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The Human Ingredient	By : RyalsShoal Category: +S to Z > Slayers Views: 1730 -:- 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
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Title:
The Human Ingredient

Pairing:
Eventual Zelgadis/Xelloss

Rating:
Nc17

Summery:All mazoku servants receive their power from their creators, but
for Beast Master Zelas, she decided to give her servant a little
more...Over a thousand years later the piece that made Xelloss the
most feared and powerful of all mozuku servants has been cast aside
to the mortal world below to be left in the charge of a unpredictable
comrade. In such dangerous company, will this �human� ingredient
find the will to live in the mortal world, or return to his Master?
Authors
Notes: Oh My Goth! A fanfic outside of Naruto? EXPLODES (I
actually started writing Gundam Wing and Slayers fanfics to begin
with!) This is a very old story of mine that I've had an urge to
rewrite and finally share with the world. Thanks for reading!
WARNING!
This story is full of yoainess, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Flames will
only be pointed and laughed at for my own amusement by me and my
buddy Captain Cutlas, so don't bother. There's lots of angst and
darkness ahead!
***
Ch.3: The Fall
Long
Ago...
Several
years had passed since the Missionary departed from the Island. The
�Child of Prophesy� was now a young man. At the moment, that
young man was reminded of the ironic remark he had made to his long
departed friend Kris long ago �I sometimes feel like a lamb being
led to the slaughter with all this �Child of Prophesy� business.�
Now
Cronus, the elderly High Priest of the Island Goddess sect glared
down at the cowering figure before him. �You have been convicted of
heresy against our temple and its people!� His deep voice boomed
throughout the night air, sending tremors through his victim. The
pair were surrounded by the entire population of the village and the
temple, many carried torches and weapons.
Xelloss
cringed under their hate laden glares. �Wh-what did I do? High
Priest, please tell me what I did wrong!�
�Silence!�
Cronus pointed an accusing figure at the young man. Eyes as hard as
flint glared from his craggy face and spittle flew from his mouth to
stick to his white beard. �Nothing that you do or say will revoke
the verdict decided by the oracle! Such debauchery on your
part�indeed, your very existence� offends all that we hold most
sacred!� The old man turned to address the crowd in a sweeping
motion, causing his indigo robes to flutter in the smokey air. �We
must appease our Goddess by offering this heretic�s life as
retribution, She demands his screams! She demands his blood! Only
then shall we be rewarded with Her divine gift as the prophesy has
foretold!�
The
crowd roared its approval, spurned on with religious frenzy. Several
of the villagers started up a chant, while others pounded their
weapons into the ground for emphasis.
Tears
well up in Xelloss� eyes, he was too stunned to struggle as several
burly priests dragged him to one of the many fallen pillars scattered
around the temple. With four priests in charge of a limb, they
stretched him over the pillar with his vitals exposed. The terrified
prisoner whimpered as he heard the Headmaster order a villager to
bring forth a heavy mallet to break the heretic�s arms and legs.
�Now,�
Cronus leaned over into his sacrificial victim�s face. �I can
finish what I had started all those years ago!� His eyes gleamed
with a fanatical light, and he raised the mallet high above his head.
Xelloss
tightly closed his eyes and waited for the first blow.
***
Now...
With
a gasp, Xelloss bolted awake. Adrenaline coursed throughout his body
with the need for flight or fight. Realizing that he was not in
danger, he calmed almost immediately and wiped the beads of sweat
from his brow. �Another memory.�
�So,
you�re finally awake.�
Xelloss
turned towards the voice to find Zelgadis leaning casually against a
closed door. Now fully awake, Xelloss could see that the room he
occupied belonged to a backwoods inn with furnishings old and frugal.
At the moment, all of his attention was focused on the Chimera�s
eyes, which held a chilling resemblance to the cold look that had
belonged to the High Priest of his dream. �What happened?� he
asked, pulling the warm sheets around his body, realizing with a
start that he was only dressed in one of Zelgadis� spare tunics.
From
his cloak, Zelgadis produced a loaf of bread and some cheese. �You�ve
been asleep for nearly two days with a fever. Here,� he tossed the
food onto Xelloss� bed. �Your body needs the nourishment.�
Xelloss
skeptically looked down at the food on his lap then back to the
chimera�s scowling face. �W-why are you doing this?�
�You
ask why?� Zelgadis folded his arms across his chest. �I healed
your wounds, as far as I can tell your body appears to be human.
However...� he fixed his companion another icy stare and growled
dangerously. �I know that you are playing on my human compassion,
and that is fine. It is my compassion that separates myself from your
kind.�
Xelloss
resisted the urge to gulp while being stared down by those cold eyes.
It was only at that moment in which he realized how dangerous his
predicament was. As a powerless mortal, he was at the complete mercy
of Zelgadis.
The
said Chimera broke off the stare and scoffed. �You�re coming with
me to Levenwurth. I�m sure that Lina will figure out what to do
with you.�
Xelloss
took a bite of the hard cheese, and made a face as he experienced the
forgotten sensation of taste. �So then, you�ll leave me with
Lina. What will you do?�
�I
will have nothing to do with you. As soon as we get the Levenwurth,
the sooner we can part ways.� Zelgadis smiled sarcastically,
exposing his sharp teeth. �I�m sure you feel the same way.�
Xelloss
returned the smile as a sneer. �You�re not exactly the welcome
that I�d expected.�
�Either
way,� Zelgadis unhooked a patched cloak from the wall and threw it
at his companion. �You need clothes before we leave. Meet me
downstairs when you�re ready, its an overnight walk to Levenwurth
and we leave today.� Without another word, Zelgadis slammed the
door shut behind him before Xelloss could say anything.
�I�ll
be glad to be rid of him� Xelloss thought sourly as he began to
dress himself.
***
Being
a small mountain community, the town of Delmaar had little demand for
tailoring services. As a result, the local tailor shop proved to be a
disappointment.
Zelgadis
had no intention of spending any more of his time or money on Xelloss
as possible, and instead of ordering an outfit to be made, they
rummaged through the piles of secondhand clothes that the elderly
tailor had collected throughout the years.
Xelloss
clutched his tattered cloak about himself for warmth and
apathetically watched the old tailor sort through his wares to find
suitable clothing in his size.
�Not
much to choose from, young sir� the tailor apologized in a creaky
voice and cast aside a few threadbare tunics into the corner of his
dingy shop.
Zelgadis
tapped the heavily scarred table impatiently. �I don�t care if it
matches or not, just give me the cheapest outfit.�
�White
clothes are the cheapest� the old tailor quipped as he pulled out a
yellowed tunic. �Lye deposits are common in the mountains, we use
it to bleach our clothes. Dyed fabric is more expensive around these
parts.
�Fine.
Give me all white then.�
Upon
hearing Zelgadis� demand, Xelloss was suddenly reminded of the
words High Priest Cronus had once preached:
�White
is the color of purity.�
�I
don�t wear white.� Xelloss stated flatly.
Zelgadis
glanced at his companion and scowled. �Whatever, just choose what
you want then.� He tossed a small bag of coppers to the tailor,
then headed outside without a backward glance to Xelloss. �Make it
quick, or I�ll leave you behind.�
With
help from the kind tailor, Xelloss was quickly able to put together a
wardrobe. The colors he had settled upon reflected his mood:
monochromatic. With the exception of brown leather shoes and a light
grey tunic, everything was black.
When
Xelloss finally emerged from the shop fully dressed in his purchases,
Zelgadis greeted him with a snort. �I�ll say that you don�t
wear white� he scoffed.
Xelloss
ignored him.
***
After
a few hours traveling outside town, Xelloss was beginning to dearly
wish that he had the ability to levitate. Not being used to traveling
on foot, the hike through the mountain trail was proving to be
difficult for his newly formed organic body. Countless times he had
stumbled and fell over loose rocks, and several times he had been
scrapped by the rough bark of trees.
Zelgadis�
patience was wearing increasingly thin as the morning turned to late
afternoon. They were hours behind schedule. Nearing the bend of a
steep trail, Zelgadis turned to call down at his companion struggling
behind. �Stop wasting time Xelloss. We can Ray Wing up the trail
from here.�
�I-can�t�
Xelloss huffed as he pulled himself over a ledge of loose earth. �I
have not been able to use any spells since I�ve been condemned to
the accursed human form!�
Zelgadis
raised an eyebrow. �Condemned, eh?�
�Yes.�
Xelloss collapsed at Zelgadis� feet, gasping for breath. �I�ve
forgotten how weak organic bodies are. How can you stand to live like
this?�
�I�m
used to it, you�re just out of shape.� Zelgadis tossed a
waterskin to his companion, who accepted it gratefully. �What you
just said, about forgetting what it was like having an organic
form...were you once human?�
�A
long time ago.� Xelloss uncorked the waterskin and took a long
drink. �Or a part of me was, at least. It has been over a thousand
years since I have experienced living as a mortal, and even that was
brief.�
�Do
you remember any of it?� Zelgadis asked, his curiosity piqued.
Xelloss
shook his head. �Not much. The memories I had retained as a human
are lost among all the other memories as a mazoku, though there are
now several blank areas where my memories has been erased.�
�Ah,�
Zelgadis nodded with understanding. �To keep secrets of the Mazoku
race from reaching the humans.�
�That,�
Xelloss agreed �and for the simple reason that my puny human brain
could not cope with the vast and complex memory of a mazoku.�
He
handed the waterskin back to Zelgadis. �My Mistress was kind enough
to remove all knowledge of vital importance to her and the Mazoku
race from my organic brain. I am no longer a threat, nor a concern to
Mazoku society.�
�Consider
that a good thing.� Zelgadis clipped the waterskin back to his
belt. �If you don�t mind me asking, what was it like to live
during those times, as a human?�
Xelloss
thought for a moment, recounting all that had resurfaced in the past
few days in a single closed off sentence. �Difficult.�
Masking
raw human emotions was a skill Xelloss had not yet mastered, the
pained look that crossed Xelloss� face did not escape Zelgadis�
notice. He made a mental note to pay attention to his companion�s
expressions for future observation.
Xelloss
sat up abruptly, quickly changing the subject �I feel much better
now, can we get going?�
Zelgadis
shrugged, taking the hint that the conversation was over. �The path
gets steeper from here.� He pointed to the ridge where they were to
cross. �It will be easy traveling once we get over that point, but
at the rate you�re going, it�ll be dark by the time we cross it.�
�Hm.�
Xelloss chewed the bottom of his lip as he studied the impeding route
with a fair amount of dread. �Isn�t there another way around?�
�Not
unless you can use magic.� Zelgadis turned away to begin the climb.
�Don�t fall too far behind.�
Xelloss
sighed with resignation and hurried to follow.
***
They
were a little past the halfway point when disaster struck.
Xelloss
cried out in surprise when a patch of broken shale slid under his
feet, causing him to lose his balance and topple backwards.
Alerted
by Xelloss� cries, Zelgadis whipped around to glimpse his companion
rolling down the hill. �Shit!� he cursed and leaped down to slide
after him. Loose rocks and dirt flew from his feet �Xelloss!�
Luckily,
the former mazoku had crashed into the trunk of a thick pine tree.
Zelgadis sighed with relief upon seeing that the tree had stopped his
companion from flying over a cliff that jutted a few feet beyond the
path. �Are you all right?�
The
mound that was Xelloss groaned and righted himself from the ground.
Sitting on his knees, he pulled loose twigs from his hair, he seemed
to have escaped the fall with minor injuries. �Dammit, I wish I had
gloves� Xelloss complained as he prodded a bleeding gash that run
under his right thumb.
Zelgadis
inspected the wound from where he stood. �Its only a shallow cut.
Bind it with the linen strips that I gave you.� Without a backwards
glance, he turned to resume his ascent up the trail. �We only have
a few hours of daylight left, we need to reach the ridge before it
gets dark.�
It
only took a few moments before Zelgadis realized that his companion
was not following him. Irritated, Zelgadis turned to yell at Xelloss
to follow, but the words died in his throat at what he saw.
Xelloss
was staring at the bloodied hand before him, a look of entrapped
fascination upon his face as he watched the stream of crimson cascade
down his wrist to stain his sleeve. His violet eyes glazed over as
something dark and primal stirred within him, an urge that reveled in
the pain his body felt. Slowly, he leaned over to lap up the blood
with his tongue.
�Don�t
do that!� Zelgadis snatched Xelloss� wrist and pulled it away. An
uncomfortable urge was stirring inside the Chimera at the sight of
Xelloss� sudden interest in his wound. Zelgadis pushed the feeling
away and concentrated on the task in front of him. �Never mind,�
he told Xelloss, avoiding his gaze. �I�ll heal that wound.�
Zelgadis quickly chanted a healing spell under his breath.
A
look of rage flickered in Xelloss� eyes when the Chimera had pulled
his hand away, but it disappeared in a heartbeat. Xelloss blinked,
then shuddered. �That feeling again? Its getting stronger� he
thought with dread
Once
all traces of the wound and blood had faded away, Zelgadis pulled
Xelloss to his feet by his newly healed hand.
�We
need to keep moving� The Chimera muttered and turned away, suddenly
wanting to avoid his companion and the uncomfortable feelings he had
stirred.
Xelloss
studied the faint scar under his thumb where it had been bleeding
moments before. He was unsure of what to feel or think. Taking care
to watch his step, he followed his reluctant traveling companion up
the trail.
Up
in the trees, a pair of bright eyes observed the two travelers
continue their journey through the mountain trail. The being�for it
was definitely not human� watched with little interest as the
chimera strode far ahead, giving little heed to the difficult plight
of his weaker companion.
It
was the second of the two travelers that the eyes were intently
focused on. Even from its high position up in the trees, the being
could smell the unmistakable scent of Beastmaster Zellas clinging to
his aura.
The
eyes blinked once, then disappeared into the shadows.
***
TBC
Please
R/R!
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The Human Ingredient