A/N: Ah, it's tiring writing fanfics suddenly. Oh wells. I'll plow through- tolerance should be observed.
Masaki1: I looked up faces and since it was long, I decided to wait until later. Thanks for the tip though. Hope you stay around to evaluate mine (though, I have no doubt whatsoever that there are many many more that are better than mine)
Winged Knight: Hah, yes. Indeed, I agree with your points. No, I won't submit to having ol' Shabby reborn. Though, if no one has suggestions…I might have to go off on a strange tangent (as adventures are never nearly as fun without enemies). Mm…Well, you'll just have to stick around and see, ne? ;)
BluediamondOh don't worry about spouting randomness. It works well for freeing up unnecessary clutter in the ol' noggin. Hope you come back regardless!
Disclaimer: --Sigh—If I owned Slayers, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. Geez louise these people are finicky.
Ch. 3: A Quest of Unearthly Proportions
Zelgadis mentally told his body to run; such an action would have had his body immediately at his destination with the speed of his demon counterpart. But no, his completely human mind could not compensate in the same manner. He had to force his body to run, and even then, the surprise and lack of proper exercise did not allow him the velocity required to catch the Queen before she fell. Surprisingly, Sylphiel did. When he finally ran up to them, he noted that the Sairaag shrine maiden was just as baffled.
He checked Amelia, and was gratified that not only was she all right, she was conscious and desperately trying to hold in mirth. Urgently, softly, he confirmed his check with her, before asking what she meant about Lina. Taking a deep gasp of breath, Amelia eventually calmed down enough to sit properly at the table and explain.
"Lina-san… she… sent a letter to me by messenger… Luna-san's out of the country on an expedition in the outer world… and her house…" Amelia had to stop to giggle like the young girl her spirit undoubtedly was. Her audience awaited her continuation on anxious jitters. What she finally said though, knocked their chairs over in such surprise that the occupants fell with them. "Her house was magicked to be infested with an unending supply of slugs and snails. She and Gourry-san were luckily visiting a magic shop at the time, but Lina-san was apparently infuriated, flabbergasted, and utterly sickened. She thinks a trickster of a monster was responsible for it, but she can't find any trace of the culprit. And even with her level of magic, she refuses to go anywhere near it, and requires reinforcements. She says it's crucial that it comes before the next full moon, because that's when Luna-san comes back, and she doesn't want it to be all slimed when she returns."
There was a brief pause of the information sinking in before… peels of laughter erupted from both audience and teller. Since their adventure days with Lina, they all knew that there were two things she was afraid of. One, her older sister Luna, and two, slugs and snails. The brilliant combination of tactics could only have been executed by one who knew Lina, and wished to torture her with endless nightmares and taunts during the day. It was obvious who was behind it, but the absurdity of it all had gotten to them before the dangerous aspect. If Lina could not enter her home, or the restaurant upon which it was situated, or the secret library below that, no customers would enter either. And that was a fatal plan more brutal than the punishment she would gain for getting the whole establishment slimed. Once they sobered up however, they delved into more details.
"Apparently, the creatures have been contained to the property strictly belonging to the Inverses," Amelia explained, "However, in doing so, their reproduction rate is phenomenally explosive. According to the dates she sent me, in two days from its start, there were approximately one thousand slugs and snails combined, each the size of a bloated rat. Lina-san actually sounded panicked in her letter- a fact of which startled me immensely in and of itself."
Zel mulled through the information carefully, catching the gist of it. "So she wants us to come and bail her out?"
At her nod, Sylphiel asked, "What about Gourry dear?"
Amelia grimaced, remembering the contents of the letter. "Obviously, Lina-san had Gourry-san go into the building first as soon as she recognized the snail for what it was. He sliced at it with his sword- it was a special Inverse branded magic sword too- and the snail sucked it in, almost catching Gourry-san in the process. That one grew bigger, and is apparently the strongest and the ring leader, so to speak. Gourry-san and Lina-san are staying at a family friend's home while they try to extinguish the smaller menaces by daylight."
With the grimmest of expressions, Amelia added, "What's worse, Lina-san is so worried about what her sister is going to do to her… that she can barely eat. According to Gourry's letter that was included in the packet… she only eats three or four plates every day."
A stunned silence filled the room. Things were definitely bad if Lina stopped eating her normal amount. Just how bad were her sister's punishments, to still be scared of them at 43-years old?
Zelgadis nodded, as did Sylphiel. "I guess that settles that then. Tomorrow morning, we set out for Zephilia."
Amelia had a look of sudden forlornness. "Unfortunately, as much as I wish it otherwise, I must remain here. My council… has gained a sudden boost of fear for my safety. I must stay to reassure the people of my presence."
Her companions nodded in silent understanding. The meal was brought in on silver platters, and dinner began.
Zelgadis and Sylphiel silently turned back, and made parting gestures to the Queen whilst the sun crept up behind them. They were on their way.
Not a soul was up at this insane time- the rooster had not even crowed its "song" to the rise of the sun. It must have slept in. The trees rustled with the breeze of the long winter night, as expected so near to the Winter Solitice. If they did not rush, they would miss the festival due to arrive in a week's time. Fortunately, it should have been a relatively short journey, given they had their mounts- a factor they began with.
Within the first hour, they were shrouded in the deep forest, their horses going at a pleasant trot at times, a leisurely walk when they wished to laze about on the job. Neither minded. They had two weeks to make a two day horseback journey. As long as nothing went wrong…but of course, hoping such only jinxed them.
It started when they stopped for the night. Sylphiel offered to collect firewood, while Zelgadis hunted. Having returned early, Sylphiel decided, after placing the firewood as it should be, to retrieve water as well. That was her first mistake.
Sylphiel scrounged around the trees, using her tracking spell to locate the nearest fresh water. She had improved since her stick-dropping days, and could now do so by using her spell on a compass, a bewildering contraption brought back from the Outer World Nautical Investigation team. Near where she smelled the special scent of water, she heard low voices. Cautiously, she crouched behind the bushes, separately a small part to see through it. An immediate blush spread across her cheeks, and she quickly turned away. The sudden jerk alerted the occupant of the small lake, and a voice hailed her with surprising pleasantry. "You there, the one trying to hide in the bushes. Come out so we can see your face, why don'tcha?"
Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Sylphiel slowly stood up, still somewhat shrouded by the shadow of the trees. But she could see the speaker quite well…and a part of his companion. Both, it seemed, had been taking a rather affectionate bath. The male literally had dirty blond hair- he apparently hadn't washed himself very well just yet- with alluringly gentle sapphire eyes. With the way he grinned, it seemed nearly obvious that he could see her very well, and with being a shrine maiden who dabbled in the spells of Dark Lords (namely in the form of a Dragon Slave), her figure had been quite well preserved.
Soon, he made it clear he knew why she hesitated to come near, and disposed of said reason. With a puff of smoke, his companion had disappeared. He swam a little closer, always keeping eye contact, and Sylphiel found that she could not look away. Distantly, Sylphiel wondered where Zelgadis was, but such thoughts dissipated when the stranger answered her previous questioning look. "My…companion was only a spell, to lure demure beauties such as you. I'm gratified that my plan worked better than I had hoped. Please, will you stay whilst I get dressed again?"
Gingerly, as if attached with puppet strings, Sylphiel turned around, but remained otherwise stationary. What was she doing? Who was this stranger, to request her presence thus so? Still...a small part of her admitted… he doesn't look so bad…in looks or in character…
Her thoughts were startled when, after a scurry in the water- during which Sylphiel guessed he was furiously scrubbing his hair- a rustling of clothes came to her ear as well as his calm, cheerfully handsome voice. "My name is Eldwin. I like to think it's because my mind is like that of an elder, and I always win, but I won't go cocky on myself. It's fun conjuring the shape of a woman from water vapor, but I'll always love the real deal more. I hope you don't think me brash for doing so, but, if I may ask, what is a lady as beautiful as yourself doing, skulking around in the forests, especially at night? It's dangerous in these parts you know. Say, what's your name? I should have asked that first."
When he stopped to hear her answer, Sylphiel was breathless from just listening to him. Slowly, she regained her voice and answered, somewhat timidly, "My name is Sylphiel, a shrine maiden of New Sairaag. I'm visiting a friend, and traveling from the capital. And what, may I ask, are you gaining from well…stopping me like this?"
She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she became naturally petrified. The hand removed itself, as if feeling her tense up. "Sorry to intrude, but my reasoning is fairly simple. You are an experienced traveler are you not? Well, it just so happens, I'm not, and I came into the forest not knowing how to build a fire. Can you believe that? Heh, my own fault for never learning. Never had the reason to, before this you see. What I'm really asking though is…" he paused, and whirled Sylphiel around to face him. "Would it be so terrible if you shared your campfire with me?"
The blush returned ten fold, though it had never truly disappeared. He was now dressed in a fair blue tunic fringed in black and darker blue leggings. His hands were adorned in black fingerless gloves just as his feet were held within worn opaque boots. His hair now shown a silky blond and his skin was a healthy shade once the apparent dirt had worn off. He looked startlingly like Gourry. Close enough to be related.
"Sylphiel-san? Would it be all right?"
Faintly, Sylphiel murmured, "My companion…he doesn't take too kindly to-"
"He's just a friend though, right? A human one at that. And he is betrothed to another."
That snapped Sylphiel out of her daze. "What? How did you-" She was having a déjà vu memory from her time with Liona.
Eldwin grinned again. "I could see it in your eyes. You yearn for someone to love and be loved by. The one and only one you have loved, you have long since given up the thought of having, for he is deeply in love with another, one who you have befriended."
This rather accurate analysis startled her further. It had to be a trap. She couldn't get ensnared- her friend was depending on her. Well… maybe not dependent, but insistently hopeful to be sure. She couldn't dilly-dally around here anymore- what was the use of assisting her love's wife? No! Lina was her friend, just as Gourry was. She had to help if she could, so why not recruit more help to get it done sooner? Sylphiel's mind was in conflict, but a compromise seemed to be forming.
"SYLPHIEL! Where are you?!"
Zelgadis' call rang through the trees, pressing a shudder through Sylphiel. She smiled kindly at Eldwin though. "It's all right with me, but perhaps you should meet my traveling companion first; he has a rather…unnerving mindset."
There was no need to walk anywhere at the moment however, for just as Eldwin nodded in agreement, Zelgadis appeared from behind another bush, approaching from the direction of camp.
A/N: And so I grin with amusement? So….whatcha think? I know there's an obvious look of S/OC pairing here, but hey, I won't tell if you won't read (course, by then, you'd know yourself too) Please review! Thank ye kindly for your time!