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Hibernal Heart
For all disclaimers/warnings, please see the first chapter.
===== part 5: violence
[Despair] [Misunderstood]
[Reflections] [Dreamscape]
[Violence] [Severance]
[Discovery] [Destiny]
Lina, Gourry, and Xelloss were standing at the foot of a mountain. To
anyone trained in magic, the pwer flowing down off the rock face was
obvious. Yet calling this energy strange would be an understatement.
Lina turned from glaring at the mountain, to glaring at Xelloss.
"You sure they're in here, Xelloss?"
The Trickster Priest nodded. Again Gourry saw the eternal smile falter, if only for an instant.
"Quite sure, now that we're this close." Xelloss used the head of his
staff to point towards the peak. "The Mazoku you're looking for are
somewhere inside this mountain."
Lina looked dubious, but just sighed in agreement. "Okay then. But this
energy--" Lina placed a hand on the mountainside. The energy crackled
in bright colors around her fingers. "It's weird. I've never seen or
felt anything like it."
Xelloss placed his own hand on rock. This time the energy was dark as
it flashed. "It appears to be Mazoku energy, but there is something
else. I can't quite put my finger on it."
Lina stared at the rock for a few seconds, then pushed up her sleeves. "Well, no time to worry about it now! FIREBA--"
A tap on her shoulder cut the redhead short. She turned, glowering,
only to see Xelloss' infuriating grin staring back at her. "What now,
Xelloss?"
In answer, Xelloss merely pointed to the side. A nice, perfectly round
hole was cut neatly into the wall, which Gourry had already passed
through. Xelloss glanced back at Lina.
"It would seen Gourry is in something of a hurry."
"Uh, yeah." Not that Lina needed any more proof to know something was up with the blond. As soon as this was over, she planned to find out what. For now, they had Mazoku to kill.
With a shrug, she hurried inside as Xelloss phased out. "Hey, Gourry, wait up!"
Though Gourry had walked ahead, he slowed enough for Lina to jog up to
him. He turned around just as Xelloss phased in beside him, while Lina
paused to catch her breath.
"Geez, Gourry, what's the rush?"
Gourry didn't bother answering, looking directly at Xelloss. "Which way?"
Xelloss aimed his staff at a wall. "Well, if you prefer the direct
approach, then that way." Xelloss and Lina watched as the swordsman
proceeded to cut another hole, effectively carving a path for them.
Gourry's companions looked at each other, both marveling at the
straight-forward, no-holds-barred tactic.
"Oh my, seems Gourry's picking up on your usual strategies, Lina."
Xelloss hurried inside while the sorceress took a moment to fume.
"Hey!" Swearing, Lina caught up as Gourry made another opening.
"Gourry, is something wrong?"
Uh-oh. Gourry flashed a stupid grin. "No, why do you ask?"
Lina folded her arms over her chest, firing off an incredulous look. "You're acting weird, even for you."
Think fast. Though thinking on his feet wasn't one of Gourry's
strong points, he maanged to play it off as he scratched the back of
his head. "Weird? Well, I just figured if we hurry up, we could get
back in time for dinner."
A penetrating look glare answered back, until Gourry was hardpressed not to wither away from Lina's eyes. "Are you sure that's all?"
"Well, yeah. What else would there be?" Gourry laughed softly.
"Besides, I heard they're having a two for one sale at the stands
today--"
That lit up the redhead's eyes. "You mean I can eat twice as much for
the same price?" She grabbed the blond by the arm, dragging him roughly
behind her. "What are we waiting for?! Let's kill a few demons and get
back for dinner!" Lina ran down the hall, tossing fireball after
fireball at anything stupid enough to dare block the path--
--like a wall.
"Uh, Lina?"
"Not now, Gourry! I want to find those Mazoku! FIREBALL!" Lina ran on as another wall fell victim before her.
"But Lina, I really think you should stop."
The sorceress didn't stop, taking another wall down in her careless dash. "Oh, and why is that?"
Gourry, who had a good rear view thanks to how he was being dragged, pointed towards the back. "Because their behind us."
"What?" Lina looked behind her. In her zeal, the two had simply crashed
through where the demons were, and now had a group of nasty looking
Mazoku chasing after them.
Lina dropped Gourry like a bad habit. "Oops! Guess we must have run
right pass their hideout." She shrugged, not the least bit humble about
her mistake. "Well, whatcha gonna do? Elmekia Lance!"
A flash of light burst from her hand, spearing one of the Mazoku dead
on. "We'll be through in no time, right, Gourry? Gourry?" Lina looked
to where she thought she'd dropped him, but the swordsman was nowhere
in sight. "Gourry?"
A tap on her shoulder, followed by a quick fireball, toasted the
trickster priest once again. "Why, Lina. I'm beginning to think you
care."
"Hardly. This is no time for jokes, Xelloss." Lina waved her fists all about. "Gourry's missing! I bet he was captured and--"
"He wasn't captured."
That stopped the redhead from going too deep into a worried rant. "Wasn't captured? Then where--"
Xelloss pointed his staff. On the ground were several Mazoku. Some were
sliced in half, while others were missing their head. All the bodies
had a distinct injury in the groin, causing even Xelloss to wince. Lina
was speechless. Sure, Gourry had killed Mazoku before, but nothing like
this.
"Okay, so... where is he?"
A demonic wail of pain answered them. Lina and Xelloss ran to the
source, only to freeze at the sight in they beheld in front of them.
Gourry was systematically castrating, then killing, the Mazoku with
deadly ease. Even as the group tried to overpower him, Gourry simple
evaded, taking down another Mazoku. His eyes were hard as granite as
the sword of light slid through another Mazoku like water.
"As I said, he wasn't captured." Xelloss appeared thoughtful as they
watched Gourry take down another demon. "And he seems to be handling
things on his own, wouldn't you agree."
"Yeah, no kidding." Lina stared at the carnaged, mildly shocked by it all. "I guess he really wants to hurry back for dinner."
"Well, it is a two-for-one sale." Even as he said it, Xelloss knew that wasn't the truth. If
you'd bother to look, Lina, you'd see he's not thinking about food at
all. His feelings are very strong. And there are very few emotions to
inspire such rage.
Lina snorted, deciding she'd wait till later to figure out what was
going on with the blond. "Hey, Gourry! Hurry it up, would ya?" she
yelled.
Gourry turned, skewering the last of the Mazoku to disconnect his upper
half from his lower. Looking around, the swordsman wiped his brow and
offered a sheepish grin.
"I think that's all of them, Lina."
"No kidding! Geez, what a mess. Good thing we don't have to clean it
up." Lina stepped around the pile of carcasses, making her way over to
Gourry. "You must really want to get back for dinner."
"Ah, heh heh. Yeah, you could say that." It was only a half-lie. He did want to get back. Though the Mazoku were dead, Gourry didn't want to leave the chimera's side for too long.
Xelloss appeared next to them. "Well, mission accomplished. Perhaps we
should go back now? I'm sure Zelgadis would appreciate a change in
guards."
"Yeah," said Lina. "Who knows how helpful Amelia's been while we were gone."
"Quite." The priest suddenly beamed with an idea. "Would you like me to go ahead and relieve her of duty?"
It wasn't an idea Lina felt particularly comfortable with. "Well--"
No way! Gourry all but stomped past the two with a hurried pace.
"If we're quick, we can get back in plenty of time!" He walked out the
cave, leaving the pair stunned. Lina recovered first and chased after
him.
"Hey, wait up, Gourry!"
Xelloss floated behind, his smile gone now as he pondered over Gourry's behavior.
You have such strong feelings for him, don't you, Gourry? Why else
would you fight with such dark passion? Not for food, that's certain.
You may like food, but only one thing can make a person kill with the
ease you did. And it wasn't killing to you, was it? They were just
demons after all.
Xelloss passed by the pond Gourry looked in earlier and glanced into
it. He saw his own reflection, which rippled and was replaced with the
face of a blue skinned chimera, wearing a ghost of a smile.
Just demons. Like me. I understand now. No wonder you didn't want me
to go ahead. Well, well. I have competition. But what is it I
feel? What you did to those Mazoku in there, I would have done
something similar, though perhaps let the pain last a little longer.
But why? Why would I have--is it possible?
Mazoku can't love, can they?
These thoughts weighed heavily on the priest as the trio made their way back to town.
=====
Zelgadis stared out at the night sky; the sun had set a little while
ago. When he'd found her asleep in the chair, Zel had laid Amelia out
on the bed and moved to wait quietly by the window.
This is ridiculous. It was just a dream. It wasn't necessarily real.
And even if this Mo`re was telling the truth, he didn't say when
Ahriman would come for me--
At the thought of his name, Zel shivered. He shook it off, cursing his weakness.
Keep that up and he'll have you for sure. If it's just a dream, then
nothing will happen. If it wasn't just a dream, can you risk trying to
run? Mo`re said Ahriman would kill them if I ran. I don't know anything
about Mo`re, though. Still, he admitted to summoning Ahriman, and why.
I've never heard of this Ra Lagora; I wonder if Lina or Xelloss might
know about it?
Zel gripped the sill tight, the wood snapping off in his hands. He didn't notice as his gazed turned to the road below.
Where are they? Did the Mazoku get them? But Mo`re said they would
be killed if I ran. So they have to be okay now, right? Damn, I hate
this. I should be out there with them, not hiding like some invalid who
can't fend for themselves. Gods, just let them come back safely.
A soft sigh from the bed caught his ear. Zel glanced over his shoulder,
wondering if the princess was having her own troubles getting to sleep.
Amelia mumbled something, turned, and settled down again. Zel smiled;
for all her inane posturing, Amelia was still a child. A child with
great dreams and ambitions for world justice, but a child who still
needed reassurance and approval every now and then. The smile faded as
Mo`re's words came back to him.
He said she'd be okay, that Ahriman was only after me. He'd better
be right. If anything happens to any of them because of this, I'll kill
Mo`re myself.
The chimera glanced at the road again, but there was still no sign of Gourry or Lina.
Zelgadis frowned. It shouldn't have taken this long.
Something's wrong. I should go and check myself. But then, Amelia would
be alone. If Ahriman came here looking for me and I'm not here, what
would he do to Amelia? Damn it! I hate this. I can't live my life on a
'what if' forever. And I despise not knowing what's going on with the
others. I never even told him--Yeah, like I was going to. And who would
want me now? Used goods. I'll probably be alone from now on. Still,
they're my friends. He's my friend. I won't... I just want him...
them... safe.
Please, Gods, let them be okay.
Zel glanced around the room nervously. His eyes rested on a pair of
black, fingerless gloves resting on the table in the corner. Gourry's
gloves. Zel walked over to them, reverently touching the material. He
picked the gloves up, holding them close as he walked back to the
window to continue gazing out at the road.
Gourry, come back safely.
=====
Ahriman looked up at the inn. His darling chimera was staring out
again. It would only have been better if his desired were looking at
him instead of the road.
Soon, my beautiful one, you'll have eyes only for me. Soon, you will
be mine, and no one, not even Mo`re, will take you away from me.
The back of his neck tingled. Ahriman looked around quickly. Nothing.
He was getting too jumpy. With a shrug, Ahriman gazed back up at the
inn. His chimera was still there, watching.
What are you looking for, beloved? I'm not coming from the road. I'm here, fair one. I'm here, and soon, you will be mine.
Ahriman's plan was to wait until the humans had all gone to sleep,
break in, and take his quarry. But the more he looked at the chimera,
the more impatient he grew. Ahriman decided he couldn't wait anymore.
He leaped up to the roof, climbing down the side of the wall. He phased
into the wall, concealing his presence. The chimera was by the bed now.
Dark lords be praised. Ahriman would never get another opportunity like
this.
Ahriman moved closer to the window, whispering the spell, "Dark Mist."
Thick black fog quickly filled the small room. He could hear his target
cursing loudly. Ahriman jumped inside, his nose finding the chimera
quickly. With inhuman precision, Ahriman grabbed the chimera and
covered his mouth just in time to muffle the roar. He felt his prey
struggle against him. A sleeping spell calmed him down quickly enough.
"Mister Zelgadis?! Can you hear me?"
The girl! Ahriman's first instinct was to kill her and be done with it.
She dared to think she could keep him from his prey! But he remembered
Mo`re's 'advice'. Still, it never hurt to be too cautious.
Ahriman found the girl and hit her with a Mono Volt. He heard her fall
to the floor with a satisfying thump before he jumped out the window,
prize over his shoulder, howling to the four winds.
=====
They were just coming into town when Gourry felt it, a cold wind
passing through him. Unconsciously he turned to Xelloss, and knew the
Mazoku felt it too. Xelloss summed it up in one word, his smile fading.
"Zelgadis."
Lina, who was ahead of them, stopped. "What about Zelgadis?"
The smile returned, but Gourry knew how false it was. He's worried too. Damn, he must be--but how? They don't care about anyone but themselves.
"I said I think I shall drop in and see how dear Zel is feeling."
Xelloss phases out before Lina could protest. The sorceress groaned
before looking at Gourry.
"We'd better go before Xelloss scares Zel or something." She took off for the inn, cursing loudly all the way.
Thank you, Xelloss. Gourry hurried and overtook her as they ran
up the stairs to Zel's room. He practically crashed through the door,
only to taste blood as he bit his lip to stifle a screaming of utter
rage and despair.
Xelloss was standing in the middle of the room, staring at the window.
Lina had came in behind Gourry and knelt over Amelia. The Seyruun
princess was just coming round while Lina fired off questions, trying
to figure out what had happened.
Gourry didn't see Zelgadis.
Xelloss pointed his staff to the window. "He took Zel through here."
Lina looked over at Xelloss. "Who took him?"
"I don't know," Xelloss answered. "I can only sense that it was a Mazoku, a fairly strong one."
Satisfied that Amelia was fine, Lina stood and looked at the window. "Can you track it?"
"Yes, but we'll have to hurry."
That was all Gourry needed to hear. He saw his gloves on the floor and
grabbed them, noticing a piece of Zel's cape laying there as well. He
pocketed it and stood, his blue eyes meeting Xelloss' violet.
"We should leave then."
Xelloss gave a small nod, and the two were running out the inn. Lina
barked at Amelia to stay put, and followed after them. Gourry thought
about his friend, and ran even faster.
Zel, we're coming. Just hang on until we get there.
=====
Mo`re sat in his chair, a faint smile gracing his lips. He could feel Zelgadis' presence coming.
Soon all the pieces will fit together. You've done your job well,
Ahriman. Your servitude will end. I will have the chimera, and the
power will be mine as well.
Mo`re leaned back, humming a tune as he waited for his guest to arrive.
tbc
=====
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