Written by Sir Blaze

Written by Sir Blaze

Questions? Comments? Letters of Adoration? SirBlaze@hotmail.com

*Like always, there may be stuff not found in the videos here. Be warned...*

Slayers is trademarked and such, and belongs to the people who own it, like Software Sculptors, etc. Respect the trademarks and copyrights, please. Arigato.

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Slayers Yet Again: Chapter One - Point of No Return

* * *

Darkness shall return to the calmed land,

With eyes of blinding red,

Shalt that shard of darkness be reft

Of possession from the unwilling.

Light and petrification shall follow

The Bride of Terror,

Bearing the Eternal Darkness,

Cleansing the way for a second coming.

A coming that breaks free of the

Ruby bonds of the revenge and sorrow.

Again, shalt a blade that be as a beam of sun

Rend the flesh of beast and man alike,

Yet it be not alone,

With metal that bears the aura of life,

To calm the ruined home of the keeper.

Yea, a calm shalt engulf the land,

Yet the calm not be lasting.

The trail of the forgotten thoughts

Shall beckon down the path

Of the Bride.

White and dim light and stone

Shall be at her feet,

With a violet nightshade

choked by ragweed.

O'er the road of the forbidden

Shalt the upstart and the

Three-fold powers be waging strife,

To be quelled in the presence

Of the gold keeper.

The lost thoughts shalt be lost

In the moment before when draconic chaos

Shall kneel before the Unholy of Holies.

Again, shalt the gentle keeper's

Land be reft by darkness,

With Terror cleansing the land,

And restoring the balance again.

But behold!  In that instant,

Shalt a great light arise from

The forbidden soil.

And of that light shall be the

Seeds of Horror.

The bearers of light shall have

Consorted with the dark,

Bringing about the destroyer

That be neither dark nor light,

Dragon nor Mazoku,

And the issue of that shall be

The one who be opposite that.

Betrayal shall lead to a crimson

Staining of the golden one's hands,

The hands that will bear light

In the presence of the borne dark.

In that instant when the past be removed,

Will five lights forged in darkness

Be brought to bear on the twisted form,

And purification wrought

By a hand that was once Gilded Chaos.

And peace shall engulf the land again,

'til the dark becomes darker than dark,

And in the dark will the shade of night again come.

From deep within the darkened twilight,

Five shall wield the powers of light and darkness,

To bring resolution to the world.

The white blood and the blood that bound evil

Shall both be lain low along the breadth of terror.

One who will be as she who stands over all,

Shall raise Cephied's lance over moonlight and sunlight,

A topaz at one hand, and sapphire the other,

To shatter the obsidian night,

And bring peace to the tired land.

-First Prophecy of the Platinum Dragons, as spoken by the Seventh High Sorceress.

* * *

"Hey, Mr. Borden. I took care of those things you wanted." The man adjusted the weight of his sword, which was slung over his shoulder in a seemingly careless way as he tossed the sack of coins onto the table. The leader of the Black Market was more than a little pleased with the way that things had turned out. This mercenary that had shown up in town had made collecting debts a lot easier, and his business was well underway.

"Good. Now, here's your pay." Borden tossed a sack of one thousand gold coins at the man. He opened it, and pocketed it quickly.

"What about the other four?" The man was not pleased. His bushy eyebrows went into a very dangerous looking frown as he looked down at the little man.

"I think that you only deserve a thousand golds. And don't even think of trying anything." Borden snapped his fingers, and his men formed a ring around the mercenary.

"Garv Flare!" The building was immediately smashed with the force of the immense spell. He picked up the slightly charred sack of coins he had delivered. "Now we're even." Borden and his men twitched slightly on the floor.

"Don't think that you can get away with this!" The man shrugged as he walked away from the ruin. He was heading towards the next big metropolis on the road, Seyruun. It was still a while away, but Garv didn't mind. He was enjoying his new life as a mercenary pretty fully. Being fully human had some perks, he thought. It had been a continuation of the Water Dragon King's actions after Phibrizzo had killed him. This time, he had been reborn as a full human with only a little mazoku blood in him. However, his power still remained, which more than made up for it. After all, what was an ageless human to do if he didn't have any power.

* * *

"Do you really think that we should let him live?" Xellos asked the question cautiously. Beastmaster was capricious at the best of times, and questioning her judgement really wasn't that great of an idea.

"Why not? He has no interests in the mazoku anymore. He seems content as a human, so let him be. Besides, he still has all of his power, which makes him just as dangerous as before. We sorely underestimated the Water Dragon King during the Kouma War. It was bad enough that we lost, but his legacy is still affecting us."

"Thankfully, I think that he's finally dead. And we have Garv to thank for that." Said Xellos wryly.

"Yes. But we have a new problem. Without Phibrizzo, we are at a severe disadvantage. He was hasty, I'll admit that, but he did have a very high level of power. And with only myself, you, Dynast, and Deep Sea left as the real powers of the mazoku, there isn't very much choice for us now."

"You mean?" Xellos was surprised by Beastmaster's tone. She was very serious now, despite the appearance. Her favorite cigarette holder was still held loosely in her left hand, and a brandy snifter was on the nearby table.

"Yes. It's finally time that we got serious." Beastmaster took a long drag on the cigarette, and let the smoke create intricate patterns in the air. "Xellos, I want you to set the pieces in place for my plans, and..." Again Xellas paused, this time to drink some of the liquid in the snifter.

"Yes. And?"

"And I want Lina Inverse to be taken care of. Don't misunderstand me, because she is not to be killed, nor any of her friends. I just want you to kidnap her and that blond ape that she's partial to, and keep them here. They can't cause any trouble on Wolf Pack Island."

"What about the others?" Xellos was wary.

"What about them? They pose no threat. That chimera and princess team failed miserably before. They would have no chance alone. Besides, that princess is very visible. If you took her, then there might be a delay because of hordes of rampaging humans. There aren't any others with any power that can delay our plans. And the only one who would really miss Lina Inverse would be that swordsman. And if he's here, then there is no problem." Beastmaster smiled an evil smile.

"As you wish, Lord Beastmaster." Xellos turned to leave the room. It was considered rude just to vanish right in front of somebody.

"Oh,.Xellos." Beastmaster added gently as he was about to walk out. "Pick me up a carton of smokes and another bottle of alcohol. It doesn't matter what kind." Xellos sighed under his breath as he left her. Maybe this one was a worse employer than he could have believed.

* * *

"Did you polish that new vase for the window display?" Filia was irate. She was sorely annoyed at her young charge at the moment. Thanks to the mazoku blood in him, he had regained his former age extremely quickly. In fact, it was just about four months since the incident with Dark Star, and he had regained his original age in less than a week. As for his memories, Valgarv still remembered all those things that he had done, but really wasn't eager to redo them. There were no more Golden Dragons, and there was really nothing left to do in the world. He had no real choice but to remain with Filia. At least Seyruun wasn't so bad, he thought. That was amended as soon as the door opened.

"Hi, Miss Filia." It was Amelia. She was the most annoying person in the world to Valgarv's eyes. She had even beat out Xellos and Lina for that position. The princess of Seyruun was bubbly as always, and was admiring the antiques in the store. Valgarv had to admit that Filia was incredibly smart in her decision to turn Amelia into a collector. Now she had a perfect buyer for anything, and one who didn't even look at the prices as she bought. It was nearly too good to be true.

"Why, Amelia. It's nice to see you too." Filia set the little vase down on the table. "I'll get us some tea."

"Put hard liquor in mine." Said Valgarv sourly. He despised Filia's tea. It was always the same. Bland, with no sugar, no alcohol, and nothing good in it.

"I don't think so." Filia went into the kitchen, and poured the omnipresent tea into three mugs. She had used to use her fine china, but Amelia's exhubirence, combined with whatever disaster was following her, usually Lina or Gourry, had nearly decimated her collection. As such, the Golden Dragon was now using the heavy duty kind of mug that the cheaper inns used.

"Thank you. I just had to come and tell somebody. Miss Lina, she said that she was going to come here last week, but she still hasn't come. And nobody in the neighboring areas has seen her or Mr. Gourry."

"Maybe she fell off a cliff." Added Valgarv.

"Mind your manners!" Filia said the words abruptly as mace-sama connected with Valgarv's lower jaw.

"I'm taking my break now." He said as he threw the apron onto the coat rack. The Ancient Dragon was envying Jillas and Gravos very much at the moment. At least they had gone back to the Outer World to look for new wares. He wished that he was that far away from Seyruun now. But, still, he had to stay. For Filia's sake. She was really the only one that cared about him now that everyone else was dead.

Suddenly, a flash of orange caught the young dragon's eye. He thought he had seen an orange trenchcoat making it's way towards the market. Valgarv shrugged as he turned in that direction. At least he could get some booze there.

As he walked towards the market, he saw the same orange again. This time Valgarv noticed the bright red hair that was cascading down the back of the trenchcoat. He fumed at this sight. Somebody was impersonating Garv-sama! Valgarv swore, he was definitely going to make them pay for disrespecting Garv-sama's memory.

"Fireball!" He spoke the spell as soon as he had followed the man into a less crowded area. The man in the orange trenchcoat turned as the spell came hurtling towards him. It splattered harmlessly off of a quickly erected barrier.

"Valgarv?" Garv asked the question disbelievingly as he saw the attacker. He had not expected to see his retainer in Seyruun. In fact, he had thought Valgarv long dead.

"Garv-sama?!" Valgarv was stunned. It was really Garv-sama!

"It's been a long time, Valgarv." The former mazoku grabbed Valgarv's shoulder in that way that comrades do.

"I thought you had died." The Ancient Dragon was now grateful for being alive. He was no longer issuing grievances about the world in his head, but was now pleased about it.

"Same here. Say, is there a place where we can talk? My feet are killing me." Valgarv took that statement to mean what he had already suspected, that Garv-sama was more human than he had ever been before. It was obvious in the way that his power had been used earlier. Then, a thought struck the young Ancient Dragon. That irritating princess was still at Filia's shop. And that dumb chimera was probably there too. Since they were having a reunion of sorts, it would be a fun thing to crash that party.

"Sure. Let's go to my house." The young dragon led the way, and Garv followed him. Garv thought that this was a pleasant surprise, running into Valgarv. He had a real fondness for the Ancient Dragon, and seeing him again was pleasing.

As they talked, they walked through the door of Filia's shop. Valgarv could already hear that the chimera was here. He was droning on like usual with a gigantic cup of coffee in his grip, again like usual.

"...the simple truth of the matter is, I have no idea what Rezo really did. It's just a matter of..." Zelgadis trailed off as he saw the man who was standing beside Valgarv. He knew that he must be having too much coffee. This wasn't possible. "Uh, Filia? Is there a large man with red hair and wearing an orange trenchcoat standing behind Valgarv?"

Filia half-tumed, and replied. "Yes. Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh no! This can't be happening!" Zelgadis was feeling real fear in himself at that moment.

"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia was concerned.

"Don't look behind you, Amelia..." The chimera warned, but Amelia looked anyways. "No! This can't be happening!"1

"Valgarv, who's your new friend? Does he know Miss Amelia and Mr. Zelgadis?" Filia was uncomprehending.

"Actually, I do. My name is Garv, and it's a pleasure to make your acquiantance, Miss Filia." Despite what the humans thought, Garv could actually be polite when he wanted to be.

"Garv? As in DEMON DRAGON KING GARV?!!!" Filia stepped back at that thought. It was plainly obvious that Valgarv was enjoying the reactions of the three. They were too smug lately, in his opinion, and needed something to keep them on their toes once in a while.

"Didn't you die in the Katahto Mountains?" Amelia was fearfully curious.

"Yes. But thanks to that ridiculous Water Dragon King, I was reborn more human, and retained my powers." Garv took a seat beside Valgarv at the table, and began to pour himself some tea.

"I was right! Even mazoku can change! This is a sign that even someone who was evil and cruel can become human! But you cannot stop! To fulfill your humanity, you must believe that life is wonderful, and praise life." Everybody at the table sweatdropped.

"Yare, yare. This is such a fun little get together." Xellos walked through the door. All conversation stopped as they stared at the new arrival. "Good morning, Filia-chan. You're looking suitably dragonish this morning."

"What do you want, Xellos?" Zelgadis was quite wary of the mazoku, as well he should be.

"Why, nothing of course. I merely wanted to... erk!" Xellos gasped as Garv's hand clenched around his throat.

"Why are you here, Xellos? The truth this time." The Demon Dragon King grated the words as he stared into the face of the struggling Xellos.

"I'm starting to like him already." Said Zelgadis quietly. Filia nodded her approval.

"My, my, my. You sure have strong hands, Garv-sama. But I was sent here by Lord Beastmaster. She merely wants me to give you a message. I merely want to give you a massage."

"Cut out the yaoi act, Xellos. What about Beastmaster? What does she want?"

"First of all, I'm sure that she would appreciate it if you put me down. And I'm sure that putting me down would get this over with with the least level of irritation." Xellos' body smashed into the floor as he was hurled down. "It's nice to know that some people never change. But Lord Beastmaster just wants you to stay out of her business."

"What does Beastmaster want to do?" This time, it was Zel who asked.

"That, of course, is a secret. But it would not be a good idea to cross her. She already had to deal with a certain underdeveloped sorceress and her companion." Xellos dusted himself off, and stood up, careful to be away from Garv, or any of the others who might decide to do something stupid. Even though he was mazoku, Xellos had no real reason to want them dead. In fact, to him they were his entertainment. Prudently, he vanished almost immediately.

"Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry! That evil Xellos must have done something to them." Amelia stated the obvious.

"Right. But what does Beastmaster want?"

"She wants the world for herself." Garv answered Zel's question. "She's always been more interested in domination rather than destruction. In fact, Hellmaster was the only one who really wanted the world destroyed."

"Then that answers it. We have to stop Beastmaster." Said Filia.

"That's easier than it sounds. Even I would be hard-pressed to fight both Xellas and Xellos on their own ground. There has to be a simpler way."

"Why don't you just get something like the Claire Bible, and use it against them?" Said Valgarv.

"There's just one problem with that. Xellos made it his business to destroy all of the manuscripts. And our friend here destroyed the original and the complete manuscript." Zelgadis said the words sourly.

"Do you really think that there was only a few manuscripts? The dragons spent a lot of time copying from the Claire Bible. There are a lot of manuscripts out there."

"How can you be so sure?" Said Amelia.

"Because the Ancient Dragons had several manuscripts in the village, and I'm sure that the Golden Dragons had their own as well. Any place where there's a large number of dragons, you're going to find some treasure." Valgarv said the words smugly.

"He's right. Dragons keep a lot of treasure, but I'm not sure where we could find any dragons around here."

"Unless we go back to the Katahto Mountains." Zelgadis snapped his fingers. "Those dragons probably have most of the important knowledge of the Claire Bible copied down."

"That's a great idea Mr. Zelgadis! Let's go to the Katahto Mountains!" Amelia rushed up from the table, and started to pull at Zel's hand. Thanks to his weight, he managed to stay seated while he finished his coffee.

"Stay here until morning. Then we can go together." Filia said calmly.

"You're going to join us?"

"Of course. Do you really think that we could sit back and let Beastmaster take over the world?" Answered Garv. "Besides, I need to teach Xellos a lesson for once and for all."

Zelgadis sighed. "Fine. We'll go first thing in the morning." The chimera sighed again inwardly. At least this couldn't be worse than travelling with Lina and Gourry, he thought.

* * *

"[snarf] This is really good. You said that [gulp] there's an ice cream store somewhere else in the village?" Valgarv was eating just as vigorously as Garv and Amelia, much to Zelgadis' surprise. Filia was calmly sipping her tea as the chimera was drinking his coffee.

"Hey! Mr. Garv! Leave some meat for me!" Amelia was stabbing at the remains of the platter of beef. The three of them had polished off the first six courses with no problem. Now, they were about to order the rest of the meal.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is going to be a long trip?" Said Zel to no one in particular. The door to the restaurant crashed open, and a dark skinned man burst in.

"You're going to pay for cheating Mr. Borden. Now..." The man sweatdropped. Nobody was paying any attention to him. Instead, they were all just continuing on with their meal.

"Hey! Aren't you listening?"

"No, they aren't. You'll have to wait until they're done eating." The chimera paused. "Wait a minute. I remember you. You were the one who was chasing Lina because of that Holy Book of Shrinemaidens." Zelgadis was still more focused on his coffee than him.

"Yeah, well, Mr. Borden has taken precautions this time. We've got our own fighter to deal with youse. Come one out!" The man moved back as a new figure entered the restaurant. A slight bouncing noise could be heard as she walked in, the light shining off of the black leather.

"Oh-hohohohohohohohoho! Look at this! Are you the ones who dare to challenge Naga the White Serpent?" The man had run out of the restaurant as soon as his mercenary had entered. He had endured her laugh for long enough, and was not in the mood to get blasted when she did.

"What was that noise?" Garv asked as he tried to impale a meatball on his fork. Amelia and Valgarv were making it difficult for him to grab it, though.

"I don't know. Don't you guys think you've had enough?" Filia was bored, and wanted this meal over with.

"Don't ignore me! I am Naga the White Serpent! I will defeat you with my superior powers! Oh-hohohohohohohohoho!" Naga walked up to the table, and tried without success to get their attention. She flailed around them, with not one look towards her. Then, she noticed something. "What's this? A woman with a tail? This could get me a pretty penny from a freak show."

"Freak show..." Filia's expression was one of intense anger. Valgarv knew that expression much too well.

"Well, I'll just take you as a door prize." Naga grabbed the tail, and yanked it back. She had intended to carry Filia out by it.

"Yahhhhhhhh!" The Golden Dragon lost control then and there. Laser beams emerged from her mouth, and started to fry the room. Naga was thrown through a wall as she received a full blast of it. After Filia's tantrum was done, everyone was standing in what remained of the restaurant. The others were smiling nervously.

"Did I do that?" Filia asked sheepishly. She was blushing quite openly at her handiwork.

"It's okay. Let's just go back to the inn, and get some rest." Valgarv was strangely protective of her. As they walked over to the inn, the pair was silhouetted by the moonlight. The remaining three just watched.

"Isn't love beautiful?" Amelia asked.

"Yeah, it is. It's sweet the way those two are." Replied Garv.

"Wait a minute! After all that, all you can say is 'isn't love beautiful?'!" Zelgadis was astonished by their actions. They were acting as if nothing had happened.

"We should follow them. It's late, and I need some sleep." Amelia yawned and ran after the couple. Garv shrugged and followed her. Zel was left alone standing in the charred rubble.

"Am I the only sane person left?!" He shouted to the clouds.

* * *

"Lord Beastmaster, there seems to be a small problem." Xellos hesitantly spoke to Xellas. It was never a good idea to tell a mazoku that there was a problem.

"What is it?" Xellas was uncaring. She was wrapped up in a new romance novel. She loved it so far. There were three stories in it, and all of them ended with a terribly tragic and gruesome death.

"Well, that." Xellos pointed at the table where Lina and Gourry were eating. It was covered in plates and the inedible parts of the food. There was a very tired looking lesser mazoku that was continuously creating more food for them to eat. "They might drain our powers if we have to keep feeding them."

"It's better than if they get out of control again. If we don't keep the amount of food coming, they might start fighting again. And I just got everything back the way that I wanted it, so make sure that they don't mess it up again." Xellas gave him a dangerous look as she tapped the ash off of her cigarette onto the top of Xellos' head. She then proceeded to return to her novel, and sigh girlishly. She loved this part. It was so romantic, the girl finding out that she was in love with a murderer, and then slicing him up. It made Beastmaster feel all trembly inside.

The mazoku general looked up, and saw that Xellos and Lina were arguing again. She sighed an annoyed sigh, and vanished. Beastmaster reappeared outside of the restaurant where Luna Inverse was employed, and proceeded inside. She took a table, and opened her book to the point where she had been interrupted. At least the humans here were quieter. It was their dinner time here, and Xellas realized how hungry she was.

"I'll save you some trouble. The girl lives happily ever after with the man she meets after the botched killing." Xellas looked up, and saw the woman with purple bangs that covered her eyes.

"You know, Xellos is still calling you a copycat for that hair, Luna." Beastmaster put down the book in disgust. She hated happy endings.

"Heh. I'm not surprised. Do you want some pie? Today's is pretty good. I'm not sure about what flavor it's supposed to be, but it's delicious." Both of them laughed slightly at that.

"Sure. Also, could I get some kind of sandwich? I'm hungry, and having some troubles back home." Xellas lay back in the chair, and watched Luna walk away. She sighed, and opened the book again. Maybe it wouldn't be too much of a waste. At least there was going to be violence, and that was a consolation.

* * *

"That really isn't a nice thing to carry around Mr. Valgarv." Amelia was referring to the double-edged short spear that the Ancient Dragon had grown partial to. He had bought it in Seyruun a month ago, and hadn't been without it since. Amelia was opposed to the weapon's looks. She thought that it looked so violent.

"And I don't like justice speeches, so now we're even." The Ancient Dragon was getting tired of listening to Amelia's perpetual complaints. They were approaching yet another of the quaint villages. This time, they noticed something unusual. There were wanted posters all over the walls with their faces on them.

"Hey! It's them! That guy said that he'd pay us fifty thousand gold for each of them! Let's get 'em!" Some ninth-rate swordsman yelled it as he bore down on them with a rusty blade. His bounty hunter pals were running behind him.

"What an annoyance. Garv Fla..."

"Wait!" Filia put her hand over Garv's mouth. "If we fight them here, the villagers might get hurt. Let's retreat for now." The five outlaws began to run out of the village as fast as they could, pursued by the warriors.

A little ways down the road, they stopped. "So what are we supposed to do now? It's a long walk to the Katahto Mountains, and we've got no supplies to eat." Filia was annoyed. This was all Xellos' fault. It could only be the mazoku that would dare say that she was a wanted criminal. Xellos... XELLOS!!!

The others backed away from Filia's flaming form, and thought some more. The sound of a carriage was approaching from the distance. "I say that we mug them, and take the food and carriage for ourselves." Zelgadis was annoyed, and had no patience for the niceties in life.

"Mr. Zelgadis! That's wrong and unjust! A true warrior of justi... MMRPH!" Amelia's speech was cut short by Filia holding her back and covering her mouth.

"Just hurry up and get that carriage!" The Golden Dragon's anger had definitely affected her attitude.

The three men stood at the side of the road and flagged down the carriage. It turned out that it was actually a caravan. The driver of the team was talking to them, when a man burst out of the back of the caravan.

"Why have you stopped?! We must get moving as soon as possible... eh?" The man looked at the three. "Excellent! I see why you stopped. These men will make excellent actors!" Zel, Garv, and Valgarv sweatdropped. Their plan was now not a priority. Getting away from the crazy guy had overridden it.

"I will not let you steal from the innocent!" Amelia burst out of the bushes, with Filia running after her.

"You! Young miss, you were the best actress that I ever had the privilege of working with. Would you please return to my show, and fill the vacancies along with your friends?"

"Of course!" After Amelia had accepted, the director forced the lot of them into the back of the caravan. Apparently, the production was travelling to Mesquide yet again. And thanks to some quick talking on Amelia's part, the Rossberg players had five new actors to fill the spots.

They quickly reached the clearing where the rest of the company had set up for the day. It seemed that the wagon that they had intercepted was actually straggling, and trying to find actors. It was at that clearing that they found out what play they would be performing.

... For the Love of Justice! The Final War!'?" Zelgadis was stunnedly looking at the cover of the script. He couldn't believe that he could be forced into doing something like this.

"Oh! This is wonderful! A play that will once and for all bring the message of justice to the world!" Amelia was positively glowing with happiness when she noticed the three fuming non-humans. They were glaring at the script, with curses punctuating every few seconds.

"Amelia, have you read any of this script yet?" Asked Zel. The princess of Seyruun flipped the pages open, and looked at the description of the play.

... Evil mazoku and horrid dragons have decided to destroy humanity when a beacon of light appears to confront the forces of darkness. Go forth, Warrior of Justice, and strike down the despicable evil with the Hammer of Justice!' Is something wrong?" Amelia was oblivious the fact that the three did not like being portrayed in exactly that light.

"This is ludicrous! I'm leaving!" Valgarv turned, and began to walk out of the tent.

"Remember that if you leave, that you don't get any food or safe passage to Mesquide. Just suck up your pride and let's get our parts. It won't be that bad." Zel obviously had no idea what he was saying.

* * *

"What? You're casting me as THAT?" Amelia was horrified by this play. They had gotten all of the main roles, she could not stand the way that they had been cast. She was Beastmaster, Valgarv was supposed to be Dynast, Filia was Deep Sea, Garv was the Knight of Cephied, and Zelgadis got the honor of being the Warrior of Justice.

"You know, I could get used to acting." Zelgadis liked being considered the hero for once. The only one that was really ticked off about their role had been Amelia.

"It's almost nice to be able to act like the person who doesn't have to follow the rules." Filia, for some obscure reason, was enjoying the idea that she would be an insane mazoku lord.

"I'll do it, but I won't like it very much."

It took a few more days, but eventually the players had reached Mesquide. It was the big day of the show, and the audience was pumped. They were thrilled that the performers of the last great play were going to try out a new one in front of them. The curtain rose slowly, revealing Amelia, Valgarv, and Filia on the stage.

"It's getting worse, Dynast." Filia spoke the words slightly hammily as she gave the first line of the play.

"Yes. Two of our brethren were struck down by the abominable Lina Inverse. We are in a tough position now. [Hey, this is fun!]"

"But the world is against us. How can we survive in a world of justice? Justice and love are our enemies, and the humans know that life is beautiful, and will keep justice shining forever." The other two sweatdropped at Amelia's truly uncharacteristic portrayal of Beastmaster.

"Yes. But we will not be alone in this. I call forth our ally in this new war! [Erk! Justice overload ... ]" Valgarv gestured dramatically towards the right of the stage. Garv came out wearing a silver helm, and as a token move to try and accept the costume, a silver trenchcoat.

"I, the Knight of Cephied, pledge the power of my dragon brethren with you in the fight to eliminate the scourge of humanity! [And this happens, when? If Deep Sea is put in charge?]"

"Yes, Yes! This is absolutely perfect! These people are fantastic in this play!" Offstage, Mr. Rossberg was rejoicing at their acting skills.

"Mr. Rossberg, do I really have to wear this?" Zelgadis was not pleased with his costume. He was not a fan of tight red fabric. He did approve of the cape however.

"Yes. You have to look the part of the Warrior of Justice. A Warrior of Justice needs to look the part. And make a dramatic entrance. Get the catapult."

"Catapult?!" Zel was stunned. Mr. Rossberg had shoved him onto a catapult, along with several tons of fireworks. Before the chimera could object, he was lit and launched.

"Hark! The sound of battle draws near..." Amelia's speech was cut short as the flaring Zelgadis landed on Filia.

"Yahhh!" The Golden Dragon whipped out her mace in half a second, and smashed pyrotechnically active chimera back. Back onto Amelia.

"Evil demons, in the name of justice, I shall punish you! [Dammit! Why couldn't Amelia get this role?]"

"Evil? But I am devoted to justice! I defend the shining star of justice in the night sky that protects all from darkness and shines down a glaring light to those I call evil! Those who dare to go against the Code of Justice! [Ah. Maybe this isn't so bad.]" The others sweatdropped.

"Er, aren't you supposed to be Beastmaster?" The three upstaged actors were behind the justice warriors, against the props. Valgarv was numb from the embarassment of being around with the actors. Garv was sitting on his ass with a look somewhere between confused and interested on his face, and playing with his sword.

"Uh, our sister must be delirious, Dynast. [Why does this always happen to me?]" Groaned Filia.

"You! You three are the real evil in the world, and must be destroyed! Perhaps Cephied could forgive your actions, but 1, the Defender of Justice, can't! [Justice! Justice! Justice!]"

"You're stealing my lines!" Zelgadis was furious that Amelia was upstaging him. HE was supposed to be the hero.

"But I am the Warrior of Justice! I am the one who is devoted to the Code of Justice!"

"But I'm supposed to be the hero!" Zelgadis was twitching with fury.

"This is getting ridiculous." Said Garv.

"Getting?" Added Valgarv.

"Give me that cape! I deserve to be the Warrior of Justice!" Amelia started to yank at Zel's costume.

"You're a mazoku lord, so you deal with it." Zel and Amelia continued fighting.

"Enough! Garv Flare!" Garv shot off a gigantic spell, which charred the pair. They lay on the stage, twitching slightly.

"No fair..." Amelia whined.

"Yeah. The Knight of Cephied would never use that spell. You're out of character." Added Zel.

"Shut up." Said Garv as he carried the pair offstage by the backs of their costumes. Valgarv shrugged, and followed him.

"Er, and thus, the demented human and insane mazoku were defeated, and everyone lived happily ever after. Especially Dragons and mazoku, who decided to leave humanity alone and drink tea rather than deal with insanity." Filia curtsied slightly, and ran off the stage as the curtain began to fall. Her face was bright red.

"Mr. Garv! You ruined my big scene, where I would show the wonder of justice to the world!" Amelia was shrieking.

"But you were a villain! I was the hero! You were the one who ruined the play!" Zel was still irate about the fact that Amelia had upstaged him.

"Valgarv! You heartless mazoku-wannabe! You left me out there all alone to deal with that chaos! Prepare to be punished!" Filia was advancing on the Ancient Dragon with a terrible look in her eyes. The flames that followed here didn't help, either.

"You ignored us! You two ruined the show with all that fighting over justice!" Even Garv was pissed.

"WE ruined the play? I seem to remember the Knight of Cephied casting BLACK magic!" Zelgadis was furious about the criticism.

"You guys! Why aren't you out there taking your bows?" Everyone stared at Mr. Rossberg in shock.

"What?" Said Valgarv.

"The audience loved it. It's the best comedy to come along for the longest time. We won!" The director herded the stunned actors back out onto the stage. As the curtain rose again, unnaturally stunned smiles crossed their faces as they took their bows.