"Man!! Why do I always get the trolls?" Zelgadis heard Lina complain before she blasted a group of the aforementioned troll into dust.
Zelgadis drew his sword and cut a troll that had come too near in half.
"Evil doing trolls, in the name of justice I will punish you!" Zelgadis sighted inwardly, did she always had to do that?
Zelgadis threw a flare arrow at another troll, neither he nor Lina and Amelia dared to use any more powerful spells, they might kill what was left of the towns population. Not that some of Amelia's philosophy had been passed to them but unlike others they had some common sense.
"HELP!" he heard a woman's desperate cry.
So there were some survivors afterall. He hurried in the direction of the cry.
"Ahh!!"
It came from inside a house, if it could still be called a house, one of the walls was almost completely missing and the roof had collapsed.
Zelgadis approached the ruins. A troll was inside., He slayed the troll on reflex, then he saw what the troll had been about to attack. A woman lied there the roof had collapsed on her. Zelgadis removed the beam from on top of her. She was severely injured and now he could see that she was holding a baby protectively in her arms.
"Help her..." the woman coughed.
Zelgadis was about to cast some healing magic on her when she grabbed his wrist.
"Too late for me, save my baby, promise to protect her..."
Zelgadis didn't answer, he just looked at the woman and saw the hope and pain in her eyes. It crossed his mind that the woman didn't mind trusting him, a stranger, a chimera with her child's life. She is brave, let her die in peace...
"I promise." he said at last.
The woman sighted and released his arms, she pushed the baby with last efforts towards Zelgadis. It wasn't crying, but it was about to start. So he put fast a sleeping spell on it. When he returned his attention to the woman, he saw that she was already dead. He took a blue pendant from woman's neck. It would be good to give the child something that belonged to it's mother. Zelgadis touched the brooch on his neck. It had belonged to his mother and it had helped him keep hope even in his darkest days.
He exited the house and threw a fireball at it, he watched the burning flames for a few moments before he turned around and walked away.
The others had watched him as he had set the house on fire.
"Mr.Zelgadis, why...why did you burn the house?" asked A very confused Amelia as she reached him.
Zelgadis didn't answer.
Lina was the first to noticed that he was holding something in his arms.
"What did you find? A treasure? Food? Let me see!" she said as she reached with her hands for the thing he was holding.
Lina removed the blanket and stood still for some moments watching the baby sleep.
"A baby?!" she finally managed to say and looked for an answer at Zelgadis.
"A baby?" Amelia came closer, "Oh, how cute." she said brightly.
"Zelgadis?" asked Lina still confused, "What happened?"
"The mother died and made me promise to take care of the child." said Zelgadis grimly, the implications of his promise were just sinking in.
"How noble of you Mr. Zelgadis, you're finally accepting the code of justice..." A glare from Zelgadis silenced Amelia.
Lina examined the child, "Why isn't it awake?"
"I put a sleeping spell on it." answered the chimera.
"It's a boy or a girl?" asked Gourry, wondering what all the fuss was about, afterall it was just a baby.
Zelgadis threw back the blanket and saw that the baby was wearing a little blue dress.
"It's a girl." he said plainly.
"What's her name?" asked Amelia.
"I don't know..." said Zel realizing he hadn't asked the mother the baby's name.
"We have to call her something..." said Lina.
All looked expectantly at Zelgadis.
"I...well...äh... Dana, we'll call her Dana." he said at last.
"It's a nice name, it means 'treasure saved from peril', you choose your names well." commented Lina, wondering since when Zelgadis had become so sensitive.
The baby had fiery red hair like Lina and looked about 8 month of age.
Zelgadis looked at the sorceress, "Would you hold her?"
Lina backed away, hands outstretched in front of her as if to protect herself from an attack, "Me and babies? Are you nuts? I have no idea about what to do with them."
Zelgadis turned to Amelia.
"She's your responsibility Mr. Zelgadis, it would not be righteous for me to hold her now, she looked so peaceful in your arms, it's better for her to get used to being with you."
Zelgadis sighted, he didn't even dare to ask Gourry. He looked around in the hope that there might be somebody he could leave the girl with, but there was no one, just a graveyard that used to be a village.
They started walking, Zelgadis carried Dana with one hand, she was no discomfort at all she weighted almost nothing, but what should he do with her now? He had no idea how to take care of a child less a baby. He sighted. What did he got himself into again?....