The Methos Chronicles: Methos of Zeist

[dubiousbystander]

And I say again, thank you for putting this up. I had a lot of fun making the audio file.

[dubiousbystander]

*nodnodnod* I get that! Though this doesn't explain Methos's sending up the flare before finding out the identities of the leaders. Oh wait. It does. I'm good!

[Tootsie Bee]

You might find this explanation flimsy, but it's actually very much in-character for General Katana to be redundant to a fault. It's this very character flaw that gets him killed in the end. In fact, I deliberately designed that line of dialogue to resemble an exchange from the movie--

Katana: I want you to leave for the planet Earth immediately. Find MacLeod and kill him.

Corda: But I thought you said MacLeod was mortal and would never return!

Katana: Do me a big favor, Corda. Don't think.

Reno: He's an old man now! He'll be dead in a couple of weeks.

Katana: I don't care. Find him for me. Kill him. It's so hard to get good help.


In other words, Katana's plans and motivations are stupid by design.

[dubiousbystander]

I'm in part two now, editing-wise, and have reached this troublesome portion:

Discover the identities of the leaders, and get out of there before the troops arrive. Unless, ah, of course, if you want to find yourself, eh, dead,” he had spoken with a frighteningly wide smile.

We really end up with no particular reason for him to be there. Katana apparently already knows that Ramirez and Connor are the leaders (ANOTHER issue with the way the movie was put together). Perhaps... perhaps "When the rebels gather to meet, send a flare, and get out of there...."

[dubiousbystander]

Eh-hem. Well... I made an audiobook for Methos of Zeist. Tootsie encouraged me to post the link here. I stayed as close to the writing she posted as I could, but did correct one incident of Ramizez, and one time where the Kurgan was referred to as Kell. I did make a few mistakes, though. Most of the time I caught them and reread, then removed the errors. A few slipped by me, darnit.

http://jillun.com/safef/audiofic.html

[Tootsie Bee]

In the mid-to-late 2000s. I don't have sufficient access to the old site to get specific dates.

[dubiousbystander]

Fantastic for him! Wedding! Tootsie, how long ago did you folks originally write this?

[Tootsie Bee]

I'd let Bebop know that you're revising his work, but he's currently busy with working and planning his wedding this month, so he's a bit occupied. But thanks.

[dubiousbystander]

B. Bebop

Methos stumbled groping along the ledge dazed by the blaring light of the mirrors above. Duncan tried to exploit this but only to find his bowels falling out of the wound he sustained earlier. He struggled to contain himself literally losing Methos in the searing beams of light. Methos immediately took advantage; he jumped from the beam above holding one of the giant mirrors.

However on the surface someone passed in from of the lens making the whole cavern go dark, causing Methos to fall into another beam below. Duncan hears something like a piano falling out of a ten story window. He laughs trying to take the high ground, still holding his bowels together. This lasted only minutes before Methos jumped up to the ledge where he was staggering.

They once again drew their swords and entered into heated combat. Methos pounced forward onto Duncan only to rush upon Duncan’s sword spitting blood in his face. Methos then attempted to slash at Duncan’s throat only to be thrown from Duncan’s sword and back into free fall.

They continued to jump beam to beam back and forth. Crashing through each mirror as they fell, they continued to fight, only to find themselves closing on a small bright light no bigger than a pin.

Duncan finally took the upper hand and slashed Methos across the back three times, causing Methos to become more enraged. Methos lashed back, almost cutting his left arm off. His gut had healed, but this blow weakened him greatly and allowed Methos to attempt to take control of the chaos. He immediately found this difficult when Duncan jumped to the supports above, smashing the mirrors. Methos soon found himself in a hail storm of glass.

The pin hole of light now appeared to the only way to reach the surface and safety. He found though that it was far too small for him to pass through. Methos was closing on the beams below him. He immediately unsheathed his sword and began to hack through the opening. The rock and debris rained down upon Methos, who was still trying to recover his speed from the shower of broken glass. Finally Duncan pierced through the barrier and climbed through into the world above.

A very rough rewrite of Bebop's part:

B. Bebop

Methos stumbled, groping along the ledge, dazed by the blazing light of the mirrors above. Duncan tried to exploit this, only to find his bowels falling out of the wound he had sustained earlier. He struggled to contain himself, literally, losing Methos in the searing beams of light. Methos immediately took advantage; holding one of the giant mirrors, he jumped from the beam above.

However, on the surface, someone passed in front of the lens, making the whole cavern go dark, and causing Methos to fall onto another beam below. Duncan heard a sound like that of a piano falling out of a ten-story window. He laughed, trying to take the high ground, still holding his bowels together. This lasted only minutes, before Methos jumped up to the ledge where he was staggering.

Once again, they drew their swords and entered into heated combat. Methos pounced forward onto Duncan, only to impale himself upon Duncan’s sword, ending up spitting blood in his face. He then attempted to slash at Duncan’s throat. but was thrown from the sword and back into freefall.

They continued to jump beam to beam, back and forth. Crashing through each mirror as they fell, they continued to fight, only to find themselves closing on a small bright light no bigger than a pin.

Duncan finally took the upper hand and slashed Methos across the back three times, causing him to become more enraged. He lashed back, almost severing Duncan's left arm. Duncan's gut had healed, but this blow weakened him greatly and allowed Methos to attempt to take control of the chaos. He immediately found this difficult when Duncan jumped to the supports above, smashing the mirrors. Methos found himself in a hailstorm of glass.

The pinhole of light now appeared to be the only way for Duncan to reach the surface and safety. He found, though, that it was too small for him to pass through. Methos was on the beams below him, getting close. He immediately unsheathed his sword and began to hack through the opening. The rock and debris rained down upon Methos, who was still trying to close the distance between them, from the shower of broken glass. Finally, Duncan pierced through the barrier and climbed through into the world above.

[dubiousbystander]

Ahah! Thank you so much, Tootsie! Suffice to say, Google did not give me that answer.

[Tootsie Bee]

Gavors are the ostrich-like creatures that the characters ride in lieu of horses in the Animated Series.

[dubiousbystander]

HELP! --> He heard the steps of the gavors outside <-- What is gavors? What is it supposed to be? I'm confused. Also, will have a hopefully delightful present for you, Tootsie Bee, soon.

[Tootsie Bee]

Insert a [sic] there.

[dubiousbystander]

"He threw the Highlander’s casually blade off"... really?

[dubiousbystander]

Part VII: The Traitor
Methos joined Kell in taking down the criminals.

Now this SHOULD read "Methos joined the Kurgan in taking down the criminals.

[dubiousbystander]

Oooh maybe he answered while he was delirious!

[Tootsie Bee]

1. It's the Ancient Past. No one ever washed anything back then.

2. Methos finally let his name slip during the commercial break.

[dubiousbystander]

I'm going to limit myself in this case.

Part IV: The Guest Contributors (1/2)

A. Aleander
"Kurgan..." Katana said, and faced him on an eye to an eye meet. "You were and probably will remain my greatest student as far as mind manipulation and predatory skills are concerned...but I can feel the potential there in this immortal Methos."

"Methos... Maybe he could succeed me one day, when I decide not to live anymore... But surely that day will never come. As I said to you, Kurgan, soon...very soon..."

Of course, this is a different writer, hahah. This is the first indication that anyone thinks there's anything special about Methos, aside from using him. It sort of comes out of the blue. Hahah

Methos sporadically swung his sword at the rope just as Duncan was within his reach. The first slice did not completely sever the rope. The second sent Duncan plummeting.

Duncan lied in a pile of wicker that used to be an elevator.

Sporadically is not the right word... perhaps... "Methos hacked at the rope..."

I would suggest "was lying" instead.

Let's see... I thought I'd mostly add punctuation to the next part. Then I wanted to do more.

B. Bebop

Methos stumbled groping along the ledge, dazed by the blaring light of the mirrors above. Duncan tried to exploit this, only to find his bowels falling out of the wound he had sustained earlier. He struggled to contain himself literally, losing Methos in the searing beams of light. Methos immediately took advantage; he jumped from the beam above holding one of the giant mirrors.

However, on the surface someone passed in from <-- front of the lens making the whole cavern go dark, causing Methos to fall onto another beam below. Have switched from past tense to present: Duncan hears something like a piano falling out of a ten story window. He laughs, trying to take the high ground, still holding his bowels together. Have returned to past: This lasted only minutes before Methos jumped up to the ledge where he was staggering.

They once again drew their swords and entered into heated combat. Methos pounced forward onto Duncan only to rush upon Duncan’s sword spitting blood in his face. Methos then attempted to slash at Duncan’s throat only to be thrown from Duncan’s sword and back into free fall.<--needs work.

They continued to jump beam to beam, back and forth. Crashing through each mirror as they fell, they continued to fight, only to find themselves closing on a small bright light no bigger than a pin.

Duncan finally took the upper hand and slashed Methos across the back three times, causing Methos to become more enraged. Methos lashed back, almost cutting his left arm off. His gut had healed, but this blow weakened him greatly and allowed Methos to attempt to take control of the chaos. He immediately found this difficult when Duncan jumped to the supports above, smashing the mirrors. Methos soon found himself in a hailstorm of glass.

The pinhole of light now appeared to the only way to reach the surface and safety. He found though that it was far too small for him to pass through. Methos was closing on the beams below him. He immediately unsheathed his sword and began to hack through the opening. The rock and debris rained down upon Methos, who was still trying to recover his speed from the shower of broken glass. Finally Duncan pierced through the barrier and climbed through into the world above.

Mass destruction! The Jettators will have their work cut out for them fixing all of that!

[dubiousbystander]

Question time!

Part III: The Descent
He saw gunpowder residue on his sleeve and remembered the first time he fired a gun.

Where did the gunpowder residue come from? Does he never clean his clothes? Hahah.

“Duncan MacLeod, this is Methos. He comes in search of you.”

How did Ramirez know Methos' name?

I love the interactions here, between Methos and the Kurgan. The dialogue is great!

And, of course, Don Ramirez's dialogue is hilarious. Beautifully done!

[dubiousbystander]

Part I: The Bonding

"--and you start with Katana,” Ramizez continued.

So, here's a minor typo,

I love Methos' internal snarking in Part 1. Heehee

[Tootsie Bee]

Those aren't typos. Things are spelled differently on Zeist.

[dubiousbystander]

Point out the rare typo, that sort of thing.

[Tootsie Bee]

I'm not sure what you mean by "edit it," but I think you're permitted to ask questions.

[dubiousbystander]

Finished! May I edit it a bit? May I ask questions?

[Tootsie Bee]

Chapter XIV: The Final Conflict

The Priests whirled around Methos, their robes billowing in the air like crimson wings. Methos tried to strike them with his sword, but he might as well have been attacking condors with a flyswatter. One of the Priests zoomed by and slashed off the green plate armor from the Hunter uniform’s chest. The others followed suit, pruning the pieces off Methos until he was left with nothing but shredded gray rags clinging to his person. He quickly realized that he could not get much range of movement in his tattered costume, so he tore off the clothing and faced them in nothing but a tight black undergarment. His exposed body glistened almost as brightly as his longsword from all the sweat of the desert trek. His taut muscles, honed over the last few months to be in pristine shape for facing this moment, again coiled themselves to strike. His face took on a defiant confidence in spite of the odds.

“Is that all?” he taunted before leaping to the dais to get higher ground.

The Priests let out something akin to an arrogant snort and flew in to pierce him from all sides---and then BLAM! The wall beside them exploded, sending them flying down from the shock wave. Kortan had detonated the throne room. Methos didn’t have time to wonder about Quentin’s fate at the moment. Instead, he held his sword erect and moved in to take advantage of the fortunate turn. The Priests struggled to rise to their feet, and the one closest to Methos was still on one knee when he feebly raised his sword against the approaching immortal. Methos slipped the hollow of his blade over his opponent’s sword and activated the mechanism. The sword pivoted and took off the Priest’s head.

“Nooo!!!” the remaining two Priests screamed telepathically.

What happened next was something akin to a Quickening, but not like one that Methos had ever experienced before. The dead Priest’s flesh dissolved from his bones, and the skeleton rose with a green ethereal glow emanating from its ribcage. The skull flew back to its rightful position as the skeletal arms reached out and placed their hands on the immortal’s shoulders. The skull breathed out the green energy into his nostrils, and the skeleton collapsed. Nothing else happened: no electricity, no elaborate light show or explosions. The only noticeable change from the Priest’s visual perspective was a rapid heaving of the victor’s chest, but their extrasensory perception saw the true transformation.

“I know. I know everything,” Methos whispered to himself.

He raised his eyes toward the other Priests with a fierce intensity. And then he began to rise. He levitated himself over the Priests as they now prepared to fight an enemy as strong as they were. The ensuing battle was so fast and erratic that if Joe Dawson had been present, he would have thrown down his pen in frustration and simply noted, “They fought like superheroes.”

~~~

Quentin entered the room, toting along the head of Kortan. The villain’s plan had backfired on him and blown his head free of his body, and Quentin had been close enough to receive the Quickening. Only one immortal stood between MacLeod and the Prize, and Quentin sensed that he was in the adjoining room. He stepped over the fragments of the wall and peered inside. The room was completely dark except for a blue fiery glow surrounding a nearly-nude man seated on the dais.

“Methos?” he asked with a gulp.

Methos spoke directly to Quentin’s mind: “Can you bear the Prize?”

Quentin was not permitted to hear the other thoughts occurring to Methos. The desire to take the boy’s head and receive all the power that the Source could offer. The impulse to destroy every mortal on Earth simply because he could. The odd longing to devour a sun. The fragmented human part of him fought the darkness, tried to remind himself what his purpose was. It was losing fast.

“Will you honor your promise and give me your Quickening?” Quentin asked.

“No one can accept what I have to give,” Methos replied without speaking. “It must return to the Source. However, I will grant you the knowledge you need to save this world and the wisdom to avoid the grave mistake you would otherwise make. Beyond that, the Prize as intended will be enough.”

Methos arose and directed his arms toward Quentin. A spiral of blue lightning channeled its way from Methos to Quentin, lifting MacLeod into the air and encasing him in a bright white light. After a moment, the experience was over, and Quentin returned to the floor.

“I understand now. Farewell, Methos,” Quentin said with a touch of empathy.

“Goodbye, Mac. Live up to your name and your legacy.” With that, Methos raised his head and screamed as an intense teal light burst from his neck. The light broke through the ceiling and escaped into the sky. With that, the body of the oldest living immortal gave up the ghost, and his consciousness spent its last seconds reflecting not upon the monument and the honor that future generations would associate with his name, nor upon the victory he won against his ancient adversaries from Zeist, but instead upon those most human of moments he shared with the men and women he lived to love. In the end, that's the Methos chronicle that counts.

The end.