Slayers Glorious
	created by Todd Harper
Chapter 22: Roundabout! Which Way Are We Going?
	written by Phoebe and Damien Phoenix

***

	Erika scanned over the parchment one more time, her face tense before 
inspecting the large bell on the desk before her.

	"It doesn't make any mention of copies," she said for the third time. This 
irritated her. All this repetition made it seem as if she was losing control. 
She wasn't, of course.  But it didn't do to give the impression of it. "And 
unlike Lugandi's other works, there shouldn't be any copies... it's been locked 
in that tower since it was first created."

	"It wouldn't, would it?" Torr pointed out. "And that's the third time 
you've said that."

	Erika shot the lanky assassin a glare as he lounged against the wall. "Why 
didn't you make sure you had the right one before you came back?" she asked 
sharply.

	"You've asked that three times too," Torr said calmly, straightening. "And 
you're the expert at this. Surely you can tell if it's a copy or not."

	Erika glared out the window at Saillune Palace. "I can't use it until that 
silly bitch gets here," she said shortly. "And if this goes wrong, we'll be 
ruined.  They thought they got all of our people before.  This time, they'd make 
sure we were all dead." She clenched her fists, her face bleak. "If it's the 
real Bell though... they'll pay."

	"I didn't say use," Torr said dryly, stepping across the room towards the 
Bell.

	Erika got to her feet in sheer reflex as he unsheathed his sword. "What 
are you do-" she began, already instinctively reaching out for the Bell.

	It was too late though. With catlike strides, Torr closed the intervening 
distance before she could even touch the surface of the Bell, his sword arcing 
through the air with a deadly whistling sound... coming to strike the Bell hilt-
first.

	A clear, pure hum echoed through the still room for a moment, loud enough 
to make Erika cover her ears. She stared at Torr open-mouthed for a moment, then 
regained her composure.

	"The Silent Bell, yes?" Torr asked, just a hint of a smirk wavering around 
his lips. "I guess this isn't it."

	"You almost sound regretful," Erika noted, still irritated. How could she 
have overlooked such a simple solution? This is what came from thinking in terms 
of spells and magic!

	"Of course I am," Torr replied, sheathing the sword. "I want revenge as 
much as you do." He sighed. "I suppose you'll want me to go after the real 
Bell?"

	Erika nodded. "Elmekia," she said. She pointed at the fake Bell. "And get 
*that* thing out of my sight. In fact, take it with you. When you find the 
*real* Bell, compare it with that one, to make sure you have the right one."

	"Yes, m'Lady," Torr said loudly, dropping into a mocking bow.

	Erika summoned all her powers and smiled at him. "You did well, Torr," she 
said brightly, fingering her Guild badge. "But this time, you will actually 
succeed, won't you?" She judiciously added a little extra weight. "Our people 
are depending on you," she said solemnly.

	The look Torr gave her indicated that he wasn't buying a word of it. "I'll 
do my best," he said shortly.  He hesitated. "I... do you intend to use her to 
further your schemes? She's only a child, Erika."

	"The soft-hearted assassin?" Erika asked. "Don't worry, Torr. Right now, 
I'm concentrating on the Bell and our revenge." It was true, after all. However, 
if Mari *did* happen to fall into her hands along the way...

	Torr nodded and left the room silently. Erika frowned. Now, she had to 
wait for The Ring to bring Naga here. And then she had to *keep* her here, 
alive, and without letting her companions rescue her. Erika winced. Torr would 
hopefully find the Bell soon.

***

	"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Naga laughed triumphantly. "So you still think you 
can hold out against the great and powerful White Serpent?"

	"Please, Mommy, make it go away," Daron whined, hunching into a ball.

	Actinaea pulled her cloak a little tighter about herself. She hadn't even 
had time to change before the interrogation began, and Naga's costume wasn't 
much protection against the weather, which was a little chilly. Nippy, even. She 
folded her arms uncomfortably over her chest and glared at the two men, 
directing all of her anger at them. "For the last time, who sent you?" she 
snapped.

	"We don't knoooooooow!" Duran whimpered, uselessly struggling to lift his 
bound hands over his ears. "Just make the laughing stop!"

	Getehl gestured to Actinaea and she obediently walked over towards him. 
"Yes?" she asked quietly.

	"Is there really any purpose to this?" he asked, his voice equally low. 
"You've been at it for hours and all you've managed to get out of them is that 
their orders came from Saillune. I honestly don't think they know anything 
more."

	Naga straightened from where she was prodding Daron with a stick. 
"Saillune?" she questioned gaily, a slight edge to her voice. "I am sure these 
villians are lying! Trying to conceal the true origins of their orders with this 
obvious falsehood of Saillune! Such feeble attempts to blind the fabled cunning 
of the White Serpent! Ohohohohohoho..." she trailed off, looking uneasily at her 
two companions. "Er. I shall check that Mari has finished packing," she said, 
abruptly heading towards the door. "Continue the interrogation!"

	"I'll go after her," Getehl said quickly, as Actinaea's face began to 
darken in fury. He hurrried out after the sorceress, descending the back 
staircase to the stables.

	"Ohohohohoho!" he heard Naga say in greeting. "Are you finished packing, 
Mari-chan? Once we find where the scoundrels' orders originated from, we must 
leave for there immediately."

	"I'm done, Naga-san," Mari replied, her voice weary. "Haven't they said 
yet?"

	"Saillune," Getehl said, stepping out into the open.

	Naga whirled to glare at him. "We don't know that for sure yet," she 
protested. "I still say they lie."

	 Getehl eyed her warily. "I know you don't want to go to Saillune, Naga, 
but all the signs point towards it," he said gently. "If I didn't know you 
better, I'd say you were afraid."

	Naga glanced guiltily at Mari. "I-" she began, weakening slightly. Then 
she snapped upright again. "I just think that maybe Saillune isn't where we 
should be going," she finished lamely.

	"Torr is almost certainly there, with the Bell," Getehl pressed, taking a 
few steps towards her. "Erika is probably there, and if she is, Mari's parents 
might be there."

	Naga glanced guiltily at Mari. "I-" she began, weakening slightly. Then 
she snapped upright again. "I simply say that the evidence for Saillune is not 
conclusive yet!" she blustered.

	"It is," Actinaea said bluntly, stepping out into the center of the 
stables. She was wearing her Guild uniform again, something Getehl noted with 
almost-disappointment. "I've paid the innkeeper, with a little extra for his 
promise not to check our rooms until tonight. By that time we should be well on 
our way. We're going, Naga. To Saillune."

	Naga's eyes grew round. "But-" she stuttered.

	Actinaea lead her horse out of its box and began tying her bags to the 
saddle. "You obviously have a problem with that," she said bluntly. "I really 
don't care very much about what it is. But I am *not* going to let you put the 
mission in danger because you have a blind spot relating to a certain country!"

	Mari and Getehl silently began following her lead, both of them avoiding 
Naga's eyes as they fastened bundles to their saddles.

	Naga gaped at them. "Well, fine," she said haughtily, slinging a bag onto 
her shoulders and slipping a bridle into her horse's mouth. "I suppose if you 
all feel this way that I have little choice. There must be a *real* sorceress in 
the party to prevent unexpected mishaps."

	Actinaea stiffened as she led her horse out into the street. "I'm glad you 
agree, Naga," she said sharply, as the others joined her. "That's why I--" She 
stiffened abruptly, eyes widening. "Torr!"

	Naga spotted the red-haired mercenary with a distinct sense of 
satisfaction. He was riding slowly through the town center, slightly impeded by 
the crowds of morning market-goers. A slight girl rode at his side, but Naga 
didn't pay any attention to her, focusing more on the bell tied prominently to 
the swordsman's saddle. "I told you so," she gloated. "Saillune, indeed."

	"Very mature," Actinaea scowled. "Let's go!"

	"Ohohohohoho!" Naga agreed. "FREEZE ARROW!"

	Alerted by a sound somewhere between the shriek of a rusty chastity belt 
being released from the waist of an old spinster and the squeals of hundreds of 
hamsters engaged in furious mating, Torr looked up and spotted the blue ray 
speeding towards him. He tugged roughly at his reins, yanking the animal's head 
around. The bolt of ice shot by him and froze an unwary merchant instead.

	Naga was already running towards him, her horse abandoned for the moment. 
Screams filled the air as she jostled past frightened townspeople, trying to 
keep the lanky man in sight. Luckily the sheer mass of people fleeing the scene 
kept him from disappearing. He cursed and vaulted out of the saddle, linking one 
hand in his horse's reins, his sword appearing to leap into his free hand. The 
slender girl followed his suit, gripping a thin knife tightly.

	Actinaea and Getehl moved around the square warily, keeping their 
attention on the surrounded pair in the now empty square. "Stay back, Mariposa!" 
Actinaea called, without taking her eyes off the red-heads.

	"OHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Naga laughed triumphantly. "Give us the Bell, Torr! Your 
villainy comes to an end! Nothing can stop the great White Serpent from 
achieving her goal now!"

	"That's what *YOU* think, White Serpent!" a new voice called.

	Naga looked up, startled. "Who-" she began.

	People poured out of the surrounding buildings. Antagonistic people, by 
all appearances. At least, that's the adjective usually used to describe people 
who are brandishing swords and clubs and crossbows and other such things that 
tend to cause pain and dismemberment when they come in contact with the human 
body.

	"White Serpent!" One of them, brandishing a two-handed crossbow above his 
head. "We will get you this time! For we are the--"

	"Don't say it!" A second of the men clamped his hand around the mouth of 
the first. "Ah-ha... we're here to get you! Yes, that's it!"

	Naga, Mari, Actinaea, and Gatehl collectively sweatdropped.

	The thugs finished exiting the surrounding structures and circled around 
the intrepid heroes.

	"Now we will get you."

	"Though they may try, no man will ever get the White Serpent! 
OOOHOHOHOHO!" Naga laughed, head cocked back and hand placed perfectly over her 
mouth in perfect prima donna pose.

	"Charge!" And with the command, the accosters did. The throng enclosed, 
eating up the meager empty space between them and the four heroes.

	"--HOHOH-- Freeze Arrow!" Naga went from displaying her powerposing roots 
to full-on-kick-ass-sorceress in less time than it took for the average man to 
nosebleed at the sight of her costume.

	Her companions delayed only slighted in their counterattacks.

	The effect was immediate, visible, and generally impressive upon the eyes. 
Any of the mobsters not blasted into the air, ground, surrounding buildings, or 
each other by the magical onslaught were wise enough to move away from the 
attacks.

	Unfortunately, while they shied away from the three spellcasters, they had 
no aversion to attacking the fourth member of the group.

	"We want you, too, Getehl!"

	"GAH!" Getehl cried as a virtual spearhead of people bore down on him. He 
whipped up his sword to parry an attack, then had to hurry to block another. He 
stepped back and ran up against a scantily-clad but caped back.

	"What are you doing?"

	"Er!" Getehl dodged a nearly decapitating slash. "Move, please!"

	"There's Torr!" Actinaea shouted, pointing. A group of the mobsters hit 
the ground with arms above their heads in terror at a possible spell.

	Naga looked over to where the Praetor was indicating, and two conflicting 
thoughts arose in her mind. The first was "Get the bastard! He's got our Bell!" 
And indeed, this is what Naga did shout out, even taking a step in that 
direction.

	The second, and far more primal thought was more along the lines of "Don't 
charge the source of danger when there's an easier way out. Just move with the 
flow and we'll be outside of these guys in no time." Tacked on to the end of 
that was "And we'll get the bastard once that happens anyway."

	The fact that Getehl was pressing harder against her back awith each 
passing moment didn't have anything to do with it, of course.

	So the group moved, pushed along by the press of people against Getehl, 
while the rest of the mobsters parted like water under the effect of a well 
placed Dimilar Wind.

	It felt very odd to Actinaea. She whapped a hand making a grab for her and 
noted, "We're being herded."

	"The White Serpent will not be guided like a cow!" Naga exclaimed, making 
a neat right face. "We shall go this w-- Eep!"

	The White Serpent returned to being guided like cattle as a wisp of her 
hair drifted to the ground, severed from her person by a sword-stroke.

	"Very well! We shall go this way!" Naga pointed forward and quickened the 
pace. The other three felt her move away and hurried after her. In return, their 
attackers broke off the assault against Getehl (which hadn't been particularly 
vengeful to begin with) and spread out into their previous circle.

	"Ne, Naga-san, what should we do?" Mari asked, looking warily at the now 
complacent, yet still tense mobsters.

	"We'll get you," one of them said.

	"You tried that already. It didn't work." Naga raised her hand to blast 
the hapless man away.

	He smiled at her. "Yeah, but our help has arrived."

	A small opening opened in the ring of people, and a man stepped through. 
He was dressed in a long tan coat and his eyes were shadowed, almost sunken into 
his head. A small toothpick stuck out of the corner of his slightly smiling 
mouth. He shrugged off his coat and spread his arms. A double flick of his 
fingers sent the mobsters away from the group even further.

	"I don't like this," murmured Actinaea.

	"He's either really brave... or a decoy," Getehl added.

	"He could be stupid."

	"That's what I said."

	"This is a waste of time; we need to find Torr!" Naga raised her hand, 
shouted, "Freeze Arrow!" and blasted the guy to smithereens.

	At least, that's what it seemed like, until he jumped... and kept going 
up. In almost a slow-motion take of movement, the man flipped over Naga's attack 
(the mobsters behind him weren't so lucky), landed in a crouch, twisted to the 
side, and whipped out a crossbow.

	The next minute or so would have been confusing for anyone caught up in 
the action to understand. Two experienced and powerful mages (no matter what 
their opinion of each other's abilities) and one fairly competent swordsman 
should have been enough to take down a single opponent in an open area. The fact 
that one of the mages was semi-preoccupied watching after a novice magician 
shouldn't have mattered.

	And the large number of friends said single opponent had circling the 
whole deal? They didn't do a thing.

	Yet even so, Naga and Getehl not only could not defeat the man, they 
couldn't even touch him. First, the spells came at him, which he dodged around 
with practiced ease, sometimes by using his expert leaping trick (Naga quickly 
figured this to be a well timed application of Levitation) but usually just by 
moving around or firing at an opportune moment to throw off her aim.

	And while he should have been forced to reload or grab another crossbow 
after each shot, the pair he held were a marvel of engineering. They loaded and 
recocked after each shot.

	When Getehl got close enough to attack, the man calmly dropped one 
crossbow, pulled out his own sword and parried anything the traveling swordsman 
tried.

	All the while, the man smiled his little smile, and the toothpick bobbed 
up and down slightly as he chewed on the end.

	Naga went red at this development. What sort of man wouldn't stay still 
long enough to get hit by a oodles of magical energy so he could fall down and 
stay there like any normal target? The rudeness of it was staggering.

	"GAAV...!"

	Getehl knew enough to stop, drop, and roll at the sound of Naga's voice. 
For an instant, surprise registered in the mystery man's eyes as Naga drew her 
arms back, but then, almost in stride, he flicked up his second crossbow into 
his hand and rolled right after Getehl.

	"FLARE!"

	The few mobsters who hadn't realized that getting out of the way was in 
their best interests went down under the magical fire blast like tenpins. 

	Then the building behind them got flattened.

	The mysterious man got up and dusted himself off. He pulled back a small 
lever on each of his crossbows, and an empty rack for holding each bolt slid off 
each one and clattered to the ground. He pulled out a pair of identical racks 
and slotted them into the weapons with a click as he surveyed the damage.

	"You're good," he said, tipping his head in a salute. Then he hit the 
ground and rolled as Naga tried to take him out. 

***

	"Just distract them," he had said. "Make sure I get away. We might have to 
face the White Serpent, but not now."

	The pair of them had hunched down as the people Lady Erika had hired 
attacked (and attempted to kidnap) Naga and her companions.

	"They won't succeed," he had said, "Even with the extra help I scooped up 
for them."

	"What should I do?" Lilen had asked him.

	Torr shrugged. "Anything you like. I'll meet you again outside of town." 
He paused. "If you get away, that is."

	Lilen grimaced as he skirted off. She stayed low and watched the fight for 
a few minutes as Torr's mystery man arrived and began to turn things around. She 
let a low whistle out in appreciation of the man's skill.

	Still, the White Serpent's magic was doing a good job of eliminating the 
constraining ring of people. She closed her eyes and focused for a moment. When 
she reopened them, her features were like that of her traveling companion.

	She fought back the urge to disappear, to become just another villager and 
to hide away from the danger. Much as she hated it, she had to make sure Torr 
got away clean. She could change and disappear later, so acting as him for a 
short while was no problem.

	Then two of the members broke free of the circle and made their way for 
some relative cover, ironically the two she had masqueraded as before.

	Lilen got up and started to run, making sure to "accidentally" bump into 
one of the mobsters.

	As planned, the man turned and shouted "Watch where you're going!" And 
captured the attention of those no immediately captivated by some other activity 
like fighting, being hurt, or attempting to stay out of both.

	Inwardly, Lilen both cringed and rejoiced. Outwardly she cursed and met 
the gaze of Actinaea for a hesitant moment. The Praetor's eyes captivated hers 
for that extended instant. She almost couldn't move herself away from that. But 
she forced one foot, then the other, and soon she was running, down streets and 
away from the battle.

	As she ran, she wondered if Actinaea had seen through her disguise.

***

	While she normally would have clucked her tongue at Naga's rampant, 
chaotic spellcasting, it did provide Actinaea with one boon that was enough to 
(silently) forgive the White Serpent's bad habits. Because of the considerable 
lack of replacement minions to keep the four of them in the same area as the 
stunningly effective stranger, she could get Mari to safety.

	Breaking free of a crowd was easy when the crowd was preoccupied with 
dodging stray offensive magic was easy. Particularly when said crowd was wary of 
magic users in general. One little hand gesture and the words "Windy..." was 
enough to send them scattering further.

	Actinaea and Mari reached the surrounding buildings and slipped between 
two of them. The Praetor pushed the girl behind her and looked back out at the 
melee. She heard a surprised shout, which caught her attention. It wasn't the 
normal shout for a fight, more of the sort of shout someone would hear in a 
crowded marketplace.

	She turned to look, and locked eyes with Torr. For a moment, the fight, 
the town, even Mari's tugging at her Guild robe, faded away. Actinaea felt as if 
the red-headed warrior was searching for something in her. She wanted to rush 
after him, but couldn't, something held her in place.

	A small part of her mind wondered if this was some strange, new magical 
attack that Torr was using. But then the moment passed as he moved, first one 
step, then two. It almost looked like he strained to look away, to break their 
eye contact.

	Actinaea spent a moment puzzling it, then realized that with everyone else 
occupied with Getehl and Naga, she and Mari were free to pursue Torr.

	"Mariposa, stay down." Or at least she could go after him.

	"Where are you going, Actinaea-sensei?"

	"I'll be right back," she replied. "Just stay hidden."

	Mariposa bit her lip as Actinaea rushed off, but did hunker down into the 
shadows.

	The Praetor rushed after Torr. At first, he was in plain sight. The area 
immediately surrounding the battle was clear of civilians except the brave and 
senseless. But further away, he managed to weave in-between people.

	She kept his bobbing red head in sight, but slowly began to lose ground. 
Cursing under her breath, she stopped. "Ray Wing!" And she was rising above it 
all.

	Townspeople stopped and gawked as she flew overhead.

	She sped past the land-born Torr. She landed on the other side of him and 
crossed her arms with a defiant smirk. "You don't have any traps, any special 
situations now, Torr. I have you. Give us the Bell."

	"I don't have it Praetor," Torr said, opening his arms wide. "But are you 
sure you can stop me? I've nearly beaten you and your friends, before."

	Actinaea replied by casting a Dam Brass. Torr dodged, drawing his sword 
and charging her. She backpedaled quickly as he swiped at her. The sword stroke 
barely missed her neck, but she tripped over her feet and landed on her butt.

	Torr leaped at her, striking downward in an apparent effort to cleave her 
head in two.

	"Diem Wind!" It came out on instinct, but the magical blast slammed into 
his hand, sending the strike wide and his sword flying.

	"Aero Bomb!" The small spell exploded against Torr's chest, knocking him 
back further.

	Actinaea got up and approached Torr with determination. "I'll just get 
harder on you," she said. "Mono Volt!" The bolt of lightning hit Torr in the 
arm. He jumped back in pain.

	"Yield," she said.

	For some reason, Torr smiled. "I don't think I can do that, Praetor." He 
pulled out a knife.

	"Wind Bleed!" The knife was knocked away.

	Torr signed. "I'm afraid you don't understand the situation." His features 
melted. "I'm not Torr."

	"Getehl?" she asked, eyes going wide when the features stopped being 
blurry.

	"Maybe." 'Getehl' smiled and leaned forward suddenly. Actinaea tried to 
back away, but he managed to catch her chin in his hand. His lips brushed hers.

	She froze, and didn't move again until he had stepped away, his features 
melting again until he had disappeared entirely. Actinaea knew it wasn't the 
real Getehl; he was still back with Naga. But she brought a hand up to touch her 
lips and wondered if his would really feel like that.

	Then, shaking her head and telling herself to ignore foolish fantasies, 
she cast Ray Wing and rushed back to the others.

***

	"Who is this guy?" Getehl wondered. 

	He had faced many opponents, some good, some bad, and there were certain 
truths that tended to apply in all situations. If someone was strong up close, 
they were weak against ranged attacks. The reverse also applied. If a force 
could cover both contingencies, both ranged and close combat, they would be 
overall stronger.

	Further, the fewer combatants in a fight, the shorter the fight took. It 
was a logical situation: if people wanted to hurt one another, given time they 
would be hurt and incapacitated. The less people around to be taken down, the 
less time it took for the fight to last.

	Finally, the more lethal the attempts by the combatants, the quicker 
things would go.

	Because of this it was confusing to be in a fight where none of the rules 
seemed to apply. He and Naga weren't the best of teams, but they did cover the 
whole ranged and close combat thing pretty well. Even in her arrogance, Naga was 
experienced and perceptive enough to take an advantage like his presence into 
account.

	Also, despite there being only three of them, the fight had probably been 
going for close to five minutes. That long, and not only had nobody been hurt 
(besides the innocent and not-so-innocent bystanders) but it seemed like it 
would continue until one side or the other collapsed.

	The stitch growing in Getehl's side told him it would probably be his 
side.

	But most of all, he couldn't understand why three people with lots of 
sharp pointy things of arcane and mundane nature could not speed things up.

	It was awesome to behold his opponent. The sheer efficiency in which the 
man moved, he would just happen to be right out of the way of one of Naga's 
spells, or he'd be able to pause his firing of crossbows long enough to parry 
one of Getehl's attacks.

	A casual observer might have said the man was lucky in how he just barely 
stayed alive. Getehl was beginning to see that it was just an incredible amount 
of skill...

	A rapid pulse of six crossbow bolts slammed into the building around 
Getehl, freezing him in place.

	... Incredible skill and some very good weapons.

	For a while, he had hoped the man might run out of bolts. It didn't seem 
likely. On the other hand, he wasn't having any success about pinning Naga or 
Getehl down, either.

	"Getehl! Can't you hit him, yet? He must be getting tired!" Naga fired two 
more Freeze Arrows in quick succession. The man took two quick steps to the 
side, evading both, and sent one shot back at her, causing Naga to leap for 
cover.

	Getehl took the opportunity to charge, again, and tried to take out the 
man's legs with a low swipe of the sword. The stranger jumped, raising his legs 
above the strike, then kicked out, clipping Getehl across the chin.

	The traveling swordsman fell back, dropping his sword and wincing in pain. 
A shadow came across his face. He squinted up at the man standing above him. 
Getehl swallowed as he looked down the length of one of the repeating crossbows.

	"Not target," the man said quietly. "She is." Then he started to step 
past.

	Getehl saw an opening. For an instant, the man's gaze flicked up to look 
at Naga, but his crossbow didn't follow immediately. And he wasn't past Getehl, 
yet.

	The swordfighter twisted his body and kicked. His attack caught the man in 
the hip, pushing him into a stumble.

	"Get him, Naga!" Getehl rolled and grabbed for his sword. They had an 
advantage, they just needed to press it. He hurried, fumbling his grip as he 
spun around.

	The stranger, dodging back towards Getehl from Naga's flurry of spells, 
ran sidelong into the blade.

	The sword clattered to the ground. Getehl stared at his hand, a strange 
feeling of loss coming over him. It wasn't supposed to end like that, on a 
fluke.

	"It's not fair," he found himself mumbling. Then shook his head. Life 
wasn't fair. Some people died in their sleep. Some ran into errant sword blades 
held by people far less competent than they.

	The stranger looked at Getehl, eyes wide slightly with surprise, but the 
same small grin on his face. The man fell back flat. Dust rose around him when 
he hit the ground, but he did not move again.

	"What happened?" Actinaea returned to the scene. "Mariposa! You can come 
out, now."

	Getehl stared at the body for a short while. "What happened to you?" he 
asked finally, looking at Actinaea.

	"Oh, I chased after Torr, only it wasn't Torr. He turned into you, and 
then he kissed me and..." She stopped, blushing. "Just forget it. I didn't catch 
him."

	Getehl blinked. "Wait, I kissed you? Well, not me, someone else, but kinda 
me. Did you kiss b-" He clamped his mouth shut and looked away. "Ahem," he 
coughed nervously, casting around for a new subject. With a rush of relief, he 
spotted the bikini-clad sorceress staring thoughtfully at the dead body. "Umm... 
Naga?" he asked, changing the subject.

	Naga stared at the motionless body for a few minutes more, then raised the 
back of her hand to her mouth. "Ohohohohoho!" she laughed a little shakily. 
"Once again the famed White Serpent has defeated her adversaries."

	"Through sheer luck," Getehl pointed out. "And Torr got away," Mariposa 
said miserably. "With the Bell."

	Naga patted her shoulder reassuringly before hoisting herself into the 
saddle. "Never mind, Mari-chan," she said. "Torr cannot be far away! We shall 
catch him and retrieve the Silent Bell!"

	"Huh?" Actinaea blinked dazedly. "Weren't we going to Saillune?"

	"I see that kiss has rattled your already negligible wits!" Naga laughed 
easily, wheeling her horse dramatically. "No, Torr is much closer, and the Bell 
is the focus of our Quest, after all. Come, Mariposa!" She dug her heels into 
her steed's sides, setting off in pursuit of the vanished enemy.

	Mari nodded and cantered after her.

	"Um, let me help you into the saddle, Ace," Getehl muttered, keeping his 
eyes on the ground.

	"N- No!" Actinaea stuttered. "Er... no, Getehl. I'll be fine." She climbed 
onto the horse's back and the pair set off, determinedly not looking at or 
speaking to each other.

***

	Corpses are supposed to follow certain rules. Biological functions should 
cease. Preferably, the only gas to leave them should do so at a later (rather 
than sooner) date, and shouldn't be actively replaced.

	Mostly, however, when they go down, they're supposed to stay down. 
Especially when they've taken a sword-slash across the chest.

	The corpse currently laying in the middle of a square in Salsburg sat up, 
defying all known rules that apply to bodies in such a condition. He looked not 
altogether surprised, but somewhat amused at his predicament.

	The people who had come out drew away from him at his movement. He twisted 
his head to the side until it popped and took a slow reconnaissance of his 
surroundings.

	His toothpick lay on the ground. He picked it up and inspected it, flicked 
his finger to tap the dust off, then broke it in two and dropped it. He got to 
his feet and wiped dust from his body.

	"White Serpent?" he asked, eyeing the villagers.

	"That way!" one replied, pointing east.

	The stranger nodded. He picked up his two crossbows and latched them to 
his belt, then grabbed his long jacket. He nodded to the villagers as he past, 
heading eastward out of Salsburg.

***

Author's notes

We had fun. Thanks to Todd and Ravi for pre-reading. Slayers rocks.

Phoebe and Damien Phoenix