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 meech@mindspring.com 
------------------------------------- 
Quest for the Silver Imperium Crystal
by Soumitra Choudhury
Chapter 2: Lull Before the Storm
-------------------------------------
"Dark elves! They're evil!" 
A near-crippling wave of self-pity washed over Chaszmyr as he drew his blades, 
Lyonesse shining like a star. When will people learn to not read a book by its 
cover? Just as he dropped into a fighting stance, a bolt of lightning erupted 
from the shouter's tiara. 
Leaping out of the way of a lightning bolt is nigh impossible, but the drow 
managed to turn his body just enough to miss most of the blast. Excruciating 
pain locked his muscles, dropping him to the ground. Teeth grinding together, 
hair standing on end, Chaszmyr struggled to regain control of his extremities 
while burst of blinding light popped in his vision. 
Xune gasped, and fury replaced her congenial nature. In one fluid motion, she 
drew Orthae Abban, her sacred bastard sword, taking up a protective stand over 
Chaszmyr's trembling body. Over the length of the slim blade, runes of power 
glowed with the same silver light as the counterweight diamond. Murmuring a 
prayer to Eilistraee, she focused her attention on the brunette. Four burst of 
silvery-white magic shot from Xune's circlet, twisting and weaving through the 
groves bushes and growth, and hit the target in a shower of sparks. Grunting in 
pain, the lightning-wielder slumped to her knees. 
Meanwhile, Szaravel dropped her staff and chanted softly, wiggling her figners 
in delicate movements. Nothing happened when she stopped, but she seemed 
satisfied nonetheless. 
At that moment, the blonde human with the orange and white outfit raised her 
finger and yelled, "Crescent Beam Smash!" A thin beam of golden light pierced 
the air, but before it could reach the sorceress, it hit an invisible barrier 
and dissipated upon contact. 
"Now," Szaravel said coldly, "can we try this again?" Her staff levitated off 
the ground and back into her hands. 
The blonde was about to retort, but the girl with blue hair motioned her to be 
quiet. "They don't register on the computer as a threat, Venus," she whispered, 
thinking the drow couldn't hear. 
Xune, her visage a mask of thinly veiled rage, waved her sword about. "Of course 
we're a threat! You trespassed upon our home and shot my consort!" she screamed, 
stepping forward several steps. The enraged priestess would have continued 
onward, ranting and waving, but for the invisible wall, which kept the drow away 
from the humans just as effectively as the humans from the drow. 
The blue-haired girl, rising from her crouch, turned to the brunette and the one 
known as Venus, and made a stand-down gesture. Then, she checked on the other 
two: the girl who had collapsed and the other blonde, who was taking care of the 
former. "How are you feeling, Mars? You look a little tired." 
Mars gestured dismissively, trying to gently push the blonde away. "I'm fine. 
I'm just drained, that's all. Sailor Moon, do you mind?" The latter comment was 
directed to the girl helping her to stand. 
Chaszmyr, after considerable struggle, gained control of his facilities once 
again. Xune sheathed her sword, sensing a lull in their conflict, and kneeled 
down next to her lover. "Take it easy," she murmured soothingly, and laid her 
hands upon his injured side. As she called upon her goddess to heal the drow's 
wounds, he took a closer look at the intruders. 
The gemstone! They were the same girls he had seen in the visions from touching 
that glowing gem several months ago. 
He caught Xune's eye, and knew she had already figured that out. 
Szaravel, meanwhile, had drifted over to the edge of the grove, just before her 
barrier, gazing with interest at the newcomers. "You're trespassing," she 
repeated matter-of-factly. "Is there any reason why we should not kill you where 
you stand?" 
The brunette frowned, taking a step closer, but Venus held her back. "We 
apologize. We're new here." 
"That's quite obvious. The question is, why?" 
The blue-haired girl answered. "We've come a great distance because we are 
searching for something that we have, er, lost." Xune pricked up her ears, 
finishing up on Chaszmyr. 
Szaravel raised an eyebrow, indicating for the speaker to continue. 
"We search for a crystal gem, about fist-sized, seemingly like a large faceted 
diamond. It... means a great deal to us." 
Xune let Chaszmyr up slowly, curiosity replacing her earlier anger. Her partner 
winced at the tenderness in his side, but the wound itself had disappeared at 
her ministrations. His own curiosity was peaked, so he held off on berating the 
brunette. 
The drow sorceress watched indifferently as the blonde with the odd ponytails 
and the weakened girl joined the rest of them on the other side of her force 
wall. Each of the girls sparkled with bluish motes to Szaravel's eyes, a gift of 
birth she had been granted that allowed her to detect the presence of magic. 
This interested the drow more than she let on. 
"I have never seen this gem that you search. What is its significance to you?" 
The blue-haired girl was about to respond, but Mars cut her off with a low growl 
of "Mercury." Everyone focused on the her. 
Graciously, Mars removed her arm from around the blonde's shoulder, struggling 
to support herself. "The significance of the gem is that it is a family heirloom 
to our Queen. It was stolen by a thief and we were sent to retrieve it. If you 
have not seen it, then we beg your forgiveness for trespassing upon your lands, 
and we'll continue our search elsewhere." Though eloquently spoken, the words 
had all the warmth of a glacier. Several of the humans tensed up, expecting a 
hostile reply. 
Szaravel smiled coldly. "As you wish." She turned her back upon them, and then 
threw over her shoulder, "Though, if you are indeed new to this place, you won't 
last five minutes in those woods." 
"That's what you think," the brunette retorted, a slight sneer in her tone. 
"We're tougher than you think." 
"Wait!" Xune shouted. "We've seen your crystal." 
The blonde squealed in delight. "Really?!? Where is it?" Turning to Mars, she 
clasped her hands together. "We'll be home in no time!" 
"Actually, we don't know where it is now," Chaszmyr replied. "We kept it for a 
while, but... circumstances dictated it leave our possession." His face darkened 
in embarrassment. 
The girls looked a little downhearted at that, and the blonde with the pigtails 
looked about ready to cry. Mars snapped her an irritated look, and hissed, 
"Don't you dare cry, Serena. You knew this wasn't going to be that easy." 
"Well, I could hope, couldn't I?" came the sniffled reply. 
Xune watched them with a growing motherly sense. They looked so lost, like a 
bunch of schoolgirls on their first day of school, afraid but making a dire 
effort at not showing it. Perhaps this is Eilistraee's handiwork? "We could 
offer our assistance if you wish," she suddenly found herself saying. 
Chaszmyr, used to Xune's generosity and helping nature, wasn't too surprise at 
the offer, but he did hint at a frown. "Don't you think you're being too hasty? 
We don't know that much about them, after all." 
Szaravel didn't take it half so well. 
"What do you mean, 'offer our assistance'?!? They just nearly tried to kill 
Uncle Chaz! We don't know anything about them, and they're exuding enough 
foreign magic to interest every faction of power in the region!" She pounded her 
staff repeatedly upon the ground, punctuating her argument. 
Xune shrugged. She had cast a spell that would notify her as to the general 
moral sway of the humans, whether good or evil, and as she had suspected, they 
radiated auras of purity and innocent goodness, especially the one called 
Serena. Her aura outshined the others by several orders of magnitude. "I have a 
feeling about them." 
"Baahh!" the young drow cried in exasperation, and stormed back to the house, 
her robes billowing about her. "Your feelings are going to get you killed one of 
these days!" she yelled back at them before slamming the door shut. 
Xune smiled patiently. "Faith, my little one," she whispered in Szaravel's 
direction, "faith." Chaszmyr added his own smile to hers. It wasn't the first 
time their adopted daughter had been frustrated by Xune's kindness, nor would it 
be the last. Szaravel couldn't quite grasp the idea of giving something for 
nothing. It was a heritage flaw that kept most of the drow race mired in their 
cruelty. 
Serena cleared her throat delicately, regaining the couple's attention. "If you 
really mean it, we could sure use your help. We really have no idea where we 
are." 
"Well, where did you come from?" Chaszmyr inquired. 
"Earth." 
The couple blinked, and stared blankly. "Uh, where is that?" 
Serena turned to Mercury, indicating her to take over. "It's a planet 70,000 
light years away," she recited in a scholarly fashion, unmindful of how 
unnatural it sounded to the girls around her to speak of their home world. 
"Another planet? How did you get here? A portal?" the priestess asked, a slight 
note of incredulity in her tone. 
Before Mercury could plow in on a technical explanation of the workings of the 
Sailor Teleport, modified as it was by Mars' unique control of magical 
eminations, Mars clapped a hand over Mercury's mouth and replied, "Yes, a 
portal." The Scout of Ice glowered at the mundane response. 
Shrugging at their odd behavior, Xune raised her arms and prayed a request to 
her goddess. In response, her circlet glittered, and the invisible barrier that 
separated the two groups twinkled out of existence. "You are more than welcome 
to stay in our home as long as you need. I am Xune Kilsek, caretaker of this 
grove, and this is my love, Chaszmyr Arabani." Chaszmyr nodded his head in a 
minor greeting. 
Serena, feeling that it was her responsibility, introduced her guardians. 
Pointing to Mercury, she began, "This is Sailor Mercury, our resident genius." 
Mercury blushed awkwardly. "The one who threw her lightning at you is Sailor 
Jupiter. Next to her is Sailor Venus. Sailor Mars is the one with the black 
hair, and I'm... Sailor Moon, champion of love and justice! I will right wrongs 
and triumph over evil! And that means you!" she cried, pointing at the drow 
before she realized that they really weren't evil. "Um, er, that is, if you WERE 
evil, I'd have to punish you. Hee hee." 
The rest of the Sailor Scouts groaned in embarrassment. 
Chuckling at their display, Chaszmyr sheathed his blades. "Well met, Champion of 
Love and Justice. It is our pleasure and... honor, to meet such illustrious, if 
scantily-clad, heroines." This produced a glare from his paramour. "If you will 
kindly join us, I think we should continue this in front of a warming fire, with 
a bit of refreshment. Perhaps then," he ended with a charming, but innocent 
smile, "we can hear your strange tale in completion, along with answers to such 
questions as 'why you are called sailors, but are so far from water?'" Bowing 
low before them, the handsome young drow indicated for the girls to go before 
him. 
The Sailor Scouts, charmed by his eloquent words, sighed dreamily. It seemed a 
good start to a journey riddled with the unknown. And, if this gorgeous, if 
somewhat exotic looking, man will help, then who are we to complain? 
*****
Rei pulled the quilt up to her neck, reveling in the softness of her bed. After 
the meal Xune had whipped up for them, fatigue had quickly taken over her body, 
begging her to recuperate from the overwhelming power she had consumed in their 
transport. 
Before sleep could claim her, though, she considered what it was they had gotten 
themselves into. 
Xune and Chaszmyr had been kind enough to give them a rundown on the workings of 
this world called Toril. It was a world out of a fantasy book, though Rei had 
never actually completed one. Perhaps a world out of one of her mangas? Yes, 
maybe Record of Lodoss War, or something like that. 
The important thing, however, was that magic flourished here. Take, for example, 
Szaravel and Xune. The former was very knowledgeable in spellcraft, so much so 
that Rei considered inquiring the drow's advice on a few arcane topics that had 
been bothering her. 
'That is, whenever Szaravel gets off her high horse and decides to return to the 
realm of the humble,' Rei muttered silently to herself. 'There's a girl that 
needs a good slap in the face.' 
Szaravel had grumbled and groaned about aiding the Scouts, but had relented in 
the end. Surprisingly enough, Xune and Chaszmyr had easily weathered her selfish 
ranting, something that nearly forced Rei to punch the insolent brat. 
Apparently, the couple was used to her childish temper tantrums and difference 
of opinions. 
Xune's magic was something thoroughly different... and perhaps more frightening. 
Her magic came from her worship of a goddess, an entity known as Eilistraee. 
Rei didn't care who or what this Eilistraee was. The fact that she grants spells 
and powers to her followers was all that mattered to the human sorceress. Not 
only that, but there were other gods and goddesses out in the Toril pantheon 
that granted similar favors. 
Where are Earth's Gods, and why aren't They granting any favors? 
This troubling thought pursued her as she sank into her slumber. 
*****
Early the next morning, Chaszmyr found Sailor Mercury, now as Ami, in the den, 
quietly tapping away at her device she called a computer. She had wrapped a wool 
cloak about her to ward off the morning chill, and he thought she looked rather 
cute. That hair, a shade of blue unique among humans, enchanted him deeply. 
"A good morn to you, fair Ami," he greeted, pulling a stool near to the desk she 
worked upon. "I trust your rest was well and undisturbed." 
She turned to him and smiled her quiet, shy smile. "I slept as well as I could 
in this new environment." Chuckling slightly, she added, "It wasn't too much, 
though. Serena's snoring was quite loud." 
Joining in her mirth, Chaszmyr nodded. "We drow don't sleep as deeply as humans 
do. Believe me, I heard it clear across the house." He pointed to the computer. 
"If you don't mind my asking, what is it that you are doing with your device?" 
'He IS handsome, isn't he?' Ami thought to herself, a bit unnerved at his near 
presence. Though his skin shone a glossy jet black, though his hair, long and 
tied to a careful ponytail, fairly gleamed white, though his ears were 
delicately pointed, Chaszmyr was devastatingly dashing, his sapphire blue eyes 
drowning her with his innocent gaze. 
"Ami?" 
She snapped out of her reverie, and blushed fiercely. "Uh, uh, I'm terribly 
sorry. What did you say?" she stuttered, more than embarrassed. 
"I was wondering what you are doing." 
"Oh, well, I'm trying to locate the Crystal by scanning the vicinity for the 
residual energy patterns. You see..." and instantly, she was off on a wild and 
complicated explanation on words that streaked past Chaszmyr faster than he 
could draw his blades. After a few moments of her rambling, he burst into 
laughter. 
"What's so funny?" she demanded, a tad miffed at his response. 
"Ah, dear stranger, the meaning of your words cannot chisel past this woefully 
thick skull that I possess. I can only stomach food for thought that is broken 
into small pieces and spoonfed to me." All this he remarked with pleasant 
acceptance, his tone amused and hospitable. 
Ami opened her mouth to apologize, but he raised his hand before her. "No, no. 
There's no need to apologize. It was my mistake for not knowing where I tread. 
If you'll excuse me, then, I'm going to make my daily patrols. If you see Xune, 
tell her I'll be back in a few hours." 
She watched him leave the room, only then realizing that her heart was pounding 
painfully in her chest. 
*****
That day, the Scouts spent a great deal of time acclimating themselves to the 
surroundings, minus Ami and Szaravel. Once the severity of the situation (on 
Earth) had been made clear, Szaravel decided that she would help Ami with 
finding the Crystal, using her magic to aid Ami's computer. The two of them, 
peas in a pod that spanned 70,000 light years, quickly immersed themselves in 
intellectual gibberish, of which only Rei could possibly understand, albeit 
thinly. 
"We lost the signal for the Crystal sometime while in transport, though time 
really doesn't have much meaning when you're traveling in the blink of an eye." 
Ami pulled off her glasses and cleaned them on the tunic she was wearing. The 
Scouts, having left their clothes back on Earth (they never expected to 
detransform into their human forms), had been forced to borrow some from their 
hosts. Most of them fit well, for Xune was about the same height as all the 
girls except for Lita. The brunette had been forced to wear some of Chaszmyr's 
clothing, much to everyone's chuckles and her own chagrin. 
"If what Uncle Chaz and Auntie Xune tell me is correct," Szaravel contemplated 
aloud, "then this Crystal of yours sent this signal back during the Time of 
Troubles." 
"Time of Troubles?" 
"Oh yes. It was a period of time when the pantheon was thrown out of the heavens 
and forced to wander Toril as mortals. I'm not sure about the details, but magic 
became unpredictable and chaotic for wizards, and wouldn't work at all for 
priests unless they were within range of their mortal gods." 
Ami looked puzzled. "But that couldn't have been more than a day or so ago. We 
left only yesterday." 
Szaravel shot her human companion a contemptuous glare. "The Time of Troubles 
ended nearly two weeks ago. Apparently, this 'Sailor Transport' of yours doesn't 
account too terribly for the time it takes to travel such a great distance." 
Stunned, Ami stared Szaravel for a moment. Two weeks! What were their parents 
thinking? Is Rei's hypnotic suggestion still working? 
"Well... then maybe... the end of this 'Time of Troubles' is the reason why the 
signal collapsed," the human girl whispered, trying to collect her thoughts. 
"Its passage, though, should leave us a trail to follow. My computer can track 
it, but it will take time." 
Szaravel sighed. "I think time is what you have plenty of." 
To pass said time, the rest of the Scouts took to helping their hosts with 
various tasks of keeping up the grove and patrolling the woods, though nothing 
dangerous came within miles of their dwelling. 
Lita, just as she had wished, got Xune to show her a couple a new tricks to 
cooking, though the tall girl was slightly disappointed to find out that food 
really didn't differ too greatly. Exotic food was much too rare because one had 
to kill it yourself or find a larger market. Xune mentioned that the nearest 
city was some distance to the north and east, but darker forces controlled it. 
"No, I'm afraid you'll miss some of the more interesting delicacies, unless you 
stay longer," Xune told her, amusement twinkling in her eyes. "It's a pity, 
really. I make a fabulous dish of dragon steaks doused in a light shrieker 
mushroom sauce. A glass of distilled elvish wine with a few drops of purified 
chimera blood, and you'll think it's the food of the gods." 
Lita had gaped at the beautiful drow woman. 
"By the way, Lita, how had you heard of dark elves before? I had thought your 
world was devoid of demihumans?" Xune asked inquisitively. 
The tall girl blushed. "Umm, well, cookbooks aren't the only things I read. 
Occasionally I get in the mood to read something fictional, and, er, fantasy 
usually is what I end up picking. The authors of Earth have managed to capture 
the darker side of drow rather well. It's a... stereotype, if you will." 
Xune smiled sadly. "You can't realize how correct they are." 
Serena, in typical Serena form, slept until noon, ate everything in sight, and 
relaxed the rest of the time. She spent a lot of time wandering the grove, 
feeling the peace of the blessed area. 
Mina and Rei had fairly tackled Chaszmyr to get him to teach them some skills in 
combat. After a few rounds of sparring, it was obvious to the girls that the 
handsome warrior who so took their breath away could also kill or injure them 
quicker then they could blink in response. His skill with the scimitars was 
phenomonal to say the least, a blade-whirring dance that mesmerized them more 
often than not. 
Mina was particular fascinated with his enchanted blade, Lyonesse. "A whole 
blade forged out of a single diamond? Aren't you afraid of it being stole?" 
Chaszmyr had smiled enigmatically. "Whoever would be required to defeat me 
first." 
That seemed answer enough. 
In three days, Rei managed to bone up on her archery, something she usually had 
only a passing interest in. With her 'Flame Sniper' attack, however, she had 
discovered a small need to know how to really shoot the bow. It helped her 
considerably that she held natural skill in firing an arrow. 
It was on this third day, while Rei and Chaszmyr were challenging each other in 
an archery contest while the others watched, that Ami and Szaravel's came out to 
announce their good news. 
"We found it!" cried an exuberant Ami, waving her computer about. Szaravel 
merely grinned smugly. 
A cheer went up. "Where is it? Is it nearby?" Serena asked, excitement bubbling 
in her voice. 
"Well, it's on an island in some ocean several thousand miles southwest of here. 
I can coordinate the location, and it will be a simple matter to teleport there, 
pick it, and be on our way!" 
Chaszmyr and Xune frowned. "Several thousand miles? How did it get that far in 
three weeks?" 
"Who cares!" Lita exclaimed. "All that matters is that we'll be able to retrieve 
it. When do we leave?" 
"Yes, when do we leave?" Xune added, stepping forward. Everyone turned to her, 
blinking in confusion. "What?" 
Szaravel, predictably, was the first to reply. "I don't think this is our fight, 
Xune," she hissed, emphasizing her surrogate mother's name. 
Xune shrugged. "We've been over this before. I'm not forcing you to go, but I 
will be helping them any way I can. They are still new here, and there is no 
telling what dangers they may stumble upon that they will not understand." She 
smiled wanely. "Besides, you know, that as a follower of Eilistraee, that I 
could not do otherwise." 
The young mage muttered several scathing comments, but relinquished the 
argument. "Fine," she spat. "The quicker they leave, the quicker I can get back 
to my studies." 
Chaszmyr coughed quietly to hide his amusement. "Don't mind little Szaravel, 
girls. She's really a caring person under that pretty face. Xune and I just 
haven't managed to find her yet." 
"I REALLY need to change you into a kobold," she huffed in indignation. 
Serena laughed aloud, and the others smiled, the tension of the next leg of 
their quest mildly relieved. "We'd be honored if you would join us, Xune," Rei 
said. She had been itching for some action herself, her own magic having been 
replenished with the extended period of rest. Still, she vowed not to use it 
unless it was absolutely necessary. After all this time, she still worried about 
alienating herself from her dearest friends. 
Chaszmyr unstrung his bow and picked up his quiver. "Then, I surmise we shall be 
leaving soon. It would be best for me to begin gathering supplies." 
Serena nodded. "Yes, this needs to be done immediately. Would it be okay to 
leave tomorrow morning?" 
Xune nodded.