Lina sighed and shook her head. It was all ready the sixth time Kristy had tried to cast Lighting that day. While she had managed to get a faint spark once or twice, the girl couldn't seem to get the hang of the mental focus magic required, and she'd been trying for the last several days.
"I think that's enough for today..." Lina said.
"Please, can't I try just one more time? I think I know what to do now."
"Well, all right, just once more. But we really need to get moving as soon as you're done."
"Okay."
Kristy paused a moment to concentrate on forming the spell. If this didn't work, she was all out of ideas to try.
"Light which burns beyond crimson flame, let thy power gather in my hand! Lighting!"
As she spoke the last word, a sudden bright light forced her to close her eyes. She blinked, squinting at the glowing sphere between her hands. I did it, she thought.
"Hey, I did it!" she said out loud.
"Yes, that you did, but blinding yourself with your own light spell isn't a very good idea," Zelgadis looked a little amused.
"Good job there, Kristy," Lina said, "it looks like you've finally mastered your first spell. A small one, but a spell none the less."
"I know I couldn't do that," Gourry said.
"You're too stupid to, Jellyfish Brains," was Lina's immediate retort.
"So," Zelgadis commented, "are we going to get moving or just sit around casting light spells all day?"
"Eh? Oh yeah! Let's get to town quickly and have a celebration feast!" Lina's suggestion drew cheers from everyone but Zelgadis, who sighed and muttered something about every meal being a feast, at least by a normal person's standards. No one paid him any attention, of course.
"What... happened here?"
"It almost looks like one of your Dragon Slaves, Lina," Zelgadis commented.
"But that's impossible!" Lina replied. "I don't remember coming this way before, and even if I did I definitely didn't do that. Besides," she continued, "it must've happened recently, because none of the plant life has started to recover yet."
Zelgadis nodded, slowly looking over the scene.
"Hey, I can see a town from here!"
Everyone turned to see that Amelia had climbed one of the half-burnt trees and was perched on a branch near the top.
"Maybe someone there could tell us what's going on..."
This was readily agreed to and the group immediately continued on. (After getting Amelia out of the tree, of course.)
"Hey!" Lina stopped one man as he walked by carrying a hammer and some boards of wood. "Can you tell us what's going on here?"
The man looked the group over. "You must not be from around here, huh?" he replied.
"Of course not. So can't you tell us what's happened?"
"Sure thing." He set down the boards he'd been carrying. "Well, 'bout three months ago, this demon started attacking the town with a whole gang of monsters. They'd come an' steal food and just generally destroy stuff. We tried our best to drive them off, but that demon was just too clever an' too strong, an' lots of people were hurt. Then one day this maiden, says she's from Sairaag, shows up an' starts healing people and helping everyone. So anyway s'not long before she hears 'bout the demon and his gang, an' she insists on helping to fight him. So one day she confronts them out in the field a few minutes out of town. We were all worried that she'd get herself hurt, but she chants some spell and takes out the lot of 'em with one shot! 'Course, it also burned out a good part of the land out there, but that's a small price for such a great service, don't you think?" he picked up the boards again and was about to head off again. Lina stopped him.
"Wait, this maiden you mentioned, you said she was from Sairaag?"
"Well, that's what she told us..."
The group exchanged glances.
"Think it could be...?"
"It's possible," Zelgadis replied.
"Right." Lina turned to the now rather bewildered man. "Can you tell us where we can find this maiden from Sairaag?"
"I suppose she's likely to be somewhere in the middle of town. Ask someone around there."
"Thanks!" And with that the group continued onward to see if they could find this "maiden from Sairaag". After stopping to question a few people, they found themselves standing outside a house where they'd been told the maiden was staying. Lina knocked on the door. There was now answer, so she opened it and stepped inside.
"Hello!" she called.
"Lina?" a voice responded from another room. A girl with long, dark hair came out from the kitchen. "Is that you?"
"Sylphiel! I thought so! What are you doing here!"
"Well, I had been traveling when I came across this town. The people here were in trouble, so I stayed to help them."
"What about the bug crater outside the town?"
"Oh, that! There had been a gang of evil monsters and demons attacking the town. They refused to either cease or leave, and attacked me, so I used the Dragon Slave."
Lina was just about to make a reply, but Gourry interrupted.
"Hey, Sylphiel, what smells so good? Is it you cooking?"
"Why yes, it is. Would you like something to eat, dearest Gourry?"
Gourry happily agreed and Sylphiel led the way to the kitchen. The others followed, except for (surprisingly) Lina, who seemed to be frozen in some state of surprise or shock. Kristy tapped her on the shoulder.
"Lina? Don't you want something to eat?"
"Wha? Oh yeah!" Lina dashed to the kitchen. "Hey Gourry! Leave some for the rest of us!"
Kristy had to try hard to keep from laughing out loud at the situation between Lina, Gourry, and Sylphiel.
"So," Sylphiel said, "you're on your way to the Valley of Dragons to visit an old friend?"
"Well, more of an acquaintance than friend, but I suppose you could say that," Lina replied.
"And you said that you've just been teaching Kristy here how to use magic?"
"Yep. Even though it took her a while to catch on, she's finally seemed to be getting the hang of it."
Sylphiel smiled. "That's nice to hear."
The conversation lapsed for a few moments, then Sylphiel spoke up again.
"Perhaps I should go with you on your journey, Lina. There probably isn't much more I can do here, and I could also help you instruct Kristy." Sylphiel was glancing at Gourry almost the entire time she spoke.
"Well, ah, I don't know. They seem to still be needing your help here, and well... Hey, we never told you about our biggest adventure after we defeated Hellmaster Fibrizo, did we?"
Lina immediately launched into a detailed account of their exploits, the telling of which lasted well into the night.
"Wait! Please wait!"
In a few moments Sylphiel had caught up with the group.
"Sylphiel? What're you doing?" Lina asked.
Once she'd caught her breath, Sylphiel replied. "Well, I spoke with the townspeople, and we decided that there really wasn't much more I could do to help, so I might as well go along with you. But you all left so quickly that I didn't have a chance to tell you." She smiled. "But that's all right, I can still come with you now. Isn't that right, my dear Gourry?" She stared at the oblivious swordsman with a sweet smile. Lina's face was twisted into an expression that was impossible to read. Moments later she realized that everyone else had continued on without her.
"Hey, you guys! Wait up!"
No one seemed to notice Lina's absence, except for the ever-observant Kristy, who stopped and looked back.
"Hey Lina, everyone's leaving without you..."
"I know," Lina growled. She muttered the incantation of a spell. "Fireball!"
Kristy jumped away from the path of the explosive spell. She looked to the now unconscious Gourry, Sylphiel, Amelia, and Zelgadis.
"Ah, what're you going to do when they wake up?" she asked.
Lina shrugged. "Say it was an accident?"
"I suppose..." She looked at the results of the blast, then back at Lina. "Um, could teach me that?"
End of Chapter 4
**********
Hello again! Welcome to the afterwo- Hey what are you guys doing here?
Amelia: I heard about this and had to come check it out!
Gourry: Ah, yeah.
Zelgadis: .....
Lina: C'mon you guys, you can say something more than that!
Kristy: No, they can't! How did you guys find out about this place anyway! Lina I all ready know...
Sylphiel: I heard of it from Lina.
Gourry: Sylphiel told me.
Amelia: Gourry mentioned it to me.
Zelgadis: Amelia told me all about it.
Xelloss: I all ready knew.
Lina: Xelloss! You weren't even in this chapter!
Xelloss: But I am in the fic!
Kristy: Hey you guys, this is supposed to be MY section!
Everyone ignores her.
Lina: So what! That doesn't mean you should be here!
Amelia: Mister Zelgadis! Don't you think we should stop them from fighting?
Zelgadis: .....
Gourry: What's going on here?
Sylphiel: Gourry dear, I'll explain it to you.
Lina: No, you won't!
Kristy: This is MY Afterword! Mine! Awww....