This is the sequel to my earlier work, "Mars Fire Ignite". If you
haven't read that one, you probably should. Some parts of this come
from my first work.
Also, if you are wondering where this fits in in the Sailor Moon
timeline, don't. It doesn't fit anywhere in that universe. The Inner
Scouts are around 17 years old right now, some two to three years
after "Mars Fire Ignite".
Disclaimer-wise, Sailor Moon and her friends are the property of Naoko
Takeuchi, and they're copyrighted by her, and to a lesser extent, DiC
(those manglers!). Also, there is a good bit of Forgotten Realms
flavor in here, and they belong to TSR (or Wizards of the Coast,
depending on how you look at it). Most of the other things spawned
from my own imagination, so I'd like credit for such. Enjoy!
Note: For those of you familiar with Forgotten Realms, and more
specifically, the drow warrior Drizzt Do' Urden, I would like to make
it clear that Chaszmyr is NOT, I repeat, NOT a copy of that
copyrighted and fabulous hero. Chaszmyr was a character created by my
best friend long before I made him read the Drizzt novels. Both of us
were rather surprised at the likenesses.
Comments, criticisms, compliments to schoudh@eos.ncsu.edu
-------------------------------------
Quest for the Silver Imperium Crystal
by Soumitra Choudhury
Epilogue
-------------------------------------
More than once, Jupiter wanted to gag as she carried Mercury's
smoldering and battered corpse back to the shore where the others were
camped. The smell nauseated her like nothing else, but she forced
herself to forego the instinct to vomit. This was her friend,
afterall, and it wouldn't do to throw up all over her, even if she
wouldn't ever notice. Or perhaps her spirit would know? She'd hate to
go to heaven, only to have Ami waiting for her, scolding her about
vomiting all over her body.
A bark of hysterical laughter slipped through her throat
before she could reign it in. Her arms ached from carrying her, and
she stopped and gently put the corpse down. Tears shimmered in her
eyes, blurring her vision. She angrily wiped them away, but they were
replaced by more. Suddenly, she was sobbing uncontrollably, rocking
her friend's body back and forth.
Jupiter didn't know who it was, but someone wrapped an arm
around her from behind, comforting her. The brunette settled back into
the embrace and cried herself to sleep.
*****
"These humans are an emotional lot, aren't they?" Szaravel
muttered to no one in particular, wrapping the blanket over the
slumbering Jupiter.
"That's a very harsh and cold way of putting their pain,
Szaravel." Xune frowned, though she didn't look up from her work. She
was busy wrapping Sailor Moon's forehead with a strip of cloth to
cover the gash across her left temple. If the large lump was any
indication, the blonde would have a monstrous headache when she
awakened. "They are very young, very innocent, to have to bear their
burdens, especially this one."
The priestess caught the slight snort behind her, but realized
it was more for show than actual derision. For all her rough edges,
Szaravel really did feel pity for the girls. "Drow lack this
compassion and loyalty," the sorceress' voice intoned, hiding her own
sigh.
Xune smiled sadly at that. "And that is why the good folk need
not worry, for that compassion and loyalty makes people strong,
something the Drow hopefully will never learn."
Venus stirred in her sleep, her face contorted in fear and
grief before she settled back again. Xune had used her healing power
upon her to mend the shattered bones and the other injuries, but the
wounds of the mind would be long in the healing for the golden-haired
warrior. Still, Xune hoped to aid in that as well.
All of the Scouts, except for Mercury, lay in a circle about
the small fire Szaravel had conjured up, each of them fully mended of
their injuries by Xune's power. Likewise, Chaszmyr snored softly
alongside Sailor Mars, his arm whole, no sign of the charred ruin that
had marred him before. He would once again be able to whirl his
scimitars to the consternation of all things evil.
Xune wiped away several trickles of sweat from her forehead,
pushing back a lock of her snowy tresses. The hardest task was coming
up, and she hoped she had the strength left to perform it.
Szaravel rested a supporting hand upon her guardian mother's
shoulder. "Are you able to do this, Auntie Xune?" she inquired, using
the term of endearment that nearly always warmed the priestess' heart.
"If Eilistraee permits, I will be strong," was her reply,
sidling near to the body of Mercury. She had already used all of their
potions of healing to restore the Scout's body to the vibrant youth it
had began this perilous adventure with, erasing the blisters and
bruises from her body. Even her hair, tattered, ragged and melted as
it was, shone now with the original luster of deep sea blue.
Sailor Mercury seemed a beautiful corpse.
Xune Kilsek, blessed drow priestess of the Dark Maiden,
Eilistraee, knelt before the body, placed her hands upon the unmoving
chest, and closed her eyes, praying fervently to her deity.
As Szaravel sat down to keep watch, she saw Xune's circlet
glow with the holy light of silver.
*****
Serena felt like a thick wool gauze was covering her mind when
she finally woke up. None of her limbs wanted to respond properly, but
the crying she heard beckoned her attention. It was quite a familiar
crying, like someone she knew.
Slowly, she opened her eyes, having a hard time placing the
environment. A vast cave, lots of gold, all the Scouts, some of them
sleeping, a few dark-skinned elves, Mina sobbing all over an
embarrassed Ami.
Huh?
"What's wrong?" Serena croaked, smacking her lips together to
get some moisture to wet her dry mouth. A dull throbbing pain hammered
through her head as she attempted to get up, causing her to clutch her
forehead. She felt the bump, along with the cloth wrapped around.
Mina relinquished her hold on Ami, quickly wiping away her
tears, though her eyes remained red and puffy. She was about to
respond, when Ami clapped her hand across her mouth. "I got hurt a
little bit after you went down, and Mina's overreacting." She turned
to Mina once again a squeezed her hand gently. "I keep telling you I'm
fine."
Serena missed the gently warning glare Ami passed on to the
distraught blonde.
The princess blinked a few times, then gasped. "Did we win?
Why's everyone asleep? Are they alright?" She tried to get up again,
but groaned at her foolishness as the hammering in her head grew to
explosive bangs.
"They are asleep, Serena," Ami answered, chuckling at her
discomfort. "It was a rough battle, but we made it out just
fine. Why don't you get some more rest. That bump isn't going to heal
itself, you know."
"But I just woke-" She was cut off by a gaping yawn. Blushing
slightly, Serena giggled. "I guess I could use a bit more sleep." She
settled back, pulling the blanket up to her neck. Internally, she knew
they were hiding something, and it hurt her that the Scouts couldn't
tell her. 'Well, maybe if I just pretend I'm going to sleep.'
She listened as Ami soothed Mina, who had begun to cry again,
something Serena couldn't understand. Mina had always been one of the
stronger ones, the last to crack under pressure.
"Now, now," she heard Ami croon, "It's not your fault I
died. I-"
"Died?!?" Serena shouted, jumping up, and falling back down
when the wave of dizziness crashed into her, sloshing about her
confusedly. She gritted her teeth to fight for control, clutching her
head once again.
"Huh? What's going on?" slurred Lita as she, too, woke up. The
brunette rubbed her bleary eyes, and when they opened again, they
settled on Ami, sweet blushing Ami.
A split second later, the blue-haired girl found herself
engulf under the tackling embraces of both Lita and Serena, the former
weeping for joy, the latter spouting out seven hundred questions at
once. Mina stood nearby, laughing and crying at the same time.
"Please! Lita! Serena! It's hard... to breath!" Ami gasped out
beneath the pile, though the broad smile plastered on her face told
them she was more than enjoying the attention.
There were several moments of warm, smothering hugs, touching
Ami deeply, though she remained flushed with
embarrassment. "Really,guys. I'm fine."
"But how?" the tall girl asked. "I carried you back! You were
quite, you know, not alive."
Ami squirmed a bit. "Um, actually, you're going to have to ask
Xune about that. I don't really know how she brought me back, but she
did."
"That was the power of Eilistraee," the drow priestess
interjected calmly, emerging from her own sleeping mat. "I was merely
the tool."
The girls turned to her in awe. "You mean, you can... can
raise the dead?" Serena's eyes were big enough to swallow half her
face.
The drow nodded. "If the need is great, and the subject
willing."
"Dear God," gaped Mina.
Xune grinned impishly. "Goddess, child. Eilistraee is a
goddess. Now, if you don't mind, healing all of your injuries has been
very taxing on me. I really need to rest. If you don't mind, keep a
lookout, though I don't think we need to worry. Sailor Mars and that
Crystal of yours drove the dragon away."
"Speaking of which, where is that hothead anyway?" the
princess asked, glancing around at the group.
Xune yawned expansively. "She walking around with Szaravel,
checking out the hoard. You know how it is with mages and enchanted
baubles." She wrapped a blanket about herself.
Actually, the Scouts had absolute no idea how it was with
mages and enchanted baubles.
*****
On the far side of the lake from the campsite, Szaravel
pointed to another ornate long sword. "That's magical also."
Rei hefted it up, testing its weight. Light, delicate, yet
exquisitely crafted of arcane strength. She swung it around, marveling
at the way it left a fading trail of greenish sparkles in its
wake. "Look at me, I'm King Arthur," she joked.
"Excuse me?"
Rei smirked. "Never mind. Foreign humor." She chuckled to
herself.
Surprisingly, the tiny drow joined in. "Humor of any kind
would be lost on me, I'm afraid."
"Why is that?" The human turned to her drow counterpart with
curiosity.
It took a moment for the dark elf to reply. She sifted through
small pile of coins with the butt of her staff, seemingly
engrossed. "I don't know if you really understand the extent of my
race, but we are a deadly and evil lot, prone to cruelty for the sheer
enjoyment of it." A frown molded itself into her face. "Of course, it
doesn't help that the majority of them worship a goddess that
promotes such behavior, but I won't torture you with the details. Suffice
it to say, normal drow are not the type of people you're interested in
meeting."
"Unlike Xune, Chaszmyr and I were born in their cities, deep
underground. As far as I understand, Uncle Chaz was lucky enough to be
born in a family that rebelled against the tenets of Lolth, the drow
spider goddess. He managed to escape relatively easily, though I have
a feeling it cost him most of his family."
"I wasn't so lucky."
Szaravel's gaze grew distant, bland, and very cold. "I was
born as the youngest daughter in one of the most powerful families in
the city of Rilavaun. That meant I had a certain amount of
responsibility, one of which was to become a devout priestess of
Lolth." She smirked slightly, a chill smile that froze Rei's
blood. "It wasn't that hard, really. When your surrounded by that
merciless, unrelenting cruelty all hours of the day, it seeps into
you, grabs you by the soul."
Rei gulped, a tingle of fear and pity mingling within her. She
wanted to express some sort of comfort, but she felt the young drow
would not appreciate being interrupted, so she held off.
"Anyway, being in such an unstable society, families are
rather found of gaining as much power as possible, so occasionally,
one will surprise another with a sneak attack to better their rank,
considering the hierarchical nature of the society." The human
sorceress didn't quite understand that, but she let it slide. "Well,
we set up an ambush against one such house, but it backfired, and I
was forced to flee. I don't know what happened to the rest of my
family, nor do I care anymore. I'm sure they got what they deserved."
"It took me a long time to get through the Underdark, and I
think I actually went mad a few times. It's very difficult to travel
when your constantly on the lookout for monsters and stuff, especially
when you're underground and there's no light for days at a time."
"Eventually I ended up on the surface world, but my hardships
didn't end their either. Drow aren't tolerated in too many places, so
it's pretty difficult to survive if you've never been around before. I
got thrown into a slave trade before I could blink my eyes." Her eyes
hardened menacingly. "You can imagine what someone would want with a
young female slave, drow or no."
Rei shuddered, pity drowning her heart.
"I killed my owner, but was caught before I could escape into
the wilds again. The town, the ignorant bastards, decided it would be
best to hang me as an example to all drow."
"Lucky for me, Xune and Chaszmyr happened to pass by, in
disguise of course. They rescued me, and took me in." Szaravel laughed
softly. "I gave them hell for a while, not trusting them at first,
wondering when they were going to turn me over to my city, but they
never did. Xune patiently taught me that the world was not as bad a
place as I had initially thought, and Chaz made sure I was properly
prepared for when the gods tampered with my life. They took good care
of me, something I never had before, something I can never repay them
enough for."
A long silence followed as Rei stared at the drow in a new
light. She understood, now, that Szaravel wasn't an arrogant person,
overconfident and condescending in her trade. It was all a ruse, a
barrier against a world that had once dealt her a poor hand, but
through a great deal of help and luck, she had managed to ride it out.
"I was wrong about you," was the only thing Rei could think of
to say.
Szaravel shrugged. "I do it on purpose, for it keeps me from
getting hurt much more than necessary. I actually would like to
apologize to you for being such a pompous idiot. It's become something
of a habit."
Rei waved away her apology. "No, no. I understand
completely. There's no need to worry about it. I'm kind of at a loss
as to why you told me, though. I was pretty mean to you."
For the first time, Szaravel was the one looking
embarrassed. "Um, well, I want to ask a favor of you, and I didn't
figure being at each other's throats would get you to accept."
"A favor?" Alarm bells rang inside Rei's head.
"I was wondering if you would teach me how to work magic like
you."
BRRRIIIINNNGGG!!! BRRRRIIINNNNGGG!! Those alarm bells were
fairly deafening. "Eh, um, well... er, that is..." she fumbled, her
tongue flopping about with nothing particularly to convey.
Szaravel took this to be hesitance, and hurried forward. "I'm
a fabulous student, and I promise not to get in your way or question
your methods, or anything else, for that matter. I'll even pay you
with odds and ends from my own cache of enchanted items, anything you
wish!-" The drow was speaking a mile a minute, afraid Rei would not
accept her offer and hoping to make the deal more lavish.
"Whoa, hold on there," the Fire Scout interrupted, faintly
amused. "It's not that I won't teach you my magic, Szaravel. It's that
I can't."
"Huh? Why not?"
Rei pursed her lips, trying to figure out the best way to
tackle the question without having to explain the whole history of her
family and the Archmagi status. After a moment, she sighed, and
cleared away a patch of ground so that she could sit comfortably. "Sit
down, and let me explain a few things about my powers."
*****
The Sailor Scouts and the drow spent nearly a day in The
Dragon One's hoard cave before they were remotely ready to
leave. Yawns still came often to them, and Rei continued about with a
faint limp in her newly healed leg, but the general agreement was to
leave as soon as they were physically capable.
"What will happen to all this gold?" Mina asked, eyeing a few
choice pieces of jewelry.
Xune shrugged nonchalantly. "I suppose it will molder here
until someone else finds it. I don't see why you couldn't take a-"
Both of the blondes leapt into a pile, scurrying about to grab
the most interesting items they could find, looking for all the world
like a pair of gophers. The others got a good hearty laugh at their
expense.
"You know, Serena," Rei said, picking up the wondrous bow she
had found earlier while strolling with the drow mage, "you're not
going to be able to carry all that when we teleport back."
Serena stopped just as she was reaching for a richly painted
tapestry nearly twice her size in length. "But, but, it's all so
pretty!" she whined, pouting.
Rei glared fireballs into her friend.
Before an argument could ensue, Ami stepped forward and patted
Serena on her shoulder. "I'm sure you can take a few things that you
can easily wear."
The blonde beamed in triumph, and proceeded to jam every
bracelet, ring, necklace, earring and pendant about her body, until
pretty soon, she looked like a hoarding, miserly queen, which, in a
twisted sense of fate, she was. A queen, that is.
Mina was about to do the same, when one object in particular
caught her attention. Gaping in awe, she picked up a gold crown,
worked into a dragon sweeping its wings back and around. Clutched in
its four limbs was the largest diamond Mina had ever seen, perfectly
round and clear, glinting into her eyes with a playful inner light. "I
think I'll take this," she murmured, mesmerized by its beauty. She
wrapped it in her cloak and tucked it gently in her pack. After that,
nothing really jumped out at her, so she idly picked up a few baubles.
Ami, true to her nature, just had to have a few of the tomes
that lay about, fascinated with many months of research she could
devote to studying these works, even if they were in a foreign
language. If her computer could track the Silver Imperium Crystal
across a galaxy, surely it could manage to translate a few of the
works. She didn't pass up the opportunity to add a few pieces of
jewelry to her collection, especially a pair of sapphire earrings.
Lita rested her interest on the sword Rei had brought back in
her little stroll. Swinging the jeweled blade back and forth, she
instinctively knew that, with a little practice in its use, she could
do a great deal of damage on their next little encounter with a baddie
of some kind. Besides, for someone whose favorite color was green, the
trailing sparkles were a wonderful little trick.
Rei tapped her foot impatiently while the others picked at the
wealth. "Are you guys finished assuaging your greed yet?" she asked,
exasperated.
Chaszmyr popped his head up from behind a mound of gold. "Ah
Lady Mars, you take the fun out of looting and pillaging." He walked
over, his own pouches bulging with knick-knacks. Likewise, Xune came
into view, though she seemed intent on carrying sacks of gold and
platinum coins. "For those who require assistance in their road
through Life," she replied to Chaz's questioning glance.
"Hey Rei! Don't you get all high and mighty on us!" Lita
shouted from afar, looking for a suitable scabbard for her sword. "I
don't see you putting that bow down."
The dark-haired sorceress smiled wickedly, brought her bow to
bear, and pulled back the string. A flaming bolt appeared , in the
shape of an arrow, and she shot it. The brunette dove for the ground
as the fiery bolt whizzed past, dangerously close. It exploded
somewhere behind her. "I think I'm going to keep this," Rei replied
happily.
Lita fought the urge to leap at her friend and strike her bow
down from her hands. Instead she growled a long string of expletives
that made Ami blush nearby. "Lita, please. My virgin ears," she said,
half-joking, half-serious.
Szaravel, having picked up all that she wanted (and secreting
them away in a small, extra-dimensional pocket that was one of her
belt pouches), cleared her throat rather noisily. "I would rather
leave BEFORE I turn to an old drowish hag. Rei is right. It is high
time we left."
Before a lot of grumbling could set in, the girls transformed,
packed up their things, and performed the Sailor Teleport that took
them back to Xune's grove.
*****
"Though we have not known you for long, we will miss you," Xune
said, hugging each of the girls in turn. "It is not often Chaz and I
get to adventure without the hindrance of racial prejudices. You
cannot know how much that means to us."
"Actually, it's we who should thank you, Xune, Chaszmyr,
Szaravel. We probably wouldn't have found the Crystal without your
help. We are deeply indebted to all three of you," Sailor Moon
returned, tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
Chaszmyr waved the comment aside. "Think nothing of it. We
enjoy the chance to risk our lives for the sake of such lovely women."
He reached forward for Sailor Mercury's hand and kissed it gently. "I
am dreadfully sorry that you had to suffer so for my ineptness. Had I
but known the danger you had put yourself into, I would have acted
sooner in sending it back to the pit of Hell it had crawled out of."
Mercury stammered in embarrassment, blushing vividly at being
treated so. "Every- everything turned out for the best in the end," she
mumbled gently.
He flashed her a dashing smile. "You are very kind, Lady
Mercury." He kissed her hand again before releasing it.
Szaravel harrumphed good-naturedly as Xune pulled Chaz back by
his weapon belt. "Alright, Beloved. You are going to make them mad
with desire if you flirt anymore. Then I'll be forced to beat them off
with a very large stick. We wouldn't want that," the priestess scolded
mockingly. The Scouts chuckled at their antics.
"Well, are we all set then?" Sailor Venus asked.
Szaravel stepped forward, a tightly wrapped scroll in her
hand. "Um, Lady Mars? I would like you to have this." She handed it to
the human.
"What is this?" inquired Mars, puzzled at the gift and torn
between opening it and waiting for the explanation. She opted for the
latter.
The drow smiled hesitantly, shuffling her feet. "I don't know
whether you will be able to obtain all the ingredients in your world
or not, but it's instructions on how to construct an enchanted staff,
though I suppose you could modify it for any type of object." She
glanced up shyly at Mars' face. "I remember you saying something about
an enchanted knick-knack, and wanting one of your own."
Speechless, Mars stared at the drow girl for a moment before
engulfing her in a sisterly hug. "Thank you very much Szaravel. I'll
miss you."
A pang of sadness brought tears to Szaravel's eyes. "I will
miss you too, Rei."
The drow stepped back, joining her guardian parents, who each
wrapped an arm about her shoulder. The Scouts waved a final farewell,
tears streaming down all of their faces, then joined hands and cried
"Sailor Teleport!"
Each drow wondered if they would ever see those wondrous
girls again.
THE END
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