Slayers Fan Fiction ❯ Roses ❯ Escape ( Chapter 9 )

Escape

For some reason Xellos woke up. Mazoku don't need to sleep, but they can. It helps the healing process. He couldn't remember actually falling asleep though.

"Wake up, Mazoku," someone said, then he felt poked with a stick.

Reluctantly, Xellos opened his eyes.

He found it hard to move and painfully flopped his head to the side to see who the hell was poking him.

A man. Tall, long brown hair, red, gold, and purple mage's robe, not that good looking. The only interesting thing about him, or at least to Xellos, was the fact that the man held Xellos's staff, and was poking him with it.

"That's mine," Xellos managed to mumble. What the hell was wrong? His whole body felt leaden, his head was pounding. His head never pounded unless he was severely wounded? The knife, some sort of powered up Sword of light, but that injury wouldn't make his head pound. What then?

"Can't get up? Good. Normally missing that amount of blood would have killed someone, but thankfully you're a Mazoku, you can survive stuff like that."

"You plan on copying me?"

"So, you figured it out. No, Mazoku chimeras tend to be nasty and uncontrollable. Your blood was just another thing to sell. It's quite expensive."

"Where is he?"

"The chimera? He's sleeping off the same thing. The last real chimera in existence is a rarity I can't sell. Copies of him, however, I can. Same for the leftover blood."

"Let him go."

"I don't think so, and I doubt you're in any position to make threats. Even if you could get up, these bars are made of the same thing as my knife."

"How about a bargain then?"

He seemed to consider that comment for a moment, then chuckled to himself. "You're pretty, but nothing I'd put my lips on. Nice try."

"I want my stick back."

"Like I said, you're in no position to make threats, or for that matter, bargains. However, I am."

"And that would be?"

"I may need the chimera, but I can't use him until I complete the machine. That would take days. I'm going to keep him alive, but if you want me to feed him, I want you to help me. You seem powerful enough for the pledge."

"Of immortality?"

"Obviously, Mazoku."

"As long as you keep up your part of the deal," Xellos said. `I just hope Lina gets here in time.'

Five days later Xellos decided thinking was only going to make him more confused and angry and that he should try to get out of here while he could still stand, even when wobbly.

The cell was square, made of thick stone. He wasn't well enough to stand up straight on the first try, he wasn't well enough to cast a spell.

Thee bars were definitely made of the same thing as that knife and the sword of light, his shoulder wound still hurt. He guessed he had to test how strong they were if he was going to get anywhere.

He tapped a bar with the tip of his finger.

ZZAP!

"Do that again," Zelgadis said.

"No way, I lit my finger on fire."

"Did you see what happened to the other bars?"

"Of course I did. They all went out when I touched one of them."

"The bars went out on my side too. I'll try."

"Don't set yourself on fire."

The bars in Xellos's cage dimmed. He didn't waste any time rushing out of the cramped cell, but he still weak, and he fell over once he was out.

"What's with you? You can't even stand up straight when you run?" Zelgadis asked.

"What happened to your shoe?" Xellos asked, since he was lying on the floor, Zel's feet and ankles were all he could see.

Zelgadis picked Xellos up to stand on his feet. Xellos wobbled and fell over. Zel tried again, this time righting Xellos before letting go. Xellos wobbled, but stayed on his feet.

"Ra tilt, mountains, fire, hit in the head, roses, pointy things, blood loss, nothing much," Xellos said flopping backwards and Zel barely caught him.

"We're getting out of here," Zelgadis said.

Xellos pushed him away, stumbling and falling on the floor. He used the wall to right himself, and wobbly started walking in another direction.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get something," Xellos said.

"I'm leaving," Zelgadis said.

"Good. You should, I don't want you in my trouble."

"Why are you here, anyway?"

"You've never know me to desert you when you might die, have you?"

"But-"

"If I ever wasn't there, I knew you could handle everything, same goes for everyone else."

"You're hiding something."

"Yes, I am."

Xellos wandered off a hallway, as Zelgadis paused to think.

He couldn't make himself go forward. For the first time in his life, he was scared. He couldn't go by himself. He needed someone with him, even if it was just getting out of a tower, even if it was Xellos, even if it meant going back, even if he might get captured, even if it was really stupid.

He found himself running down the dark hall, afraid of the dark. He wasn't like this. He was never like this. Being alone never scared him, until now. No, until a week ago.

He kept feeling the urge to cry, to curl up and die. But he couldn't, not yet, not now.

He was being an idiot, running after Xellos, but at least he held everything back this way.

He ran into a room. Xellos was there, trying desperately to knock a table out a large window and not fall over at the same time.

"What are you doing?" Zelgadis said, shoving the table the last bit of the way out the window where everything on it went crashing onto grass, dirt, and thorny roses.

"Attracting attention," Xellos said, swiping the contents of a shelf onto the floor. "He took my stick, and I'd rather he gave it back. That and revenge. I thought since I'm here I'd go and get it for you."

"I'm starting to think I should have killed you, no matter how expensive your blood is," Joran said, stepping out of the shadows.

"Hi, I was just thinking about you," Xellos said, waving. "Stay where you are or I'll kill him!" Xellos yelled, grabbing Zelgadis, almost losing his balance in the process.

"I doubt you'll do that, you came here, killing those dragons, and climbing over my roses bushes, I doubt you'll kill him."

"I could, it's just a matter of performing the resurrection ritual, and then he'd be bound to me and part Mazoku, no use to you."

"That doesn't mean I can't kill you."

"Hmm. Good point."

"If he's yours and I kill him, I can still use him as my chimera , it'll just take longer for the machine to finish on him. Mazoku without masters make good pets if you put enough time and punishment into them. If he dies, I can just use a copy of him, no need for the machine."

"I guess a Mazoku can't compete with a businessman. I still have a chance at winning."

"I doubt that."

"Fireball!" Lina stepped through the doorway, followed by Gourry, Amelia, and Sylphiel. "Xellos, just what do you think you're doing?"

"It's not what it looks like."

"Then what exactly were you planning to do?"

"Um, throw him out the door and lock it, if that wouldn't work I think he'd survive a three story fall out a window."

"Excuse me, but I think I'm being ignored." Joran said, smacking Xellos in the head with his own staff. Xellos and Zelgadis both went headfirst into the hard stone wall. Joan grabbed Zelgadis by the neck and threw him over his shoulder, his arm over Zel's back and threatening to tighten and break a rib. Joran was quite strong, built like Gourry. Joran quickly disappeared into the shadows.

"Hey! That's cheating!" Amelia yelled.

"Excuse me miss, are you all right?" Sylphiel asked Xellos.

"My head suddenly started to hurt." Xellos said.

"Oh, you're a boy."

"I don't remember you."

"No healing spells, Sylphiel!" Lina said.

"Healing spells hurt Mazoku like Xellos-san." Amelia said.

"And we don't have time for it. Besides, we need you to figure out where that guy went and for protection spells. Sylphiel over here. Amelia, take Xellos out of here. And get some food, he and Zelgadis will probably need it. And I missed lunch."

"Hai!" Amelia said.

"Lina," Xellos said, or choked rather.

Lina leaned in close, ready to punch him if he tried anything smart alecky. "What?"

"There is not pledge stone," Xellos managed to say, before falling asleep in Amelia's arms.

"Huh?"

"Here's the trigger."

Lina turned around to see Sylphiel and Gourry going down a flight of stairs that weren't there before.

"Zel will need clothes, he's probably still wearing those old pajamas Xellos gave him, Amelia. I promise we'll bring him back!" Lina said, and ran down the stairs.

Amelia nodded and tried dragging Xellos.

"You're heavy Xellos-san!"

* * * * *

"Lina? Are you sure it's a good idea to leave Amelia and Xellos together?"

"Gourry, what are you talking about now?"

"I thought you knew."

"Knew about what? AAH!" Lina yelled, almost ht by a fireball, if not thanks to Sylphiel.

"Look, Gourry, this isn't the time."

"Okay, I'll tell you later."

Joran, at this time, was growing quite mad that his one-handed attack spells weren't breaking down Sylphiel's shield.

"Gourry, let's try the attack we used two months ago."

"You mean on the whatchamacallit?"

"Exactly!"

"What are you going to do?" Sylphiel asked, lowering the shield.

"Fireball!" Lina yelled.

Joran quickly threw Zel against yet another solid, thick wall in order to have both hands free for his counter attack. "Burst Rhondo!" he yelled.

Gourry slashed most of the pieces of the attack with his sword.

"Elmekia Lance! Sylphiel, we need a shield again!" Lina yelled.

Sylphiel started the thick magic shield again, blocking another attack from Joran.

Gourry held his arm and backed into the darker part of the room, his arm limp.

Zel groaned and tried to push himself up off the floor from his crumpled position, but Joran noticed and back up and stamped his foot on Zel's throat.

"ZEL!" Lina yelled.

"Lina-san, he's not trying to kill him, or he'd have done that already."

"I know."

"Then why does he want him?"

"What else would someone want with a chimera?"

"THAT'S A CHIMERA?"

"What else did you think a chimera was?"

"A fish thing like the one in old Sairaag," Sylphiel said.

"That's only one kind of chimera. This one is far better than those pathetic creatures. He's part human," Joran said.

"Um, sorry if I'm being ignorant here, BUT WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?" Lina said.

"With a human mind, he's so much smarter, so much more cunning, it will take more than an easily laid trap or a simple spell to take him out."

"In other words, you need someone else to do your dirty work for you, and he's like a well-trained dog," Lina said.

"Not well-trained. Well-beaten."

"You don't mean…!"

"The machine, is that what you're referring to? Yes, I plan to sue it on this."

"This?" Sylphiel asked, confused, looking around to see what he was referring to.

"Yes, the thing right under my foot, young lady."

"He means Zel," Lina said.

"What's The Machine?" Sylphiel asked.

"It's been forbidden and the records of it were destroyed. Most of them. It's a thing far less ethical than using a human life to create a chimera. It's a contraption that you hook someone up to in a sound-proof room so you can't hear their screams for the next few years. It snaps your mind in half."

"It makes you go insane?"

"No, you have no will of your own. After the machine has worked on you, the next person who takes control of you, you end up obeying for the rest of your life, because you can't fight back against anything they don't tell you to fight. But it takes ten years to work on someone as steeled as him."

"That's why I let my dragons do whatever they wanted to him. Not exactly sure what they did, but it certainly helped. Besides, I can afford a few years to perfect my own chimera, someone can break a copy gem, but not the effects of the machine."

"Thanks just wanted to know what the hell you were doing. Go get him Gourry!"

Before Joran could react to that statement, Gourry, who had been wandering around in the shadows behind him during the whole conversation, jammed his Sword of Light through Joran's chest.

Joran just laughed. "You'll have to try harder than that to kill me, boy."

"No problem!" Gourry said. He swung the sword of light and bashed Joran headfirst into the wall as hard as Joran had thrown Zel.

Now that Zel, though injured, was free of Joran and his foot, Sylphiel ran over and started healing him.

"Elmekia lance!" Lina yelled.

Zel struggled in Sylphiels arms, whispering slurred words and choked on them repeatedly. "Ra Tilt!" he yelled.

"Hold still!" Sylphiel said.

"No, I'm immortal, that damn Mazoku you saved gave it to me! You can't kill me!" Joran yelled. "But I can kill you, starting with you, damn chimera. If you're going to give me so much damn trouble, then you will die, after all! Unravel!"

A black ball manifested in his hands, he managed to throw it before the Ra Tilt hit him.

The blade became one fierce ball of lighting, Joran in the middle of it. "No, I'm immortal, that damn Mazoku said so! I made him give it to me!" he screamed, the lightning tearing at his flesh.

"There is no pledge stone, thus no pledge." Lina said.

The dwindled, crawling back into the metal blade of the sword, Joran's screams fading with it.

"Well, that's done, hey Zel-oh shit!"