THE
CRYING STONE
CHAPTER 3: DEMON, DEMON, BURNING BRIGHT
by Ashe Rhyder
"Say, Zelgadis, you're really good with magic, aren't you?"
Cerina asked as she lay on her back in her bed roll as the night waned to dawn.
The stone skinned chimera looked up from his half-dozing state, blinking before
answering in a voice almost as smooth as silk.
"Shamanism is my forte, Cerina." He replied, sitting up and
beginning to pack. "I thought someone as keen on the old myths as you would
know this."
"Yeah, well, the old man never gave us any details. I asked him about
the companions of the Dra-matta, and he told me it was a secret." She
shrugged, lifting the now full pack to her shoulders. Between the two of them,
it didn't take long to break camp.
"A secret?" Zelgadis froze mid step as their daily trek towards
Sairoon began. "By any chance, did the bard have purple eyes?" Lost in
thought, Cerina walked straight into him.
"Owch...."
"This is important."
"I don't remember. It was three years ago."
"Damn."
"Why does it matter, Zelgadis?"
"... Never mind." He sighed, and resumed pace. "So, why did
you ask about my abilities?"
"Well, the local mages said there was a leak in my chi that didn't
allow me to gather energy to cast spells."
"Unusual."
"Shamanism deals with the spirit; I was hoping someone in Sairoon
could help, but if you wouldn't mind..."
"I can only suggest, Cerina. Very few know how to correctly analyze
the barrier that contains spirit energy and repair damage made."
"Pardon?"
"It takes a genius and a half to fix busted chi."
"Oh."
"I'd assume, however, that it's due to something missing. If there is
something in a previous life, or even an object in this one, that held great
sentimental value and is no longer with you, you may have formed a kind of attachment
with your soul to that object. Once you obtain it again, it should be no problem
to cast a spell."
"Really?"
"Maybe when we get to Sairoon and get better equipment, I can attempt
to find out exactly what it is you lost."
"Thanks, Zel."
Again, the chimera started, causing Cerina to run into him.
"Wha-?" She blinked.
"Sorry. It's nothing." He shook his head, then continued to
walk.
"What's nothing? Eh? Speak up, boy." An old man called out to
them from beside the path. "Humor an old blind man?" Zelgadis' fist
twitched involuntarily at the word _blind_.
"There's a storm on the way, 'ji-san." Cerina said kindly.
"Why don't you go on home, before you get all wet?"
"Ah! A storm? How terrible!" The elder shook his head.
"Will you show me the way back to the willow glen? A carriage ran over my
walking stick, so now I can't get up."
"The willow glen?" The Shaman raised a brow in suspicion. Only
one glen, his glen, had willow trees.
"Yes, yes, the willow glen. I wasn't always blind like this, you
know. It comes with old age." He gave them a sad smile. "You
whippersnappers take your youth for granted. One day you'll wake up and -poof-,
you'll be old, just like me."
"Come along, 'ji-san, we'll-"Cerina moved to help the feeble old
man, but the chimera intercepted her. In a blur, he had the senior in a
headlock.
"Fruitcake, are you trying to take advantage of this girl, in front
of me?" He snarled. "You damn well know I won't stand for this kind of
thing!"
"Zelgadis!" Cerina was mortified by his assault on the beggar.
"How can you be so cruel to a helpless old man?"
"Helpless old man?" Zelgadis laughed. "Here's your helpless
old man! FLOW BREAK!"
"Ah heh..." A purple hared man with closed, arced eyes smiled embarrassedly
at them.
"Xellos...!" Zelgadis roared, "I'm going to wring your
neck!"
"Ano, Zelgadis, how nice of you to wake up!" Xellos grinned as
he teleported out of the chimera's attack range and hovered atop Cerina. "Ooo.
She's cute. She... wait... no... Lina?" The Trickster stood before her,
opening his slit-pupil amethyst eyes.
"Mazoku!" She shrieked, darting behind a very startled Zelgais
as Xellos received a sweatdrop.
"Yeah... so...?" Xellos face faulted. "Ne, Zel-kun, don't
you think she looks like Lina-chan?"
"...... yes." Zel quietly refrained from blushing as he
remembered his reaction to Cerina's resemblance to the red headed bandit killer.
"Wha...?" Cerina chewed on her lower lip nervously as the Mazoku
and the chimera attempted to converse civilly. "Zelgadis, you know
him?"
"Allow me to introduce you to Xellos Metallium, Juujinkin Priest and
General-" "Retired", Xellos interjected "- under the
Beastmaster and all around fruitcake." Zelgadis sighed, gesturing to the
smiling man. "Xellos, this is Cerina Esrevni."
"Interesting." The lavender hared Mazoku rubbed his chin,
regarding her cautiously. "Zel-kun, you've noticed..." Xellos trailed
off as Zelgadis nodded.
"We were heading to Sairoon." The chimera shrugged. "Are
you going to come too, fruitcake?"
"Of course." The Tricksters face became a twisted smile.
"You remember, of course, that Lina-chan wasn't built like _that_ at
all." Zelgadis fell over just as Cerina spun around, beet red.
"Pervert!" She screamed. "FIREBALL!" A wave of fire
shot out of nowhere and enveloped the Mazoku. It burned there for a few seconds,
then ate it self out and left his charred form as Zelgadis blinked in surprise.
"I thought you couldn't cast spells, Cerina." He stood, brushing
off his tattered white clothes.
"I don't... I can't.... oh gods..." She closed her ruby toned
eyes and fainted dead away.
"Cerina?" Zelgadis knelt beside her, checking her forehead for a
fever. "Cerina?"
"Toasty!" Xellos chirped, dusting the soot off his regenerated
form.
"Shut up, Xellos!" He growled, lifting her in his arms. "I
think we should get her to a doctor as quickly as possible. Even though she's
not Lina, I'm not about to let her suffer."
"I suggest you Rei-Wing, or use demon speed." The Mazoku pointed
to the sky overhead. "That storm isn't going to hold off forever."
"REI WING!" Zelgadis shouted, leaping into the air and heading
east.
"Zel-kun!" Xellos shouted after him. "Sairoon is too the
south! You're going the wrong way!"
There was a brief breeze as the chimera haulted and took his advice.
"L-sama." The Beastmaster's ex-priest prayed. "Is this...
is this my Lina-chan? Did you bring her back to help Zelgadis find a reason to
live, or to torment him for summoning life energy from your planet?
L-sama..."
