Zolf nodded, slightly less terrified than before.
"Tell me everything you know -- what happened?"
"Well ... when Shabranigdo was reborn, the very first things he did were to summon the Dark Lords to resurrect his other pieces, and to begin the destruction of all the temples and strongholds of the gods," Zolf began.
"I see..."
"Her Majesty was out of the country with Sir Gourry and Lina Inverse when Ruby-Eye began to move against Sailloon, but by the time they arrived he was still about this far from the city," Zolf continued.
"What do you mean, 'about this far?'"
"I mean ... right here. Maybe a little further up, overlooking the valley."
His captor did not seem to like this. He stood up, looked around, and sat again, holding his brow and cursing softly for a moment.
"What happened after that?" he asked, when he was done fidgeting.
"Well, I wasn't there the moment it happened, but after the high priests of Sailloon were exhausted, Lina Inverse came to the front and cast this spell -- it was like pure chaos -- "
"Nightmare magic."
"What?"
"From the Lord of Nightmares. It was pure chaos," the chimera clarified. "Go on; what happened?"
"Well ... there was this ... shaft of chaos -- I did see that -- I think it came down right where she was standing. Ruby-Eye was almost on the city then, I think. And then ... he went."
"And by 'went,' you mean -- ?"
Zolf held his head. "I don't know how else to explain it. If it was pure chaos, like you said, it was like ... like he saw chaos ... or it touched him, somehow ... and then he became chaos -- "
"What? How -- "
"I don't know! He just stopped being there!" Zolf nearly shouted, and sobered immediately. "And then the same thing happened to Sailloon. Fwshh," he gestured. The chimera sighed.
"Her Majesty found Sir Gourry in the aftermath -- this was when he got that cut on his face, and quite a few others -- and she saved his life, and he's been her champion ever since," Zolf finished. The other man nodded wearily.
There was quite a pause, as the sun set.
"What was your name?" Zolf thought to ask, and the golem-man regarded him over folded hands.
"Not paying attention in court, were you," he chided. "I'm Zelgadis," he added before Zolf could speak.
"Zelgadis? My god, that's right; you're a Greywords -- "
"Nice to meet you, too," he answered bitterly.
"Oh, sorry; I'm -- but you already know me -- " Zolf faltered, and the awkward moment was cut short by the distant sound of a sorcerer coming to, on the far side of the rock formation:
"My pants! Where are my pants!?"
"Better go get your friend," Zelgadis advised.
"What did you do to him?"
He shrugged. "I stole his pants."
Zolf left, and the twilight faded, and Zelgadis grew increasingly frustrated with the steel collar. It was too thick to break with his hands, and too heavy to finesse with his picks.
Well, I'm almost up to full-power again, he ruminated. Maybe I can blow it off with a spell --
"Well, there you are; I wondered what had gotten the humans so excited, earlier today."
He whirled to face Xellos, perched behind him on a spell-blasted boulder -- but it was not the priest he expected.
"My god -- you're the wrong Xellos!" he blurted foolishly.