In Which a Wizard Joins The Quest

"Fine Morning!" said the snail, bowing. "I am Plessey the Wizard!" Sure enough, perched between his eye-stalks was a purple pointed hat with stars on. If you looked closely at Plessey's shell you could see silvery, but faint, arcane symbols etched into the sides.

Getting into his role, Gorden made a deep bow and introduced himself.

"Greetings! I am Gorden, The Chosen One." Beside Gorden David giggled.

Gorden elbowed him and said of out the corner of his mouth:

"Introduce yourself, it's good form on a quest."

"We're on a Quest?" David whispered back, then in response to another elbow from Gorden spoke to the Snail,

"I am David," He thought for a second "A Companion of the Quest!"

"Good one." Gorden whispered.

The snail nodded.

"As I am the Might Plessey I know all." The wizard began. "Or at least I know your names!" He looked up at the rabbit:

"Well, then?" He asked, "May I join your quest?"

"Um," Gorden's brain started working."Won't you slow us down a bit?"

"Not at all!" Said the wizardly shell-slug, wrinkling his nose. A quiet shower of blue sparks and the snail started to float in the air.

He floated towards Gorden and, once at his side, turned to point the way that Gorden and David were going. "Forward!" He cried and started going. Gorden and David tottered behind his floating form.

"I must say" The snail said "That staff of yours is mightily impressive!"

"That's what they all.." David began, then "Ouch! Gorden! You trod on my foot!"

"It is," said Gorden ignoring his smutty friend, "In fact we just faced-off Sly with it" he tried to make the "rabbit vs fox" angle seem unimportant.

"Um," Said the snail, impressed. "Of course I was given a staff just like it, by my tutor, when I graduated wizard school"

"What happened to it?" Gorden asked.

The snail looked at him, sideways,

"No arms.

"No use."