep down the hill towards the outskirts of the village. There were far too many for him and the others to have a prayer of victory. "We should run, right?" he asked, looking down at Lina. He knew that she'd be there beside him despite his request that she stay inside.
"We could run," Lina said quietly, barely audible over the wind, "but, it's not going to save these people." She gestured to the rest of the village and looked up into Gourry's eyes almost guiltily. "I'm sorry, Gourry."
"Sorry for what?" Gourry nervously asked, feeling a chill run down his spine that had nothing to do with the freezing rain. "Sorry for what, Lina?! If we leave, they'll follow us, right? So, just go back and grab Amelia and-"
"If they're servants of the church, they'll leave none alive," Zelgadis interjected. "The penalty for harboring heretics is to be branded a heretic yourself." Shaking his head in disgust, he muttered, "I knew it was a mistake to come here. We should have kept going when we first saw the place." He squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the identities of the intruders. "Huh," he muttered in surprise. "Sorry, my mistake. Apparently, it's an army of the dead come to devour the village to the last child."
Lina and Gourry exchanged incredulous looks. A ravenous army of the damned, huh? Well, what were the odds of that? Not really any better than a regiment of Rezo's troops, but it was too late to complain now. Bad luck just seemed to follow them no matter where they went.
"You know, this puts a totally different spin on things. Since these things aren't really after us, we could grab Amelia and make our escape. They do seem kind of slow and I doubt they'd follow us too far." Zelgadis rolled his eyes as Lina drew her dagger and Gourry his sword. "Why am I the only sensible one?" he grumbled, drawing his own blade with his good hand.
The three companions charged as one, meeting the horde just as they reached the outermost home of the village. There was a loud crash and a bright light illuminated the area. It wasn't lightning though. The Sword of Light, reflecting the intensity of Gourry's righteous anger within its blade, fell time and again, hewing countless adversaries like so much chaff.
Lina and Zelgadis hesitated for just a moment, awed by the skill and fury of the Swordsman of Light. They'd never seen him fight so hard. Were their enemies any fewer there might actually be hope for victory. They admired Gourry for only a moment before they themselves were beset by the rest of the tide that he could not stem and were forced to defend themselves.
They all fought with incredible skill. Lina used her nimbleness to avoid harm and riposted with expertise born of years of fighting for survival. Zelgadis was the antithesis of the young woman's style, relying instead on his vampiric abilities to protect him from harm. The blades that cut him could not kill him, instead driving him further into a murderous rage that he welcomed for once in his life.
Still, despite their most valiant efforts, Lina and the others would have fallen almost immediately, trampled beneath the army had some miracle not happened. Gourry was a valiant fighter, but he'd gone too far into the mass of death to adequately defend himself. A large corpse, bearing what looked to be an even larger hammer, rose up behind the swordsman, meaning to dash his brains out.
Thankfully, just before the maul fell the dead man's head exploded, shattered by a deft swing of a wooden sword.
Gourry whirled around to see Leon standing beside him, a sick looking smile on his face. He nodded gratefully before turning back to the melee. His friend obviously wasn't enjoying this despite his speech earlier in the day. As he watched, the rest of the villagers stormed out of their homes bearing whatever weapons they could find. Pitchforks, cooking knives, one woman even carried a broom. At about the same time, Jillas charged from the woods, firing two shots before plunging headlong into the battle. It was a heartening sight that drove him to fight all the harder.
Still, it was like lambs to the slaughter. Unskilled in the art of combat, the villagers began to fall to the supernatural warriors. Death had not slackened their skills any. Leon fell, the haft of a spear jutting hideously from beneath his jaw. He clawed at it briefly as he thrashed about on the ground, as if trying to scratch some annoying itch, before being trampled to death.
Leon's death brought home to Gourry the fact that they were all in mortal danger. With that in mind, he frantically began to search the battlefield for the small redhead that he'd grown to love. He caught sight of Lina's crimson mane about twenty feet away, a bright spot in a sea of darkness, and quickly began to hack his way over to her.
As the swordsman fought his way through the masses, Jillas was biting and clawing at anything that came within reach. Somehow, he missed a hand holding a dagger and the blade plunged into his good eye, blinding him. Unable to see any more, he was helpless as innumerable hands seized him and pulled him in several different directions. He howled in pain and tried to fight on, but eventually his body yielded to their unnatural strength and he was torn to pieces.
Zelgadis growled in anger at the sight and if possible became even more uncontrollable. He would miss his servant despite the foxes annoying penchant for calling him 'boss'. However, there would be time to think about Jillas later. His wings were tatters, large appealing targets for the masses, their wounds annoying pinpricks in his back. Myriad injuries covered his body, but nothing that he couldn't heal with a bit of rest.
The vampire hissed in anger as a huge warrior seized him and lifted him off his feet. He clawed at the dead man, raking talons through undead flesh. It had little effect as his foe flung him across the battlefield with little effort. It wasn't that bad, he thought as he flew. Being on his back would be a slight inconvenience, but he'd be back on his feet in no time.
Sadly, Zelgadis didn't see where he was landing until it was too late. Agony shot through his body as he was skewered on a white picket fence enclosing someone's yard. He looked at the blood streaked wooden post erupting from his chest curiously, not really comprehending what had just happened. Wooden post. Chest. How strange. He tried to climb to his feet, meaning to continue the battle, but his body would not obey him. It was seized with some strange paralysis.
Although his heart had been skewered, all but killing him, Zelgadis's blood apparently didn't think it was the end. It moved with a life of its own, pouring out of his gaping chest wound and forming small tendrils no more than a few inches in length. These thrashed about, struggling to lash out at his enemies. "T-The blood…" he hissed in understanding just before an ax came down, neatly severing his head from his body.
Gourry and Lina were the last to be overwhelmed, wiped out by the sheer numbers of their foes.
Lina was the first to go, being the less skilled of the two. She let a cruel barbed spear slip through her guard to plunge into her stomach. She cried out despite her best efforts not to. The last thing she wanted to do was distract Gourry from the battle. The wielder of the spear twisted and pulled, pulling her intestines free of her body. The last thing she saw before her head was cruelly twisted from her neck was Gourry holding out his hand, calling her name.
Then Gourry had no more reason to fight. The Sword of Light flickered and went out, plunging the battlefield into darkness and the swordsman welcomed oblivion.
The village burned, the flames eagerly consuming wood and flesh as Amelia finally found death as well. The light from the fire shone brightly for miles around until the downpour finally put it out. And then the village was no more.
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Next Chapter: …
Notes: Well, I thank you all for reading and I do hope that you enjoyed the story. Funny how things turn out this way, isn't it? I mean, I was expecting some sort of resolution to the story, maybe some answers, heck, just SOMETHING, you know? Oh well, that's the way the cookie crumbles. *switches off light and shuts door*
Oh, okay. Don't cry people! There's more to be told and I think that it'll be told next week as a matter of fact. So, be sure to tune in next week (how do you tune in to a written story?) for the all zombie, all the time, cast of Slayers.
Reviewer Response:
Ichiban, you're going to find out a LOT more about Zelgadis in the next chapter, so I expect that will make you happy. As to whether or not it's because he loses control remains to be seen…
Otaku girl, I'd love to get a summary of your story. *points to e-mail in profile* Just send it there if you please. I do wonder why you're so secretive though. And Marco scares you? He's a sweet little boy! What's to be scared of?
Ari-chan, I'm sure it was a sign. Since it author alerted you 37 times, it means you owe me 37 reviews, right? Or maybe not. Interesting thoughts about the figure in white. Ooh, thinking is unhealthy? Eep, I must be a dead man then. Why doesn't anyone ever tell me these things?
Boo-san! *hugs* I was beginning to wonder if you dropped of the face of the world.
Xellic? Nifty! It could be defined as, "Characterized by the pronounced ability to drive red haired sorceresses or dragon priestesses to acts of destruction by means of sheer irritation." Hmm, I don't think it'd get that much use, do you Stara?
Slow down for a second, Dragonet. You've confused me… *rereads review* Yep, you've totally lost me…
Things have been going a bit better, Colin, so the pace should pick up a bit. *crosses fingers* Hoped you liked the bit of L/G in this chapter.
Kaitrin, thank you very much for the kind words. As for your query, Mimi and Nene were left at the scene after Hellmaster worked his magic on them. That's why Lina was linked to their murders. After being interred, they were drawn to his lair by his power. I'll better clarify it if I ever get around to rewriting this mess. Thanks again for the compliments. Any time I can waste someone's entire day, it puts a smile on my face.
Thanks, as always, to my hard working, genius, and inspirational wonder of a beta reader, Pogo (Did I get all that right, you modest sweetheart, you?). Seriously! She's betaing 2 projects for me and co-authoring another. *offers chocolate covered cherries*