Zelgadis' Gambit

Chapter: 2

The Black Wolf's Return

More fun times.

Atlas City was the first target he thought of as he had made his plan. Zelgadis knew what was ahead but before he could begin with his main objective he needed to pull a few other jobs. If he was going to go after the paintings he would have to assure there would be a way to protect them if he was away. The best way would be to attract a bandit gang to his side. He did not relish the idea of working with lowly bandits but he had already made his decision. 'In for a penny in for a pound I guess,' Zelgadis thought to himself as he walked through the gates of Atlas City.

Zelgadis walked down the streets of the city as he looked for a likely mark. He knew the types of places to hit. Not a mom and pop store but the homes and business of the rich. After casing the city for over two hours Zelgadis had found his mark. 'Now to just find a place to hang out until it is time to strike,' he thought as he made his way back across town to a pub.

Zelgadis sat in a dark corner as he waited for night to fall. The time crawled and it was all he could do to keep his mind focused on the mission ahead. The time drew near and Zelgadis could feel his body start to get tense. He had not done this in years and he knew that he was more than likely to be a bit rusty. But, he also knew that being tense would not help him. He ordered an ale and waited. Once the ale came to him Zelgadis took a few quite gulps before setting the mug down again. He took a second to clear the taste from his mouth. He was not normally a drinker and it did not help that the pub's ale was not that pleasing to his tastes. After a second he quickly finished the ale off so that he would not have to deal with the terrible flavor. He left some coins on the table to pay for the ale before walking into the streets. Zelgadis walked down the road while slowly making sure that there was no one watching him. After a moment he ducked into an alley and pulled the bag from within his cloak. He pulled out the bone mask and the black clothes he had bought. He quickly changed into the black suit, that was an exact replica of his normal clothing, and then placed the mask on his face before saying, "Time for the Black Wolf's rebirth."

Zelgadis then jumped up to the top of the roof. He crouched like a giant black cat as he allowed his eyes to become used to the darkness. He watched to see what the town watch patterns were around the area he was planning to strike. After about twenty minutes he began to move; bounding from rooftop to rooftop as he headed uptown without being seen. He finally made it to the building across the street before crouching and waiting. He watched as the town guard walked past while taking notes on the normal routine. After the guards had made a complete circuit Zelgadis knew the amount of time he had. 'It seems to take the guards about twenty-five minutes to take their circuit. Now once they leave this street I have twenty-five minutes to break in, steal the goods, and make my way out,' Zelgadis thought to himself.

After sitting for another minute the guards left the street and Zelgadis leapt across to the building he had targeted. It was a store belonging to a merchant of rare items. Zelgadis knew that this merchant was very rich because of the way he conducted business but that was not the main reason for this crime. He had seen an item within the shop that he knew would come in handy later on when he began his actual plans. Once he landed on the roof of the store he quickly moved towards the back while making sure he did not make noise. Zelgadis then lowered himself down to the street before moving to the back door. Zel then pull the lock picks from his belt and began to work on the lock. After about two minutes he heard the lock click and smiled. He placed the picks back into his belt and entered the shop before slowly closing the door behind him. 'That was too easy,' Zelgadis thought to himself as he crept towards the front.

Zelgadis moved slowly as he had plenty of time to grab the item and go. After another five minutes of slow going Zelgadis made his way to the front of the store. He moved behind the front desk and turned to see the item he was after. It was a large crystal that he knew was used to spilt spells in multiple directions. He pulled a glass cutter from his belt as the item was in a glass case. Zelgadis slowly cut a circle in the glass before placing his palm under the glass to catch the circle. After, placing the glass down, Zelgadis reached in and grabbed the crystal. Zelgadis placed the crystal into a pouch and was about to turn when he noticed something else. He picked up five stones with runes etched in red. His eye got wide for a second before pocketing the stones as well while thinking, 'Binding stones...you fool you shouldn't leave these out where people can see them,' Zelgadis thought as he began to chant a spell, "Flare Arrow."

The arrow appeared in front of Zelgadis and he grabbed it before beginning to leave his mark. Zelgadis turned to the wall and used the flare arrow to burn a shape of a wolf's head into the wood. Zelgadis smirked before turning and heading back towards the back door. As Zelgadis was about to open the door he felt something hit him in the head before he heard, "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Zel sighed before standing to his full height before turning slowly and saying, "I would advise you stop now."

Zelgadis came face to face with the shop owner as he glared at the man that had just hit him with a broom. The man's courage drained from his face as he saw the slitted eyes of the thief. The owner began to back away and Zelgadis could see he was about to shout when he reached out his hand and said, "Sleep."

The shop owner was hit by the spell and began to fall. Zelgadis quickly moved and caught the shop owner before he crashed into the stairs. Zel laid the man down before turning and going out the back door before anyone else could interrupt him. After getting outside Zelgadis jumped back onto the roof and began to run. He quickly jumped to the next roof and continued his run. The stealthy part of the mission was over and now he was quickly running out of town. Zelgadis continued to run as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop while heading towards the walls of the city. As he approached the wall Zel jumped into the air and shouted, "Ray Wing!"

Zelgadis took to the air as he flew out of Atlas City and into the night. He flew for an hour before he found a clearing to land in. Once Zelgadis landed he changed back into his normal traveling attire and took the bone mask off of his face. After finishing his change of clothes Zelgadis began to walk back towards the road and then down the road once he found his way. Zelgadis chuckled as the adrenaline continued to run through his body. He had forgotten how his former profession made him feel. It gave him a rush as he took from people. Maybe that's why he had decided to quit when Rezo had found him. Maybe he did not want to admit that there was this side to him. A side that was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish his goals. "Once I find my cure I can leave this life behind," he said to himself as he continued to walk down the road, "I'll retire once I'm done."

It was true that Zelgadis could easily retire with all of the adventuring he had done. Every once in a while he would come by treasure when he was looking for a cure and he kept a decent bit of it when he could. "I'm not a fool. You need money to live in this world and once I'm done with my cure hunt I'll have all I want. I'll be human again and I will have more than enough money to live out the rest of my life."

After a while Zelgadis stopped off in a clearing to make camp for the night and get some sleep. As he sat and looked into the fire he had built he thought, 'Can I retire? I keep saying I will but can I give this life style up?'

Zelgadis had gotten used to never settling down and always being on the road. He had gotten used to being a loner and a mercenary for hire as he had done multiple times to get his hands on information that could lead to a cure. Could he actually bring himself to stop moving, to settle down in a house and just live in one place? 'Probably not,' he thought to himself as he prepared for sleep, 'Knowing how hard habits die I may never give up this nomadic life...not for a house and the boredom of everyday life...maybe if there was an incentive.'

Around a month, and a few jobs later, Zelgadis made it back to his base of operations. As he thought about his next move he heard a group approaching. He quickly pulled the bone mask on his face before the men entered the ruins. The pack of men were a bunch of bandits and Zelgadis had been expecting them to show up sooner or later. The lead man move forward and said, "So you're the Black Wolf...I was expecting something bigger."

Zelgadis snorted before replying, "Whatever rumors you have heard leave them at the door. What makes you think you are worthy to work as my underlings?"

The group laughed before saying, "We aren't going to be no one's underlings. Just one thief versus all of us..."

Before the boss could finish his sentence his head left its shoulders and blood sprayed into the air as Zelgadis was on the other side of the bandits with his sword drawn and bloodied. The rest of the bandits quickly crumbled and prostrated themselves before Zelgadis as they clambered, "Please, don't kill us...he made us do it."

Zelgadis wiped off his sword before smirking and saying, "Well, either you serve me or you die. You know where my hideout is so the only way to stay alive is to swear loyalty to me."

"We will...we will," the bandits said as they waited for his answer.

Zelgadis placed his back in his scabbard and chuckled before saying, "Good...but be warned if you betray me then your fate will be just like his."

The bandits agreed before they rose and then asked, "What do you want us to do?"

"I want you to go out and recruit more bandits. Once you have a decent number bring them back here and we will begin my true plans to make a haul," Zelgadis replied.

The bandits quickly left on their mission and Zelgadis smirked as he thought, 'Phase two complete.'

Disclaimer: Any characters or ideas from The Slayers do not belong to me. I am not selling this material, just writing for the heck of it as I go.

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