As the train rumbled on down the tracks, Zel, Amelia, Alex, Jason, and Adderson all began to pick up on some bad vibes.
     "The power source.... is immense!"  Zel exclaimed, standing up in an attempt to home in on the energy signature.  Unfortunately the train lurched as it went around a corner, sending Zelgadis dangerously close to the edge of the platform.  Alex and Jason lunged forward, catching Zel's legs before he went over the edge.
     "Where is it coming from Mr. Zelgadis?"  Amelia asked, digging through the luggage for her adventuring outfit.  "Where is my luggage?!"
     "I think it's back on the platform with Lina,"  Gourry said, holding his bag in his lap.
     "So why isn't YOUR luggage there?"  Sylphiel asked.
     "I guess I forgot to leave it on the cart... sorry."
     The other people on the flat with Gourry turned to him and began to shout and curse at him.  When Gourry shouted, "Look out!!" everyone turned around to see the train heading for a tunnel and a hairpin turn, which was dumping people off left and right.
     "Oh crap!!"  Andrew exclaimed as their flat hit the turn and dumped them off into oblivion.
     "Ray WING!!"  Amelia, Zel, Alex, Sylphiel, and Jason shouted, each person being surrounded by a magical aura which allowed them to fly.  Amelia caught Gourry, Zel caught Derek, Alex caught Adderson, and Jason caught Andrew, flying them to safety.
     "Mr. Alex, Mr. Gourry is heavy!!"  Amelia complained as her arms were practically wrenched from their sockets.
     "Well, I'm not the strongest person here,"  Alex said, barely able to hold onto Adderson's arms, "Damnit Adderson, when did you put on weight?!"
     "Incoming land!!"  Gourry shouted as Amelia began a dive towards the ground.  Gourry crashed down first, followed by Amelia, who skidded a few feet on her face.  She got to her feet and gave the victory sign.  "VICTORY!!"
     The remaining flyers circled around until they were low enough to safely drop their passengers before landing themselves.  Once everyone was safely on the ground, they tended to Gourry, whose head was stuck in a gopher hole, before they hiked towards a nearby road in the hopes of getting a ride to either another train station or to a nearby town.
     After standing at the roadside for a couple hours, Amelia sank down to a sitting position and hugged her knees.  "We're never going to get out of here, are we guys?"
     "I don't know,"  Adderson said, "There doesn't seem to be much traffic in this area so I can't say."
     "Well, there is one way of getting some attention,"  Sylphiel said, standing up and walking to the roadside, where she hiked up her skirt.  In a matter of seconds there were cars galore offering them a ride.  Sylphiel turned to the others and smiled. "I know it's immoral and going against everything I learned as a priestess, but what it all comes down to is men are pigs."
     "Whatever,"  Alex said, a sweatdrop forming on his head, "At least we have rides.  Zel, Amelia, Adderson, and Jason are with me.  The rest of you take another vehicle and try to find a train station or something useful."
     "All right,"  Sylphiel said, stepping into the back seat of a sports car, followed by Derek and Gourry.  Andrew got into the front seat of the car with the driver and the sports car took off.  Alex, Amelia, Adderson, Zel, and Jason hopped into the back seats of a sports utility vehicle and the driver sped off at breakneck speed.

     "So, where are you off to?"  the driver asked in an aussie accent.  At a closer glance he appeared to be in his late 20's or early 30's, with short, dirty blond hair, dark brown eyes, a very tanned face, and some stubble.  He wore a blue checked flannel shirt, a brown leather vest, dark brown jeans, and hiking boots.
     "We WERE heading for Atlas City,"  Zelgadis said, adjusting his tie, "Are we anywhere near there?"
     "Yeah, a few miles from there,"  the driver said, "hang on tight!"
     The driver veered towards a nearby guardrail and jumped it, leaving his passengers to scream and shout in terror.  The SUV landed on its wheels, bounced a couple times, and sped down some train tracks.  In front of them they could see a train bearing down on them.
     "What the hell are you trying to do, kill us?!"  Alex exclaimed, a monobolt forming in his hand.  Zel restrained Alex's hand so he couldn't hit the driver. In a whisper, Zel explained to Alex, "If he passes out, we're dead for sure!"
     "Sorry,"  Alex whispered back, recalling the monobolt before reaching into his shirt for his cleric's talisman, "Blessed humble will of god, lightning breath of mother earth, by the light of purity which I possess I call forth holy power to surround us and protect us from whatever we may face.  BARRIER!!!"
     The inside of the SUV was aglow with holy light, which surrounded everyone and formed a protective barrier.  At the last possible moment the driver turned hard to the right, sending the vehicle off of the tracks and into the woods.  Amelia screamed as they almost collided with several trees.  "This is SCARY!!"
     "Driver, are you trying to kill us?!"  Adderson asked.
     "Nope, just giving you a thrill ride,"  the driver said, grinning from ear to ear.
     After careening through the woods for a couple of minutes they emerged onto the main highway, which took them directly to Atlas City.  Once they arrived within the city limits, the driver pulled to the side of the road.  "Atlas City, everyone out."
     "Thanks for the ride,"  Amelia said as she fell out of the SUV onto her face.
     "Pay no attention to her,"  Adderson, Alex, Zel, and Jason said as they got out, "thanks for the lift."
     "No problem,"  the driver said, "it was my pleasure.  If you're ever in Saiirag, look me up.  The name's Jace.  Jace Goldstine."
     "C-ya Jace,"  Alex called as the SUV took off at high speed again.  "What a maniac!"  he said, changing his tone, "I can't believe he almost got us KILLED!!"
     "Chill out Alex,"  Adderson said, "at least we made it to Atlas City."
     "But this place looks really scary,"  Amelia said from behind them.  The other turned around to see a huge, modern city surrounded by a dark, creepy fog with black clouds blocking out the sun.  "This isn't the Atlas City I remember."
     "Nor do I,"  Zel said, adjusting his sport coat, "but since we're here we might as well try to find that hotel where Amelia booked our reservations."

     Meanwhile, in the sports car that Derek, Andrew, Gourry, and Sylphiel were riding in, the hitch hikers were trying to avoid dying of boredom.
     "Turn on the radio,"  Gourry said, shifting in his seat.
     "You're squashing me, Gourry dear,"  Sylphiel said as she was plastered against the car door yet again.
     "Sorry,"  Gourry said, adjusting his position again.
     "Now you're on top of me,"  Derek said, his voice muffled by Gourry's immense back, "Mono BOLT!!"
     The electricity which Derek released was channeled through Gourry, into Sylphiel, through the interior of the car, and ended up blasting everyone.  The sports car spun out of control and came to a stop a few feet away from a small girl, between the ages of fifteen and sixteen with long red hair, big, violet eyes, and a very petite stature.  She was dressed in a very conservative black skirt with a violet top, her red hair in a long braid down her back.  On both sides of her were several suitcases filled with other people's clothes.
     "LINA!!"  Gourry shouted when he saw the girl.
     "Miss Lina?"  Sylphiel asked, puzzled.
     "Lina, how did you get here?"  Derek asked.
     "You do NOT want to know,"  Lina said, picking up all of the suitcases and strapping them to the roof of the car, "It's really tiring to lug all of your luggage this many miles, non stop!" She continued, trying to get into the all ready crowded back seat of the car, "Sylphiel, sit on Gourry's lap.  Gourry, sit over by the door.  Derek, you're in the middle and I get the window seat,"  she cheered, giving a victory sign.  Everyone groaned before the car sped off towards its destination.
     "Say, what is the destination?"  Andrew asked, turning to face everyone in the back seat.
     "I have no clue,"  Sylphiel said, "excuse me, driver, where are we going?"
     "We're going to Zorna,"  the driver said, turning so that the light reflected off of his right eye.  The people in the back seat gasped, for his eye was completely red.
     "Let me outta here!!"  Sylphiel wailed, trying desperately to unlock the door.
     "Oh, grow up!!"  Lina exclaimed, forming a fireball between her palms.  She held it in one hand and reached over the seat to put it near the driver's head. "Either take us to Atlas City or you get fireballed, do I make myself clear?"
     "Clear as crystal,"  the driver said, turning the sports car around and heading in the opposite direction, towards Atlas City.
     "I wonder what the others are doing right now,"  Derek said, sighing.
     As they drove on towards Atlas City, Lina stared out the window and sighed loud enough to startle Gourry, Sylphiel, Derek, and Andrew.
     "What's on your mind, Miss Lina?"  Sylphiel asked, startling Lina.
     "Oh, nothing, nothing at all,"  Lina sighed.  She turned towards Sylphiel, only to get the priestess' version of a death stare.  "Ok, ok, I miss being home, working in the restaurant with Luna."
     "Who's Luna?"  Derek asked.
     "My older sister."
     "Luna Inverse is your older sister?!"  Gourry exclaimed.
     "Is something troubling you Gourry dear?"  Sylphiel asked, turning to Gourry, who had a very scared expression on his face.
     "Luna.... that monster... is your older sister?!
     "Yeah Gourry,"  Lina said, a little surprised at how her traveling companion was acting.  "Is something wrong?"
     "I ate at that restaurant one time and when I complained about a hair in my soup she hit me with a fireball and a Gaav Flare, hurling me through a wall and singing my eyebrows off."
     "I know she's got a bad temper,"  Lina sighed, "but she owns the restaurant, so she can't be fired.  She's literally the bar maiden from hell."
     "Wasn't it her constant shocks which helped you to overcome that stupid tiara which Zengalus stuck on your head so you go zapped every time you tried to use a spell?"  Sylphiel asked.
     "That's not the most pleasant memory I have, but yeah, her constant zaps helped to build up my resistance to electric shocks."
     "I still wonder what the others are doing right now,"  Derek said, gazing out the window at the land which passed by as they drove on their way to Atlas City.

     "I wonder what the others are up to right now,"  Amelia said, looking at the sky.
     "If I know them, they've probably found a nice hotel to spend the night in and are eating a HUGE dinner right now,"  Jason said.
     "Lighten up guys,"  Alex said, "at least Amelia booked in advance so once we find the hotel, we can check in and order room service!!"
     "I don't like the looks of this,"  Zelgadis said.  Everyone turned to see what Zel was looking at and gasped.  "I think we found our hotel."
     "The 'Hells Arms' hotel,"  Alex grumbled, turning to Amelia, who was busy hiding behind Zelgadis, "the 'HELLS ARMS' HOTEL!!"  Alex exclaimed, "WHAT KIND OF AN IDIOT BOOKS AT A PLACE CALLED 'THE HELLS ARMS'?!"
     "But they had a good rate,"  Amelia said, cowering behind Zel, "and it was the best I could get for our vacation funds."
     "Oh well, we might as well check in and see about getting to our room,"  Jason said, advancing towards the front doors.  Adderson, Zel, and Amelia followed, and they were soon joined by Alex, who kept giving Amelia a death glare.  When Jason, Adderson, and Zel had entered the lobby, the door slammed shut and locked, leaving Amelia and Alex outside.  A wall of flames formed in front of the door, blocking any entrance or escape.
     "Crap!"  Alex said, backing up before his eyebrows were singed off, "they're trapped inside and we're stuck outside."
     "Leave it to the swift blade of justice to smite this fire,"  Amelia said, hurling a freeze arrow at the flames.  The arrow struck, only to melt.  "Stupid blade of justice!"
     'This kid's been watching WAY too many hero movies,'  Alex thought, a sweatdrop forming on his head.  He then decided to try a spell himself.  He held his left hand above his head, the index finger pointed to the sky.  He braced his left wrist by grasping it with his right hand.  "You who crosses between sky and earth.  Raging water, gather in my hand and give me power.  Demona CRYSTAL!!"
     A sphere of ice energy formed above his index finger, which he hurled at the flames.  The sphere struck the flames, freezing them.  Unfortunately the frozen flames exploded, showering Alex and Amelia with ice shards.  A new wall of flame formed where the old one once stood, blocking entry or escape.
     "We have to save them,"  Alex said, reaching for his transformation pen, only to remember it was in his luggage, which was with Lina, "We're going in the top way!"
     "We'll be back to save you,"  Amelia called as Alex dragged her off to the side of the building.
     "Think they can do it?"  Adderson asked once Alex and Amelia were out of sight.
     "I know Alex can do it,"  Zel said, "but I'm worried about Amelia."

     "I'm scared Mr. Alex,"  Amelia said when they reached the back of the hotel.
     "I'm scared too Amelia,"  Alex said, "but we need to save our friends."
     "What's the plan?"
     A sweatdrop formed on Alex's head. "I don't have one yet... wait... RAY WING!!"
     The magical aura surrounded Alex again and he took to the air.  Amelia followed in suit and they both floated towards the roof of the hotel.  When they were close to the top Alex formed a fireball and knocked out the grate to a ventilation shaft.  He entered, followed behind by Amelia.  As they made their way through the shaft, Alex figured they were going down, since the incline was in a downward direction.  Unfortunately the deeper they went, the less light they had to see until it was black as pitch.
     "Amelia, what's the incantation for a light spell?"  Alex asked, tired from everything that had happened to them that day.
     "I think it's something like 'Flame of light that burns so bright, into my hand gather your light.',"  Amelia said, "why?"
     "Try casting the spell 'cause I need to save my strength for later."
     "Ok.  Flame of light that burns so bright, into my hand gather your light.  LIGHTNING!!!"
     There was a blinding flash of light as a large sphere formed above their heads, illuminating their way.  Alex looked in front of them and groaned, for there was another grate, and after that nothing but a LONG drop down.  Amelia looked past Alex and shrieked, huddling up in a corner.  "Mr. Alex, I'm scared."
     "For crying out loud Amelia,"  Alex said, brasher than he meant it to sound, "We need to save Zel, Jason, and Adderson."
     "All right,"  Amelia said, crawling forward and putting her hand on Alex's back, "Please move to one side so I might take care of this grate."
     Alex did his best to move to one side of the shaft, allowing Amelia to crawl past to the grate.  She swung around and delivered a powerful kick to the grate, knocking it from its moorings and sending it tumbling into darkness.  Alex crawled up next to Amelia as she took in what was on the other side of the grate.
     "Where is everything?"  Amelia asked, staring down at the inky blackness of a bottomless pit.  Around the air vent were many cubby holes, some platforms here and there, and occasionally a door or two.  Alex leaned out and looked up and down, then to the sides and then across the way to a platform with a door.  He drew back, channeling all of his energy into his takeoff.  He leapt through the air and almost made it across the chasm, but lost momentum and began to plummet.  Amelia, seeing the position her traveling companion was in, leapt from the shaft also.
     "RAY WING!!!"
     The magical aura surrounded Amelia as she dove.  She slipped her arms under Alex's shoulders and pulled up, sending them sailing upward at an incredible rate.  When they reached the platform Alex looked at Amelia, grinned, and collapsed to his knees and began kissing her feet.
     "You don't need to do that Mr. Alex,"  Amelia said, "I was doing what anybody else would do in my position."
     "Whatever,"  Alex said, standing up and brushing himself off, smoothing the wrinkles out of his black shirt, adjusting his black jeans, and stamping his feet into his black boots.  He turned to Amelia and said, "Are you ready to see what is behind door number 1?"
     "As ready as I'll ever be,"  Amelia said, striking a battle stance.  Alex reached out, turned the knob, and opened the door slowly, revealing the lobby to the hotel and their friends.
     "Zel, Jason, Adderson!"  Alex shouted, running towards his friends.
     "Mr. Zelgadis, Mr. Jason, Mr. Adderson!"  Amelia shouted, also running towards their companions.
     "Amelia, Alex, how did you get in here?"  Zelgadis asked, a little puzzled.
     "We'll tell you later Mr. Zelgadis,"  Amelia said, "right now we have to check in."
     As the group approached the courtesy desk, the ground beneath them vanished completely, dropping them onto some strange discs which defied gravity and rotated while the people on them remained stationary.  Zel and Alex were on one such disc, Amelia, Jason, and Adderson on the other.  In the blink of an eye the discs went their own separate ways, splitting the group up once again.

     In another part of the city Lina, Gourry, Sylphiel, Andrew, and Derek were trudging through the dark streets, lugging everyone's luggage.  Though they were cold, tired, and INCREDIBLY hungry, they knew they had to get to the hotel.  When they finally reached the 'Hell's Arms' hotel, Lina took one look at the name and fell over in convulsions.
     "Why me?"  she asked, her arms and legs twitching, "Why me? WHY?!"
     "Are you ok Miss Lina?"  Sylphiel asked.
     "She'll be fine,"  Gourry said, sighing, "She does this whenever something like this happens."
     "Shut up yogurt brain!!"  Lina shouted, regaining her feet, "Look at the name of the hotel!!"
     "The 'Hell's Arms' hotel,"  Derek said, looking the place over from top to bottom, "Looks pretty normal."
     "This is where that strange power reading is coming from,"  Andrew said, shrugging, "no need to make a big deal of it."
     "Ex-cuse me?!"  Lina exclaimed, "This power reading is way off the scale, which means it's up there with Shabrinigdo, Zannifar, and anything else with that type of power."
     "But didn't you defeat them?"
     "Yeah, but that's not the point!  I almost died fighting against Zannifar and Rezo, my hair went gray when I used the Giga Slave..."  Sylphiel shuddered when Lina mentioned the Giga Slave.  Lina turned to Sylphiel and said, "Sorry Sylphiel.  I know that's a tender subject."
     "And we also had Zel and Amelia fighting with us,"  Gourry added, cringing when Lina wheeled around and gave him a death glare.
     "Who just happen to be stuck inside the hotel with Jason, Alex, and Adderson,"  Derek said, pointing towards the wall of flames in front of the entrance.
     "When in doubt, hit it with a spell,"  Lina said, reaching into her bag and pulling out her talisman bracelets and belt, which she clipped on before continuing.  The jewels in the bracelets and belt glowed as she charged energy into them.  "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows.  Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows.  I pledge myself to conquer, all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hands.  Dragon... SLAVE!!!"
     The energy beam which ensued struck the flames head on and was deflected upwards, where it struck some sort of gravity field, bending it back on itself and sending it towards the group on the ground.  Sylphiel stepped to the front ranks and cast a protection spell, which took the full brunt of the Dragon Slave without cracking.  Once the spell passed, Sylphiel turned to the others and said, "We gotta use our wits, not a high level magic spell."
     "I am so ready for this,"  Andrew said, taking out his transformation pen, "Orion Nova POWER!!"
     "Oh yeah,"  Derek said, also taking out his transformation pen, "Pluto Super Nova POWER!"
     A ring of light erupted from the end of Andrew's pen, spanning his body from head to feet, then after touching the ground spanned his body again towards his head, forming his boots, pants, armor, and finishing over his head, where it exploded in a shower of light.  Derek held his pen before him and spun around, a disc of light forming around him until the area was awash with light.  When the light subsided, Derek was clad in his armor and the rest of his outfit, holding his staff off to his side.
     Once the duo transformed, Lina, Sylphiel, and Gourry changed into their adventuring clothes, picked up the luggage, and all five charged up the stairs towards the entrance.  Andrew and Gourry both drew their swords and slashed at the flames, snuffing them long enough for Lina to utilize a Flare Arrow to shatter the doors.  Sylphiel cast Levitation, floating them over the pit and onto solid ground.  They approached the counter and rang the bell.  From behind the counter a door opened and out stepped an old man with gray hair, horn rimmed glasses, and a nose the size of Canada.
     "May I help you?" the man asked.
     "Reservation for Inverse, Seyruun, Gabriev, Graysword, Martin, Mcanirlin, Taylor, West, and Raada,"  Lina said, smiling from ear to ear.
     "Let me see,"  the man said, looking at his books, "yes, you weren't expected until later."
     "WHAT?!"  Lina said, almost leaping over the counter to strangle the man, "Why you little, stubborn..."  Gourry wrapped his arms around Lina's waist and restrained her.  "If you kill him then we'll never find the others."
     "*sigh* I guess you're right,"  Lina said, "So, old man, when can we check in?"
     "Your rooms will be ready shortly,"  the old man said, grinning a somewhat evil grin, "You can sit in the waiting area," he added, pointing to a walled off section of the lobby.  Through the opaque glass they could see flames.  When they turned around the old man was gone.
     "Well, if that doesn't take the cake,"  Lina said, groaning, "I'm TIRED!!"

     As their gravity disc spiraled upwards, Alex remained in a crouch, afraid to look over the sides since there was nothing below except for blackness and nothingness.  He decided to concentrate on Zelgadis and what he was wearing.
     'Hmmm,'  Alex thought, 'I didn't think Zel would look so good in white dress pants, a dark blue shirt, a yellow tie, a black sport coat, and those brown boots of his, but he is one well dressed Chimera.'
     Zel turned around to see Alex looking him over, and began to say something, but when he saw the look of fear in Alex's eyes he stopped.  After many minutes they reached a docking platform and the disc came to a stop.  Alex leapt over Zelgadis and onto the platform and collided face first with a door.  He turned his head and said, "Koala."  Before falling backwards into Zel's arms.  He looked up into Zel's deep blue eyes and smiled.  Zel smiled back and said, "Let's go in all ready."
     "All right,"  Alex said, standing up and turning the knob.  To his surprise it was unlocked.  He and Zel then stepped in, finding the floor to be very soft and squishy and thickly carpeted.  Zel and Alex both figured it was due to there being no real floor beneath, but a spiders web sort of thing to keep people from falling through.  From the bathroom a woman's voice said, "I'm coming... hold your horses."
     "I know that voice,"  Alex said, "Carolyn, is that you?"  From around a corner stepped a woman who was about a head shorter than Alex, not to mention a little more than twice his age.  She wore glasses with a very flattering frame, her brown eyes barely visible through the darkened lenses.  Her dirty blond hair hung down to about her shoulders, framing her face perfectly.  At that moment she was clad in one of the hotel's towels.  "Alex?"  She said, eyeing Alex from head to toe.  After a minute she said, "Hey, baby brother, what's up?"
     "Not a heck of a lot,"  Alex said, embracing his sister.  He took her by the shoulders, looked into her eyes, and asked, "What are you doing in a crazy place like this?"
     "I have no idea,"  she said, "one minute I'm asleep in my bed in San Diego, the next minute I'm waking up here, and let me tell you, this place is not paradise."
     "You're not kidding,"  Zel said, crossing his arms and sighing.
     "Who's your stone skinned friend?"  Carolyn whispered to Alex.
     "Carolyn, I would like you to meet Zelgadis Graysword.  Zel, this is my sister Carolyn."
     "Pleased to meet you,"  Carolyn said, shaking Zel's hand.
     "Likewise, I'm sure,"  Zel said, smiling.
     "Um.... make yourself comfortable in the living room and I'll be right with you,"  Carolyn said, dashing back towards the bathroom.  Alex and Zel walked into the living room, where another familiar person was seated before a wall of television monitors, the images on the screens reflecting off of the person's glasses.  Once Alex and Zel entered, the person turned his head and looked at the two newcomers before recognizing Alex.
     "Heya knuckle head,"  the person said, standing up.  Once on his feet Zel could tell the person was also about a head shorter than Alex, with short, wavy brown hair, glasses, and a couple days worth of stubble.  He was dressed in a T-shirt, jeans, and sandals.  Alex playfully punched the person in the shoulder and said, "Hey Shawn, what the hell are you doing here?"
     "I'm more or less trying to figure out what is up with all the orcs, beserkers, and other nastys which get sucked up by this place,"  Shawn said, "take a look at this."
     Zel and Alex walked over behind where Shawn had been seated and stared at the computer banks and were instantly repulsed by what they saw.  On one monitor there were images of orcs being turned into dog kibble by many blades, their brains perfectly preserved.  On another monitor they saw more orcs getting their heads cut open with wires of some sort and having their brains removed.  Zel and Alex both looked at Shawn in hopes of some explanation, but Shawn simply shrugged.  "I don't know anything about this either."
     "Oh well,"  Alex sighed, plopping down on a couch, the sunglasses which had been on his head this entire time sliding down over his eyes.  Zel sat down next to Alex and moved to a reclining position.  The minute they got comfortable the power went out, leaving the emergency lights by the entrance to illuminate the area.
     "What the hell?!"  Alex exclaimed, sliding his sun glasses back onto the top of his head, "Now the power's out?!"
     "It looks that way,"  Shawn said.  At that moment Zel leapt from his chair, working on loosening his tie while he ran towards the door.  Alex followed behind Zel, narrowly avoiding knocking his sister onto her butt.  He turned and apologized before almost running into Zel, who had stopped at the door.  Alex looked over Zel's shoulder to see a floor, four walls, and a ceiling form, the floor slightly lower than the docking platform.  Zel turned to look at Alex, who nodded before they leapt down to the floor.
     "Seems solid enough,"  Alex said, stamping his boots on the floor.
     "Hey guys, wassup?"  a familiar voice said.  Zel and Alex turned around to see Gourry seated at a bar.  He wasn't dressed in his armor now, though, but in a 3 piece suit.
     "Not a heck of a lot,"  Zel said, "how did you get here?"
     "I have no idea,"  Gourry said, "last I remember I was with Lina and the others, then there was this flash of light and I was here."
     "Could you keep it down please!"  Came from some nearby stairs, "There are people trying to sleep."
     "Who's there?"  the trio called.  Down the stairs came Tom "Laughing Boys" Wasner, one of the people Alex attended college with.  He was dressed solely in boxer shorts, a white T-shirt, and his glasses.  A large sweatdrop formed on Alex's head.  "Go back to bed Wasner.  You're sleepwalking,"  Alex said, hitting Wasner with a hypnosis spell.  Wasner turned around and retraced his steps up the stairs.  Zel, Alex, and Gourry then heard a loud SLAM as a door shut, then there was silence, leaving them to wonder where they were being taken.

     Meanwhile, on the other gravity disc, Amelia, Jason, and Adderson were holding on for dear life, due mainly in part to the rotation of the disc, which threatened to hurl all three of them to their doom at any second.  Suddenly, there was a flash of blinding light and there stood Lina Inverse, clad in her adventuring outfit, her cape billowing behind her.  When she regained her senses she noticed the predicament her friends were in and helped them to their feet.
     "Miss Lina,"  Amelia said, giving Lina the starry eyes routine, "you saved my life yet again in the name of justice."
     "Actually I saved you because you might be needed in the battle yet to come,"  Lina explained.  "Oh, you might need this,"  Lina added, handing Amelia her bag.
     "My clothes!"  Amelia exclaimed, diving into her bag and fishing out her adventuring outfit.  A moment later she realized there was no place to change.  "Oh well,"  she sighed, "I guess I could always fight for justice wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and cowboy boots."
     "Oh, and here's the luggage belonging to the warriors,"  Lina added, tossing Jason and Adderson their bags.  The duo fished through their stuff until they found their transformation pens.
     "These are just what we needed,"  Jason said, "Callisto Nova Power!"
     "Universe Rebirth Power!!"
     The jewel in the end of Jason's pen glowed silver before releasing a silver - pink cloud, which swirled around his body before forming the ghostly outlines of his armor.  The clouds ultimately solidified into his silver and blue armor.  An amulet in the shape of a star burst formed on Adderson's chest, glowing a brilliant gold.  Around his body cosmic dust swirled, forming an impenetrable cloud which ultimately exploded in a blinding flash of light.  From the light stepped Adderson, clad in his midnight black and gold armor.  The pair of warriors unclipped their capes and formed a makeshift cabana around Amelia.  A couple seconds later Amelia emerged, clad in her adventuring outfit.
     "I am ready to fight for justice now, Miss Lina,"  Amelia said, grinning from ear to ear.
     "And I'm ready to have another migraine,"  Lina thought, a sweatdrop forming on her head.  "Ok, now that we're ready to fight for justice, where the hell are the others?"
     "I'm not sure,"  Adderson said, shrugging, "Last we saw of Zel and Alex they were being taken on one of these strange discs."
     "And the last I saw of Sylphiel, Andrew, and Derek, they were still in the lobby,"  Lina said, "and Gourry and I vanished one after the other so I'm not sure if they're still in the lobby or where they are."
     "Any idea of what we're up against?"  Amelia asked, her eyes wide with wonder.
     "I have no idea, but whatever it is it's BIG,"  Lina said as the energy reading almost knocked her from her feet.  Jason moved to her side to support her.
     "I'm picking up on that energy reading also,"  Adderson said as a blinding light filled the area.  Once they were able to see again, they realized that they were in the same area as the evil entity.  Their surroundings had changed also.  They were standing on a black and white marble floor, with elaborate hangings on majestic granite walls.  Before them was a very big alter with many people dressed in black robes tending it.  In a giant chalice on the top of the alter were tons of orc brains, all very fresh and squishy.  Lina gagged at the sight of this, turning away long enough to regain her strength.
     "So this is where that strange energy was coming from,"  Jason said, drawing his crystal sword, "creepy."
     "We need to destroy this place before they can complete what they're doing,"  Lina said, forming an energy orb between her palms.
     "First, what is this place?"  Adderson asked, giving Lina a suspicious look.
     "This place is where they plan on resurrecting the other seven pieces of Shabrinigdo,"  Lina said, her face devoid of all emotions, "and if I'm right, Shabrinigdo will be reborn VERY soon, which means we need to torch the place NOW!!"
     Unfortunately Lina's rantings drew the attention of the people in black robes, who moved from the alter and surrounded the group.
     "We are DEFINITELY going to need help,"  Adderson said, preparing to fight.

     "Do you know where this thing is going?"  Alex asked Gourry for about the tenth time, and for the tenth time Gourry answered, "No, I don't know where this thing is going."
     "This is ridiculous,"  Zel said, "I don't have my sword so I'm not much use to this cause."
     "Zel, Zel, Zel,"  Alex said, putting his arm around Zel's shoulders, "You're a powerful wizard.  You don't really need your sword to fight, you just need your magic.  Look at me; I'm a powerful warrior of the stars who can't transform into his alter ego, but I still have my lifetime of magic spells and my mutant abilities in a pinch."
     "Give it up,"  Gourry said when Zel didn't respond to Alex's words of encouragement, "he's a swordsman first and a wizard later."
     "And you're a swordsman also without his sword of light,"  Alex said, giving Gourry a strange look, which seemed to work because Gourry began to look for his sword.
     "Damnit, what happened to it? And what happened to my armor?"  Gourry asked, finally realizing what he was wearing.
     "This place is really messed up,"  Zel said, "and I think we're getting close to that strange power reading."
     As if on cue the wall in front of them opened up, revealing the alter, the room, and the people dressed in black around a group of people.  Zel, Alex, and Gourry exited the small room and proceeded to venture forth towards the people in black.  From the center of the crowd they could hear familiar voices.
     "Lina, Amelia, Adderson, and Jason are here,"  Gourry said.
     "We noticed that,"  Alex said, a sweatdrop on his head.  He formed an energy orb between his palms.  "Fire BALL!!"
     He hurled the fireball over the group, sending it crashing into a wall.  Everybody turned around and Alex grinned and simply said, "If you're looking for trouble, look no further because we are here!"
     "Alex!"  Adderson and Jason shouted simultaneously.
     "Mr. Alex, Mr. Zelgadis, Mr. Gourry!"  Amelia cheered, "You've come to rescue us!"
     "You wouldn't happen to have my transformation pen, would you?"  Alex asked, indicating he was a little low on power.
     "Coming right at ya!"  Jason shouted, taking Alex's pen from his bag and hurling it through the air.  The pen was just inches from Alex's hand when a beam fired from the alter and struck the pen, shattering it.  Alex and the others turned to see the pieces of Shabrinigdo in alignment, ready to rejoin one another to form the big monster himself.
     "Oh crap!"  Alex exclaimed, "We might as well bend over and kiss our asses good-bye 'cause we are out of luck!"
     "What of Sylphiel, Andrew, and Derek?"  Zelgadis asked, preparing to set up a shamanism protection spell.
     "Good question,"  Lina said, charging up for a Gaav Flare, "I don't have the foggiest."

     In the lobby, Andrew, Derek, and Sylphiel were trying to get the attention of the receptionist, only to have him ignore them.  Andrew was about to hit him with a golden arrow when an immense power reading knocked him from his feet.  Sylphiel dropped to a crouch and asked, "What is it Mr. Andrew?"
     "That was some power reading,"  Andrew said, making less sense than usual.  He shook the cobwebs from his mind and said, "We have to find our friends right away!"
     "Where would they be?"  Derek asked.
     "They're... they're in some sort of a shrine,"  Sylphiel said, gazing into the crystal at the end of her wand, "There are people dressed in black... and the seven pieces of Shabrinigdo are there and in alignment to reform the Dark Lord.... and the others are in some sort of trouble."
     "Can you relay the location to me?"  Andrew asked, regaining his feet.
     "I believe I could. Why?"
     "I think I can teleport us there."
     "All right,"  Sylphiel said, nodding, "my mind to your mind, my thoughts to your thoughts, let this image be relayed to the person who can help us in our hour of need."
     "I have it,"  Andrew exclaimed, forming a time-space bubble around himself and his friends.  A moment later they vanished from the lobby.

     As Alex, Adderson, Jason, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis battled those who wished to resurrect Shabrinigdo, a large bubble appeared and burst, dumping Andrew, Derek, and Sylphiel onto the ground.  Alex, Lina, and Gourry turned around to see their friends before turning back to kick some butt.  The three newcomers joined their friends.
     "What's the situation?"  Derek asked, forming a shield with his garnet orb.
     "I'm powerless, Zel and Gourry are weaponless, and the dark lord is about to be resurrected,"  Alex said, summoning another fireball, which he hurled at the dark priests.  A large explosion ensued, tearing up part of the floor and wounding some of the priests.
     "You don't seem powerless to me,"  Andrew said, only to wind up with Lina falling backwards into his arms and taking him to the floor.
     "I'll kill you, you bastard!"  Lina shouted, regaining her feet, "You who crosses between sky and earth.  Raging water, gather in my hand and give me power.  Demona CRYSTAL!!!"
     The spell froze half the front line of the priests, not to mention part of the ground.  Lina turned to Zel and shouted, "Hit 'em with a lightning spell."
     "All right,"  Zel sighed, "monobolt."
     The monobolt, which was usually a powerful spell, especially for Zelgadis, was no more than a little spark.  Lina turned to glare at Zel, only to meet Alex's death stare.  Lina backed up and asked, "What's wrong with him?"
     "He doesn't have his sword and he feels pretty useless right now,"  Alex explained, "and I'm feeling a little powerless myself."
     "Why don't you just use the jewel in your ring,"  Lina said.  Her statement evoked a rather shocked, "ERK!" from Alex, who fell backwards and started having convulsions.  Alex regained his feet, hoisted his right hand into the air, and shouted, "STAR CRYSTAL POWER!!!"
     Instead of the usual violet ribbons, a ray of violet light washed over Alex's body, starting with his right arm and finishing at the tip of the fingers on his left hand, forming his black undershirt, pants, and boots.  An amulet in the shape of a sunburst formed on his chest, ribbons emerging and wrapping around his chest and wrists, forming his armor and his gauntlets.  When he finished his transformation he unsheathed his sword and tossed it to a very startled Zelgadis.
     "I figured you could use that more than me,"  Alex said, producing his glaive.
     "Now let's fight for justice!"  Amelia exclaimed, leaping into the air, "FLARE LANCE!"
     The lance sailed through the air and impaled four of the priests before slamming into a wall and exploding.  Amelia landed, slipped, and fell on her butt.  She stood up and shouted, "Fight on in the name of justice!"
     "Let's do what she says,"  Alex said, channeling dark energy into the blade of his glaive.  He leapt into the air and swung downwards.  "GIGA FLARE!!"  The energy was released in the form of a black thunderbolt, which struck in the midst of the group of priests.  The thunderbolt exploded into an expanding wave of energy and solar intensity heat, which not only dealt massive damage to the priests by vaporizing them, but dumped a couple tons of rock on those who remained.  With the priests out of the way, the fighters for justice turned their attention to the seven pieces of the dark lord.  Unfortunately they were too late to finish them off before they combined to resurrect the dark lord.
     "Shabrinigdo,"  Lina said, stunned by what she witnessed.
     "He's been reborn,"  Sylphiel and Zelgadis said simultaneously.
     "Is this the end for our heroes?"  Alex asked, getting a response from Amelia, who said, "No, this is not the end of our heroes, for with justice in their hearts and the flame of righteousness burning in their souls they will triumph over all evil!"
     "You will die!"  the dark lord growled before belching a death beam at the group.
     "Zel, wind barrier!"  Lina shouted, "Sylphiel, a protection spell.  Andrew, utilize your AT Field as a first line of defense.  Alex, you silence wall will help.  Everyone else, fall back and prepare for an all out assault!"
     Zel erected a wind barrier with Sylphiel reinforcing it with a protection spell.  Andrew expanded his AT Field to absorb the major brunt of the death beam.  Alex held his glaive before him, his silence wall forming right behind the AT Field.  Amelia, Lina, Gourry, and the three remaining warriors fell back behind the barriers and tried to come up with a plan.
     "We could try the Giga Slave again,"  Gourry suggested.  Lina glared at him before she leapt into the air and slammed her elbow into the top of Gourry's head.
     "Listen up, yogurt brain!"  Lina bellowed, "Sylphiel told me NEVER to use the Giga Slave since it could destroy the entire world if I cast it wrong.  As for Dragon Slave, that's out as well, since using it is almost like saying, "Hey, you, give me power so I can kill you."  As for the Ra Tilt, Amelia and Zel have tried that on Zannifar and Rezo and it didn't exactly work that great, even with two people casting it instead of one.  I don't know enough about Laguna Blade yet to utilize it effectively so we're going to have some trouble."
     "And I don't have my sword of light,"  Gourry said, sighing.
     "You mean this?"  Derek asked, tossing Gourry a scabbard with a familiar hilt in it.  When Gourry was about to ask where Derek got it, Derek said, "It fell to the ground when you vanished.  Sylphiel suggested we hold onto it since you might need it."
     "Well, I think Zel's sword is with the luggage,"  Lina said, digging through the bags until she found the one belonging to Zelgadis.  She dug through it, eventually finding the sword.  She shouted, "Hey Zel, I found yer sword!" before throwing it to him.  Zel tossed Alex his star sword before drawing his own sword.
     "Now I can fight!"  Zel said, dropping the wind barrier before charging towards the dark lord.
     "What the hell are you doing Zel?!"  Alex exclaimed, dropping his silence wall and incanting a spell.  "Humble, blessed will of god, lightning breath of mother earth, by the light of purity which I possess I command holy power to come to us and protect us from this evil.  BARRIER!"
     Holy light surrounded each person, forming a shield of holy power.  Alex then strapped his glaive to his back and held his star sword before him, channeling dark energy into the blade until it crackled around the blade of light.
     "Sword, give me your strength," he incanted, "Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night.  King of darkness who shines like gold upon the sea of chaos. I call upon thee and swear myself to thee. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess...."
     "Oh NO!!"  Sylphiel screamed, starting to run towards Alex, only to be stopped by Lina.
     "Don't interrupt him,"  Lina said, "If he miscasts this spell, then this place is HISTORY!"
     "Everybody, GET DOWN!!"  Gourry shouted, throwing himself to the ground.  Sylphiel and Lina, along with Andrew and Derek, formed a shield around their group to protect them from the effects of the Giga Slave.
     "....Sword, accept this darkness and obey my command.  GIGA SLAVE!!"
     Alex leapt into the air and swung downward, releasing the accumulated energy, which destroyed the ground before hurtling at Shabrinigdo.  The dark lord held its hands before him, catching the dark energy and absorbing it.  Alex and everyone else looked on in shock as the dark lord absorbed the full force of the Giga Slave.  Shabrinigdo then glared at Alex and said, "I believe this belongs to you!"  Before releasing the full force of the Giga Slave on its user.
     "ALEX!!"  Adderson, Andrew, Derek, and Jason shouted as the dark energy struck Alex, engulfing him.
     "This isn't how it's supposed to end,"  Lina said, fire burning in her eyes.  She stood up and walked through the barriers, meeting absolutely no resistance.  She stood before Shabrinigdo, her clothes and shoulder guards morphing into something new and different.  She glared at the dark lord before starting an incantation.
     "Heed me now, thou who is darker than dusk, heed thou who is more red than blood. In the name of that which is buried in the infinite abyss of time eternal I summon thee, master of the ultimate darkness.  Hold no pity for the fools who stand in our way.  Infuse me with power, let your strength become mine, to wipe them from the face of  the world, to deliver unto them the ultimate doom...."
     "Oh NO!!"  Sylphiel screamed again.
     "She's going against what she told us," Gourry said.
     "DRAGON SLAVE!!!!"
     The dark energy which had formed around Lina's body was channeled out through her palms.  The energy skipped across the ground before coming together in a beam, which struck the dark lord with enough power to barely wound him.  The dark lord looked at Lina and belched a death beam, only to have it encounter a massive protection spell and be deflected off towards a wall.  The momentary distraction caused Shabrinigdo to forget about Alex and stop returning the energy of the Giga Slave.  Alex dropped to the ground, his armor melted and burnt, his hair singed, his sword of light shattered.  Andrew, Derek, and Adderson ran to their fallen friend, worried about the damage which may have been incurred by the Giga Slave.
     "Alex?"  Andrew asked, holding his friend's head in his lap, "Alex, say something."
     "Something,"  Alex said weakly, opening his eyes and coughing.  When he saw the concerned looks on his friends faces, he said, "Let me guess... the Giga Slave didn't work."
     "Not in the least,"  Derek said.
     "Which means we need a new plan,"  Adderson said, drawing his sword and charging it with gravity energy to the point where the blade glowed a brilliant yellow-green.
     "Yeah... and I'll help as soon as I'm as good as new,"  Alex said, sitting up, "Humble blessed will of God, lightning breath of mother earth, show your great compassion to me and bring me back to fighting status.  RECOVERY!!"
     An aura of holy energy surrounded his body, healing his burns and wounds, reenergizing him, repairing his armor, and fixing his star sword.  Once the spell ran its course he stepped up to the front line and held his sword before his body.  The blade glowed a brilliant silver-white as he screamed before charging headlong at the dark lord.  He leapt into the air, the blade increasing in size.  He swung downward, only to have the blade meet with resistance from the hands of the dark lord.
     "On behalf of my friends and the entire planet I will wipe you from the face of the earth!"  He said, his eyes glowing red, "You shall meet your downfall here and now.  Gaav FLARE!!"
     Alex channeled a Gaav Flare through his sword's blade, striking the dark lord in the face, burning some of its eyes and causing it extreme discomfort.  Shabrinigdo released the sword of light and tended to its eyes, dropping Alex to the ground.  Alex back flipped through the air, landing with his friends.  He turned to Zelgadis, Amelia, and Gourry, and said, "Ok you three, try one of your combo moves."
     "Right,"  Gourry said, "Light come forth!!"
     With the sword of light in hand, Amelia and Zelgadis began a combo incantation.
     "Source of all souls which dwells in the eternal and the infinite, ever lasting flame of gloom..."
     "All power hidden deep within be called forth here and now..."
     "RA TILT!!!"
     The astral energy blast struck the sword of light, increasing its power by one hundred fold.  Gourry leapt into the air and slashed downward, cleaving one arm off of the dark lord, only to have it be replaced by two arms a couple seconds later.  Gourry fell back and said, "He's too strong right now."
     "Is this the end?"  Amelia asked, cringing in terror.
     "Not if we work together,"  Lina said, returning to the group, her outfit returning to what it originally was, "And this time I'm gonna get involved."
     "What's the plan, oh fearless leader?"  Zelgadis asked.
     "And it had better not be a call to retreat,"  Alex said, "chances are if we leave him for any period of time he'll only get stronger."
     "Which leaves only four other options,"  Lina said.
     "And those options are?"  Andrew asked.
     "Evangelion Units 07, 09, 09, and 12,"  Lina said, receiving a look of shock from everyone.  "Well, I thought it was a good idea."
     "It's a great idea,"  Adderson said, striking a battle stance.  His armor glowed a brilliant gray - black and gold, the light fully engulfing him before expanding and forming Evangelion Unit 07.  Unit 07 roared, the right weapon pod opening and releasing the progressive axe.  Once armed, Unit 07 unfolded its AT Field and prepared to attack by charging energy into the axe.
     "I'm not about to let Adderson have all the fun,"  Andrew said, also striking a battle stance.  A light of brown, green, and gold surrounding his body and expanding, forming Evangelion Unit 12.  Unit 12 roared, its progressive spear forming in its right hand, the light shimmering off of the gold and green armor plating as it also unfolded its AT Field, reinforcing the AT Field of Unit 07.
     "To battle!"  Alex said, a violet and black light engulfing him.  The light expanded and solidified into Evangelion Unit 09.  Unit 09 also roared, this one causing the hair on peoples' necks to stand on end.  Unit 09 reached into the weapon pod on the right shoulder and extract a sword hilt, which expanded.  A beam of light emerged from the hilt to form the progressive sword.  Unit 09 held the blade before its body, light shimmering off of the violet, black, and green armor plating as it too unfolded its AT Field, reinforcing the other two AT Fields.
     "And now time for the fourth to take the stage,"  Derek said, striking a battle stance.  A light of garnet red, black, and gold surrounded him and expanded, solidifying into Evangelion Unit 08. Unit 08 slammed its wrists together in a cross pattern, the progressive blades extending from their mounts on the Eva's forearms.  Unit 08 then struck a battle ready stance, light reflecting off of the gold, garnet red, and black armor plating as it unfolded its AT Field, reinforcing the three others.
     "Are these the great Evangelion Units?"  Sylphiel and Gourry asked.
     "Yup,"  Lina said, grinning from ear to ear, "These may have the force necessary to defeat the dark lord."
     "What do you mean by 'may have'?"  Alex asked over the loudspeaker, "These things have defeated some of the most powerful angels that we've had to fight."
     "But this is a dark lord we're talking about,"  Zelgadis shouted, "It's going to take all the power you have to defeat him."
     At that moment the four Evangelion Units dropped to crouches, the armor plating on the back popping open and the entry plugs ejecting.  The hatches opened and the four pilots stepped out.
     "That's why you're coming with us,"  Adderson said, the other three agreeing with him.
     "You see, this way we're assured of winning,"  Andrew said.
     "Plus your abilities will come in handy, and will be magnified by the Evas,"  Alex said.
     "What they said,"  Derek said, a sweatdrop forming on his head.
     "Well then, let's fight for justice and smite this evil!"  Amelia exclaimed, running towards Unit 07.  Zelgadis was hot on her tail as the pair leapt into the air and landed on the small docking platform which extended when the entry plug was ejected.  The duo climbed into the entry plug and a moment later the plug hatch secured and the entry plug spun back into position, locking into place with an audible CLICK.  The armor plating locked over the entry plug and secured before Eva Unit 07 returned to online status.  Unit 07 stood up and began walking towards the dark lord.
     "Hurry up!"  Alex shouted to Lina, motioning her towards his Eva.  Lina ran towards Unit 09 and leapt into the air, landing in Alex's arms.  She blushed before they entered.  A moment later the hatch locked into place, followed by the entry plug locking into place and the violet giant coming back online.  Unit 09 followed Unit 07 in advancing upon the dark lord.
     "Gourry and Jason are with me,"  Derek said, waving the pair towards Unit 08.  Gourry and Jason charged towards Unit 08, only to be sideswiped by Sylphiel, who performed several small leaps before landing on the platform which Derek was standing on.  Derek shrugged as Sylphiel climbed into the entry plug and secured herself.  He followed a moment later and secured the hatch.  The entry plug locked into place, the armor plate which covered it locking into place before Unit 08's eyes glowed as the black and red juggernaut returned to active status.  Unit 08 then followed Units 07 and 09 in advancing on the dark lord.
     "Oh well,"  Jason said, shrugging as he and Gourry walked towards Unit 12, "Looks like we get to ride with Andrew.
     "Hurry up you guys,"  Andrew shouted, waving frantically, "I want to kick some butt sometime this month!"
     "We're hurrying, we're hurrying,"  Gourry said, running towards Unit 12, his long blond hair blowing behind him.  Jason picked up his pace and the duo arrived at the foot of Unit 12 a moment later.  After several leaps they reached the entry platform and ducked into the entry plug before the hatch secured.  The entry plug locked into place a moment later, the armor locking over it and the gold, brown, and green giant regaining its feet, leaning on its spear for support.  Unit 12 then followed the other three Evas in advancing upon the dark lord.
     When Shabrinigdo saw the four Evangelion Units advancing upon him, he laughed. "So, you think your high tech toys can defeat me, the powerful dark lord of the monster race!"
     "That's exactly what we think,"  Adderson said, Unit 07 hurling its progressive axe at the dark lord.  The axe spun like a disc, striking the dark lord across its left shoulder, then on the return pass striking it in the right arm.  Unit 07 reached for its axe, but before it could catch it Shabrinigdo leapt from where he had been standing and performed a twenty hit combo on Unit 07, hurling the black and gold giant across the room and into a wall, where a pair of pillars crumbled and covered Unit 07.
     "You're gonna pay for hurting our friends!"  Andrew shouted, propelling Unit 12 forwards at a breakneck pace.  Inside the entry plug Andrew turned his head and said, "Jason, channel your power over crystal into the progressive spear."
     "Why?" Jason asked, taking hold of the co-pilot's control sticks.
     "I'm gonna try a little trick,"  Andrew replied, winking before sending Unit 12 skyward.  Once airborne, Jason channeled his crystal powers through Unit 12 into the spear, turning it into a giant version of his own spear.  When Unit 12 went into a dive, Andrew shouted, "Now utilize the Crystal Seed."
     "WHAT?!"  Jason and Gourry exclaimed.
     "Just do it!"
     "CRYSTAL SEED!"
     Unit 12 plunged the spear into the ground, causing spires of crystal to erupt beneath the dark lord.  Unfortunately for them the dark lord utilized a Stone Spiker, shattering the Crystal Seed and piercing Unit 12 multiple times.  Shabrinigdo then leapt through the air and performed a psycho-crusher type move, propelling Unit 12 through the air.  The dark lord then vanished, moving faster than the naked eye could see.  He reappeared behind Unit 12 and, after grabbing a large sword from the wall, impaled Unit 12.  Unit 12 went down for the count, red fluid pouring from the wound.
     "ANDREW!"  Alex screamed when he saw what the dark lord did to Unit 12.  Alex's eyes began to glow red, his righteous blood boiling.  What really pissed him off was when Unit 12 vanished, leaving Jason and Gourry to drop to the ground below and Andrew impaled on the wall, the sword impaling his chest.  "No more are going to die today!"  Alex wailed, Unit 09 rocketing forward, the progressive sword above its head.
     "Alex, chill out!"  Lina exclaimed, grasping hold of the co-pilot controls, "Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright, gather in my hand and become an inferno.  Burst FLARE!!"
     The air around Unit 09 increased in heat and exploded, engulfing it and the dark lord in a tremendous explosion of flames.  Unit 09 vanished, leaving Alex and Lina in mid air, Alex with his glaive in front of him, Lina incanting a spell.  Alex channeled dark energy into the blade of his glaive, holding the blade above his head.  He shouted, "GIGA FLARE!!" before swinging downward, releasing a dark thunderbolt of energy.  The thunderbolt struck the ground near Shabrinigdo before exploding into an expanding wave of energy and solar intensity heat.  The wave struck Shabrinigdo, injuring him a little and weakening him a bit.  Lina cast a protection spell around herself and Alex, protecting them from the effects of the attack and levitating them above the chaos below.
     "Units 08 and 07, fall back,"  Alex said over his communicator, "One of our number has fallen."
     As he finished that, Units 07 and 08 disintegrated, leaving Adderson, Derek, Sylphiel, Amelia, and Zel to gaze upon the carnage of Andrew's death.  Lina set Alex down before landing herself, Gourry and Jason rejoining their friends.  Alex looked at his fallen friend, then at Shabrinigdo before saying, "You hear me Dark Lord, nobody else is going to die today EXCEPT for you!!"
     "I laugh at your weak attempts to injure me,"  Shabrinigdo chuckled.
     "Oh, trust me, things are going to start to hurt,"  Adderson said, drawing his gravity sword and charging it with energy.
     "You are going to pay for what you have done,"  Zelgadis said, forming an orb of purifying energy between his palms.
     "And justice will triumph over evil!"  Amelia added, also forming an orb of purifying energy between her palms.
     "Stand down everyone,"  Alex said, a shadow hiding his eyes.  Everyone gasped when they realized what he was about to do.
     "Zel, Sylphiel, Amelia, you know the drill,"  Lina said, everyone moving into positions.  Zel cast a wind barrier, which Lina reinforced.  Sylphiel cast a protection spell with Amelia adding Levitation.  The spells solidified into a bubble, which surrounded everyone and began to take to the sky.
     "Miss Lina, what is Mr. Alex going to do?"  Amelia asked as she watched Alex advancing towards the dark lord, his cape blowing behind him.
     "I really don't know Amelia,"  Lina said, "But whatever it is it's going to be major."
     The bubble rose until it was just a little pinprick of light, then it vanished.  After watching it leave, Alex turned to the dark lord and produced his glaive.
     "So, warrior of darkness, you plan on sacrificing yourself to me?"  Shabrinigdo asked mockingly.
     "I'm not going to sacrifice myself TO you, I might sacrifice myself in order to destroy you," Alex said, an evil grin forming on his face.  He held the blade of the glaive skyward, white light flowing into it, forming a ghostly aura.  "Source of all souls, which dwells in the eternal and the infinite, ever lasting flame of gloom.  All power hidden deep within be called forth here and now.  Ra TILT!!"
     Alex swung the glaive, releasing the accumulated energy in a beam of pure astral power. The beam struck Shabrinigdo, burning one arm clear off.  The dark lord did a double take to be sure that the little flyspeck at his feet was doing what he thought he was doing.
     "You are not going to get away with this,"  Alex said, clipping his glaive to his back and drawing his star sword, which he charged with dark energy, "Sword, give me your strength.  Darkness beyond blackest pitch, deeper than the deepest night.  King of darkness who shines like gold upon the sea of chaos.  I call upon thee and swear myself to thee.  Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess.  Sword, accept this darkness and obey my command.  Giga SLAVE!!"
     Alex swung his sword downward, releasing the dark energy in the form of a black thunderbolt, which tore up the ground and raced towards the dark lord at an incredible rate.
     "You think the Giga Slave will work THIS time?"  Shabrinigdo asked, mockingly.
     "Oh, I'm SURE it will,"  Alex said, pouring all of his power into the one spell, "my friends, I'm sorry that you may not see me again, but this is something that has to be done."

     In the rapidly rising bubble Zel, Derek, and Adderson all collapsed at the same time, creating a little bit of chaos.  Lina also felt the tremendous power and without further prompting leapt through the barrier and dove towards the ground.
     "Miss Lina!"  Amelia called after her.
     "Take care Amelia, Zel, Gourry, guys,"  Lina called as she plummeted towards the ground.
     "What is she doing?"  Gourry asked.
     "She's going to invoke the Laguna Blade,"  Zel said, a little stunned.
     "I'm going after her,"  Adderson said, only to be blocked by Zelgadis himself.
     "She can handle these things by herself."
     "I wasn't going after her. I was going to go help Alex."
     "All right,"  Zelgadis sighed, moving out of the way.  Adderson glanced back at his fellow warriors before leaping through the barrier and diving towards the ground, catching up to Lina a couple moments later.
     "What the hell are you doing here?"  Lina growled.
     "I'm going to help a friend in need,"  Adderson replied, drawing his sword, "what are you doing here?"
     "I'm going to take care of some unfinished business,"  Lina said, her talismans glowing as she channeled energy into them.  She then began her incantation.
     "A mere component of the lord of nightmares / could release understanding upon the world. / Frozen into the dark knife of annihilation / with our power, with our essence / together, we can destroy all who cross our path. / Spirits of the gods, deliver your smiting blow.  Laguna BLADE!!"
     A ball of dark energy form in her palm, which she clasped, forming a giant two edged, twin sword of darkness.  Lina dove at a faster rate now, leaving Adderson to cast RAY WING and float his way down.

     "DEATH FROM ABOVE!!"  Lina screamed as she neared the dark lord.
     "What the hell?!"  Shabrinigdo demanded before Lina slashed downward, cleaving several arms off at the source.  She touched down and immediately rebounded into the air, slashing downward again, cleaving the rest of the arms off before the Laguna Blade vanished.  She cursed under her breath before diving for the wall where Andrew's body was still impaled.  She leapt into the air, grabbed the sword, and pulled with all her might.  After a couple minutes of struggle she managed to free the bleeding and lifeless body.  Hurling the blade aside, she closed her eyes and scanned for Andrew's soul.
     "It's still in there," Lina said, casting a protection spell around herself and the body.  "Now to remember how Sylphiel cast this... Ahh..  I have it,"  She said, forming an orb of white energy between her palms, "Blessed humble will of God, lightning breath of mother earth.  I pray thee,  come before me and show your great compassion for Andrew Mcanirlin and deliver him back to us.  RESURRECTION!!"
     Lina pressed the orb to Andrew's chest, the energy radiating through his body, creating a ghostly aura.  As the spell ran its course, Alex battled the dark lord.
     "I will NEVER give up!"  Alex said, hurling fireball after fireball at the dark lord.
     "And I won't give up either!"  came from behind Alex.  Alex turned his head to see Adderson running towards his position. "You don't expect me to let you have all the fun, do you?" Adderson asked when he reached Alex.
     "Of course not, " Alex said, grinning from ear to ear, "you ready to finish this once and for all?"
     "Naturally,"  Adderson said, charging gravity energy into his sword.
     "And we're going to help you in any way we can,"  came from above.  The duo looked up to see Amelia, Zelgadis, Sylphiel, Gourry, Derek, and Jason in the bubble.  The bubble burst and the rest of their friends dropped to the floor, preparing to rumble.
     "Sylphiel, over here!" Lina shouted from where she was working.
     "Coming Miss Lina!"  Sylphiel shouted, running to where Lina was casting the spell. "What can I do to help you?"
     "I don't know if Resurrection will work when I cast it."
     "I think it did,"  Sylphiel said, noting that Andrew's eyes were twitching.  When the eyes opened, Sylphiel asked Andrew, "How do you feel?"
     "Like my insides were ripped out and replaced hastily,"  Andrew groaned.  He looked up to see Lina with her hands on his chest. "Did you bring me back to life?"  he asked, startling Lina.
     "I guess I did,"  Lina said, grinning, "You think you can fight the dark lord?"
     "I can try,"  Andrew answered, getting to his feet.  He leaned on Lina for support and he, Lina, and Sylphiel joined the main battle force.
     "Prepare to take a long powder, Dark Lord Shabrinigdo,"  Alex said, levitating off of the ground.  He drew his sword, the blade of light increasing in size.  He swung the blade before his body, the end pointing towards the dark lord.  "GAAV FLARE!!"
     Alex channeled the spell through his sword of light, boosting the power of the spell by 300%.  The Gaav Flare struck the dark lord in the chest, burning away some of the thick armor.  Alex dropped the levitation spell and leapt into the air, the blade above his head.  As he began to descend, he shouted to Amelia, "use an Almechia Flame on the blade!"
     "Right!"  Amelia replied, forming an orb of white energy between her palms, "Oh light, gather within me and bash this abysmal darkness apart.  Almechia FLAME!!"
     Amelia hurled the energy ball at the blade of the sword, striking it dead center.  The blade increased to three times the size it originally was.  Alex swung downwards, slashing across the dark lord's chest before landing.  He rebounded off of the ground and back flipped through the air, landing on Adderson's shoulders.
     "ROCKET ROLL!!!"  Alex shouted as he and Adderson began to spin around.  An intense explosion of energy followed, the shockwave striking the dark lord and hurling him off balance.  As the dark lord began to fall, Adderson utilized one of his gravity powers.
     "Gravity Flip!"
     He snapped his fingers, reversing Shabrinigdo's personal gravity so the dark lord floated helplessly in midair.  Unfortunately the dark lord took this moment to regrow its arms before sending the power back to its source, knocking Adderson for a loop.  The dark lord then touched down, his evil touch corrupting the purity of the ground and causing it to crumble.  As the dark lord advanced, Zel held his right hand to the sky, forming an orb of energy.
     "Infinite earth, mother who nurtures all life, let thy power gather in my hand. Flare HOWL!!"
     Zelgadis smashed the energy ball into the ground, causing several geysers of magma to form around Shabrinigdo.  The plumes of magma centered into one large mass before rising up and crashing down on the dark lord.  The magma washed over him before solidifying.
     "And to be sure we don't make the same mistake again,"  Lina said, "Hit it with everything you've got!  Dill BRAND!"
     "Ra TILT!!"
     "Flare Arrow!"
     "Stone Spiker!"
     "Silence Glaive APPLY!"
     "Gravity Crush!"
     "Dead Scream."
     "Crystal Seed!"
     "Pure Arrow!"
     The attacks and spells struck the large mound of magma, and all seemed to be going well, until the mound cracked and shattered, revealing the dark lord to be in one piece.  Shabrinigdo crossed its arms before its body before swinging them outward, creating a shockwave which hurled people through the air.  The majority of the group landed on their feet, with the exception of Amelia, who once again proved that the Seyruun princess could land no place other than on her face.  Lina and Alex looked to each other, nodded, and charged at the dark lord.
     "What are they doing?"  Gourry asked.
     "I haven't the slightest,"  Zelgadis said, "but if it involves Lina Inverse, it's probably going to be big."
     "What the hell are you guys waiting for?"  Alex called, "Everyone, form a perimeter around the dark lord!"
     "Why didn't you say that?!"  Andrew exclaimed, having a very A-ko like moment.  Jason and Gourry lifted Andrew up and carried him to his place on the perimeter.  Once everyone was in place, Alex relayed a telepathic message.
     "Everybody, hit him with mid to high range spells and attacks.  Low level won't dent him, unless you're a VERY skilled sorcerer or sorceress or you specialize in that type of magic."
     "And don't let up," Lina added, relaying through Alex's telepathic link, "If he starts to move towards you, dodge, but maintain your position as best you can, otherwise we're screwed."
     "Let's ROCK!!"
     With the final telepathic message, the five warriors, one swordsman, a priestess, a sorcerer and a sorceress, and a princess / sorceress, initiated their attacks, relying on the element of utter chaos and confusion to achieve their ultimate goal: the destruction of the dark lord.
     "Geom Wave!"
     Amelia's attack created a powerful gust of wind, which struck several sharp spires of rock and hurled them through the air.  Shabrinigdo turned in time to see the rocks coming and belched a destruction ray at them, vaporizing them and narrowly missing Amelia, who leapt into the air and fired off a Burst Rondo, which blinded the dark lord long enough for her to get to safety.
     "Flow Break."
     Zelgadis channeled spiritual energy around his body, releasing it in a controlled dome, which fired off a few rays before expanding, filling the entire area with spiritual energy.  Though it dealt little direct damage to Shabrinigdo, the spell gave Gourry enough time to leap into the air and take a couple swipes at the dark lord with the sword of light.  Amelia and Zel cast Ra Tilt, increasing the power of the blade so that Gourry could easily slash some of the dark lord's many arms off.  Though the distraction lasted a short amount of time, it was long enough for the others to get their attacks ready.
     "Giga CRISIS!!"
     Alex collected energy in and around his body until he was aglow with it, a ghostly aura forming around his body.  He threw his body out straight, releasing the energy in the form of an expanding wave, which destroyed much of the ground and dealt some damage to the dark lord, though not much.  Once the attack subsided, the dark lord turned to Alex and belched beam after beam at the mighty warrior.  Alex dodged the best he could until one beam struck him in the right shoulder, shattering the armor there and sending him sprawling onto his face.
     "ALEX!"  Adderson shouted, his blade unsheathed in a matter of seconds and glowing with energy.  "You'll pay for what you did to my friend.  Gravity CUTTER!!"
     Adderson sliced through the air, the accumulated energy releasing in the form of a round blade.  The energy blade spun through the air, aimed right for the dark lord's face.  Unfortunately the dark lord managed to get his heavily armored arm in the path of the blade, deflecting it towards the darkness above them.
     "What kind of a monster can deflect an attack like that?"  Adderson thought, charging his blade for a second attack.  "Gravity WAVE!"
     He slashed through the air again, vertically this time, releasing the energy in a massive shockwave, which struck the dark lord in the legs, knocking him off balance.  During this distraction Adderson ran to his fallen friend's side, only to see Alex regaining his feet, a look of determination on his face.
     "What was it that Mina always said?"  Alex thought, "Ahh... yes, that's it.  Believe in yourself and nobody can defeat you.  Well, it's about time I started to believe, not only in myself, but in my friends.  Lina, Amelia, Gourry, Zelgadis, Sylphiel, Adderson, Derek, Jason, and Andrew.  I believe that all of them have what it takes for us to defeat this abomination." Alex then threw his head back and shouted, "I believe!"  A strange light radiated from the chaos emerald in his sword hilt, followed by lights from the other six emeralds, three situated in each gauntlet.  The lights swirled around his body, regenerating his armor and his strength.  Once the lights died down he produced his glaive, spun it through the air, and pointed it towards the dark lord.
     "Hey, Shabrinigdo!"  Alex shouted, catching the attention of the dark lord.  Once he knew he was the center of attention, he shouted, "I'm not going to let you... no... WE'RE not going to let you rule the world.  I believe in myself and in my friends and I know that all of us can defeat you."
     "How touching,"  Shabrinigdo said, "Too bad you're all going to die!"
     With that the dark lord belched several death beams towards Alex and Adderson, only to have them encounter a barrier of some sort and dissipate.  Undaunted, the dark lord tried again, only to receive the same result.  Alex pointed his glaive at the dark lord and said two words: "Elmechia Lance."
     Several lances of light fired from the blade of the glaive, signaling the others to start attacking.
     "Flare Arrow!"
     "Flare Lance!"
     "Blast Flare!"
     "Burst Rhondo!"
     "Gravity Wave!"
     "Dead Scream."
     "Orion's Spear!"
     "Crystal Rain!"
     The multiple projectile attacks struck the dark lord, weakening severely to the point where he dropped to one giant knee.  In this moment of weakness Lina and Alex leapt into the air, Alex clipping his glaive to his back, Lina channeling energy into her talismans.  Alex also channeled energy into the emeralds in his gauntlets.  The duo both spoke the incantation simultaneously.
     "A mere component of the lord of nightmares, could release understanding upon the world. Frozen into the dark knife of annihilation.  With our power, with our essence, together, we can destroy all who cross our path.  Spirits of the gods, deliver your smiting blow.  Laguna BLADE!"
     Alex and Lina summoned balls of dark energy into their palms, closing their hands around the balls and forming extremely large, twin edged, twin ended swords of darkness.  The duo gave each other the thumbs up sign before leaping into the air and attacking, striking the dark lord several times apiece with the Laguna Blades before the spells dissipated.  Alex then leapt into the air, his glaive above his head, the blade glowing with accumulated energy. He shouted, "Giga FLARE!"  before swinging downward and releasing the energy as a black thunderbolt.  The thunderbolt struck the ground at the dark lord's feet, exploding into an expanding wave of light and solar intensity heat.
     "Ra TILT!!"
     Amelia, Zelgadis, and Sylphiel each incanted the spell and fired off a triple beam of astral energy, which struck Shabrinigdo and exploded, adding the spell's power to the power of Alex's Giga Flare attack.  Adderson, Andrew, Derek, and Jason each drew their swords and channeled their power into the blades, each blade glowing in the colors of that particular warrior.
     "Gravity Cutter!"
     "Orion Star Sword SLASH!"
     "Astral Smiter!"
     "Crystalline Rhondo!"
     The four attacks struck the dark lord, adding to the accumulating energy in the area.  Lina levitated above everything else, summoning a ball of blood red energy into her hands.  She shouted, "Gaav FLARE!" before hurling it at the dark lord.  The ball struck the dark lord and exploded, adding to the incredible amount of energy in the area.  Each person continued their attack until the dark lord, Shabrinigdo, started to show the strain of holding out against the attacks.  It wasn't until Shabrinigdo began to glow that the heroes knew they were about ready to be victorious.
     "Keep it up!"  Alex shouted, the strain of maintaining the Giga Flare showing on his face.  "Whatever happens, believe in yourselves,"  he thought, images of Zel, Lina, Amelia, Sylphiel, Gourry, Jason, Adderson, Andrew, and Derek running through his mind. "Believe in yourselves and nobody can defeat you."
     "He's starting to go critical!"  Lina shouted, breaking off the Gaav Flare and flying down to Zelgadis, Amelia, and Sylphiel.
     "We're aware of that Miss Lina,"  Amelia said, breaking off her part of the Ra Tilt, "And if it keeps up he's going to go critical and take out this entire building."
     "Which means we have to get out of here!"  Zelgadis said, also breaking off the Ra Tilt.
     "But what about the warriors?"  Sylphiel asked, breaking off her part of the Ra Tilt, "Mr. Alex, Mr. Adderson, Mr. Andrew....."
     "They can take care of themselves,"  Lina said, "Now where is that yogurt brain Gourry?"
     "I'm up here!"  Gourry exclaimed from above as he dove down towards the dark lord, the blade of light in hand.  "DEATH FROM ABOVE!!"
     Gourry swung downward, neatly cleaving the dark lord in half vertically.  He rebounded off of the floor, back flipped through the air, rebounded off of a wall, and sailed towards the dark lord again.  Gourry swung once more, cleaving the dark lord in half horizontally.  Gourry then rebounded off of another wall, flipped through the air, and landed on his feet next to Lina.  Lina took a moment to absorb all of what Gourry had done before falling over.
     "We need to get out of here!"  Zelgadis said, forming a wind barrier around the group.  A couple seconds later they were joined by Alex, Jason, Andrew, Derek, and Adderson, each of the five warriors drawing their swords and touching the blades together above their heads.  Energy flowed into the center of that meeting, forming a sphere, which expanded to encompass the group.  The sphere then began to levitate, moving increasingly faster until the explosion below them was just a pinprick of light.
     "Damn you Lina Inverse and damn your friends!"  Shabrinigdo exclaimed as he exploded.  The shockwave and the explosion set everything in the crazy 'Hells Arms' hotel right, returning it to its majesty as the 'Angelic Arms' hotel.  Shawn and Carolyn were transported back to their respective locations, and the group of warriors, along with the Slayers, managed to have their much deserved vacation.

     "Oh brother this feels GREAT!"  Lina exclaimed.  It was two days after they defeated Shabrinigdo and their vacation was in full swing.  Everyone was enjoying the brilliant sun, warm weather, and the time they could spend by the pool.  Lina was stretched out on a chaise lounge chair, soaking up the sun with Alex, Amelia, Adderson, Jason, and Sylphiel.  Gourry, Zelgadis, and Andrew were swimming laps in the pool, around Derek, who was stretched out on a raft.
     "I totally agree,"  Alex said, adjusting his sunglasses before flipping onto his stomach so he back could get some sun, "We really deserve this after the battle."
     "Come back here!"  Andrew shouted.  Lina and Alex turned to see Zel and Gourry running away with Andrew's bathing suit.
     "Come and get us!"  Gourry shouted as Zel lifted him into the air with a Levitation spell.
     "Oh, you better believe I'll get you,"  Andrew exclaimed, forming an orb between his hands, "FIREBALL!"
     "Freeze Arrow!"  Alex said, canceling out Andrew's spell.  Andrew turned to glare at Alex, who returned to tanning.  A couple seconds later Andrew's bathing suit floated down and landed on his head.
     "You know what Miss Lina?" Amelia asked, staring off into space.
     "No, enlighten me Amelia,"  Lina said, turning towards the Seyruun princess.
     "It feels good to take a vacation now and then, and once we finally get comfortable it makes it well deserved."
     "Truer words were never spoken,"  Jason said, sipping a cola.  Just then the sound of arguing broke the silence.  Everyone turned to the entrance to the pool area to see a raven haired girl and a blond haired girl going at it.
     "I told you, meatball head!"  the raven haired girl shouted at the blond, "They wouldn't want to see us right now!"
     "And I say they want to see us!"  the blond shouted back.   Behind the pair stood four other girls, one with short blue hair, another blond with her hair held up with a big red bow, a brunette with her long hair pulled up in a pony tail, and a girl with auburn hair held up with a pair of hair clips holding her hair away from her face.  The four girls stood in the shadows, embarrassed by what their friends were doing, which was acting totally immature.
     "Serena, Rei, Mina, Lita, Ami, Asuka?"  Derek said, falling off of his raft.
     "Hi guys,"  Mina said, waving, "We decided to take a vacation also, and sorta figured Atlas City was a good place for one."
     "Except Rei and Serena were fighting the entire trip here,"  Asuka said, a sweatdrop forming on her head.
     "I keep telling you they don't want to see us!"  Rei shouted, wrapping her hands around Serena's throat.  Everyone looked to see the pair in a physical fight.
     "I'll solve this,"  Lina said, forming an energy orb in her hand. "Fireball."
     Lina hurled the fireball at Rei and Serena, blowing the pair apart and hurling them into the pool.  Lita, Mina, Ami, and Asuka cheered at the sound of silence.
     "Finally, they stopped fighting,"  Ami said, plopping down in a nearby chair and putting her feet up.  She pulled out a cel-phone and dialed room service. "Hello, room service, send four extra large double chocolate shakes to the pool area, and make it quick!"
     "We can finally relax,"  Lita said, taking one of the shakes as the man from room service brought them out.  She sipped thoughtfully on it, engrossed in the rich taste.
     "I am in total agreement,"  Mina said, emerging from a cabana in her new, bright orange bikini.  She dove into the pool and swam a few laps before Bogarting Derek's raft.
     "It's nice to see you guys again,"  Asuka said, sitting down between Alex and Lina, "Did anything interesting happen before we got here?"
     Alex looked to Lina, who groaned and covered her head with her towel. Jason, Amelia, and Sylphiel also groaned and hid their heads with whatever was available.  Alex turned to Asuka, adjusted his sunglasses, smiled, and said, "You might want to make that shake last 'cause I have a LONG story to tell you."