Disclaimer: Ray Belmont is mine, nothing else.

The Valley of Corrupted Gravity was without a doubt the most surreal place I have ever been to in my life. As the name suggests, it was very difficult to tell which way was up. Rocks floated aimlessly, one almost catching Meru in the head. This effect at times worked to our advantage, allowing us to reach areas that would have been otherwise inaccessible.

"The things I'll do for money," Amanda said, expertly dispatching a large bird.

I shot her one annoyed glance. "We're not doing this for money, we're doing it to rescue the son of the Mayor of Donau, to rid Tiberoa of the scourge of the Gehrichs, to find out 'Emille's' connection to them, and to recover Dart's Dragoon Spirit."

She smiled mischievously. "I can hope, can't I?"

I moaned in despair. Though a powerful warrior, Amanda's main goal in life seemed to be to make money in as many shady ways as possible. She'd already managed to irritate Shana by making a pass at Dart, who didn't seem to notice. I am so glad she won't be with us long.

I chopped a dragonfly in half. "Amanda, in case you haven't noticed, we have a job to do. For once in your life, concentrate on that." How on earth does Mac put up with her?

"Oh, all right," she said mock-petulantly. "By the way, what exactly is a Dragoon Spirit?"

"It's best described as the soul of a Dragon. There were originally seven." I switched to my staff. "One for each of seven elements: Fire, Wind, Earth, Light, Darkness, Water, and Thunder. Dart is the Dragoon of Fire, Albert and Lavitz for Wind, Haschel for Thunder, Rose has Darkness, and Shana has Light. I found the Golden Dragoon Spirit in Lohan, but we don't have a bearer yet. I don't know where the Blue Sea Spirit is." I smacked a kiwi-like animal off a cliff. "One more thing: If you steal any of the Dragoon Spirits, I will take your head myself, and explain why to Mac later. You have been warned."

"I understand." She moved off, joining Meru at the front.

"You don't like her, do you?"

I jumped. "Rose, my friend, you have a gift for understatement. I don't understand how Mac puts up with her."

Rose shrugged. "Having met your friend MacLeod, I think there must be more to this thief than meets the eye."

"If you say so." I switched back to my sword and began rhythmically dicing a few urchins. Rose followed, her rapier destroying a roc. "My problem is Amanda excels at getting people into trouble. She has a very long history of crime, dating back eight hundred years at the very least. You ever meet anyone like that?"

She shook her head. "Since the end of the Dragon Campaign, I've kept to myself for the most part, except for the Winglies in Ulara."

"Sounds rough…" I trailed off, sensing the presence of another Immortal. "We've got company."

Dart overheard. "Where?"

"Up ahead."

We sped up, ignoring the small fry trying in vain to catch us. At the far end of the valley, an unpleasantly familiar sight awaited us: a Virage, this one fully formed.

"What's that!?" Meru wanted to know.

"It's called a Virage," Dart said grimly. "A monster the Winglies used during the Dragon Campaign. We fought one in Volcano Villude, in Serdio. They're extremely dangerous."

"What is worse is that this one has the complete form," Rose said. "This will be a difficult battle."

Amanda pointed to an area in front of the Virage. "Someone's gotten there ahead of us."

I looked, and felt the blood drain from my face. The Virage's opponent was the Immortal I'd sensed earlier. The guy looked about thirty, with black hair and a pail complexion. He wore all black, and wielded a long two-handed sword. I recognized him, of course. What is he doing here!?

"You know who it is, Ray?" Lavitz asked.

I nodded. "I do indeed. Methos, the oldest surviving Immortal. He's more than five thousand years old."

Haschel whistled. "And I thought I was old. Shouldn't we help him?"

"Of course we should," Dart responded. "He doesn't stand much chance against a Virage." With that, he leapt forward, brandishing his sword as he went. The rest of us followed close behind, knowing full well that we needed to keep together to win.

I dove to the right and tackled Methos just before a sweep of the Virage's arm would have beheaded him. "Fancy meeting you here, old man."

He glared at me. "Ray Belmont. What in blazes are you doing here?"

"I was going to ask you that." I hacked off the Virage's left arm. "Amanda's along to take out the Gehrichs, Meru's playing tour guide, and I'm helping my friends avert a disaster. How about you?"

Methos sighed. "I was looking for a better way to avoid the Game, and wound up here. Now, shouldn't we be fighting?" he added acidly.

"Oh, I think the others can handle it."

Methos's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "And just what do you mean by that?"

I smiled and waved at my friends. "Behold the Legend of Dragoon."

He spun around, just in time to witness a series of Dragoon transformations. Rose, encased in a black sphere; Lavitz and Albert, inside twin storms; Shana, suspended in a pillar of light; and Haschel, struck by lightning. "What…was that?"

I couldn't help laughing; I'd never seen Methos shocked before. "That was the power of the Dragoon, the Knight of the Dragon. Sometimes referred to as the incarnations of Dragons, because of their armor, they are the strongest warriors this planet has ever seen. Dart is a Dragoon as well, but his Spirit was stolen, which is why we're going through this surreal place."

Methos forced his jaw closed, and some of his usual cynicism appeared to reassert itself. "They can fly. So what?"

Instead of answering, I nodded to the Dragoons. The Virage was under a massive assault; Haschel's Thunder God and Lavitz's Wing Blaster pummeled it without mercy. Albert played mostly defense, his Rose Storm keeping us from being hurt too badly. Oddly enough, Shana and Rose stuck together, Shana as medic, and Rose draining the Virage's health and giving it to us. "You were saying?"

The oldest Immortal shook his head in disbelief. "In five thousand years, I've never seen anything like that. They could give even us trouble, especially the dark woman."

I chuckled. "Fortunately, Rose is my friend. And don't underestimate the others, particularly Dart." Just as I finished, Dart charged again, knocking the Virage to the edge of a cliff. "See?"

It wasn't quite over. The Virage started to reach for Shana, but was countered by the same beam of light that had destroyed the Guardian of the Limestone Cave. A Virage was too tough to disintegrate, but not tough enough to survive. It fell backwards, out of sight.

Rose reached her first. "Shana! What on earth are you…to Virage!?"

"I don't know! I don't know anything!" Shana covered her face.

Dart hurried to comfort her. "There is no more Virage!"

Shana shivered, then looked up. "It's okay now."

I was less sanguine. What is it with Shana and Virages? Why do they respond to her? I shook my head. No time for that now. We have to get moving.

"Ray."

I started. "What, Methos?"
"Do you think you friend would mind if I joined your little band?"

I frowned. "What's this all of a sudden? You're not exactly known for altruism."

Methos shrugged. "I guess MacLeod the Boy Scout is starting to rub off on me. Besides," he added in a grim tone, "there's something about that girl."

"No kidding." The others had started moving again, so we hurried to catch up. "That's the second time this has happened. Last time she made a giant worm/snake monster crumble to dust. I think we'll find out more when we least want to."

I would have enjoyed the Home of Giganto, were it not for the presence of bandits. From what I could tell, it was the Gehrichs who nearly exterminated the Gigantos some twenty years before. Kongol was the only survivor I had encountered, but that didn't mean he was the only one left. Dodos and passenger pigeons may be extinct, but destroying a sentient species is much more difficult.

"Long ago, this was a thriving city," Rose murmured. "Some Gigantos joined our cause during the Dragon Campaign, largely thanks to Belzac."

"What sort of lifespan do they have?" Methos asked. Rose had let him in on her secret when we left the Valley.

"The same as humans, for the most part." Rose sighed. "They fought bravely, but were no match for the Winglies, as they have little skill in magic."

Up ahead, Dart signaled us to halt. "There's someone here."

Actually, there were many someones. Methos and I had our swords out in an instant, and we found ourselves in a major melee. Shana immediately transformed, needing the protection Dragoon Armor afforded. Everyone else fought as they were, since these bandits were no real threat.

"What do you think, Belmont?" Methos called, his Ivanhoe neatly decapitating two simultaneously.

I slashed one bandit's throat, then shifted to my staff and bashed another's head in. "What I think is that these morons are suicidal. I've fought street thugs that were stronger."

Meru flattened another pair, all humor gone now. "That's for Lynn!"

"And for the Gigantos!" Lavitz added, impaling a berserker. He took great exception to genocide. (As do I.)

Apparently, the Gehrichs weren't ready for such a determined foe. The survivors fled, yelping, leaving us amid a pile of corpses. For our part, we were mostly unhurt; I'd received a cut to the arm that healed almost instantly. Meru had the only major injury, and Shana's magic took care of that in an instant.

Amanda shook her head. "What a mess. Why would bandits charge us like that?"

"It's probably because of the Dragoon Spirit," Rose said. "I highly doubt that they know what it is, but they obviously know it is important to us."

"All the more reason to get it back," Lavitz put in. "What is it, Haschel?" he asked, seeing the martial artist's pensive look.

"I know Gehrich," Haschel replied. "He was a student of mine, twenty years ago. I kicked him out because of his lack of discipline. Now I see that I was right."

"Can we talk about this later?" I swung Ryu-Kokyuu for emphasis. "We really don't have much time. That Dragoon Spirit is essential, and I wouldn't put it past Gehrich to off Lynn."

"Ray's right," Dart said. "We don't have time."

We got to the main hideout without further opposition. A tall, dark, mustachioed man awaited us inside: Gehrich. He wasn't alone; the monkeylike gangster Mappi crouched to one side, cackling to himself. Cackle while you can, Mappi. Your life ends here.

Haschel shook his head in disgust. "Gehrich, you haven't changed a bit."

Gehrich froze. "M, Master."

Mappi jumped. "Master of the Rouge School?"

Haschel snorted. "Head of the bandits? How low you have fallen. I was right to kick you out."

"Yes! You were right! Thanks to you, I gained freedom! I am not the man you knew!" The bandit leader seemed agitated.

The Violet Dragoon was having none of that. "Martial arts is the heart. When you hit, your fist aches, and your heart aches. Except it seems your heart has forgotten the ache."

"Shut up! I'll shut you up!" Mappi snarled. He lunged at Haschel, but never got there; one sweep of Ryu-Kokyuu cut him in half.

Enraged, Gehrich faced Haschel squarely. "Then why don't you remind me of your so-called aching heart!" He drew a knife and charged, narrowly missing Haschel's face. The Rouge Master replied with a snap kick to the sternum, slamming Gehrich into a wall. Haschel pressed his advantage, a one-two combo smacking the bandit off his feet.

"Quite a show, isn't it?" Methos murmured, sounding amused.

"You got that right." I winced as Gehrich managed to get in a solid blow, only to be smashed into his own chair. "I've had some hand-to-hand training, but Haschel's way out of my league." The room abruptly started shaking. "What's going on!?"

Albert looked up, and his expression turned to one of horror. "Part of the statue is collapsing!"

"Time slowed" is a cliché, but in this instance it was all too appropriate. The statue's arm fell toward us, seemingly in slow motion. I saw my friends visibly brace themselves for the end. Even though I knew I would survive, I felt a sense of doom. Is this how they end? Crushed by a chunk of rock!?

The piece of statuary came to a sudden stop nine feet above us, held up by the last person I would have expected as a rescuer. He was a huge being, tall and muscular, with a giant axe strapped to his back. The familiar warrior was clad in fur, just as when we first encountered him.

Dart gaped in complete astonishment. "Kongol!?"

The Giganto heaved once, throwing the statue arm into a pit.

I glanced at Haschel. "Will Gehrich survive?"

He sighed. "Barely, at least for now. But if the Giganto over there hadn't saved us, he would be completely dead, and us too."

Dart gazed at Kongol, obviously confused. "Kongol, why are you here? Why did you save us?"

"It's a strange way to get revenge on us," Rose said. "What's going on in your mind?"

Kongol shrugged. "The war is over. We are no longer enemies."

Albert's eyes narrowed. "Your speech is different."

The Giganto smiled slightly. "My broken speech patterns were nothing more than a ruse. Sometimes it helps to be underestimated. Only Emperor Doel knew the real me."

"That still doesn't explain why you came here," Lavitz said. "Why would you save us? We nearly killed you twice."

Kongol sighed. "This is a holy place for my people. Twenty years ago, bandits came. They killed most of us. I was still small, and ran. Emperor Doel saved me, so I fought for him out of gratitude."

I exchanged a glance with Methos. "Oops." When Kongol looked at me, I explained, "Methos and I are Immortals, a special breed of human who can only die by beheading. There's a lot that goes along with it, but what's important here is that we're not supposed to fight on holy ground."

The Giganto chuckled, then resumed his story. "Emperor Doel said a strong leader was needed, to make a world where all the species are equal. Whether you can be leader, I will watch to the end, to prevent this from happening again."

Rose snorted derisively. "There is no such thing as a world where 'equal' exists. All we have is killing and being killed."

Dart waved that away. "You're welcome to join us, Kongol."

A groan diverted my attention; Gehrich was coming around. "I'm happy…to receive your fist, Master."

Haschel tried to quiet him. "Shut up. Talking makes you die."

Gehrich chuckled hoarsely; he was obviously dying. "I gotta tell you this…or I'll die…as a real fool. It's about…the Princess Emille in the castle…she's a fake. We switched her…six months ago. The real one…is hidden…in the castle…" His head lolled to one side. He was dead.

Haschel rose, bearing Gehrich's limp form. "I'll catch up with you later. I have to entomb him." He departed.

"Kongol, do you know where the bandits kept valuables?" Dart asked.

The Giganto pressed a button at the top of Gehrich's chair. It promptly sank into the floor, revealing a set of stairs. "What you seek should be down there."

"Thanks."

I was suddenly conscious of a low-level ringing sound, coming from my pocket. I reached in, and withdrew the Dragoon Spirit of the Golden Dragon. "Kongol, I believe this belongs to you."

Kongol gazed in wonder at the Spirit. "Is this the same power that your friends used on me?"

I grinned. "Yep. Welcome, Dragoon of the Golden Dragon. Your magic is somewhat weaker than the rest, but that's not saying much." I turned at the sound of footsteps. "Hey guys, I've found a bearer for the Golden Dragoon Spirit."

"Excellent. That just leaves the Blue Sea Spirit," Rose said, sounding as close to pleased as I'd ever heard her. "If what we've seen so far is any indication, Lloyd probably has it."

"Wonderful." I grimaced, then looked at Amanda. "So, that's it for you?"

She smiled. "For now, at least. Maybe we'll meet again." Amanda left. For now, she says. I do not like the sound of that.

Dart's Dragoon Spirit flared, covering him in fire, and leaving behind the armor of the Fire Dragoon. "Let's go, people. We have to get back to Fletz."

Author's note: Some explanations are in order. First, I have never played Castlevania, I just picked the name Belmont at random. Second, I misspelled the name of Belmont's sword in the previous chapter; "Ryu-Kokyu" would come out as "Dragon-Cuckoo", which doesn't make any sense. Finally, I portrayed Kongol differently because I do not for an instant believe that a Dragoon Spirit would choose a moron as its master. (By the way, you haven't seen the last of Amanda.) Thanks again for the reviews. D.S.