OOC: and now, finally, the continuation
Claire stared at the woman, no, monster wearing the face of a woman in front of her. From what Xellos had said, this was one of the five servants created by Shabranigdo. Which also meant she was now in the presence of one of the most powerful beings on the planet, and, lest we forget, one of the most evil as well.
"What do you want from me?" She managed to ask finally, her voice quivering slightly with the terror that had struck after the Greater Beast had introduced herself. The mazoku lord smiled, apparently pleased by something.
"Such fear of me...simply delicious." Oh, right, they fed on negative emotions. So, not only would she be tortured and killed, she'd be eaten to boot. Figuratively, anyway. "And Xellos wasn't exaggerating when he described you, either." The mazoku smirked. "No expenses spared, apparently." Claire's fear gave way to confusion at this remark.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked warily, not liking the gleam in the monster's eyes. "Why was I brought here?" Her questions turned the smirk into a slight frown.
"People are so impatient these days," Zelas murmured, sounding slightly irritated. "But I suppose that's just the way things are. As for why you're here...I'm bored." This earned her a blank stare, so the Greater Beast decided to elaborate. "You see, I have existed since...well, let's just say I've been around a long time and leave it at that. Over the passing centuries, one must constantly search for new things to occupy one's self with." One delicate seeming digit pointed Claire's way. "You have caught my interest, dear child." Claire's fear was suddenly back full force.
"W-why are y-you interested i-in me?" One could safely assume that drawing the attention of a a being such as Zelas went under the "Very Bad Things" file catagory. Zelas smiled again, the expression positively predatory.
"Because, dear girl, I haven't seen one of your kind in ages." Zelas stepped closer to the trembling girl, taking chin in hand to turn her face from side to side. Claire tried to pull back, but the mazoku's grip was like iron. "Nor such a fine specimen, either. Human mage craft has certainly improved, at least as in this area." Claire's confusion continued to grow as Zelas spoke. "Soft, pliant skin," the monster went on analytically, the hand holding the girl's jaw moving up her cheek and towards her hairline. "Beautiful, silky hair...yes, definitely no expenses spared with you." Claire tried pulling away again, only to cry out in pain as the hand in her hair tightened into a fist.
"What do you want from me?" The girl asked, wincing as she inadvertantly pulled against Zelas's grasp. "Why do you keep talking about me like...like I'm a thing?" Even though she asked, Claire was starting to think she'd be better off staying ignorant, if the anticipatory look in the mazoku lord's eyes was anything to go by.
"Why, that's because you are, Claire," Zelas whispered, leaning in close. "You are a homunculus." She smiled again, lips practically against the young woman's ear now. "Would you like me to prove it to you, dear child?" Claire tried to shake her head, only to wince again.
"N-no, please," she pleaded, voice barely louder than a murmur. She looked down as something pressed against her stomach, the object in question the tip of Zelas's free index finger.
"Oh, but I want you to know for certain what you are," Zelas murmured, digging her nail into the cloth of Claire's shirt. "I can't have my new pet ignorant of what she is, now can I?" She made it sound like she'd be doing her a favor. "It will only hurt for a moment." It was all claire could do not to start screaming after that, as Zelas was now literally pushing her finger into the girl's stomach, causing pain to flare throughout her belly.
"S-stop." Her plea was little more than a strangled gasp. Zelas cooed to her soothingly, like some horrid mother trying to assure the child she was beating that it was for his/her own good. More likely she was loving every second of her pain. Through eyes blurred by tears, Claire saw the finger withdraw...and even with her hole-ridden memory she knew something was wrong. Zelas's finger should have been dripping red with blood, yet instead it was covered in some golden-yellow fluid she couldn't identify.
"Do you know what this is, sweet Claire?" The Greater Beast asked, obviously not expecting an answer as she went on. "This is a fluid mages call amber, for its color." A soft snort of amusement followed. "Such a lack of imagination...anyway, this substance is used in the creation of artificial beings." She fixed Claire with a pointed stare. "Like you, for instance." She let her go, the now proven homunculus falling to her knees, arms curling protectively over her stomach.
"I..." She couldn't find the words. What did one say after learning they were merely a thing, an artificial construct made in a lab by some mage for experimentation or perhaps worse. Naturally, her mind had trouble processing this ugly truth. It certainly explained her lack of memory, though, as well as the priest's reaction to the failed attempt to retrieve what wasn't there in the first place. Her mind simply couldn't handle it, blackness soon eating at her vision, tinged with a bloody shade of red.
0o0o0o0o0
Xellos suddenly found himself stumbling as something caused the entire palace to shake as if struck by a Dragon Slave. Wait, a Dragon Slave would've done more than make it shake, but the author digresses. Moving on, the general-priest, after regaining his balance, ported to the source of the disturbance...only to find himself surrounded by smoke. Now, as he was an astral being and didn't have to breath, this normally wouldn't bother him, but it did make seeing with his physical eyes a tad difficult.
"Ah, Xellos." Apparently he'd ported into the throne room. "Be a dear and open the doors." Doing as instructed, he phased himself out into the hall, letting the room air out a bit. Several minutes passed before most of human-level visibility returned, the mazoku stepping inside to inspect the damage.
"My, my," he murmured, eyes opening partially as he looked around. The far walls were scorched as if by an intense flame, while the center of the room was...littered in rubble from the partially collapsed ceiling. Standing in the midst of it all was his creator, slightly singed and covered in soot but none the worse for wear, with Claire lying unconscious, or dead, at her feet. Deciding to stop his gawking, the trickster stepped forward. "My Lord, what happened here?"
"Oh, nothing much," she began crossly, attempting to dust herself off as she spoke, "just your new friend blowing up in my face." Xellos blinked, then suddenly adopted his usual, smiling expression.
"Oh, dear, was there a lot of heat and red light?" He asked, apparently amused by it all. Zelas shot him a warning look.
"You knew she could do this and neglected to mention it to me?" She asked, giving up on the soot. "You better have a good explanation for withholding such information, Xellos."
"Well, I simply didn't want to ruin the surprise," he replied smoothly, the careless smile turning slightly sinister. "I told you she was interesting, didn't I?" Zelas looked down at the girl in question, her frown lifting just enough to be a very slight smile.
"Yes, you did at that."
0o0o0o0o0
Lina and Gourry were currently in the palace gardens, the swordsman seated on a bench while the sorceress paced nearby, wearing a groove in the flagstones beneath her feet.
"First that thief steals the pressent we got for Zel and Amelia, then Xellos shows up and kidnaps Claire!" Lina exclaimed, clearly pissed off by these events. "Oh, why does the universe have it out for me?" Gourry rolled his eyes at this.
"Considering it was Claire that was kidnapped, I think you're being a little overdramatic," he remarked, tensing slightly when she rounded on him, giving him her best glare.
"That's not what I meant, you idiot," she growled, more than willing to make him the target of her anger. "I meant that not only do I have to either get the jewel back or get the happy couple a new gift, but now I have to launch a suicidal rescue mission to Wolfpack Island, of all the damnable places!" The swordsman tilted his head to the side slightly.
"What's Wolfpack Island?" For once he couldn't be blamed for his ignorance, as it wasn't a commonly known place. So, Lina sat on the bench across the path from him, entering lecture mode.
"Wolfpack Island is a place far to the south, home to a rumored host of lesser demons, demonic beasts and lesser mazoku, all in service to the island's master."
"And, who's that?" Gourry felt compelled to ask, sitting forward slightly.
"Greater Beast Zelas Metallium, one of the five mazoku lords created by Shabranigdo millenia ago." Lina closed her eyes, sighing wearily. "Not someone we really want to go up against."
"But if we don't. something really bad will happen to Claire, right?" Trust Gourry to sum something up in the simplest terms. "So we can't just sit here."
"No, we can't." The sorceress rubbed her temples in order to stave off a headache. "I hate being so nice." Gourry looked away, displaying some rare wisdom by keeping his mouth shut. "And that means we'll miss the wedding, too."
"What makes you say that, Miss Lina?" Two guesses, first doesn't count.
"Amelia?" Lina looked up, seeing that the princess in question had joined them, along with her husband to be, both dressed in their traveling garments. "Why are you two dressed like that?"
"Miss Claire was a guest under my protection, so it is my duty as Crown Princess, and a Champion of Justice, to go and rescue her from the evil forces that have taken her captive!" Okay, so maybe the justice freak was still in there.
"And I sure as hell won't let her go alone," Zelgadis added, hand resting on the pummel of his sword. "Something is very off about all of this, and I intend to find out."
"But, what about the wedding?" Gourry asked, standing to face them. "You guys are getting married the day after tomorrow, right?"
"I'm sure Daddy will understand, Mr. Gourry," Amelia assured him, smiling slightly. "Besides, this way I can have one last adventure before I'll have to attend to my duties as princess." Lina, Gourry and Zelgadis all had a sweat-drop moment.
"Amelia, this isn't going to be some walk in the park," Lina began sternly, standing as well. "Zelas is one of the more powerful lords." She shook her head slightly. "She'll make Gaav look like a candystriper."
"Miss Lina, you're not talking me out of this," Amelia told her, a tone of finality to her words. "Claire is in danger, we have to help her no matter what."
"But we hardly know her," Lina pointed out, the hypocrite. "Do you really want to risk your life for someone we just met?"
"Lina, isn't that what we were going to-oof!" Gourry soon found an elbow in his ribs before he could finish. Zelgadis snorted softly in amusement.
"Come on, Lina, I heard the two of you talking about going on a rescue mission." He tugged on an earlobe. "These do more than frame my face, after all." His expression turned grim. "Though, frankly, I don't like our chances."
"Right, so you guys should stay here and-"
"No, Miss Lina, we won't," Amelia interjected sharply, eyes filled with determination. "Besides, you need a ship that can handle the rough seas to the south, and who better to provide one than the Seyruun Expiditionary League*?"
"Looks like they won't take no for an answer, Lina," Gourry murmured, pointing out the obvious. "Besides, four is better than two when it comes to odds." The sorceress sighed again, giving up.
"Fine, but even together we'll stand little chance of beating Zelas, even if we somehow manage to catch her off guard."
"But, Miss Lina, what mazoku could possibly stand against the might of a justice loving heart?" Amelia asked, smiling in a bright and confident manner. (Seriously, who else would say something so bloody cheesy?)
"Yeah, anyway, we should probably start on our preparations for the trip," Lina said, blatantly ignoring the question.
"We should also tell Filia what we're planning on doing," Zelgadis pointed out, looking up at the castle. "She's probably wondering what we're up to out here."
"Yeah, I guess you have a point," Lina murmured, getting to her feet once more. "I was really hoping to just enjoy the wedding, and the banquet, but the gods really seem to hate me...oh, well."
0o0o0o0o0
"...so, you're all planning on raiding Wolfpack Island with the intention of rescuing Claire?" Filia asked to confirm what they'd just told her. "I wish I could come with you, but I can't just dump off little Val with Jillas and Gravos." The two of them could barely mind the store, let alone a toddler. "I wonder if this has anything to do with what the Elders were talking about?" Lina snorted derisively.
"Those idiots couldn't find their way out of a wet paper bag," the sorceress spat, clearly no love lost between her and the old dragons. "I doubt this is what they meant, anyway."
"Well, I guess I can only wish you all good fortune," the dragoness murmured, clearly displeased by the fact she wouldn't be able to help.
"Don't worry, Miss Filia, we'll be fine," Amelia assured her, giving her a friendly smile. "After all, it'll only take one verse of 'Life is Wonderful' for them to be begging for mercy." Zelgadis and LIna shared a look, as if to ask one another if the princess was serious. Unfortunately it was entirely likely that she was.
"I was wondering something," Gourry suddenly spoke up, drawing the gaze of his friends. "Why would Xellos kidnap Claire? I mean, even if she has amnesia, she's just another girl, right?" This caused Lina and Zelgadis to share another look, though for an entirely different reason.
"Actually, I...sensed something off about her the moment she arrived," Zelgadis mentioned, deciding to leave out the fact he'd smelled it more than sensed it. "Under the traces left by contact with Xellos, there was something else."
"Like what, Zelgadis?" Filia asked, obviously curious. The chimera sighed, trying to come up with a way to explain it without creeping them out.
"There was a...newness to her." He really didn't know how else to put it. "Like she hadn't been around very long at all."
"How do you figure that?" Gourry questioned him, unsurprisingly confused. This time, however, he wasn't alone.
"What do you mean 'newness'?" Amelia frowned slightly. "She looked around seventeen, maybe eighteen years old."
"I know, but still...I saw her hands." More confusion, causing him to elaborate further. "No calluses."
"None at all?" Even Gourry found this fact very strange, it seemed. "What, was she living in a bubble all this time?"
"Maybe," Lina conceded, as with magic it could be possible, "but I don't think that's it." She shook her head. "Look, while puzzling, we don't have time for any of this."
"Miss Lina's right, we have to go rescue Claire," Amelia agreed, face set with determination. "I'll talk to Daddy about the ship and supplies."
"Great," Lina said, smiling slightly. Hey, free food was always good. "Once we're ready to sail it's straight to Wolfpack Island!"
0o0o0o0o0
Claire groaned softly, finally stirring from the darkness of unconsciousness. She opened her eyes, finding herself in a small room with only a bed with a locked door opposite it. Well, she assumed it was locked, given that she was a prisoner of monsters. Still, it was puzzling. Why was she still alive? Then she remembered, looking down to see a bandage covering the hole made by Zelas, her shirt lying folded at the foot of the bed, leaving her in only the bindings for her breasts. Stranger still, though, was the fact she wasn't chained. But, then, given who her captors were they likely weren't at all worried about her escaping.
She shivered, pulling on her shirt with a wince as the movement pulled at the wound on her abdomen. Zelas had called her "pet". So, given this remembered knowledge, she'd likely be kept for amusement until the mazoku grew tired of her and did away with her. It was odd. Despite this knowledge she couldn't bring herself to care. After all, she wasn't really alive. She was a thing, a doll made to be used and thrown away. No one would miss her or mourn her passing. She curled up near the headboard, closing her eyes and sinking further into despair. She was going to die, horribly, yet she couldn't even feel afraid anymore. There was no hope for a thing like her, after all.
0o0o0o0o0
Marcus sighed wearily, finally arriving at the assigned meeting point. A small shack in the middle of the woods...how cliche. Shaking off his tiredness, he stepped inside, not surprised to find Captain Borin seated in a chair by the hearth.
"Do you have it?" The Seyruun captain asked gruffly, getting right to buisiness. Marcus held up the crystal for him to see.
"I wouldn't be here otherwise," he replied, setting it on the nearby table. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a long vacation." He turned to leave, only to find his way blocked by an elven woman in dark robes.
"Oh, I'm afraid we can't just let you go, Marcus," Borin began, getting up from his seat. "You could get caught by that Dragon Spooking bitch, after all."
"So, you'll have to die," the elf woman said, holding up her left hand. "Digger Bolt." The blast of magical lightning struck the thief full in the chest, blasting him into the far wall, killing him almost instantly.
"Nice work, Borin, Teliel," murmured their compatriot, Victor, as he stepped seemingly from thin air. "We are now one step closer to achieving our goals."
A/N: and that's that. Sorry for the abysmally long delay, but...well, I really don't have an excuse. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise not to take nearly a year for my next update. Laters!
*I figure it was founded after the barrier fell, what with the expedition to the world beyond and all