The darkness rolled around in the small sphere like a dissipating
fog cloud, whorls of inky blackness eventually giving way to the dimly
shining vision of red hair and an emblazoned golden hexagram. The picture
was choppy, grainy; this far out, the Vision spell that maintained the
crystal ball's enchantment was strained to the limit. However, to the pale
hands holding it, even a choppy image was enough.
	*What do you have to report?*, came the voice from within the
sphere, pushing at the listener's mind. Telepathy and Vision combined.
It'd taken a while but it'd been easy enough to figure out. Maybe a magic
amplifier was involved. Knowing how it worked didn't make it any more
comfortable, however.
	"We just left Ralteague and the caravan. Soon we'll be heading
into the Coastal Alliance, and then into the ruins of the Elmekia Empire. 
Also, the 'cycle' appears to be over, for what that's worth."
	*Your voice is full of doubt. You can't hide it from me.*
	"Why shouldn't it be? I have lots of doubts. But I'm doing what
you wanted. Isn't that enough?"
	The hooded face gave a slight smirk, if the faint twitching of her
delicate lips could be called that. *Now, now.* Lady Erika replied softly,
though there was no masking the venom in her tone. *You need to trust me.
In the north of the Alliance is a city called Alamin. The temple there is
where we shall strike. Be ready to act.*
	The servant figure nodded, idly twirling with the overlarge hood
of her cloak. "Hai."
	*Good girl.*

				<----->

Improfanfic presents...

                           Slayers Glorious!
                         Started by Todd Harper

             Chapter 9: Ambushed! Traitor in the Dragon's Fang!
                         Written by Todd Harper

				<----->

	"Naga..."
	The black sorceress turned from her position at the head of the
party to see who had spoken, and found it to be Getehl; Mari and Actinaea
were thankfully distracted looking over the notes Harus had given them for
the now-useless Mipliss Lance spell. "What?" she asked, keeping it terse.
Being so close to Saillune was putting her in a foul mood.
	"I'm not meaning to pry, but wh..."
	"...what's in Saillune that I'm so willing to go out of my way to
avoid it? Is that your question?" the White Serpent snapped, letting her
pace fall a bit so she could keep in time with Getehl and not strain her
neck. A black-gloved hand came up and brushed a dark lock of raven hair
from the sorceress' face, and she sighed. "It's personal. Deeply personal.
I have no reason to ever go back to Saillune, and that's that," she
responded flatly, giving Getehl her best "I dare you to argue with me"
look.
	For his part, the swordsman decided to take the path of least
resistance. "I frankly could care less. You and I are both experienced
travelers." Getehl sighed also, tipping the wide brim of his hat. "But
those two," he added, jerking his thumb back at the two Guild magicians,
"are not. Ace is keeping it inside for the sake of her job, but
Mari-chan..."
	Naga's eyebrows reached for the sky. "Ace?" she asked, lips
quirking into a slight smile.
	Getehl's face reddened. "Don't start. 'Actinaea' is just kind of
ponderous to say, isn't it?" Granted, he didn't get to say much else, as a
thick, steel-gilded spellbook caught him full in the back of the head,
sending him sprawling.
	"And exactly what is so PONDEROUS about it, Mr. Mercenary?" came
the rankled voice from behind.
	"OOOOHOHOHOHO! Obviously, someone of your poor breeding can't
understand the ways of a man's heart! Although I've always been of the
opinion that one beats in your chest, Ace-chan. Or lack thereof, anyway.
OOOHOHOHOH!" the White Serpent cackled, placing a gloved hand to her
mouth and letting loose with a royal utter Bitchlaugh(tm).
	"Naga-sama..." Mariposa whined, struggling to carry the mass of
spellbooks, scrolls, and other material that had been hastily dropped into
her care as Actinaea turned to respond.
	A vein throbbed in Actinaea's forehead as she took a dramatic
pose, pointing at Naga for all she was worth. "Ha! I won't even start
thinking about the other parts of men's bodies that have been in or on 
YOUR chest, you half-witted hussy! OOOHOHOHOHOHO!"
	The entire group stared, dumbfounded, at Actinaea, whose face had
erupted into a shower of fiery crimson when she'd realized what she'd
done. Tumbleweeds drifted through the area, rustling in the sudden vacuum
created by "Ace"'s sudden and frighteningly accurate Naga imitation.
	Naga made the first attempt at speaking. "You lack vibrato. And
granted, the laugh comes from the breast and the soul, so you're naturally
handicapped there. But you show promise." And with that, the White Serpent
turned on her heel, snagging Getehl with one hand from the ground where he
had immediately facefaulted, once he'd gotten up. "Come, Getehl-san. We
have much to discuss!" Dragging the mercenary behind, she started at a
brisk clip down the dusty road they had been travelling.
	"Naga-sama! Wait for meeeeee!" Mari wailed, trundling after her
idol at top speed, books and scrolls bouncing precariously in midair as
she hopped along.
	By the time Actinaea's senses came back to her, the entire party
was well into the distance, heading toward a walled town set vaguely on
the horizon. Vowing to wash her mouth out with lye at the first
opportunity, the Praetor murmured a subvocal Ray Wing and shot through the
air after her companions.

				<----->

	A great tower of stone loomed up before the travelers as they
made their way through the city, seeming to extend into the very sky
itself. The actual homes and shops of the small village were clustered
around a needle-like spire of stone that looked as if it had erupted from
the very earth itself, then locked into place. Clouds circled the higher
parts of the spire as it stretched toward the heavens.
	"Sugoi!" Mari bubbled, adjusting the straps of her extremely large
travelling knapsack, which had begun to teeter and wobble in its
precarious position on her slight shoulders. "It's so tall! Naga-sama,
have you ever been here before?"
	Taking purposeful strides at the head of the party, Naga turned
and gave Mariposa a slight nod. "This city is famous for that rock,
Mari-chan. If you look closely near the top, you can see small towers and
crenellations built into the stone itself. Those are connected through
tunnels inside. The entire place is assumed to have been a temple of the
Ancient Dragon race which was wiped out in the Kouma War, so they've been 
named the 'Dragon's Fangs'."
	The White Serpent's young fangirl clapped her hands together, 
beaming. "Wai! You're so knowledgeable, Naga-sama!"
	Actinaea, who was keeping a close bead on Mari and a wary eye on
Naga, hmphed, her lips curling into a derisive sneer. "And what brought
the incomparable White Serpent to a small burg like this? Or are you
really a ruin destroyer, like Li..."
	"FOR your information, chestless crone," Naga interrupted loudly,
knocking over a nearby pedestrian through raw force of lung capacity
alone, "I came here to research a spell I was creating. A summoning
magic."
	Actinaea raised an eyebrow. "What kind of summoning magic would
require you to come to THIS out of the way mudhole?" she queried,
incredulous that Naga was even capable of creating a summoning magic,
considered to be one of the most difficult of spell types.
	Naga hmphed. "Naturally, one that summons dragons." The entire
party stopped utterly flat. When she realized she was no longer being
followed, Naga turned around and gazed at her companions. "Why am I
getting this reaction all of a sudden?"
	Getehl was the first to speak. "Are you trying to say you have a
way to summon dragons? Real dragons? Like, the firebreathing kind?"
	Mariposa's eyes shone with curiosity. "Ne, ne, PLEASE summon a
dragon, Naga-sama! I've never seen one!"
	Actinaea snorted. "You must be joking. No matter how competent she
may be," the Guild mage said, slipping in a heavy dose of grudging
admittance, "there has yet to be any sorcerer I can think of who can
summon a dragon and control it long enough for the spell to be worth
creating." She leveled a smug smile at Naga, who returned the
multi-megawatt stare. "Jellyfish or garden slugs seem more her speed."
	The White Serpent laughed. "OOHOHOHOHOHO! Keep right on talking,
you walking sorcerous ironing board. If you think you're going to goad me
into summoning a Dimos Dragon in the middle of a city, you're out of what 
remains of your tiny little mind." She smiled smugly back at Actinaea, who
was far too stunned to reply. "Now then. I'm quite famished and we've got
plenty of work to do in this town before we head east toward Elmekia. So
unless there are objections..." she declared, raising a questioning
eyebrow.
	Her three companions didn't even move a muscle. Lord forbid they
should get between Naga and food, especially when she'd been so out of it
lately. There was no telling what she'd do, especially now that she and
Actinaea had finally recovered their powers.
	"...then we're going to find an inn and get something to eat.
Come, Mari-chan! I shall explain more about the time we fought those Brass
Demons in Darata."
	"Hai!"
	There was a long pause after the pair left, until Getehl started
pulling on Actinaea's arm. "Come on. We might as well get something to
eat."
	"Dimos Dragon my backside! I'll show her a Dimos Dragon, right
between those THINGS living on her chest!" the Praetor suddenly ranted as
she snapped out of her stunned shock, until she was bodily carried down
the street by an apologetic and resigned-looking Getehl.

				<----->

	"Begin, Getehl!"
	The mercenary rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Naga, are you sure
you want to do this?" He looked around nervously; the entire group of
diners at the Fang's Foot Inn had crowded around to watch Naga face down
her male companion in the large, open area of the common room. Mari and
Actinaea sat to the side, the former's eyes riveted and bright, the
latter's face filled with scorn.
	The White Serpent raised a hand to her mouth. "Oohohohoho. Of
course I am! If Mari is to come into her own as my protege, then she will
need to have a well-rounded education!"
	Getehl shrugged, raising his sword into a fighting stance. The
crowd drew in a sharp, collective breath. "If you say so. Ready?"
	"Definately. Begin!"
	Getehl drew in a deep breath, preparing himself. Naga merely
smirked, placing a hand at her hip. The tension in the air was as thick as
the soup the innkeeper had begun to pass around like popcorn at a
ballgame.
	Getehl made his move.
	"I don't which is bigger, your breasts or your ego!"
	Naga laughed, turning her head. "They are both equally majestic!"
	"And what's with the clothes? Are you some kind of mystic whore?"
	"Ha! A mere moment with the White Serpent would cost more than
your entire family would earn in seventeen lifetimes!"
	"Is that with inflation?" Actinaea muttered under her breath.
	Getehl sweatbeaded. "Uh...uhh..." He tapped his sword on the
floor, trying to think. Mari and the crowd were watching with eager
anticipation; Actinaea simply sat and stared in disbelief, trying to
comprehend whether or not the event was actually happening. "God knows why
you're the WHITE Serpent. Shouldn't you have a full body tan in that
getup?"
	Naga smirked. "Not even the sun would dare besmirch the
milky-white alabaster skin of the White Serpent!"
	The war continued. "Do you dress like that for attention? Or are
you just confused?"
	"At least I didn't wake up this morning and throw on a burlap 
SACK, like some people I could mention."
	"Is that the skull of the last person who heard you laugh?"
	"Oohohoho! Even a simple laugh from the White Serpent sends her
foes trembling into defeat!"
	"...or deafness..." Actinaea mumbled again.
	Getehl smirked, and pointed. "I'm glad you've got those things on
your chest. The Goldfish's Feces is supposed to fl..."
	"*Freeze Arrow*!"
	Before he could finish the insult, Getehl was encased head to toe
in a block of clear blue ice. "Ooohohoho! Too slow!" She flipped a lock of
hair over her shoulder and turned to Mariposa. "That's the rule. Get then
infuriated, frustrated. Be the goddess you were meant to be...then kick
their asses when they're not looking."
	"Hai, Naga-sama!" Mari-chan said, beaming.

				<----->

	Morning brought a clear day (as well as the eventual thawing of
Getehl) for the quartet to begin their ascent of the Dragon's Fangs. The
huge temple mountain loomed like the wrath of Ceipheed over our heroes,
piercing the clouds in its immense height.
	"Ne, Naga-sama..." Mari asked, checking the straps on her
backpack. "Why can't we just use Levitation or Ray Wing to get up to the
top?"
	Naga grinned and patted Mari on the back. "That's a good
question, Mari-chan. There's a very good reason which I'm sure that
Ace-chan will provide..."
	"STOP calling me that!" Actinaea snapped, adjusting the straps on
her own climbing pack. She lashed out and slapped a nearby Getehl on the
arm in frustration. "This is all your fault."
	"Yes, ma'am," Getehl grumbled in apology.
	Straightening her shirt, Actinaea turned back to Mariposa, who was
struggling to keep upright under the hoard of climbing gear (both Mari's
and Naga's; the price of knowledge is servitude, after all) attached to
her back. "As you know, Mariposa, those spells are Air-type Shamanism. Up
in the higher elevations of mountains and peaks, the air gets very, very
thin and it gets difficult to breathe. If we tried to fly up that far, the
spells would stop working at the highest elevations."
	Naga nodded. "And since the main temple room is near the top of
the peak, we'd never make it all the way simply by flying." Surprisingly,
Naga hadn't burdened Mari with *all* of her gear; a rope, grappling hook,
hand spikes, and other small items were attached to the sword belt of her
costume, "Also, it's very cold at higher elevations, which is why we're
all dressed warmer than usual."
	Getehl raised an eyebrow. "But what about you?" As Naga had
stated, everyone else had brought fur-lined cloaks for the cold travel up
the mountain...except Naga, who was still dressed the same as ever.
	"Oohohoho! The bright flame of the goddess within is what keeps me
warm," the White Serpent replied, tying the last securing rope and
stretching slightly, making Getehl remarkably uncomfortable. "Now, let's
get started. Hopefully, we can hit the peak by nightfall if we keep a
steady pace."
	Actinaea raised an eyebrow. "That's a fairly liberal time
estimate," she said. "How do you plan on doing that?"
	Naga hmphed. "I assumed that between the two of us, we could get
near the air limit with Ray Wing, then walk the rest of the way. That will
probably cut a good amount of time off the trek, and it's a good chance to
show Mari-chan a little of the subtle tricks of the spell."
	There was a leaden pause, and Actinaea smirked caustically. "A
compliment from the White Serpent, in the most inconspicuous of guises.
I'm impressed, Naga."
	Naga raised an eyebrow in response, and for a moment Getehl and
Mari twitched nervously, ready to duck in case the two got into another
fight. Instead, however, the White Serpent merely mirrored Actinaea's
smirk. "You're a competent mage. There's no reason to deny it. Unlike you,
however, I'm willing to accept what I've seen of that, rather than
clinging to an outdated first impression." There was another moment of
silence, until Naga cut it by casting a spell. "*Ray Wing*! Come,
Mari-chan. You're with me."
	"Hai!" the apprentice bubbled, before she and Naga shot upwards in
the spell's shield of hardened air.
	The moment of silence extended into awkwardness for Getehl as he
watched to the two black-clad magicians fly off toward the mountain,
before he heard Actinaea finally speak. "Are you ready? You're with me."
	"Actinaea-san..."
	Getehl turned to find the purple-clad, silver-haired woman's face
dyed a sharp shade of red. "What?" she inquired sharply, also chanting the
Ray Wing spell and lifting both of them into the air, standing in the
shaped sphere of wind that held them aloft.
	<And apart...> Getehl noted with a sigh. "Listen. I didn't mean
for Naga to hear that and blow it out of proportion like she did. I just
thought that such a cold-sounding name wasn't appropriate for a woman
like..."
	"Shut up," the Praetor said, seething. "Just shut up before you
make it any worse, alright? We're going to the top of the mountain to
satisfy Naga's whim, and then we're moving on. And when we finally get to
the accursed Bell, you and I are going to part ways and that will be
*that*," she hissed, emphasizing the last word sharply, and keeping her
focus intently on the mountain and catching up to Naga, her face
conveniently turned away from Getehl's. "Understand?"
	Sighing, Getehl leaned back against the 'wall' of the sphere and
crossed his arms, pulling the brim of his hat over his eyes and attempting
to get as much out of the ride as he could. "Yeah. Thanks for clearing
that up for me, Actinaea-san."

				<----->

	The journey up the mountain, once the group had abandoned the Ray
Wing spells as they became unstable, was actually fairly uneventful. This
was mainly due to the catacomb-like nature of the Dragon's Fangs; once
they had climbed to a sufficient height to find an entrance, the group was
able to enter the inside of the mountain itself and the ancient temple and
living structures inside that the Ancient Dragons had abandoned.
	The flickering glow of three Lighting spells was all that
illuminated the interior of the caverns as the party made their way
upwards, using preexisting staircases and the like when possible, and
using their climbing gear for the rest. As the day slowly turned to
afternoon, the precious few light shafts that had been carefully carved
into the mountain's sides by the Dragons stained the interior of the
mountain a dim, dark orange color, a harsh contrast to the soft white of
the Lighting spells.
	"Naga..." Getehl questioned, adjusting his sword belt as he
climbed an outcropping, which had once been a great statue that time had
rendered into nothing more than unrecognizable chunks of stone. "Isn't
temple robbing a bit cliche? There's no one here to get anything from."
	"I don't think she's here to rob any priests, as amusing an image
as that is," Actinaea explained from below, also making her way up the
stone. "If my guess is right, there's some sort of library stashed away in
here."
	"True enough," came Naga's reply from a stone outcropping above,
where she and Mariposa stood resting, the only figures visible over the
edge Actinaea and Getehl were attempting to climb. "Most temples have
magic libraries of some sort, Getehl. Magi consider temples to be safe
places for such things, since very few people are callous enough to attack
a priest," she explained, some bitterness creeping into her tone, which
confused Getehl slightly.
	Deciding to question her about it later, the mercenary simply
ahh'ed and nodded his head, continuing to climb. "So you think there might
be something on the Bell in this library?"
	A sharp laugh was sounded from below. "Not bloody likely,"
Actinaea responded acidly, beginning to catch up with Getehl, though it
was obvious that the physical exertion in high altitudes was getting to
her. It occurred to the swordsman that he'd forgotten his own saying from
yesterday; while he and Naga were accustomed to such things, Ace and
Mariposa were doing they best they could. He silently wondered if
Actinaea's stamina during the trip wasn't just her own way of getting at
Naga.
	"No, you're right. There's not likely to be anything on the Bell
here," Naga admitted, glancing over her shoulder at something.
	Getehl stopped. "Then *why* are we climbing all this way? Just to
admire the scenery?!"
	Naga shook her head, looking back at Getehl from whatever it was
that had distracted her previously. "Silly man. We're here because I want
to find out more about what the Bell actually does. There's bound to be a
book in that library that describes beings that can only be brought into
this world during a correct stellar conjunction. If we can deduce what it
will be ahead of time, then we'll be prepared when we're attacked trying
to retrieve the item."
	Actinaea blinked once as she caught up to Getehl, who curiously
put a hand on her arm as they paused on the rock, side by side and very
close to the top. The serious look on his face stopped her from doing
anything drastic, and he made a motion for her to continue the
conversation. Coughing, the Guild Praetor broke the silence, speaking in a
flat tone. "How could you be so callous? If you knew we would be attacked
by someone when we found the Bell, why bring Mariposa along? She'd be in
danger."
	"No, actually," came the reply in a completely different voice
from above, a familiar voice. "I'm really okay, Actinaea-sensei. And
Naga-sama's talking this way because I'm holding a knife to her back. So
if you could please come up to the ledge and tell Getehl-san to put away
that dagger, we can finish this up quick and head home."
	A look of horror spread across Getehl and Actinaea's faces as they
clung to the rock, frozen. "Mari...chan?" Getehl ventured, uncertain and
at best unwilling to believe that what he was hearing was correct.
	"Hai, Getehl-kun," came the standard reply he had come to expect
over the course of the past few weeks, although the bright soprano of her
voice was thick with tremors, as if she were very nervous. "Please hurry
on up so I don't have to kill Naga-sama."
	<Even if she was raised in Singe...> Getehl thought, forcing
himself to throw a hand up to the ledge and begin to pull both himself and
a nearly-catatonic Actinaea onto it, <...why would she attack Naga? Can
she be that good an actress?>
	As she and Getehl raised themselves onto the ledge, Actinaea
finally understood why Naga had stopped: in all the time they'd been
climbing, she'd not been keeping track of the height. The ledge was, in
fact, the expansive cavern that had been carved out of the mountain's
peak, the temple library. Stacks of books higher than some peasant homes
lined the walls, and only the faint silver glow of moonlight and Naga's
remaining Lighting spell served to keep the place from being shrouded in
utter darkness.
	"Good. Now that we're all here," the White Serpent observed,
remarkably calm, "I'm sure that there's an excellent reason for this,
isn't there, Mariposa?" She didn't budge an inch, and Actinaea was forced
to give her large-breasted companion some credit: she had guts.
	Getehl, on the other hand, was focusing on Mariposa, and his
suspicion was right. She had guts too...but it was obvious that she didn't
really have a desire to hurt Naga, since the knife in her hand was making
barely perceptible shakes, which only an experienced fighter like he (or
possibly even Naga herself) might notice. "Mari-chan, please...don't do
this. Just put down the knife."
	Shaking her head wildly, her recently-curled blonde hair bobbing
about, Mari grabbed Naga by the waist and forced her a step backward. "I
can't!" She was close to tears. "I just can't! None of you would
understand. You're not from where I'm from. Actinaea-sensei, Naga-sama,
Getehl-kun...gomen. But I've got things I need to do." She gave up on
holding back her emotions, tears making small channels down her face.	
	"You're not going to stab me, Mariposa-chan," Naga said,
reassuringly. She made a slight movement and was rewarded with a further
press of cold steel against the bare flesh of her back.
	"Naga, don't do anything stupid," Getehl warned, keeping his hands
where Mari could see them, away from the hilt of the sword he 'inherited'
from Borlas.
	"Damn," Actinaea swore, keeping her hands also where they could be
seen, making sure Mari knew she wasn't casting anything untoward.
"Mariposa, please. We'll do whatever your demands are. Just don't do
anything that would ruin your future."
	"She won't," Naga said to Actinaea, reassuringly. "She's a coward
at heart. All people from Singe are. I bet she comes from an entire family
of cowards, in fact," the White Serpent sneered, turning her head ever so
slightly to look at her captor. "Isn't that right, Mari-chan?"
	The youth's face turned dark crimson in anger, and Getehl watched
with baited breath as the knife's trembling doubled, and his hand began to
edge toward his sword as he realized what Naga had planned. "You...don't
you DARE talk about my fa..." Mari began, but was soon cut off as Naga
spun about, driving her knee into Mari's gut while he guard was down,
snatching the knife in one smooth movement.
	"You didn't learn your lesson very well, did you, Mari-chan? Ah
well. I blame Actinaea," the White Serpent said casually.
	Actinaea blinked, running over to Mari and kneeling down next to
her, before looking at Naga with utter rage. "How could you? She's just a
child. She looks up to you!" Standing, the Praetor took a step toward the
black sorceress, but was stopped by the cold look in Naga's eyes, a look
she'd never quite expected to see in them at all...
	...Maternal instinct.
	Naga stepped into the center of the room, stowing the appropriated
knife. "Now then," she began, raising her voice. "I know you're in here,
so you might as well come out."
	From the high, vaulted ceiling of the room came a derisive snort,
and Naga, Getehl, and Actinaea's eyes were drawn to a flash of dark
crimson that dropped to the floor with barely a blink. Shaking his head,
Torr drew his sword, keeping his distance. His lips curled into a
disapproving, sad frown as he looked on the fallen form of Mariposa. "Poor
little butterfly. I told her to fly away and she didn't listen. And drop
that spell, White Serpent," he warned, eyeing Naga.
	Any attempt Torr would have made to step forward, however, was
interrupted by the brilliant flash of blue lightning that coruscated from
ground to ceiling in front of him. "That was a warning shot," Actinaea
said darkly, her grey eyes hooded. "You won't get a second. I want an
explanation for this and I want it NOW."
	Sighing, the red-haired man put up his weapon, then backed a step
away. "I don't have one to give you, because I didn't have anything to do
with this. I'll tell you that my employer planted someone with you, to
report your position, and that when the time was ripe she was to arrange
an attack." He glanced again at Mariposa. "If I'd had known it was just a
little girl, I wouldn't have agreed to it."
	Getehl frowned, drawing Borlas' oversized sword. "Why are you
telling us this? Who are you, anyway?"
	"He's Torr," Naga said darkly, hands folded across her chest.
"It took me a while to figure it out, but now that I've got a better
look it's making sense. In the city of Saillune, his particular brand of
mayhem, carnage, and assassination is somewhat famous in darker circles.
His mercenaries are top-notch, his jobs clean, effective, and most of the
time barely legal. Am I correct, Mr. Red Haired Stranger?" she asked,
raising an eyebrow.
	Torr bowed with a mocking flourish. "I'm flattered. But I could
never match the trickery and technique of the Saillune royal family for
assassinations, could I...Naga?" he said, eyes narrowing. At the 
intimation he'd made, Naga's dark blue eyes shone in anger. "That Chaos
String trick may have worked against amateurs like Booley, but this is the
real deal you're facing now, White Serpent-chan. Do us all a favor and
just let this silly thing go. Singe doesn't need a guild." He turned to
Actinaea. "Rhaen's a fool. You know it. Why support him?" Finally, he
turned to Getehl. "You've got talent, too. Smarts. I could find a place
for you somewhere and we could ditch the servant game for good. Just
think," Torr said, grinning toothily. "No more Greebo. You could even find
little Luanni and settle down."
	At the mention of Luanni's name, Getehl's grip on his sword
tightened, and he made a motion to charge forward, only to find Naga's
gloved arm blocking his path. "Are you done?" she asked, frowning.
	"Of course."
	"Good." Turning once, Naga looked down at the crumpled form of
Mariposa, fetal on the floor, then looked back at Torr with a gaze that
made even Actinaea flinch, once she caught a glimpse of it. The White
Serpent's voice was even, calm. "Now let me tell you something about the
'real deal', Torr-san. If you know anything about Naga the White Serpent,
you know she's been chasing a rival all across the continent for years
now. She wanted to be recognized more than anything. She wanted fame and
fortune." Taking another step around, she turned her back on Torr and
continued. "But you know? That little girl you've somehow tricked into
betraying me...she didn't have the same beginnings I did. And if I don't
do something for her, then she's going to spend her teen years chasing
after someone's shadow too. And I *won't allow it*. I don't give a damn
about you, your employer, or the Guild of Stick-chick over there," she
added, jerking a thumb at Actinaea. "Right now, that little girl's what
I'm worried about, and that's why *BURST ROND*!"
	Everyone in the room blinked in surprise as a flurry of small
explosions erupted around Torr, blinding him as Naga quickly turned around
and began to run at a fast clip, a Freeze Arrow already on the tips of her
fingers and flying at Torr. "That's what you get for listening to
sentimental nonsense, assassin!"
	However, the bright blue bolt of ice was struck aside as Torr's
glowing blue sword cut through the air with an audible whine. "Feh. I
guess you're your mother's daughter after all." The crimson-haired man
snapped his fingers, a glowing golden magic circle appearing on the floor
around him. "*Vol Ga Dyuga!*"
	Actinaea blinked, falling into a fighting stance, a glowing sphere
of energy forming between her hands. "A summoning magic?" she shouted in
surprise.
	The golden circle resolved into a dark red pentagram, and the
pentagram further resolved into a blaze of black flame which erupted
upwards. From the flame were formed five wolf-like shapes. "Just a minor
trick I picked up," the red-haired man shouted with a wild grin, charging
Actinaea.
	However, at the last second a large, well-sharpened blade clanged
against the glowing blue blade, saving the Praetor from certain death.
Getehl's eyes were lit with bloodlust as he grinned up at Torr. "I'll be
the one you fight," he said, pushing against the clinch of the blades and
eventually succeeding in pushing Torr back a few steps. Immediately, the
mercenary leapt at the crimson haired man. "Using little girls...that's
low, even for a killer."
	Actinaea paused, watching the deadly, beautiful dance of sword on
sword as Torr and Getehl faced off. Although Getehl's fury was driving
him, it was obvious that Torr's age and experience were the upper hand.
She seemed frozen, unable to move, until the sounds of explosions brought
her back to the waking world. Turning, she saw Naga standing over Mari's
body, a barrier protecting both of them from the wolves of black flame,
all of which were sending blistering blasts of their breath weapons, a
blast of dark lightning, at Naga's shield.
	"If you wouldn't mind making yourself useful, Actinaea, now would
be a good time," the White Serpent said through gritted teeth.
	Nodding and deciding to keep her words for another time, Actinaea
dashed over to the White Serpent, holding both hands in front of her and
chanting slowly. "Wind which blows from the east, spirits which defend the
weak, gather in my hand and become my strength...*Windy Shield*!"
Instantly, a second barrier erupted around the first, blunting the salvos
of dark lightning. "What ARE they?"
	"Garms," Naga said, letting her barrier go and catching her
breath for a moment. "Beasts that live in the ruins of the Elmekia Empire.
These are demonic in some way though...only Astral magic is going to do us
any good."
	The garms, finding their breath weapons useless, had taken to
bashing themselves into Actinaea's barrier, and with each impact the
strain showed on her face more and more. "Do you know anything that would
work?"
	Naga shook her head. "Not that will hit them all at once, no...and
they won't stop until they're all dead." She laughed bitterly, clutching a
hand to her side. "I didn't think I'd die like this," Naga said quietly.
"But at least I'll die doing something worthwhile."
	Actinaea blinked, turning to look at her travelling companion of
the past few weeks. She was forced to admit...a change had occurred in the
White Serpent. True, she was still greedy, vain, selfish, egotistical, and
impractical. But on the same token, Actinaea had seen her put her life on
the line to protect Mariposa, even after she'd threatened her with a
knife. "Naga..."
	{You don't need to die,} interrupted a voice, a dark voice like
the rasp of wind over a grave.
	Naga's face shadowed. "No more demons! Leave us be!"
	Actinaea blinked. "Who are you talking to?"
	{You don't need to die. Your spirit called us here. If you want to
save them, we'll give you that power,} the voice reassured.
	Naga frowned. "I've had enough trickery for one day. How do I know
I can trust you?"
	Actinaea began to falter, the repeated attacks of the garm pack
straining her ability to keep the shield going. "Naga, please...you've got
to do something, I can't keep this up much longer..."
	{You must trust us. You have no choice.}
	Nodding once, and saying no more, the White Serpent stood, both
hands outstretched. A flickering, prismatic glow began to collect between
her palms and as she began to speak, an otherworldly, haunting quality
slipped into her normally arrogant, flippant voice. "You who roam forever,
you pitiful and twisted souls that suffer. With our purifying light,
gather in my hands and become my strength, destroy those who threaten us!
*Megido Arc*!"
	As the last words of the spell died away, the shimmering, rainbow
light in Naga's hands erupted into a white-red flash that filled the room.
Although vaguely visible, dark red spirals of flame erupted from the
ground around the garm, twisting about them like chains. The unearthly
howling of the demon dogs soon filled the air as the flaming bonds grew
brighter and larger, until the wolf-demons were utterly burned away,
leaving nothing but faint mystic sparkles as their spirits were torn apart
by the spell Naga had cast.
	As the light faded, silence dominated the cavernous room. Both
Getehl and Torr had stopped their duel when the pulse had come, and none
to soon for Getehl, whose body was crisscrossed with cuts and other
injuries incurred fighting Torr. However, the reprieve became more
permanent as Torr gritted his teeth, swore loudly, and jumped high into
the air, disappearing into the shadows of the room.
	Naga slumped to her knees over Mariposa's unconscious body,
looking at her hands as Actinaea rushed to aid Getehl. "What was that?"
Naga demanded in a harsh whisper. "What power did I use?"
	{You used that which is your true strength. You dipped into the
well of your past. You called upon a strength which has been long denied
to humans. We have given you this gift. This Divine Magic.}
	Naga's voice was barely audible. "Divine Magic...the lost legacy
which calls on Ceipheed..."
	{Do not forget who you are. Do not forget what you've become. Do
not forget...} the voice said gently, and then was gone.
	When her senses finally came back to her, Actinaea was supporting
a stumbling Getehl, the bright white light of a Recovery magic slowly
closing the mercenary's wounds. "Naga..." she ventured, and was rewarded 
with seeing the White Serpent rise to her feet.
	"We're going to find that Bell, Praetor," Naga said quietly. "And
when we do, Torr will be there. And I'm going to make him pay."

			  <To Be Continued...>

<----->

Author's Notes:

Finally...Todd has come back to Glorious. Hey, if Lurker can use the
Rock's stupid schtick, then so can I. ^_^

I'm kind of surprised at this seg. There were a lot of times when I sat
down and started writing, and what came out on the screen was a lot
different than what I had intended to do when I sat down at the computer.
Still, I stick by it. I think this was a good seg. I hope other Glorious
readers feel the same.

At the insistence of my prereaders, I've decided to add the following
note: As a series, Slayers has a distinct pattern of episodes. There are
generally a long string of comic episodes where the characters chase a
goal (Next is the best example), then a serious-themed episode where the
characterization shifts slightly and the villains become a more present
threat. Then...the characters have a new (or renewed) goal and set off for
it again, usually with more info, and the tone begins to shift back to
comic episodes. The short version of the above statement is: Please DON'T
make Glorious into an angstful drama just because this particular seg had
darker themes. Comedy is still appropriate and still encouraged.

Megido Arc is part of my overall plan for Naga to learn Divine Magic as
the series goes on. For more about Divine Magic visit QP/Diana's expansive
Dictionary of Magic at:
	 http://member.nifty.ne.jp/QPHOUSE/magic/m_index_e.html

As always, future authors should feel free to contact me if they have any
questions. A big thanks to Illyria, Ard, Ravi, DamienRoc, Phoebe, and 
assorted other prereaders for their suggestions and support.

Oohohohohohoho. And stuff.
>Todd