Hey guys, sorry about the wait! I was on vacation. ; But all is well! We meet the "lion" today...
The trio moved down the path much quicker now that Lina the Tinwoman was urging them along through the forest. In fact, some might say that they were sprinting.
"COME BACK HERE YOU NEANDERTHALS!" screamed Lina, casting Fireballs left and right.
"You know," Gourry panted to Zel. "I've known Lina for awhile now. She is a bit premenstrual, I have found."
"WHAT?" Zelgadis almost tripped over a log.
"Oh wait, maybe that's not the right word. Productive? Prevailing?"
"Predictable?"
Gourry snapped his fingers. "Yeah that's it! Predictable. So as I was saying, I know what she's gonna do. And once she's bored of fireballs, she might start using something bigger like..."
"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..."
"Like that, yeah! Lina you read me like a book." The blonde chortled, still running roughly the speed of a bullet.
With a "yikes!" and a stumble of stone feet, Zelgadis found himself on the ground, right in front of a steaming, smirking sorceress.
"Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows." Lina's evil grin grew wider.
"Oy, Zel! Watcha doin'?" Gourry had returned.
"Save yourself! Don't worry about me!" Zel said dramatically. Secretly he'd always wanted to say that after reading it in a book.
Lina was now almost unable to recite the spell for the maniacal laughter now taking over her. However, to Zelgadis's dismay, she continued.
"—Mwahahahahahah DRAGON SL--"
Idiots and sorceresses and justice freaks, OH MY!
"Oh for the love of L-Sama not those midget freakazoids again!" Lina said exasperatedly, and the growing ball of power in her hand shrank to nothing.
"But what are they singing? It's kinda catchy." The blonde began slapping his thigh in rhythm to the chibis' chant.
"Yeah, that is weird. It's almost as if they're talking about us." Lina scratched her head and looked at the surrounding brush where the chibis hid.
Zel thought. "Well, we have the 'idiot'" he murmered, jerking his thumb in the direction of Gourry. Glancing over his shoulder, Zel saw he was still slapping his leg.
"And the sorceress." Lina struck a dramatic pose.
"Ah...yes...but what about the justice fr—" Zel's eyes grew. "Oh, God."
Suddenly he heard a thud behind him. It can't be, just CAN'T be... he thought desperately. Bracing himself, Zelgadis turned around.
"And just WHO are YOU?" Amelia pointed her index finger at him, and then proceded to point at his two companions. "Trespassers? How DARE YOU?"
Gourry attempted to explain, the thigh-slapping forgotten. "You see, we're off to see..."
"A sorcerer!" Interjected Zelgadis. "NOT a wizard. Certainly not." He stole glances at the brush, in which he could see tiny accusing eyes peering out of.
"Oh reeaallyy?" Amelia loomed over them menacingly. "Then you wouldn't mind if I..."
"I-if you what?" Gourry stuttered.
"If I...joined you on your quest?"
This caught Zel completely off guard. Which meant he wasn't thinking properly. And Amelia OBVIOUSLY brainwashed him with justice speaches over the years. Or at least this is what he told himself when he found his mouth saying "Sure. You can come."
Later along the winding forest trail Lina asked, "Hey Amelia. What is it you want to ask the wiz—I mean sorcerer?"
"Oh that." Amelia looked down, blushing. "I really want...some common sense and to stop giving annoying justice speaches"
MEANWHILE IN THE GORGEOUS, INTELLIGENT AUTHOR'S ROOM
"Hey!" accused a chibi. "That's not how the story goes!"
The gorgeous, intelligent author sighed. "Oh alright. If you insist." She pulled out her giant eraser and began rubbing. After she had blown away the last of the eraser debris, she began to write again.
NOW, BACK TO THE STORY
"Okayyyy that was strange." said Lina. "Now what was that you were saying?"
"I really want...some courage."
"HUH!" All of them said at once.
"But Amelia," said Zel, "you're extremely brave. To the point of being stupid."
"Well yeah, but.." Amelia took a deep breath. "Since I'm to be queen one day, I need all the courage I can get. And you know how shy I am around people."
"Unless they had a history of jaywalking." Lina muttered in Zelgadis's ear.
Gourry clapped the princess on the back. "I guess you have a point. Now, let's go to the Emerald City!"
Weeee're off to the the wizard! The wonderful wizard of Slayers!