Chapter Two: Revelations
A/N: It seems, as I write this chapter, that I've forgotten some of the words to the Dragon Slave spell. Could someone help me out?
Caramon turned on his heels and lumbered back into the woods in search of more food, while Crysania and Zelgadis laid down the firewood, which was slightly damp, and attempted to start a fire.
"Oh, dear," Crysania said, staring hopelessly at the fire, which refused to do anything but smolder, "the wood won't catch and we've only one match left."
Lina looked over at them and grinned.
"Oh, is that all? Here, stand back…"
She held her hands up in front of her, aimed them at the fire, and began to chant.
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…"
"LINA! NOOOOOOOO!" Screamed her companions in unison.
"…Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows…"
"Quick! Get down!" Gourry cried, pulling Crysania and Raistlin out of the way. They began sprinting back into the woods, looking vainly for shelter.
"Wha-" Crysania began.
"Just HIDE!" Zelgadis screamed at her.
"…I vow to destroy all those who stand before me, with the power you and I possess-- DRAAAGOOOOOOOOOON… SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVE!"
Deep in the shrubbery, Zelgadis, Amelia, Gourry, Raistlin and Crysania crouched low, covering their heads with their arms and bracing for the impact of the explosion that-
Never came.
"Huh?" Gourry said, peering over the bush cautiously.
"I don't understand," Lina was saying, looking at the pathetic puff of smoke she had produced. "Why won't my magic work?"
Brushing themselves off, her companions, the mage, and the cleric stood up.
"I've never heard a spell like that," Raistlin said. "Where did you say you were from?"
"Obviously not anywhere near here," Zelgadis said, gazing curiously at Lina. "Let me try."
He turned to a tree, stretched his arms out, and cried, "Flare Arrow!"
Nothing happened.
"Does this mean none of our magic will work?" Amelia simpered.
In the setting sun, Raistlin held up his staff.
"Shirak," he muttered, and the crystal orb mounted to his staff began to glow softly.
"There isn't any trouble with my magic," he said. "Perhaps the magic of your land simply doesn't work here."
Lina studied the amulets she wore at her belt, wrists, and neck.
"Huh," she said. "That sucks."
She looked at her companions.
"That sucks!" She cried, stamping her foot. "How are we going to get anything done if none of us can use our magic? How are we going to get out of this god-forsaken place?"
"That's an excellent question," Zelgadis said, leaning against a tree with his arms folded and one leg propped up against the trunk. He looked at Raistlin.
"You can use magic; are you a sorcerer?"
"A mage," Raistlin said, "from the Order of the Black Robes."
He took in the blank gazes he was getting.
"You don't know the three orders?"
"We're not from here, remember?" Lina answered, still miffed about not being able to use her powers. "We don't know anything about this place. We have no idea where we are, how we got here, or how to get back. Now what are we supposed to do?"
"Hey, maybe you could help us," Gourry said, grinning broadly. "If you can use magic, maybe you can find out some way to get us back home."
"I think not," Raistlin said. "You may eat with us tonight, but my companions and I are on a very important mission, and we cannot waste any time."
"What kind of mission?" Amelia asked. "A mission of justice? We're good at missions; we could help!"
"It would be useful to have a few extra-" Crysania began.
"No," Raistlin said firmly. "They are not coming with us. It will be myself, Caramon, you, and no one else. That is the way it must be."
"Aw," Gourry said sadly, "what are we supposed to do then?"
"Frankly, I couldn't care less," Raistlin replied, his voice cold.
"Well," came Amelia's haughty reply, "That certainly isn't very friendly.
Raistlin stared at her evenly.
Zelgadis straightened up and went back to the fire.
"Come on," he murmured. "Let's just try to get the fire started. We can have dinner, then figure out what to do."
Leaning down next to him, Crysania gave the still-hooded Zelgadis an apologetic smile.
"I'm sure Raistlin doesn't mean it," she whispered. "I'm sure it will be all right if you come with us. If not, we can always help you when we're through."
Zelgadis smiled back shyly. It wasn't very often a pretty woman was so kind to him.
"So," Lina said to the cleric, sitting down on a rock next to the fire, "what's your name?"
"Crysania," she replied.
Turning back to the mage, Lina said, "And you're Raistlin, right? What was the other guy's name again?"
"Caramon," Raistlin responded bitterly. "My twin brother."
"Twin?" Gourry said, "You two don't look alike at all. I mean, he's a big, strapping guy with brown hair, and you don't have any face at all!"
"You idiot," Lina growled, hitting Gourry on the back of the head, "that's 'cause he's wearing a hood! Jellyfish brain," she added to herself. "What's under that hood, anyway?"
Raistlin sighed. It always wound up here. Reaching up, he slowly pulled the hood back and waited for the typical response of shock and horror.
There was silence.
Raistlin looked at the faces surrounding him. Crysania already knew what he looked like, of course, but the others were looking at him like he was just any other man.
Crysania was confused.
"Um," she ventured, "do you see anything unusual? You know, like Raistlin has white hair even though he's very young, or… You know, his golden skin? Or maybe the fact that his pupils are shaped like hourglasses?"
Lina peered in for a closer look.
"Oh, yeah," she affirmed, "he does. Neat."
"Neat?" Raistlin said, taken aback.
"Yeah, neat. Not even Zelgadis has cool eyes like that."
Raistlin glanced sideways at the hooded man to his left.
"Do many people look like me where you come from?"
"Well," Zelgadis replied, "let's just say it's not the strangest thing we've ever seen."
He pushed back his own hood.
Crysania gasped.
"Your face," she breathed, "what happened to it?"
"Long story," Zelgadis said. "Basically, I was changed into a chimera. It means I'm party human, part demon, and part golem. That's why I have stone skin, and my hair-"
Plucking a wiry hair from his head, he jabbed it into the log he was seated upon. It stuck halfway in.
"Blessed Paladine," Crysania murmured.
"Well," Raistlin said, "this has certainly been an interesting evening so far."
"I'll say," said Amelia.
Lina looked around.
"Hey, where's dinner?"
A/N: It seems, as I write this chapter, that I've forgotten some of the words to the Dragon Slave spell. Could someone help me out?
Caramon turned on his heels and lumbered back into the woods in search of more food, while Crysania and Zelgadis laid down the firewood, which was slightly damp, and attempted to start a fire.
"Oh, dear," Crysania said, staring hopelessly at the fire, which refused to do anything but smolder, "the wood won't catch and we've only one match left."
Lina looked over at them and grinned.
"Oh, is that all? Here, stand back…"
She held her hands up in front of her, aimed them at the fire, and began to chant.
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows…"
"LINA! NOOOOOOOO!" Screamed her companions in unison.
"…Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows…"
"Quick! Get down!" Gourry cried, pulling Crysania and Raistlin out of the way. They began sprinting back into the woods, looking vainly for shelter.
"Wha-" Crysania began.
"Just HIDE!" Zelgadis screamed at her.
"…I vow to destroy all those who stand before me, with the power you and I possess-- DRAAAGOOOOOOOOOON… SLAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVE!"
Deep in the shrubbery, Zelgadis, Amelia, Gourry, Raistlin and Crysania crouched low, covering their heads with their arms and bracing for the impact of the explosion that-
Never came.
"Huh?" Gourry said, peering over the bush cautiously.
"I don't understand," Lina was saying, looking at the pathetic puff of smoke she had produced. "Why won't my magic work?"
Brushing themselves off, her companions, the mage, and the cleric stood up.
"I've never heard a spell like that," Raistlin said. "Where did you say you were from?"
"Obviously not anywhere near here," Zelgadis said, gazing curiously at Lina. "Let me try."
He turned to a tree, stretched his arms out, and cried, "Flare Arrow!"
Nothing happened.
"Does this mean none of our magic will work?" Amelia simpered.
In the setting sun, Raistlin held up his staff.
"Shirak," he muttered, and the crystal orb mounted to his staff began to glow softly.
"There isn't any trouble with my magic," he said. "Perhaps the magic of your land simply doesn't work here."
Lina studied the amulets she wore at her belt, wrists, and neck.
"Huh," she said. "That sucks."
She looked at her companions.
"That sucks!" She cried, stamping her foot. "How are we going to get anything done if none of us can use our magic? How are we going to get out of this god-forsaken place?"
"That's an excellent question," Zelgadis said, leaning against a tree with his arms folded and one leg propped up against the trunk. He looked at Raistlin.
"You can use magic; are you a sorcerer?"
"A mage," Raistlin said, "from the Order of the Black Robes."
He took in the blank gazes he was getting.
"You don't know the three orders?"
"We're not from here, remember?" Lina answered, still miffed about not being able to use her powers. "We don't know anything about this place. We have no idea where we are, how we got here, or how to get back. Now what are we supposed to do?"
"Hey, maybe you could help us," Gourry said, grinning broadly. "If you can use magic, maybe you can find out some way to get us back home."
"I think not," Raistlin said. "You may eat with us tonight, but my companions and I are on a very important mission, and we cannot waste any time."
"What kind of mission?" Amelia asked. "A mission of justice? We're good at missions; we could help!"
"It would be useful to have a few extra-" Crysania began.
"No," Raistlin said firmly. "They are not coming with us. It will be myself, Caramon, you, and no one else. That is the way it must be."
"Aw," Gourry said sadly, "what are we supposed to do then?"
"Frankly, I couldn't care less," Raistlin replied, his voice cold.
"Well," came Amelia's haughty reply, "That certainly isn't very friendly.
Raistlin stared at her evenly.
Zelgadis straightened up and went back to the fire.
"Come on," he murmured. "Let's just try to get the fire started. We can have dinner, then figure out what to do."
Leaning down next to him, Crysania gave the still-hooded Zelgadis an apologetic smile.
"I'm sure Raistlin doesn't mean it," she whispered. "I'm sure it will be all right if you come with us. If not, we can always help you when we're through."
Zelgadis smiled back shyly. It wasn't very often a pretty woman was so kind to him.
"So," Lina said to the cleric, sitting down on a rock next to the fire, "what's your name?"
"Crysania," she replied.
Turning back to the mage, Lina said, "And you're Raistlin, right? What was the other guy's name again?"
"Caramon," Raistlin responded bitterly. "My twin brother."
"Twin?" Gourry said, "You two don't look alike at all. I mean, he's a big, strapping guy with brown hair, and you don't have any face at all!"
"You idiot," Lina growled, hitting Gourry on the back of the head, "that's 'cause he's wearing a hood! Jellyfish brain," she added to herself. "What's under that hood, anyway?"
Raistlin sighed. It always wound up here. Reaching up, he slowly pulled the hood back and waited for the typical response of shock and horror.
There was silence.
Raistlin looked at the faces surrounding him. Crysania already knew what he looked like, of course, but the others were looking at him like he was just any other man.
Crysania was confused.
"Um," she ventured, "do you see anything unusual? You know, like Raistlin has white hair even though he's very young, or… You know, his golden skin? Or maybe the fact that his pupils are shaped like hourglasses?"
Lina peered in for a closer look.
"Oh, yeah," she affirmed, "he does. Neat."
"Neat?" Raistlin said, taken aback.
"Yeah, neat. Not even Zelgadis has cool eyes like that."
Raistlin glanced sideways at the hooded man to his left.
"Do many people look like me where you come from?"
"Well," Zelgadis replied, "let's just say it's not the strangest thing we've ever seen."
He pushed back his own hood.
Crysania gasped.
"Your face," she breathed, "what happened to it?"
"Long story," Zelgadis said. "Basically, I was changed into a chimera. It means I'm party human, part demon, and part golem. That's why I have stone skin, and my hair-"
Plucking a wiry hair from his head, he jabbed it into the log he was seated upon. It stuck halfway in.
"Blessed Paladine," Crysania murmured.
"Well," Raistlin said, "this has certainly been an interesting evening so far."
"I'll say," said Amelia.
Lina looked around.
"Hey, where's dinner?"