by Edward Brody
“Let’s just hope for the best,” I said. “We’ll find out more tomorrow.”
The night continued with most of the gang enjoying things as they usually did. Though between everyone who had met Adeelee, only Jax and I were particularly close with the Princess. Jax looked distraught at the situation, and I could tell that he hated being helpless to save her.
I moved away from our village and found a safe spot with plenty of clearing space to practice the new summoning spell I had acquired. I pulled it out, and before using it, I assigned all my ability points and dropped my one LP into Fire Magic to bring it up to level 15.
Like all other spells, the summon scroll dissolved as I read it.
Congratulations! You have learned the spell: Scorching Fire Elemental.
Congratulations! You have earned the title: Fire Mage!
Prerequisites Met: Level 15 in Fire Magic, 30 Intelligence, 25 Wisdom, Learned more than 5 Fire Magic spells.
Whoa, whoa, whoa…. Hold the front door, I thought. A title change was completely unexpected. I pulled up my stats to check them, and a smile crept across my face.
I guess I wouldn’t be calling myself an Arcane Blade anymore.
I held my hand out my hand to try casting the spell.
Since the spell required Sulfur’s Ash to be cast, Darion had given me 5 of the reagents to get me started. He told me that for basic summoning spells such as this one, I could simply have the reagents in my inventory, and they would be depleted with each cast. Only certain spells, such as portals, required the reagents to be removed and placed in a certain location.
“Hey,” a soft voice said from behind.
I turned to see Keysia approaching.
I lowered my hand and gave her my best smile. “Hey. What’s up?”
“What are you doing over here alone?” she asked.
“Just trying a new spell that I picked up today at the Mages Guild. My first summon spell, actually.”
“Oh, cool,” Keysia said. “Do you mind if I watch?”
Cool? I wondered. It wasn’t the hard kind of slang that Aaron had been teaching NPCs, but it still caught my attention to hear that Keysia had picked the word up. She also said it in an eerily natural tone. “Yeah, sure. Why not?”
I held my hand out again and was about to cast the spell.
“A motion of intent usually helps with summoning-type spells,” Keysia said.
“What do you mean?” I asked, lowering my hand.
“You know how you press your hand on the ground when you summon Sora?” She shrugged. “Some mages will tap their staff on the ground, slap their hands together, or press the side of their hand against their head or nose. Whatever feels comfortable at the time.”
“It helps?”
“It can. When you focus on the spell while you’re performing that kind of action, it leaves little doubt what you’re trying to do.”
“Okay,” I said with a nod. I unfastened by staff, held out my hand, and pounded the bottom end of my staff on the ground. I focused hard on summoning an elemental.
Within a second, a spark formed on the ground, and within another second, a small, circular area charred, and a tiny flame began growing into a humanoid figure. Unlike when I had seen ice and earth elementals summoned, the fire elemental had no feet. The flames simply appeared to be pouring out of the ground like a lighter’s flame, forming a long, swirling torso, powerful arms and featureless head. The way the flames skipped off its dome almost gave it the appearance of having a dancing haircut.
Small health, mana, and stamina bars immediately popped up below mine. A tiny icon was listed below it that looked like the flame of a candle. It indicated a duration of fifteen minutes.
Name: Scorching Fire Elemental
Race: elemental
Level: 15
Health/Mana/Stamina: 130/130/130
Status: friendly
“Wow,” I said.
“Excellent,” Keysia cheered.
The fire elemental stood idly at about five feet tall, and I could feel the heat emanating from it, even from a few meters away.
“I guess I just urge it do whatever I want?” I asked.
“Yes, like you do with Sora,” Keysia said. “But simple elementals like this usually can’t communicate with you. They can do your bidding and nothing more.”
I urged the elemental towards Keysia, and it immediately began floating over to her, singeing foliage and leaving scorched trails along the way.
Keysia’s eyes shot up as the elemental approached, and she took a step back as if readying herself for an attack.
Before the elemental could make it in range of Keysia, I urged it back and to move towards me. The elemental immediately changed gears and headed in my direction.
I wasn’t really sure what to do with the elemental at that point. It was hot enough that it was doing damaging to everything it touched, and there wasn’t anything in sight for me to test its fighting skills against. I decided to let it go to avoid damaging too much of the forest.
I tapped my staff on the ground again, focusing on dismissing the elemental, and it almost instantly started growing smaller as the flames twirled towards the ground and vanished, leaving nothing but a bit of smoke floating in the air.
“That should make you a stronger mage,” Keysia said.
I grinned a little, but I remembered getting my ass handed to me by Liam. “I’ve still got quite a bit to go.”
“You’ll get there.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I hope so.”
Keysia looked down to the ground and cupped her hands together behind her back. I could tell something was on her mind.
“Is everything okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to catch up with you, since we haven’t spoken much the last few days.”
“Sorry about that,” I said. “I’ve been training with the Mages Guild, grinding as much as possible in my free time, and then today with Liam and Adeelee…” I felt a bit of a knot form in my throat as I mentioned Adeelee’s name. Partially because I was worried about her, and partially because I hated talking about Adeelee with Keysia.
“You really care about her, don’t you?” Keysia said.
I hadn’t expected the question, so I was at a loss for words. Of course, I cared about Adeelee, but I didn’t want Keysia to take it the wrong way. I struggled with my answer for a moment, before finally settling on the truth. “Yeah, I do.”
“I know,” Keysia said. “Thank you for being honest. I like that about you.”
“Thanks for understanding,” I said. “Adeelee was one of the first people I met when I entered Eden’s Gate. We’ve developed a great friendship. And I’m an ambassador, of course.”
“A friendship like you and I have?” Keysia asked with a smirk.
I blinked and briefly squeezed my eyelids tight as I tried to alleviate the pressure forming around my temples. “I mean… we haven’t hooked up if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Hooked up?” Keysia questioned.
I tilted my head slightly. “We haven’t done what you and I did when we were in Barbarosia, I mean.”
“It’s totally fine if you have,” Keysia said, “or if you want to.”
“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. I was surprised by her suggestion, and I almost felt like I was being tricked. But perhaps Keysia was more open-minded than I thought. “You wouldn’t care if I…?”
“I’ve ‘hooked up’ with a couple of others since Barbaros, so how could I be upset?”
My eyes went wide, and I felt a dull ache in my chest. I shouldn’t have. After all, Keysia and I weren’t in a relationship. But even if we weren’t, a greedy part of me wanted her all to myself. “Do you even know what ‘hooked up’ means?”
“Ozzy and I—“
“Ozzy!?” I interrupted. My jaw dropped wide, and I took a couple steps closer to her. “You hooked up with Ozzy?”
“It was only one time…�
�� Keysia said.
I closed my eyes, slapped my forehead, and started shaking my head. Inside, my blood was starting to boil, but I had no right to be angry. If I hadn’t solidified anything with Keysia, how could I expect her not to move on to someone else? But so fast? And with Ozzy? It was a bit of a shock to my system.
“And last night, Jeremy and I—”
“Jeremy too?!” I cried out as I opened my eyes. I held my hands out to my side and then gave my forehead another light slap. “Really? Jeremy? He cut my arm off!” I was shaking my head rapidly at that point. “And why them? Why not someone I don’t know?”
“Well, I see them every day, and they’re always around the village.” She shrugged.
“Keysia…” I huffed, tilting my jaw from side to side. I had no idea what else to say, but I couldn’t scold her. And I couldn’t be mad at anyone but myself. Instead of making it clear that I wanted her and only her, I was the one who needed time. I was the one who had given her the opportunity to sleep around. Still, it was very surprising to hear who she had chosen as an alternative. Were NPCs in Eden’s Gate easy or something? Or was Keysia, specifically, easy? What the hell?
“One time, Aaron and I—”
“Aaron?!” I blurted but stopped myself from saying more as I realized how ridiculous that sounded. Keysia would never hook up with Aaron, and Aaron loved to talk about tits and ass too much. He’d never do anything with Keysia without bragging about it.
I noticed a sly grin inching from the side of Keysia’s mouth.
“Hey…” I grumbled.
Her grin grew a little wider.
“You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?”
Keysia giggled, cracked her lips open and rubbed her tongue across her teeth. “Are you jealous, guild master?”
“Oh, come on...” I groaned. “That wasn’t funny.”
“I may not have slept with the other guild mates, but some of their humor has rubbed off on me, I suppose.”
It certainly had. Everything about her was becoming more natural, more human. She seemed more like a Reborn every day.
“There we go,” Keysia said as she stared at me.
“What?”
“You’re smiling. I was hoping a little joke could lighten your mood.”
“Thanks,” I said and turned slightly to the side. I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes. “So you really haven’t…?”
Keysia shook her head and walked up next to me. “Of course not. It hasn’t been long since Barbarosia. You don’t suspect I’m some sort of pass-around wench, just because I’m dark elf, do you?”
“No! Of course not!”
She punched me playfully in the shoulder. “And I’m not like you—not running off to meet other guys in other forests.”
“Are you angry that I spent time with Adeelee?” I asked.
“I was…” Keysia muttered. “I’m a woman, and we can be emotional, especially when we care about someone. But I understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That you’re a Reborn. You’ve been in this world a short time. And Adeelee is gorgeous. It would be silly of me to think any man could resist her charm.”
“It’s not just her beauty,” I said, holding up my hand, but then I cringed as I realized it didn’t sound the way I intended.
“Of course,” Keysia said. “She’s a Princess.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“And you’re sure to meet numerous other women as well. You might even find the Reborn girl you’ve been searching for.”
“Keysia…” I muttered. I appreciated her understanding, but I hated to hear her talking like that.
Keysia sighed and smiled. “It’s okay, Gunnar. I know you care about me.”
“Do you?” I asked.
She nodded. “You care about all of the guild members.”
“That’s true,” I said. I quickly fastened my staff to my back and placed my hands on Keysia’s shoulders. “But I care about you more.”
Keysia looked up to me with wide eyes, and her lips fell into a pout. I wanted to kiss her soft lips, but it felt wrong to kiss on her the same day that I had kissed Adeelee. Instead, I leaned in and pecked her gently on the forehead, then pulled her into a warm hug.
“You’re just as beautiful as Adeelee—maybe even more so.”
Keysia suddenly pushed me away and smirked. “Oh, stop with your smooth talking.”
“It’s not smooth talking,” I said. “Really.”
Keysia rolled her eyes. “Well, I care about you as well, Gunnar. But even if I’m a dark elf, don’t think I’ll always be here waiting for you.” She shook her head. “I can only have so much patience.”
“I know…” I said.
She sighed. “And I hope Adeelee is okay. I hope that you can save her.”
I turned to stand beside her, placed my arm around over her shoulders, and pulled her close to me as I started walking her back to the main of the village. “Me too.”
I leaned over and gave her another peck on the side of the head.
It was hard for me to believe that Keysia was so understanding. It seemed like every day she was showing me more and more of how great of a woman she was—or elf, rather. But I also knew that she was like any other person on the inside, no matter how tough she seemed on the outside. I hoped that if I ever did end up with someone else, that it wouldn’t hurt her. And if she ever chose someone over me that I wouldn’t be devastated.
I looked up to the sky and could see several stars between canopy of Edgewood’s trees. It was hard for me to think about any sort of relationship drama knowing that Adeelee was still being held by the same people who had killed Tsarra.
I was angry, sickened, and fearful.
I could only hope that the note with my name wasn’t some sort of deceptive quest designed to lure me into a pointless death, and that Adeelee wasn’t already dead.
Chapter Twenty-Six
2/11/0001
I had barely slept when I woke up the next morning.
The night before, I sat in my room working on inscription until I ran out of rune stones. I tried to sleep for what seemed like an eternity, before I finally went outside and sat down near the smoldering ashes of our campfire, trying to rid my mind of worry that was consuming me.
A small frog had found its way into camp, and I repeatedly cast Clumsy on it to raise my mentalism skill. I’d meditate and repeat the process for some surprisingly decent gains. Since Clumsy wasn’t a damaging spell, the frog didn’t seem to wander off or notice it was being casted on, and I eventually used Beast Lore to communicate with it.
I got a few barely intelligible words and nothing more.
Eventually, I returned to my room and fell somewhere into a state of half-asleep and half-awake as I continually thought about what I had in store for me the next day. When the black of night started to show hints of morning, I got up and started getting prepared.
I left everything of value in my room except for my gear, compass, a bandage and a heal potion. I even took off the armor that was underneath my robe in case I needed to run. I figured less weight would help if things went sour. If I died, I wouldn’t lose much loot.
Since Sora needed time off, I readied one of the nameless horses at our stable. We had four horses now. After the incident with Betsy, we had allocated some funds to fill up our stable and promised to never grow too close to any of them. They could way too easily get killed.
I stopped at our shop to hand my keys off to Gerard. He was already up, waiting for our first customers of the day. One thing I definitely didn’t want to lose to the bad guys was my keychain with my door key and a skeleton key attached. I also handed over the toothed necklace and the two cooking recipes that had been looted from the gnolls’ den and ask him to give them to Keysia, as I had forgotten about them the night before.
“Be safe, Gunnar,” he said as I turned and began to walk away.
“I’ll try,” I said as I pushed open
the door.
When I was atop the horse, I pulled out my compass and began following it towards the indicated coordinates that were on the note I received. For the most part, I headed north ‘til I was out of Edgewood, and eventually started west, pushing me closer and closer to the coastline.
I eventually saw Highcastle far in the distance and passed it. I was nearing Knuckle Bay when the compass steered me further west into a vast valley. On one side of me was the sea, with nothing in between, and on the other side was a series of large hills that were impossible to see over.
It seemed as if they picked the location because it was mostly isolated and would be difficult for anyone in any direction to see what was going on.
I reached the indicated coordinates and stood there, looking up into the sky. The morning sun was fully out, and I began to wonder if maybe I was late… or maybe too early. “Dawn” was a little bit subjective, so it seemed perfectly possible that my timing was a little off.
I waited for fifteen minutes before dismounting my horse. I was constantly turning to each side, waiting for an ambush or someone to appear.
I looked to a tall hill to the East, then turned to the sea for a moment where I could see a large, lumbering ship far in the distance. I wondered what it would be like to sail the seas in Eden’s Gate. It was something I’d definitely have to check off my list at some time.
When I turned back a few seconds later, all three of the dark robed men were standing on the hill, side by side, looking down on me in an ominous manner.
My heart began thumping as they slowly made their way down the hill, and the horse began jerking around in agitation. It obviously sensed my discomfort.
“Whoa,” I said to the horse as I patted it on the side. “Easy there.” It was hard calming the horse when I was nowhere near calm myself.
The men stopped a few meters from me and stood motionless. Each of them looked exactly the same as when they’d attacked us in the forest—completely black robes with their hoods pulled over their heads, shadowing their faces.