Kitsune Forest



"You're not leaving the city," the Regent declared in
that cool, 
mysterious monosyllabic manner that his daughter had
never quite been able to 
duplicate.
"But I want to see all those people that depend on us
to provide 
Justice." Her father arched an eyebrow, and shook his
head sadly. He always 
acted like that whenever she talked about Justice.
"No, its not safe," he answered, it was amazing how
she could act so much 
like her mother without having ever known her.
"Dad, I'm an excellent swordswoman, you've been
teaching me magic since I 
could read, and I'm a chimera."
"You're a chimera," he agreed, then turned towards his
desk to look over 
some documents with exaggerated attention. Amethyst
rolled her purple eyes, 
and shrugged her shoulders, determined not to lose
this arguement.
"But isn't that a good thing?" she asks.
"Here, you're the crown princess," he told her. "Out
there 
you're...different." Amethyst scratched her head,
confused.
"But isn't diverisity necessary?" it was almost a
direct quote from one 
of her tutors. Zelgadis smiled, she was distracted
from her request, this 
was good.
"People fear what they do not understand," he
explained.
"But why would..." she narrowed her eyes, unbeknowest
to him acquiring a 
fair similarity to her father. "Wait a minute...this
isn't what I was here 
for." Zelgadis sighed, well it was only a matter of
time before she finally 
caught on to that trick.
"Isn't it time you were practicing your sword
technique?"
"Daaad, I want to travel like you and mom did," she
declared.
"No, you aren't ready for what's out there."
"Aren't you always saying that someday all this
training was going to 
save my life?"
"Yes, but..."
"And aren't you always saying that I should get as
strong as I can?"
"Yes," okay when did she learn to use his own words
against him. "But 
still..."
"Well I can't get any stronger just sitting around
here all the time, can 
I?" she looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please
dad, I want to be the 
best I can be."
"You have a point," he conceded. "Perhaps it is time
for you to learn 
about life outside these walls." She shrieked happily
and hugged him after 
hopping off the floor. She hit the ground with a hard
click, her ivory skin 
contacting the solid stone of castle floor.
"Oh Thank you, thank you," she repeated excitedly.
Then her father 
cleared his throat, she settled down and stood
demurelly and obediantly 
waiting for the conditions. Zelgadis looked her over
quietly, he had never 
quite figured out his daughter's ability to go from
hyper to quiet in a bare 
instant.
"You will have to bring an escort," she started to
protest. "And perhaps 
I know where you should start."
"I was going to look for Lina Inverse," Amethyst
gulped as her father 
whipped around and stared at her. "Everybody knows
about the slayers, Dad. 
You, mom, Gourry, Lina and Xellos."
"Yes, but most people thinks that Lina Inverse is
dead, she wanted it 
that way," he noted. "You've been in your mother's
things." She pouted.
"How else am I going to learn about her, nobody will
tell me anything 
other than the stories about the slayers, and I
suspect they alter them." 
She narrowed her eyes again. "Lina's letters seem to
indicate that she fell 
in love with Xellos after she died."
"Well, I guess it doesn't matter," he grumbled. "If
you head East and 
look for a woman named..."
"Filia? The Dragon-Maid?" Zelgadis stared at her for a
moment.
"You've got this fairly well planned I see," he
commented.
"Well, umm, Dad...you see..."
"Never mind, you are my daughter, I should have
expected you to find 
things out on your own," he admitted. "Yes, go find
Filia, she'll know how 
to find Lina."
"Thank you dad, I'll prepare immediately." She bounced
away happy to be 
seeing one of her Dad's former companions. She'd snuck
into the tomb of 
heros once or twice to see the tombs of her
grandfather, mother and Xellos, 
but Lina was alive, and she could probably tell
Amethyst about her mother. 
Maybe, she doubted it, but maybe, Lina could tell her
how her mother died.

*********

Xalan set the staff across the back of his shoulders
and curled his arms 
around it. He let them drop, making him look almost
like he was dragging a 
plow, as he considered where to go from here. He
normally didn't have 
trouble following a scent or trail, but looking for
his sister was a 
different matter entirely. His ears perked as he
caught the suppressed 
giggle. Xalan sighed and twirled his staff off his
shoulders, poking it into 
the shadow of the tree behind him.
"Hey! Stop that," he poked a couple of more times,
eliciting a hyper 
giggle. "That tickles, stop it!" He set his staff on
the ground and watched 
as his sister's purple haired head, peeked out of the
shadow. It was one of 
those things they could do that their mom said came
from their father. 
"How'd you find me anyway?"
"You laugh too much," he said sitting down as his
sister walked all the 
way out of the shadow and sat down. Over her doe-skin
tunic and breeches she 
was wearing a glittering set of blue scale mail. "Now,
can we get back 
before mom notices you took her armor...again."
"Ummm, not yet," she decided. "Hey, you want to see
what I found?" Xina 
snapped to her feet and started running off.
"Come on, Xina!" he shouted after her. "We don't have,
all that much 
time."
"Oh, don't be such a worry wort, Xal," she turned
around stuck her tongue 
out at him. Xalan's ears perked in surprise then laid
back in annoyance as 
his red furred tail swished along with his mood.
Xina finally stopped at the cliff overlooking the road
through the 
forest. Xalan came up to join her and saw a small, if
well armed, camp down 
below.
"Its just a bunch of inbred nobles," he grumbled.
"I'll bet Val would be interested," his sister whuffed
in annoyance, tail 
flicking once.
"Val's a dragon, he's interested in anything with
money," Xalan stood up 
and started to turn away, then he noticed somebody
stretch and walk away from 
the camp. He sat back down again and watched her. "I'm
going to get a 
closer look."
"See, I knew you'd be interested," Xina smiled
triumphantly.
"Quiet, they'll hear you," Xalan whispered as he
slipped forward. He 
eventually found himself sitting in a shadow high in a
tree watching the 
figure that had caught his eyes. He didn't know
precisely where Xina was, 
but that wasn't exactly top on his mind any more.
The girl wasn't much younger than him, maybe sixteen
or seventeen, a 
fairly young noble to be out on her own with such a
small guard. He couldn't 
help but whuff in disgust at what nobles felt they
needed for safety, he and 
Xina were well capable of handling themselves by
thirteen. Still, he 
suspected this girl could handle herself well without
the guard.
She had stiff hair, like steel wire perhaps, he first
thought it might be 
silver, but the smell was thankfully wrong. Her skin
was sleek and white 
almost like ivory, spotted here and there with what
looked like outcroppings 
of translucent purple crystal or gems. She smelled
like pure metal and 
unblemished stone. Yes, he had been right, the girl
was a chimera like in 
his mom's stories.
"Hey are you looking at that girl?" Xina asked
suddenly nearly slamming 
into him. Xalan wheeled his arms, desperately trying
to keep his balance, 
and failing.
"Whoaa!!!" he was aware of free fall and then slamming
into the ground. 
"Damn it, Xina!"
"Sorry!"
"Excuse me, but you shouldn't spy on people like
that," Xalan looked up 
into the face of his object of study only a few
moments ago.
"Yeah, well we live in this forest," he retorted. "And
you're just 
passing through, so who's got a stronger case here?"
He stood up and brushed 
himself off, as Xina dropped down next to him. The
girl, obviously the noble 
of the party as the guardsmen were now moving to back
her up.
"Should we run these....creatures off?" one of them
asked.
"Why should I want you to do that?" she asked,
surprising both Xina and 
Xalan. They hadn't really been concerned with the
guardsmen, but it was 
still a surprise that this noble girl hadn't taken
offense yet. "They're 
right, they live here we don't."
"Boy, I thought she was a noble," Xina said blinking.
"She doesn't seem 
nearly as stuck on herself as she should."
"Xina..."
"I am a noble," the chimera responded. "I'm Princess
Amethyst Lina 
Greywyrds-Sailoon." Xalan nodded, the name suited her.
"Though, my father 
would agree with you actually."
"Hey, our mom's name is Lina!" Xina declared.
"Really, what are your names?"
"I'm..."
"We're Xina and Xalan Metallium!" Amethyst blinked,
and the guards 
shuffled in surprise.
"As in Xellos Metallium?" she asked, her voice
carrying an awestruck tone. 

************************************************************************

Leaving the Grove



"I said....What are you doing here?" Jolrael's lips
pressed together in a 
thin line as he heard the question. He turned about
and looked up at the elf 
that had asked the question. Sure enough it was
Glithoniel. At sixteen, 
Jolrael looked about three years older than the elf,
but he was human. 
Glithoniel was probably three times his age, and
rather unhappy about the 
"mere human's" rapid growth. Unfortunately, Gourry's
level of social 
maturity also far outstripped the elf's.
"I'm reading," the dark-haired human answered tightly.
He looked back 
down and started turning pages again.
"You call that reading?" the elf taunted. "All your
doing is looking at 
each page for a second or two."
"Actually, its more like half a second," Jolrael
corrected him.
"What's the matter, the pictures not interesting in
that book?" Jolrael 
looked up, honestly puzzeld.
"What pictures?" Then he turned back to the book, he
was almost finished 
and he really didn't want to be interrupted at the
moment. The elf blinked 
in surprise.
"Just like your father," Glith laughed. "Too stupid to
even recognize an 
insult." Jolrael yawned, closed his book and looked
up. Glith scratched his 
head.
"Don't you have anything better to do?" Jolrael
demanded. Glith's hand 
moved from scratching his head to scratching his
shoulder.
"I'm doing my civic duty making sure you Gabrievs
don't clutter up the 
Grove," he was scratching his arms now. "Somebody has
to, even if you 
savages breed like roaches. At least you don't live
much longer."
"I seem to recall that the original Gabriev lived
longer than most 
elves," Jolrael pointed out. He stood up, overtopping
the elf by at least 
two feet, and looked down.
"One freak out of the lot of you," he muttered,
scratching frantically 
now. "Just a bunch of savage idiots."
"And this 'savage idiot' is already quite a bit larger
than you," Jolrael 
pointed out. "Nasty itch by the way, perhaps you
should see my mother about 
it."
"Jolrael Gabriev!" the young human winced and turned
to see his mother 
standing there looking mildly irate. Though he could
tell that she was in 
fact rather amused. "That is certainly no way to
behave."
"Sorry mom," Jorael apologized quietly. Glithoniel,
who had been 
scratching with greater desperation, blinked as the
maddening itches suddenly 
just stopped. He looked about in confusion before his
gaze settled on a 
slyly grinning Jolrael.
"That's better," his mother nodded in satisfaction.
"Now, I'm sorry 
about that, he sometimes isn't as patient as he should
be. Now, I believe 
your sister was looking for you." Jolrael looked up at
the mention of the 
young elf's sister, Glithoniel noticed and grumbled
irritably. Jolrael 
shrugged, as if bored and walked away from the scene,
towards home.
"Don't let me catch you around my sister, Gabriev!"
the youthful looking 
elf shouted before leaving, trying to stomp as much as
an elf could stomp.
"That boy certainly needs to grow up and learn some
manners," Sylphiel 
commented. "Jol, back here, now." Jolrael sighed and
walked to his mother.
"I wasn't doing anything, mom," he pleaded. "I was
just reading."
"In the Grove," she noted. "Where even your father's
elven relatives 
aren't entirely welcome. Seriously, they're bad enough
in this part of the 
city without provocation." Sylphiel was amazed anew at
just how Gourry 
had managed to grow up with these arrogant elves and
not turn out rather bad 
tempered and paranoid. Then again, she had to admit
that the elves on the 
Gabriev side of the city weren't anything like the
older elven families. Her 
own position as a priestess and powerful worker of
white magic accorded her 
great status even among Glithoniel's relatives, but
she was the exception 
among most of the humans.
"I wasn't provoking anybody," Jolrael protested. "I
was just sitting 
and...."
"Waiting to see if Tinuviel would walk by?" Sylphiel
asked.
"Mom...."
"That's enough reading for now," she commented. "Its
time you got home, 
then I can start dinner."
"Chili?" he asked hopefully, Sylphiel sweatdropped and
cleared her throat.
"Not tonight," she said.

******************

"You know, we don't have to live here," Gourry said,
after hearing the 
story later. "There are plenty of human kingdoms in
the world."
"Please, dear," Sylphiel rolled her eyes, he did this
everytime. "I love 
your family, and most of the elves are no problem. Its
just the odd few that 
need to spend some time outside the forest."
"Are you sure?" he asked. She reached up and playfully
swatted him in 
the back of his head.
"Don't worry about me I'm fine," she said. "And Jol
would be too, if he 
didn't go looking for all the really arrogant elves to
annoy."
"I don't think he's looking for trouble," Gourry
protested, rubbing the 
back of his head.
"I agree, that he'd grow out of," she agreed.
"Actually he's been rather 
smitten with that Tinuviel girl, perhaps he should
talk to your uncle."
"That's no good."
"Why not?"
"Uncle Rand met Aunt Liriel when he rescued her from
an orc slaver," he 
said. 
"She seems nice enough, and she's always talking to
Jol about some book 
or another. I wouldn't think it would take a grand
adventure to convince her 
that he's worth a chance."
"No but, Uncle Rand rescued Aunt Liriel a couple weeks
away from here. 
They had a long time away from her family to get to
know each other."
"Well, maybe he'll find some way to get her
attention," she yawned and 
snuggled closer to him under the sheets.
"Well I know you have my attention."
Jolrael was in his room packing. All he had heard in
passing his parents 
room was the bit about going on a grand adventure to
impress Tinuviel. Of 
course, his parents weren't likely to let him go on a
grand adventure, but 
that was easily solved.

***************

"What are you doing Jol?" Jolrael turned around and
looked at his younger 
sister.
"Kyrie, what are you doing up?"
"Up where?" Jol rolled his eyes, apparently his
father's intelligence 
went hand in hand with his hair coloring. Still Kyrie
was a lot smarter than 
she acted, just like their dad.
"No, what are you doing awake?"
"I heard you getting dressed and wanted to see what
you were doing," she 
said simply.
"I can't sleep," he said. "I was going to go practice
my katas."
"Why do you need the backpack?"
"Ummm," he paused, considered, and then made eye
contact with his sister. 
"You're not awake, this is a dream, go back to bed so
you can finish 
sleeping and wake up in the morning." As he spoke he
saw her eyes glaze over 
slightly until they blinked clear when he finished.
"Why am I dreaming about you running away, Jol?" she
asked him.
"I don't know," he said. "Ask me in the morning." She
thought about it.
"You didn't hypnotise me did you?"
"Do you feel hypnotised?" She thought about it.
"No."
"Well I guess not then."
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Kyrie." She yawned and walked back
to her room. 
Jolrael smiled, and sighed with relief.
"Good night, mom," Kyriie yawned as she closed the
door behind her. 
Jolrael winced and turned around slowly. There was his
mom again, yawning 
and looking half asleep. Of course, hypnotising her
was out of the question, 
she'd been practicing magic for far too long to fool
her mind so easily.
"Mom, I can explain," he started.
"Why don't you wait until tomorrow morning," she said.
"At least say 
goodbye to everyone first."
"You're not going to stop me?"
"Right now, yes," she said. "But you'll only leave
later when I'm paying 
attention. Besides, I like it here, but you could do
with some time in the 
human world."
"So you and dad will let me leave tomorrow?"
"Properly equipped, yes. I don't think he'll be too
much of a problem, 
so do we have a deal. You'll wait until the morning,
I'll make chili."
"Okay mom," he smiled. "I'll wait until tomorrow." He
went back to bed 
still smiling, Sylphiel watched him and shook her head
sadly as she went back 
to her own room.
"I hope that girl appreciates this," she muttered
wearily.

****************

The next day went pretty much like his mother said,
after many 
frustrating explanations to his father. There was only
one thing that he 
didn't expect. At some point, just before he was
leaving, Jolrael's father 
came out of his parents' bedroom carrying a sheathed
sword. The magical 
blade that he had found to replace the lost sword of
light.
"You'll need something a little better than that
practice blade of 
yours," Gourry commented.
"Thank you, dad," he said a little in awe. "I'll try
to use it well."
"Hope you don't have to use it at all," his mother
lectured. Jolrael 
grinned sheepishly. "Good Luck." She hugged her son
and then backed away a 
step, tears in her eyes.
"Bye, Jol," Kyrie sad quietly, waving. He hugged her,
suddenly glad for 
this chance. "Quit it Jol!"
"Remember to travel south and west," Gourry reminded
him of their plan. 
"You should reach Sailoon in a couple of months. If
you're lucky, you'll 
find Filia along the way."
"Okay, Dad, I'll be back," he promised seriously.
"Just watch me." Then 
he walked off down the path, into the world. 

***************************************************************************

Old News



The cloaked figure walked into the Tomb of Heros
quietly and confidently. 
The night seemed to follow the figure like a second
cloak. And as it passed 
people felt a desire to look away, to not notice the
stalking darkness. It 
walked quickly and silently, well aware that even it
was in peril here. It 
wasn't so much any one individual, though the
Regent-Prince was powerful, he 
wasn't as powerful as her. The problem was the sheer
number of priests and 
white mages.
The figure brushed fingers along the marble walls and
laughed at the 
scorch marks that trailed behind. Come morning the
marks would be found and 
repaired with magic and sweat, but that was of no
concern. By the time they 
knew anything had happened she would be away with the
last fragment of power 
she needed. The only fragment that was more than just
power. The key.
She stopped before a tomb that was different from all
the rest. Instead 
of the mottled white marble that predominated, this
tomb plate was a solid 
black. It almost appeared to be a piece of the
shadows. Carved into stone 
and lined in darkly shimmering steel, was the name
Xellos Metallium.
"A mazoku in a tomb shielded by white mages," the
figure mused in a 
feminine voice. "How very....silly." She reached
forward to grip the edges 
of the stone. She cried in pain as there was a flash
of black light that 
threw her backwards. She blinked and looked at tomb,
its sinister appearance 
now more than a curiousity.
The sound of approaching footsteps, determined and
purposeful footsteps, 
convinced her to fade back into the shadows of the
tombs. The Regent-Prince 
appeared flanked by a number of lesser spellcasters.
"What was it milord?" The Regent-Prince turned an
annoyed glare on the 
priest, he didn't like his title. Then Zelgadis turned
his eyes back to the 
scorch marks along the other blessed tombs.
"Mazoku," he guessed. "Tampering with Xellos's tomb."
"Could it be..." a priestess gulped. "Xellos himself?"
The Regent 
turned a look on her that wordlessly conveyed the
phrase, "did you work to 
become that stupid, or are you a natural?"
"There's a power here, fading now," Zelgadis noted
brushing the stone. 
"There must be a shielding on the tomb, triggered by
true mazoku. So who 
cast it and what did the mazoku want?" He scanned
about, suspecting that the 
mazoku was still around. Further than that, he
suspected who the mazoku 
might be. He walked away from the tomb, tapping his
chin.
Martina grumbled as the chimera approached her,
seemingly deep in 
thought. She teleported away as he began to turn and
face her. Zelgadis 
caught a glimmer of green before the cloaked figure
vanished from all sight.
"Place wards about the tomb," Zelgadis commanded.
"Next time it will be 
thieves of a more mundane nature."

**************

Lina was catching up to them, curiousity and
suscpicion swirled in the 
back of her mind. There was a chimera in her forest, a
chimera that smelled 
like a palace. Amelia and Zelgadis's child to be sure.

**************

"Xellos was our father," Xalan admitted cautiously.
"And you know about 
him, how?"
"How do I...." Amethyst facefaulted. "He was one of
the SLAYERS, like 
your mom and my parents."
"The slayers, oh you mean like mom's old friends,"
Xina said then. 
"Wait, did you say your name was Greywyrds?"
"Yes, Princess Amethyst Lina Greywyrds-Sailoon," she
repeated. Amethyst 
looked down at the shorter kage-kitsune curiously.
"Why." Xina looked her 
over quickly and hmphed turning around to leave.
"Xina, what are you doing?"
"I'm leaving," she said. "She's a GREYWYRDS!" she said
the name with 
obvious distaste. Xalan blinked, and turned to face
the confused looking 
girl.
"Your father is Zelgadis Greywyrds?" he asked.
"Why, what's the matter?" she asked, confused. Her
guards closed ranks 
behind her, a pair starting to move into a position
ahead of her on either 
side.
"I think we should leave after all," he said coolly.
"But I was hoping to see Inverse-sama," she protested.
"She might not want to see you," Xalan said, moving to
join his sister, 
who turned her nose up again as the twins started to
fade into the underbrush.
"But why not," Amethyst pleaded trying to follow.
"What's wrong with my 
father?"
"Xina, Xalan," the guards and Amethyst whirled to see
a red-furred fox 
woman with a streak of silver fur standing behind
them. She had finally aged 
some without her magic, though her aging was still
slowed down by her 
regenerative abilities. She couldn't be called
underdeveloped now. Even if 
she hadn't really gotten bigger, her chest had filled
out, losing its former 
childish appearance. Xina often hoped that the same
would be true of her 
someday. "Come back here."
"Mom?" Xalan asked, as he stalked back out of the
forest. "What are you 
doing here?"
"She's a Greywyrds, mom!" Xina declared loudly. Lina
walked forward with 
her arms crossed, eyeing Amethyst, a little taller
than her, minutely. The 
were-fox cocked her head in the manner of a fox seeing
something unusual.
"You'll have to excuse my children," Lina said.
"Zelgadis and I 
have....." she thought about for a moment.
"...differences."
"He's reponsible for our father's death," Xalan
explained, his mother 
tuned a disapproving glare on him. Amethyst's eyes
widened in shock.
"There was nothing in mother's letters about that,"
Amethyst protested. 
"What happened?"
"He didn't mean for my Xellos to die, if that's what
you're worried 
about," Lina told her. "But that's between us and Him,
not between us and 
Amelia's daughter." She gestured for her twins to come
forward. Xalan 
nudged Xina who hmphed and stalked irritably over
towards the ibory skinned 
girl.
"I'm sorry," she declared, with a irritated glance at
her mother. Xalan 
followed and stood behind his sister protectivly.
"Sorry, I made an assumption that I should not have,"
his apology seemed 
geniunely sincere, but Amethyst looked suddenly
nervous and doubtful. Xina 
hmphed again, trying to whuff like her mother could.
"You ARE Lina Inverse," it was all she could think of
to say.
"I would have thought that was obvious," Lina said.
"Now perhaps you and 
your....escorts," she seemed to find the guards
humorous for some reason. 
"Would like something more secure than these tents to
spend the night, then 
perhaps you can bring me news. I haven't heard from
you mother since I guess 
a month before you were born. How is she?" Amethyst
narrowed her eyes, 
trying to decide if that had been a joke or not.
"My mother has been dead for a long time," shs
informed them grimmly, 
looking more like Zelgadis than Lina found
comfortable. 

*********************************************************************

Royal Problems



"You look like a traveling mercenary," the speaker was
a suspicious little man in a thick cloak, with the
occasional spark of magic escaping out.
"My what an interesting assumption," Jolrael noted as
he looked up. The man blinked.
"You mean you aren't a travelling mercenary?" he
asked.
"Not at the moment," the sorcerer face faulted. "But
why do you want one anyway?"
"I'm making a pilgrimage to Sailoon, I was hoping that
you would be willing to act as a caravan guard."
Jolrael thought about it, this man was setting off
alarm bells in his head like crazy. Pyschic and
otherwise, still he was looking for adventure, and
this felt like one. He'd just have to watch his back.
"Can you use that sword?"
"I'm decent," of course, he was comparing himself to
his father. Gourry Gabriev who was one of the best
swordsmen from the elven school of fighting, which was
still probably the strongest style on the continent.
"Are you interested in the job?" the man asked
sharply. There went those alarms again, he didn't need
a guard. He wanted bait or cannon fodder for
something, he recognized the basic set up from
numerous pranks pulled on him in the past, he didn't
need a sixth sense in this case. What other reason to
look to a kid like him with open doubts about his
capabilities? Jol shrugged, better him than some poor
dumb idiot without a clue.
"I'm already travelling to Sailoon," he said. He had
been planning to take a few days to look for this
Filia person, but apparently adventure had come to
him. "Why not?"
"Good, we have to meet someone in the forest first,"
the man informed him.
Nearly two hours later Jolrael caught one of the
"pilgrims" alone, obstenisbly for a game of dice. It
took only a moment to hypnotise the man.
"Who is our employer?"
"A scion of one of the old noble houses of Sailoon,"
the man answered dreamily.
"Who are we meeting in the forest?"
"Sailoon guardsman."
"Why?"
"He is with Princess Amethyst's escort, kill her and
our master is the next in line for the thrown." He
arched an eyebrow, his parents knew this girl's
parents, more bad luck for these "pilgrims" then.
"And you need me to blame it on?"
"Yes." That was going to be more difficult than it
sounded, at least Jol intended to make it so.
"Thank you," he looked down at the dice and picked
them up. "Oh yes, you just lost." Jolrael released the
man's mind then.
"Damn it," he looked up at the young man. "Beginner's
luck, boy, I'll be getting that back. Just you wait!"
"You're welcome to try," he smiled. The "pilgrim"
suddenly had the feeling that he had missed something.

***************

"I'm sorry," Lina said quietly. "I hadn't heard, how
did it happen?"
"Actually, I was hoping you could tell me," Amethyst
said dejectedly, losing the Zelgadis-like expression.
Lina looked over Amethyst's guards, and noted how they
were still very nervous.
"Well, I don't know about you, but standing in the
road isn't my idea of relaxing," Lina declared.
"Before we get this meeting on the road, let's go sit
around your fire and have some dinner."
"But we don't have anything but trail rations,"
Amethyst said. "That's hardly the kind of fair that
befits such a hero.....a LEGEND." One of the guards
snickered, attracting glares from both of the twins.
"Well perhaps Xina and Xalan can retrieve some of our
stores," Lina suggested without turning about. "They
seem to want a little exercise anyway." The were-fox
turned to appraise the "borrowed" armor and arched an
eyebrow.
"We'll be right back," Xalan promised tightly giving
his sister a look left no room for mistranslation. As
soon as they were out of sight she responded in a
whisper, not wanting their mom's impressive hearing to
pick up on it.
"Okay, okay, so taking the armor again was a bad
idea," she admitted.
"You're lucky mom's distracted," he told her. "Last
time she made you chop down a tree with a herring."
"Why is she so happy about this stone-girl?"
"What's wrong with Amethyst," Xina started to open her
mouth and Xalan for once managed to head her off.
"Aside from the fact her father is Zelgadis
Greywyrds."
"That's not enough?"
"She seems nice enough, not at all like mom said her
father's like," he pointed out.
"Oh well, its not worth bothering about," Xina
decided, returning to her normal cheerful self. "Come
on let's hurry up and get this done with, I suddenly
have an idea!" She ran ahead down the path, leaving
her brother to catch up.
"An idea?" Xalan repeated nervously. "Wait a minute!
Xina! What kind of an 'idea' are you talking about?"

***************

"Soembody tried to steal something from the Tombs,"
the speaker glanced around to make sure nobody heard.
"From that mazoku's tomb."
"Someone was looking to descrate Xellos Metallium's
tomb?" the grey-haired man feigned an aghast
expression. "And you think this is something I might
be interested in?"
"Perhaps if you get it first, you can sell it to
whoever wants it."
"An interesting idea, it bears merit, what can you
tell me about the defenses." 
"The priests were placing wards on the tomb, and I
think they increased the guard detail."
"I'll tell you what, if you manage to get something,
I'll pay you for it what I think its worth."
"You want me to...."
"You want me to move my thieves with such risk on such
little information?" the man asked. "Who knows, maybe
you'll get an unforeseen chance."

**************

Hello my love.
Zangulus shifted uncomfortably in his cot. He was
dreaming again. Twenty years after Martina disappeared
on her renewed quest for vengence and he was still
having dreams about her. They had been getting more
common of late, more real.
There's something I need, Zangulus.
"Go away," he muttered wearily. "You're just a dream."
Right now I'm just a dream, but I could be real to you
again.
Zangulus sat up and stretched aching muscles. He had
gone back to bounty hunting after Martina had left
him, so he was still in near prime condition. His hair
was graying and the stiffness and pain took longer to
leave, but he was still a dangerous opponent.
"Damn dreams are getting worse all of a sudden," he
complained to himself as he walked to the inn's cheap
little desk that held his travelling gear.
Go to Sailoon, my Love, open the mazoku's tomb.
He blinked and cast about the room looking for where
the voice was coming from. A soft hand brushed his
cheek from behind. He turned and saw nothing, but his
long lost wife's laughter filled the room.
"Stop it! Stop it!" he shouted.
I need what's in the tomb Zangulus, then I can make
you young again, and we can be together, forever.
Zangulus understood now.
"Martina, are you here?" he asked.
"Of course, I am dear," he turned and faced Martina,
still as young as when she vanished. He noted the slit
pupils and narrowed his eyes.
"You're mazoku," he commented darkly.
"What if I am? I'm still your one-true love, I'm still
Martina," she approached him and brushed his unshaved
face. "And I need you, dear. Can't you see that I need
you?"
"You left me."
"And now I'm back," she countered. "If you had the
opportunity to track down Gourry wouldn't you have
done the same?" He thought about, though he had to
admit that it was hard to think with her pressed
against him like that. Twirling her fingers in his
greying hair.
"I suppose, I would," he admitted finally.
"Good, because perhaps you will. He's still alive, and
the remaining slayers might try and stop you. This is
your chance to show them all up, and I can give you
power."
"Then we can be together," he asked, voice a little
dreamy.
"Together forever, my dear," she promised. "But first
bring me the mazoku's body, you'll know how to find
me. I can't do it, it has to be a mortal, like you."
"I'll bring you the Tricksters body, my love," he
promised. "Don't worry about anything." 

**************************************************************************

Xina's Word



Lina sat down at the fire watching Amethyst's guard.
Some of them smelled nervous, some of them smelled
untrusting, but only one of them smelled angry. She
watched him carefully. Zelgadis had been careless
once, but he didn't like Xellos. This was his
daughter, he would have been very careful who he sent
out to escort her. 
'Then again,' Lina thought with an exasperated look.
'Sailoon produces some excellent plotters.'
Lina kept an eye, or an ear rather, on the suscpicious
guardsman while she sat down at a fire across from
Amethyst.
"I haven't heard from your mom since before you were
born," Lina said. "My last letter went unanswered."
"Never opened," Amethyst added. Lina looked at her.
"That's how I knew you were alive."
"You don't remember anything about her?" Lina asked.
"No, nothing at all," Amethyst answered.
"She must not have died long after you were..." Lina's
eyes popped wide and her ears flicked in surprise. She
looked over the young chimera once. "...born." she
finished slowly in a hoarse, canine breath.
"What is it?" Amethyst asked nervously.
"I just realized how much you look like your mother,"
she said. It wasn't quite true, her resemblance to
Amelia was grounded mostly in her attitude, but it got
her off the topic.
"Really," she asked. "Most people say otherwise."
Among the few similarities Lina did notice was the
early-developing chest that she had been so jealous of
when she was younger.
"Oh certainly," Lina said. "And I'm almost certain
that she would be proud of you now." Amethyst's ivory
cheeks flushed red for a moment.
"Why, thank you, Inverse-Sama." It was Lina's turn to
blush at the near reverence in the young girl's tone.

****************

"Don't worry, I'm right behind you," Xina promised.
Xalan looked at her doubtfully. "Do you think I'd pull
something now?"
"Maybe not," he responded. "You did say you had
an...idea."
"Yeah, I have an idea, but I can't do that right now,"
Xina answered. "Listen, mom's waiting for us. I'll
just leave the armor here and catch up with you,
okay?"
"Xina, if you piss off mom now..." he cocked his head
to side and gritted his teeth. "Well, maybe she'll
come up with something to make herring look easy."
"Okay," she sighed in frustration. "I promise to be
back on father's grave as soon as I can."
"Good," he nodded, trying to think if he missed
something. "I'll see you at the camp down."
"Didn't I say that?"
"Okay, don't take too long," he looked back once at
his sisters too-cheerful face and then started running
along with the deer that he had pulled from storage.
As soon as he was gone, Xina bounced up and clapped
happily. She skipped outside and looked up into the
sky, night was falling quickly.
"Okay, Val should be getting there soon," she muttered
and then took off running on her own path.
Xalan arrived at Amethyst's camp site about fifteen
minutes later as his mother was trying to get off the
subject of what magic Zelgadis had taught her. Magic
was always an uncomfortable subject with his mother,
and though she never said why, he suspected. Xina had
once asked about going off to learn magic and their
mother had categorically said that magic was
impossible for them.
"You're half-mazoku," she had said. "So you don't have
the curse, but the damn moon is still in your blood."
He had always wanted to ask about that, confirm his
beliefs.
"You used to be a sorceress, mom?" he asked as he set
down the deer. He feigned surprise, but doubted he
would fool her, acting as if he put something together
from how Amethyst was talking. Speaking of the young
chimera, she face-faulted at the comment.
"She was the greatest sorceress!" Amethyst declared.
"She's your mom, how can you not know that?"
"I don't like to talk about it," Lina answered for her
son. "Where's Xina?"
"She was putting the armor away," he said. "Promised
to be back her as soon as possible." Lina heard the
half-formed doubt in his voice and sighed.
"What were her exact words?" Lina asked.

***********************

Val lay back against the rock and looked up into the
night sky. He liked this kind of night, with the sky
clear and the stars bright. In fact the only thing
about nights like this was that there was always
chance that...
"Hey, Val." The only thing about nights like this were
that Xina knew he came here and might show up asking
for a favor.
"Uh, hi Xina," he looked over at her. She was wearing
her mother's armor, that wasn't a good sign. She
looked especially happy and pleased with her self too,
meaning she just managed to fool Xalan. Usually that
wasn't an easy task, but Xina had a talent for
confusion.
"Nice night huh?"
"It is," he agreed.
"Um Val?" right to the awkward request, boy, this was
fairly big. "How fast can you get me to Sailoon?" If
he weren't already laying down, Val would have face
faulted.

******************

"Great, this is just great," Lina grumbled as she
stood up. When her son had repeated Xina's exact words
she had slapped her forhead in exasperation. "Xalan
stay here and keep an eye out. I'll go get your sister
before she gets herself into real trouble."
"Sorry mom," he said. "I thought I had caught
everything."
"Not your fault," Lina said. "Not entirely anyway,
she's got a lot of her father in her." Then Lina was
padding into the forest on her fox feet, probably
travelling faster than Xalan could.

**************

"There they are," the sorcerer noted. "Where's the
scapegoat?"
"That elf-boy?" despite the fact Jolrael was
definitely no elf, his clothing was certainly elven
and marked his land of origin.
"Of course him, who did you think I meant?" the
sorcerer snapped hoarsly
"Well," the man's second swallowed nervously. "We
can't find him anywhere?"
"You can't find him," the sorcerer repeated
flabergasted. "Have any of you been talking?"
"Around him? No, of course not, sir."
"But you have been talkimg. He could have overheard at
anytime."
"I..." he appeared chagrined. "I suppose so, sir."
"He's gone off to warn the princess," the sorcerer
decided. "Track him down, and stop him. He's just a
boy how hard could it be?"
In addition to the few counter tracking tricks he
knew, few compared to the people he had grown up with,
Jolrael was not even on the ground. He was
half-leaping, half-floating from tree limb to tree
limb as he moved toward the camp in attempt to save
the princess. 

****************************************************************************

System Shock



Xalan and Amethyst stood among the Sailoon guardsmen
in a bit of an anxious silence. Xalan poked at the
meat as it cooked on the hastily erected spit.
"Your father saved the world you know," she piped up
suddenly.
"Mom mentioned that," Xalan nodded.
"Oh the slayers are great heros in Sailoon," Amethyst
suggested. Xalan heard that snicker from before again
and looked to see one of the guardsmen. Other than
that occasional snicker, he seemed on the surface to
be a loyal guardsmen. Like Lina, though, he could
smell the anger on the man that was lacking in
everybody else. 
"My father doesn't say much about them...." she
suddenly started glancing about, avoiding Xalan's
face. "I guess...I know why now."
"No one else ever mentioned..." Xalan stopped and
sniffed the air. "Lots of visitors today." he
muttered.
"Are there too many of us?" Amethyst asked. Then her
slightly less acute senses caught the scent too. "Is
this friend or foe?" Her guards finally caught on to
the situation.
"Stay back your highness," one of them said. "If this
is a bandit of some type we'll handle him." Xalan did
not fail to notice that they formed a small wall
between him and the princess. He rolled his eyes, but
then the owner of the scent appeared at the end of a
tremendous leap. The human, he smelled human at least,
then seemed to float lightly to the ground.
"Princess Amethyst's troupe I hope," he said.
"State your name and business," Xalan noted the fine
elven silks and scratched his head.
"He doesn't much look like a peasant," Xalan said,
turning around. Before the guardsmen could react he
had leaped over their line and was jabbing forward
with his staff into the angry guardsman. Pushing the
man back before they overcame their surprise.
"Hey, stop him!"
"What's going on?" Amethyst asked suddenly, as her
guards surrounded and tried to engage Xalan. Two of
them broke off to engage the dark haired swordsman,
who simply leaped over them and froze in mid-air
standing more than a swords length above their heads.
"All of you stop this right now."
"Amethyst, that guy was trying to stab you," Xalan
warned as he parried and dodged sword thrusts easily.
He was finding it easy to stay alive, doing it without
hurting any of these other guardsmen was proving
somewhat difficult now.
"Don't be silly," Amethyst declared. "He's my guard,
besides the dagger wouldn't get through my skin." A
dagger flew to the newcomer's hand and he turned it
over in his hands as he continued to hang out of
reach. She pointed shocked. "That's an enspelled
dagger." Her face had a shocked expression before she
turned an angry glare on the traitorous guardsman.
"I thought it might be," he said, drfiting slowly to
the ground. "Perhaps we could save all this for when
my employers get here. I'm sure they've realized that
they aren't going to find me before I warn you."
"Die freak!" the traitor shouted, revealing his intent
for all to see he charged Amethyst with sword drawn.
The loyal guardsmen stopped fighting Xalan and turned
to intercept him, they didn't need to. The angry golem
tossed a dagger at the man.
"Shadow snap!" she shouted as the dagger sank into his
shadow and anchored the man into his place.
"About time," Xalan muttered.
"You dare to raise a hand against your princess,"
despite her expression, she sounded more aghast and
shocked than enraged. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"You freak, looking for why your mother died," he
tried to hit her with his sword but couldn't get close
enough to her. The loyal guardsmen stared at him
smooth, standing between him and 
"What does this have to do with my mother's death?"
"Perhaps we should wait until we deal with the other
bad guys first," Xalan suggested. At the statement the
newcomer looked up from examining the dagger and
blinked as if he was just realizing that they were
there.
"Oh yes," he said. "My employers."
"Your mother died in child birth!" Amethyst stared in
shock as she processed that information. "You claim to
want justice, justice sees you dead, monster!!"

******************

Lina knew where her daughter was heading. The only way
she could hope to get to Sailoon any time soon would
be to talk to a certain dragon. Lina growled quietly
to herself, she had thought her problems with Val Garv
would have been over when he got zapped into a baby.
Of course she hadn't counted on living around Filia
any time soon. She hadn't planned on having kids any
time soon either. She certainly hadn't planned on her
daughter taking a liking to someone that had almost
destroyed the world.
Lina stopped, catching the scent on the air, a lot of
men carrying oiled steel. She could guess where they
were going, suddenly her suspicions about the angry
guardsman were a great deal stronger. Xalan was an
excellent warrior, she didn't quite understand how, he
just was it was like he pulled the techniques from the
air. Still there were a lot of people coming, and she
wasn't sure about Amethyst's ability to fight. Knowing
magic and swordcraft was one thing, using it quite
another.
On the other hand she had to catch up to her daughter
before she convinced Val to give her a quick lift to
Sailoon. She was certain that Xina would find some way
to trick or persuade the dragon to do it. Of that Lina
had NO doubt. 
Xina really was a great deal like Xellos, though she a
lot more scatterbrained and impulsive than the mazoku
had been. Still, she had that same way with words. Her
son seemed to have inherited Xellos's forethought and
cautious attitude. He had a tendency to take
responsibility on himself that wasn't initially
obvious in Xellos.
The choice was thankfully taken from her as she heard
the dragon's wings striking air above her and the
forest. She looked up and saw Val's dragon form
cruising past in blur towards Sailoon.
"That takes away that, option," Lina said, then she
cracked her knuckles. "So I guess its time to re-earn
the title bandit-killer then."

******************

"My mom is going to kill me when she hears about
this," Val asked in what Xina assumed as a irritated
manner. The guess was made uncertain by the fact that
he always sounded irritated when he was in dragon
form.
"How old are you?"
"Twenty-two, why?"
"And you're still worried about what your mom is going
to do to you?"
"Which reminds me." The dragon grumbled as the
countryside rolled along below.
"Reminds you about what?"
"Where should we go to get the herring on the way
back?" Xina hmphed, she would have crossed her arms,
except that she was hanging on to Val's back at the
moment.
"No one is ever going to let me forget that, are
they?" she mumbled to herself, hoping that it would be
lost in the wind.
"Why should we?" the dragon answered just to let her
know that he heard. 

***************************************************************************

The Pilgrimage



"Attack!" in response to the yell everyone but
Amethyst and the traitor 
turned to face the oncoming bandits. The guards left
two of their number to 
guard Amethyst and the traitor while Xalan turned
about with a "yep, knew 
they were coming attitude." Jolrael grumbled irritably
something about 
"perfect time to go into shock," as he drew his sword
and turned to face his 
former employers.
The first wave of bandits flowed toward them across
the road towards the 
small clearing that the camp was situated in. There
was a bandit for each of 
the four guardsmen on the line and two each for Xalan
and Jolrael. The two 
of them had it under control before the guardsmen and
their bandits could do 
much more than exchange parries.
"I'm forgetting something," Jol muttered to himself as
he cut through the 
last bandit's sword, and Xalan took the man's feet out
from under him.
"FLARE ARROW!" the two guardsmen and to shove the
unaware Amethyst out of 
the spell's way.
"Oh yeah, that's right," Jolrael said. Xalan favored
him with a "how 
could you forget something like that?" look and
charged into the woods. He 
fell back as more bandits came from the tree line.
Xalan turned and saw 
Jolrael falling back to protect Amethyst, and whuffed
in annoyance. He 
couldn't just let these idiots pass if the newcomer
was going to ignore the 
present danger.
Suddenly as they approached the shadows of the new
night deepened and 
grew over the strip of road ahead of them. The bandits
plowed right into the 
unnatural shadow.
Jolrael had been planning on trying to snap the
chimera out of her stupor 
with one of his little hypnosis tricks. Reaching out
to her mind he came 
against a wall that was partially the mental
discipline of a skilled mage, 
and partially the shock of the information she had
just received. He worked 
to chip away at her defenses, unconcerned with causing
harm. The paralyzing 
shock may have made an impressive defense, but it was
not normal. Nor was it 
better for it to remain there.
"FIREBALL!" Jolrael turned to watch the oncoming spell
bleakly.
"Should have known this was a bad idea," he muttered
expecting to meet 
fiery breath in a moment. He had plenty of tricks up
his sleeve, but nothing 
that would slow down a big ball of fire. He didn't
quite have time to leap 
out of the way either.
"WINDY SHIELD!" he heard Amethyst shout from right
behind him. The 
fireball faltered and vanished as it collided with the
wall of whirling air. 
"LIGHTNING!" Jol ducked as the crackling bolts of
energy passed over him and 
into the trees across the road.
"Apparently she can gather energy faster than that fat
merchant-noble," 
he muttered. Watching the energy course through the
woods towards the 
fireball's point of origin, for a brief moment the
lightning silhoutted a 
moderately irritated Xalan. "What?" he looked to the
kage-kitsune's field 
of darkness and back to where he could have sworn he
saw him.
"FLARE ARROW!! FLARE ARROW!!! FLARE ARROW!!!" this
time Amethyst saw the 
stalking form as well. She looked at the field of
darkness and listened to 
the battle inside for a moment.
"I got him! I got him!" "No he's over here!" Jol and
Amethyst 
sweatdropped.
"Where'd you come from!!" this was followed by the
sound of a brief 
struggle and so there after Xalan dragging a stunned
and somewhat charred 
sorcerer out of the woods. Everybody looked to the
field of darkness where 
apparently the battle was still going on.
"Excuse me sir," one of the guardsmen asked. "If
you're out here, who's 
in there?"
"This jerk's men," he said simply, then he dropped the
sorcerer at the 
foot of a guardsman. "Excuse me." He walked into the
shadows and for about 
five seconds the sound of battle intensified. Then it
went silent and the 
darkness just dissipated revealing a pile of hacked
and smashed bandits.
At this point the sorcerer started to come to, looked
around and saw that 
he was trapped. Then he smiled grimmly.
"Don't be so convinced that you've won," he laughed.
"I have plenty more 
fighters to bring into battle."
"Yes, I believe we're missing ten of the 'pilgrims'"
Jol noted after 
clearing his throat.
"And they're his best men," the traitor declared
loudly. "They..."
"Were very tasty," the two remaining assassins looked
on in shock as a 
blood spattered Lina dropped into the clearing.
"I thought I smelled you," Xalan said, obviously proud
of the 
accomplishment. The noble scanned the fresh blood
coating Lina's fox-feet, 
clawed hands and half her face. Then he fainted, half
of Amethyst's guards 
looked ready to do the same.
"Uh, Lina-sama," Amethyst started. "You didn't
seriously.."
"Eat them?" Lina finished. "Of course not." The
traitor guard snapped 
out of his shock.
"Don't think we're the last Princess," the guard spat.
"There are plenty 
willing to...." He crumpled under neath Xalan's staff.
Amethyst slumped and 
turned away from the traitor, even winced as he was
struck.
"Amethyst," Xalan asked uncomfortably. "Are you okay?"
Lina looked over 
the chimera and recognized the expression on her face.
"No, I'm not okay!" she shouted. "Why should I be
okay?" She wiped the 
early tears from her eyes and sniffed.
"Somebody told you, didn't they," Lina sighed.
"You mean that you knew?" she said shocked. Lina
sighed and sat down.
"I guessed," Lina told her, she looked to the
unconcious traitor. "It 
was him, wasn't it." She flexed her fingers obviously
restraining herself 
from attacking the unconcious man. She waved Amethyst
down, and the chimera 
almost collapsed into a cross-legged position.
"Why didn't anybody tell me?" she asked angrily.
"Not my business to," Lina said, then she snarled at
the traitor again. 
"And not his either. It might not be true you know."
She glared at the 
other guardsmen, warning them not to say anything.
Xalan and Jolrael stood 
off to the side looking uncomfortable.
"You don't really believe that," Amethyst snapped,
still holding back 
tears. "And I don't either. L-Sama, _I_ killed my
mother!"
"Okay, first, deaths happen all the time in child
birth, this wasn't your 
fault," Lina said.
"But...."
"NOT your fault," Lina repeated. "The second thing is
that its okay to 
cry."
"But my Dad doesn't ever cry," Amethyst protested.
"Hmph, that's his problem."
"I'm NOT going to cry," Amethyst declared firmly. "A
true warrior of 
justice does not cry." Lina heroically stamped the
sudden urge to laugh 
after several memories of Amelia popped up.
"Have it your way," Lina shrugged. "Now on to the
other problem."
"Xina got to Val didn't she," Xalan said. "I'm sorry
mom, I really 
thought I caught everything she was saying."
"Question," Jol put in. Everybody looked to him.
"Amethyst Sailoon?" 
Amethyst nodded stiffly. Then he pointed at Lina and
Xalan in turn, finally 
bringing his finger to his chin. "Lina, Xalan, and
Xina. Inverse or 
Metallium?"
"Yes," Lina admitted looking him over and taking in
the scents. He was 
wearing elven silks, apparently woven with some
mithril threads. He himself 
smelled of parchment and the civilized forests of the
high elves. There was 
something familiar about him but she just couldn't
place it, until she looked 
at the blade sheathed on his back. 
"I'm Jolrael..."
"Gabriev?" Jol blinked in surprise.
"Yes, how'd you know?"
"You're GOURRY's kid?"
"Yes."
"But you're not...."
"Rock dense?"
"Right."
"Hard to believe I'm their son isn't it."
"This must be a sign!" Amethyst declared suddenly,
sniffing away the 
remainder of her unshed tears. Lina winced, but was
glad she had something 
to distract her, even if it was uncomfortably close to
Zelgadis's belief in 
some furred-bird's prophecy.
"Just coincidence that's all," Lina said. "By any
chance, you weren't 
heading to Sailoon were you?" she asked the
dark-haired swordsman.
"Actually, yes."
"Damn," Lina muttered, this was convienent. As
convienent as the ways 
most of her adventures had begun.

***************

Zangulus twirled the black blade in his hand,
revelling in the power 
contained within its form. He felt as if he had
recovered his lost youth, 
and more besides. All he had to do was recover the
mazoku's body now, and 
Martina would be his forever. She would give him power
that would make these 
minorly enchanted sword look like a rusty dagger. Then
Gourry Gabriev 
wouldn't be able to defeat him. Not an aged Gabriev
softened by the years, a 
wife and two children available as hostages....
Zangulus shook his head clear, surprised at the
thought. Why did he need 
hostages, he'd just kill Gabriev. He didn't need any
dishonorable tricks to 
do it. If he had been thinking clearer he might have
looked for the reason 
such an unusual thought had occured to him, but he had
more important matters 
on his mind.
Martina needed Xellos's body. He was almost tooo
Sailoon now, two or 
three days travel and he'd be there. Then it was only
a matter of getting 
into the Tomb. Soon, very soon, he would have
everything he ever dreamed of. 

=====
"Caffeinated Kender?  What's that, a berserk spell?" - 
Tribble, Kender Warrior of the Celestial Kingdom
"God has to have a sense of humor, it's the only explanation for sex." - my father
"I have to write a how-to paper for class, so I'm writing a paper on how to be psuedo-evil." - my brother

http://members.aol.com/thrythlind/snake.html

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