There are moments in each man's life that he remembers for some reason, milestones that mark the road of his life. Whether these moments are remembered because of the circumstance surrounding the event or for the sheer emotional quality associated with the moment, they are indelibily marked upon his soul. They may range from trivial to momumentous: The color of the sky on one particular day to the death of a loved one. The first time he kissed a girl (at age six) to the birth of his first child. Joyous and disatrous times alike. These events can shape his world view, warp or twist it as fits the circumstances. Some survive with minimal damage; others break. The point is, that no one is immune to the effect of memory on his life.
As such, there are some things that even Gourry Gabriev would not forget unto his dying day.
He was certain of that as he stood inside the huge crystal chamber, his body frozen and rigid and yet his mind free to wonder at what was going on. Mostly, at the moment, it was dark. He could make out a large structure in the center of the room, but more than that, he couldn't say.
It was eerie not being able to feel his body. Oh, he knew it was there, but he couldn't get it to obey him. He'd spent what seemed like hours trying to move his hand, his fingers, his toes, heck, even wiggle his ears if he could manage that. Nothing. It was like he had been turned into a stone with a soul.
After that, he'd found he would fall into periods that could be called sleep, but they were haunted by strange images of shadows slithering in the dark corners, so he tried not to let himself fall asleep again.
Instead, he tried to remember what had happened. He wouldn't be forgetting that battle with Gaav any time soon, though the particulars themselves were running together. He hadn't really understood exactly why they were fighting anyway; wouldn't it have made more sense to fight with Gaav against this Hellmaster character? But he knew he wasn't good at figuring those things out and besides, Gaav hadn't given them a chance. Gaav had sent the Mazoku after them to destroy Lina in Sayruun, and therefore he was trying to hurt Lina. Gourry was Lina's protector so that made Gaav his enemy.
He could still feel the pain from the beating the Chaos Dragon King had given him. It was no more than a memory, but not one easily forgotten. He was sure that he'd probably cracked a rib or two and garnered a nice set of bruises as well. He'd bitten his tongue at one point and his mouth had filled up with blood; he could still taste the bright coppery fluid as if it were still there. Mentally, he gagged.
And then there was that monstrous Hellmaster, who looked like an innocent little boy. Gourry could still remember the way that cold black darkness had seized him, dragging his hand holding the Sword of Light up and away, disarming him, and wrapping around him, choking him. He'd called out to Lina, desperately trying to get away but the pull of the shadows were too great.
Then there was this place. He wasn't certain where it was or what he was doing here other than he was unhappy about the whole thing.
Think, Gabriev, he said to himself. How would Lina get out of this?
The problem was that he didn't know.
He stared into the same dark spot that he'd since stared at ever since he'd woken up here, only because his eyes wouldn't move either. Slowly, his mind began to wander further and further away.
When he collapsed, it was total. Like a marionette with its strings cut, he dropped bonelessly onto the slick crystal surface. He cried out as the side of his face slammed into the crystal and made lights dance in front of his eyes. He grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut against the pain; tears leaked out from between his eyelids and slid onto the cold, transparent floor.
The sound of a footstep brought him back to himself. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw that the darkness had been lifted somewhat. A boot filled his range of vision. Lifting himself, he found Hellmaster standing over him holding the hilt to his sword.
He pushed himself up and glared at the Mazoku Lord. "That's mine," he said.
"Is it?" Hellmaster asked with a twisted grin. "And just where did someone like you get the Gorn Nova?"
"It's called the Sword of Light and it's been in my family for generations. It was my ancestor that destroyed the demon beast Zannafar in Sairaag. Give it back," Gourry said, sitting up on his knees now.
"You pathetic human. This weapon is one of Dark Star's weapons. How it fell into human hands is a mystery, though." Hellmaster looked at Gourry, who was on eye level with him. "Now, if you behave yourself and do as I tell you, I'll give it back to you. Resist and you'll suffer."
"Forget it. Give me my sword and send me back."
Hellmaster's smile twisted. "So you're not going to cooperate?"
"Like hell I'm going to cooperate," Gourry growled.
"I was hoping you'd say that." He snapped his fingers and suddenly Gourry's entire body was consumed with pain. He screamed and fell at the Dark Lord's feet, twisting and writhing in agony. It felt as if his skin were being flayed from his bones, every exposed nerve seared by fire and his bones themselves twisted and broken.
And then it stopped. The swordsman lay at Hellmaster's feet, panting and weeping. He tasted blood and realized his lip was bleeding from where he'd bitten it. He spat out the blood onto the floor to mingle with his tears as he wearily pushed himself up to a sitting position.
"You don't have to suffer like this, you know. Just agree and it will stop," Hellmaster said.
"Never," Gourry said.
"Suit yourself." Phibrizzo snapped his fingers and again the searing agony engulfed the swordsman.
It lasted longer this time. When the pain stopped, Gourry couldn't do more than lie curled in a fetal position at the boy's feet. He tried to push himself up but his abused body would not answer him.
Squatting, Phibrizzo looked into Gourry's face. "Had enough?"
"Go to Hell." It wasn't much more than a harsh whisper. Gourry realized it was probably a useless curse, but it was all he could think of.
The Master of Hell raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Hell, for you, is right here," he said. The snap of his fingers echoed loudly through the crystal chamber. Gourry's screams drowned it out; those screams continued to echo throughout the cavern long after the swordsman himself had stopped screaming.
Someone nearby was whimpering in pain. Gourry opened his eyes and realized he was the one whimpering. He closed his eyes again as the residual pain from the torment Hellmaster had put him through ripped through him. He curled around his arms, face twisted and reddened from weeping in agony. He didn't know how much of this he would be able to take. He didn't seem to be physically hurt, but that meant Phibrizzo could continue to torture him without fear of him dying.
That thought forced everything else out of his head, even the pain. He couldn't die; he was still Lina's guardian. And that girl needed a guardian. And it was more than just that, too. He thought of the short, little kid that he'd pledged to protect so long ago. How long had it been? He couldn't remember exactly. More than a year, he guessed. They'd been through a lot together, the two of them. And Zelgadis and Amelia, of course.
Slowly the pain left his body, and he found he could relax somewhat. He tried sitting up and that went okay, too. His head hurt, though, and he put a hand to it.
"So you're awake," a voice said from behind him. Gourry started violently and whirled around to find Phibrizzo standing behind him, smirking. "Ready to agree to what I want or will I have to continue?" He held up his hand.
Gourry met and held the Dark Lord's green eyes with a determined state. "You'll have to kill me before I agree to help you."
Phibrizzo raised an eyebrow and approached the swordsman. Gourry scooted backwards until he came up against a pillar and couldn't retreat any further. The Dark Lord squatted down and looked into Gourry's blue eyes. "That can be arranged, Gourry Gabriev. And it would make what I want to do a lot easier." He smirked and reached out a hand towards the other man. "But not nearly as fun."
Cringing, the swordsman tried to avoid the Mazoku's touch, but there was nowhere to retreat. The small hand touched his cheek, cupping it lightly in an obscene parody of a child touching his father's face. Gourry flinched but nothing happened. He opened his eyes and looked at the Dark Lord squatting in front of him. Phibrizzo's eyes flared and he was caught.
Something invaded his mind. He screamed and tried to fight it, but it was no use; he had absolutely no experience with something like this. Phibrizzo's control overwhelmed him, sealing him away in his own mind.
Phibrizzo sat back and looked at his new puppet with satisfaction. The big blonde man sat there quietly against the crystal pillar, eyes blank and staring. The Dark Lord smiled and nodded. "This is going to be interesting. Very interesting, indeed." He stood and gestured to the shell. "Stand up," he ordered.
The thing that had once housed the personality and mind of Gourry Gabriev climbed to its feet. He continued to stare straight ahead. Phibrizzo looked him over and snapped his fingers again. The blue tunic and trousers and the steel blue armor were replaced by dark green clothing and polished black armor. A black cloak hung from his wide shoulders. A helmet completely covered the man's face and the long blonde hair had been secured up underneath it.
"Yes," Hellmaster said as he walked around the disguised man, inspecting his new toy. "You'll work out fine. But there's one more detail that needs to be taken care of." He held out his hand and the sheathed Sword of Light appeared in it. "You'll need this," he said and smirked. "Oh, yes, you'll need this if you're going to kill Lina Inverse."