Zelgadis was startled from his blissful slumber by the unnecessarily loud sounds of mass destruction. His eyes shot open as he sat straight up, and his hand went to his sword hilt. Dimly, he realized that he had fallen asleep fully clothed, but this thought was pushed aside as he was thrown to the ground by a rather large explosion.
"Damn it!" he roared, scrambling to his feet. As another blast rocked the building to its very foundations, he raced out into the hall and down the stairs.
"Bandits!" the frantic Innkeeper cried, running past him with a tiny child in his arms. "Someone help! Bandits!"
"What?" Zelgadis' eyes widened. "Don't you have any defenses?"
"We used to have a few mages, but the bandits killed them in their sleep." The terrified man sweat dropped as he tried to catch his breath. "Please sir, if you can help us..."
"I'll do what I can." The chimera strode out of the inn, an icy glint in his eyes. Almost at once, a bandit attempted to impale him, but the action backfired horribly. With a modified version of the Monovolt, Zelgadis calmly fried every nerve in the man's body. Half a dozen Shadow Snaps prevented half a dozen of the towns young maidens from being dishonored, and a few other spells kept the would be rapists from every threatening someone again.
He nailed a few more with a large Diem Wind, and was about to finish off another with a Fireball when something grabbed him from behind.
"Whoa!" He yelled as he was hauled off his feet, spun around, and unceremoniously thrown into the ground. Pain burned in the back of his head, even more so when he tried to focus his eyes to see what had attacked him.
"Die!" Dressed in armor made from the skin of a black dragon, the bandit leader towered over him by at least three feet. He carried a morning-star as big as a man's head, and his muscles bulged with every movement.
"Oh shit." Zelgadis gaped, rolling out of the way as the giant's weapon demolished the spot where he had been. "FLARE ARROW!"
The javelins of pyre he threw shattered harmlessly against the rare armor. The larger man laughed, moving to once more to bash him into the ground.
"DAMU BRASS!" Zelgadis threw spell after spell at his opponent, each one breaking against the dragon's hide. Soon he found himself in a corner, with few options. He gritted his teeth, and white energy formed between his palms. He allowed his astral attack to grow, consuming his life force to make it stronger. The gigantic outlaw pulled back his arm to let loose the fatal attack, just as gold flashed in the chimera's cerulean eyes.
Within the orb of power Zelgadis had collected, a symbol resembling an upside down 'U' appeared. Three sided, the character was angular and made of golden light.
"RA..." He bit down on his tongue to keep from screaming because of the pain, and hastily spat out the blood. "TILT!"
The resulting explosion leveled the nearby walls and knocked Zelgadis off his feet, but left a scorched mark on the ground as a testament to the leader's destruction. At the epicenter of the impact, the blast left the strange mark that had appeared earlier.
"Oww..." The chimera groaned, sitting up. He realized, as he checked himself for injuries, that a good portion of his shirt had been burned off. After considering the destruction of the surrounding buildings, he sat amidst the rubble, wondering how an astral attack managed to effect inanimate objects.
He was still siting there when the townsfolk found him.
"Are you all right?" the Innkeeper asked, offering him a hand up.
"I... think so..." He blinked, still somewhat confused.
"You saved our homes. Thank you very much." The Innkeeper's wife gushed. "Without you, the bandits would surely have taken everything."
"You're welcome." Caution flooded his instincts as the villagers expressed their gratitude, never once even giving his appearance a second thought.
"Come by my shop once you've rested, and I'll make you some clothes befitting of a hero like yourself." The seamstress beamed. "It's the least we can do."
"Ah... all right." He felt a blush creep onto his face. He was unaccustomed to the kind of treatment they gave him, and for the most part, unsure of how to act.
"Come." The Innkeeper motioned to him. "Surely a warrior as great as you must even need rest now and then. The room is on the house!" Saying this, he handed Zelgadis back the money he had paid.
"Really, you're too kind." The Shaman stammered, not remembering the last time he had been treated by total strangers.
"Nonsense." The Innkeeper's wife laughed. "It would have taken us years to repair the damage the bandits would do, had you not been here. Many of our friends and family have you to thank for their lives. The last time they raided, they killed over half the people."
Zelgadis processed this information that night, as he lay in bed.
Three days later, he stood at the gate of the town, preparing to continue on his quest. Most of the population was there to see him off, another thing that surprised him. He shifted nervously, the cloth of his sleeveless black tunic rustling slightly. Absently he tossed the tail of his headband over his shoulder, then dusted off his slightly looser pants and adjusted his knee-high black boots.
"Thank you very much for your hospitality." His fingers ran over the leather laces of his bracers. "I'll never forget you all." It was corny, and cliché, but no one seemed to mind as they watched him head out.