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Birth Rite	By : tsutsuji Category: +S to Z > Slayers Views: 6413 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 24
- 25
Birth Rite, Chapter 25: The Gulch
Author: tsutsuji

Chapter Summary: Looking for a private place to keep up their battle practice, Xelloss and Zelgadis explore a little more around Wyndcliff, and Zelgadis discovers the horror he must face during Mystport's traditional autumn festivities.
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If anything, Xelloss seemed to be even more worn out at the end of a study session with Shuno alone. Melly had at least provided some amusing interruptions to Shuno's relentless quest for (probably useless) knowledge. When Shuno announced that there was another Recitation coming up tomorrow that he simply must attend, Xelloss was obviously relieved.
"The Naming of Names," Shuno said. "It's the most significant segment after The Making of Worlds. Completely underrated by most Loremasters. They'll be on that for a week or two. Of course I've attended this section many times before, but I missed a few days last time. I need the refresher."
"Refreshing is not the word I'd use for it," Myona said with a grimace.
"You get a few days off, sensei," Zelgadis said later as they left the Mala's garden and headed back toward the village. "Unless you think you should attend this Recitation with Shuno?"
Xelloss cringed. "To watch a room full of students sleep through the day? Boredom is not one of the negative emotions we mazoku enjoy, you know! Anyway, I think I deserve some time off. Teaching is much harder work than I imagined! But does that mean I only get to spend the day watching you and Myona-kun bury yourselves in books? That might be more pleasant than listening to Shuno-kun recite the dictionary, but still, not a very exciting day for me!"
Zelgadis stretched, letting his shoulders pop and creak as stiff muscles flexed under his stone skin.
"I could probably use a break, too," he admitted.
He looked out across the bay to the open sea. Streaks of clouds, cold gray in the last light of the recently set sun, barred the far edge of the sky, but above the mountains, the velvet blue sky held a few early stars. It looked like the weather would stay clear for another day.
"I think it's time for a little physical activity! We haven't had a chance for sparring practice since that morning at the cottages."
He also hoped for a chance to do some more practical research in support of his new theory, without Xelloss noticing, but he said nothing of that. He turned to Myona.
"Myona, you know the territory around the village, right? And you know what we're trying to do here, the reason for our practice session the other day."
Myona's eyebrows twitched and one corner of his mouth turned up.
"Practice session?" Xelloss said mildly. "Hm, Kemara-sama had another term for it, if I remember correctly!"

Zelgadis blushed; he had not forgotten that their fight had been labeled a "lover's quarrel." All the more reason to ask for their guide's advice.
"Isn't there a place we could use for our practice sessions, some place nearby but away from the aura field of the Temple, and - especially - out of sight of the village?"
Xelloss made a sound of approval and interest. Myona bit his lip lightly as he thought about it.
"There might be..." he said, trailing off as he gazed up at the steep hills behind the village. "You'll run into Beast people settlements if you get up into the hills, but maybe..."
Zelgadis followed his gaze as it scanned the coastline. All of the land they could see was rugged, thick with tangled evergreen forest, or steep and narrow, as far as he could see. The terraced levels of the village and the temple, the Mala's garden, and the hooked point were the only level, open land in sight.
"Well, think about it, and let us know if you come up with a good location. We'll just have to make do for now." He caught Xelloss' eye with a sidelong glance. "I have a couple of attack moves I haven't tried yet," he said, grinning.
Xelloss beamed back at him, but he sighed dramatically.
"Zel-san, you know what I keep telling you! You need more practice on your defense! Your attacks are quite sufficient already, especially considering the enemies you intend to use them on - other than me!"
___________________________________________________________________________
The obvious place for sparring practice that had enough open space a safe distance from the Temple, with no residences or gardens to worry about, was the widest expanse of the hooked point between the Bridge and the ruins. Myona pointed this out hesitantly the next morning, and then chewed on his lower lip, looking as if he regretted mentioning it. Zelgadis was almost eager enough for some activity to consider it, but one glance at the windswept landmark, so open and visible from all around the village, was enough to make him shake his head.
"Some place a little less exposed," he declared. "There must be another option!"
Myona hummed absently as he scanned the landscape all around the cove .
"South of the Bridge, there's a small tidal beach. It's rocky and there's a slope to it, but it's not too steep. Pretty windy sometimes..." he trailed off, eyeing each of them doubtfully, as if he thought they might get blown about like kites on the seaside breeze.
Zelgadis chuckled. "I don't think a little wind or some rocks will get in our way!"
"Certainly not!" Xelloss agreed. "A few obstacles will just make our little contest more interesting!"
They followed Myona to the south end of the village, past the Bridge and the spot below it where Plover had been found. The main road wound up into the hills behind the village, disappearing into groves of twisted cedars, but a smaller track seemed to have dug its own way through sea grass and rough sand dunes to the south. This little path led them to a narrow cove beyond the hooked point.
The wind did find them as soon as they dropped below the height of the Bridge; it swirled up to the narrow bowl of the little cove, tore at the whispering grasses on the steep southern slope of the hooked point, and managed to throw what little sand there was among the rocks right into their eyes and mouths. The uneven ground was covered in sea-polished stones. They rattled and clattered when the waves washed in over them, reminding Zelgadis of the sound of Shimer's Relics.
The rolling beach was difficult to walk upon, so running and dodging would be treacherous. Standing ribs of rock jutted up into the semicircle of the beach here and there, miniatures of the taller spikes that dotted the shallows along this section of the coast - obstacles that would impede Ray-Wing flight over the stoney beach, but which might also provide helpful cover in a magical firestorm.
"It's perfect!" Zelgadis said, grinning down at Myona.
Xelloss was already hovering off the ground, and glanced sidelong at them with his eyes slowly opening to reveal those strangely shaped purple irises.
"Shall we begin, then?" he asked politely.
In answer, Zelgadis began to chant his first spell, quietly forming the words at the back of his throat, waiting for Xelloss to notice the energy building in his hands.
"Stay back, Myona-kun!" Xelloss said cheerfully.
He darted away backward through the air. A gust of wind hit Zelgadis from the mazoku's backlash just as he released his own wind attack.
Buffeted by the edge of the combined wind wall, Myona stumbled, yelped, and scrambled away to a somewhat safer distance. When Zelgadis glanced back at him to be sure that he was out of range, he saw the boy had anchored himself to a low trailing bush, half hidden in the gulley made by the path. Dark eyes large and gleaming, he looked as dreamy and excited as he did when he gazed longingly at the hooked cliff in a storm.
It might not be exactly what Kemara intended as far as keeping her brother from wandering around among the ruins, Zelgadis thought, but perhaps she would forgive them for providing him with this bit of entertainment. It seemed fitting enough as payment for his services.
There was no warm up. Zelgadis was soon caught up in the rush of battle, all his senses trained on Xelloss and all his thought engaged in the calculation of spells, attacks and dodges. For a while they went at it earnestly enough, in their usual way, both teasing the other as much as attacking. Zelgadis tried his best to stay on the offensive.
"Mind your own shields, mazoku!" he growled as he dove in close, magically powered sword in one hand and Elmekia Whip crackling from the other.
Grinning, Xelloss knocked the sword arm aside with his staff, easily avoiding the glowing blade, and slapped a shield wall up in front of the energy whip that sent it sizzling back toward Zelgadis' face. He let himself stumble backwards on the stones while he quickly chanted Ray Wing, and zoomed up out of reach of the mazoku's follow up attack.
It was exhilirating to be moving again after so much time spent hunched over his books. Even the astral magic that they practiced alone was more of a mental workout than anything physical, and it felt great to stretch stiff muscle and stone skin and to hear his blade sing through the air.
Of course, air was all his blade ever managed to contact, except for knocking a few chips off old slate beach-ribs. Xelloss danced and dodged around him like a thistle seed on the chaotic wind, only pausing in front of him long enough to dupe Zelgadis into an attack before slipping around to tap him from behind. The mazoku hardly even bothered to attack. Zelgadis wondered if Xelloss was trying to wear him down and distract him before springing some nasty spell on him, or just showing off for Myona.
If it was a matter of distraction, Zelgadis could turn those tables easily enough. He whipped off his tangling cloak and began to pull off his shirt as well. Not that he was actually overheated. Stone skin did not sweat, and it took a lot more than this small exertion to heat his body up so much that a cool sea breeze would be welcome, but he knew from experience that an unexpected glimpse of bare chimera skin could provide at least a momentary distraction to Xelloss.
Unfortunately, Xelloss could play the same game. The mazoku grinned and made a sound of appreciation, and that lone was enough enough to bring a flush of heat to Zelgadis' face. Then Xelloss simply vanished his own mantle, and somehow always seemed to be downwind of Zelgadis after that so his shirt and trousers were blown tight against his body, revealing every curve and plane that the loose clothing usually concealed. Zelgadis knew exactly what he was doing, but that didn't mean it didn't work.
Damn seductive mazoku! he thought, gritting his teeth as he rapidly chanted another attack. Xelloss dodged neatly out of the line his spell. He paused, hovering a few feet away, then frowned and turned his head as if suddenly listening for something.
Zelgadis grinned, ready to call his bluff, but then noticed it as well, a sound that was something more than the wind muttering among the rocks or the chattering stones. A murmur of voices sent a shiver up his spine, even as he realized there was nothing sinister about them. It was not even the empty cheer of the Shimerians.
He and Xelloss looked around and upward at the same time, to find a startling number of eyes above them, peering through the wind-bent shrubbery. At least a dozen people and beast folk all stared down from the hill above the beach.
Zelgadis now saw that there was a path that had been hidden from view by scrubby evergreens, apparently another branch off the main track that wound up into the mountains; this one followed the curve of the coast before winding back into a valley further south.
A surprisingly well-used path, at that, or at least it was on this particular morning, so they had again attracted an audience for their mock battle. It was no comfort to him at all that this group seemed more appreciative than alarmed. He felt as if they were suddenly on display in an amphitheater, like some barbaric gladiator contest. He saw some of the watchers nudge each other and nod and throw out shouts of encouragement, as if they were cheering on their favorite team in Brass Racquets. He even thought he heard a wager being called.
"Oh. Ooops." he heard Myona say softly. Clinging to his hiding place, the boy peeked out and craned his neck to look up at their audience. His cheeks were very pink.
Zelgadis swore, and Xelloss made a disappointed sound.
"I don't suppose you'd care to continue in spite of.... no, I thought not," Xelloss finished quickly when Zelgadis glowered at him.
Zelgadis grabbed at his cloak to fling it back around himself. The wind tried to grab it back, tangled it around his legs so that he stumbled on it, adding to the heat in his face. He did his best to ignore the murmurs of disappointment from above. They'd all seen quite enough, as far as he was concerned.
There was no way out of the little cove but back up the path, right past their audience. He guessed that Levitating out would only gain them even more attention. With Myona ducking along in front of him, they scrambled back up the rutted path toward the end of the Bridge.
"Nothing to see here, nothing at all!" Xelloss crowed cheekily with a flap of his hand.
Of course, that didn't help at all. A trio of boys about Myona's age nudged each other and grinned as they passed, eyes lit up with excitement. One of them shook his head.
"Lucky!" he said with a quick thumbs up, gazing at Myona, apparently envious of the guide's front row seat at their unintended exhibition. Plowing along with his head down, Myona didn't notice.
Zelgadis glanced back as they passed the end of the Bridge, praying to any nearby gods that they wouldn't be followed. The local gods did not choose to listen, or perhaps it was the bad luck of The Black Stones visiting him. He looked right into the face of Spearos, marching up the path behind them and scowling over his hooked beak even more darkly than his usual threatening expression. The archivist's bat-winged assistant skipped and fluttered along beside him, flapping her hands and chattering at her boss.

"Now, now, Spearos-sama, I'm sure it wasn't meant - "
Zelgadis didn't stop to hear what Spearos-sama thought it was meant to be. Gravelly mutterings of "irresponsible" and "violent" and "ill-mannered" followed them almost into the village.
Myona suddenly slipped off the main road and ducked behind a row of fishing shacks. Zelgadis followed gratefully, and a glare at Xelloss made sure the mazoku didn't alert anyone else to their sudden detour.
"Oh dear," Xelloss said when they were safely out of sight, for the moment. The attempt to sound distressed was overwhelmed by stifled giggles. "I'm afraid Spearos-sensei does not have a very good impression of us! On the other hand, if I'm not mistaken, a number of other villagers now have a very positive impression of you, Zel-san!"
Zelgadis seriously considered finishing their battle practice right there behind the village with a well-placed, close-range Fireball. If it wasn't for the wealth of lore he'd already tapped into here, right at this moment he felt like it would be worth facing the storms at sea or the treacherous mountain roads just to get out of this village.
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Myona led them on a steep and winding path behind gardens and sheds that smelled of fish and alderwood smoke, up the steep hill at the south end of the village and through a short tunnel between thick fir trees. Suddenly Zelgadis felt the aura of the Temple close in around him again.
He groaned with relief. No doubt this was another path known to few besides their guide. They had somehow come around behind and above Kemara's house, higher up on the Temple's hillside than the Dawn Pavilion. Now they only had to get across the whole Temple grounds to their cottage at the northern corner without meeting any more curious residents.
"Maybe we should practice out there," Xelloss suggested, staring across at the hooked point. "Even if we did gather an audience, they'd stay at a safe distance, hm?"
Zelgadis ignored him.
"We'll keep looking," he growled, "for a more private place. And the sooner we find it, the better," he added through clenched teeth. He suddenly understood why Lina felt the need to blast bandit gangs to cinders every once in a while.
Myona muttered to himself as they wound their way toward the cottages.
"Bluebell Meadows would work, but not until the Yak Folk migrate down for the winter.... Phoenix Shelf?"
He craned his neck to look up the steep, thickly wooded hills behind the Temple. Zelgadis followed his gaze and noticed a gash of bare rock jutting out from the forest, quite high up, but still close enough to see a bird circling out and back to it from here. If they fought up there, they'd have a crowd watching them from below through spyglasses.
Myona shook his head. "That won't work. Must be something else... there's the Gulch, but that's narrow, and it's a pain to get to. Oh, but maybe not so much if you can Levitate, I guess.... "
Zelgadis caught up with the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. Myona looked up at him, still red faced and looking so miserable that Zelgadis almost forgot his own embarrassment.
"It's fine, Myona. Don't worry about it. Thanks for getting us out of the village unnoticed." He nodded, patting the boy's shoulder. "You're still the best guide we could ever hope for! We'll manage to get our practice in somehow."
In the meantime, he would just have to continue his personal research in other ways. Fortunately, Xelloss was more easily distracted in the bedroom than in battle practice. If he even noticed Zelgadis intensifying their astral magic lessons, he certainly didn't complain.
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As they found out a few days later, The Gulch suited their purposes quite well after all.
With Myona's guidance, they discovered that what looked like uninhabitable forest clinging to the steep mountains above the village was actually dotted with Beast Tribe settlements. Most of them were connected by a tangle of treacherous paths, though some were only accessible by flight.
Myona knew all of the paths, and also knew of a number of hidden spots off any trail: an abandoned stone quarry with a pool of green water as still as a tarnished mirror in its depths, a peaceful little clearing at the foot of a waterfall, the remains of an ancient village that had been half buried in a rock slide long ago.
"I used to come up here a lot," he mused as he led them through a thick tangle of ancient trees, across icy mountain streams and waterfalls. He was as nimble and sure-footed as a mountain goat, as much in his element here as he was out on the windswept rock of the point. The path was as rugged as any Zelgadis had climbed in his travels, and he stumbled and swore, and occasionally Levitated over a spot that Myona scrambled across on toes and fingers, clinging to nearly smooth rock like a lizard.
Zelgadis declared to their pleased guide that it was worth all the trouble when they reached the Gulch. This turned out to be a narrow gouge in the steep hills behind the village. As the crow files, it was only a few miles away almost directly above the temple, but it was difficult to get to on foot and even more difficult to get into once you they there. It would be invisible to the casual wanderer until he fell into it, and even Myona had a hard time navigating down the trackless, brambled, nearly vertical slope to the small stream and clearing at the bottom. Halfway down, the boy almost gave in to their offers to Levitate him the rest of the way.
It would be even harder to find, Zelgadis guessed, for anyone who didn't already know it was there. The most curious watchers would hardly be likely to follow them there.
The space of almost level ground was long but narrow, barely as wide as the green by the cottages but longer, and filled with a thick nest of brush and rocks and vines. After a brief, experimental practice session, they had already cleared most of this down to ash and sand.
They agreed to let Myona watch their battle practice, but they insisted he stay at a safe distance up the side of the Gulch and out of the way.
"Can you put a shield around him or something?" Zelgadis asked Xelloss quietly as he took stock of the far-flung debris from their first round.
"I could," Xelloss said with a shrug, "It would only be a minor distraction to keep it in place while we're fighting, I'm sure it wouldn't give you enough of an advantage to beat me!" he added with a grin.
"I could...do that. Maybe," Myona spoke up from where he peered out between a rock and a stump.
They turned and stared at him.
"You can cast spells?" Zelgadis said.
He'd had no hint of it, but on second thought he supposed that wasn't surprising. No one used much magic around the Temple or even in the village, from what he'd seen, and Myona of all people seemed unlikely to draw that kind of attention to himself, even if it could be useful.
He looked to Xelloss, wondering if the mazoku had sensed magical capacity in the boy. Xelloss tipped his head as if considering that very question himself.
"That would be best, if you can cast such a spell, Myona-kun! A basic shield would be sufficient; we can't really use our full power in such a small place, anyway!"
"I can do a few little spells, actually, nothing much, but some," Myona said. He ducked his head and briefly caught his lower lip in his teeth. "Not Levitation, though," he added quickly under his breath.
He closed his eyes and went silent for a few seconds. His eyebrows twitched as he gathered his concentration and then chanted a basic spell for protection.
It was not a terribly strong shield, but Zelgadis was satisfied. It might not do much against a genuine magical attack, but it should ward of any debris or ricocheting energy they might kick up during their practice. It was far more than he could have managed before he'd been changed.
Assured that Myona was reasonably safe, they got back to the business of trying to knock each other out. They went at that for an hour or so, with a great deal more energy than their first playful round of ground-clearing. Their mutual determination to not be the one who was flat on his back in the dirt at the end was spurred on by the added indignity of having a witness to the defeat.
It was the best workout Zelgadis had had in ages, even if he was the one who ended up half buried under a pile of smoldering shrubbery, with Xelloss standing over him, aglow with dark energy, violet eyes gleaming down at him.
"Damn sneaky mazoku," he grumbled a few minutes later, when mouth and brain were able to form words again.
He didn't really mind the outcome all that much, though. Myona gazed with wide, gleaming eyes at both of them, clearly impressed no matter which one had won or lost. Besides that, Xelloss more than made it up to him later.
___________________________________________________________________
After this discovery, their days began to alternate between study at the Mala's library and battle practice in the woods whenever they could get free of Shuno for a day. In between these activities, they dodged curious Loremasters and Princess fans, and did their best to avoid getting caught up in Melly's latest obsession.
The only things that varied the routine of the days, besides the weather and Melly's equally frequent changes of interest in some new activity, was the ever increasing hubbub of cleaning and decorating around the village, and even more of the same kind of activity within the Temple grounds. Even the ongoing talk and speculation about the final chapter of the Princess of Fate gave way to all this work, until Zelgadis and Xelloss realized there must be more to it than simple fall cleaning.
"It must be this Hallow night or something," Zelgadis said, as they watched a flock of students loading carts with ripe pumpkins. The sheds near the dining hall were filling up with fruits of the harvest, potatoes and cabbages and onions piled up like small mountains and spilling out of their doors. All through the small community, he and Xelloss could not help noticing the surge of energy and anticipation. It became clear the entire village as well as the Temple would be involved in whatever was planned.
In that case, Zelgadis thought, he hoped they could just stay in their cottage for the day, or hide out in the library or out at the Gulch! He was fairly certain he could convince Xelloss to stay out of it, in spite of any mischief the mazoku might think he could get up to on such an occasion. In the interest of his studies, he was getting particularly good at "distracting" Xelloss.
In fact, he was looking forward to doing just that when they got back to the cottage one evening after a long day of study at The Mala's library. He would have spared no more than a nod and a polite word to their neighbors who were just leaving, presumably on their way to the dining hall that he and Xelloss had just avoided visiting. Unfortunately, Marcus veered aside and marched up to them just before they reached the door. Kervan paused at the turn of the path, hands on hips, growling Marcus' name in a low voice that sounded to Zelgadis like a warning.
Marcus was too excited be deterred. Zelgadis braced himself for another barrage of complaints about Lina's destructive tendencies or some other unwelcome question about their past adventures.
Marcus' wide, anxious eyes darted between from Zelgadis to Xelloss and back again.
"What are you wearing?" he asked.
Zelgadis' mouth fell open. He'd expected Marcus to be as bothersome as the Loremasters he was trying so hard to avoid, but not to suddenly become as bizarre as Shuno. Both of them had always been dense and annoying, but in quite different ways. Xelloss looked every bit as baffled as he was.
"He means for the Festival," Kervan murmured.
Zelgadis glanced past Marcus at the other man. His mouth was twitching and even his usually solemn eyes looked amused.
Zelgadis was no more enlightened by the remark. Clearly, there was a hint here that they were supposed to get, but he had no idea why their clothing had anything to do with the preparations going on around them. Were they expected to don Temple robes and take part in some kind of ritual cleansing ceremony, he wondered? Kemara had never mentioned such a thing.
"Of course for the Festival!" Marcus burst out. "It's a big deal here, as you'd expect!"
At their continued blank looks, Kervan's smile widened.
"Or you might not," he continued for Marcus, "since it's celebrated in so many different ways in other countries."
"Everyone celebrates Hallow Night!" Marcus insisted. "Don't they? Well, not in Shimeria of course, they're too busy being happy to celebrate anything. But I thought everyone else everywhere celebrates it. Maybe celebrate isn't always the right word. But of course they do here! Celebrate it, that is."
Through the nervous rush of Marcus' words, Zelgadis remembered more about the autumn festivals he'd seen celebrated at this time of year in his travels, the many varied but similar traditions in whatever countries he happened to pass through at the time. Elaborate balls and feasts were held in the cities, with rustic harvest meals and various superstitions attached to them in the smaller towns and villages. There was usually something about dressing up, now that he thought about it, costume balls being the norm rather than the exception, and not only among the higher classes.
"Hallow Night?" Xelloss said thoughtfully. "It's that time when people dress up in strange costumes to try to, what is it? To fool the demons, or something silly like that, hm?"
Zelgadis raised an eyebrow at Xelloss. The mazoku looked alarmingly amused. That reminded him of another tradition attached to this autumn festival, the only reason a mazoku would find a human holiday interesting, no doubt, and another reason he'd never had much to do with it: it was also known as a time humans particularly liked to play pranks on each other.
"Some locations engage in that tradition as part of Hallow Night, yes," Kervan said, strolling up the walk to join them, his hands clasped behind his back now. "But here in Mystport it's somewhat different. We call it The Festival of All Worlds. For the Temple, it's the most important day of the year, a sacred day when we honor The Golden Lord, the Mother of All Worlds...." he paused, and then went on almost regretfully, "by dressing up as someone or something completely different from what we are."
"Oh?" Xelloss leaned forward, seriously interested now.
"They don't have many rules here, they say," Marcus broke in, "They say they don't stand on ceremony much, they say! But there's one rule on Hallow Night - don't come as you are!"
He looked panic stricken at the prospect. Considering how completely he'd converted himself from a devoted Shrinekeeper of Shimer to a nervous little hanger-on at the Temple of the Golden Lord, Zelgadis didn't see why he should be so worried about it. Almost anything would be an improvement, he thought, unless Marcus really was going to start going about as Shuno.
He couldn't entirely blame the man for being agitated, though. He didn't like the sound of this any better than Marcus did, and the expectation in Xelloss' face only made it all the more worrisome.
"What a fascinating way to honor the Mother of All," Xelloss said, tipping his head to the side. "I suppose it makes sense, to those who know more of Her true nature."
Kervan nodded. "Some scholars here claim it's the origin of the holiday. In many parts of the world, it's said to be day of the year when the barriers between the worlds are thinnest. Some say it's a time when demons can come through from the Astral side more easily, and even lesser demons can appear without possessing a host. But of course, even then, they prefer to possess humans, or play even worse pranks on them whenever they can. So the tradition in most places is for people to dress up like demons and monsters. Supposedly the real demons will be fooled and will leave them alone. Of course, in more 'civilized' society, it's just become an excuse to hold masked balls and such. People are likely to dress as princesses and kings rather than monsters."
Xelloss nodded, ah'd and hummed as if he'd never heard all of this fascinating information before. Zelgadis couldn't tell if he was putting them on or not.
"However, here in Wyndcliff," Kervan went on, "due to the teachings of the Temple, it's become a day when we ponder upon all the different worlds that ever rose out of the Sea of Chaos, and all that ever could be created out of Her infinite imagination. All the different things we could be in those other worlds, or could have been."
"The Festival of All Worlds," Xelloss mused. "I see!"
"Of course," Zelgadis said, nodding reluctantly. "People here don't worry about trying to keep the demons away, since all beings are welcome here anyway. Instead, it's more of a celebration of...well, of the Making of Worlds, in a sense?"
"That's right!" Marcus nodded. "People dress as all kinds of things. Beast people dress as humans, humans dress as demons, monsters dress up as dragons... well... that doesn't happen very often."
"I should hope not!" Xelloss recoiled, aghast at the thought.
"I get the idea," Zelgadis said uneasily.
He had a fleeting thought of Xelloss dressing up like a Dragon Lord, and couldn't decide if that would be hilarious or terrifying. That thought led to the next question he was almost afraid to ask.
"Does everyone have to dress up? That's not really a Temple rule, is it?"
"Everyone does! That's what I've heard," Marcus broke in. "I have no idea what to wear! I mean, think about it - the possibilities are endless! I could be a troll or a berserker or a, well, I could be a Shimerian Shrinekeeper, since I'm not one of those anymore, but who would want to be! Or I could be dress as a catperson, or maybe a..."
"You could dress as a Loremaster," Kervan broke in, "or in your case, you could even dress as a scribe! Since you do so as little scribery as possible, I'm sure it would qualify," he said flatly.
Marcus sputtered out and flung him a glare, but at least the insult had the effect of stopping his rant in its tracks. Kervan turned back to Xelloss and Zelgadis.
"I don't know if it's an official, codified rule," Kervan said, "but I can tell you that, in the years I've been here, only Shuno has ever chosen not to pick a costume. However, both years he tried that, he still ended up wearing one...involuntarily." He grinned in a most unsettling way. "Trust me, it's better to pick out your own."
"Peacock!" Marcus exclaimed. "That's what you said it was one year, wasn't it? Tarred and feathered!"
His stared urgently at Xelloss and Zelgadis as if urging them to appreciate the horror of it.
"It was only white paste and peacock feathers," Kervan clarified, "...and a tail," he added with a malicious grin, gesturing in a high arc to indicate a great plume of a tail.
"Aha!" Xelloss said, raising a forefinger as if it had suddenly all come clear to him at last. "So it is indeed like the 'trick or treat' custom practiced in many human communities. Failure to participate is rewarded with mischief!"
"It's not funny!" Marcus protested desperately.
Even Kervan was smiling, although it was a grim smile. Of course, Xelloss was as gleeful as a human child looking forward to a birthday party.
With a sinking feeling and a rush of quite unexpected sympathy for Shuno and Marcus, Zelgadis began to realize he was doomed.
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tbc! Coming up: Melly's hobbies have unexpected effects on the mansion's visitors!
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Birth Rite