*Theme song: Never Surrender, by Stan Bush*

Duriel: I leave this in your capable hands, Summoner. Protect it with your life and you shall be rewarded. Fail me and face insurmountable pain.

Summoner: Yes, my lord. I obey.

Reuisu: ...and so we chased Duriel through the Claw Viper Temple until he reached the entrance, where he opened up some sort of weird portal that sparkled instead of electrified, and disappeared. That's when we came back here.

Reuisu, Michelle, and Tyrael were once again meeting with Jerhyn and Tal Rasha in the Palace of Jerhyn. The group all sighed in distress and rubbed their temples. Jerhyn spoke up next.

Jerhyn: Do we have any idea where Duriel went?

Tyrael: No idea.

Tal Rasha: Then we must find an alternate way of entering my former tomb.

Michelle: Any ideas?

Tal Rasha: One. But it is considerably more dangerous than the original plan of using the Staff of Kings. It involves entering an alternate plane of existence called the Arcane Sanctuary.

Tyrael: I have heard rumors of the Sanctuary. What is it, exactly?

Tal Rasha: The Arcane Sanctuary was once a sacred refuge for a mage by the name of Arlak Jasolv. Arlak created the Sanctuary when he used Dark magicks to explore sub universes within our own. He was warned by dozens of other Magi to curb his use of Dark Magic, but he did not listen. As he went on, the magic consumed him, perverted him. It is rumored that he started to serve demons and still lives within the Arcane Sanctuary.

Reuisu: How will the Arcane Sanctuary help us?

Tal Rasha: There's an entrance into the Canyon of the Magi through the Sanctuary.

Michelle: Well, what's so dangerous about it?

Tal Rasha: No one knows what happened to the one they began calling the 'Summoner...'

Hotaru sighed and opened the door to her apartment. She smiled as she smelled the wonderful aroma of food being cooked, realizing that her boyfriend had already arrived at the apartment she shared with him.

Hotaru: Alec, I'm home!

A voice from the kitchen responded.

Alec: Good! I have a wonderful stew lined up for us this evening, Ms. Tomoe! And I believe that my culinary skills have improved dramatically!

Hotaru giggled as she embraced Alec lovingly and kissed him passionately.

Hotaru: Mmm, well I certainly hope so. Have you been here all day?

Alec: As a matter of fact I have. There was no important business at the Congress today, so they sent me home early. Say, how did your Welfare bill go?

Hotaru winced. She then proceeded to sit down at the table, putting on a smile before she responded.

Hotaru: It went fine.

Alec: Really? What did you have to give up? I'm sure that those Senators raised holy hell about what they wanted in exchange for their votes.

Alec proceeded to put the stew on the table.

Hotaru: Nothing major. Loan payoffs to welfare investors; 5 billion for research in single parent vs. family needs...

Alec: Two things easily handled. Anything else?

Hotaru gulped and started pouring some of the stew into her bowl.

Hotaru: Yeah. They want Mandatory Minimums on drug users.

Alec stopped and stared at Hotaru. Hotaru continued wincing as she started moving her spoon in a circle within the stew. Alec's eyes narrowed.

Alec: And you gave it to them?

Hotaru: Alec, do we really need to talk about-

Alec: Hotaru, there are lots of people out there on welfare who are using medicinal marijuana!

Hotaru: Yes, and some concessions had to be made! This bill will help more people than it will-

Alec: I'm calling my office.

Hotaru: Alec, don't do that...

Alec walked over and picked up the phone. He typed in a number and started speaking into it, talking to his people about how they needed call in some favors from some Senators. Hotaru placed some of the stew onto her spoon and put it in her mouth. She swallowed and sighed.

Hotaru: It really tastes good.

Angel: WHOA.

The Arcane Sanctuary was infinite in all directions. The three had expected to see some weird temple thing like most of the previous ones that they'd visited before. However, this was entirely different. They were surrounded on all sides by stars that seemed to move about in every direction. It was almost as if they were in space itself, and if they jumped into the air they'd float off and never be seen again. Next, the ground they were standing upon was a silver stone, smooth and strong. However, it was made up of very narrow corridors that went out in all directions.

Moonshine: Well, this is certainly unexpected.

Tyrael: It is almost as if someone cut out a piece of the ethereal planes and placed it here...

Angel: Wait, I'm sensing something... That way!

Angel pointed out towards one of the many walkways within the Sanctuary. The three instantly took off, Moonshine running across the stone as Tyrael and Sailor Angel took to the skies (if you could call them skies). By two minutes time, they came to what Angel had detected. It was a young man with a goatee-styled beard and moustache. He wore flowing blue robes and a coned hat that bended near the top. He was smiling as he held a staff made of what appeared to be dead wood.

Summoner: Greetings, Titans. I have been expecting you.

Angel: And who might you be?

Summoner: I might be Arlak Jasolv. I might also be your death!

The Summoner grinned and raised his staff high into the air. Out of the sky came a fiery meteor that slammed into Sailor Angel and sent him sprawling to the stone ground. He was dragged along it for a few moments before finally coming to a stop, much to the surprise of Tyrael and Sailor Moonshine, who turned back to face the still-smiling Summoner.

Summoner: Next?

Tyrael was next up to try to face the mage. Azurewrath's flames seemed to rise higher than before as Tyrael slammed the sword down repeatedly against the mage in a futile effort to slay him. However, the Summoner finally managed to slam his fist against Tyrael's face, creating an electrical shock that sent the archangel flying back towards Sailor Moonshine, who knelt down to help her lover. Sailor Angel groaned a little as he walked back over to the two and got onto his knees, clutching his chest. Upon the spot where Angel had put his hand, a charred black had singed his Sailor fuku.

Angel: Erg... I think a new plan is in order...

Moonshine: Rush him?

Tyrael: Indeed.

The three resisted any pain they might be feeling and roared valiantly as they attacked the Summoner. The Summoner first managed to block an assault from Azurewrath with his staff, then proceeded to let go of the staff with one hand to send out a magical gust of wind at Sailor Angel. The force impacted him in the stomach, knocking the breath out of him and sending him to his back. Sailor Moonshine tried to bash the Summoner's head in with her staff, but the mage grabbed Moonshine's staff before it could come down and pushed back with greater force. Moonshine winced and retreated back a little as the Summoner finally pushed away Tyrael.

Tyrael: This is quite exhilarating!

Moonshine: See, I told you guys! We need more enemies like this guy. He's tough and he doesn't go down with one hit!

Angel: Pity that I just tried to initiate a Fist of the Heavens and didn't work...

Moonshine: I'm not surprised. The metaphysical laws of this dimension probably don't work that way.

Tyrael: Indeed. If we are to defeat this one, we must use our wits and our cunning!

Angel: Righteo! TITANS TOGETHER!

Sailor Angel flew into the air and charged his fists together with equal energy. He aimed both of the glowing hands at the Summoner.

Angel: HAND OF DESTINY!!!

Both of Sailor Angel's hands fired beams of holy energy at the Summoner, who raised his staff up to meet the beams. As Angel continued firing, the beams seemed to hit an energy bubble that had formed up around the Summoner. However, because Angel didn't seem to be letting up, in fact, he was even trying to intensify the power, the Summoner was having a difficult time holding back the assault.

Moonshine: MOONSHINE MIRROR!!!

Sailor Moonshine raised her staff high into the air. The top of the staff morphed into a face mirror that reflected the image of the moon. The light coming down from the moon hit the mirror and then reflected into a focused beam that collided into the Summoner's shield. The Summoner winced and began to sweat profusely as he held back the assault by the two Titans. Although the Summoner was feeling the effects of fighting off the two Titans heavily, Sailors Angel and Moonshine weren't doing much better than the Summoner was.

Finally, Tyrael came to their rescue by flying downwards and slamming his sword through the energy shield and into the Summoner's chest. The energy shield dissipated immediately, and Moonshine and Angel stopped firing. The Summoner blinked as he stared at Tyrael, then promptly fell over, dead. Tyrael pulled out his sword and re-sheathed it. Angel and Moonshine went over to Tyrael and the dead Summoner. Moonshine turned the dead body over and examined the front of him. Hanging on a necklace around the Summoner's body was the Viper Amulet. Moonshine smiled and ripped it off the necklace.

Moonshine: That's all three pieces, folks!

Angel: Good! Let's get Tal Rasha here and finally end this bloody thing...

To Be Continued...