Back-Up Copy Chapter 3
Feb. 5th, 2011 08:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eastofthemoonHere's chapter 3 at last. What's funny is that I had thought I had already posted chapter 3, but I forgot while I was working on chapter 4. Anyway, sorry for the long wait. Expect chapter 4 to follow shortly (which may include an short omake from ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dqbunny ^_~)
Again, I want to give a big thank you todqbunny and ichiban_victory for beta reading this.
Title: Back-up Copy
Series: Slayers
Rating: PG
Summary: Zelgadis searches one of Rezo's labs and makes an unimaginable discovery.
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Zelgadis tucked the jar into his astral pocket before they began their march back up the path. He was not risking the chance of him or somebody else accidentally shattering the jar on their way out of the lab. It was past nightfall when the group returned to the clearing and decided to camp there. Gourry started a fire while the girls brought out the bedrolls. Normally, they would have assigned the last job of preparing food to Zelgadis, but they had a silent agreement to let the chimera read and look over his notes. In his distracted state, he most likely would have burned the food anyway.
Zelgadis ate little, muttering about the information floating around in his head. Lina nearly made a comment about how crazy he looked, but stopped when Amelia poked her ribs and glared. Once Zelgadis finished his meal, he went back to researching.
Lina and Gourry began to argue who was going to have the second helping. Amelia debated if she should try to snag the leftover food for herself or go talk to Zelgadis. She deemed chatting with Zelgadis would be less life-threatening. She walked over to his spot beneath a tree and noticed his ears twitched as she approached.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” Amelia asked.
Zelgadis shook his head. “I was thinking about putting the notes away and getting some sleep. We want to leave as early as possible.”
The princess nodded. They sat together, listening to the soft chirps of the crickets and the rustles of various creatures of the night. The questions from earlier began to drift into her mind again. She chewed her bottom lip. Perhaps she should bring it up now. The chimera was getting close to his cure, so it was only logical for him to start thinking about the aftermath. “Mister Zelgadis, what are you going to do once you’re human?”
Zelgadis looked up from his papers. “What do you mean?”
“You won’t have to search for your cure anymore. Are you planning to live somewhere?”
Zelgadis frowned and let his gaze stray toward the moon. “I don’t know. I haven’t given much thought to it since I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.”
“But we seem so close now,” Amelia continued. “You should give it some thought.”
Zelgadis lowered his head. “I suppose you’re right. I don’t know about staying in one place. I’ve always been a nomad, even as a child.” He tucked the piles of notes in his astral pocket. “Rezo was constantly traveling, and of course, I went with him since he was my only family.”
“So, you don’t have a home of your own?” Amelia asked, confirming her suspicions.
“Correct, but it’s not something to cry over. I’ve never been bothered by it.”
“You could come live in Seyrune,” Amelia said automatically. “I’m sure Daddy would be more than happy to offer you a room in the palace, or, if you would rather, we could find you your own place in the city.”
Zelgadis gave her a small smile. “I’ll remember that, but I’ll probably still travel. There’s other bits of research I’ve been wanting to explore for years, but I set it aside to focus on my cure.”
Amelia nodded. She was not surprised by his answer, but she still wished he would change his mind. It would be wonderful if they could live in the same place, even if for a little while. She blushed at the thought. “You’ll always have a place in Seyrune, even if you’re just passing through.”
“I know, and I do appreciate it.”
Amelia smiled back and went back to listening to the sounds of the night. It was not long before the pair made their way back to camp, and the group went to sleep for the night.
In a far-off tree, a dark figure observed the small group. He held his staff over his shoulders as he pondered his situation. His mistress had ordered him to destroy all the jars, but no doubt Zelgadis and the group would fight him tooth and nail if he snatched this one now. Xellos grinned to himself. No, it was better to be patient and watch without being noticed.
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Lina tapped her chin in thought as she read over the notes. “There’s a lot of detail explaining how Rezo created the jar, but the actual execution of extracting a soul and placing it into a new vessel is rather straightforward.” She brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear to keep the wind from blowing tendrils into her face. “The only difficult part is that the caster has to be a high-level mage since it takes massive power to control it.”
“Not to mention you need complete concentration while you’re casting,” Zelgadis added.
“What happens if you lose concentration?” Gourry asked.
“The castor could accidentally put the soul into the wrong body,” Lina explained and then gave Zelgadis a mocking grin. “Which means we could accidentally put Zel’s soul into a cute little doll with a lace dress.”
Zelgadis twitched. “And if that happens, I can guarantee you’ll forever have to sleep with your eyes open.”
“Kidding, Zel,” Lina replied with a laugh, patting him on the shoulder. “Although, it is tempting.”
“So, Miss Lina, do you think you can do it?” Amelia asked as she tried not to picture how cute a doll Zelgadis would be.
“It’s not like we have much choice,” Lina replied, placing her hands behind her head. “Zel can’t do it since he’s going to be the soul we’re transferring. Besides, I am the most powerful sorceress here.”
“Not to mention,” Zelgadis cut in, “that Amelia should stay on the side lines just in case something goes wrong. It’s not a wise idea to risk the main healer in the group.”
Gourry nodded. “I get ya, but you’re sure you can handle this, Lina?”
“It’s tricky, but it should be all right. I just have to memorize the process, which should be simpler, thanks to Zel cutting down the information.”
Zelgadis gave a curt nod. Rezo’s notes were detailed - almost too detailed. Over-writing had always been one of Rezo’s more notorious bad habits. As a his student, Zelgadis was used to understanding Rezo’s complicated notes. It took longer than expected, but he had succeeded in taking Rezo’s information and creating a simple and easier set of instructions for Lina to understand. Zelgadis was confident Lina could understand the original version just fine, but reading it would take more time to memorize.
“Perhaps if the jar works for Mister Zelgadis, we should bring the jar to Mister Pocota?” Amelia suggested.
“Why?” Gourry asked. “Pocota doesn’t have a copy body for him to switch with does he?”
Amelia shook her head. “No, but … it seems only fair to bring the jar to him. He might be able to find a way to being a full human again.”
Lina nodded. “If anything, we can always give him the notes for research, and Pocota would keep them safe. Do you have any objections to that, Zel?”
Zelgadis shook his head. “I won’t have any need for them once I’m human. I would even be willing to help him with the research.”
“That would be a wonderful idea!” Amelia exclaimed. “It would be a great way for you two to bond.”
“Yeah, cause the whole ‘got turned into a different creature’ by the same insane man wasn’t enough of a bonding experience,” Lina commented. “Anyway, let’s just focus on getting Zel back to being human, then we can focus on Pocota. We don’t want to count our chickens before they hatch.”
Gourry scratched his head. “I thought we were using jars, not chickens.”
Lina grumbled and whacked Gourry with her slipper as they continued down the road.
It took a week for the group to arrive back at the cabin. They managed to save time by hitching rides on wagons of traveling farmers and merchants. Lina and Zelgadis used every waking moment preparing. A day before the group arrived at the cabin, Lina knew the spell by heart. All they would need now were the final preparations.
Since the small town would not have a magic shop with the proper supplies, the group bought what they needed to use the Hellmaster jar as they had gone through one of the larger towns before arriving at their destination. According to Rezo’s notes, his first jar was more complicated to use when compared to his later jars, including the ones used on Pocota and Duclis.
They needed white chalk to draw a ward around the jar, the bodies for the souls to be transferred into, and rune stones placed at each point to strengthen the spell. While they were in the town, Amelia sneaked away to another shop, and returned with a small package as the group prepared to leave. Zelgadis had thought to ask what she bought, but he knew Amelia would have told them if she felt it was important. Once all the items were purchased, they headed down the road that led to the small town, and stayed at the inn for the night.
The next day, the group gathered their items and headed toward the cabin. The ceremony required for the moon to be high in the sky, so they would have to wait until it got dark to start the spell. This proved to be ideal since it would take all day to make the preparations and draw the runes.
They reached the cabin and immediately went down to the cellar. Gourry rotated his shoulders, mentally preparing himself for the manual labor. “So, what should we do first, Lina?”
“You boys go break Zel’s copy out of the incubation tube. It won’t do Zel much good to wake up in a tube of water.” Lina dug into the bag and brought out the white chalk. “While you do that, Amelia and I are going to set up the ward.”
Zelgadis nodded. “Alright let’s go-”
“Wait,” Amelia exclaimed. She brought out the package she had gotten in the city. “This is for you, Mister Zelgadis.”
The chimera tugged at the string. The paper fell open, revealing a stack of folded clothes. “What’s this?”
“Clothes for your copy. I was able to find clothes that were similar to your everyday clothing.”
“Why?” Lina asked. “Zel can just use the clothes he’s wearing now.”
“Except that would mean either Zel or the copy would be naked during the spell, right?” Gourry asked.
“Exactly!” Amelia stated. A light blush appeared on her cheeks. “I didn’t think we wanted a repeat of the last time we saw your copy.”
Zelgadis coughed. “Yes, I see your point. Thank you, Amelia.”
Amelia smiled, and followed Lina to move the table against the wall, to have enough space for the ward. Zelgadis and Gourry searched for a latch or a handle to open the tube, but, to their dismay, found none. They had to resort to the messier method of Gourry breaking the glass with his sword. Water gushed from the tube. The mindless copy collapsed to the floor like a ragdoll.
Zelgadis carefully examined his copy for any scratches or cuts from the broken glass, but was glad to discover it was unharmed. Gourry found a couple of towels to dry the copy, and the boys dressed it with the clothes Amelia purchased. It felt surreal for Zelgadis to be dressing himself. He decided it was a safe bet that he would have odd dreams for the next week as a result.
The group drew closer to being ready with each step as the day passed. Zelgadis' heart beat faster in anticipation. He forced himself to remain calm - at least on the surface. He never felt so nervous and excited in his life. By midnight he would either still be a chimera, or restored to being a full human again. He dared not think about how he would react if the spell failed.
Meanwhile, the girls drew the ward in the center of the room. It was a long process since even the slightest wobble of a line could ruin the spell. Once the ward was drawn, Lina picked out the rune stones and placed them in each corner of the ward. Amelia had searched the cellar until she found some mats and placed them in the center. She figured it would be more comfortable for Zelgadis to lay on a mat instead of the cold floor. The jar was placed between the mats.
By the time Zelgadis and Gourry had the copy dressed, Lina was wiping the chalk dust off her hands. “We’re all set. Is Zel number two ready?”
Gourry lifted the copy by his shoulders, while Zelgadis grabbed his legs. “We’re all ready, Lina,” Gourry replied. “Where should we put Zel’s copy?”
“On one of the mats. Amelia, give him a hand. Zel, you get yourself ready and I’ll take one last look at the notes to double-check everything.”
Zelgadis removed his cape and laid down on the mat as Lina speed-read through the notes again. His heart was beating uncontrollably as Amelia paced around the circle, double-checking that each rune stone was in place. Once her task was done, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and headed off to perch against the far wall. Amelia was shortly joined by Gourry. “I hope this works,” she whispered to him.
“I’m just hoping nothing blows up.”
Lina slammed the book shut and walked into the center of the ward. “All right, everybody, I’m going to start the spell. Once I begin, nobody can leave or enter the ward, or it will disrupt the spell. Zel, try to remain still since we don’t know how sensitive this jar is.”
Zelgadis nodded. “Just be careful, Lina. I would prefer to not end up in your body.”
“You would be lucky if you got my body,” Lina replied with a wink. She took a deep breath and clapped her hands. The ward was activated and glowed brightly. Lina could feel its power rippling through her body. She focused her attention onto the jar. She strengthened her arms outward and touched the rim of the jar with her fingertips. She had added the jar’s power and combined it with the ward’s energy flowing through her veins. The Hellmaster jar was under her control.
Now comes the fun part. Lina turned her head in Zelgadis’ direction. She pointed her hand to his body. As she did, Zelgadis’s soul became entangled in the spell. Lina gave a gentle tug to ensure she had control. Zelgadis let out a gasp as his soul was pulled. Lina winced. She didn’t want to hurt him if she could avoid it. Once Lina confirmed she had a firm grip on Zelgadis’s soul, she lifted her arm and tore it out of the chimera body. She anticipated a loud scream, but to her astonishment, there was none.
Lina suspected pulling out the soul caused an instant blackout for the host. Returning her attention to the task at hand, Lina let the jar suck in Zelgadis’s soul. Lina took a moment to catch her breath. Sweat dripped down from her forehead. She braced against her knees for support. All of the magic flowing through her was a huge strain on her body. She could handle it because of her great levels of magical power, and Rezo probably had barely blinked an eye while doing it. If anyone else dared attempted this and his or her magic skill was much lower, it could easily kill the caster.
Lina steadied herself and got ready for the last vital part. She pulled on her connection to the jar. Then something strange occurred. She instantly felt Zelgadis’s familiar soul, but Lina felt something else stirring in the jar. Lina chewed her lip. This wasn’t right. This jar should have been empty. Lina shook her head. She didn’t have time to think about it now.
She gently lifted Zelgadis’s soul from the jar. With a sharp wave of her arm, Lina pointed to the copy version of Zelgadis. His soul flew from the jar and into its new host. Lina waited a moment until she felt the soul attach itself to the human body.
Lina watched, holding her breath. Then, to her delight, Zelgadis’s chest began to rise and she heard him breathe. Lina dropped her arms and broke the connection from the ward to the jar. The bright light coming off the ward dimmed, and vanished. Lina dropped to her knees, breathing heavily as Amelia raced to kneel beside the human copy.
“Mister Zelgadis, are you all right?”
A groaned escaped the human copy’s lips. His eyes flew opened. Amelia braced his back, helping him to sit up, barely noticing that Gourry was helping Lina back to her feet.
Slowly, he spoke. “Did it work?”
Lina grinned, leaning into Gourry’s hold as she regained her balance. “As far as I can tell, you’re 100 percent human, Zel.”
He stared as he flexed his now-pale fingers. “It worked. It really worked,” he whispered.
Lina shrugged off Gourry’s arm, headed to a shelf and grabbed a small mirror. “Here, take a look.”
Zelgadis clutched the mirror, almost afraid to see himself. He saw the face he hadn’t seen in years. He rubbed his cheeks and tugged his ears. He quietly laughed. “I’m human again. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get to say that.”
“Congratulations,” Gourry said as he helped him to his feet.
Zelgadis stumbled slightly and Gourry caught him. “Sorry,” Zelgadis replied. “Still haven’t gotten use to the new body.”
Gourry nodded. “I think you just need some food in your system.”
“Some food?” Lina scoffed. “This calls for a celebration!”
“Wait, Miss Lina,” Amelia turned her head to the old chimera body. “What should we do with Mister Zelgadis’s old body?”
“That should be up to Zel.”
Zelgadis narrowed his eyes. “As happy as I am, just to be sure there’s nothing wrong with this human body, let’s hang on to my chimera body for awhile.”
“Should we put it into that incubation tube…er..what’s left of it?” Gourry asked.
“It should be fine where it is now,” Lina said.
“But, what if someone takes it or the jar?”
“No one knows about this place, and who would steal a soulless chimera body?” Lina led the way to the stairway. “The body and the jar should be safe here. We’ll set up some protection spells just in case. Then, we’ll come back in the morning and take care of them both. Right now, we need to party!”
Lina glanced back at the jar. There’s still that presence I felt, but it could have been nothing. It might have just been the power of the jar I was feeling. It should be safe for now. Besides, I am not ruining the mood.
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The moon was high in the night sky as Xellos entered the cabin. Who would have thought that Rezo would have a lab in such an ordinary place? It was quite boring really. Xellos lifted the latch. His hand prickled as the protection wards sprang into action.
Xellos rid of himself of the mere annoyance by opening his eyes and shattering the wards instantly. He hummed to himself as he ventured down the stairway. He spotted the mindless chimera body, and was slightly intrigued, but he chose not to dwell on the matter. He had to complete his orders.
He approached the jar that was still standing in the center of the used ward. This would be simple. Xellos raised his staff and smashed the jar. The pieces scattered. Xellos could sense the power escaping and vaporizing in the air.
“Well, that’s been taken care of,” Xellos replied. “Perhaps I’ll go for a-”
He sensed a presence. A spirit. A human spirit and quite a strong one. Dark smoke rose from the smashed pieces of the jar. The smoke rose and flowed into the mouth of Zelgadis’s old body. “My, this is inconvenient.” Xellos muttered. The smoke disappeared fully into the body and the chimera body sprang up.
Black smoke leaked from its lips. The chimera’s hair suddenly grew longer and reached down to its waist. The nails grew sharper and thicker, transforming into claws. The eyes held no life, only an eerie white glow.
It must be due to the spirit being inside the jar. It seems to have given the spirit extra power and modifying the body as a result.
The possessed chimera snarled.
And its grudge and anger is also a good bonus.
The spirit eyed Xellos and snarled.
Xellos raised his hand. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I have other things to attend to. I’ll just let Mister Zelgadis deal with you since it’s his body.”
“Zel-gad-dis…” the chimera hissed in a voice that made it hard to determine whether it was male or female.
“Ah, you know him.”
“Re-ven-ge…”
“He’s in town if you want to have a chat with him.” He glanced at his pocket watch. “With that said, I must be going. I do have errands to run.” Xellos quickly vanished, leaving the chimera to find his own way out.
He selected a tree to take a seat. Xellos could have easily destroyed the creature, but he was feeling lazy, and was curious. Something else had been held captive in that jar. He could sense it was once a human. Hardly a threat to the mazoku race, but he wanted to see just how much of an influence the jar had on a normal spirit. The spirit was clearly mutated thanks to being kept in the jar for so long. It could be useful information for his Mistress. Besides, it would be far more fun to see how Miss Lina and her friends handled the situation of seeing Zelgadis’s old body being possessed. It would be a delightful experiment.
dqbunny ^_~)Again, I want to give a big thank you to
dqbunny and ichiban_victory for beta reading this.Title: Back-up Copy
Series: Slayers
Rating: PG
Summary: Zelgadis searches one of Rezo's labs and makes an unimaginable discovery.
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Zelgadis tucked the jar into his astral pocket before they began their march back up the path. He was not risking the chance of him or somebody else accidentally shattering the jar on their way out of the lab. It was past nightfall when the group returned to the clearing and decided to camp there. Gourry started a fire while the girls brought out the bedrolls. Normally, they would have assigned the last job of preparing food to Zelgadis, but they had a silent agreement to let the chimera read and look over his notes. In his distracted state, he most likely would have burned the food anyway.
Zelgadis ate little, muttering about the information floating around in his head. Lina nearly made a comment about how crazy he looked, but stopped when Amelia poked her ribs and glared. Once Zelgadis finished his meal, he went back to researching.
Lina and Gourry began to argue who was going to have the second helping. Amelia debated if she should try to snag the leftover food for herself or go talk to Zelgadis. She deemed chatting with Zelgadis would be less life-threatening. She walked over to his spot beneath a tree and noticed his ears twitched as she approached.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” Amelia asked.
Zelgadis shook his head. “I was thinking about putting the notes away and getting some sleep. We want to leave as early as possible.”
The princess nodded. They sat together, listening to the soft chirps of the crickets and the rustles of various creatures of the night. The questions from earlier began to drift into her mind again. She chewed her bottom lip. Perhaps she should bring it up now. The chimera was getting close to his cure, so it was only logical for him to start thinking about the aftermath. “Mister Zelgadis, what are you going to do once you’re human?”
Zelgadis looked up from his papers. “What do you mean?”
“You won’t have to search for your cure anymore. Are you planning to live somewhere?”
Zelgadis frowned and let his gaze stray toward the moon. “I don’t know. I haven’t given much thought to it since I don’t want to get my hopes up too high.”
“But we seem so close now,” Amelia continued. “You should give it some thought.”
Zelgadis lowered his head. “I suppose you’re right. I don’t know about staying in one place. I’ve always been a nomad, even as a child.” He tucked the piles of notes in his astral pocket. “Rezo was constantly traveling, and of course, I went with him since he was my only family.”
“So, you don’t have a home of your own?” Amelia asked, confirming her suspicions.
“Correct, but it’s not something to cry over. I’ve never been bothered by it.”
“You could come live in Seyrune,” Amelia said automatically. “I’m sure Daddy would be more than happy to offer you a room in the palace, or, if you would rather, we could find you your own place in the city.”
Zelgadis gave her a small smile. “I’ll remember that, but I’ll probably still travel. There’s other bits of research I’ve been wanting to explore for years, but I set it aside to focus on my cure.”
Amelia nodded. She was not surprised by his answer, but she still wished he would change his mind. It would be wonderful if they could live in the same place, even if for a little while. She blushed at the thought. “You’ll always have a place in Seyrune, even if you’re just passing through.”
“I know, and I do appreciate it.”
Amelia smiled back and went back to listening to the sounds of the night. It was not long before the pair made their way back to camp, and the group went to sleep for the night.
In a far-off tree, a dark figure observed the small group. He held his staff over his shoulders as he pondered his situation. His mistress had ordered him to destroy all the jars, but no doubt Zelgadis and the group would fight him tooth and nail if he snatched this one now. Xellos grinned to himself. No, it was better to be patient and watch without being noticed.
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Lina tapped her chin in thought as she read over the notes. “There’s a lot of detail explaining how Rezo created the jar, but the actual execution of extracting a soul and placing it into a new vessel is rather straightforward.” She brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear to keep the wind from blowing tendrils into her face. “The only difficult part is that the caster has to be a high-level mage since it takes massive power to control it.”
“Not to mention you need complete concentration while you’re casting,” Zelgadis added.
“What happens if you lose concentration?” Gourry asked.
“The castor could accidentally put the soul into the wrong body,” Lina explained and then gave Zelgadis a mocking grin. “Which means we could accidentally put Zel’s soul into a cute little doll with a lace dress.”
Zelgadis twitched. “And if that happens, I can guarantee you’ll forever have to sleep with your eyes open.”
“Kidding, Zel,” Lina replied with a laugh, patting him on the shoulder. “Although, it is tempting.”
“So, Miss Lina, do you think you can do it?” Amelia asked as she tried not to picture how cute a doll Zelgadis would be.
“It’s not like we have much choice,” Lina replied, placing her hands behind her head. “Zel can’t do it since he’s going to be the soul we’re transferring. Besides, I am the most powerful sorceress here.”
“Not to mention,” Zelgadis cut in, “that Amelia should stay on the side lines just in case something goes wrong. It’s not a wise idea to risk the main healer in the group.”
Gourry nodded. “I get ya, but you’re sure you can handle this, Lina?”
“It’s tricky, but it should be all right. I just have to memorize the process, which should be simpler, thanks to Zel cutting down the information.”
Zelgadis gave a curt nod. Rezo’s notes were detailed - almost too detailed. Over-writing had always been one of Rezo’s more notorious bad habits. As a his student, Zelgadis was used to understanding Rezo’s complicated notes. It took longer than expected, but he had succeeded in taking Rezo’s information and creating a simple and easier set of instructions for Lina to understand. Zelgadis was confident Lina could understand the original version just fine, but reading it would take more time to memorize.
“Perhaps if the jar works for Mister Zelgadis, we should bring the jar to Mister Pocota?” Amelia suggested.
“Why?” Gourry asked. “Pocota doesn’t have a copy body for him to switch with does he?”
Amelia shook her head. “No, but … it seems only fair to bring the jar to him. He might be able to find a way to being a full human again.”
Lina nodded. “If anything, we can always give him the notes for research, and Pocota would keep them safe. Do you have any objections to that, Zel?”
Zelgadis shook his head. “I won’t have any need for them once I’m human. I would even be willing to help him with the research.”
“That would be a wonderful idea!” Amelia exclaimed. “It would be a great way for you two to bond.”
“Yeah, cause the whole ‘got turned into a different creature’ by the same insane man wasn’t enough of a bonding experience,” Lina commented. “Anyway, let’s just focus on getting Zel back to being human, then we can focus on Pocota. We don’t want to count our chickens before they hatch.”
Gourry scratched his head. “I thought we were using jars, not chickens.”
Lina grumbled and whacked Gourry with her slipper as they continued down the road.
It took a week for the group to arrive back at the cabin. They managed to save time by hitching rides on wagons of traveling farmers and merchants. Lina and Zelgadis used every waking moment preparing. A day before the group arrived at the cabin, Lina knew the spell by heart. All they would need now were the final preparations.
Since the small town would not have a magic shop with the proper supplies, the group bought what they needed to use the Hellmaster jar as they had gone through one of the larger towns before arriving at their destination. According to Rezo’s notes, his first jar was more complicated to use when compared to his later jars, including the ones used on Pocota and Duclis.
They needed white chalk to draw a ward around the jar, the bodies for the souls to be transferred into, and rune stones placed at each point to strengthen the spell. While they were in the town, Amelia sneaked away to another shop, and returned with a small package as the group prepared to leave. Zelgadis had thought to ask what she bought, but he knew Amelia would have told them if she felt it was important. Once all the items were purchased, they headed down the road that led to the small town, and stayed at the inn for the night.
The next day, the group gathered their items and headed toward the cabin. The ceremony required for the moon to be high in the sky, so they would have to wait until it got dark to start the spell. This proved to be ideal since it would take all day to make the preparations and draw the runes.
They reached the cabin and immediately went down to the cellar. Gourry rotated his shoulders, mentally preparing himself for the manual labor. “So, what should we do first, Lina?”
“You boys go break Zel’s copy out of the incubation tube. It won’t do Zel much good to wake up in a tube of water.” Lina dug into the bag and brought out the white chalk. “While you do that, Amelia and I are going to set up the ward.”
Zelgadis nodded. “Alright let’s go-”
“Wait,” Amelia exclaimed. She brought out the package she had gotten in the city. “This is for you, Mister Zelgadis.”
The chimera tugged at the string. The paper fell open, revealing a stack of folded clothes. “What’s this?”
“Clothes for your copy. I was able to find clothes that were similar to your everyday clothing.”
“Why?” Lina asked. “Zel can just use the clothes he’s wearing now.”
“Except that would mean either Zel or the copy would be naked during the spell, right?” Gourry asked.
“Exactly!” Amelia stated. A light blush appeared on her cheeks. “I didn’t think we wanted a repeat of the last time we saw your copy.”
Zelgadis coughed. “Yes, I see your point. Thank you, Amelia.”
Amelia smiled, and followed Lina to move the table against the wall, to have enough space for the ward. Zelgadis and Gourry searched for a latch or a handle to open the tube, but, to their dismay, found none. They had to resort to the messier method of Gourry breaking the glass with his sword. Water gushed from the tube. The mindless copy collapsed to the floor like a ragdoll.
Zelgadis carefully examined his copy for any scratches or cuts from the broken glass, but was glad to discover it was unharmed. Gourry found a couple of towels to dry the copy, and the boys dressed it with the clothes Amelia purchased. It felt surreal for Zelgadis to be dressing himself. He decided it was a safe bet that he would have odd dreams for the next week as a result.
The group drew closer to being ready with each step as the day passed. Zelgadis' heart beat faster in anticipation. He forced himself to remain calm - at least on the surface. He never felt so nervous and excited in his life. By midnight he would either still be a chimera, or restored to being a full human again. He dared not think about how he would react if the spell failed.
Meanwhile, the girls drew the ward in the center of the room. It was a long process since even the slightest wobble of a line could ruin the spell. Once the ward was drawn, Lina picked out the rune stones and placed them in each corner of the ward. Amelia had searched the cellar until she found some mats and placed them in the center. She figured it would be more comfortable for Zelgadis to lay on a mat instead of the cold floor. The jar was placed between the mats.
By the time Zelgadis and Gourry had the copy dressed, Lina was wiping the chalk dust off her hands. “We’re all set. Is Zel number two ready?”
Gourry lifted the copy by his shoulders, while Zelgadis grabbed his legs. “We’re all ready, Lina,” Gourry replied. “Where should we put Zel’s copy?”
“On one of the mats. Amelia, give him a hand. Zel, you get yourself ready and I’ll take one last look at the notes to double-check everything.”
Zelgadis removed his cape and laid down on the mat as Lina speed-read through the notes again. His heart was beating uncontrollably as Amelia paced around the circle, double-checking that each rune stone was in place. Once her task was done, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and headed off to perch against the far wall. Amelia was shortly joined by Gourry. “I hope this works,” she whispered to him.
“I’m just hoping nothing blows up.”
Lina slammed the book shut and walked into the center of the ward. “All right, everybody, I’m going to start the spell. Once I begin, nobody can leave or enter the ward, or it will disrupt the spell. Zel, try to remain still since we don’t know how sensitive this jar is.”
Zelgadis nodded. “Just be careful, Lina. I would prefer to not end up in your body.”
“You would be lucky if you got my body,” Lina replied with a wink. She took a deep breath and clapped her hands. The ward was activated and glowed brightly. Lina could feel its power rippling through her body. She focused her attention onto the jar. She strengthened her arms outward and touched the rim of the jar with her fingertips. She had added the jar’s power and combined it with the ward’s energy flowing through her veins. The Hellmaster jar was under her control.
Now comes the fun part. Lina turned her head in Zelgadis’ direction. She pointed her hand to his body. As she did, Zelgadis’s soul became entangled in the spell. Lina gave a gentle tug to ensure she had control. Zelgadis let out a gasp as his soul was pulled. Lina winced. She didn’t want to hurt him if she could avoid it. Once Lina confirmed she had a firm grip on Zelgadis’s soul, she lifted her arm and tore it out of the chimera body. She anticipated a loud scream, but to her astonishment, there was none.
Lina suspected pulling out the soul caused an instant blackout for the host. Returning her attention to the task at hand, Lina let the jar suck in Zelgadis’s soul. Lina took a moment to catch her breath. Sweat dripped down from her forehead. She braced against her knees for support. All of the magic flowing through her was a huge strain on her body. She could handle it because of her great levels of magical power, and Rezo probably had barely blinked an eye while doing it. If anyone else dared attempted this and his or her magic skill was much lower, it could easily kill the caster.
Lina steadied herself and got ready for the last vital part. She pulled on her connection to the jar. Then something strange occurred. She instantly felt Zelgadis’s familiar soul, but Lina felt something else stirring in the jar. Lina chewed her lip. This wasn’t right. This jar should have been empty. Lina shook her head. She didn’t have time to think about it now.
She gently lifted Zelgadis’s soul from the jar. With a sharp wave of her arm, Lina pointed to the copy version of Zelgadis. His soul flew from the jar and into its new host. Lina waited a moment until she felt the soul attach itself to the human body.
Lina watched, holding her breath. Then, to her delight, Zelgadis’s chest began to rise and she heard him breathe. Lina dropped her arms and broke the connection from the ward to the jar. The bright light coming off the ward dimmed, and vanished. Lina dropped to her knees, breathing heavily as Amelia raced to kneel beside the human copy.
“Mister Zelgadis, are you all right?”
A groaned escaped the human copy’s lips. His eyes flew opened. Amelia braced his back, helping him to sit up, barely noticing that Gourry was helping Lina back to her feet.
Slowly, he spoke. “Did it work?”
Lina grinned, leaning into Gourry’s hold as she regained her balance. “As far as I can tell, you’re 100 percent human, Zel.”
He stared as he flexed his now-pale fingers. “It worked. It really worked,” he whispered.
Lina shrugged off Gourry’s arm, headed to a shelf and grabbed a small mirror. “Here, take a look.”
Zelgadis clutched the mirror, almost afraid to see himself. He saw the face he hadn’t seen in years. He rubbed his cheeks and tugged his ears. He quietly laughed. “I’m human again. I wasn’t sure if I would ever get to say that.”
“Congratulations,” Gourry said as he helped him to his feet.
Zelgadis stumbled slightly and Gourry caught him. “Sorry,” Zelgadis replied. “Still haven’t gotten use to the new body.”
Gourry nodded. “I think you just need some food in your system.”
“Some food?” Lina scoffed. “This calls for a celebration!”
“Wait, Miss Lina,” Amelia turned her head to the old chimera body. “What should we do with Mister Zelgadis’s old body?”
“That should be up to Zel.”
Zelgadis narrowed his eyes. “As happy as I am, just to be sure there’s nothing wrong with this human body, let’s hang on to my chimera body for awhile.”
“Should we put it into that incubation tube…er..what’s left of it?” Gourry asked.
“It should be fine where it is now,” Lina said.
“But, what if someone takes it or the jar?”
“No one knows about this place, and who would steal a soulless chimera body?” Lina led the way to the stairway. “The body and the jar should be safe here. We’ll set up some protection spells just in case. Then, we’ll come back in the morning and take care of them both. Right now, we need to party!”
Lina glanced back at the jar. There’s still that presence I felt, but it could have been nothing. It might have just been the power of the jar I was feeling. It should be safe for now. Besides, I am not ruining the mood.
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The moon was high in the night sky as Xellos entered the cabin. Who would have thought that Rezo would have a lab in such an ordinary place? It was quite boring really. Xellos lifted the latch. His hand prickled as the protection wards sprang into action.
Xellos rid of himself of the mere annoyance by opening his eyes and shattering the wards instantly. He hummed to himself as he ventured down the stairway. He spotted the mindless chimera body, and was slightly intrigued, but he chose not to dwell on the matter. He had to complete his orders.
He approached the jar that was still standing in the center of the used ward. This would be simple. Xellos raised his staff and smashed the jar. The pieces scattered. Xellos could sense the power escaping and vaporizing in the air.
“Well, that’s been taken care of,” Xellos replied. “Perhaps I’ll go for a-”
He sensed a presence. A spirit. A human spirit and quite a strong one. Dark smoke rose from the smashed pieces of the jar. The smoke rose and flowed into the mouth of Zelgadis’s old body. “My, this is inconvenient.” Xellos muttered. The smoke disappeared fully into the body and the chimera body sprang up.
Black smoke leaked from its lips. The chimera’s hair suddenly grew longer and reached down to its waist. The nails grew sharper and thicker, transforming into claws. The eyes held no life, only an eerie white glow.
It must be due to the spirit being inside the jar. It seems to have given the spirit extra power and modifying the body as a result.
The possessed chimera snarled.
And its grudge and anger is also a good bonus.
The spirit eyed Xellos and snarled.
Xellos raised his hand. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I have other things to attend to. I’ll just let Mister Zelgadis deal with you since it’s his body.”
“Zel-gad-dis…” the chimera hissed in a voice that made it hard to determine whether it was male or female.
“Ah, you know him.”
“Re-ven-ge…”
“He’s in town if you want to have a chat with him.” He glanced at his pocket watch. “With that said, I must be going. I do have errands to run.” Xellos quickly vanished, leaving the chimera to find his own way out.
He selected a tree to take a seat. Xellos could have easily destroyed the creature, but he was feeling lazy, and was curious. Something else had been held captive in that jar. He could sense it was once a human. Hardly a threat to the mazoku race, but he wanted to see just how much of an influence the jar had on a normal spirit. The spirit was clearly mutated thanks to being kept in the jar for so long. It could be useful information for his Mistress. Besides, it would be far more fun to see how Miss Lina and her friends handled the situation of seeing Zelgadis’s old body being possessed. It would be a delightful experiment.
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Date: 2011-02-06 12:53 am (UTC)Poor Pocota. I hope they have the tact not to tell him about this near miss...
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Date: 2011-02-06 01:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-06 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-06 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-02-06 11:16 am (UTC)You'd think Lina would have learned by now to trust her instincts on these things. Oh well, I guess we can blame the exhaustion for that.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you handle Zelgadis adjusting to his new body. I imagine going back to having sensitive, human skin will be difficult for him. And, even though he hated being a chimera, I imagine he'll have mixed feelings about the fact that he'll be a lot weaker physically now.
I'm stumped about who the spirit occupying Zel's old body could be. I hope you don't leave me in suspense for too long!
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Date: 2011-02-06 02:02 pm (UTC)I would blame half on exhaustion, and who would predict that something would possess Zel's old body. XP
I imagine he'll have mixed feelings about the fact that he'll be a lot weaker physically now.
*grins* You hit the nail on the head. That's one of the main issues that's going to be addressed in this story. As for the spirit, it's probably around chapter 5 the identity is revealed, but there should be some hints along the way.
I will say this, the spirit isn't an original character. It's someone who died in the anime. ^_~
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Date: 2011-02-12 05:58 pm (UTC)OMG you're killing me XD seriously, what a twist! Can't wait to read more ;))