Lina stirred and slowly sat up, rubbing her head. The last thing she remembered was being at the Beastmater's..... But obviously that's not where she was now.... Her gaze swept over the surrounding countryside, taking in the deep aqua lake that spread out like an ocean before them, the tall deep forest green trees, and the wildflowers scattered everywhere. She slowly stood, seeing that the others were still out of it, and strode to the lake to look around. It was a spectacular view, but she'd never seen anything like the tall jagged peaks that surrounded the group in the valley on all sides. They were tall, and jagged and looked virtually un-crossable, due not only to their roughness, the amount of snow, and their sharpness, but the height would be too high to just simply levitate over.
She turned back to see Zelgadis sitting up and looking around. At seeing her up, he stood and walked over to her. "Where are we?" He asked carefully taking in the scenery as well.
"I have absolutely no idea...." She answered in reply glancing around. "Never seen anyplace like this before."
He nodded and they sat down by the shore. "You didn't bring us here then I take it?" He asked.
She shook her head. "Not me..... "
"Hmm...... who did then?"
Lina glanced back to the other three, Gourry was stirring, and Amelia was sitting up, but Xelloss still lay on his side, still naked. "I doubt it would have been any of us...... must have been him."
Zelgadis frowned. "I guess...."
Amelia moved over to join them, and shortly afterwards, Gourry joined them. They sat discussing theories of what had happened, yet came up with nothing. After about a half hour, Zelgadis caught movement from Xelloss' direction and they all crowded around him, Gourry discreetly using Lina's cloak to cover his midsection. His eyes fluttered slightly, then opened revealing their brilliantly blue depths. He glanced from face to face hovering over him with some confusion. "Nice of you to join us in the land of the living again." Lina remarked wryly. "After we nearly got our butts killed trying to save you, you pass out."
He blinked, and a slight smile tickled at his lips. "Gomen." He said softly, surprising them all by his quiet, uncharacteristic voice.
Amelia peered down at him. "Are you ok now Xelloss-san?"
He put a hand to his head and slowly sat up, still looking disoriented. "Hai.... I will be."
The others exchanged wary glances. This was XELLOSS? Sure didn't act like him. "Oi, what happened to you?" Gourry asked scratching his head.
Xelloss raised his eyes to glance at each of them, then glanced away. "I'd rather not talk about it."
Lina scowled. "You better damn well give us some info, after what we went through to get your ass out of there, and saving your life!" She stuck her face close to his and he blinked back slightly startled. "So spill it or we dump you back there."
That got him. He visibly flinched, shivering at that thought. "Ok ok." He said slightly exasperated, a hint of his old self showing. He glanced at their curious glances and sighed. "I was being punished." He bit his lip. "You saw for yourself."
"Yeah, but for what?"
"For disobeying orders."
Lina blinked. "What'd you do?"
He avoided her gaze. "I lied to her."
They all blinked. They'd been under the impression that he'd been one of the most loyal Mazoku to their masters in the world...... "About what?" Lina asked.
He looked slightly nervous. "Please....."
"Ok ok. Then explain this." She pinched him and pointed at his eyes. "You're different."
He nodded faintly. "I'm human."
It took that some time to sink in before the entire group reacted. "HUMAN?" They said as one. "How'd that happen?" Zelgadis spat out incredulously, with some hidden glee in his eyes.
Xelloss sighed. "It's how she punishes me.... Mazoku are fairly resistant to pain and injuries. She put me in a human form to inflict more pain."
"Oh..." Lina said looking confused. "Just for lying to her? Geeze, what'd you lie about?" She snorted. "Must have pissed her off royally."
He flinched and glanced up, his blue eyes riveted on her. "If I had told her the truth, you'd all be dead now."
They blinked for several seconds, then Zel gripped him tightly in his stone arms, squeezing hard and making Xelloss wince. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is..." He gritted out between his teeth. "Because I withheld information, she decided to lure you there instead of just sending someone to kill you." His eyes locked with the chimera's. "You should be thanking me, her ways of killing are long and painful."
Zelgadis scowled, but at Amelia's touch on his arm, he released Xelloss, and the ex-Mazoku fell back rubbing his arms where red bruises were beginning to form.
Lina's brow was furrowed in the meantime, trying to sort things out. "So it's something that is related to us.... You withheld information....." She glanced at him. "What information?"
He shrugged lightly. "Think about it Lina-san, what would be threatening to a Mazoku Lord, if you should stumble upon it?"
Zelgadis scowled at the Trickster's games, but watched as Lina thought about that, tilting her head to the side and appearing deep in thought. After some time, her ruby eyes lifted to his sapphire ones. "That book." She stated. Xelloss nodded. "So that's why you were upset when I mentioned it to you two weeks ago."
He nodded again. "I knew what was to happen..... in fact, I suspected it when she sent me out to you suddenly like that. She suspected you had found something you shouldn't have." He sighed. "But I'm afraid you now have several powerful enemies Lina."
She scowled. "Several? Who else besides your mistress..." She was cut off by his sharp bark.
"She is NOT my mistress goddamnit!!!" His eyes snapped at her furiously. "I'd rather die than let her use me like she did again!" He spat on the grass, his teeth grinding. "I hate her."
They were taken aback by his vehemence, and stared blankly at him. "Yet..." Lina stated. "You worked for her? Though she did say you were more like a slave...."
"Damn right I was." He hissed. "She used me to her own needs, torturing me the entirety of my servitude, making me murder, plunder, and destroy things left and right." His eyes could have started a small fire. "I had no choice.....I was her prisoner, and never would have a chance of escaping her." Then, his face seemed to change, and his eyes met hers with a flicker of something else there. "But.... Lina-san.... You helped me escape...."
She frowned. "Yeah....?"
A slight smile flickered across her face. "There might be hope now..... the seal could be broken...." He drifted off into silent thought, a distant look on his face.
Lina frowned and waved a hand before his eyes, and he snapped out of it. "What seal?" She questioned.
He seemed to snap out of it back to his ordinary self. "Ah, nothing nothing." But he did turn his blue eyes to meet hers directly. "Lina-san, would you be so kind as to do me a large favor? In return for helping me, I will pay you handsomely."
Here eyes got very large very suddenly. "Pay?" Then she got a suspicious look. "Wait, how will you pay?"
He smiled secretly. "Trust me, I can give you more riches than you could even imagine Lina-san."
"I dunno, I can imagine quite a bit...."
He chuckled as the others sat there looking exasperated. "And...." He turned his head to look at Zelgadis. "I can also give you what you desire, Zel-kun."
Zelgadis' head jerked up suddenly and his eyes bit into Xelloss. "What? You can do that?" He seemed incredulous and hesitant, but there was a spark of hope hidden behind the façade.
"Yes..." Xelloss added quietly, his eyes locked on Zel's with honesty. "But you may not want to."
"What ever." Zel said with a wave of his had. "If you could do that, then I'd be in your debt."
"Hmm, we'll see." Xelloss murmured to himself, making Lina suspicious all over again.
"So what kind of favor Xelloss?" Lina asked with a slight frown.
He shifted his position, rearranging the cloak around himself. "I need your help to find some people, and then get together some items for a spell."
"What spell?"
He looked slightly uncomfortable at this. "A spell to break a ward."
That got Zel and Lina frowning. "What ward.....?"
"Nothing dangerous, I assure you Lina-san..." He said quietly, locking gazes with her.
They didn't look at all convinced. "Ok, so what do we need to gather? And how long is this gonna take, and will Zelas be after us?"
"We need to gather some special sands and talismans, and then find five people who fit for the spell..... It hopefully won't take to long, because not only will Zelas be after us, but all the remaining mazoku lords and minions."
They stared at him. "You're that valuable to them?" Lina said incredulously.
He lowered his face. "Yes.... They can't risk having me alive...and free that is."
Gourry scratched his head. "Why do they want you dead?"
"Because.... I'm a threat."
Lina frowned. "But aren't you human now? How can you be a threat to them?"
"True, I'm at my weakest stage now, but if I manage to complete the spell needed to break the ward, then they can't touch me."
Zelgadis scowled again. "And which ward is this again?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
"Like HELL we will." Zel snarled. "Spit out some answers now!"
Xelloss held his gaze evenly. "Or what?"
Zelgadis suddenly hesitated. For some reason, though Xelloss' gaze wasn't threatening in any manner, he felt his flesh tingle and warning of danger flood his body. He pulled back, staring at him with some confusion, trying to figure out why he was suddenly frightened of him. "Nothing..." He muttered standing up and walking off into the trees without another word.
Lina and the others watched him wordlessly, consternation on their faces as the chimera left. "What was that about?" Lina said in confusion.
"Nothing..." Xelloss stood up and looked around. "Perhaps we should think about leaving.."
Lina glanced up at him with an annoyed look. "Not like that you aren't." He blinked, then glanced down at himself with a slight blush. "Here..." Lina began digging through her cloak and came out with some pants and a shirt, plus a spare cloak. "Hopefully these'll fit you, they're something I picked up off a bandit." She threw them at Xelloss.
He caught the clothes, nodded in thanks, then disappeared into the bushes to changed. After some time, he emerged, dressed in the new garments. The outfit looked good on him, the black pants were similar to what he'd had before, but the loose forest green top was half open near his chest, and the deep blue cloak fluttered loosely in the breeze. He handed the other cloak back to her. "Thank you Lina-san."
Lina sized him up, then pulled out a pair of boots. "You'll need these too."
He put them on wordlessly, and by the time Zelgadis had returned, they were ready to go. "Right, where are we headed then?" Lina posed glancing around. "We don't even know where we are."
"I do." Xelloss said quietly glancing around. "We're in the center of the country, inside of the Western Mountains."
Lina blinked. "The western mountains? You're joking right? The western mountains are impossible to cross.... Even through magic."
"Hai, unless one knows secrets about the area." Xelloss said with a small smile.
Lina sighed. "Ok ok, so you lead the way."
He nodded, and they headed off down by the shore of the lake. They walked along, lost in thought, when Lina saw something from across the lake that startled her. "Hey, what's that in the trees?" She pointed to where some structures were built nestled in the trees from the other side of the lake.
Xelloss nodded. "Houses.... Or what used to be anyway."
"Who lived here then?"
"Long ago, this is where a great empire resided..." He said quietly. "Now, it's a ghost town..." He sighed quietly. "Forgotten by all."
The slayers watched the structures as they approached them, seeing how rotted and overgrown it was. They approached, and Xelloss bent down suddenly to pick something up. Lina didn't have time to see what it was though before he shoved it down his shirt. He then walked over to stand beneath a tree where several rusty swords were, and he chose one and a few daggers, then headed back to them. "Right, time to go." There was a sadness in his eyes and Lina was the only one who managed to catch it. She frowned to herself as he turned into the forest, and they followed, clearing the way through the thick foliage. After a hard hike, they pulled up to the beginning of the steep jagged walls of the mountains, and Xelloss led them along a steep path that rimmed the canyon. It wasn't well worn, but appeared that it had been in the past..... After they were high above the floor of the canyon, Xelloss paused since the thin path ended by a waterfall that plummeted down to the floor of the valley. He then quickly dove behind it, and they followed, finding themselves in a small open aired cave hidden behind the falls. At the back of the small cave was a stone door, and he walked up and pulled it open, revealing a long hall carved out of the mountain that disappeared into darkness beyond. He glanced at Lina, and she cast a lightning spell, and they started forward into the darkness, pulling the door shut behind them. They walked on in silence for hours at a time, and finally Amelia got sick of it. "So, Xelloss-san, who do you need to find to cast this spell?" She piped up.
"Hmm? Well...... I need to find five people, a few of which we may have already." He stated. "One who knows magic of the Black kind, one who knows White, one who knows Shamanistic, one who knows Ryuzoku magic, and one who knows Mazoku magic."
Lina blinked. "Why so many?"
"It's complicated actually..." He said slowly. "Just think of it as many keys to unlock something."
"Oh..." Amelia said slowly.
They continued on in more silence, not knowing what to speak about, not knowing what to do other than walk wordlessly after the retreating figure of Xelloss....After a long silent time, they came to a halt. "What's wrong?" Lina said quietly, peering forward to see over his shoulder.
Before them was an enormous cave. In the center, the floor dropped down, carved into what appeared to be an auditorium. There were doors carved in each area of the wall, and Lina could count about twenty or so that led to other chambers. In the center of the floor was a symbol carved deeply into the rocks, but she couldn't make it out or understand it. The ceiling rose high up, creating an airy light that poked out letting sunlight in from the outside.
Xelloss made his way into the chamber, and the others followed looking about mystically. "Whoa..." Gourry said glimpsing around. "This place is huge!" He turned about and ended getting himself dizzy.
"Which way now?" Zelgadis asked, glancing about. "They all look the same? How do we know where to go?"
"I know." Xelloss replied as he stood in the center looking around. Lina caught a whimsical look of memories on his face, and she frowned, but let it be. "Just a moment, then we'll go." He said.
They fell silent as the ex-mazoku stood in the center of the floor staring up at the ceiling, a sad look on his face. They could feel sad memories pouring out of him, and they decided to leave him be, as privacy was needed sometimes.....
After several minutes, he turned. "Yosha..." And he walked straight into a doorway and they followed him down the hallway.
They wound through the passage, twisting and winding their way up and down, through thick portions, through thin. It seemed to continue on for hours on end, and they lost all sense of direction. When it seemed that it might be getting lighter and they were approaching the end, they never did. However, all things must end, and sure enough, they stopped suddenly, and Xelloss pushed something on the side of the wall, and then bright sunlight streamed into the cave area, blinding them all as a hidden boulder rolled aside. They stepped out into the light, to find themselves on a high ledge overlooking a grandiose view of the spreading valley below them. The sun was just sinking into the mountains spreading a pale orange hue about the land, and they all piled outside to breathe the fresh air, glad of being out of the stale atmosphere of the cave.
Xelloss sighed and then turned to the side and began to walk down the side of the mountain. They blinked at his sudden disappearance, and discovered that there was a set of worn shallow stairs making a kind of ladder in the side of the mountain. The only problem was, there was absolutely nothing below for several hundred feet. It was a sheer drop, and just the thought of falling made their stomachs drop significantly. So, Lina cast a Ray Wing, snatched Gourry, and the other two followed suit and landed on the ground. Lina stared up as Xelloss still made his way down, and shouted up at him. "Oi! Want a lift down?"
"That might be appreciated..." Came the faint reply from above. So saying, she cast a Ray Wing on him and he came floating down soon enough, and he brushed himself off gratefully afterwards. "Domo."
The others looked around their surroundings, finding nothing but an endless countryside all around them as they were at the base of the mountains. "So... now what?" Gourry asked.
All eyes fell to Xelloss who was looking thoughtful. When he didn't answer, Lina prodded him. "Oi, so tell us what's going on now. You said you have to find some people and things, so which direction?"
He snapped out of it. "Oh, yes of course....." He glanced around, then nodded westward. "There's a town there about ten miles away that should work for finding some supplies."
They shrugged and headed off down the road towards the setting sun. They finally reached the town several hours after nightfall, found an inn and settled down comfortably in rooms. Unfortunately, the inn was crowded that night, and so as a result, rooms had to be shared. Amelia and Lina took one, and the three guys took the other. Fortunately, there were some spare blankets, so Zelgadis took the opportunity to make himself a bed on the floor as Gourry claimed the bed quickly by flopping down asleep on it. Xelloss stood against the far wall, seeing no more blankets, and no other options. He sat down and leaned there with his head against his knees, his eyes closing as he sat thinking deep in thought.
Later in the night, Zelgadis happened to turn over and awake slightly enough to see the man seated in the corner of the room, his arms wrapped around his legs, shivering slightly in the cold of the chilly room. Zelgadis watched him for some time, really not caring if Xelloss was comfortable or not, but the more he watched him, the more he felt something like pity well up. However, he just turned over and fell back asleep, thinking nothing more of it.