Author's Note:
Firstly, I own none of the Slayers or DragonLance characters; this is why it's FAN fiction and not actual professional stuff. I've only read a few books of the DragonLance series because it's not my favorite stuff, but I like some of the characters enough to use them here. I am a RABID fan of the Slayers Next series, have seen every episode at least twice, and wish I were Lina Inverse. However, I don't really know that much about the characters' backgrounds, so I'm going to wing most of it, but if you read this and see I've made a grave mistake somewhere please be kind enough to review it and let me know. Thanks!
The Dragon Slayers
Chapter One: In the Woods
Raistlin Majere leaned back against the tree and sighed. With his companions off gathering firewood, he would finally have some time to himself.
It was a quiet day, overcast but not too cold, and thankfully rainless. The mage sniffed the sweet autumn air, enjoying the sounds of silence in the forest. He, his brother Caramon, and the cleric Crysania had traveled into these deep, mysterious woods in search of the Tower of Darvish, once the residence of the most powerful mages in the world. Raistlin had convinced Caramon and Crysania to accompany him, telling them he planned to defeat the spirits rumored to inhabit the tower and turn it over to the Light.
He had told them the truth.
Well, half of the truth, in any case. He did plan to defeat the spirits, but he couldn't care less about the Light; he just wanted more power.
At that moment, he fell into a fit of coughing, an affliction the young mage had suffered for some years. Bent almost double, he staggered forward and-
He stopped, forcing himself to hold back his coughs. A force had hit him so hard he had almost been knocked backwards-there was a strong magical presence close by, almost as strong as his own.
Could he be close to the Tower?
There was a rustling in the bushes a few yards away, and Raistlin had to support himself against the tree as the force came closer. What was it? A magical beast? Another mage? What?
"OOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!" Came an inhuman howling from the bushes. Raistlin put his hand to his belt, ready to throw a deadly powder on whoever or whatever it was.
"Gourry," the voice cried again, "you're stepping on my foot! GET OFF!"
Raistlin blinked.
"Sorry, Lina," replied a young man's voice. "I didn't see you there."
"Well, you'd just better watch where you're going. I'm starving, and you know me when I get hungry. Nobody gets in my way!"
"Tell me about it," came the voice of another man. This voice was deep, and sardonic. "The last time you missed dinner an entire village burned to the ground."
"It was two in the morning, I was hungry, they were out of hot pot, and they refused to make me more! Was it such an unreasonable demand?"
"Miss Lina, you should really try to control your temper more," said a fourth voice, the voice of a very young woman. It was high-pitched, slightly nasal, and instantly began grating on Raistlin's nerves.
The magical force surrounding these people was incredible; Raistlin had never, in all his years, felt anything like it.
"Who goes there?" He called out, pulling his hood hastily over his head so that his face was bathed in shadow.
The bushes rustled a bit more, and out stepped-
"A girl?" Raistlin said, aghast. She looked about fifteen, with flaming red hair and a tiny, pert nose.
"Not just a girl, for your information," she said, giving him a critical once-over. "I am none other than Lina Inverse, the famed bandit-killer."
Raistlin looked blankly at her.
"Aw, come on," the girl called Lina cried, "you have to have heard of me! Lina Inverse? THE Lina Inverse? No?"
She looked around.
"What kind of crazy place is this, anyway?"
Raistlin shook himself. Could this really be the source of that incredible aura? She certainly didn't look like any sorceress he had ever seen. No robes or anything.
"Hey, guys," Lina called into the bushes, "come on out."
At her call, from out of the bushes came the bodies possessing the other three voices Raistlin had heard. There was a tall, blonde-haired man, obviously a warrior, although his garb was strange. Beside him was another girl, obviously the whiny-voiced one, with short black hair and big blue eyes. The last person to emerge from the shrubbery was a second man; like Raistlin, a hood hid his face. He and Raistlin looked each other over, each recognizing a kindred spirit of sorts.
"So, where are we, anyway?" Lina repeated.
"You mean you don't know?" Raistlin asked. "How did you manage to get here?"
Lina bit her lip and rolled her eyes skywards.
"Good question. We were just walking along, minding our own business, trying to get to Kawanomiko Mountain, when all of a sudden there was this big flash of light. Next thing we knew, we were in those bushes over there."
"There is powerful magic at work here," Raistlin muttered to himself.
"What?" Said the warrior. "Didn't quite catch that."
Raistlin stared at him. Who were these people, anyway?
"I said," Raistlin spoke, "that there must be powerful magic at work."
He turned to Lina.
"Who are you?"
"I already told you," she said flippantly, "I'm Lina Inverse. These are my traveling companions, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis. We're from-"
At that moment, a voice from the woods called,
"Raistlin, I hope you're hungry, because I caught three whole rabbits; that's more than enough for the three of us-"
Caramon Majere stepped forward, a load of firewood in his arms and three skinned rabbits slung across his back. He looked at the four newcomers warily.
"Raist? Who are these guys?"
"That's just what I was trying to figure out," Raistlin said, not taking his eyes off of the strangers.
Crysania the cleric, panting and covered in sweat, wandered up behind Caramon, laden with more firewood.
"Hello," she said cautiously.
The hooded man, Zelgadis, stepped forward to help Crysania.
"Here, let me take some of that," he said in a pleasant baritone.
"Thank you," Crysania said gratefully, giving the man one of her dazzling smiles.
Lina walked over to Caramon, looking boldly up at him.
"All right," she said, "Rabbit! That sounds perfect."
Caramon cast a dubious glance at his twin brother.
"I guess if all of you are eating with us, I'll have to go find some more."
"I think you will," Lina replied.
"... Are they eating with us, Raist?" Caramon asked.
Raistlin looked at the four strangers, from Lina, who was staring ravenously at the dead animals, to Gourry, who had an identical glazed look in his eyes, to Amelia, who was smiling apologetically (or maybe just stupidly), to Zelgadis, whose gaze was locked on Crysania. There didn't seem to be any way out of this one.
"I suppose so," he sighed. "Go on, Caramon. We'll start a fire, and you go find us some more food-before sunset.
"If we don't get eaten first," he added under his breath, noting the thread of saliva dangling from Gourry's lower lip.
Firstly, I own none of the Slayers or DragonLance characters; this is why it's FAN fiction and not actual professional stuff. I've only read a few books of the DragonLance series because it's not my favorite stuff, but I like some of the characters enough to use them here. I am a RABID fan of the Slayers Next series, have seen every episode at least twice, and wish I were Lina Inverse. However, I don't really know that much about the characters' backgrounds, so I'm going to wing most of it, but if you read this and see I've made a grave mistake somewhere please be kind enough to review it and let me know. Thanks!
The Dragon Slayers
Chapter One: In the Woods
Raistlin Majere leaned back against the tree and sighed. With his companions off gathering firewood, he would finally have some time to himself.
It was a quiet day, overcast but not too cold, and thankfully rainless. The mage sniffed the sweet autumn air, enjoying the sounds of silence in the forest. He, his brother Caramon, and the cleric Crysania had traveled into these deep, mysterious woods in search of the Tower of Darvish, once the residence of the most powerful mages in the world. Raistlin had convinced Caramon and Crysania to accompany him, telling them he planned to defeat the spirits rumored to inhabit the tower and turn it over to the Light.
He had told them the truth.
Well, half of the truth, in any case. He did plan to defeat the spirits, but he couldn't care less about the Light; he just wanted more power.
At that moment, he fell into a fit of coughing, an affliction the young mage had suffered for some years. Bent almost double, he staggered forward and-
He stopped, forcing himself to hold back his coughs. A force had hit him so hard he had almost been knocked backwards-there was a strong magical presence close by, almost as strong as his own.
Could he be close to the Tower?
There was a rustling in the bushes a few yards away, and Raistlin had to support himself against the tree as the force came closer. What was it? A magical beast? Another mage? What?
"OOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW!" Came an inhuman howling from the bushes. Raistlin put his hand to his belt, ready to throw a deadly powder on whoever or whatever it was.
"Gourry," the voice cried again, "you're stepping on my foot! GET OFF!"
Raistlin blinked.
"Sorry, Lina," replied a young man's voice. "I didn't see you there."
"Well, you'd just better watch where you're going. I'm starving, and you know me when I get hungry. Nobody gets in my way!"
"Tell me about it," came the voice of another man. This voice was deep, and sardonic. "The last time you missed dinner an entire village burned to the ground."
"It was two in the morning, I was hungry, they were out of hot pot, and they refused to make me more! Was it such an unreasonable demand?"
"Miss Lina, you should really try to control your temper more," said a fourth voice, the voice of a very young woman. It was high-pitched, slightly nasal, and instantly began grating on Raistlin's nerves.
The magical force surrounding these people was incredible; Raistlin had never, in all his years, felt anything like it.
"Who goes there?" He called out, pulling his hood hastily over his head so that his face was bathed in shadow.
The bushes rustled a bit more, and out stepped-
"A girl?" Raistlin said, aghast. She looked about fifteen, with flaming red hair and a tiny, pert nose.
"Not just a girl, for your information," she said, giving him a critical once-over. "I am none other than Lina Inverse, the famed bandit-killer."
Raistlin looked blankly at her.
"Aw, come on," the girl called Lina cried, "you have to have heard of me! Lina Inverse? THE Lina Inverse? No?"
She looked around.
"What kind of crazy place is this, anyway?"
Raistlin shook himself. Could this really be the source of that incredible aura? She certainly didn't look like any sorceress he had ever seen. No robes or anything.
"Hey, guys," Lina called into the bushes, "come on out."
At her call, from out of the bushes came the bodies possessing the other three voices Raistlin had heard. There was a tall, blonde-haired man, obviously a warrior, although his garb was strange. Beside him was another girl, obviously the whiny-voiced one, with short black hair and big blue eyes. The last person to emerge from the shrubbery was a second man; like Raistlin, a hood hid his face. He and Raistlin looked each other over, each recognizing a kindred spirit of sorts.
"So, where are we, anyway?" Lina repeated.
"You mean you don't know?" Raistlin asked. "How did you manage to get here?"
Lina bit her lip and rolled her eyes skywards.
"Good question. We were just walking along, minding our own business, trying to get to Kawanomiko Mountain, when all of a sudden there was this big flash of light. Next thing we knew, we were in those bushes over there."
"There is powerful magic at work here," Raistlin muttered to himself.
"What?" Said the warrior. "Didn't quite catch that."
Raistlin stared at him. Who were these people, anyway?
"I said," Raistlin spoke, "that there must be powerful magic at work."
He turned to Lina.
"Who are you?"
"I already told you," she said flippantly, "I'm Lina Inverse. These are my traveling companions, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis. We're from-"
At that moment, a voice from the woods called,
"Raistlin, I hope you're hungry, because I caught three whole rabbits; that's more than enough for the three of us-"
Caramon Majere stepped forward, a load of firewood in his arms and three skinned rabbits slung across his back. He looked at the four newcomers warily.
"Raist? Who are these guys?"
"That's just what I was trying to figure out," Raistlin said, not taking his eyes off of the strangers.
Crysania the cleric, panting and covered in sweat, wandered up behind Caramon, laden with more firewood.
"Hello," she said cautiously.
The hooded man, Zelgadis, stepped forward to help Crysania.
"Here, let me take some of that," he said in a pleasant baritone.
"Thank you," Crysania said gratefully, giving the man one of her dazzling smiles.
Lina walked over to Caramon, looking boldly up at him.
"All right," she said, "Rabbit! That sounds perfect."
Caramon cast a dubious glance at his twin brother.
"I guess if all of you are eating with us, I'll have to go find some more."
"I think you will," Lina replied.
"... Are they eating with us, Raist?" Caramon asked.
Raistlin looked at the four strangers, from Lina, who was staring ravenously at the dead animals, to Gourry, who had an identical glazed look in his eyes, to Amelia, who was smiling apologetically (or maybe just stupidly), to Zelgadis, whose gaze was locked on Crysania. There didn't seem to be any way out of this one.
"I suppose so," he sighed. "Go on, Caramon. We'll start a fire, and you go find us some more food-before sunset.
"If we don't get eaten first," he added under his breath, noting the thread of saliva dangling from Gourry's lower lip.