Type: Anime

Crossover: Slayers/BASTARD!!

Parings: DS/Yoko, Zel/Kal

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Azrial. Inspired by the epic "Aftermath", the arc "Slayers AD", and my own twisted mind.

Warnings: yaoi alert!

Rated: R for language and violence

A Party at Llewxaw?

Wine and Dancing.

By Youko Rayah

The legend went that long ago, the sorely persecuted founder left the kingdom of Gorbennad when her mother made her life miserable. She was joined by her champion, Sir Adam the Immortal, and her closest confidant Niagzit. The three fought all comers, and were aided in their task by the Lady of Vixen and the Keeper of the Beacon when needed. But, alas, I digress.

They arrived at the city limits, and headed for a well known bar called The Hanger. Lina, having visited the city regularly, knew where the best food and drink could be found. The head waitress, Floris, was an old friend. She was the only person Lina had ever met who wasn't intimidated by her Neechan, but then, they didn't call her the Waitress from Hades for nothing.

"Hay Floris!" the red haired sorceress called. The older woman looked over at them and smiled.

"Hay kid. What's your poison?"

"The usual, Floris. And wine and ale for my friends."

The Waitress from Hades nodded and went to fill their orders. They got their rooms reserved, and found a table in the dining area soon after. Menus were brought over, and they settled in to order.

"What's 'rollotin'?" Yoko asked as she looked over the choices available. (A German dish, pronounced Ro-Lot-Tin.)

"It's kind of like stuffed meat," Lina said, well familiar with the menu. "You take thin slices of beef, spread mustard, salt, pepper, and some other spices, add chopped pickles and bacon to it, role it up and fasten it with thread or tooth pics. Then you boil it in a kind of gravy. It's really good."

Yoko looked at her and considered the remaining choices. "How big are they?"

"About as big as my fist," Lina answered. "They're served with dumplings and gravy."

Yoko nodded and ordered one rollotin meal, with bread and hot tea.

DS ordered a T-bone stake with sautéed mushrooms, a baked potato, and ale to drink. Lina had told him about the local food, and he hadn't had a meal like this in some time.

Kal-So decided to try the goulash with fresh bread and tea. When he asked, Lina said, "It's a dish of noodles, with a thick gravy. There are spices in it with cubed meat chunks in it also. It's really good, and they serve deep bowls of the stuff."

Geo looked over the menu dubiously. None of the selections looked familiar, beyond the roast, and he didn't wish to make a fool of him self. While he was looking over his choices, Zelgodis asked about the "potato salad".

"It's hard to explain. It has cooked chunks of potato in it, obviously. But it also has fried, crisp bacon, pickles, boiled and chopped eggs, and a creamy souse. It's served cold as a side dish. It's a lot better than it sounds. It goes great with cheese burgers."

Zel nodded and ordered that and some coffee, Lina rolled her eyes at his choice of drink, but let it pass.

Lina and Goury ordered triple portions of just about everything on the menu, Floris just rolled her eyes. And Geo settled on a serving of pork roast and a baked potato.

They sat and talked while they waited for their orders. Lina told them about the local festival that would be starting in the next few days. "There'll be a lot of merchants arriving tomorrow. They'll set up and in two days, the city will be packed!"

DS nodded and decided to treat Yoko to the best of the festival. He and Lina had made a tidy sum from the bandits they had trashed that first night, so they could more than afford indulging a bit.

When their food came, they all dug in. Yoko was amazed at how tasty the it was. Lina told her the recipe had been the Lady of Vixen's mother's. When the She-fox had come to the city, she had started the bar to draw income for her own personal use, as all of her savings had gone to aid Lady Xes in building the city.

They left the tavern after eating and went to see more of the city. At one point, Yoko dragged Darsh off to dance to the sweet sounds produced by a group of minstrels. Lina smiled. As much as DS complained about some things, He loved Yoko and would give his life for her. It warmed the sorceresses heart.

Lina turned away from the dancing and saw Zelgodis and Kal-So leave down a side street. She smiled again. Zel had been very depressed lately, and according to DS, Kal wasn't much for social gatherings. Both kept to themselves, and didn't make friends easily. She hoped their friendship helped them.

"Miss Lina!"

With a sigh, Lina turned towards Amelia and asked, "Yes Amelia? What is it?"

"Do you know where Mr. Zelgodis went?"

"He and Kal-So stepped out to talk for a bit. Probably to do some brain-storming on Kal's possible ancestry."

"What do you mean?"

"Kal doesn't know what his father was. Only that he wasn't human. My personal bet is that the guy was an Ice Dragon. It fits with his coloring and powers."

"You may have a point."

"So why were you looking for Zel? Were you going to ask him to dance?" the red head teased.

"I-I d-d-don't know what you mean!" the princess stammered, blushing deeply.

"Mmm hmm. Sure, Amelia, what ever. When DS and Yoko get back, tell them I'll be back for dinner, I've got some things to take care of, but it shouldn't take long."

"I'll come with you Miss Lina!"

"No you wont. Zel's already gone off to talk with Kal. Goury is off in La-la land, and I wouldn't trust Xellos as far as I could through him. I need you to keep an eye on DS, Lina and Geo."

"But why Miss Lina?"

Lina gritted her teeth. She SO didn't want Amelia to fallow her to the temple. It had been several decades since she had been to the Temple of Night and Shadow, one of the last temples dedicated to the Lord of Nightmares, and she really needed to use it to get in touch with the Guardian.

Over the years, most of the temples had been destroyed by those who saw them as places of pure evil. If those fools had only known. The Lord of Nightmares was one of the Elemental Lords, who had created the entire space time continuum. But that bit of knowledge had been lost to most of mankind long ago. As Elemental beings, the Nine Lords were neutral forces. Neither good or evil.

The Guardian was the Second chosen Avatar. Lina had met her several years ago, and wanted her to keep an eye on the Peninsula while she was escorting DS and his allies back to Metricanna. Someone needed to keep an eye on the Mazuko Lords and anything else that might happen.

"Think, Amelia. They don't know the area. This isn't their home land. The rules of magic and society are different here. They'll need a guide so they don't get into trouble here in the city. Stay with them, and I'll be back tonight."

Amelia nodded reluctantly, and the red head took her leave. She ducked down a side ally, and headed toward the northern edge of the city. Once clear of the gate, she turned to the east, moving as quickly as she could without attracting attention.

She traveled on foot for over an hour before reaching the forest. From there, she moved along an old game trail to the stream that ran from the natural spring in the heart of the woods. She stuck to the stream, moving deeper into the dense undergrowth. It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for.

The temple was still as she remembered, carved into the side of a natural rock face. Casting a light spell, Lina forged deeper into the long forgotten place, confident that she had nothing to fear. Five minutes later, she reached the alter and made her offering.

Nine gold pieces, melted with a fire spell, poured over the alter, and words of Chaos spoken. Lina let her power sing along the lines of the cosmos, calling to the Guardian to the Gates of Chaos. Time ticked bye, and Lina began to doubt her message had been received.

Then, just as she was about to give up, black and gold power began to swirl around the alter. It disked out until a portal was formed, and a lavender haired woman stepped out.

"Konechi wa, Lina-san," the new arrival murmured.

"Konechi wa, Kadence-chan. I hate to do this to you, but I need a favor."

"What's up? Demon kings on the loose, Hell Princes terrorizing the populous, Crown Prince Phillinell running around in Drag?"

She couldn't help it. The picture of the pacifist prince of Saloon in a dress was too much. Lina burst out laughing. She laughed so hard, she had to sit down before she fell down. "Kade-chan, you are SO weird!"

"Yeah, but I'm cute and fun at parties. So, what's up?"

"Do you remember Dark Schnider?"

"The man demon? Your old student? The guy that helped you take down Anslasax? Of course I remember him! He has the nicest ass I've seen in years and is one HELL of a kisser!"

"You lech!"

"Yeah, ain't it great?"

"Any way he's here."

"Say WHAT?! Here? On the peninsula?! Where?"

"In Llewxam. He's getting married to a girl named Yoko."

"So he's here to invite you to the wedding?"

"No. Yoko was kidnapped and brought here." Lina then launched into a retelling of all that had transpired, including her believe that the man responsible was still alive, and would cause trouble.

"So you're going with him as a trouble shooter, and you need me to keep an eye on things here." It was not a question.

"You got it. I need someone I can trust."

"Well, I should be able to handle it. If I need help, I can always grab Azrial."

"Who?"

"She's Zelgodis' sister. She's powerful to boot. Specializes in Shamanistic and Black magic."

"Sounds good. If things get REALLY bad, give me a holler. You'll be able to reach me through the gauntlets."

"Gotcha. Have a nice trip, and tell that white haired bastard I said hi."

After that, Lina went back the way she had come, returning to the city, and then the Inn. Floras gave her a knowing look, but said nothing as the tired sorceress made her way up the stairs and to bed.