Hello all!  ^_^  Here's Chapter 2 of the story.  Chapter 2 is a little
longer than Chapter 1 was.  In this chapter there's a bit more character
introduction, but by the end we should be moving into the main story.
I'd like to thank my sister, Stephanie, for prereading this for me.  I
hope you enjoy reading it!  C&C is always welcome; flames will be
ignored.     

Please keep in mind that this is a Teddy Ruxpin crossover.  One thing
Teddy Ruxpin is known for is its singing; every television episode had
at least one musical number.  For those who might be interested in
singing karaoke, the song I wrote for this particular chapter has been
scored and will eventually be available on my webpage.  ^^;;  I hope
this doesn't frighten too many people off.  

Oh, and yes, I'll be getting back to Lina and Gourry in good time.  ^_^

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.

Jennifer


Previously on CRYSTAL QUEST. . .

Prologue - Lina Inverse to Gourry Gabriev:
"It says, 'ONLY THE PURE OF SPIRIT MAY FIND THE TREASURE OF KNOWLEDGE'.
But I don't know what that means either.  Why does it sound so
familiar?"

Chapter 1 - Quellor:
"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!"

And now, stay tuned for our feature presentation . . .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a typical day in the land of Grundo.  The sun was shining, the
birds were singing, and little insects were chirping happily.  In the
center of a large clearing stood a small, comfortable looking house.
Oddly, in the midst of this peace and tranquility came the jolting sound
of cannon fire.  BOOM!  A single cannon ball fell out of the sky, well
clear of the little house, and joined the hundred others that sprinkled
the valley floor like a giant child's game of marbles.  A scream of
frustration echoed from a solitary tower that stood at the edge of the
valley.

"DRAT!!  I'LL GET YOU, GIMMICK, IF IT'S THE LAST THING I EVER DO!!!"

Crystal Quest
by Jennifer Califf

Chapter 2

In the cozy kitchen of the little house surrounded by cannon balls,
Grubby the Octopede was preparing a mid-morning snack for himself.  He
hummed happily as he moved around the kitchen, deftly avoiding knocking
things over despite his long, yellow body and eight hands. Actually,
having so many hands often came in very useful while he was cooking.  He
turned down the heat on the stove and tasted his masterpiece.  It was
perfect.  He thought his friends might want to share in the wonderful
meal, so he called out to his best friend who was working quietly in the
next room.

"I'm makin' root stew.  You want some Teddy?"  Root stew was widely
regarded by Octopedes as one of the most delicious dishes among all
Octopede cuisine.  Unfortunately, very few species other than Octopedes
could stand it.  It had the consistency and taste of glue.  It also made
an excellent projectile weapon, but Grubby considered that a waste of
good cooking.

"Um, no, thanks Grubby."  Teddy Ruxpin wrinkled his nose at the smell of
the foul concoction.  He was very thankful that Grubby was in the other
room.  He didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings, but root stew was
the one dish that Teddy absolutely hated.  If he were stranded in the
middle of the Great Desert and had to choose between root stew and
nothing, well, let's just say that he'd avoid that situation at all
possible cost.  Heck, he'd had better food when he was a prisoner of
MAVO.

"You sure?  It's better than ever!  I added a special secret
ingredient," Grubby said.  He kicked open the kitchen door and walked
into the living room to hover over Teddy, an Iliop, who sat at the
table.  Iliops by their nature are cute, cuddly-looking creatures.
Teddy was no exception, and Grubby often thought his friend looked
almost like a child's stuffed toy that they would take to bed with them.
 As for Teddy, he immediately put on a good face and looked up at
Grubby.

"What's that?"  Teddy asked, smiling.

"Well if I told ya it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?  Hu hoo!"
Grubby laughed heartily at his joke and Teddy smiled good-naturedly.

"No Grubby, I guess it wouldn't."  Grubby noticed that the table in
front of Teddy was covered with large sheets of paper and books.   It
looked like Teddy was doing some sort of research.

"Watcha doin' Teddy?" he asked.

"I'm looking at some maps of Grundo.  I'm trying to decide where we
should start looking for our next adventure."  Grubby blanched at the
thought.  He'd had enough adventure to last him the rest of his life.  

"Teddy, I don't think I'm really up for any more adventurin'.  I've got
all the adventure I need right here in the kitchen.  Besides,
adventurin' is dangerous."  Grubby scanned the maps on the table,
remembering another, much older, map, and all the problems they'd
encountered on THAT adventure.  Teddy frowned.

"That's what you said before we left Rilonia the first time."  

"And I was right!" Grubby interjected, "First we ran into the Bounders,
then Tweeg, the Mudblups, the Gutangs, and eventually even MAVO!"

"But Grubby, just think of all the amazing things we've learned and all
the wonderful friends we've made," said Teddy.  Teddy was the type of
person who always tried to look at the bright side of life.  He
sometimes wished Grubby would try to be less negative.  Teddy knew that
unless you looked for the positives, you were likely to miss them. 

"If we hadn't come to Grundo we'd never have found the crystals, and
we'd never have met Gimmick, Leota, Wooly, the Fobs, Prince Arin,
Princess Arusia, the Anythings, the Wogglies, the Surf Grunges, the
Jungle Grunges, why, even Tweeg and LB aren't so bad once you get to
know them."

Grubby, who had been nodding in agreement as Teddy listed so many of
their friends, froze mid-nod as Teddy mentioned Tweeg's name.  He
crossed his arms and glared at Teddy.

"Teddy, I was right there with you up until that part about Tweeg."

"Now Grubby, . . ."  Teddy started to stand up as his friend interrupted
him. 

"No Teddy."  Grubby looked sideways at Teddy.  Sometimes he thought
Teddy was just TOO nice.  He often thought Teddy looked too hard for the
good side of people and didn't pay enough attention to the things he
didn't want to see.  Because of that, he was always worried that Teddy
would get hurt.  Better safe than sorry; that was his philosophy.

"As far as I'm concerned, Tweeg and LB are just as bad as any of those
evil monsters and villains."

"I'll tell him you think so.  It might cheer him up."  From just outside
the open window, Teddy and Grubby heard the unmistakable wheezing
laughter of none other than . . .

"LB!!"  both Teddy and Grubby exclaimed at once.  They both went over to
the window and looked out.  Right below, LB was looking up at them
through the window, standing on a cannon ball on the lawn.  

"That's my name, don't wear it out," he said, smirking.  LB was a
typical bounder.  He was short, rotund, and red.  He had two legs and no
arms, a single horn sticking up out of a small tuft of hair on top of
his head, and a huge mouth full of rotten, razor sharp teeth.  All in
all, he resembled a mutant killer tomato.

"What are you doin' here?" asked Grubby suspiciously, "Did you come here
to spy on us again?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."  LB jumped down from the cannon ball, and
the words "Return to Tweeg" were visible, etched onto its surface.  

"Well why don't you come inside then?"  Teddy asked cheerfully.  "You
can spy on us much more easily from inside the house than from out
there."

"Teddy!!"  Grubby exclaimed, horrified. 

"Grubby, I think you owe it to him to be polite.   The last time I
invited him over, you and Gimmick chased him off."  Teddy was almost
angry, and whispered so that LB couldn't hear.  LB hopped into the house
and looked around.  He immediately noticed the maps and papers strewn
across the table and hopped up onto the chair where Teddy had been
seated earlier.  

"So, you guys planning a trip somewhere?"  LB stood awkwardly on one
foot and used the other to shuffle through the papers that Teddy had
left on the table.

"Teddy, I think I'll excuse myself so that you and your FRIEND can spend
quality time together.  I'll go ask Gimmick if he'd like some of my root
stew."  Grubby didn't even try to conceal his dislike of Teddy's guest.
Teddy sighed.  He'd really hoped that Grubby would try to be more
open-minded. 

"Okay Grubby," Teddy said, obviously disappointed, "please tell him that
LB is here so that he doesn't jump to the wrong conclusion if he sees
him."

"Sure, Teddy, whatever you say."  Grubby climbed the stairs to the
second floor of Gimmick's house to find the inventor.  Newton Gimmick
was likely working on some new wacky invention that probably wouldn't
work properly.  Grubby half-hoped it would be some kind of anti-bounder
device.

"Sorry about that," apologized Teddy.  

LB didn't even look up, but continued to read Teddy's notes.  "S'okay,
I'm used to it," he said, "besides, I already told you I got an image to
maintain."

Teddy thought back to that time not so long ago.  After months of
trying, MAVO had finally captured Teddy and stolen the 6 magic crystals.
 Somehow, LB had become the leader of MAVO and he'd used his power to
set Teddy free.  "Don't mention it," he'd said, "and I mean that.  I got
a reputation to think about." 

"Yes, I remember."   Teddy sat down on the couch and watched LB.  

"LB?"

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering.  Do you have any idea what lies beyond the Great
Desert?"

LB looked up at Teddy and cocked his head to the side.  "Beyond the
Great Desert?" he asked,  "I don't think anyone's ever been beyond the
Great Desert."

"Oh," Teddy replied, a little disappointedly.

"But I'll tell you what; I'll ask around.  I ain't exactly well
traveled, you know?  Although I gotta admit, I've done more traveling
since you guys got here than I ever did before.  Buffy once called me
'worldly', whatever that means."  LB laughed.

Teddy laughed along with LB, then asked, "And how is Buffy?  Come to
think of it, this is the first time I've seen you since the wedding.
Did you have a nice honeymoon?"

"It was okay.  Getting married is weird.  But we're still settling in,
you know?  It's gonna take time to get used to it."

"I see," said Teddy.  He suddenly realized that he wasn't being a very
good host.  "Would you like something to eat or drink?  I think we have
some root beer," he said.  Root beer was another Octopede invention, but
unlike root stew, root beer actually tasted good.

"Not really."  LB jumped off the chair and hopped over to where Teddy
sat on the couch.  He stood and gazed at Teddy with an undecipherable
look.  Teddy felt a little uncomfortable. 

"Hey Buxbin, you mind answering a question?" LB asked.

"Of course not."

"Ever since you guys came here, me and Twiddle-dumb have spent almost
every waking hour trying to make your life miserable.  So how come
you're always tryin' to be so nice to me?"  Teddy thought LB looked
genuinely confused and even a little concerned.  He decided to answer
honestly.

"Because I think that deep down, you really aren't a bad person.  Trust
and respect have to start somewhere.  I hope that if I trust and respect
you, that someday you'll honor that trust and we can all be friends."

LB looked thoughtful for a minute.  However, he quickly regained his
uncaring attitude.

"Yeah, well don't hold your breath," he said flippantly.

Teddy smiled.  "It's okay LB, I don't expect you to believe in me.  But
I think it's important for you to know that I believe in you."  For some
reason LB suddenly started laughing like a hyena.  He laughed so hard
that he found himself rolling on the floor.  When he'd finally pulled
himself together enough, he looked up at the confused Iliop.

"Rustbin, do you ever listen to yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked.  "Of course I do."

"Oh come on!  You sound like a motivational speaker or some kind of
self-help thingamabob."

"I guess that's just how I am.  But you know, I have to be myself."

Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, Teddy started singing slowly.

"I know sometimes it can be hard
The feelings you must hide,
When the people all around you
Don't know who you are inside."

Teddy picked up the tempo as he continued to sing.  LB, for his part,
started to move in time with the music.

"But if you be yourself,
No one else can do it.
Be yourself,
You'll see there's nothing to it."

Together ,Teddy and LB danced around the living room.

"Even if you're not Mr. Popularity,
You won't be happy unless you can be,

"You can be yourself."

"What else would I be?"  LB sang out as well.

"Be yourself."

"I have to be me!"  Teddy exclaimed, and together they finished the
song.

"Just one thing that you gotta do,
Above all else to thine own self be true!"

With a final pose and flourish as though they were on stage, Teddy and
LB together shouted, "BE YOURSELF!"

>From the second floor Gimmick's voice rang out through the house.

"WHAT IS, er, GOING ON DOWN, uh, THERE!!"

"I think that's my cue to be going," said LB, skipping towards the front
door. 

"Wait!  You don't have to leave," said Teddy, looking back over his
shoulder with a scowl at the stairs leading up to the second story.

"Yes, I do.  Tweeze's probably been waiting for me; I was supposed to
have been back a while ago.  Of course, I would've been late no matter
what."  LB laughed his trademark wheezing laughter.  "It's so much more
fun to watch him get angry," he added.  

LB hopped out the door, then turned back to Teddy and said, "Hey, let me
ask you one more question."

"What's that?"  Teddy asked.

"You're always such a goody-two-shoes.  I'm wonderin' if you ever get
the urge to beat the crap out of some jerk who desperately deserves it."

Teddy was taken aback by the bluntness of the question, but before he
could answer he heard crashing noises coming from the stairs and Gimmick
yelling.  Teddy sighed.

LB bounded away from the house and called back over his shoulder, "THINK
ABOUT IT!!"

Teddy watched LB head back to Tweeg's tower.  When he was out of sight
he turned back to the inside of the house.  He was almost afraid to
look.  

The sight that greeted him was not pretty.  Gimmick and Grubby were both
at the bottom of the stairs, tangled in some sort of wire.  It seemed
like the more they struggled the more tangled they became.  

"Teddy!" Gimmick called, "Why don't you, er, uh, go into the kitchen and
get some eh, uh, uh, wire cutters.  They're in the, uh, bottom, uh,
drawer next to the, er, uh, stove."

"Okay, Gimmick," Teddy said as he headed into the kitchen.

"AND HURRY!" Grubby yelled, "THIS THING'S GETTIN' REALLY TIGHT!"

"ALRIGHT, I'M HURRYING!" Teddy yelled back.  He frowned as he searched
through the kitchen drawer.  He finally found the wire cutters and went
back into the main room to set Grubby and Gimmick free.

Newton Gimmick, the most famous inventor in Grundo and the owner of the
house where Teddy and Grubby were currently living, carefully examined
the remains of his latest experiment while Teddy and Grubby looked on.

"Oh, uh, dear.  It's, uh, I'm afraid it's not, uh, salvageable."

"What was it?" Teddy asked, curiously picking up pieces of metal.

Gimmick adjusted his glasses.  "It was going to be an, er, eh, automatic
clothesline."

Gimmick was a Purloon (in other countries called a Human), one of the
most common races living in Grundo.  He was an older man, at least 50,
with thick black-rimmed glasses, a white mustache, and a shiny baldhead
surrounded by a ring of white hair.  He was a scientist and an inventor,
but unfortunately his inventions never seemed to work just right.  More
often than not they seemed to backfire completely.  But Gimmick took it
all in stride, because he knew that the greatest inventions often
required years of trial and error.  And it didn't hurt that he seemed to
have serendipitous luck; often his inventions worked in ways that he
himself had never dreamed of.

"Well, I'll get the broom so we can start to clean this up,"  Teddy
said.  He started to head toward the kitchen when there was a knock at
the front door.  

"I'LL GET IT!!"  Grubby shouted as he raced to the door.  Teddy smiled
at his friend's childlike attitude.  

"It better not be one of those bounders playing another practical joke,"
Gimmick said threateningly.  Teddy looked at Gimmick and felt a strange,
sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.   Somehow, he felt that
something wasn't right.

Grubby threw open the front door.  

"What the. ..!"  Grubby fell over backwards onto his rump as something
blue fell on top of him.  Teddy and Gimmick both rushed over to see what
it was.  It was Old Beanly, the Royal Messenger.  

Teddy tried to help Grubby carry Old Beanly to the couch.  The aging
messenger was obviously hurt, but Teddy had no idea how badly.  

"Oh, my!" Gimmick exclaimed, "Er, I'll go and get some, uh, water and
the, eh, uh, first aid, uh, kit!"

"What d'ya suppose happened?" Grubby asked nervously as he and Teddy
gently laid Old Beanly down.

"I don't know," Teddy said, "but I think we should find out."  Teddy
leaned down closer to Old Beanly.

"Teddy, I. . ."

"Shh!  I think he's trying to say something!" Teddy interrupted Grubby,
then leaned in even closer.  Old Beanly opened his eyes and looked at
Teddy.  Then his eyes became unfocused and he spoke so softely that
Teddy could barely hear him.

"Gutangs. . . please . . .help . . .king."  Just as he finished, his
eyes closed and he lost consciousness.

"Old Beanly!" Teddy cried.

"Oh, uh, dear!"  Gimmick said, "Here's the er, uh, first aid.  Teddy,
let me, uh, uh, look at him."  Teddy stepped back and Gimmick set about
trying to help Old Beanly as Teddy and Grubby watched.  

"Is he . . .?" Grubby started to ask, but couldn't finish the question.
He swallowed loudly. 

"No," Gimmick answered the unasked question, "but he is badly, uh, hurt.
 I'm afraid I can only do so, uh, much."

"We need to get him to a doctor,"  Teddy concluded.  

"But Teddy, there aren't any doctors around here," Grubby said, sounding
panicky.  

"The closest, uh, doctor, would be in the, er, elf village," Gimmick
answered.  

"Okay then, Grubby, you get the airship fired up; I'll get some supplies
together.  As soon as Gimmick thinks it's safe we'll take Old Beanly to
the elf village."  

As everyone set about their tasks, Teddy felt the sick feeling in his
stomach grow.  He considered what Old Beanly had said and thought about
King Nogburt and all his friends who lived in Nogburt's castle.  Looking
out the window toward Tweeg's tower, he remembered the conversation he
had just had with LB and the unanswered question LB had left him with.

"Yes," he answered quietly to himself, "I do."


...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.  ^_^


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