|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:22 pm
"You haven't been back to check in for months," Beastmaster Xellas growled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had gotten used to life without me." She watched Xelloss with an unyielding gaze. Back before her hibernation, Xelloss had been never far from her side. He was gleefully enthusiastic with how he carried out her orders and demands. Now, he was different. She didn't know if she entirely liked this change in one she was used to taking for granted.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:23 pm
"That couldn't be less true, my lord." Xelloss inclined his head to Beastmaster. The conversation struck him as odd. It was almost like he was comforting his mistress, something that no mazoku in their right mind ought to do, except for trickery. It was something no mazoku should need, either.
"If you need me, I will be by your side as quickly as my wings can take me there."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:24 pm
Xellas snorted dismissively. "Yes, you will. If you aren't miles away working on your own projects." Her tone turned more dangerous, something she often directed at others, but rarely at Xelloss himself. "Take care that you are within range for when I have need of you. I will not be pleased if Brid has to spend months finding you." Brid was a wolf in Xellas' service, often used as a messenger for the mazoku lord. Lately it had been harder and harder for Brid, or even Xelloss' children to hunt him down when he was off ranging about. It frustrated Xellas, and she wasn't one that took kindly to frustration.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:24 pm
"Of course, my lord."
~~~~~
Time had passed. It was now the morning after that nighttime conversation and Xelloss couldn't shake it out of his head. Lord Beastmaster was no fool. She was cannier than her bulk would suggest to many and rarely made an incorrect observation. If she thought that something was different then it most likely was, and that was what Xelloss couldn't stop thinking about.
The years spent without her had been difficult. At times he almost lost control of himself, descending into random violence and sometimes getting very injured as a result of it. It was only in the last couple years before he caught back up with Lord Beastmaster that he had started to feel like himself again, playing tricks on the Underground and manipulating just like his old self. Was Beastmaster right? Had he gotten used to life without her, impossible as that might seem?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:25 pm
Xelloss frowned and shook his head. That wasn't it. He could feel the difference in himself now that Beastmaster had returned. He was full of passion and vigor that had been missing all those years that she was. She completed him... even if he wasn't dependent upon her like he had been in the past.
And that was the change that she had been noticing. He needed her, he just didn't need to be around her anymore. Throughout her time gone he had learned to think for himself, which was not always a good trait in a servant. Turning, he looked back to the distant shadow of Xellas' ruinous home against the sky. If she was right, then she was right. He knew better than to try to lie to her, so would be honest with her the next time she asked. It might end up bringing pain to him, but such was life. He could deal with a little, or a lot, of pain from time to time. The only question now was what to do with himself now that he realized this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2012 1:26 pm
It didn't take Xelloss long to decide that what he was going to do... was exactly what he had been doing. He had a lot of unfinished personal projects that all demanded his attention. His children were still unfocused and untrained, for one thing. They were more concerned with showing off to each other than getting anything done. There were still a lot of soquili out there doing a lot of happy little things that made the world a better place. Xelloss could barely stand to think of all that good will out there, multiplying and spreading.
If there were a thousand soquili out there performing a thousand acts of kindness, Xelloss would just have to commit a thousand and one crimes to make up for it. He had a decent start, leaving soquili trapped in caves and helping to resurrect a dark lord. Maybe it was time to start thinking bigger. He had just the idea, too. There were a few healers around one of his favorite areas that were just begging to have some trouble in their lives...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
