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azing up at the night sky is a common hobby in humanity. Every now and then, after a particularly grueling day of sacking, looting and pillaging, even the most hardened bandit needs to look up at the sky, notice the stars for what might be the first time, and ask : what's it all about, really? When you get down to it? And why is it so damn hard to set fire to a thatch roof after a light rain?
However, the dense forests of the countryside and the hazardous mountain peaks and light pollution spilling out of the cities make stargazing difficult. Astronomers around the world, except for a particular one in Sailoon who turns green at the mention of it, prefer the open sea to do their work. Out here, riding the waves, you have only the light of stars to guide you, the skill of your navigator to keep you steady, and the endless horizon to surround you. It's a peace rivaled only by a coma, and considerably more pleasant.
Amelia rested her arms on the rim around the crow's nest, asking what it's all about. Up here, the wind moved fast, carrying the smell of sea salt with it as the boat rocked gently in the waters. She smiled. No, nothing could disturb her now. It was so peaceful.
A sharp BANG sounded from somewhere below decks, and a window was opened; frantic coughing and black smoke puffed out of the ship.
Amelia peered down at the mess, curious. She saw the cabin boy -- who she hadn't properly met yet since Zel insisted on everybody getting to bed right away. Amelia couldn't sleep, she was too excited. The boy wasn't asleep either; he opened a door and exited, waving the smoke away. Tucking some device under an arm, he started to scale the rope ladder leading to the crow's nest when he spotted Amelia.
"Oh... sorry, ma'am," he apologized. "Can you scoot over? I've got to realign the Charter Box. The fire blew it out."
"Sure," Amelia smiled, moving off to one side. The boy tried to climb in and not invade Amelia's personal space, but in the cramped crow's nest, that was an impossibility. He decided to accept that and try to install the portable telescope with a minimum of elbow bumping.
"This sort of thing happens once a month," he explained, tilting the scope upwards and peering into the viewing port. "Steam's not an exact science yet, and if I use too many of the compressed coals, boom. Overheats and overloads the works."
"What's all that mean?" Amelia asked, curiously. "I've been wondering how this ship works. You said it was modified or something? Where's the crew? And, um.. what's your name, exactly?"
"Oh! Sorry. Name's Dayvid. And there's no crew; the Guppy runs on science," the boy said, looking up and smiling. "Pure science, no magic involved. It's a trend I'm hoping will catch on. Most folks don't believe in science, you know."
"My dad employs an astronomer, but he also does magical studies," Amelia said.
"Must be rich to be able to afford that," Dayvid said. "What's your name again?"
"It's Amelia," Amelia said. "Amelia Wil Tesla Sailoon. I--"
"PRINCESS Amelia?" Dayvid asked, a moment of fright zipping into his voice. He calmed himself quickly. "You're a member of the Sailoon royal family and you want to go to Justivalero?"
"Umm... yes. It's a very important quest."
Dayvid considered this, and shook his head. "Must be pretty important indeed, then. Don't worry, you'll be safe on the Guppy."
Amelia nodded, not exactly getting the picture, but she was distracted by the bright shiny object Dayvid was fiddling with and neglected to ask further. "How does that thing work, anyway?"
"I can use it to trace the stars and track them by positional numbers," Dayvid said. "I feed those numbers into the Charter Box with my levers and then we're back on route. Science can be pretty powerful that way."
"I don't think I've really used science alone for anything. What can it do?"
"Plenty! There's a lot you can do with it. Like, this ship; I designed and built her myself. My mom wanted me to go to some private school, but I was too busy doing things to take that many years off. So, I bought a used ship, did a ton of random jobs to raise cash, fixed it up so I could handle the entire craft myself and went off."
"Wow!" Amelia said, impressed. "How old are you?"
"Fifteen or so," Dayvid said, resuming his studying of the stars. He sketched out a few dots on the paper he brought with him, mapping out their location. "But don't get me wrong, I'm old for my age, or something. Everybody says so."
Smiling, Amelia rested against the railing, and looked up. "Don't you just love the stars?"
"How so?" Dayvid asked, not taking his eye off the telescope's viewfinder.
"They're pretty," Amelia said. "Especially out here. They twinkle. I've always enjoyed looking at the stars... my mother.. she used to show my sister and I all the constellations. There's Cassandra the Ignored, the Two Fish, the White Stag, the Lamppost... and of course the Sorceress. She even knew the stories behind them, stories about heroes and heroines who helped found the nations of the world. Everybody says they're myths, of course..."
"Perfectly reasonable explanation," Dayvid agreed. "Fantastically dramatic stories are usually fictional."
"Maybe, but they're still nice stories," Amelia said. She looked up at the Medium Fork, the third prong pointing to the Star of the Lost. "They say a lot about how we should live. About justice, and love and peace... stuff like that. Things that are important to someone in my family's position. Dad tried to live up to those myths."
"My dad ran out on us when I was six," Dayvid said, casually tossing off the statement. "I don't recall him being mythical in any way."
"Oh..." Amelia said, swallowing that. "Sorry."
"It's no big deal. He probably would have wanted me to be a wizard or something like him, anyway, so it's best that he took a hike so I could get on with my life," Dayvid said. He pulled away from the telescope, and detached it from the crow's nest.
Amelia changed subjects. "What do you see when you see the stars through that, Dayvid-san?"
Dayvid considered the question.
"I see a way to calibrate the Charter Box so we don't drift off course," he suggested, shrugging. "I'm sorry. I'm not much of a poet, but at least I'm honest about it."
"Ah," Amelia said, nodding.
The captain / cook / navigator returned to studying the stars, circling some numbers on his worksheet. Amelia twiddled her thumbs, watching him examine the layout of those tiny dots.
"Maybe you should meet Melvin," Amelia said, trying to keep up a conversation. "He's our astronomer. He's very good at science stuff too, I think. Maybe he could help you with your Chatter Box."
"Charter Box," Dayvid corrected, standing up and neatly folding up the telescope.
"What time's breakfast?" Amelia asked. "I may be a little late.. I'm too restless to sleep, unlike Zelgadis-san or Melvin-san."
"Nine o'clock. I've got a good sundial with a chiming alarm set for it," Dayvid said. "But I think this Melvin guy may be a bit late too, he's been up and about for a few hours now."
"Really? Where?"
"Said he had to go out for a walk," Dayvid said. "Probably just touring the ship or something."
Amelia looked down at the decks. "There's not that much to tour, though..."
"I try not to ask too many questions when it comes to my passengers," Dayvid shrugged. "The ones that pay the most tend to want some privacy and stuff."
"Don't worry! You can ask us anything," Amelia smiled. "We're on a quest of justice and righteousness!"
Dayvid considered that, hefting the heavy telescope once more, which was slipping from his grasp. "Okay... mind if I ask you a favor? Aligning the gear is easier with four hands..."
"I don't know any spells that'll give you extra arms," Amelia said.
Melvin had, in fact, gone for a walk. First he looked at the mess hall, checking out the sparse furnishings and kitchen. Next he took a look below decks, at the storage area, which was filled to the brim with machines and schematics; a miniature factory, of sorts. After that he took a stroll through the barracks, confirming that Zelgadis was still sleeping, then he found a nice secluded part of the ship and began to wander across the span of reality and into a world which had the existence of a wisp of air.
The glowing blue door reopened, and Melvin stepped out, making sure to seal the rift behind him. Smiling, he turned and walked directly into Zelgadis.
"Hello," Zel said, politely.
"Why, you gave me quite a scare," Melvin said, mocking surprise creeping into his voice. "Hello yourself. I thought you were sleeping the sleep of the dead, shall we say?"
"You'd be surprised how few hours I actually need to get back up to speed," Zel said, casually leaning against the wall to block Melvin's path. "Unlike Lina, who prefers to sleep until noon."
"I, unfortunately, require a bit of down time myself. Um. So, if you'll excuse me--"
"What spell was that, exactly?" Zelgadis asked.
"A trifle, a trifle."
"Try me."
"Well, if you must know, it was simply a gate to connect me to... my room, back in Sailoon," Melvin replied. "I had run out of my little pills, and you know, ocean travel can be quite unsettling to the nerves. Um. I got a refill."
"May I see those pills?"
"No," Melvin smiled.
"Maybe I wasn't clear," Zelgadis said, slowly drawing his sword, the metallic 'ching' punctuating his words. "May I see those pills?"
"Oh dear, my nerves," Melvin said, pretending to shake. "You're upsetting me greatly."
"Let me tell you a funny story," Zelgadis said, testing the grip and weight of his sword, a practice exercise which can be easily interpreted as a threat. "When I was first studying magic, I came across a form called Image Magic. Centuries old, quite legendary, origins unknown. But my teacher told me that no sorcerer will actively claim to know it, since it's considered a lowly trick form of magic. He also said that everybody learns it anyway, quietly, because it's so useful and sneaky. Very hypocritical. Sort of like wearing an image yourself to deceive those around you, isn't it?"
"What an interesting ethical puzzle," Melvin smiled. "And the point to this tirade is?"
"Sorcerers tolerate use of Image Magic, because of the counterbalance," Zel smiled. "A little spell called 'Flow Break'. You can cast it quietly and remove the illusion spell over any object... or person. If they're not using a spell, of course, nothing happens. I'm curious... what do you think would happen if I, just out of sheer curiosity, cast it on you?"
"Nothing, afraid," Melvin pointed out, highly amused. "That little ditty requires an equal or greater casting power to the dispelling as was given to the original image, Chimera-san... that is, if I was hypothetically using it. Hypothetically."
"That explains why nothing happened when I cast it on the day you arrived," Zel nodded.
"You realize, the only reason I'm playing this silly little game of yours is to make sure you don't feel disappointed in me not living up to your expectations, yes?" Melvin asked. His stance was relaxed, stepping back, looking Zelgadis over appraisingly. "You try to be realistic, Zel-kun, but you've got the streak of heroic drama in you. It surfaces every so often. Who am I to be so rude as to deny you the satisfaction of trying to menace me?"
Zelgadis smiled. "Good question. Who are you?"
"Does it really matter?" Melvin asked.
"It does to Lina. She's having me keep an eye on you. And your cover's as good as blown, so you might as well say."
Melvin perked the Eyebrow of Curiosity. "Oh? Is that so? Lina's bloodhound, snooping on the trail of the mysterious stranger. How interesting... very well. For Lina's curiosity, perhaps I'll bend my standards just a tad and show you a bit of what's going on. But you'll have to trust me to show you."
"I trust you as far as I could spit a rat," Zel said flatly.
"Not far enough, afraid," Melvin said, tisk-tisking. "You were curious about the rift I made. Would you like to see it for yourself?"
"I'm not stupid," Zelgadis said. "If you plan to lure me off to some other place with that spell and kill me, I'm clearly not going to fall for it."
"If only Lina would send REASONABLE bloodhounds after me," Melvin sighed. "Here I am trying to be nice, too. We'll do this the hard way."
"We'll do it no way," Zel said, moving his sword into the ready position. "I want your name, not some fancy tri--"
Zelgadis stopped moving.
Melvin lowered the ruby-tipped staff he now was carrying. "Much better. You're more compliant this way, sort of a... if you'll pardon the pun, a stone statue? Now..."
He turned, and his image started to fade away... the geeky skin of light he wore dissolving, revealing more traditional priest's robes. The staff tapped against the floor twice.
"Power beyond the known powers..." the person who was not Melvin sang, the intoning of a spell. Power swirled at his feet, glowing an aquatic blue. "Deeper than the deepest mind. Between the known worlds, vaporous as ether, I call upon the way to that which has no entrance... let the obstacles between what is and is not be shattered! GIGA'S DREAM!"
The glowing blue portal slowly opened, a line turning sideways to be a rectangular door.
Spell finished, Xelloss turned to face the frozen Zelgadis. "So, shall we view a pipe dream or two?" His smile was wide and happy.
elgadis literally was nowhere. He felt nothing, saw nothing. He had no body. His mind did not float detached; it simply existed, somehow, in a limbo. He wasn't enjoying it. Then, with a rushing sense of speed, but no wind, no wind whatsoever-- He landed on a grassy knoll, at the pausing moment of midnight. The stars did not rotate in the sky; he couldn't see them move under normal circumstances regardless, but somehow, he knew they were held at this time.
Getting to his feet quickly, he looked around for Xelloss. "I should've known it was you," he said, to the night air. "You turn up like a bad penny."
A bad penny dropped from the sky, bouncing a few times before coming up heads. A copper Xelloss formed out of the disc, smiling. "Indeed I do. But as usual, I'm here to help you."
"Help?" Zelgadis said, ignoring the tricks. "Every time you show up, things get worse. Either you're selectively leading us down the road to danger, or deliberately fouling things up... and once, if I have to remind you, you practically sold Lina out to the Mazoku."
Xelloss popped up right in Zelgadis's face, eyes all huge and cute. "Awww, Zel-kun! That's so mean! Don't things always get so interesting when I'm around, too?"
Zelgadis crossed his arms, frowning. "Define 'interesting'."
"Amusing to me, of course. Entertaining."
"Then yes, they do."
"And keep in mind all those times I helped you folks out," Xelloss reminded, floating over to one side. "I gave Lina those nice talismans she needed to control stronger magics. I helped you find your way to the Hellmaster once. And why, just tonight, I managed to save both Lina and Gourry from being killed in their sleep. Isn't that nice of me? Huh? Isn't it?"
"You what?"
"Poor things. They were too snoozy-woozy to notice people attempting to assassinate or kidnap them," Xelloss said, shaking his head in dismay. "Fortunately for them, I've got this nice new spell."
"Which is?" Zelgadis asked, sick of supplying straight lines.
"Ah. That is a secret, afraid."
"It wasn't a request."
Xelloss went tisk-tisk. Smiled. "Quite violent, aren't we? You couldn't handle Giga's lores, regardless, so I see no need to tell you. Let's just say that if the Mirror Lores are as powerful as this, they'd be quite a prize indeed."
"In it for personal gain, I see."
"Yes, but that's besides the point," Xelloss said. "No reason we can't spread the wealth. I gave you nice people the location of Silverquick's home, a place you had no chance of finding alone -- I help you, you help me, see? Silverquick locked the spell to keep Mazoku out, for some reason. You know what? I think he didn't like us very much."
"Gee, I can't think of a reason why..."
"So, I gave you all those absurd little 'maps' with the spell on them, then sent Melvin home and took his place so I could come with you the moment you got back," Xelloss explained. "And that was the grand plan. Finis, sum total, the whole shebang. Except, of course, I'm no actor. I admit that, I'm really quite humble. Does it matter, in the end? Of course not! Because regardless of WHO I am to you, I'm still one thing..."
"Which is?" Zelgadis said, REALLY getting sick of supplying straight lines.
Xelloss appeared at Zel's other side, wearing identical robes to him and identical skin pigments. He wrapped a friendly arm over Zel's shoulders, a friendly smile on his face. "Your partner in this affair, of course! I'm your helper, your minion, your pilot, your contracted expert system. I'll be your tour guide slave to the stars. We're a team! You, me, Lina, and the whole fat lot of them. Just think what fun it will be!"
Zel impolitely nudged Xelloss aside. "No dice."
"Awwww," Xelloss said. He shifted back to his normal priestly robes, and paced, thinking. "Here I go telling you more than you really need to know, out of the goodness of my heart--"
"Ha!"
"--and you're so disagreeable. I know! Let's ask Lina-chan for her opinion. How about it?"
"Lina's leagues away."
"Actually, we're standing in the middle of her dream," Xelloss said. "Or what will be it. She's just bedding down about now after a rather exhausting little brawl in the middle of Noh Wheir, which happened to start off on this very spot. You see the hill over there?"
Zelgadis turned to look, and spotted the unimpressive mound of dirt and grass. "What about it?"
"Keep your eye on the hill," Xelloss smiled, positioning himself behind Zelgadis to watch over his shoulder. He munched from a bag of popcorn as well. "The fun's about to begin."
Lina hadn't been asleep for five minutes when she had her first nightmare.
This time around, she came prepared. She had always been taught as a little girl, by her sister, that dreams will go away once you realize what's going on. Being a smart girl, she remembered that, and decided it was high time to apply it here.
"You can go away now, I know it's all just a bunch of symbolic images drudged up by my cerebral whatsimajigger," Lina said proudly. "Thank you for playing."
But the midnight drenched hillside did not go away.
"No, really, I mean it," she continued. "It's okay. I know, I met 'the worst within' tonight, just like my other dreams said. It's okay, I recognize it now, everything's fine."
The night refused to respond.
"HELLO? Are you deaf?!" Lina yelled, hopping up and down, waving her arms. "Bring on the orange penguins and other normal dream stuff!"
A snigger followed.
"Quit that," Lina mumbled.
The snigger flowed into a chuckle. A particularly nasty little laugh, not a laugh of amusement; a laugh that lets you know that you are the one being laughed at.
"Oi! Can it!" Lina demanded, stamping her foot. There was a crunching sound -- she looked down out of instinct, and caught the hand mirror she had just stepped on, her own face reflected in the dozens of shards, broken up in jagged edges, the dead white hair staring back at her, a laughing face --
Grunting, Lina forced herself to look away, only to see a full length mirror with circular corner notches, like the Oracle Mirror. In it, the other Lina, from that blasted world was laughing at her, a full body guffaw that rocked the mirror's surface.
Lina ran down the hill, hoping to escape it; she slipped between trees, using most stealth and evasion she knew. After a minute or two, emerging from the forest, she looked around and spotted no mirrors. "Well, at least the worst is over with," she mused out loud, right when the mirror rose from the ground in front of her to show her just how bad the worst could possibly be.
Because this time, it wasn't just a reflection of the other her laughing. It was the reason why the other her existed as she did. Disconnected, random images flew past the silver surface, of the other Lina running, hiding... being hunted down by laughing monsters, caught, tormented and broken a thousand ways by beings who delighted to feed on negative emotions--
A fist smashed into the glass of the mirror, shattering it, only to have another appear by her side. Lina kicked that one, and the one that followed, running away as more joined, unceasing, and--
All the mirrors shattered in an instant, as the man at the bottom of the hill raised his ruby-tipped staff, a flare of power streaking through each mirror in turn. The glass shards faded away, and the hill was relatively normal again. Lina's pulse kept racing, her breathing hard, as she tried to calm it down.
She turned to face her benefactor, and whatever calm she had went bye-bye.
"Hel-loooo, Lina!" Xelloss greeted, waving enthusiastically.
"Again?" Lina asked. "Why do my dreams keep having you as m... Zelgadis?!"
Zel sulked next to Xelloss. "You could have stopped that nonsense at any time," he told the priest, voice angered. "You didn't have to sit by while she was facing that."
"Now now, if I made ALL your problems go away, how would you ever learn?" Xelloss asked, bopping Zel playfully with his staff. Zel fumed as Xelloss turned to face Lina. "It's me. In the flesh, so to speak. I found a rather nice little spell that lets me walk dreams. Good to see you again, Lina-chan."
"...huh?" Lina asked. "What on earth are you talking about?"
Xelloss was nice enough to use his newfound powers to turn the hilltop meeting into a pleasant day in the sun. Lina seemed to be more comfortable with her surroundings after that, as she explained about their trip... the sidetracking to Noh Wheir, the attack by the former Sinister Icy Black Hand of Death Gang, and who the white-haired girl was. This in particular raised some eyebrows.
"I can understand why she hates you," Zelgadis said. "But what is she planning to do about it?"
"All she said was that she was going to 'put things right'. HER version of right, of course," Lina reminded. "But she didn't say how. Probably just going to try and kill us. We can handle that."
"Can you?" Xelloss smiled. "You didn't seem to be able to face up to those dream images. What about the real thing, Lina? Will you have the strength to fully overcome yourself next time?"
"That's for me to worry about, not you," Lina said. "New topic. Xelloss, what are you DOING around here?"
"Zel-kun here seems to believe I'm Shaburanigdo himself," Xelloss yawned. "Really, I'm just in it for the mirror lores, as you are. I'm simply more resourceful than the others from the convention, who are still poking around Sailoon looking for you. Pardon my flashy theatrics in sneaking aboard your cast as Melvin, but as has been proven, some of your comrades are less than happy to see ME around."
"The minute we get back to reality, I'm tossing him off the boat," Zelgadis casually said. "I don't like uninvited guests."
"But I only know how to dog-paddle," Xelloss complained. "You're so mean."
"Hold up, Zel," Lina said. "Xelloss... well, frankly, I don't trust you much either, but you've never COMPLETELY messed us up. You did get us those maps, as well. But if you're going to come along, I want you to make a promise to me."
"A promise?" Xelloss asked, highly curious. "Me? I suppose that depends on the promise."
"You can come along with us," Lina said, shooting a stopping glance at the about to protest Zelgadis. "IF you promise to leave if I ask you to."
For a change, this tossed Xelloss's normally nonchalant mockery out the window. He asked, in all seriousness, "How do you expect to enforce that sort of a promise on me, Lina?"
"I don't," Lina said. "I just figured I'd take your word on it."
"I'd sooner take the word of Rezo," Zelgadis mumbled.
"My WORD? My word! What an interesting request!" Xelloss laughed out loud. "Lina, Lina, Lina... you never fail to amaze me. You deliberately phrased that to trap me into a situation I'd enjoy, didn't you? Very well. I'll say yes to that promise, although you'll likely never know if I'll hold to it or not."
"Good enough for me," Lina nodded. "And Zel-kun, if he tries anything overtly funny on your end of things, toss him into the sea. Fair's fair, right, Xelloss?"
"Fair's fair," the priest nodded.
"Maybe I'll teach him the backstroke. Just as a preventative measure," Zelgadis smiled unkindly.
Lina stood up, dusting off her costume. "Okay. Xelloss, do me a favor and send Zelgadis back to your boat. Then stick around, I need to talk to you."
"No way," Zelgadis said. "Me leave you alone with him? I'd sooner--"
"I've got his word," Lina reminded. "I'll be fine."
Zelgadis's skin turned a redder shade of blue-green. "Fine. I suppose I'll go back to being Amelia's 'Advisor,' then."
The blue portal opened itself again, Xelloss having started to cast the spell under his breath once Lina asked. Zel, seeing that nobody wanted him around, walked off. The portal vanished. Lina winced, not intending for all this to sound that harsh, but quickly turned back to the events at hand.
"You know..." Xelloss mused, eyes studying Lina's expression. "You're being unusually reasonable. And quite serious. I take it your little tete a tete with the demon you could become has twisted your outlook on life somewhat? Tossed you into that state where you realize it's up against the wall and you need to start acting your age?"
"No," Lina denied. "I'm fine. The only reason you're staying with our quest is because I can use you, make no mistake."
"Allow me to be your humble tool," Xelloss said, throwing in an extra-extravagant sweeping bow for gesture. "How may I be of service, Lina-san?"
"Two things. Show me the spell you used to enter this world without falling asleep. Second, I need to know--"
"Those spells are secret, afraid."
"I understand sea salt tastes quite lovely."
"I don't mean to brag or to deflate Zelgadis's little ego, but I don't think he could give me the heave-ho if he tried," Xelloss noted.
Lina sighed. "Look... Xelloss.. please. This is important, okay?"
"Hmm. Definitely quite serious, aren't we? Intriguing. I'll teach you the spell, but not right now. I hate to disappoint you and Zelgadis but I really do need to take leave for a short period of time... I have things to take care of," Xelloss said, rising to leave. "I'll contact you later, perhaps?"
"Hey.. hey! We're not done here!" Lina said to the rapidly vanishing Xelloss. But by then it was too late, and the orange penguins had already come out to play, Lina slipping into the deeper sleep of the dream.
reakfast consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, and no Xelloss. Zelgadis wasn't pleased with that last part. He came back to the ship through that dream-portal, which of course immediately vanished so he couldn't dive back through and make sure nothing funny was going on. Since then, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of the annoying little priest. Briefly, he considered finding some way to ensure Lina was okay, since who knows what could be going on, except A) he lacked any way to do anything about it whatsoever, and B) Lina INSISTED she'd be 'fine', since the bastard had given his 'word', which Zelgadis thought to be a load of 'crap'. Given no real options, Zel went back to bed, annoyed and restless.
He awoke to the clattering clamor of the kitchen, starting to churn out the day's chow. Grumbling, he freshened up, pulled on his clothes, and showed up in the galley where Amelia and Dayvid were busy coaxing a very large, loud machine to cook eggs. The comical affair, one grease fire and two quick repair jobs later, ended up in what Zel grudgingly had to admit was a very appetizing meal. The orange juice and grapefruit were even nicely chilled, through a process Dayvid called 'Re-Freezeration', although Zelgadis suspected it was just a regenerating Shamanist ice spell that did it.
"Where'd Melvin go?" Amelia asked, inbetween delicately munching on various greasy fried morning delights.
"He said he went back to his place in Sailoon by magic to get some pills," Zelgadis said, not entirely lying, just not telling the truth. He preferred not to get into that whole mess until he was fed and had a moment to mull it over with Amelia in private. "I'm sure we'll see him again, unfortunately."
"If you guys are magical enough to skip that far through space, why do you need a boat?" Dayvid asked. "Most wizards I know would scoff at sea travel if they could do that."
"We can't," Zelgadis said. "He can."
"That's strange, I really don't remember Melvin being very good at magic," Amelia said, poking her eggs around with a fork. "Best he managed was a light spell. Anything harder and he'd usually fumble the words..."
"So, how long will it take to get to Justivalero?" Zelgadis asked.
"Two more days."
Zel paused in eating. "What? I thought it took a week..."
Dayvid gave a wry li'l grin. "A week in a NORMAL ship. She doesn't look like much above the water, but below the water I've got a turbine prop with a compressed steam driven screw, complete with rotational transfer of kinetic energy."
"Uh.. huh," Zelgadis agreed, his hair ruffling in the breeze as that went over his head at thirty knots. "Perhaps we should hire you for the second leg of our journey, too."
"Where you headed?"
"The Island of Ultimate Despair."
Dayvid looked very weirdly at Zelgadis. "First you want a trip from Sailoon to Justivalero, then you want to go to the Island of Ultimate Despair? What kind of a quest is this and how much insurance do you have?"
"I thought it was a resort island?" Amelia asked, curious.
"It is. More or less," Dayvid explained. "It's a resort for people who enjoy self abuse. It's got all the trimmings; bloodsucking insects, sunburns, wild man-eating animals in thick, easy to get lost in jungles, bad room service and an active volcano. Plus, from what I've read in my trade journals, scientists think that the Luck Field around the place is depolarized, and the rate of fatal accidents--"
"Terrific," Zelgadis grumbled. "Just like that bastard to lead us THERE. Now we don't have any way of getting word to Lina and changing the meeting place."
"Awww, Zel! Cheer up!" Amelia smiled. "It can't be all that bad. And besides, we won't be staying there long. What could possibly go wrong? If.... ano.. do you hear that?"
Zelgadis finished off the last of his sausage, refusing to enjoy the delicious meal in a stubborn sort of way. "Hrff whaf?"
"Very faint..." Amelia said, walking over to the open window and listening carefully. "Sounds like.. singing?"
Dayvid fetched a smaller telescope, gave Amelia a quick lesson on how to align the six lenses inside, and then Zelgadis snatched it away when Amelia announced that a big brown blur was headed this way along a blurry ocean.
"It's a ship," Zelgadis said, after correcting the focus. "Brown and gold trim."
"Umm... what colors are on the flag?" Dayvid asked.
"Looks like brown and gold too."
"And what's the figurehead?"
"Blind woman in robes carrying a set of scales."
"Oh, great," Dayvid said, swallowing. "Here comes that sinking feeling."
"Were your waffles too syrupy?" Amelia asked, not quite getting it.
"No... sinking, as in 'Out oars for some other direction or we're going to be sinking very shortly!'" Dayvid said, backing towards the door to the bridge. He turned and made for the door at a flat out dash, leaving it hanging open as he jumped into the captain's seat, and started to spin the wheel. The Guppy gave a sick groan, not good at turning at these speeds, but started to change directions. Dayvid yanked on levers and pulled cords, steam whistling through the air with short, sharp shrills.
Zelgadis peered through the telescope again. The other ship hadn't lost any ground. If anything, it was closer now. Entirely too close. Hardy sea shanty music wafted through the air for some reason.
"I don't get it!" Amelia said, over the whine of machinery. "What's that ship? Why are we running away?"
"That's the ship of Captain Justin the Pirate Hunter, out of Port Liberty in Justivalero!!" Dayvid shouted back. "The self-proclaimed most valiant and righteous man alive!"
"Reaaally?!" Amelia asked, little stars forming in her eyes. "That's great! I've gotta meet this guy!" She charged up the steps leading to the aft deck, and waved her arms around, trying to get the attention of the other ship. "Yoohoo! Hello! Over here! I'm a big fan of justice, too!!"
Dayvid went pale. "Is she insane?!"
"That's debatable," Zelgadis said, groaning.
BOOM. Zel hit the deck as a cannonball whizzed through the air over the ship, missing completely and splashing down in the sea a short distance away.
Amelia was surprised. "Hey.. they're firing at us! But we're not pirates!"
Dayvid set the controls on autopilot, realizing they were useless by this point, and stepped on deck to see what was going on. The other ship now was a stone's throw away, pulling up alongside the Guppy, loaded with sailors in identical gold costumes. A jaunty little accordion and pipe song floated along with them.
"What happens now?" Zelgadis asked.
"Warning shot... we're gonna be boarded," Dayvid said, trying to remain calm. "We'll be okay. They're only looking for one thing on a ship from Sailoon, and as long as Am.. she doesn't say who she is, we'll--"
"Hey!!" Amelia called out to the sailors. "We're good guys over here! I'm Amelia Wil Tesla Sailoon, champion of justice! You don't have to do anything violent!"
Zelgadis smacked his forehead.
"NOW we're in danger," Dayvid said, trying to hide behind Zelgadis without making it look like he was hiding. "At least they aren't singing--"
The entire boat broke out into song, as if on cue.
"Evil princess from beyond the sea!
The debt long overdue shall be paid!
Rejoice, me hearties in tune!
For justice shall be finally wrought
against the maid of Sailoon!"
"...huh?" Amelia asked, gaping in surprise. "What're you.. singing about??"
"Yo-ho! Yo-ho! How little does she know!
The Briny Justice Boys are we, four'n-forty buccaneers!
Cap'n Justin in the lead,
an' this be when he appears!"
The hornpipe reached a nice crescendo, as a man in gleaming golden armor jumped to a raised dais near the mast of the other ship. He posed, his underbite and massive, manly jaw proud, his shoulders that would give him difficulty getting through doors resplended with a gleaming cape of white, which fluttered in the ocean breeze just so.
Amelia, still not quite clueing in, was impressed. "Woooooooowww..."
"Behold, the evil princess!" Captain Justin said, in a voice rumbling with mighty piles 'o might. "Amelia of Sailoon!"
"Evil?" Amelia asked. "Wait, wait, you have it wrong! I'm a good guy! I love justice!"
Captain Justin shook his head sadly at the lack of proper right in this world, his sailors doing the same en suite.
"Sad day! Sad day! A sad day on the sea!
The age-old debt forgotten so! Avast! By heaven's light!
First we must tell her, before we can quell her,
in order to set things right!"
"Has Sailoon been so far gone into the darkness that they have forgotten their transgression?" Captain Justin the Valiant asked. "'tis a sad day indeed, o my brothers! Allow us to explain..." And the music started up again.
"Can we just attack them now and get it over with?" Zelgadis asked nobody in particular.
"Yo-ho! Yo-ho! We sing of long ago!
Avast, avast! Of times gone past, before yer lives begun,
When Justivalero, so straight and so narrow,
shone brighter than the sun!
Came he, came he, a royal Sailoon lad!
Upon our shores his ship did set, a bit o' diversion sought he.
While there an act did he commit, so grievous,
so grievous indeed!
Coward! Coward! Feared penance for his deed.
The villain fled justice, why didn't he trust us,
to see that justice was done?
Four'n-forty ships, their hawsers did slip,
pursuing the mongrel scum!
The searching soon ended,
we ne'er apprehended the outlaw nobleman.
Not seeking aggression with serfs or with peasants,
a singular war was planned!
Justice, justice! Our justice would we seek!
A war with a peasant would be most unpleasant,
so their leaders we would find!
The bloodline of this princess o'errules yer defenses,
thus justice finds its time!
Yo-ho! Yo-ho! Surrender now for trial!"
"And so," the Captain finished, as the musical number wound to a close, "Sailoon must make payment for this horrible act, this inhuman transgression. Until a ailoon nobleman submits to justice to close this gap between our countries, there can be no peace! Will you submit to a fair trial, or must we board you by force?"
".................." Amelia offered in her defense.
"If you try anything like that, Magic spell + Your hull = Singing in Terry Jones Locker," Zelgadis said. "Do the math. We're all sorcerers here."
"But I'm not--" Dayvid started, stopping with an elbow nudge to the ribs from Zel.
Instead of quaking in fear, Captain Justin threw back his head and laughed most manly. "Try your tricks, sorcerer. I'll let you have the first shot."
Obviously a trap, Zelgadis thought. But since it couldn't hurt...
The wind whipped around Zelgadis, bending away from the normal flows of the sea to form a sphere around him. The power gathered into his outstretched ands, glowing with the spirit energy of the astral plane, as he prepared the most powerful spell in Shamanism... a little number equivalent to the Dragon Slave in erms of power...
"RA-TILT!!"
A stream of white, icy wind ripped through the air... and stopped existing five feet away from the enemy ship. The seas rocked, both ships bobbed like corks, but othing else happened.
"......" Amelia continued, still too stunned to do much.
"Oh, I get it!" Dayvid said, on familiar ground. "He's using dead iron for the nails in his boat. It's a rare metal that stops all magical flows. I used some in a project to make a ball-throwing weapon once--"
"It what-- you what?!" Zelgadis asked.
"The boy is right!" Captain Justin laughed. "The Champions of Justice need not fear the wicked ways of magic! Our weapons, armor, and our vessel of light are all guarded from you, twisted chimera! Shaburanigdo's minions have no power over us."
"I am NOT a minion," Zelgadis said, slowly drawing his sword. "And I've got other 'tricks' too."
The forty eight men on the other ship drew swords as well.
"No single man can overcome the Briny Justice Boys," the captain warned. "Are you that eager to die, creature?"
"...wait!" Amelia called out, jumping down to the main deck. "Wait, wait.. we don't need a slaughter here. Zelgadis-san, put that away."
"But--"
"Now!" Amelia said, tones of leadership sneaking into her voice.
"The princess speaks well," the Captain acknowledge. "Since you pose no threat to us, and our clipper has proven as fast as your strange vessel, I will allow twenty four hours to decide... will you submit to justice, or resist us like the cowardly Sailoon usually do? The choice is yours. Men?"
Several of the sailor hoisted a huge claw, and hurled it at the Guppy; the claw snagged a railing, connected by a cable running back to the ship.
"To ensure you will not run," the Captain explained. "Snap that line and we will assume you are ready to go to battle. Back to work, men!"
"Justice, justice! Plot course to set things right!
The trial soon comes, what's done is undone,
our homeland soon will be healed!
In justice, in fairness, we focus awareness,
the sword of justice we wield!"
The men carried on their party, a winch increasing the distance between the ships, giving the Guppy a little more breathing room.
It took a few moments for everybody on its decks to say anything.
"I could possibly use Raywing to get us all to the nearest shore when they aren't looking tonight," Zelgadis said.
"I can't leave my ship behind. It's the only thing I have," Dayvid replied.
"Then we'll have to fight them," Zel realized, nodding. "Magic can't touch them, but you have plenty of science stuff on here. Can you make a weapon we can use against them in time?"
"I've done it before, I think I could make something similar, but larger," Dayvid said. "Maybe a cannon of some kind, with a rotating screw for a projectile--"
"We can't do that!!" Amelia blurted out, sounding frustrated. "If we sink their ship, we're no better than.. it's not the right thing to do, not at all! We won't kill them!"
"Amelia, as your advisor, I'd suggest--"
"I don't want any advice!" Amelia said, stomping her foot. "I'm supposed to know what's right and just to do in the first place, remember? I'm Amelia Wil Tesla Sailoon, champion of justice! It's my life!"
She turned in a huff, and ran back below decks, as fast as her little feet could carry her.
melia was raised from day one to be what she had become. Her father was the sort of person who would often go off into the ountryside, In Cog Nee To as Lina had put it, to have adventures and right wrongs. Her mother was a learned scholar of white magic, a eacher for dozens in Sailoon. Even her sister Gracia was an excellent study at white magic and destined to be a champion of justice, until she an off after mother's death. But Amelia, Amelia stayed on to learn all she could, so she one day could be as great as her father. To do Sailoon proud, to make the world a better place.
But the problem was that although Amelia's immediate family radiated goodness and tried to be the best they could be... she had to be honest. With the thankful exception of the king, nobody else in the Sailoon royalty was really interested in morality, ethics, or even law. Her father had a few assassination attempts from his brothers, all of which failed, although one had managed to...
Regardless, that's why Captain Justin's claims that one of her ancestors had wronged his country didn't surprise Amelia. She was hoping she could turn around the image that most Sailoon nobles were backstabbing gluttonous maniacs -- her dad had once said to her that she would have to sacrifice her body to justice to do this, to be the ultimate shining example of Sailoon's pride.
And yet...
And yet she didn't want to go to jail for this charge.
What a selfish thing! If she upheld that justice she truly adored, she would put her faith in it and... but the quest, the quest was very important. She didn't want to let Lina down by leaving the group. Assuming that she wasn't acquitted. But why should she have to stand for something she didn't do? True, law in Sailoon even passed untried crimes down the family tree, but that rarely happened, and... but if Amelia was to resist this, wouldn't she be a hypocrite, trying to bring the right way to live to others while she runs when she should... but if she DID try to submit to justice, and was found guilty... well, it would be better for Sailoon since Justivalero would be satisfied at last, but.. but she didn't want to go to jail, or... or...
Mother would have an easier time figuring this out, Amelia thought sadly. Here she was, locked in her cabin on the Guppy to think this out, and had just run around in circles for hours. She had to ignore when Zelgadis came knocking, so she could try to concentrate.
"Amelia, come on out of there," Zel had pleaded in his usual distanced, doesn't-really-care tone. His voice was muffled through the thick wooden door to Amelia's cabin. "Dayvid's got some ideas of what we can do to escape these loons. You know, I am technically your Advisor. But you're not taking any of my advice."
How could she, though? Zelgadis didn't see this in terms of right and wrong, just in terms of convenience. He dismissed Captain Justin's claims as ridiculous and plotted to get away from what he saw as an obvious enemy. Of course, maybe he was right, and Amelia was daft to take this as seriously as she was. Captain Justin didn't seem to have any official authority to him, no credentials that he really was part of Justivalero's legal system. But... if that was all there was to it, Amelia would have to blame herself for bringing justice outside Sailoon's official systems as she did. Maybe she was to blame. Or was she? Or...
Circles, she thought again. Running in circles. Just make the decision. What FEELS right?
Amelia looked out the large porthole in her room, at the ship full of singing sailors across the way.
Across the span of space and time, through a barrier whose very existence was an affront to sanity, stretching wide from nowhere to nowhere, Xelloss was busy putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
Literally.
Although he technically had no fixed home, and the city of his origin burned to the ground centuries ago, he did have his own little pocket of reality he liked to consider a good rest stop. Here, he had a few refreshments, a small stock of magical goodies he had looted over the years, and a number of books and puzzles to play with while he waited. Waited, because his mistress liked to test his patience; he always kept to the appointed checking-in times with his lord and owner, but she liked to let him dangle before finally making her appearance. Xelloss, being a dependable and patient sort, simply killed the time with the efficiency of a razor sharp knife.
The last time his mistress had given him any orders was ten years ago. He checked in with her every month, usually just to tell her what he had been up to; despite myths, the Mazoku demon lords under Shaburanigdo were not omniscient, nor omnipresent. Shame he had to run out on Lina like that, but in his own little way, he rather enjoyed leaving her twisting in the wind. She really had none of the patience he did for that sort of thing, but Xelloss figured she'd learn in time...
He felt the presence of his mistress before her actual arrival. The scent of Greater Beast Zellas-Metallum, of fur and cigarette smoke, a strange combination she had picked as her signature tended to be several seconds ahead in time of her actual being.
Needless to say, when the being that appeared did appear Xelloss was rather surprised. So much so that he actually opened his eyes.
"And you are?" he asked the figure.
"i bring orders from your lord and keeper," the thing said, in a voice neither male nor female.
"Of all the time I've been under the fine employment of the Mazoku, she has never sent anybody in her place," Xelloss said. "Funny, that. Meaning either you're an intruder trying to deceive me and I'll have to blow you to smithereens, or something is up that's quite unlike anything I've bumped into before."
"i am Her minion," the expressionless wisp of light said. "i serve, i am a tool. i carry your orders. If you do not hear them, She will be very displeased."
"I almost feel jealous. She's never needed another underling before," Xelloss said. "But carry on, by all means. I'm rather curious now."
The Minion gave the orders.
Xelloss's eyes stayed open, resisting any urge to show an expression other than mild amusement. "Very straightforward. Why couldn't she bring these orders to me herself?"
"you do not control Her, She controls you, as She controls me," Minion replied. "If you do not carry out your orders, She will be very--"
"Displeased, yes, yes, I know. Presumably I have time to do this task, yes? She's a large fan of taking your time and doing things properly, you know, and Lina IS technically hundreds of miles away."
"You have time," Minion said. "But do not loiter. Carry out your function as you were made to do."
"Yes, yes. Say, would you like some fruit juice? I keep some here. Very nutritious."
The wisp did not waver. "i have no need of any nourishment. i am only a minion."
"Thrilling," Xelloss yawned. "Well, run along home to mother. It seems I have a great deal of work to do."
Blinking out of existence, the strange being took its leave. Xelloss sat back in his chair, scratching his chin. This was an unexpected development. It did a clean job of monkeywrenching his plans, as well. He realized his mistress's plans carried considerably more priority than his own... technically, he could simply pop into Lina's dream and carry things out as given, but that lacked a.. personal touch. That is, if he was to do it.
That thought gave him considerable pause.
He had never questioned his orders before in the slightest. Something certainly was up, something that was quite unlike anything he had bumped into before.
Xelloss left his only real home, speeding back towards the sea.
Until he turned around, popped back into his rest stop, fetched a bow and arrow set he had picked up from some temple of somebody or other fifty years ago and sprinted off again.
A tight oval of footprints had formed in the dust of Dayvid's lab. Zelgadis paced through this loop very, very tightly.
"Stupid, childish girl," he muttered.
"Complaining about it won't help."
"I'm aware," Zelgadis said. "I don't see why she's acting so weird over this. It's not like it's any different from some other passing maniac we've dealt with in the past, if what you're telling me is true..."
"Captain Justin's pretty legendary for it," Dayvid said, polishing the lens on his latest contraption. "I guess the royal family's forgotten, but us sailors who have to deal with the idiot have learned the hard way; never carry a noble into that country unless you're fast, insane, or both. Justin has a grudge the size of Sailoon itself."
"And that's all it's over?"
"Yup."
"Amelia IS aware of this, right?" Zelgadis asked. "I mean, you told her, yes? You knew she was a Sailoon noble, so presumably..."
Dayvid paused. "Umm... okay, she said it was an important quest, so... actually, I don't think I mentioned anything."
"You mean she's this upset and she doesn't even know what's going on?!" Zelgadis said. "Great. Wait here, I'll be right back."
He opened the nearby door, and made his way through the Guppy's tight, winding hallways. He came to Amelia's door, and pounded on it.
"Amelia! Open up, we've got to talk!" he said. No response, as usual. He hadn't wanted to do this, but... he channeled the tiniest amount of fire through the lock of the door, tight and controlled, melting the latch. Then he pushed the door open to look at the distinct lack of Amelia.
An empty room, an open porthole. The ship of fools in the distance.
Of COURSE she'd have to go off and do something as dumb as this. Zelgadis scoffed at the thought. She ignored him all day, and right when he had something highly important to say, she runs off. Well, it's her bed; she can lie in it. He didn't HAVE to zip over there an mount a rescue effort at twenty four to one odds. Not at all. She was the one who was supposed to know what's right and just to do in the first place, remember?
And the right and just thing wasn't to leave her defenseless in a ship full of psychotics.
Zelgadis stormed his way through the Guppy, back to the lab.
"I need a rowboat, two paddles and a distraction of some kind," he informed Dayvid. "And I need them five minutes ago."
Captain Justin's ship was a-teeming with excitement.
Amelia had flown over to the boat, until the anti-magic field kicked in, and she dropped into the water; fortunately, the men were quick to react, and fish her out of the water in a net. True, they then immediately bound her hands behind her back and hauled her to a makeshift courtroom below decks, but at least they were polite about it. More or less. There were a few catcalls at her and more than enough insults of 'the evil princess' and so on. But Amelia had decided, in the end, to put her faith in justice; justice itself would see her through.
The courtroom itself was filled with the Champions of Justice, complete with the Swinging Sounds 'o Justice Pipe and Accordion Band, busy providing background music for the affair. But all went silent when the Captain himself entered, in gleaming armor, ready to carry out his duty.
Justin took his place behind the judge's podium, opposite the chair where Amelia sat. "Are you prepared to hear the charges?" he asked.
"I am," Amelia said. She swallowed down any fright she had at the scene. Justice would work for her, she knew it.
"Amelia Wil Tesla Sailoon, you are charged with the following crimes," the Captain said, unrolling a scroll with the charges on it.
The bottom part of the scroll kept rolling until about twenty feet of parchment were there.
"Uhhh..." Amelia said, a few pangs of doubt entering her mind.
"Association with the notorious criminals, Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, the dark chimera Zelgadis Greywiers, Naga the White Serpent and the shady character known as Xelloss!" Captain Justin started to read. "Three years ago, you participated in the destruction of Mount Stonecircle, and the surrounding villages, and unleashing of evil spirits bound in that place--"
"But that was an accident! And we were trying to make life easier for them by getting rid of that mountain, and--"
"Not days before that, you participated in the murder of your own uncle, Randy, of Sailoon!"
"But he was trying to assassinate daddy," Amelia said. "Look, all this stuff is perfectly reasonable if--"
"There's also a matter of the brutal torturing and maiming of various bandits!"
"They're BANDITS!"
And so it progressed, as Captain Justin read down a laundry list of every single questionable thing Amelia had done or participated in doing for the last few years. Some were just silly -- bandits! They were just BANDITS! -- some she cringed at, she felt kind of sorry for blowing up that mountain and unleashing those ghosts, for instance. But she did fix it back up, didn't she? Was any of this really.. well, bad, in the long run? Some of it was, but... was she really to blame? Maybe she was. Maybe...
Circles and circles, she thought, and bit her lip. She had to be resolute here.
"Wait, wait," Amelia said. "Hold on! What about the real charge? The thing you attacked us over?"
"If you interrupt again, you will be fined in contempt of the court," Captain Justin warned.
"Hai... I'm sorry. But please... what was this all about? Originally?"
Dramatic pause.
"The apple," Captain Justin said, a voice as grave as the holocaust.
"Huh?" Amelia said, not quite as grave.
"Four hundred and fifty four years and eleven months and six days ago, Lord Wemsleydale of Sailoon stole an apple from a merchant in our capital city," Captain Justin said.
"That's it??" Amelia asked. "Ne, that's easy! I can pay you for an apple. I could get you an apple, actually, Dayvid has a very interesting cooler in the Guppy that--"
"This is not just an apple!!" Justin said, banging his fist on the podium, silencing Amelia. "This is a matter of LAW AND ORDER! The Saileese dog refused to pay for the apple, and when accosted by guards, he up and left the country! Justice was not done. And in accordance with law in Justivalero, the unpunished crime goes down the family line, with an additional levy for each year that nothing is done. Until the penalty is served and the payment made, Justivalero itself will cry out for justice!!"
"Oh.. Well..." Amelia said. "We don't have much money, but--"
"The punishment for theft of any kind is to have your hand cut off," Captain Justin said. "For each year unpunished, another part of the body is added. Compounded with all the time since the crime, we must dismember each and every person up the family line, including you. Do you have anything to say in your defense?"
"......" Amelia said, stunned.
"Then as judge, I pass sentence, and let justice be done!"
A rousing cheer went up among the men, a life's ambitions finally seen through. Swords were drawn and waved around in a hearty social sort of way. The band struck up a merry, triumphant tune. Captain Justin posed dramatically.
One day, her father told her, you would have to sacrifice your body to justice.
But...
"Wait, WAIT!" Amelia protested. "Butchering the entire ruling family of Sailoon because someone stole an apple?! It's ridiculous! This isn't justice! None of you are really interested in justice... it's just VENGEANCE!"
Nobody around her cared for her moralistic speech, nobody listened. Captain Justin was given a ceremonial longsword by one of his men, already drawn from its sheath, as he stepped off the podium to advance on Amelia, presumably to carve the roast.
Of all the things Amelia was hoping to be in life, crusader, adventurer, heroine and princess, she had never figured on being a martyr.
A tiny ball was dropped into the open window from outside, by a blue hand.
FWOOM! The room filled with smoke, flooding the air. Sailors coughed, the band actually missed a beat, and all Amelia could see was the smoldering gray, choking her... hands lifted her up, moving through the room, into what smelled like fresh air, then falling--
Wham. Amelia hit the rowboat four feet below her.
Blinking to clear her eyes, Amelia glanced over at her rescuer, who was now climbing out of the smoke-filled windows as well, climbing carefully into the boat.
"Shh," Zelgadis quickly commanded. "Gotta sneak out." He motioned silently for Dayvid to get paddling, and the boy nodded, the tiny boat skulking away from the pandemonium behind them.
The trio hauled the boat back aboard the Guppy, just as Captain Justin's hardy seafolk started to clue into what was going on. They didn't seem happy. Cannons were being turned in their direction. The band was striking up a jovial war song.
"Mateys, mateys! The criminal, she flees!
The sin is repeated, and justice is unheeded!
These days is there no one to trust?!
We'll nail her, we'll jail her, we'll over-the-rail her!
She must be defeated! She must!"
"Full speed!" Amelia commanded, getting her bearings, getting to her feet. "We need to get out of here!"
Zelgadis neatly severed the tow cable, knocking the hook into the water. "We can't go faster than them. Don't worry, Dayvid here has a plan."
"I've made a large focal lens on the crow's nest," he said, pointing up. "I've also channeled light from the furnace in the ship with a series of mirrors up to there. It'll take the light and focus it so tight on their ship's hull that it'll start to burn, and while they're sinking, we can make a getaway!"
"Okay, good. NO! Wait!" Amelia said, interrupting herself for a change. "We can't kill them! It's wrong!"
"You KNOW this is all over a stinking apple, right?" Zelgadis asked. "Would you call that the act of sane people? We're probably doing the world a favor."
Amelia paused, trying to puzzle it out. Meanwhile, cannonballs shot over the ship, poorly aimed.
"We don't have TIME for this!" Zelgadis said. "If we don't do something, we're--"
The burst of purple smoke and light, as well as accompanying *pouf!* sound was just there for an amusing dramatic effect; really, he didn't need to use any of that sort of thing.
"Hello!" Xelloss said, having ditched his Melvin disguise once and for all. "I'm here to save the day and so on."
"Xelloss?!" Amelia gaped.
"About time," Zelgadis groaned.
"..." Dayvid added.
Xelloss untucked the bow and arrow set from under his arm. "This won't take but a minute," he said, smiling, and levitating up to the crow's nest. He used the lens already mounted there to get a better view of his target, drew the arrow (which was entirely non-magical, and didn't give a damn about dead iron), and fired--
The arrow ZINGed! straight and true between the two ships. It was impossible to see where it landed, but one thing was certain :
The accordion stopped going "bree bree oompah bree" and started going "breeeooaoaaahhhhwwwrrrrr..." then gave a sickly whine, and died.
The men, having nothing to sing along to, stopped the assault in utter confusion. Aimless, despite goading from Captain Justin, they were paralyzed. They had lost the beat.
"Ah," Xelloss smiled. "NOW we can get out of here safely."
The Guppy steamed away at ridiculous velocity, Zelgadis himself opting to shovel compressed coal into the furnace as fast as he possibly could. Captain Justin's ship was left drifting along, musically castrated, and eventually disappeared into the night mists.
"I suppose I should apologize for making you think I was Melvin, but since it was fun, I choose not to," Xelloss almost politely said to Amelia, still smiling. "I hope it hasn't complicated matters. Shouldn't you be thanking me for rescuing you fellows from a certainly tuneful demise?"
Amelia considered that. "Well... if you gave your word to Lina-san, I GUESS I can let it go. But I'm leading this expedition, so no funny stuff anymore! Got it?"
"Yes'm," Xelloss said, bowing his head in mock shame.
"You COULD.. hff.. have dropped by... hrgg... any time," Zelgadis said, putting every muscle he had into shoveling coal. The boat kicked up a notch in speed, his anger fueling it as well. "Last minute saves aren't worth thanks!"
"Gosh, I love you too, Zel-kun," Xelloss laughed. "Ah, I have to say... I never fail to enjoy myself on our little outings. If it wasn't for this sort of thing, the centuries would be quite dull..."
The ancient priest looked over at the oddly silent junior captain of the ship.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"No... not much," Dayvid said. "I'm just wondering why this is the first time I've seen you in ten years... dad."
Zelgadis stopped shoveling coal and almost fell into the furnace in surprise. "DAD?!"
"Da.. daa..." Amelia started without finishing.
Xelloss smiled nervously, a little sweatdrop forming on his head.
"Umm... anybody care to save me this time?" he asked, rubbing his head nervously before Dayvid smacked it with a coal shovel.