Episode #19
(taken from Slayers
Universe)
Gaav blasts Lina and Aqua with an enormous gust of wind, which Lina channels
off to the side. Aqua confronts Gaav, asking if he's after the same Clair-Bible
that Lina is after. Lina is still trying to figure out the connection between
the Clair-Bibles and the growing power of the Hellmaster, according to rumors.
Gaav notices Lina, and doesn't see her as much of a threat, until Xelloss mentions
that she was the one who took care of the Dark Lord Shabranigdu. Gaav suddenly
turns on Xelloss, pummeling him without retaliation. Lina stands back, horrified...
Gaav demands to know what Lina has to do with the Hellmaster, a Mazoku who has about the same rank as Gaav underneath the Lord of Nightmares. By this point it becomes clear that Xelloss is actually one of the Mazoku (race of evil), a subordinate of another of Gaav's equals. Xelloss asks if Gaav has the same goal as the Hellmaster... and gets beaten up again. In the ensuing distraction, Lina casts a spell on Gaav... the Gaav Flare! But it seems that the spell has no effect on the person whose power it is derived from, and he asks Lina, "What kind of joke is this?" At this point, Zeigram returns! He threatens Lina and Aqua, and she throws out an Elmekia Lance as a distraction for her to fly away, Aqua under one arm.
Zeigram blasts a spell right by Lina, knocking her out of the sky. Gaav, meanwhile, holds Xelloss at swordpoint. Zeigram attacks Lina, which she counter-spells, but then Gourry flies up from nowhere, slashing at Zeigram. Amelia and Zelgadiss appear, also. Zeigram claims that he is under orders of Gaav to eliminate them. Amelia throws a Blast Ash spell, and Lina follows up with the Dynast Brass spell, exploding underneath Zeigram!
Gaav's taken a big chunk out of Xelloss, and asks him, "Doesn't what the Hellmaster's doing concern you? Why are you together with him? What's the Hellmaster's goal?" Xelloss answers the last, "That's a secret." and promptly disappears.
Zelgadiss whips the dark strands of the Dynast Breath spell at Zeigram, entrapping him, and allowing Lina to Dragu-Slave him! Zeigram still manages to survive though, having lost most vestiges of his human disguise. Xelloss then reappears with the others, as does Gaav. Lina then realizes that to take out Zeigram and Gaav, she'll need to resort to some more powerful magic like the Laguna Blade... but if that doesn't work, her only choice is the Giga Slave... but that's no good, it'll lead to bad stuff! Before she has a chance to decide, here comes the cavalry...
Oh, wait, it's just Martina. She calls out to Xelloss, running towards the group... tripping on the sand dunes and sliding down to them. Realizing Xelloss is hurt, she calls upon the power of the great Zoamel Gustav, brandishing a medallion with his mask emblazoned on it! She marches up proudly to the greatly unimpressed Gaav, who swings his sword at Martina... and, surprisingly, the medallion comes through and shields her from the attack! Lina rushes up and grabs Martina's arm, then she and everyone RUN from Gaav and Zeigram!
Gaav and Zeigram continue raining down spells on the retreating party, and the Zoamel Gustav medallion seems to be shielding everyone! Gaav transforms into his true form, a multi-headed dragon, and unleashes a rolling ball of destruction towards the group; in its path, the medallion fails to work! But then it glows, and Aqua comes from within the medallion! (Apparently she was the one doing the shielding, not the medallion!) She says, "One thousand years ago, I defeated the last part of Shabranigdu. Lina, retreat and keep searching for the true Clair-Bible." She then transforms into a blue dragon and counterattacks Gaav!! In the ensuing battle, the party retreats back to town...
In the next inn, Martina freaks once she finds out Xelloss is a Mazoku, and runs in anguish. Gourry asks Xelloss when he started being a Mazoku. (?!) In any case, the group decides on going to find the valley of the Golden Dragons, to see if they might know what's going on, or be able to help. Lina asks Xelloss what's going on there, to which he responds, "That's a secret." Zelgadiss loses his temper, but Lina calms him down slightly, only to have Amelia berating Xelloss for tricking them! Lina tries to calm her down, mentioning that Xelloss did fight to protect them from Gaav. They eventually resolve the issue and decide to find the Clair-Bible, then travel to Sairaag and stop the Mazoku...
Episode #20
(taken from Slayers
Universe)
Some time later, in another town, Xelloss stands atop a high spot, looking into
the mountains. Apparently they're still in search of the Dragon's Peak, and
they have no idea which one it is. (Maybe Xelloss does, but he won't tell. ^_^)
Zelgadiss notes that they have to start somewhere, so they head off... but just
as they do, Lina gets run over by a little boy. Smiling weakly, he gets up and
apologizes, but as he walks away, he trips. A change-purse jingles to the ground,
and Lina's on the other end of a long string tied to it. So... the boy's a little
thief!
The group corners the boy, and escort him back to their room. Lina says that she's the Robber's Killer, and that he should be lucky she hasn't killed him yet, so he's giving her a backrub to atone for his crimes. "She's such a mean girl!" he claims. He asks what they're doing in that town, and they reply that they're searching for the Dragon's Peak. He says he knows where it is. Lina goes ecstatic.
Minutes later, the boy finds himself several gold coins richer, and the party finds itself on the way to Dragon's Peak. Supposedly there's Gold Dragons, Black Dragons, all kinds of dragons here, as well as the 300-year-old Clair-Bible. The boy starts following the group, after a few minutes, until Martina corners him, asking if he's seen Lina's group. The boy won't talk right away, so she notes the gold in his hand and tries desperately to find a bribe. Unable to find one, she collapses into a pitiful ball of self-pity, and the boy finds himself patting her shoulder to console her...
Legends about Dragon's Peak were right. There are Gold Dragons everywhere, and one even lands in front of the party, blocking their path. It booms, "Why are you humans here?" Gourry is astounded, as he's never heard a dragon talk before, and keeps babbling, even saying that they were on a quest to kill the Dragon King (Gaav). Lina tries to shut him up, but the Gold Dragon's interest is piqued. Xelloss speaks up, and it seems the dragons don't quite like him, for some reason.
Then again, Xelloss did wage a war against Milgasia (the Gold Dragon speaking) and the Ryuzoku (Dragon race) some time back, killing hundreds of them. Xelloss says that that's not important now, but that the Hellmaster is probably starting something big. Milgasia nods, and transforms into human form to lead them further into the Valley of Dragons.
Martina and the boy continue chasing after the others, and the boy trips. Martina tells him more of her 'tragic' story, much to the boy's dismay, but she does bandage up the boy's knee. She even carries him piggy-back as she resumes the chase! "Go get 'em, lady!"
As they walk, they eventually stop at what seems to be a slight indentation in a mountain, on the path. Gourry asks Xelloss something, and Xel reveals his true age to be about 1012 years or so, which elicits a very strange reaction from the wisdom-impaired Gourry. In the indentation, Milgasia extends his hand to Lina, and asks her to come with him. She asks, "Where?" which prompts Milgasia to motion to the mountain wall. Milgasia begins to form a portal. The others (Gourry, Amelia, Xelloss, and Zelgadiss) say for her to go on, and that they'll wait for her, but just before Lina and Milgasia enter it, they get attacked! Zeigram reappears, raining down attacks, which are deflected as Amelia casts a Valis Wall spell. Zelgadiss charges his sword with the Astral Vine, and he and Gourry attack Zeigram as well.
Lina and Milgasia enter the portal, and are spotted by Martina and the boy who run up! Martina sets the boy down and dashes after them, grabbing Lina's ankle! Lina and Martina get led through the portal, searching for the true Clair-Bible, while Zeigram and Xelloss have a midair Mazoku-style firefight in the background...