Exposed - Prologue

Author: Xellas M Title: Exposed - Prologue

Exposed

[Prologue] [1] [2] [3] [4]

Warnings: Dark, Slash, Lemon, Torture

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers, Xellos, Zelgadis, Lina or Amelia. I do own the red-shirted guards and Bad Guys. Then again, in this fic it’s kinda hard to tell who the Bad Guys are…

AN: Please let the above disclaimer and warnings serve for the entire fic. I’ve done some extensive editing on the first three parts and the last two are entirely new.

Exposed

Prologue

by Xellas M.

Xellos blinked into existence a cautious distance from his target. Zelgadis sat alone on the edge of a cliff, resting and enjoying the view. As always, the sight of the shaman caused a sharp pang deep within the Mazoku’s chest. He hated that feeling; nothing but trouble had ever come from it. ‘I’m so much better off alone. He will almost certainly reject me no matter what I do. I don’t dare tell him how I feel, but it’s going to hurt like hell every minute until I do – and afterwards it will hurt even more. Oh, well. It’s no good feeling sorry for myself or trying to escape it. Best to let events take their course. I’ll be able to pick up the pieces afterward, I always have.’ He forced his face to assume it’s normal genki smile and phased out to report to his Master.

* * * * *

Xellas stared down at her Priest fondly and with a flicker of almost maternal concern. Really, she needed to give Xellos a break. Even for one as loyal as Xellos, taking out two Mazoku Lords and an Overlord of the Netherworld within a couple short years could easily cause burnout that would render him careless. If he ever grew careless, even Xellos could be killed.

She proudly surveyed her work. None of the other Mazoku Lords had a servant like hers! Losing Xellos would be a severe blow to her power base. But the telltale signs of burnout were there, unmistakable. She had created Xellos as her Priest and General, a single powerful servant in place of two weaker ones. All Mazoku created by the five Lords were created with a mechanism to ensure control. Gaav had instilled in Valgaav an obsessive love/worship of his master; Phibrizzo had created his underlings with a deep-rooted fear. Xellas had chosen to instill the traits and emotions of the wolf pack into Xellos, though he was smart enough to keep them well hidden. He would go to any lengths to please his Master. He could also occasionally form genuine friendships and would even more rarely take a mate. While it had seemed a strange choice initially, time had born her out. Xellos had enough independence of thought to keep him alive while remaining completely loyal. His occasional minor emotional need was a small price to pay for such stability. His weakness was their secret.

She suddenly realized he was still talking, chattering about nothing important. The innocent smile he usually wore seemed a little tighter than usual, his voice a little too casual. Frowning, she interrupted him. “Xellos, you look tired. Perhaps it’s time you took a little vacation. There’s a nice fresh batch of prisoners in the dungeon if you like. With care, they could even last a couple of years!”

A muscle in Xellos’ cheek twitched irritably. Berating himself, no doubt, for letting his emotional state be so readily apparent. He dropped his eyes to the floor. “Arigato, Juuo-sama. But it’s not that…” his voice trailed off uncertainly, obviously very uncomfortable with the situation.

Xellas lit a fresh cigarette, trying not to be irritated. She resisted the urge to simply snatch the information from Xellos’ mind; employees tended to work a lot better if they weren’t subjected to unwarranted stress. “Then what is it you’d like? You have certainly earned a reward.”

Xellos scratched his head and looked sheepish. “I would like to spend more time with Lina and her friends. Especially the chimera.” The last three words came out hurriedly.

So it was a mate. Xellas smiled. “You go ahead and have fun with your friends. Don’t stay away too long without calling and please feel free to invite the chimera over for supper any day you like.”

Xellos blushed. “Th- thank you, Xellas-sama.”

Xellas exhaled a large cloud of smoke. Clearly, her Priest was ready to take off the minute he was allowed. “You are dismissed.” She chuckled deeply in her throat as Xellos teleported out instantly, then returned a moment later to grab his staff, shrug sheepishly, then teleport off again. “This should be fun to watch…” she murmured softly.

* * * * *

Zelgadis sat in a cold iron cage, resisting the impulse to test its magical guards for the hundredth time. It had been two days and three nights since he’d been locked away and thirst was beginning to become an issue. He signed and wondered how long it would take his cursed body to finally die. Months, perhaps. But his capacity for suffering was human and long before he actually died the pain of hunger and thirst would drive him insane. Worrying about it now wouldn’t help. Still, brooding was what the chimera did best and agonizing about his future was far better than replaying the events that had led him here over and over in his mind.

It seemed impossible that a group of simple villagers could be responsible for his capture. Impossible, but it had happened. Only one week had passed since Zelgadis had wandered into a small mountain village searching for his cure. He had noticed that the locals had seemed more than usually terrified of his presence, but as always the chimera tried not to show how badly this hurt him. He simply pulled his white mask over his face and used intimidation to prevent any awkward questions.

When he asked about any local ancient texts or temples, the townspeople had directed him to their Priest-Chieftain, a scholar named Dolan. A group of the strongest young men had escorted him to the Priest’s house, armed with shovels and farm equipment. The sensation of being herded was infuriating. Still, with any luck he’d be able to gather any useful information quickly and be on his way. He should have known better.

The villagers waited at a respectful distance as Zelgadis approached and knocked on their leader’s door. A servant girl had nervously bid him enter and wait for her master in a delightful study filled floor to ceiling with books preaching the wisdom of Cepheid. Fifteen minutes later, the master of the house appeared. Dolan was a short, stout, kindly-looking man. He had large hands, stained and calloused from writing and an open, genial smile. Zelgadis instinctively disliked him. He could not give a good reason why, only that the priest’s smile did not seem to make it to his flat black eyes. The man’s words were friendly enough; he placed himself at the shaman’s service and insisted on having a meal sent up before discussing the reason for Zelgadis’ visit.

The chimera attempted to refuse, but the priest wouldn’t hear of it. The same young servant who had greeted him soon re-entered the room. In her hands she carried a large tray loaded with warm sandwiches and coffee. Internally grumbling at the waste of time, Zelgadis sipped his coffee…

…and woke up, hours later, in a very different place and with a throbbing headache. He looked around carefully. He was in some kind of underground lab, filled with strange devices and texts very different from those on display in the study. Zelgadis was the only occupant of one of the three cells carved into the walls. The bars between him and the rest of the room were of thick iron, and the lock on the iron door was very sturdy. Through the bars he could see his sword, cloak and bag sitting on a table on the opposite side of the room. The shaman smirked, doubting that any of it would be enough to keep him caged. He tested the bars, but they did not bend even with all of his strength applied. Fine, then, he would simply have to blast his way out.

“Flare arrow!” Zelgadis cast the spell aiming for lock on the door. Instead of blowing the iron gate from it’s hinges, the shaman was forced to quickly drop to the floor as his arrow ricocheted from the door, to the wall behind him, to the ceiling then straight for him. “Damn!” he grumbled. He still wasn’t too concerned, for his captor would have to return at some point and it was doubtful that Dolan possessed similar magic-repellent qualities.

He didn’t have to wait long. The little man appeared shortly. His smile was even broader and friendlier than it had been upstairs, but his eyes were just as dead. “You’re awake! I’m so glad you’re doing well. It was very difficult to judge the amount of dragon fire root it would take to knock you out. It would have been a shame if there had been an overdose.”

“Flare arrow!” cried Zelgadis again, this time aiming between the bars and at the bald priest. Once again he had to duck as the spell bounced harmlessly off the space between the bars to ricochet around his cell.

Dolan’s smile vanished. “You won’t find escape that easy, my friend. You can cast no spells and you cannot teleport. But don’t wory, I am sure it won’t be long before you are let out. As soon as we come to an arrangement, you will be free to go. In the meantime, you will be as comfortable as our limited accommodations will allow.”

Teleport? Why did this man think him capable of an ability shared only by Mazoku and Ryuzoku? “What sort of arrangement?” asked Zelgadis, more to keep the bastard talking than because he had any intention of agreeing with anything the priest might have to say.

“When the villagers told me there was a demon loose in the village, I have to admit I was picturing something a little…larger.” Dolan said, looking Zelgadis up and down critically. “Still, I guess one can’t complain. Your timely arrival has saved me a lot of trouble.”

Zelgadis internally cursed his stone body and the grandfather who was responsible for it. “What. Do. You. Want.”

“Why, I want you to serve me, of course! I need a demon to aid my research.” the priest chuckled.

“Look, you’ve got this all wrong. I’m not a demon, I’m a human. I was placed in this cursed body and came here seeking a cure. I’d rather go directly to Hell than work for someone like you.” Zelgadis spat out. The situation was ridiculous.

His captor just smiled patiently. “I’m sure. What is it you want to work for me? Victims? You might as well tell me; you’re not going anywhere until you agree.”

“This conversation has gone on long enough,” replied Zelgadis. “I’m not working for you and that’s final.” He walked away from the bars and sat as far back in his cell as he could, staring at the wall.

“We’ll see about that.” was all that Dolan said as he turned to his work. Zelgadis watched, but was unable to determine the nature of the priest’s studies. Not that it mattered. The shaman couldn’t have helped even if he wanted to, which he didn’t. Eventually, the scholar left.

From there things had gotten much worse. Huddled in his cage, Zelgadis managed to swallow back the sobs that wanted to come but was unable to prevent tears from streaking his grimy cheeks. Nothing he had said had convinced Dolan that he was human. The evil but stupid priest’s attempts at bribery had gotten worse and worse and his attempt at feeding Zelgadis by tormenting others had been unbearable. At the last, Dolan had finally given up and left the chimera to die.

Though undamaged in body, the shaman’s spirit was deeply hurt. Maybe it was better this way. Sooner or later his miserable, freakish life would finally end. How fitting that he die alone, locked in a cage in the middle of nowhere. Finally, he curled up in as small a shape as he could and fell asleep out of pure exhaustion.

* * * * *

The moon had already disappeared for the night when a figure materialized outside the cage.

Xellos looked at Zelgadis, dressed only in torn and dirty leggings and shivering in his sleep. Cold rage flickered across the Mazoku’s normally cheerful countenance. A light tap of his staff against the lock was all it took to disable the magical wards. Silently, he reached in and took the chimera into his arms being very, very careful not to wake him. Zelgadis whimpered in his sleep and curled into the warm embrace.

Xellos would find out what had been done to his love and then they would pay dearly. But first, Zelgadis needed his help. He teleported with the chimera still cradled in his arms to a small cabin he kept in the center of a supposedly haunted forest. Gently, he laid Zelgadis on the bed before attempting to wipe away the worst of the dirt and mess from his face.

* * * * *

Unexpected warmth and the sensation of his face being gently wiped clean woke Zelgadis out of a very deep sleep. At first he did not want to open his eyes, afraid the kind touch was nothing more than a dream. When he risked looking around, the first thing he saw was Xellos. Xellos, who was watching him with more concern than anyone had shown him since he was a very small child.

He said nothing, but closed his eyes again, ashamed at the tears he couldn’t seem to keep from falling. It figured, only a Mazoku could show a disgusting creature like him kindness. He didn’t deserve to be with humans. Hell, even Xellos was beautiful. The real Mazoku would not have been recognized and captured. It was reason enough to hate the trickster even if Xellos hadn’t been the one to witness this shame.

* * * * *

Xellos watched helplessly as Zelgadis withdrew deeply into himself. The trickster wiped the chimera’s tears away, but they did not seem to stop. The Mazoku desperately needed to know what had happened to his love, but knew the shaman was in no shape to answer too many questions. The demon could extract that information from the cause of Zelgadis’ misery, but first he needed to know who was responsible. Hoping to draw the chimera out a little, he asked gently “Zelgadis, where are your things?”

The question brought on even more tears and it was a few minutes before Zelgadis managed to reply. Whispering softly, he said “The priest in the village has them.”

That was enough. Xellos asked no more questions. He stayed at the chimera’s side until Zelgadis finally fell into a deep, restful sleep. The demon quickly gathered food for the chimera’s breakfast, set out a charmed bath that would stay warm until needed, and left a note explaining that he had quick errand to run but would be back before dusk the next day.

There was only one village in the rocky wasteland anywhere near the cage Zelgadis had been locked in. It was a very simple matter for Xellos to locate it, which he did just as the sun was rising over the mountains to the west. He wandered into town and explained to a girl selling flowers that he was a wandering priest who was very interested in having a chat with their religious leader. Completely unsuspecting, the girl gave him directions and the priest’s name. She then attempted to sell the trickster a flower, but was chagrined to find that her entire stock had already begun to wilt. Xellos walked away, humming a happy tune that would have sent anyone who knew his nature screaming and running as far away as they could.

It seemed that Dolan and his staff were not early risers. Xellos let himself into the house and spent a few minutes poking around. He quickly discovered the hidden staircase that led to the man’s workshop. Snorting with disgust, Xellos couldn’t help but wonder how such an inept idiot had managed to capture a prize like Zelgadis. It was clearly time to go straight to the source.

Xellos blinked into the priest’s bedroom. Grabbing the sleeping man, he teleported them both to the little man’s own workshop before he could even cry out. Quickly he strapped his victim to one of the man’s own torture tables. The human began begging for mercy, the cries tasting better than fine wine to the hungry demon. Smiling happily, Xellos reached down and broke Dolan’s littlest finger in three separate places, just to make sure the scholar understood the seriousness of his situation.

“What did you do to the chimera?” he asked, reaching for his victim’s ring finger. “I really hope you don’t answer. It’s been such a long time since I’ve had a really good meal.”

The priest took one look at the Mazoku’s slitted purple eyes and began praying fervently to Gods he had long ago turned his back on. Xellos smiled and with a sharp *Crack!* the next finger hung uselessly. By the time Xellos had reached for another digit, the man couldn’t talk fast enough.

The story was damning. Zelgadis’ capture had been sheer luck. Apparently the priest still thought he had captured a reluctant demon and, not being powerful enough to coerce him, had attempted to purchase aid instead. He had first offered his serving girl for the supposed demon’s plaything. When the chimera refused and tried to explain that he wasn’t a demon, Dolan had dismissed the claim as a lame trick to gain escape. Accordingly, the priest upped his offer: he promised Zelgadis Dolan’s own favorite sex toy, a five year old girl he had taken in to “the service of the Gods” when her parents had died. When the shaman had still refused, the priest had beaten the girl in front of his prisoner’s eyes, hoping to seduce the chimera with her pain and fear. When even that did not sway the “demon”, Dolan had finally given up. He could not release Zelgadis for fear of retribution, so the priest had once again drugged the chimera and locked him away. This time the chimera was taken to the wilderness where no one would ever find him.

Although there was no logical reason to leave the man alive for even a minute now that he had the information he needed, Xellos couldn’t bring himself to kill Dolan too quickly. The Mazoku spent the next hour very pleasantly. The demon did not allow his victim to lose consciousness for even a moment; torture was an art in which Xellos took considerable pride.

Just as he was about to finish, he looked up from his messy work and met the too-adult gaze of a small girl. He paused only for a moment, then snapped the neck of the twitching, bloody thing on the table.

“Don’t be afraid.” Xellos said. The blood that had splattered onto his face, hands and clothes began to disappear, leaving him clean.

“You killed him.” She said simply.

Xellos nodded. “He won’t be able to hurt you or anyone else ever again. It’s all over.”

“Are you an angel?” the girl asked. “I’ve been praying and praying for an angel to come and help me.”

“Whatever you want to believe I am.” Xellos shrugged. “Just remember that sometimes even angels want things that can hurt other people. It’s never good to rely on anyone until you know what they are after.”

“So, what do you want?” the little girl persisted.

Xellos smiled. “Sore wa himitsu desu.” he said, then vanished.

* * * * *

It was almost noon by the time Xellos returned to his small house with Zelgadis’ things. A genuinely happy smile lit the demon’s fine features when he saw his chimera naked in the bathtub.

“Konichiwa, Zelgadis-san!” the priest sang out. “I have your clothes and sword when you have finished.”

Zelgadis started and tried to cover his body with his arms as best he could, face burning with shame. “Don’t look at me!” Then Xellos’ words slowly sank in. “Where have you been?” the chimera whispered.

“Sightseeing. I wanted to know what a bunch of ignorant, in-bred mountain yokels looked for in a leader. Unfortunately, the man met with an accident not too long after I arrived so we didn’t get a chance to debate our respective theologies.”

“He’s dead?”

Xellos nodded.

“You killed him?”

Xellos nodded again. His chest constricted, suddenly afraid that he’d said the wrong thing and had lost the chimera forever. Zelgadis actually smiled a little, and the poor Mazoku was able to relax.

The demon walked over to offer the chimera a large, fluffy bath towel. To his surprise, Zelgadis reacted by drawing himself up even tighter, the brief smile disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

“Please just go,” the chimera pleaded, “I don’t want y- I don’t want anyone to see me.”

Knowing there was nothing he could do, Xellos went outside to wait for Zelgadis to get dressed. The Mazoku frowned as he wondered how on earth was he ever going to convince the chimera that this hadn’t been his fault, that his stone body was far from repulsive. As long as Zelgadis remained in his current state, he would never be able to be with anyone at all, much less make a suitable partner for Xellos. The truth was that there was little the trickster priest could do. He knew that his power did not mean anything when it came to another’s heart. All he could do was try his best.

He re-entered the building just as Zelgadis was strapping on his double-bladed sword. The chimera had already pulled his mask over his face, a bad sign. Xellos chose not to comment, instead starting to brew some tea on the small stove in the corner. He set two mugs on a small table and motioned for Zelgadis to join him.

Stiffly, the chimera walked over and sat down. Wrapping his hands around the steaming mug, Zelgadis seemed to speak more to the beverage than to Xellos. “I haven’t yet thanked you for helping me out back there.” the shaman said softly.

“There isn’t any need for you to thank me.” Xellos replied uncomfortably.

“I know I will probably regret asking, but why? Why did you help?”

A hundred responses passed through Xellos’ mind. ‘Because for the first time in hundreds of years, I am in love and can’t seem to help myself.’ He thought desperately. Finally, he settled for “Because I care.”

“How can you say that!” snapped Zelgadis, the anger in his voice a welcome change from the uncertainty it had held a few moments previously. “All you’ve ever done is follow us around and use us! You have never even noticed me as anything other than one of Lina’s followers or as a nice, easy meal!”

“I’ve always noticed you.” Xellos said simply, trying not to let the chimera’s words hurt him and failing.

* * * * *

Zelgadis could not believe what he was hearing. This was simply not the Xellos he thought he knew, the aloof trickster who had openly compared them to pieces on a chessboard. Xellos, notice a freak like him? “What do you want?” Zelgadis asked, unknowingly echoing the young girl he had been unable to save.

“Your friendship, or more if you want it. Your company. Your acceptance. You are beautiful, even though you don’t believe it. I know how lonely you are, Zelgadis. Can’t you accept that I feel that way too?”

Zelgadis’ tea, untouched, grew cold in his hands as he tried to assimilate what was happening. Xellos was correct in one thing; the shaman was desperately lonely. But the Mazoku had just called the chimera beautiful, which in this cursed body he clearly was not. Beautiful people weren’t herded with pitchforks and rakes to be captured by pedophile priests. They didn’t end up locked away in cages.

Was Xellos really lonely too? Did it even matter? The one thought the chimera could not face was the thought of traveling alone again. He had to believe in the Mazoku’s feelings because it was the only way left for him to stay whole.

Zelgadis looked up and was surprised to find Xellos watching him with open fear in his normally inscrutable gaze. That, more than anything else could have, confirmed the shaman’s decision. Belief is a simple (although not always easy) matter of choice and Zelgadis’ choice was made.

“Yes.” Zelgadis finally said in answer to Xellos’ question. “Yes, I can accept that.”

A wide, open smile graced the Mazoku’s face as he bounced over and placed his arms around Zelgadis. He held the chimera tightly. The shaman felt Xellos tremble as his stone arms hesitantly reached around the demon to return the embrace.

* * * * *

Xellas turned off her scrying mirror and lit another cigarette. At this rate, Xellos would be back to normal in no time. Which was good because it looked like the damn Ryuzoku were up to something…

* * * * *

~End Prologue

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