Slayers REVOLT: The Calm Before

By Elderdrake

Slayers Characters © 1991-2002 Hajime Kanzaka, Rui Araizumi, a whole lot of other people and not a few multinational corporations. I'm not looking for a piece of their action, just paying homage to it. Story and all other content © 2002 D. Robbins

Special thanks to Debbie for editing and Sharlene, Diane and Kelly for their pre-reading and commentaries!

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PROLOGUE

Storm Warning

It was a drizzly night in early May, chilly even for Zefeeria with its northern latitude and location on the outer ocean coast. The night had been slow, despite the offer of free warm drinks like tea and mulled wine with the meal. Master Javvers, proprietor and chief chef of one of Zefeeria City's finest restaurants ("Ye Gluttonous Merchant — Home of Zefeerian-Style Stuff'd Lobstertaile!") stirred the embers in the common room hearth, getting ready to bank the fire until morning. Behind him, the last staff waitress — all the others had been sent home early - was trimming the wicks in the oil lamps and giving the tables a last wipe-down. Missus Javvers was tidying in the kitchen.

Master Javvers stretched and yawned.

"Miss Luna?"

"Yes, sir?"

"You've already wiped every table three times this evening, and the last customer left half-an-hour ago. Why don't you go home and get some rest. You have breakfast shift tomorrow, don't you? The missus and I can tidy the last bit here and don't worry, I'll pay you as if you stayed until close."

"Thank you, sir the tips were a little thin tonight"

There was a stomp on the steps. Luna sighed.

"Wouldn't you know it, sir? Here we are, just ten minutes from closing on a slow evening and someone HAS to show up"

"Aie-ai-ai, and most of the food has already been stored away for tomorrow"

The door opened. Despite being quite damp, and rather worn-out, the late customer was the kind of person who commanded immediate attention. Regal. Pale green hair, tropical blue eyes, silvery grey robes. She was middle-aged, but had the looks and bearing of a queen. Both Luna and Javvers immediately stood a little straighter.

Then Luna gasped in recognition "Umm, sir? I know her. One of my old tutors. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, if you don't. I'm always willing to stay late on the promise of a few extra coins' profit on a slow night like this one. Hummm the stew is still on the stove, and the tea water and mulled drinks are still warm." Master Javvers turned for the kitchen to see what else could be prepared on short notice.

Luna walked over to take the lady's outerware. The lady seemed a little frazzled.

"Miss? I can take your cloak if you want I'll hang it by the hearth to dry a little."

"Thank you, thank you. Please. Miserable spring I'm sorry to come calling just before close like this, but I just got in to town, and most everything but the nastier pubs were closed already."

"It's been slow business everywhere for a quite while you know. Everyone's taken to closing earlier. The weather keeps restaurant clientele at home. The pubs sure have been doing a brisk business, though. Ship's crews like their warm grog when it's miserable like this. Especially when they're fresh from a winter run on the North Ocean."

"Ha! And of course the warm serving girls have nothing to do with it!"

Luna winced, then smiled as she escorted the customer to a table "Just because it's impolite doesn't change the truth, I guess. And you've always been plainspoken, Miss Gleyzia."

Miss Gleyzia stopped "How did you?" She looked hard at the waitress.

"I, wait Miss Luna? Goodness, I didn't recognize you. Whatever are you doing waitressing? You have a bigger job! This this is beneath you!!"

"Hush!" Luna's voice dropped to a whisper. "Sorry, ma'am. That's not really public knowledge and I'm waitressing because that other job' doesn't come with a salary, you know. I need groceries and a roof over my head. Besides, I don't mind. The money's good here, and I get to meet people." Then she raised her voice again "So, miss, we still have some warm beef stew. There's mulled cider and wine, or tea if you prefer. If you can wait a couple of minutes, I should be able to tell you what else is still available tonight."

"Tea, please. A whole pot. And stew is fine, please ask your boss?"

"Master Javvers."

"Please ask Master Javvers not to trouble himself with anything else."

"Just a moment then"

While Luna was in the kitchen, Miss Gleyzia sighed, then leaned back and massaged at the bridge of her nose. What was the world coming to? The Knight of Cepheed having to work as a waitress to make ends meet...?

After five minutes Luna came back with the order.

Miss Gleyzia sat back up. "Thank you would your Mister Javvers mind if you sat and chatted with an old friend for a couple of minutes?"

"I doubt it. We're pretty much closed already. I'd just be hovering about in case you needed something, anyway."

"Good, because I came to Zefeeria to see you specifically there's urgent business, made more so by the fact I have been out of touch for the last three years."

"Out of touch? Have you been sick?"

"In a manner of speaking. What I need is news."

"Exactly what manner of speaking'? And just how much news? How out of touch HAVE you been? A lot has happened in the last three years, you know."

Miss Gleyzia gave Luna an exasperated look, though it didn't hide a deep fatigue. Then she turned and looked into the fire.

"So I've noticed on my way here. How long has the Barrier been down? What happened at the Valley of Dragons? No. Look, just assume I've been in a three-year coma and give me the big events? Details can come later."

Luna gave Miss Gleyzia a long look.

Gleyzia did her best to look and act reassuring."Ha! Last important news I had was that the Demon Dragon King was trying to have your little sister killed — or recruited. I don't think he had made his mind up completely."

"Okay, then, the big events in a nutshell, Gaav and Phibrizzo are dead — I mean really and truly dead, along with all Mazoku of note in Gaav's faction — Sairaag is doubly a wasteland, Flagoon is gone, and so is the Monster Races' Barrier around our lands. The world was invaded by Darkstar. Fortunately, she was also killed before doing TOO much damage, but the Gold Dragons were exterminated as a race before she was put down. Except for the Gold Dragons, I guess most of it passes for good news Oh, and we don't know what happened to the original Claire Bible. It may have been destroyed by Gaav just before he died. Also, the Greater Beast and her Lieutenant have been meddling with things. A lot. I can't figure out what their game is, and I doubt anyone else has either."

Miss Gleyzia looked glum. "And what about your sister? How is she?"

"We don't talk much" Luna hesitated.

"Well?"

Luna sighed melodramatically. "She's fine, I guess. Though what passes for fine' with her..."

Gleyzia was disapproving. "Spare me the editorials, for now, please? What has she done? We can discuss your philosophical differences with her later."

"Okay. Okay! But it's all second hand, so don't blame me for any inaccuracies. Hmmm She's notorious. She survived Gaav, then discovered Phibrizzo also had it in for her. She survived that, too, but only by resorting to the Lord of Nightmares - again. Gah! Talk about a cure worse then the disease. The little idiot! It's a miracle we still have a world to worry about! To my undying astonishment, she has also somehow resisted the best attempts by the Mazoku to recruit her. Can you believe that of a black sorceress? You'd think they'd have found a way to coerce her, especially when she has that hair-trigger temper and indifference to innocent bystanders and collateral damage. Not really too far from a Mazoku herself. And she is of course responsible for all of the other big news I just recited, as well as the destruction of countless small towns and villages and who knows how many casualties." She sighed. "Though I guess I kinda hafta credit her job of handling DarkStar. Even if I had to hold a fate worse than lingering death over her head to make her do it."

"I noted a few editorials in there, even after requesting they be left out. But we'll let that pass. I hope much of that venom was Cepheed's Incarnation, and not Lina's human big sister."

Luna was about to protest, but the elder woman cut her short with an upheld hand. "Later. Now what of the Golds how long since?" She choked a bit on the last.

"Two years and a bit. As far as I can find out, they attacked some viciously powerful gods from the Overworld who were tied into the whole Darkstar invasion. It was a slaughter. I I really don't know why they did it. Only one Gold Dragon — a novice priestess named Filia - defied the will of the Supreme Elder, and survived the whole sorry, unhappy business."

Both stared soulfully, silently into the fire for a long time. Each had known a fair number of Gold Dragons. Finally Miss Gleyzia tossed back the last of her cooling tea and spoke up.

"Miss Filia? Amazing. Such a straight little arrow I wonder what made her the one to break the mould?"

"Well, she's the one Cepheed sent his vision to. Maybe Wait! You know her? How? She's lived Outside the Barrier all her life!"

"Hmph! Miss Luna, stopping me was way beyond that Barrier's design specs."

"What do you mean? You're just a wandering sorceress, and that barrier was built to keep out all but the strongest servants of the Gods. Oh. Oh, dear. You're NOT just a wandering sorceress who occasionally tutors Holy Knights are you?" Luna was developing a serious sweatdrop.

"There is much we have to speak of. That's one of them. May I impose on you tonight?"

"I, well, I suppose I mean, well, my place is a small bachelor pad. It'll be cramped"

Miss Gleyzia laughed and some of the hanging tension evaporated.

"Oh, no, no! I was going to stay at an inn tonight - a nice one with baths. Please come as well — I'll pay — so we can talk as long as needed." She reached into her pack and pulled out a heavy sack. It clinked and clattered, speaking of gems and gold inside.

"Here's the payment for the meal. Keep the change."

Luna was shocked "Are you feeling okay? That's an insane tip. And I'm NOT a charity case, even if I am waitressing."

"You'll need it. I hope you have vacation time coming. The tip' is to cover expenses."

"What?!?"

"I'm afraid your other job has just gained precedence, Lady Knight."

"What's going on? Cepheed hasn't dropped me any hints"

"He was probably waiting for me to get it together. Drop Him a prayer in the morning."

"That's an impious way of putting it."

"Miss Luna, Cepheed has never been MY god. It's not impious if I put things that way.'

Sheesh, who WAS her god, then? Wait a sec

"You're trying to change the subject. Just what is going on?"

Miss Gleyzia turned deadly serious. "I'm afraid we're about to experience the old curse may you live in interesting times' firsthand. To start off I'm going to have to tell you of the Gold Dragons' ugly side. They certainly won't have, and it will help you with your first project. Then I have to tell you about a painful skeleton or two out of History's closet that are surely about to come back and haunt us all." She got up and started putting on her cloak.

"I'll let you settle things with Master Javvers, was it? Then meet me at The Royal Zefeerian in half an hour. Umm, it is still around? It was, a decade ago when I was last here."

"That's the best inn in Zefeeria City!"

"Good, it'll be sure to have hot baths." Gleyzia whisked out the door.

Luna was left holding several thousand golds, her mind awhirl.

Gleyzia suddenly popped her head back in. "Oh, yes. You might want to start thinking of how to make up with your sister. From the sound of things, you should think more highly of her. And I'm sure she'll eventually turn up at the heart of things. I'd say she's turned out surprisingly well considering." Miss Gleyzia disappeared.

Luna, feeling very bent out of shape, let out an incredulous groan. Turned out surprisingly well'? Infuriating little Almost-a-Mazoku Lina? And something was brewing big enough to drag BOTH Inverses into the heart of things? She collapsed into a heap.

She was still in a heap when Master Javvers came out to finish shutting things down.

"Umm, something wrong?" He prodded at her with a toe.

Luna stayed in her heap but extended one arm out, index finger raised in question.

"Ahehe, heh...Sir? How much vacation time do I have backlogged?"

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NEXT CHAPTER: Just who is it that has Miss Gleyzia so worried?