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. 
 
* * *
 
Slayers Yet Again: Chapter Two: Love, Truth, and Honesty! 
 
* * *
 
"Digger Bolt!" Zelgadis threw the spell at yet another group of bandits. It was not pleasant trying to make their way to the Katahto Mountains through these ninth-rate 'heroes'. 
 
"This is getting us nowhere." Sighed Zel. The others were just plodding along. The attack of the bandits was expected, and nobody was really surprised by it. 
 
"Well, it's not our fault. It's that Xellos... Xellos... XELLOS!" Filia flared into flames yet again at the thought of the annoying mazoku priest. 
 
"Whoa. Calm down." Garv sweatdropped. Maybe this wasn't the greatest idea, he thought. These people were... strange. 
 
"There's a village up the road." Valgarv came back from his little scouting mission. "I think that we can stop there for a little while." 
 
"Thank Cephied for that. My feet are killing me." Said Amelia. 
 
"I hope there aren't any posters around there." Added Valgarv softly. 
 
The village turned out to be a real safe haven. Nobody had any idea of who they were, or anything that had happened. They were completely oblivious to the bounty on the heads of the passing travelers. The travelers decided to bunk for the night, as it was starting to get dark. 
 
"Miss Filia, I'm hungry." Amelia complained. The rest agreed with the wayward princess, and they filed into the tavern that was attached to the inn. 
 
"Welcome to the White Sky Inn. Can I get you anything?" The waiter was looking at them oddly. He had a feeling that these were the wrong sort of people to have at an inn. 
 
"We'll have twelve specials, and three pots of coffee." Filia was starved as well. 
 
"Bring a pitcher of wine too." Added Garv. 
 
"As you wish." The waiter thought that he was above these people, and really wished that they would leave. As he walked into the kitchen, he yelled the order to the new chef. "Hey! We need twelve specials." 
 
"Coming right up. Heheheheh." 
 
"What's so funny?" 
 
The chef turned and smiled even more. "Sore wa himitsu desu!" 
 
* * *
 
"All these problems started to come up as soon as Phibrizzo got deleted by our dear L-Sama." Xellas made a face of disgust. "Of all the stupid things to do, taking her on. I have no idea what was going through Hellmaster's mind there, but I think that even Deep Sea wouldn't do something that stupid." 
 
"True. Although eight-year olds aren't known as the greatest thinkers." Replied Luna. She brushed her hair back for a minute. Somehow, the bangs stood still through it all. 
 
"Actually, I wish that all this business was done with for a little while. And I'm sorry again for having to keep your little sister captive for a little while. But we need time to straighten out that mess that the Hellbrat left us." 
 
Luna shrugged. "No problem. It's nice to have her out of trouble for once." She sighed. 
 
"Hey, you bitches. Get out of that booth." Xellas and Luna looked up querulously. There was a group of those tenth-rate 'mercenaries' that seem to always pop up when they are least wanted. 
 
"Excuse me?" Xellas was calm. She merely put out her cigarette. The man screamed as she extinguished the embers on his hand. 
 
"You're going to pay for that!" One of the man's friends yelled at them. 
 
"What an annoyance." Said Luna as she smashed them down. 
 
"Luna, Xellas! Take your mess outside." The woman behind the counter hated it when those two left a mess on the floor. 
 
"Lu-Luna Inverse?" The first mercenary was petrified at who he had insulted. 
 
"And Beastmaster Xellas. Thank you for relieving our boredom, gentlemen." Finished Xellas. As the pair dragged the pile of mercs to the door, they unceremoniously tossed them onto their backsides, and turned back to finish their lunch. 
 
* * *
 
"Mmmmm. That was delicious." Amelia was content. 
 
"I agree. Our compliments to the chef." Xellos snickered at Filia's comment. If she had known about his secret ingredient, she wouldn't be as pleased. 'Xellos Metallium's Patented Extremely Wrong Love Potion (Guaranteed to Work on Humans, or Your Money Back)'. The trickster priest vanished quickly, and decided just to watch as the fun played out in front of him. 
 
"Let's turn in for the night." Said Zel. They went upstairs to the rooms that they had rented. The men in the first room, the women in the second. It was later that night that the mazoku's potion started to work. 
 
"I'm going out for a drink?" Said Garv with a strange tone in his voice. 
 
"Huh? Why?" Valgarv was confused. 
 
"Because I need one." The Demon Dragon King was definitely acting weird, thought Zel, but he shrugged it off. The chimera watched as the redhead walked out of the room with an odd glimmer in his eyes. 
 
"That was unusual." Said Valgarv. Then the Ancient Dragon noticed that Zelgadis was starting to get a similar glimmer in his own eyes. 
 
"Valgarv, has anyone ever told you that you make a very handsome man?" The chimera put his hand on Valgarv's shoulder. 
 
"Wha?" Horn boy was startled. 
 
"Yes. And a beautiful man at that." Valgarv bolted out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him. Zelgadis came running after him. The Ancient Dragon quickly darted into a broom closet, and felt something against his back. 
 
"Be quiet, or I will brain you." Hissed Filia. She too, was avoiding someone who wanted to love her. "I can't let Amelia find me." 
 
"What do you think is wrong with them?" Whispered Valgarv. 
 
"It's as if somebody cursed them." Filia turned, and looked at Valgarv, and pulled him closed to her. This way, she thought, he would be the one seen if anyone opened the closet. 
 
"Mmph, what was that?" He asked as Filia continued to use him as a shield. 
 
"Who cares?" Filia grabbed onto his shoulders, and accidentally brought him down onto her and the floor. The sound came again, but they weren't listening. 
 
"Oh-hohohohohoho! Where are you? Do you dare to not respond to the challenge that you have placed on the great Naga the Serpent?" Naga heard a noise from behind. The red-haired man was holding a flask to his lips. He swallowed noisily, and threw the empty flask to the ground. It clanged softly against the wood. 
 
"You again." He said. Naga frowned at the tone of his voice. He wasn't drunk, but there was something different. 
 
"Yes. I, the great Naga the Serpent, am here to destroy you, and then return you to Mr. Borden so I can get paid." 
 
"That outfit sure is tight. It shows off that wonderful body." The man advanced on her, his trenchcoat rippling around him. She recognized what was burning in his eyes. 
 
"Wait a minute! I'm not here for THAT!" Naga backed away, and opened a door. Filia and Valgarv fell out. 
 
"That's just not right." Garv forgot about Naga as he saw the two dragons. Somehow, they had landed in an incredibly inappropriate position. 
 
"Miss Filia! I've been looking for you!" Amelia's voice came from down the hall. 
 
"Valgarv, we've still got some time left tonight!" The Ancient Dragon froze at the sound of the chimera's voice. 
 
"If you're still free, Lady Naga, I would like to challenge you to another kind of dueling." Amelia, Zel, and Garv bore down on Filia, Valgarv, and Naga with crazed looks in their eyes. 
 
"That's enough! Freeze Ray!" Screamed Filia. The three were too horny to even think of shielding themselves. 
 
"Mega Brand!" Finished Valgarv. 
 
"Owww. What was that for?" Said Amelia. The attacks had snapped them out of the trance Xellos' potion had caused. 
 
"What do you mean, 'What was that for?'" Filia was irate. 
 
"You perverts were trying to hit on us. I ought to throw you off of a cliff for it." Valgarv folded his arms and looked at Zel with an evil glare. 
 
"Oh-hohohohohohoho! Now, you will fall prey to the great Naga the Serpent." Naga continued to laugh and extol her non-existent virtues. 
 
"What is with her?" Asked Garv as he cleaned some of the charring off of his sword. 
 
"Don't act dumb, you big freak! I would never let you touch me in the way you want! Go find your own squeeze toy somewhere else." Garv began to protest but was soon overridden. "I know that you are yearning to take me, and subject me to cruel torture, but no matter what, I could never give my body willingly to you." 
 
The Demon Dragon King was getting more and more pissed off. "You think that I would want YOU?! Look at you! I'm not into girls who have done whole cities. But, I'll bet you would be good, and that leather does show off your huge..." Garv was quickly interrupted by mace-sama. 
 
"Garv-sama! You hentai!" 
 
"Just you wait, you big dumb freak. You'll wish that I'd left you with her." 
 
"Big dumb freak?!" Grated Garv, pronouncing every word with restrained fury. 
 
"And at least I have fashion sense. You look like a shrinemaiden dressed you." Naga continued to laugh and bounce at the same time. 
 
"That's it!" Screamed Garv. He began to focus his full power. 
 
"You think that that can beat me? Try some of my superior spells. Garv Flare!" Everyone just stared in shock as Naga's spell evaporated as it struck Garv. He stopped focusing, and looked at her strangely. 
 
"You don't know who I am, do you?" 
 
"Does it matter? You are nothing more than my defeated enemy! Now ask the great Naga to go easy on you." 
 
"Why does this seem so familiar?" Said Amelia as she shook her head. 
 
"Uh, Miss!" Zelgadis got her attention. 
 
"Oh. A chimera." She said, with undisguised love on her face. 
 
"No, listen. Did you ever hear about the Mazoku lords?" 
 
Naga shrugged. "Of course. The subordinates of Shabranigdo." 
 
Valgarv smiled a nasty grin as he realized what Zel was doing. "Do you remember the descriptions of them. Particularly the Demon Dragon King?" 
 
"Yeah. Violent, obsessive-compulsive when it comes to swords, wears a big orange trench...coat." Naga stared at the bored Garv at horror. 
 
"Kind of a letdown, isn't it?" Said Filia. 
 
Naga quickly dropped to her knees. "Oh, please! Garv-sama, let me become your valued servant and do not destroy me!" Even the Bondage Queen of Darkness could know fear. 
 
"No." 
 
"Please?" 
 
"No." He was adamant about it. 
 
"Fine then. I'll just follow you anyways." Naga got up, and brushed herself off. 
 
"This is not a good omen." Said Zel to himself as Filia and Valgarv began to walk down the road. Amelia had followed them, as well as Garv and his new protege. He just shook his head, and began to walk. It was almost dawn. At least they'd make good time today. 
 
***
 
"Finally!" Zelgadis sighed a sigh of relief as the Katahto Mountains were within reach. It would not be long before they reached Dragon Valley. Then, the chimera thought of something. "Uh, does anyone know the way through the forest?"
 
"I can't remember." Admitted Amelia.
 
"Leave this one to me." Said Garv. He concentrated, and they appeared on that road that Lina had walked to the Claire Bible.
 
"Wait a minute! You mean to tell me that we walked all this way when one of you could'vejust teleported us here in an instant?!" Zelgadis was furious. He had gone through all of this, and now...
 
"Hey! Don't you think that we thought about that? If we did that, it would alert Xellos and Beastmaster right away." Valgarv smirked at Zel. The sight of the cool chimera man becoming irate was enjoyable to the Ancient Dragon.
 
"Speaking of alerting people, here he comes." Amelia pointed to the Golden Dragon that was descending on them. "Hi, Mister Milgazia!
 
Everyone, including Milgazia sweatdropped. "What are you doing back here?" He said as he transformed into human form, and then he looked at Filia. "Greetings, sister Golden Dragon."
 
"I apologize for having to bother you, Elder, but we have an important reason for seeking out your sanctuary." Said Filia politely.
 
"It's in your best interests to help us, Dragon." Garv moved forward so that Milgazia could see exactly who he was.
 
"You! But, you died!"
 
"He's been good, so far, so don't antagonize him, Elder. You either, Garv-kun."
 
"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" The Demon Dragon King was furious. Milgazia stifled a laugh.
 
"We were wondering if you happened to have made any copies of the Claire Bible." Continued Filia. Naga and Valgarv were holding back Garv as he was reaching for Filia.
 
"I see that the world is in an even stranger state than I believed. What happened to that sorceress, Lina Inverse, by the way?"
 
"Miss Lina was taken hostage by Beastmaster and Xellos, Mister Milgazia. We want to find out how to get to Wolf Pack Island." Answered Amelia.
 
Milgazia sighed. "It's not like I have a choice, is it?"
 
"Not really." Said Filia wistfully.
 
"All right. I had the bible transcribed in Pig Latin onto a grain of rice for this kind of emergency. Come this way please." Everyone sweatdropped as their jaws fell to the ground. "That was a joke, but I guess that you can test out the Claire Bible 2.0." Milgazia walked up the path, and glared at Garv. "We should charge you for all the damage that you did the last time you were here." They began to follow him.
 
"Coming, Filia-chan?" Added Garv slyly as Filia lagged behind. It had the desired effect. "DON'T CALL ME FILIA-CHAN'!"
 
"Why do I get the feeling that today is going to be a long day?" Said Milgazia to no-one in particular.
 
* * *
 
"Well, I should be going." Xellas drank the last of her tea, and began to leave. She waved farewell to Luna, and re-appeared back in her hall.
 
"DRAGON SLAVE!" Lina's cry was the first thing that Beastmaster saw when she reappeared. Xellos was calmly outrunning the blasts. "Get down here, Xellos!" Screamed Lina as she cast another Dragon Slave.
 
"Lord Beastmaster. I'm not sure if this was the best idea." Said Xellos.
 
"Xellas Metallium! Get your priest down here so that I can rip his head off!" Lina was not even respectful when she was this pissed off. Xellas sighed, and held out her hand. Xellos fell to the floor like a sack of bricks.
 
"What did he do to you?" Beastmaster was idly interested. She took a drag of her cigarette, and allowed the smoke to create an almost halo-like effect around her.
 
"Nothing! I wanted food, and Xellos did nothing! I'm still hungry!" Xellas sweatdropped.
 
"Do as she says, Xellos." Sighed Beastmaster. Then she turned to Lina, and handed her a broom that appeared out of thin air. "You messed up my keep, you clean it."
 
"Why do I have to clean this?" Whined Lina.
 
"Well, you did cast Dragon Slaves all over, and it is your fault." Replied Gourry.
 
"Shut up, jellyfish-brains." Murmured the angry sorceress.
 
"I think I like him." Purred Xellas.
 
* * *
 
"This is it?" Said Amelia depreciatingly. Milgazia had led them through the dimensional maze, and they had finally arrived at the room of the Claire Bible 2.0.
 
The space was bare, with only a small blue sphere of energy lighting the space. Milgazia clapped his hands, and the room lit up. Symbols of magic swirled around the energy orb.
 
"Is there a real reason you need to use the Claire Bible, Milgazia?" A woman had appeared behind them. She had blonde hair streaked with pale-blue, wore a dark blue dress that shimmered, and appeared to be in her late teens. "I see that we meet again travellers." She was also chewing loudly on some gum.
 
"I'm sorry, but do we know you?" Answered Zel.
 
"Why, yes. I am the manifestation of the Water Dragon King, who was resurrected when the Claire Bible 2.0 was programmed. And got an overhaul in the process."
 
"Auntie Aqua? But, now, you look..."
 
"I don't believe it! Those are bigger than Naga's!" Valgarv pointed at her attributes. "How can you even get them so big?"
 
"Be quiet!" Grated Filia as she smashed Valgarv with mace-sama. Then she turned to Garv with an accusing stare. "This is all your fault! You taught him to act like a heartless mazoku! You corrupted him!" Garv and Filia continued to argue.
 
"You know, it's almost like they were married." Said Milgazia to the newly-hot Water Dragon King.
 
"WHAT?!" Screamed Filia and Garv in unison.
 
"You're right, Milgazia. They make a lovely couple." Replied the manifestation.
 
"So, uh, what should we call you? Auntie Aqua seems out of place now." Said Amelia. She and Zel were ignoring the arguing Garv and Filia. Valgarv was nursing his bruised head, and Naga was pouting, as usual.
 
"Just call me Mistress Aqua." She said with a smirk.
 
"MISTRESS Aqua?" Zel shook his head. It seemed as if the entire world was going mad. "Well, in any case, we need to know how to get to Wolf Pack Island."
 
"I would think that the mighty Demon Dragon King would know the way. Or didn't get his head screwed back on the right way?" Mistress Aqua blew a bubble of azure gum.
 
"Just tell us, or there's going to be a pressing need for a 'Claire Bible 3.0..." Threatened Garv.
 
"Don't you talk to her that way! You're nothing but a big bully!" Continued Filia. The pair went back to their argument and everyone else sweatdropped.
 
"Fine." She sighed as if she had something better to do. "Here's a map. It's the only one ever made that shows Wolf Pack Island on it. Xellas Metallium made it herself to play with treasure hunters." Mistress Aqua handed Zelgadis an ancient map that had an 'X' with a little wolf beside it in the middle of it.
 
"You mean that it's THERE!?" The chimera man pointed at the 'X'. "How will we ever get there?" 
 
"Are your brains petrified too? Mace-girl over there can fly. Can you say 'Golden Dragon'?" 
 
"I liked her better when she was a crone." Muttered Zel. Amelia agreed.
 
"Now, I'll just sweeten the deal. If you all leave right now, I'll let you ask me each a question. Remember, it can be any question at all." Everyone perked right up at that.
 
"I'll go last. I know what I want to ask her." Said Zel, smiling.
 
"Alright, Miss Claire Bible! How can I become stronger than Lina Inverse?" Naga, of course, was rude enough to override everyone.
 
"The answer is simple. You can't become more powerful in Black Magic. Learn Holy Magic. Like this." Mistress Aqua put her hand to Naga's forehead, and telepathically taught her a Holy spell. "Come back here after you're done, and I'll teach you some more." Naga was elated. As she waited off to the side. She just kept casting 'Pure Flare' over and over again.
 
"Will the world ever embrace peace and justice entirely?" Mistress Aqua looked at her strangely. "Of course not. You can never totally complete something. Besides, if that was ever achieved, there wouldn't be any such thing as justice anymore. Next!" Amelia was thinking hard about that as she stepped next to Naga.
 
"Is there a way I can make it so that I can use my Ancient Dragon powers without feeling pain?"
 
"Yes. Get this mixture, and drink it." She created a scroll and handed it to Valgarv. "Next!"
 
"Could I please have a jar of the potion that Valgarv needs?" Asked Filia demurely.
 
"Sure." Mistress Aqua pulled ajar of a clear pink liquid out of midair, and handed it to her. 'How sweet," she murmured. "Next!"
 
It was Garv's turn. He chuckled roughly. "All I want to know is... do you know where I left that hairbrush a few millennia ago? The black one, with the orichalcon inlay?" Everyone else sweatdropped, and Zelgadis fell from sheer surprise.
 
"Duh! You left it under that tree near Zelfinia that night you had the argument with Dynast. It's about five feet below where the tree was." She held out her hand, and a brush appeared. "Here ya go." Garv frowned. She hadn't cleaned it off in the teleport.
 
"You wasted anything you could've know in creation on where you left a HAIR BRUSH?!" Zelgadis was stunned.
 
"Yeah. It's my favorite." Garv had finished cleaning it off, and was using it.
 
"Why is everybody around me always crazy?" He said to no-one in particular.
 
"It's because everyone in the world is crazy, and the more important to history you are, the more pronounced your quirks. Now that's all for now. I love you guys, bye-bye!" Mistress Aqua smiled, gave the victory sign, and promptly vanished.
 
"Now who wasted their question?" Asked a smirking Garv.
 
"GET BACK OUT HERE, YOU HORRID LITTLE HARPY!" The chimera began to pound on the now-dark Claire Bible 2.0. After a minute of pounding, it shocked him and threw him back against the wall.
 
"This can't be happening..." Zelgadis was despondent.
 
"Let's get him out of here." Said Amelia softly. The others nodded, and Zel didn't even notice them drag him out of there.
 
"Let's head off to Wolf Pack Island!" Filia turned into a dragon, and they climbed on. Valgarv and Garv held Zel on as he was still catatonic. They flew off into the sky as Milgazia watched, and Mistress Aqua joined him.
 
"That was cruel." Said the Golden Dragon.
 
"Maybe, but it's for his own good. Some things need to be answered on their own. Now, are you going to finish upgrading my software yet?" The Water Dragon King tapped her dainty foot impatiently.
 
"Well, I'm sure that I could find some fun things to do." Came a voice from behind of them.
 
"Oh, no. Why does every thing happen to me?" Milgazia was annoyed even further. It was bad enough dealing with the others, but a visit from Xellos was exponentially worse.
 
"Now, I think that you should tell me why my little friends came over here, and where they are going."
 
"Where do you think, mazoku? They're headed for Wolf Pack Island. I thought that even one as thick-headed as you would've realized that by now."
 
"I liked you a lot better, before, Water Dragon King." Xellos was not as amused as Mistress Aqua was by her words.
 
"And I thought that you looked absolutely yummy when that big strong Demon Dragon King was ripping you apart." The Water Dragon King licked her lips.
 
"Well, then, I don't suppose you'd like to let me check something in the Claire Bible, would you?" Milgazia sighed. "It's not like we have a choice, is it?"
 
"No." Smiled Xellos. "But I only want to know one little thing. And I won't even ask where the Bible is, since I know you can answer it."
 
"Well then, what do you want, Mr. I-dress-like-a-Shrinemaiden?" Asked Mistress Aqua, smiling with her eyes closed. Unfortunately for them, Xellos' request was simple, to the point, and easily dealt with.
 
* * *
 
"That looks like land." Amelia pointed out a spot on the horizon. "I think that we should stop for the evening." Everyone else pretty much agreed. They were just as tired. Even though they were almost halfway to Wolf Pack Island, it was still time for a rest.
 
"I think that that's the Empire of Jeilacia." Valgarv pointed at the map. Particularly the western continent.
 
"Jeilacia?! We can't stop there!" Filia's frantic voice came echoing up.
 
"Flare Bit!" The Trickster Priest's blast smashed into Filia's wing as well as the rest of their backs. They plummeted, unconscious, towards the ground. Xellos chuckled briefly, and then levitated them down gently. Quickly, he cast the spell he had learned from the Claire Bible, and grabbed Naga. "Lina must be getting lonely, so I'll know she'll be overjoyed when I bring back her old friend." He left a note about her, and vanished.
 
A few minutes later, Valgarv was the first to awaken from the blast. "Damn that Xellos! " He hissed, but quickly realized that he couldn't do anything about Xellos right now, and walked over to the nearest one. "Filia, wake up."
 
"Huh? What happened?" Filia sounded a little different.
 
"What? What's the matter?" He held the blade of his dual spear out, and she shrieked at her reflection. Her fangless reflection. "No! I said that it would be nice to have my age count for more, but I didn't mean it THIS way!" Then she frowned. "Val, I think that you should look in that blade." She had noticed that he was missing his horn. "
 
"My power's gone!" The Ancient Dragon was stunned as the realization hit home. "I'm... human!"
 
"And so am I!" Both he and Filia wailed despondently.
 
"Wha?" Garv was standing with Amelia looking at them.
 
"Well, I guess not everything can be considered bad." Muttered Filia. Garv without his powers reassured her a little.
 
"It's a miracle!" Zelgadis was jubilant as he crashed through the bushes.
 
"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia was stunned. She had never expected to see him as a human.
 
"Huh?" Zel noticed the note pinned to Amelia's shoulder. He grabbed it and read it. "Yare, yare, losers. I've sealed a little something-something, and taken the busty girl to Wolf Pack Island. Follow me if you can, and at least try to get back what you've lost. Signed, Xellos. P.S.: Enjoy Jeilacia."
 
"That namagomi!" Filia seemed to catch fire with rage.
 
"But, why did he change you?" Asked Amelia.
 
"It's simple. Because our powers were intertwined with who we were, he had to alter our bodies so that those traits could not be used. For example, Filia's dragon powers are completely natural to her. Because Filia's flight is connected directly to her dragon form, sealing her powers would do nothing, since we could fly back to the Katahto Mountains or Seyruun, and get someone to break the spell. However, by turning her into a human, now Filia only had access to magic. If he had left her in her Dragon form, Filia would need to remain in an extraordinarily powerful seal. You see, he would've been able to restrain her, maybe. Holding Valgarv would've been almost impossible, and even with Beastmaster's aid, holding Garv in a seal would've been futile. This was really the simplest way."
 
"At least he got rid of Naga for us." Added Garv.
 
Filia put her finger to her chin. "I wonder why he did that?"
 
* * *
 
"Lina! You've got to meet this woman! She's so fun!" Gourry came rushing into the dining hall breathless.
 
"Who?"
 
"This woman. I forget her name, but Xellos brought her here, and she's really neat. She says she knows you."
 
"Hmm. I wonder who it is."
 
"Oh-hohohohohohohohoho!" Lina dropped her fork in sudden horror. Xellos couldn't! He wouldn't! He couldn't be THAT cruel, could he?
 
"What an awesome laugh!" Added Gourry.
 
"Lina Inverse! At last we meet again! Have you decided to return as a sidekick to the great Naga the Serpent? Or will you continue to be his sidekick?"
 
"WHAT?!" Lina growled her anger.
 
"She's right, Lina. Since I am your protector, it does make you my sidekick. I guess I just forgot all about it."
 
"MEGA-BRAND!" The flat-chested sorceress screamed. Nothing happened.
 
"I've overridden your spells. I'm sorry, but I really prefer it if you didn't blow up my keep." Beastmaster languidly breathed the words in a cloud of smoke.
 
"This day can't get any worse." She thought.
 
"Maybe she can be a sidekick for both of us." Gourry said the words as he snapped his fingers.
 
"An excellent idea! Now, sidekick, come with us!"
 
Lina shook her head. "Naga, give it up. You can't do anything that I can't do better."
 
"Oh-hohohohohohohoho! How about this then? Pure Flare!" Naga cast the Holy spell directly at Lina.
 
"Hey! I thought you were negating magic!" Lina screamed at Xellas.
 
"I'm not touching a Holy spell, even with a ten-foot pole."
 
"HOLY?! The Bondage Queen of Darkness can use HOLY magic?!" Lina was wrong. The day could and was getting worse.
 
* * *
 
"What do you mean 'I think we're lost'?!" To say that Zelgadis was irate was to say the least. The ex-chimera was furious that he was back to human form, but wandering in some primeval forest on a foreign continent. It was not high on his 'to do' list.
 
"Mr. Zelgadis, I see the city!" Amelia yelled from above them. It must've been Xellos' idea, he thought, that only Amelia would retain her power.
 
'Where is it?" He yelled back.
 
"About a day's walk away." Amelia landed with her usual grace, getting her foot caught in a branch on the way down. After Amelia had picked herself up, they headed towards the city.
 
"It's getting dark. Let's stop for the night." Said Filia. The others agreed, and they began to clear away some of the loose brush before it got totally dark. "What did Xellos mean when he said that he would turn the world into another Sairaag, I wonder," she murmured.
 
"It means that he's going to destroy the world." Said Amelia bleakly. All but Zelgadis looked at her with stunned expressions. "Sairaag was where Lina summoned the Lord of Nightmares and where Phibrizzo was destroyed. The Lord of Nightmares destroyed the entire city along with Hellmaster."
 
"That's why he took Lina!" Snapped Valgarv. 'Whatever he's planning to do, a Giga Slave would ruin it. The Lord of Nightmares chose not to destroy the world the last time that she came here, and Xellos knows that no matter what, Lina would ruin his chances entirely."
 
Garv sat there, face impassive. Yet, inside, he knew exactly what Xellos and Xellas were doing. It was, after all, a plan agreed on by them all.
 
* * *
 
"Are you quite sure?" Ask one of those who the Demon Dragon King thought about. She puffed her cigarette delicately.
 
"Yes, Lord Beastmaster." Answered the other. He was unaccustomed to having authority put on him in any way. But, he did have to endure it.
 
"Well, you will simply need to put a stop to it all. The last thing that we need is another one of them against us."
 
Xellos grimaced at what she had considered. "Lord Beastmaster, I would not be able to serve you with the wounds I would would recieve from doing as you asked." He did not relish the thought of entering a city full of mediumly powerful beings that were resilient against his own powers.
 
"I did not ask you to do as such right now. Silly little Xellos, later is as good as now, as long as you do as I have said." Beastmaster languidly inhaled. The unfiltered nicotine filled her lungs with a rapturous dance. So intent was she on her addiction, as much as he on his thoughts of avoidance, that they did not notice the two figures that left via Raywing. Of course, the snoring covered it up as well, but that did not matter. All that mattered was that four people thought that they had each been supremely clever. They were right, to various degrees.
 
"Well, little Xelly is a bad girl. Bad, bad, bad!" The image in the pool wavered and disappeared. It became as clear as the water outside the building. "Little Xelly and annoying Xelly are both bad, bad, bad." The young girl giggled. "Annoying Xelly is now as bad as bad is bad which is really bad. Bad people are wrong. Big brother is just as dumb as little Xelly is bad but not annoying Xelly is." The giggling girl somehow made sense to herself. She jumped up, and started to wonder what to do. Then, a thought glimmered in her eyes.
 
"Bad needs hurt that will hurt it bad but the hurt will be good to get the bad. Annoying Xelly BAD! Biggest brother can hurt bad BAD!" Clear blue eyes glimmered laughter at joke she had thought of. It was a doozy of a cosmic irony, this one...