"Where am I?" Naga asked softly as she gazed upon a white haze before 
her.  She felt like she was having a bad hangover, but she knew it was 
something else.  She stumbled about in the blinding light for a while, but 
soon found herself to be in an ornately decorated hallway.  The tapestries on 
the wall and the exquisite carpeting upon the marble floor all seemed so 
familiar to her.  She had little time to realize where she was, as suddenly, 
from a room on the side of the hall, Naga heard the faint screams of a 
vaguely familiar voice.  Quietly, but quickly, Naga made her way to door, 
and pressing her ear against it, she could hear better the sounds of an 
obvious struggle on the other side that called her to make an entrance.  
Ignoring any danger she might have put herself in, Naga opened the door, 
readying a freeze arrow to take out the attacker.  She stopped her spell mid-
chant as the door swung open and the shine of a dagger flashed over her 
eyes as she saw it plunge into her mother's side over and over again.  Blood 
spilled out of the wounds over the white dress she was wearing, forever 
staining Naga's memory.  
"Remember where you have come from." a cryptic announcer whispered 
in Naga's ear. Was it the same voice she had heard at the Dragon's Fangs?  
Whatever it was, it was somehow forcing her to relive her most hated and 
feared memory.  What did these spirits mean to accomplish by torturing 
her?  Even with full knowledge that this was a hallucination, it was too real 
in Naga's mind for her to ignore, and she cried out as she had so very long 
ago.

-----------------------------------
Slayers Glorious! 
Chapter 12
"Look Out!  An Unwanted Visitor Lurks in the Shadows!"
Part by Adam Pace
Started by Todd Harper
-----------------------------------

Actinaea woke to the unusual sound of a woman's wail coming from the 
next bed over.  Fearing the worst, after the group having been betrayed by 
her own student, she quickly sprang from her covers, surveying the 
darkness only to find Naga sitting up in her bed, the faint light from the 
lanterns outside reflecting on the sweat drops and tears falling from her 
face.  The usually confident sorceress was breathing heavily, half-crying 
with hysteria as she mumbled something about not being able to save 
someone.  "Naga!" Actinaea whispered, "What happened?"

Naga, finding herself back in the inn and safely away from ancient history, 
realized that she was showing a long oppressed side of her in front of 
Actinaea and quickly regained her usual composure.  She wiped the sweat 
from her forehead and quickly turned her head away to hide her tears.  "It 
was nothing," she explained quickly, "I just had a bit much too drink during 
dinner. that's all.  You don't need to be concerned about me."

"I should," Actinaea replied as she stared across the darkened room.   "For 
someone who just a few days ago was laughing and boasting how she was 
the greatest sorceress on the planet, not to mention our self-proclaimed 
group-leader, to be acting strangely is something a responsible adventurer 
should be concerned of.  Is there anything you'd like to tell me?"

Naga laughed softly, as not to wake Mariposa, who was sleeping in an 
adjacent bed.  "It isn't any concern of yours, Praetor.  Just go back to bed.  
The White Serpent is certainly strong enough to handle a few unpleasant 
dreams."

Actinaea groaned, and added, "If that is the case, then I hope the rest of my 
night is undisturbed."  With that she buried her head back into the pillows 
and fell back asleep.

Naga sighed as she turned her gaze over to Mariposa.  "Big Sister, huh?" 
Naga whispered to herself.  A smile crossed her lips at the sound of the title 
that she had long denied to herself.  She figured that her real sister and 
Mariposa were probably about the same age.  Naga wondered if, in a way, 
the reason she was obsessed with being Mari's mentor was that she was 
somehow attempting make up for missing her real sister grow up.  "Don't 
worry about a thing," Naga thought, but did not say,  "I'll make sure that 
you don't lose your parents for good, Mari.  You can count on me."

------------

Lady Erika smiled to herself as she gazed out the window of her carriage.  
For some reason, she had always preferred to travel by night.  As the 
darkened landscape rolled by, she couldn't help but congratulate herself 
with how well her plans would be going, and how she would single 
handedly be the hero of her people.  So what if she had to steal, bribe, 
kidnap, and kill to get what she wanted?  She had negotiated a deal which in 
her mind, secured her position of power for several years to come, and she 
didn't care what Torr or anyone else had to say about her methods.  Of 
course, it did mean that she would have to deal with annoyances from time 
to time, as was the case at this moment.  Her crystal ball began to glow in a 
fashion such that it could only be a message from her sponsor.  "What do 
you require now?" Erika asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice as she 
activated the crystal.

"How are your plans moving along?" the voice on the other end, obviously 
female, demanded.

Erika gazed uneasily into the crystal ball.  "I can assure you that my end of 
the bargain will be fulfilled, however, it will require more assistance than I 
previously have estimated.  My typically dependable employee is at this 
moment unable to keep tabs on Naga and the others. "

"Very well," the other party agreed, "I will send one of my followers to 
keep an eye on her for the time being.  However, I will require an additional 
favor of you when the time comes. A warning to you, Lady Erika, if you 
fail in your task, you will most surely live to regret it."

------------

The next morning was business as usual for Naga, who ran down the inn 
stairs to the breakfast table, laughing and bouncing as if nothing had 
happened the previous night.  The look of self-confidence, not to mention 
the total lack of modesty, had returned without question.  Actinaea found it 
hard to believe that Naga actually might have some sort of contrasting 
altruistic characteristics after all, as evidence might have pointed to a few 
days earlier, as soon as Naga began laughing.   "OOOOOHohohohohoho!  
Good morning to you, Praetor, Getehl, Mari!  I trust you all slept well.  
We've got work to do today, so everyone eat up!" 

Mariposa smiled and chirped, "Good morning Naga!"

"My night could have been better." Actinaea muttered.  "I already ordered 
breakfast, I trust that Elmekia-style waffles suits your exquisite tastes?  
Getehl insisted that you would enjoy them." 

"This inn makes the best waffles in Elmekia," Getehl added.

Naga nodded with approval.  "That will suffice.  Thank you Praetor."  As 
the food arrived, Naga wasted no time in digging in.  Her table manners, by 
Actinaea's standards at least, were even worse than normal.  "These are 
delicious indeed!" Naga laughed as she stuffed herself.  

Actinaea finally spoke up, getting to the point where she could not stomach 
what she felt was an intentional display or rudeness on Naga's part.  "I 
don't mean to interrupt your breakfast, oh White Serpent, but shouldn't we 
be talking about the Desert of Destruction rather than watching you feed 
your face?"

Naga looked up and replied, "Very well, my chest-less friend.  It doesn't 
take a genius like myself to note that the desert is a very large, very hostile 
place.  Most travelers who go in do not come out.  If some hostile desert 
beast does not eat them, they are killed by a nomadic band of thieves, or die 
due to lack of water.  It is only a place for the most experienced warriors 
and mages.  Of course, since I'm present, there is little we need to worry 
about.  Does that suffice, Praetor?"

"I see that you're confident as ever," Getehl remarked.

Actinaea shook her head slowly and spoke her dissenting opinion.  "I 
believe that we will be much better off with a guide.  Someone who knows 
the area and can take us to exactly what we're looking for.  It will be 
dangerous for Mariposa in the desert, and I don't want to be wandering in 
circles for day as we're running out of supplies.  Considering the rate that 
you consume resources, it's no wonder we have any money left at this point 
in our journey."

Getehl nodded.  "I hear there is a desert based guild in these parts.  We can 
get a guide there."

Naga hated to bend to the opinions of others, but in this case she was 
outweighed and simply replied, "Fine.  Getehl, you and Ace can go to the 
guild for information.  If you actually find a guild that is worthy to be in the 
White Serpent's presence, I suppose you should hire the fellow.  In the 
meanwhile, Mari and I will go to the city's Library and dig up any 
additional information we can.  We'll meet back here at sunset."

------------

As Actinaea and Getehl walked the empty streets of the city, passing by the 
occasional beggar and would-be pickpocket (instantly scared off by Ace's 
threatening remarks), Getehl walked with his head down, apparently locked 
in deep thought.  Actinaea looked up at the mercenary beside her and found 
this to be an unusual situation for someone of his stature.  "You're awfully 
quiet, Getehl," she murmured, "Is something troubling you?"

 Getehl shrugged.  "I was just thinking about Naga.  She acts so confident, 
but she's probably the most worried out of the entire group."

"Does it matter?" Actinaea asked, "If we do not find that bell, then the 
Association will close down the Singe chapter.  Anyway, when have you 
been a therapist?  The day Naga sits down and admits she's scared of 
something out in the desert is the day that I'll eat my Guild robes."

"I'm not be the most experienced merc in the world, but I've seen my share 
of adventures," Getehl remarked.  "Most people like Naga and me.  we're 
on the run.  We're running away from our problems, and we're on a wild 
goose chase for something.  We don't even know what that is half of the 
time."

"In Naga's case," Actinaea said with a smile, "I think she's just crazy."

Getehl shook his head.  "We're all crazy.  Why would you leave your home 
and friends?  Walking from town to town.  Facing death at each step.  If that 
isn't crazy, I don't know what is."

"I'm not concerned with that over-endowed bully's mental condition," 
Actinaea snapped.  "What I am concerned about is what she's teaching 
Mariposa."

"You don't trust Mari, do you?" Getehl queried.

The Praetor shook her head solemnly, as if a great weight had been placed 
on it.  "How can I trust her?  Yet, she is my responsibility.  In my days as a 
student in the academy, there were many young magic users who were 
easily tempted by the quick riches that were to be gained by breaking the 
rules.  Most of those lost few are now dead.  I don't want the same thing to 
happen to Mariposa.  Now she's got some leather-clad vigilante as her role 
model.  It was a mistake to even take her with us.  How can I even believe 
Naga when she says that Mari is just a victim of circumstance?  I have a bad 
feeling about what might be in the desert.  Dealing with my student in 
addition to a loose-cannon sorceress is getting to me."

Getehl chuckled a bit.  "No matter what you say about Naga, she certainly 
has her moments.  She isn't the sidekick reject you make her out to be."

"You're rather insightful for a mercenary at times," Actinaea remarked.

Getehl nodded.  "I have my moments as well."  He suddenly paused as he 
caught a glimpse of a tall white building at the edge of town that seemed as 
if it had been decorated to stick out like a sore thumb against the 
neighboring structures.  "Here we are," he announced.  

Actinaea gazed upon the huge double doors that stood in the entranceway of 
the building.  On it, ornate wooden carvings depicted the battle between the 
Water Dragon King and the Demon King of the North that took place one 
thousand years earlier.  The door handles themselves were made of gold.  
Whoever had built this building had spared no expense at all in its 
construction.  "What kind of guild is this?" she asked in awe.

"They call themselves the Brothers of the Dunes," Getehl answered.  He 
paused to pound on the front of one of the doors.  "If the rumors are true, 
they know everything about the desert.  They say they've been around for a 
thousand years.  Don't know if it's true."

Suddenly the door creaked open.  A man appeared in small area provided, 
his features drowned in a white cloak.  "Welcome," he said in almost a 
whisper, "Please enter."  His aura was rather creepy, and Actinaea and 
Getehl could help but feel shivers run down their backs.  They walked into 
the dimly lit hallway beyond the grand double doors.  The air inside was 
cold and damp.  Their host, as he seemed, closed the door behind them and 
pointed to another set of doors down the hall.  "Follow." he commanded.

"This guy takes his work seriously." Getehl whispered as he began 
walking behind the hooded man.  

Actinaea nodded in agreement.  "This guild must treat their traditions with 
the greatest of respect.  I can hardly say the same about the Magic 
Association."  

The group reached the doors.  Anticipation built as the hooded man put his 
hand on the doorknob, slowly turning it.  Actinaea and Getehl wondered to 
themselves what kinds of secrets were held in these ancient tombs?  What 
sort of knowledge awaited them in the massive libraries that the guild must 
have built?

As the door opened, their jaws dropped to the floor.  Before them stood a 
bustling, not to mention very noisy, room, overcrowded with people dressed 
in flashy suits sitting at card tables.  Young women with figures that rivaled 
Naga's pranced around, wearing bunny and ears serving drinks to patrons.  
Just as Actinaea was about to deck Getehl for bringing her to such a place, a 
short, middle aged man appeared before her, and with a laugh shook her 
hand and yelled, "Welcome to the Brothers of the Dunes Casino, the finest 
gambling establishment in all of Elmekia!  I'm Duke Dunes, the owner, and 
I'd personally like to congratulate you for being our one-millionth couple!"

Actinaea's face was now visibly red with intense anger. "This is NOT a 
guild!" 

Getehl shrugged and simply said, "I didn't know."

The Duke just laughed.  "If you're looking for that old guild that used to 
own this building, they're long dead.  We just use their old name and mock 
their traditions as a gimmick to attract customers.  A brilliant marketing 
strategy if I do say so myself!"

"We're here looking for information and a guide," Getehl replied coldly, 
"Though I wouldn't mind a few rounds at the poker table."  

"Absolutely not!" Actinaea scolded.  "This is ridiculous!  Let's get out of 
here now, before you spend all of our money."

"Wait one second!" the Duke pleaded.  "As our millionth couple, you are to 
be treated to a complementary dinner prepared personally by our world 
renowned Chef, Jean-Pierre Louise the Third!  It would be really bad for 
our public image if you were to refuse!"

"A free lunch doesn't sound too bad right now." Getehl laughed as began to 
follow the Duke, "Let's not look a gift-horse in the mouth."

Actinaea groaned as she began to follow Getehl, against her better 
judgement, into the depths of the sin-ridden casino, unaware that she was 
being watched from behind a magically powered slot machine.  As she and 
Getehl vanished from the scene, the distinct shape of a sea captain's hat 
emerged from the shadows.  

"I knew it!" the captain cackled madly.  "You may have escaped foiled my 
plans on multiple occasions, you over-inflated witch, but I'm not going to 
be humiliated again!  In the name of the great Mother Ocean and all her sea-
bearing creatures, I will make you pay for your insidious crimes against 
mariners!  Mark my words, White Serpent, today you will die!"

Suddenly the captain felt a tap on his shoulders.  He glanced back to see a 
huge bouncer in sunglasses staring down upon him menacingly.  "Sir," the 
bouncer said in a threatening voice, "You are disturbing the other patrons.  
We're going to have to ask you to leave the Casino."

The captain stared up at the huge man, and since he wished to remain in one 
piece for his next planned run in with Naga, he decided it best to take his 
ranting elsewhere.  

------------

Mariposa coughed as from the pile of books she was carrying in her arms 
blew gently into her face.  "Naga, I don't understand why we need all of 
these books.  Some of them aren't even about Lugandi or the Desert of 
Destruction."

Naga looked up from the book she was currently occupied with.  "Come 
now, Mari," Naga laughed softly (out of respect of the library's sanctity), 
"You know very well that books are food for knowledge!  You never know 
what kind of information you'll find in a book.  After all, some of the most 
powerful spells created by great wizards were discovered in books just like 
the ones in your hands."

"Praetor Actinaea makes me read a lot of books, so I understand," Mari 
began, "However, aren't we running out of time to find the bell?"

"Ooohohohoho!" Naga bellowed, "There is always time for knowledge, my 
little friend!"

Mari glanced up at the book Naga was currently engaged in.  "The War of 
the Demons Descent?" she asked.  "What does that have to do with the 
Silent Bell?  Besides, that story is told over and over.  Everyone knows that 
the 1000 years ago, the Water Dragon King and the Demon King of the 
North had a huge fight."

Naga smiled down at Mari and explained, "There was a lot of knowledge 
during that time about magic that was lost to humans.  For instance, before 
the war, humans knew how to call upon the power of the Gods much like 
one calls upon Ruby Eye to cast a Dragon Slave.  After that war, so few 
people were able to channel enough energy to reach outside of the Mazoku 
barrier that this knowledge was soon forgotten to the masses."

"I think that's interesting," Mari said, "I really do, and I'd love to study 
with you any time. but my parents."

Naga's voice prepared itself to return to full volume as she regained her 
arrogant composure and pointed up into the sky.  "Fear not, little Mari!  I 
will personally seek out your parents' captor!  She will regret the day that 
she first heard the name NAGA THE SERPENT!  
OOOOOhohohohohohohohoho!"

Mari tugged on Naga's cloak.  "Naga, this is a Library!" she whispered.

Naga smiled innocently as she received dirty stares from the Library's other 
patrons, and promptly sat back down with her book.

------------

"I hope you're satisfied now," Actinaea said in an "I told you so" tone as 
she and Getehl left the Casino.  

Getehl was hunched over with both hands over his stomach.  It felt as if any 
moment his insides were about to erupt with the force of a Blast Bomb.  
Needless to say, he was in excruciating pain. "I'm gonna die!" he cried out, 
"If I ever get my hands on that Jean-Paul Le Pope, or whatever the chef's 
name was, he's a dead man!"

"I told you we shouldn't have wasted our time in that disgraceful 
establishment," scolded Actinaea.  "Hopefully Naga fared better in her 
search for information, though I doubt it."

Getehl groaned as he clenched harder on his stomach.  "Can't you see I'm 
in terrible pain?  What the hell kind of seasoning did that stupid chef put in 
my food?"

*Actinaea sighed, shook her head, and put her hand over his stomach.  "If 
this will make you stop whining like a little child." A white light poured 
out from Ace's hands, encompassing Getehl's affected region.  "Dicleary."  

Getehl stopped moaning and immediately stood upright.  "Thanks Ace, I 
feel like a new man!"

"I believe that you've exceeded your maximum allotment of calling me that 
today," Actinaea warned.  "The next time you go running off into a strange 
casino and get sick off of its food, you will not be fortunate enough to 
receive my aid!"

"Yes ma'am!" Getehl acknowledged jokingly.  He stopped his joking as he 
caught a glimpse of a figure watching them from the shadows between two 
adjacent buildings.  

"What is it?" Actinaea demanded.

Getehl peered over into the shadows again.  Whatever he had thought he'd 
seen was no longer there.  "It was nothing," he replied, "Let's go back to 
the inn and meet with Naga and Mari."  As he and Actinaea walked off 
towards the in, a shadowy figure reappeared from between the two 
buildings.  Slowly it crept out into the late afternoon light, intent on 
following the mercenary and the Praetor.

------------

Naga looked up into the sky as the sun began to fall behind the horizon.  
Leaning against the door to the inn, she made a mental note to taunt 
Actinaea severely for being late.  She gazed down at Mari, who was 
yawning out of boredom.  As Actinaea and Getehl finally appeared down 
the road, Naga prepared her laugh for her unsuspecting opponent.  
"OOOOOOhohohohohohoho!"

"What, may I ask, do you find so funny, White Serpent?" demanded 
Actinaea.

"You are late, Praetor!" Naga emphasized, "I hardly think it to be a good 
impression on a young student such as Mari for her own instructor to 
display tardiness!"

Actinaea saw this taunt coming.  "If you must know, Getehl was severely 
ill."

"So, did you get us a guide Praetor?" asked Mari.

*"Unfortunately." Getehl laughed, "The guild's reputation was very . 
undeserved.  And might I add that their food was terrible.  What did you 
guys find in the library?"

"Naga actually wasted a lot of time." Mari began.  

Naga immediately interrupted her by placing her hand over the girl's mouth  
"Shhh."

"Huh?" Mari asked.

"We're being watched," Naga whispered as she motioned towards a 
darkened corner of the street.  A figure could barely be seen in the dimming 
light.  

"I knew it!" Getehl yelled as he drew his sword.  "Someone's been trailing 
us!"

"Mari, cast a light spell," Actinaea ordered.

Mari nodded.  "Light, born from the flame. Gather in my hands and be my 
power. Lighting!"  She released a ball of light into the air, which burst and 
immediately illuminated the entire area.  The figure's black cloak stood out, 
yet its features remained unclear.  

Regardless of this fact, Getehl took the opportunity to charge forward with 
his sword, his fighter's rage getting the better of him.  The figure noted 
Getehl's charge, and stood its ground.  As Getehl gave out his battle cry, 
striking with intent to kill, he was suddenly blasted back several meters by a 
powerful shock wave emanating from the figure's skeleton-like hand.  The 
fighter fell back into a nearby wall.  "What the hell?" he muttered.  Slowly 
he got back up onto his feet, and was ready to take another shot at the 
intruder.

"That wasn't any spell I know of," Actinaea said as she readied a magical 
attack.

"It wasn't a spell." Naga began.

Actinaea aimed for the figure as a lance of ice built in her hands.  "Freeze 
Arrow!"

The figure laughed as he raised his other hand.  The arrow that was flying at 
him shattered into bits.  "Praetor indeed," it mocked.

"...He's a Mazoku!" Naga announced with realization.

The Mazoku laughed, being discovered.  "I see that the Goldfish Feces is 
very observant.  Unfortunately, I've been given orders not to destroy you, 
but perhaps one of your friends will provide me with some entertainment.  
Why don't I torture this tough guy over here for a bit?  I'm sure that his 
screams will be music to my ears!"  The evil being pointed at Getehl, and 
began to fire off a small electrical charge at the warrior.  Getehl began to 
scream as the bolts struck him.  

"Getehl!!!" Mari screamed out, "Naga, you have to do something!"

Naga paused.  This sort of situation wasn't exactly new to her.  She had met 
up with her fair share of Mazoku who enjoyed torturing people for their 
own fun.  The problem was, when she had met up with one of these foul 
beings, SHE was always there.  And just as Naga pretended that she was 
ready to annihilate the foe before her, which she actually had no clue on 
how to do effectively, SHE always jumped forward and blasted the thing to 
kingdom-come.  Naga had no clue how strong this particular Mazoku was, 
however if form was any indication, the non-human characteristics 
displayed meant that it might not have enough energy to hold a decent form 
in the physical world.  

"Hold it right there!" A rather sudden voice yelled from the other side of the 
street.  

Everyone paused and glanced over to see who had come to interrupt the 
fight.  In the last light of the setting sun, an armored figure appeared.  "It is 
my duty to protect the Blue Ocean that you have violated!  White Serpent, 
you and your demonic cohorts may have bested me once or twice, but you 
are no match for me now that I have become UBERCAPTAIN!"  The 
captain stepped fully into the light, showing off the colorful makeshift battle 
armor he was wearing.  He began to pose in various ways to be sure that he 
displayed his ingenious harpoon launcher he had attached to his arm, as 
well as the various heroic symbols he had spent the entire night before 
painting on the armor.  "Now, in the name of all that is holy, I will destroy 
you!"

"Who is this idiot?" asked the Mazoku as he blasted the captain with energy 
burst.  There was a large explosion as the captain, and his "power armor" 
took to the air.

"Curse you White Serpent!"  The captain screamed mid-flight.  He was 
charred, and his armor was ruined, but at least he was alive to get his 
revenge.  "I'll get you for this!"

"Now where were we?" asked the Mazoku, "Ah yes, I was about to fry your 
swordsman pal here."

"I think not, my shady friend!" Naga laughed.  "I suspect that you're not as 
tough as you make yourself out to be." 

"Is that so?" asked the Mazoku, "Give me your best shot!"

"Hit him with the strongest astral attack you can muster up," Naga quietly 
told Actinaea, "We can take him down if we work together."

"For once I agree with you," Actinaea acknowledged.

Naga stepped in front of Actinaea.  "Light, gather into my hands and 
become a lance, destroying the darkness before me. ELMEKIA LANCE!"

Moments later from behind, Actinaea had finished her own spell.  "RAZA 
CLOVER!"  

Unprepared for the double attack, the Mazoku couldn't manage to erect a 
viable defense against either spell.  Naga's Elmekia Lance struck him 
forcefully just as the raining light of the Raza Clover reached him.  As 
thousands of tiny bolts of light began to pierce him on both physical and 
astral planes, he managed screamed out, "Impossible!  You're only 
human!" before he was completely ruined.

"Serves you right for trying to hurt my allies," Naga boasted, "And for 
crossing Naga the Serpent!"

"Now the question is," Actinaea began, "Why would a Mazoku have any 
interest in us?  I have a bad feeling about all of this."

 "Um.." Getehl managed to say, despite his serious injuries, "I hate to 
interrupt the victory party, but would you would mind sending another 
healing spell my way, Ace?"

------------Chapter 12 End------------

First off, thanks to Ravi for evaluating the draft of this story.  I took many 
of suggestions to heart, and hopefully the end result returned a chapter that 
was much more in synch with the rest of the impro than the original version.  
I must say that this being the first impro part I've ever done, I was quite 
pleased to see a good author from the story take his time to help me out.  

Additional thanks go out to QP/Diana, though she didn't directly help me, 
for providing the "Newly Completed Dictionary of Magic" 
(http://member.nifty.ne.jp/QPHOUSE/magic/m_index_e.html) as a resource 
for all my Slayers needs.

The original draft showed an apparently much weaker Erika, an overly 
verbose Getehl, and an overpowered Naga.  Hopefully the last minute 
changes based on Ravi's advice pushed these problems away.  

I want to make one thing clear about the involvement of Mazoku in this 
part.  I feel that Naga is at the level where most humans are her punching 
bags.  A low-level Mazoku like the one presented here gives a bit more of a 
challenge to Naga and her friends.  My understanding of Todd Harper's 
wishes for this fanfic is that Naga's main adversaries remain human.  I 
don't want to convey the idea that Naga is going to go up against any sort of 
high level Mazoku (including you-know-who).  I just wished to seek out a 
bad guy that was tougher to kill than your run of the mill bandit.

Thanks to everyone for making such a great impro up to this point.
It was a lot of fun writing the part, and I hope to take part in
another very soon.

-Adam
(ajpace@ieng9.ucsd.edu)