"Wisdom of nightmares, infinite logic of twisted
dreams, I call upon thy power. Let thy golden shadow
gather in my eyes, clearing my sight of all
illusions..."
Black space shifted, taking on the soft texture of hair and the rich shimmer of gold.
//Damn it, Zelas, can't a Goddess get a little sleep?//
"My humblest apologies, Mother of All Things." The Beastmaster knelt, feeling slightly absurd--whoever had invented the term "dumb luck" had obviously had occurrences like this one in mind.
//Don't worry about the apologies for now. Tell me why you have sought me out.//
"Well..." Zelas gritted her teeth. "It's, uh, about Xellos."
//Your priest, correct?//
"Yes. He's, ah... gone missing."
She sensed the space ahead of her flicker and arch like a quizzically raised eyebrow.
//Gone missing.//
"I wouldn't have bothered you with this problem, but... well, I've been to the ends of the earth--and I do mean literally--and I have not caught sight nor scent of him! And... since your sight is infinite..."
She trailed off, feeling more than a little ridiculous; there was a long pause before the Lord of Nightmares spoke again.
//Very well. I will find your priest. But I ask one thing in return, child.//
"Anything," the Beastmaster replied gratefully, bowing her head.
//I want you to give up chewing bubble-gum. It's most unbecoming for a mazoku lord, and quite off-putting.//
"B-but--"
//No buts. I shall return with your priest. That's all.//
With that, the Lord of Nightmares disappeared, leaving only blackness behind her.
Zelas stood, then sighed heavily.
"Damn," she said, extracting a wad of gum from behind her ear and vaporizing it with a simple spell. "Looks like I'll have to find something else to keep me occupied..."
"I'm, uh, not sure if I know how I can help you, your Sailor-ness."
Sailor Majesty sighed, although her expression remained patient.
"Now, if I understand you correctly," Xellos continued, his face still screwed up in a squint, "there are a whole bunch of planets, each of which has some kind of Sailor guardian--"
"Senshi."
"--Senshi, yes, right--and your problem is that the last one hasn't made an entrance?"
The Sailor-goddess nodded, her blinding white tresses floating gently in space.
"The others each have a weapon of some sort to use and protect," she explained. "A weapon that forms the very core of her power."
"So why don't you forge a weapon for the missing one?"
"I cannot."
Xellos would have rolled his eyes, but the squint didn't permit it. Oh, I don't believe I'm hearing this. What the hell kind of goddess is she?
"Have you tried?"
"A thousand times over. I simply have not been able to do it... creating the right weapon would use up the life energy of all the other Sailor Senshi as well as my own."
"So... she's the leader of the pack, then?"
"Hardly. But her power is of a special nature."
Oh, well, THAT makes it all better, doesn't it. He cleared his throat. "And how am I supposed to help?"
"I was hoping you would be able to offer us some advice about how to amplify our energy... or that perhaps you might be able to provide the sort of weapon we need."
Xellos gripped the Silence Glaive protectively.
"I'd love to be able to help, your Sailor-ness, but I really ought to be getting back to--"
"Do you know where we are, Xellos?" she interrupted.
He blinked.
"I told you I would show you the problem. This--" and she waved one hand to indicate the area all around them-- "is the problem. You are our last hope of a solution."
Uh oh. He gritted his teeth. Not if I have anything to say about it...
He swung the Glaive out in front of him with a wild yell, then concentrated hard on folding the space around him, on teleporting back to Zelas...
There was a rush of wind, and he opened his eyes.
Oh, DAMN.
