This is chapter 1 of my fanfic, Crystal Quest.  I'd like to thank Reid
Carson, my friend Cheree, and my sister Stephanie for pre-reading this
chapter for me.  I'm very excited about this story.  It sounds cheesy to
say, but it really is a labor of love on my part.  ^_^  Please keep an
open mind while you read it.

NB: I have noticed that this e-mail program sometimes connects lines
that are supposed to be separated by carriage returns.  I apologize in
advance if this happens, and if some of the formatting looks incorrect
it may be for this reason.

Please enjoy, c&c welcome.  Flames will be ignored.  ^_^

Thanks!Jennifer

jcaliff@nsai-petro.com       http://www.topher.net/~jcaliff/iserlohn.htm

"One of the mammals' evolutionary advantages was that they bore their
young alive.  As research has conclusively shown, animals that bore
their young dead generally got nowhere."
  --  _Science Made Stupid_ by Tom Weller


Crystal Quest
by Jennifer Califf

Chapter 1

"Come along now!  Stay in line! Article 32, Paragraph 12, Subsection 54
of the MAVO handbook clearly states that during tours of MAVO, the
Monsters and Villains Organization, you WILL NOT DEVIATE from the path
set out for you by your tour guide, namely me, Ickly Bognostroclum, the
Keeper of the Gate!  Failure to follow my directions will result in
IMMEDIATE EXPULSION from the MAVO premises, as stated in Article 32,
Paragraph 12, Subsection 56!"  Ickly Bognostroclum was a villain who did
things by the book, and he didn't have patience for those unwilling to
do as he ordered.  The group of slobs he had to lead around was hardly
worth his time.  He couldn't wait to get back to the front entrance.  

"Alright now stop!  This is the Great Hall of MAVO.  Better monsters and
villains than yourselves have tried and failed to enter these hallowed
halls!"

"Um, excuse me?  Are we going to get to meet the Supreme Oppressor?"
said a small voice, piping up from the mass of bodies crowded into the
hall.

"WHO SAID THAT!  I DID NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO SPEAK!"  Despite his
small stature, Bognostroclum seemed to tower over them all, larger than
even the giant drool beast. The entire tour group seemed to shrink under
his hateful glare.  No one dared to speak. Only one person was
considered more intimidating than Ickly Bognostroclum was, and that was
the Supreme Oppressor himself.

Ickly backed away and put his hand behind his back.  He walked back and
forth across the space in front of the tour group like a drill
instructor.  

"So, you want to meet His Evilness, the Supreme Oppressor, do you?"
Ickly almost seemed to be smiling and all the members of the tour group
started to relax and breathed an audible sigh of relief.  Ickly turned
toward the group.  No, he was definitely NOT smiling.

"THE DAY YOU GET TO MEET THE SUPREME OPPRESSOR WILL BE THE DAY HE
PERSONALLY DECIDES TO END YOUR WORTHLESS EXISTENCE!  THE SUPREME
OPPRESSOR WILL NOT BE SEEN BY ANY NON-MAVO MEMBERS!  ARTICLE 9,
PARAGRAPH 6, SUBSECTION 32!  NOW, ON WITH THE TOUR!  GET IN LINE!
SINGLE FILE!"  Ickly continued to shout out orders as the frightened
group struggled to form a line.

As the tour group filed out of the Great Hall, two figures emerged from
a shadowed alcove.  

"Oh my!  Are those the new recruits?  They seem very -- inexperienced,"
said Mrs. Maggotheart, the MAVO dues collector, captain of the MAVO
airship ECLIPSE, and leader of the MAVO pirates, as she nervously wrung
her hands together.  The potential recruits were definitely not what she
had hoped for.  Eleanor Tweeg disgustedly banged her walking cane
against the ground.

"A sorry bunch of losers if ever I saw any.  I almost think my son,
Tweegy, would be preferable."


"I just hope they can pay their dues," said Mrs. Maggotheart, sounding
more threatening than hopeful.

"Ah, yes.  This is indeed a sad, sad day in the history of MAVO.   And
speaking of which, Eleanor, how is that boy of yours?"  The Understander
of Legends, one of the most respected members of MAVO, joined the other
women and watched as the tour group disappeared into the inner recesses
of MAVO headquarters.

"Hopeless, as usual.  I hear he spent some time with his no-good father.
 I can only imagine how that might have ruined him.   Not that there was
much there to ruin," said Eleanor, almost spitting the words as though
they left a bad taste in her mouth.  Mrs. Maggotheart looked up and
spoke cheerfully to Eleanor.

"He DID finally pay his dues!"

"My dear Mrs. Maggotheart, you're obsessing," the Understander said,
smiling.

"Oh dear, I suppose you're right.  It's just that, oh, I can't wait for
them to finish rebuilding the Eclipse!  To be out in the bitter night
air, plundering and pillaging.  That's the way for a villain to live!" 

"Be patient, Mrs. Maggotheart.  Everything goes according to plan,"
assured the Understander.

"And how is Quellor?  I haven't seen or heard anything of him in weeks."
 Eleanor Tweeg sighed and gazed longingly across the Hall at the door
leading to the Supreme Oppressor's throne room.

"Ah, Quellor.  Now there's a villain's villain."

"Ever since the Iliop stole the crystals, the Supreme Oppressor has
locked himself away.  He won't even speak to Bognostroclum," said the
Understander.

"So, who ordered this new recruiting drive?" asked Mrs. Maggotheart. 

"I did."  The Understander turned to one of the heavily inscribed walls
that decorated MAVO headquarters and traced the pattern with her hand.
These were walls that only she could read.  Lucky for her -- in an
organization like MAVO it was important to be indispensable.  

"I thought it might boost morale and impress the Supreme Oppressor.  But
so far all I've seen are pathetic wimps who can only aspire to lick the
bottom of my shoes."

Eleanor Tweeg sighed and shook her head.

"I know exactly what you mean.  It's this new generation; they're all
lazy.  All their lives they've had everything handed to them on a silver
platter.  Now in my day, if we wanted a silver platter we had to steal
the silver and melt it down ourselves."

"You're SO right, why just the other day I was telling my husband. . ."
said Mrs. Maggotheart, but before she could finish telling what
transpired between her and her spouse she was interrupted.  Suddenly the
main door of the grand hall swung open, hitting the wall behind it with
a loud BANG!  

"BOGNOSTROCLUM!!"

The three ladies all jumped at the sudden noise and all three turned to
see the huge figure of the Supreme Oppressor standing at the door. 

"Quellor!"

"Your Supreme Wickedness!"

"Oh my!"

"Where is Bognostroclum?!  I wish to speak to him at once!  Why is he
not at the Gate!"  From deep within his cowl, the Supreme Oppressor's
eyes glowed like blue flames.  All three ladies cowered.  The
Understander of Legends spoke.

"He's leading a tour of MAVO Headquarters.  I organized a recruiting
drive, but so far none of the candidates. . . ."

"Find him and tell him to come to me at once!"  Quellor turned on his
heel and strode back to his throne room, ignoring all else.  The door
slammed shut behind him.  The threesome looked at each other.  Then they
looked in the direction of the tour group.

"After you. . . ."

In his throne room, Quellor sat with his most treasured possession, the
Black Box, on his lap.  He gazed deeply into the cracked crystal
embedded in the device, as if searching for a hidden meaning or message
within its depths.  

"The crystals.  I will have them again."  He gently caressed the surface
of the Black Box Crystal, tracing the crack across its surface.  Just
then the door of his throne room opened and Ickly Bognostroclum stepped
inside.  Quellor thought he looked oddly relieved.

"You wanted to see me sir?"

"Yes, Bognostroclum."  Quellor stood and walked down the steps before
his throne, past Bognostroclum.  He gazed out into space, at nothing.

"Can you feel it, Bognostroclum?"

Ickly was confused.  

"Um, what should I be feeling, Your Despicableness?"  

"The Iliop, Teddy Ruxpin.  He thinks that he has won.  He thinks that by
taking the crystals back that he foiled our plans.  But it's too late!
Don't you see, Bognostroclum?  Can't you feel it?  The seal has been
broken.  Simply taking the crystals away can't stop it now!"

Ickly was sure that he looked just as stupid as he felt, but he listened
in awe as the Supreme Oppressor continued.

"The crystals broke the seal; they facilitated the transition.  But
removing them could only slow the spread of evil into the world, it
couldn't stop it!  The ancient evil reawakens, even as we speak!  The
Iliops were fools to think they could keep it sealed forever!  Soon,
very soon, the Great Wall of Ying will crumble.  The Hordes of Darkness
will spill into Grundo with ME as their leader!  The entire world will
bow before the power of MAVO!  I can feel the power flowing through me,
power such as I have not felt in many, many years."  Quellor turned and
stood majestically with his hands on his hips.  Ickly was awestruck.
This was the leader he would follow to the ends of the earth.  This was
the reason why he had joined MAVO.  This was. . . .

"Bognostroclum!"

"YES, YOUR GREAT SURLINESS!"

"As long as the Iliop has the crystals, the chance exists that he could
still get in our way.  I want you to gather the swiftest, most powerful,
and most cunning of our allies!  I want the Eclipse ready to depart
first thing tomorrow!  Most of all, I WANT THOSE CRYSTALS!  I WILL HAVE
THE ANCIENT POWER THAT WAS DENIED TO ME SO MANY YEARS AGO!"

"YES, IT WILL BE DONE AS YOU REQUEST, YOUR MALEVOLENCE!"

"THEN GO!  SEE TO IT NOW!"

"YES, AT ONCE!!"  Ickly, his eyes brimming with tears of pride, hurried
out of the throne room to see to his master's bidding.

Quellor walked slowly back to his throne and put his hand against the
cool crystal in his Black Box, his symbol of power.  To him it
represented both the power he currently had, and that which he would
soon wield.  

"And no Iliop, no child of Theodore, will be able to stop me."


�TO BE CONTINUED

Slayers is copyright a bunch of other people, and the video series is
distributed in the US by Central Park Media.  Teddy Ruxpin is copyright
Alchemy II.