Ill Met by Nightfall
"This time," the female said threateningly to Gourry, leading him on a chain to the balcony outside her room. It was a long drop looking down. "You will kill and lead Lina Inverse to me."
Gourry could not respond though he looked tortured. A war inside him raged as he lost to the poison that the evil woman had injected him with. He was slowly changing into a monster. Had the two girls survived? He wondered suddenly. The thought was pushed aside roughly. What girls?
"You…won't win," Gourry muttered. His teeth elongated painfully to enrage him all the more. "I'll warn them…and then…" but he couldn't finish. The dark woman slapped him a second time and glared coldly at him through lime-green eye shards.
"Try," she baited. "You'll never see her or your companions again. But the daylight should be plenty of company so long as you don't burn up." She traced the scar on his back which was hidden under his shirt lightly. He shuddered. It still hurt and her touch made it feel as if a hot iron rod was being pressed against the wound. What had she done to him!
She chuckled darkly. "The moon is up and the prey is waiting. Go," she hissed.
Gourry leapt off the building, landing easily on the ground unscathed and ran towards the forest whish surrounded the area. He disappeared in the darkness but the crashing through the brambles and leaves could be heard by their echo.
Alyssa looked out into the dark sky in silent reflection of what had happened in the last week. Everything seemed to be moving so fast, she thought. But the one thing that had not changed was Kassandra's silence. She no longer looked at the chimera man with fear but instead with curiosity. Zelgadis didn't pay any mind or so anyone would think who didn't know him. He kept an eye on the little girl sparingly and was always close by unless Amelia had the girl with her.
Lina returned that evening with their meal and ate with still less gusto than she exhibited around their two new companions. She volunteered the first watch, going off to check the area though by now Alyssa knew it was Lina's way of saying she wanted to be alone with her thoughts. Never had she heard the sorceress cry but the pain was evident to her.
Crash! A tree, a small one by the sound, fell not far from their camp. Amelia was awake in an instant and took a defensive pose on one side of Alyssa and Kassandra while Zelgadis took the other. Sword drawn, his navy blue eyes searched around for the source of the disturbance.
"That was Miss Lina!" Amelia exclaimed as an explosion reached their ears.
Zelgadis confirmed Amelia's claim as his ears picked up the sound of Lina casting a Flare Arrow. "Amelia, stay here," he said and went off to assist Lina.
Having no time to protest, Amelia snuffed out the embers of their former fire. "Hold on to me," she said to the other two girls. They complied silently and waited.
Another explosion and the excitement came their way. With a snarl, a fanged monster tore through the brush right towards the girls. Amelia quickly dispersed a Fireball she had learned from Lina and pulled the others away. Zelgadis and Lina weren't far behind as they shouted to not attack.
"What do you mean?" Amelia asked, barely dodging the swipe of lethal claws.
"It's Gourry!" Lina shouted.
Amelia rolled on the ground towards Lina and Zelgadis, looking at the fearful monster she had managed to escape. "Are you sure Miss Lina?" she asked.
Kassandra screamed. Zelgadis and the other two ran for the girls. Gourry, if it was Gourry, no longer looked like his former self. His armor gone, hair wild, face covered in soft fuzz and eyes that had lost their humanity. Claws outstretched, he prepared to take a swipe out of the two frozen girls before him.