Origin of the Species
"I hope I didn't..."
"Yipe!" Amelia woke up with startled yell at the
old man's voice.
"...umm...scare you too much last night." Zelgadis
yawned and stretched as he sat up from the floor. He
rolled his eyes at Amelia. Gourry's snores carried
through the small building, unconcerned with the going
ons around him.
"Don't mind her, she's not used to werecreatures."
"I'll make us some breakfast," the man said,
gesturing for them to sit at the small table in the
center of the room. "Its been awhile since I had
anything cooked, but I think I remember how its done."
"Breakfast?" Gourry snapped awake and was at the
table before anyone else.
"So that's what it takes," Zelgadis mumbled. "I'll
be fine with just some coffee." As he sat down he
began piecing together his portable coffee set along
with some beans and a cup.
"Why are we still here?" Amelia asked.
"At the very least you are going to learn a little
bit about lycanthropes," Zelgadis said, he was heating
his skin of water with a minor spell.
"What does this have to do with your cure?" Gourry
asked, looking anxiously in the direction of the
chicken coop Protoss had headed off for. The old man
turned back into the cabin as he asked.
"Mr. Greywyrds is probably hoping that I ran across
something that could help him in my researches,"
Protoss answered.
"That is correct."
"I have to say no, I stick pretty much to looking
for stories on werecreatures."
"Then I'll settle for that," Zelgadis said. He knew
some little bit about it himself, having studied
curses in general, but he suspected that his knowledge
was still fairly limited.
"I thought you might know a little already," the
old man said from the fireplace. "It certainly
explains why you were so calm last night."
"Do you want me to do that?" Zelgadis asked,
watching the water slowly filter through the crushed
beans and the cloth to come out coffee and drop into
his cup. This process took forever. "This is mostly
for her benefit anyway." He indicated Amelia.
"Perhaps that would be better," Protoss agreed.
"Like I said, I haven't felt the need to cook for a
while." He walked over, smoothly like some one much
younger, and sat across from Amelia, who fidgetted
nervously and stared at him.
"First, lycanthropy was not always a disease, It
really isn't one now either." he explained. "A very
long time ago it was known as variously as the shaping
magic, the beast arts, and a few other things I have
heard."
"I've heard of those," Amelia piped up. "But there
isn't any record of a connection with lycanthropes."
"Most humans these days think of us as you do,
rampaging monsters that need to be put out of their
own misery. I was like that myself before I was
infected. Most of our history is still word of mouth
and trickles of information."
"Where's a monster, and how long on those
chickens?" Gourry asked.
"No monster, and be patient," Zelgadis grumbled.
"Their coming."
"Anyway, lycanthropy was taught, like any other
form of magic, for generations. Then someone came up
with the bright idea to permanently take on some of
the more common spells. To assimilate the magic into
his body."
"How long ago was this," Zelgadis asked, glancing
irritably at his dripping coffee filter while trying
to cook the chickens.
"Several generations before the Kouma war, the
lycanthropes of the time felt the war coming and
wanted more power for the conflict."
"So what happened?" Gourry asked.
"They botched it up somehow," Protoss said, stating
the obvious. "I'm not exactly certain how, it involved
calling on the power of the moon somehow. The
lycanthrope magic as a whole went wild. Within an
unknown every beast mage, from apprentice to master,
had assimilated the magic into their bodies, and the
process burned out access to the more common magics.
The schools of beast magic became species of
werecreature."
"And that is how the changes came to be tied to the
moon?" Amelia asked. Protoss nodded.
"This is how it was told to me," he answered. "How
much is true I cannot accurately say, but it sounds
right."
"Someone should write this down," Amelia said.
"People have," Zelgadis said from where he was
putting the final touches on the chickens. "But most
of the books have been destroyed. I've seen one or two
pages from the time period that support the story
though."
"But to keep such histories from people is..."
"...unjust? Like keeping us waiting for the food!"
Gourry interjected. Zelgadis plopped a chicken
irritably in front of the swordsman and another in
front of Amelia. He offered one to Protoss, but the
old man refused. Zelgadis himself sat down to watch
his cup of coffee finally finish.
"I imagine that the greater scholars found this
nothing more than an inconvience, compared to the real
increase in power. But I believe the apprentices and
initiates were unprepared for the fourth aspect."
"What do you mean, unprepared," Amelia asked.
"I said something of that last night," Zelgadis
said, sipping at his coffee as contentedly as he
could. Gourry had finished with his chicken and was
working on the one Zelgadis had made for Protoss.
"That form was designed for battle, it is meant to be
entered and left for brief periods of time. I do know
more about curses in general than most of you here put
together." Zelgadis added the last to respond to the
stares he was getting.
"Yes, well you see, all the beast mages had every
possible spell and effect from their specific school
ingrained in their bodies. So when the full moon came
they were overwhelmed by the fourth aspect's instincts
and hunger, that transformation requires a lot of
energy which needs to be replaced."
"So they expected a battle and without one they
went to look for one, and then something to eat too"
Gourry said between bites. "Makes sense to me, doing
nothing can get kind of boring."
"So only young werecreatures get out of control,"
Amelia asked. "Wait, what about your cage?"
"That," Protoss laughed. "That cage couldn't stop
me even at my age."
"Then why even use it?" Zelgadis asked.
"It keeps the food in," he said simply. "Much
easier than hunting, though that's fun at times."
Amelia shifted uncomfortably now that information got
across.
"Anyway back to the story, please," the princess
suggested.
"Of course," he smiled, recognizing her discomfort.
"Well after the discovery that changes were more
difficult to start or stop at the lycanthropes
choosing, came the next shock. On the full moon, a
werecreature that is in fourth aspect leaks a little
of the magic. This can take hold in someone injured by
the creature, and suddenly you have another
werecreature."
"But Lina was never bitten by anything," Amelia
countered. "She just woke up under the bed one day
after the new moon."
"No, in her case my blood was given to her in
someway," he answered angrily. "The magic is always in
the blood, no matter what the phase of the moon.
Someone should find this Martina girl and stop her
from doing such a thing again."
"We'll take care of her," Gourry promised.
"What is this about a 'real increase in power?'
Zelgadis asked.
"It is my understanding that the old beast mages
could be killed just like normal animals and people.
They healed fast, but skewering them through the heart
still killed them, no matter what the material. Now,
though, the magic binds our life together. We can
survive anything short of immolation, decapitation and
silver." The three slayers sat up and looked to each
other.
"You could survive then, if you were ambushed in
human form and cut to ribbons?" Zelgadis asked.
"As long as the weapons weren't silver, and your
head didn't leave your body, yes," Protoss answered.
"I've been cut in half before, very unpleasant
experience. And all the time you're healing you can't
fall unconscious because the stuff healing you keeps
you awake. Then you sleep for a couple of days and
wake up famished. Not something you want to happen."
"Do you think," Amelia started.
"Yes, I do, I think Lina's still alive," Zelgadis
answered.
=====
"Caffeinated Kender? What's that, a berserk spell?" -
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
Signed
He of Too Many Names (Thrythlind/Thryth/Luke/Hyperbole/Pika/Pooka)
http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html
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