《Old Man Dragon》


 1 A Life Well Lived

    This is nice... Grandpa Lu thought to himself as he lay upon the bed. His full name was Luis Ferdinand, but after being called Grandpa Lu by all his grandchildren for so many years, he simply accepted it.


    Currently, Luis was in a hospital ward. A recent heart attack gave his family a good scare three days ago. Being seventy-four years old, such an occurrence was bound to happen eventually. Heart attack, stroke, liver failure... one of these was bound to get him for good in due time.


    Luis was not afraid to die. As a matter of fact, he was actually quite looking forward to meeting his parents and brothers again. As a child, he was the youngest of four brothers, all of whom have entered the grave before him, leaving behind their beautiful families.


    Luis figured it was only his turn at this point. Like his brothers, he also had a beautiful family. Two girls and three boys, now men and woman with husbands and wives of their own with their own children.


    Life begets life after all... He smiled as he thought of the grandchildren. He knew it to be true that you were strict on your kids, but spoiled the grandkids. He remembered fondly all the times they would come over to visit. The mischievous smile he would give when he bought the grandkids gifts their own parents refused to buy, much to the consternation of said parents. So many fond memories.


    Luis'' own parents and grandparents lived through the first world war, which his grandpa died in, and the subsequent great depression. In fact, Luis was born a year after WWII ended, when his father returned home safely and immediately made up for lost time with his beloved wife.


    Due to the times, it became a way of life to be frugal in order to not go hungry. As a result, Luis grew up with little to nothing to call his own. Promising himself that he would do better by his own kids, he saved up his money and started his own business in construction.


    With the lessons taught by his parents and by life, Luis dedicated much of his twenties to growing his business. To say he was successful would be an understatement, and Luis was currently a very wealthy man. Eventually he found himself a loving wife and had five "infuriating" children.


    Luis smiled warmly as he remembered the early years trying his best to make sure he didn''t spoil his children while trying to be the best dad he could be. Looking around the ward at the family present today, he firmly believed he did a good job. All his kids graduated college in fields they all had passions for, which made Luis all the more happy since he sacrificed college to grow his business.


    Now they were all successful and happily married. Luis already had his affairs in order, leaving behind everything to his five children in his will. He felt blessed that he could trust his kids to not squander their inheritance.


    Blessed... yeah... my life was truly blessed... Luis agreed with that assessment. He had grown up in a loving household and tried his best to emulate that for his own kids. Once again glancing around the room, he felt a complete sense of satisfaction and contentment. His life was complete.


    It might be impossible for a young person to understand, but Luis was ready to die. He was born, he grew, he lived, he created, and he would pass on surrounded by what he brought forth onto this Earth. He was ready to meet his forefathers and regale to them stories of his life and the lives of his children.


    Looking around one last time, Luis noticed that his family were all talking and laughing among themselves while he was merely a side character. That''s just fine. He was glad that his heart attack could bring his family together like this. Due to how busy everyone else''s lives had become, it had been harder to get all the family in one place, even during Thanksgiving and Christmas.


    But now, here they all were, together again. It had been years since a gathering like this of the Ferdinand family was held. Chuckling silently, Luis felt his heart attack was worth it for such an outcome.


    Being as old as he was, Luis soon tired and fell asleep, comforted by the wonderful voices of his relatives. Three days later, Luis suffered another heart attack in the middle of the night, passing away silently in his sleep.


    The funeral service was excellent, with each of his children giving a moving eulogy about how much their dad meant to them, making numerous references to their escapades as children. His several lifelong friends each described their time knowing Luis and highlighting humorous stories of his life eliciting many laughs among the tears.


    As his coffin was lowered, Luis'' wife cried silently, held in embrace by her children and grandchildren. At the base of the grave, the standard tombstone was inscribed an epitaph decided by his family after his death, with an additional line requested by Luis before he passed:


    A faithful husband


    A loving father


    A loyal friend


    He lived a good life


    The grave was filled with soil, signifying his return to the Earth and completing the cycle of life. It was all well and good for good ol'' Lu, for he passed with a smile on his face.

 2 Purgatory ?

    The last thing Luis remembered was falling asleep. That was eons ago, or at least, what felt like eons. This must be purgatory... Luis concluded after some time had passed.


    He felt certain after some point that he had died and was moving on into the afterlife, but it was all so strange. He was still lucid, but the world was enshrouded in darkness.


    Raised his whole life as a Christian, he believed that he should have met God to be judged, but there was simply... nothing. He couldn''t hear, see, smell, taste, or touch. It was as if he was locked in his own mind with nothing but his thoughts.


    Stranger still, he felt that he was still falling asleep on a regular basis, often regaining clarity after an unknown amount of time had passed. It was virtually impossible to tell with no senses to base his judgment on.


    After an lengthy but indeterminate amount of time had passed in this manner, Luis began to feel despair. Maybe I have already been judged and this is hell... He began to fear the worst. Trapped for eternity in limitless darkness, with nothing but your thoughts forever. Truly a terrible fate!


    However, Luis refused to believe this train of thought. I have lived a decent life, treating myself and others fairly and justly. I should be drinking with my parents and brothers, not floating in endless darkness... Luis was adamant.


    Time passed further still. During this time Luis began to struggle, desperate to feel something... anything. Futile struggles turned to angry struggles which then morphed into rage. However, once the rage passed, Luis was left with a feeling of nothingness and depression. He feared that if life continued in this way, he would eventually go insane.


    As time flowed, Luis continued to endeavor against the darkness.


    .


    .


    .


    ...bump


    What was that! Luis had felt something for the first time in what was akin to forever.


    He... touched something, or rather bumped something. Through his efforts, despite not feeling any physical response of a body, he managed to move some form to hit something.


    A powerful feeling of hope overcame Luis, and he revamped his struggling tenfold.


    Time continued on, and new sensations began to make themselves known. Luis was now barely able to feel a set of limbs, and he regularly used them to bump against what he now considered his prison of darkness.


    As his sense of touch grew slowly, he began to recognize that he seemed to be floating in some sort of... thick, viscous fluid that semi-impeded his movements.


    It was what he imagined floating in a pool syrup would be like.


    However, the real shock came out of nowhere, when he finally heard the first sounds since he arrived in the darkness.


    "GRRRRRRRRRRR" A deep grumbling that was very similar to the growl of a wild beast. Only, it was so loud that he felt it vibrate the prison he was in.


    The growls grew in magnitude and before long, he could distinguish that they seemed to be coming from two sources, likely two large animals.


    If I had to take a guess, it sounds like those animals are about to fight... Luis pondered. After being in limbo for so long with nothing but his thoughts, any development, good or bad, was welcome.


    Then the world shook.


    A massive force rocked his world, sending Luis tumbling inside his whatever was holding him. A sensation that Luis hadn''t felt for a long time came over him... pure agony.


    It was focused mainly on what he felt to be his right limb. When he was no longer tumbling, Luis saw light for the first time in ages. There was what appeared to be a large crack, from which smaller cracks fanned outward in a spiderweb-like fashion.


    From these fractures, bright yellow light was flowing in, illuminating the darkness which Luis had been trapped in for so long. It was probably the most beautiful light he had ever seen, the light at the end of the tunnel.


    Ignoring his right limb, Luis moved his left limb to touch the crack. When pushing slightly against it, he felt it give a tiny bit. It can be opened... Luis realized with joy.


    This is it... Luis saw his opportunity come and began smashing his limb into the crack as hard as he was able to, seeking to break free.


    After three solid hits, a large chunk of whatever was holding him fell away, allowing even more light in, so much so that Luis was blinded momentarily.


    Excitement overwhelming him, Luis pushed his entire form towards the opening.


    All at once, he spilled out into the world covered in the slimy viscous substance, and a tidal wave of sensations flooded his brain.


    Thousands of smells from the surroundings that he couldn''t differentiate or understand flooded his now breathing nostrils.


    The melodious tweeting of birds and the scampering of small creatures resounded in his ears.


    The chill of the surrounding air felt cool against his slime covered body.


    As he was still blinded from the sudden influx of light, Luis was unable to look at his surroundings yet, but it was like every other sense was too strong for his mind, causing it to be strained.


    There was, however, one sense that was unfortunately still functioning properly... physical pain.


    God! Why does it hurt so much? Luis internally cursed as he felt massive discomfort in his right arm. It was definitely broken from whatever caused that earthquake earlier, causing him to tumble. It was so debilitating, that he immediately tried to avoid moving as much as possible.


    Sitting there in the cold, the initial overwhelming sensual input began to peter off, and his body and mind began to adjust to the new and unfamiliar surroundings.


    Eventually, Luis felt that his eyes were no longer burning from the light and decided it was safe to open them, slowly.


    When he did, Luis was astonished at what greeted his newfound vision.


    Trees, massive snow covered trees that seemed to stretch toward the sky as he looked up. As he glanced left and right, some clues as to what that caused that earlier earthquake made themselves known.


    Many destroyed trees and what looked like smoking craters surrounded him on all sides. Some of the trees were even on fire. It''s like a meteor shower descended and destroyed the surrounding area, but I definitely heard the growls of wild beasts... Luis suddenly felt that his current location was not the safest place to be.


    At long last, Luis turned his head around, careful to avoid moving his right limb, and came face-to-face with what had been imprisoning him for so long. What in the world? He was utterly speechless.


    An... egg?


    Luis felt the need to rub his eyes or shake his head, but there was no point. It was clearly an egg. He had been... hatched... from an egg. What he thought was a prison was just an egg... what?


    The amount questions he had exponentially increased. Wait a moment. If I was hatched then what... Luis looked down and nearly jumped up in shock.


    What greeted him were not human arms or legs, but instead fat limbs covered in white scales. Checking further, his torso and backsides also were covered in white scales, including a brand new tail.


    I''m a... lizard... The conclusion Luis came to was not a joyous one. Something was definitely wrong here. Maybe he was still alive on that hospital bed, and this was simply one long extended dream or he was hallucinating from bad medication.


    The pain radiating from his right scaly limb was proving otherwise, however. Upon closer examination, Luis found that it was terribly broken, hanging at a clearly unnatural angle. It would definitely take a doctor to fix it.


    What do I do? He asked himself while sitting by the egg, trying to grasp the reality of the situation.


    Luis was starting to get cold. While he wasn''t presently sitting in any, there was snow everywhere. It was likely wintertime, wherever he was.


    Peeking at the carnage around him once again, Luis distinguished the smell of smoke from the thousands of other new scents he could detect, being very familiar with it.


    Grumble!


    Luis felt a sudden sharp pain in his abdominal area region that could only signify one thing... hunger. The initial shock and adrenaline was wearing off quickly, and now his young lizard body was demanding he find something to eat.


    His new powerful sense of smell suddenly locked onto a particular scent, causing saliva to uncontrollably form in his mouth. What is that? Luis felt his sense of smell guide him to look around until it focused in on the egg he was hatched from.


    Unable to resist, he carefully limped towards it and looked inside the remains of his former prison. There was still a large amount of the slimy fluid which had a yellowish tint to it left sitting inside. It was similar in color to the yolk of a chicken egg.


    Immediately, an internal war started. His human mind was telling him not to eat something he had been sitting in for god knows how long, while his lizard body was demanding he slurp up the "delicious" substance.


    Hunger and instincts finally overcame all his mental obstacles and he began slurping up the slimy remnants, shamefully unwilling to admit how delicious it actually tasted with his new lizard senses.


    After he was satiated he sat on his haunches, still trying to piece together everything that had happened. He wasn''t given much time to think, however.


    "Grrrrrrrrrrrr" A soft growl was emitted from a small distance away. Zeroing in on the source, Luis peeked his body around the egg and locked eyes with a massive wolf that had been sniffing the air. It looked quite hungry.


    Oh no...

 3 Survival

    As his mind went into overdrive at the sight of a massive wolf, Luis quickly realized that the wolf probably wasn''t actually massive, just big in comparison to his current form. It was likely the size of a normal wolf. This meaningless small comfort left him the second the wolf charged.


    Paralyzed with instinctual fear, Luis did nothing except watch as the wolf ran towards his position, panting loudly. Only when the wolf reached the egg did he finally regain control of his body. Unfortunately, it was already much too late.


    Luis tried to dodge to his left, but the wolf easily managed to snag his right limb with its jaws, which just so happened to be the one that had been broken. The bite broke right through the protective scales and tore right into the skin.


    Pain like he had never felt before spread throughout his entire body like fire in his veins, eliciting an uncontrollable yelp that sounded like a dog being strangled. The pain was so intense that the only thing keeping Luis from slipping into unconsciousness was the adrenaline, the natural instinct to live, to survive. Right after grabbing hold, the wolf began thrashing, which was a tragic outcome for Luis.


    Being only half the size of the wolf, he was unable to resist as he was tossed around like a rag-doll. He desperately tried to free himself, using his "hands" to scratch against the beast. Sadly, the wolf was undeterred, and its jaws were like vice grips. The thrashing continued until Luis felt a tear in his limb.


    Schlick!


    Luis'' limb was torn from his body at the base, sending him flying a few feet away where he landed with a thud. The subsequent pain was something akin to having molten lava poured onto your shoulder, having it melt all the way through.


    Uncontrollably growling, he started limping away, desperate to escape. Still being unused to his new form, he found it extraordinarily difficult.


    It only took a second or two for the wolf to realize there was far less weight than before as it was thrashing. Dropping the limb, the wolf sniffed it before turning its attention to find what it had been originally attached too.


    Meanwhile, Luis had been desperately trying to get to a specific tree in the distance, one that had been slightly overturned in the earlier earthquake. I might be able to hide in the roots at the base... He greatly hoped.


    As he ran, bitter thoughts flashed in his mind. What have I done to deserve such suffering? I do not wish to be eaten only moments after regaining my freedom... Bitterness radiated from Luis'' entire being.


    Hearing the growls of the wolf getting closer, all thoughts were disbursed as he pushed his little body beyond its limits, bleeding profusely from his wound as he did so. He was almost to the roots of the tree, when he felt teeth clamp down on his new tail.


    Dammit! No... Luis felt himself being dragged away from the tree. On impulse, he twisted around and slashed his claw across the face of the wolf, crippling one of its eyes. It was a lucky hit born from desperation. The wolf yelped and let go of his tail, allowing Luis to make it the final few feet where he dove through the thick roots into a small pit.


    The wolf immediately tried to follow, but found that he was too big to fit through the gaps, snarling at the lizard that was almost within reach. Growling angrily, the wolf began pacing around the entrance. There was no other way out for Luis anyway, and the wolf was smart enough to understand this.


    Luis collapsed as soon as he was safe in the pit. He had successfully escaped... for now, but he still had a problem. The bleeding wasn''t stopping. Shivering from the pain and blood loss, he could do nothing but focus on his wound, trying with little success to slow the flow of blood. Getting back up onto his haunches, he attempted to cover the wound with his good claw, which only slightly helped.


    Was this how I am to die once again? Cold? Alone? In great pain? Eaten by some damned wolf? Anger coursed through Luis as he once again questioned everything that happened. Death wasn''t supposed to be like this... He thought as he sat there, trying to not bleed out.


    His anger festered as his energy dwindled. Eventually he would pass out and that would be the end of him. There was nothing he could do. I am done for... Luis lay upon his back. He was unwilling to die so meaninglessly, but seeing no other options, he prepared himself to embrace death once again...


    .


    .


    .


    ...What? Luis suddenly felt a stirring in his center. Sitting up, he focused on what felt like a warm current flowing in his chest cavity. With no prompting from him, the warm current in his chest began to circulate around his body, alleviating soreness and pain wherever it went. Eventually it coalesced into the area where his limb had been ripped off.


    The pain faded away and Luis felt a crazy amount of itching coming from the hole where his limb used to be. Lifting his claw off the wound, he watched as the skin and scales reformed over the wound, eventually leaving nothing but a scar.


    What kind of miracle was that? After the warm feeling faded, he suddenly felt very tired... thud! Luis passed out, his body hitting the dirt floor with a thump.


    .


    .


    .


    Sometime later, he awoke to beams of sunlight entering his eyes through the roots of the tilted tree. Shaking off the dirt as he sat up, Luis looked down at the base of his former limb.


    So it wasn''t a dream... He confirmed when he saw the pinkish scar contrasting against his white skin and scales. He had no way of explaining what had occurred and it only raised more questions, but he had other issues to deal with at the moment.


    Hearing a chewing sound, Luis put his musings on hold and braved a peak through the tree roots. The wolf was still there guarding the entrance, and it was eating... something. With a shudder, he realized that it was the limb it had ripped off his body.


    That could have been me yesterday... Luis grimaced as he examined his surroundings. Scratch that, it likely will be me... He lamented after again realizing there was still no way out.


    Two days passed this way, with Luis cowering in the pit protected by the thick roots, while the wolf continued to stalk him. During this time, he tried once again to feel for the strange power that had saved his life days prior.


    Maybe it can provide me with another miracle...Were his thoughts as he grew hungrier and thirstier every hour. He didn''t know how long his current form could survive without food or water, but he assumed it wasn''t much longer than a regular person.


    During the two days, Luis closely investigated his new body. The only new discoveries he made were that his teeth were now sharp, like shark''s teeth, and that he only had four digits instead of five on his claw ending in razor sharp points.


    Although his teeth and claws were now certified weapons, they were of limited use against the much larger predator.


    At the end of the second day, after once again futilely struggling to activate that strange power that saved his life, Luis awoke to a terrifying sound.


    The sound of paws digging.


    The wolf seemed to have lost its patience with Luis, who was cowering in the roots, and was now attempting to widen a path through. What do I do? What do I do... Luis tried to think of something, anything, to survive his predicament.


    In the darkness of the night, he could only hear the wolf digging, but couldn''t see its progress, heightening the terror he felt. He crept back as far as he could, his back touching the back of the pit.


    After a couple of minutes, an eerie green light illuminated the inside of the pit. On the forehead of the wolf, there was a glowing patch of fur in the shape of a diamond. The wolf had managed to fit its head underneath the roots, illuminating the space and Luis who had his back against the wall.


    Upon seeing the glowing forehead of the wolf, Luis couldn''t help but feel dread. This wolf must also have a similar strange power... He realized in despair.


    As the wolf continued to dig, it managed to get more and more of its body through the roots, and now Luis could clearly see that his claw strike from the first day was almost fully healed, which should have been impossible in such a short amount of time. Just like my wound... Luis was not encouraged by this.


    The wolf was inching closer, growling and yipping as it forced its burly frame through the widened gap. Not willing to wait succumb to a gruesome fate, Luis proactively attempted to attack the wolf while it squeezed through, but he found that its skin was suddenly much tougher than it had been before.


    It was then that he understood the wolf wasn''t simply using the unnatural glow from its forehead to light the darkness.


    It must be strengthening its skin somehow... Luis felt his slim chances grow even more hopeless at this realization. Despite that, he continued to strike at its face and retreat before being bitten. Unfortunately, he only succeeded in irritating the beast further.


    Before long, the wolf had half its body squeezed through the opening, and he was only inches away from grabbing Luis by the hind leg. Despite having no effect, he continued to swipe at the face of the wolf with his one good claw. It was to no avail.


    With one final push, the wolf lunged and managed to grasp Luis'' left hind leg, breaking through the scales on his reptilian skin.


    "Gah!" Luis let out a strangled cry as he felt himself being yanked towards the opening. Right away, he knew once he was pulled out into the open, the wolf would finish the job. A grim determination filled Luis.


    NO! I REFUSE TO DIE LIKE THIS!


    An animal fights hardest when backed into a corner. Seizing the initiative, Luis ignored the pain in his left hind leg and pushed off the ground with his right, grappling the wolf with his one left limb and chomped down on the scruff of its neck with his teeth.


    A metallic taste entered his mouth. He had managed to break the reinforced skin of the wolf with his powerful bite, but it was nowhere near enough.


    The wolf, surprised by the sudden assault, tried to backtrack quickly so it could pull the lizard into the open, but it ran into a problem.


    Because Luis was wrapped around its scruff, it could no longer fit through the opening. The added size was pinning him. It did the only thing it could do, bite harder on the lizard''s leg.


    Luis''s roars of pain were muffled through the scruff of the wolf. They were now locked in a grudge match to the death. He needed to keep the wolf pinned, for he knew that once he let go, he was finished. He only wished he could bite harder so that he could actually injure the damn wolf.


    The stalemate continued. The wolf tried to use its limited range of motion to shake the lizard off while Luis continuously adjusted himself to minimize damage and keep himself locked on.


    Luis was doing everything he could to bite harder, but he was only managing to draw a little blood. He began to feel indignant.


    Damned wolf, why won''t you leave me alone? Luis bit down harder. Why are you trying so hard to kill me? He bit down even harder. In this critical moment, Luis drew strength from all the pain and suffering the wolf had subjected him to. Why did you rip off my arm!


    Fury began to well up inside him. He felt a pressure in the back of his throat. Fury turned to wrath and he felt it surge through his entire being. His mind began to grow foggy while his vision started turning red


    Something stirred in Luis'' chest. As Luis lost his mind to his wrath. Primal instincts of unknown origin kicked in. The warm current in his chest started to flow up.


    Die you bastard wolf! Luis felt like his jaw was breaking from how hard he was biting.


    The warm current combined with the pressure that was building up in his throat.


    Just die already!


    The pressure built to an unbearable degree.


    DIE!


    The pressure was released. A continuous and magnificent beam of light shot out of Luis'' mouth, straight into the scruff of the wolf that he had been biting down on and started to burn through its skin.


    The wolf, feeling the pain from the heat, began to spasm, letting go of Luis hind leg and doing everything in its power to escape. However, there was no way Luis would let it go so easily.


    Even with his mind in a survival muddled state, Luis could sense that he was hurting the wolf, and he just needed to hold on. He continued to fire the beam of light which continued to burn through the skin of the wolf, the green glow from its forehead doing little to minimize damage of this nature. The light broke through the skin and started to scorch the fat and muscle underneath.


    The wolf released panicked cries and doubled its efforts to escape the grasp of the lizard, completely abandoning all intentions of hunting it. However, it could not shake Luis off, who held him in a death grip.


    Eventually, the struggles and cries of the wolf began to cease as the light burned its way past the muscle and into the bone and eventually completely through the neck of the wolf. The death match was over, the wolf was dead.


    At long last, Luis ran out of steam. Whatever power he used to produce that beam of light ran completely dry. Only when he was completely sure the wolf was deceased did he release his grasp.


    The smell of cooked meat and burnt fur wafted from the corpse of the wolf that now lay still. Struggling to catch his breath, he felt a bone deep soreness throughout his new form.


    Luis vaguely understood that using such an unknown power must have come at a price, and after stumbling around the pit trying to orient himself, his body simply gave out. Luis collapsed into complete unconsciousness, not knowing if he would ever wake up again.

 4 Choice

    Luis woke up...again... and was greeted with a massive headache. An unknown amount of time had passed and he could see fading twilight through the roots. Sitting up, he shook off dirt that had collected on his scales. Everything hurts... Examining his body led to many unpleasant discoveries.


    The skin and scales on his left hind leg were dyed dark red and black from blood, and it hurt to move it in any sort of fashion. Several scales had been sheared off his back from the struggle.


    His throat felt raw and dry from both dehydration and roaring nonstop in pain. Having not eaten in many days left his body felt drained of all energy. He could guess that whatever miracle he pulled before also contributed to his lack of energy.


    Looking over, he finally started to examine the corpse of the wolf that had been sitting motionless nearby.


    The first thing Luis looked at was the small black hole where he had burned through the wolf with some sort of... power. How did I do this?


    He recalled the fuzzy memories from before, remembering that he had somehow released the warm current of energy that had once healed him in the form of an attack... a beam of light that melted through the wolf''s defenses. It was like... magic. The two instances of using that strange warm current had produced results unexplainable by science.


    What an amazing power... Luis wondered if he could still use it. Feeling nothing stirring in his chest when he concentrated, he put that train of thought on hold. Using his claw, he shifted the cold body of the dead wolf to get a closer look at its face.


    He soon discovered that the green patch of fur on its forehead that had produced the light wasn''t fur at all. It was a diamond shaped gemstone embedded in its forehead.


    It was quite fascinating to Luis. How did this produce that light and protect the wolf? Poking at it with his claw yielded no response. If he wasn''t in the condition he was in, he would have spent more time trying to reveal its secrets, but for now he had other worries to deal with.


    So hungry... Luis'' stomach grumbled in protest as he squeezed his body through the roots to get outside, carefully maneuvering so that he favored his uninjured right hind leg. This was quite difficult with him missing his right arm.


    He returned to the clearing where he first emerged from the egg. Having the luxury of not being chased by a terrifying wolf, he was able to examine his surroundings closer.


    Not far from where his shell was, he discovered a flattened space with the remnants of smashed eggs, similar to the one he hatched from.


    There were two pairs of massive footprints as well, one of which had the same pattern as Luis'' claw, only much much bigger. All at once the clues came together, and Luis was able to vaguely guess what occurred on that fateful day.


    Whatever creature laid the egg he was hatched from...His mother? Luis shook his head, the thought too bizarre to really consider.


    Whatever laid the eggs got into a fight with an equally massive creature, and the resulting conflict had rocked the earth, causing that earthquake. From the remains of the other eggs, he must have gotten lucky and rolled away before being smashed, at the cost of breaking his arm.


    You poor souls, may you rest in peace... Luis said a quick prayer for the other eggs that were not so lucky. He wondered where the two colossal creatures went. Hopefully they don''t return... After the fight with the wolf, he was not looking forward to meeting any other larger predators.


    Limping around, he found a pile of snow, which he began taking large mouthfuls of. Snow was water after all.


    Luis hadn''t a clue what to do. He was stuck in a foreign place in a foreign body. He couldn''t even speak anymore, only able to make animalistic sounds. What am I going to do from now on? Luis was thinking hard when his stomach protested once again.


    Sighing, he returned to the dead wolf and pulled it out of the pit into the open, which was quite difficult due to its weight.


    Luis sat there on his hind legs, staring at the corpse. Minutes passed, but it was hard to overcome his misgivings on what he knew he would have to do. Its meat is cold, not to mention raw... Two very important details preventing him from just tearing away and eating his fill.


    After testing it, he found the skin was no longer reinforced, and it would have been quite easy to rip open with his sharp claw and teeth.


    Just before giving in to the urges of hunger, a familiar scent wafted into his nostrils. Smoke. It had been many days since the battle of giants, and the smell of smoke had all but disappeared. For it to suddenly appear again this strongly could only mean one thing.


    Someone had made a fire! There were people nearby! Luis continued to sniff the air. Whatever type of creature he was, its senses were far stronger than a humans. Soon, Luis singled out a pungent order among various smells. It was the smell of a person who hadn''t bathed for a while.


    Never thought I would be so happy to smell body odor... Luis laughed internally, the joy of finally finding someone that could help him flooding his veins. Pinpointing the direction of the smell, he happily began dragging the wolf by the scruff in its direction. However, he only made it ten feet before reality smacked him him in the face.


    I''m not human anymore. What if...what if they try to kill me? This train of thought dissolved away all the joy Luis was feeling previously. He began to seriously consider his situation once again. Realistically, he only had two choices.


    One was to forget about meeting people, eat the wolf, and live like an animal trying to survive in the wild. The other was to risk meeting people in this form and try to convince them to help him. It was quite possible they would simply try to kill him.


    Having lived an entire lifetime as a man, he found the former choice to be impossible. Living with no human contact or interaction would be like subjecting himself to hell, especially after living so long in isolated darkness.


    He would have to take the risk and make himself seem harmless. Filled with new determination, he resumed dragging the wolf towards the source of the smells.

 5 Contac

    Bryn was quite excited. This is an adventure! He whistled cheerfully as he prepared the rabbit stew over the nice warm fire. "Hey dad, what do you think we will find out here?"


    His father, a rather large rugged looking man with brown hair and eyes, looked across the fire at his son fondly. "Let us pray we find something of value soon my boy." He stoked the fire a bit more.


    "What exactly are we looking for?" Bryn asked as he dipped the wooden bowl in the soup and passed it over to his father.


    Taking the bowl gratefully, he took a few bites before elaborating. "Son, when two higher ranking magical beasts fight, they often leave whole areas of destruction and carnage in their wake."


    He took another bite. "If we''re lucky, we might find the corpses of lower ranking magical beasts that were unable to escape the danger. If we can find even one, then we may be able to turn our misfortune around." He handed the bowl back to his son for a refill.


    Taking the bowl, Bryn nodded in understanding before he asked another question. "Then, isn''t this area unsafe for us if there are magical beasts around?" Magical beasts, even the lowest ranking ones, we''re considered dangerous and tough to deal with by ordinary commoners.


    The father smiled. "Indeed, this is usually the case. However, the circumstances are in our favor." He leaned forward slightly, as if he was telling his son a secret. The son tuned his attention to not miss the explanation.


    "You see my boy, the earthquake we felt could have only been created by very powerful magical beasts. When high ranking beasts fight, the energies they release scare away any lower ranking beasts not wishing to be eaten or killed by the stronger beasts.


    However, their fights also attract the attention of even higher ranked magical beasts who would likely seek out the source to try and take advantage of the situation. In normal circumstances, this would mean the area where they fought would be extra dangerous, but this is not the case for us. The key lies in our location..."


    The father paused as he son handed him another filled bowl. Taking a swig from his water-skin, the father continued. "You see son, we are are still in what would be considered the edge of the border forest. We have yet to go deeper, where there are far more magical beasts. Where we are, even a lowest ranked magical beast is a rarity. For there to be magical beasts of this power here, is completely unheard of.


    Therefore, when these two beasts fought, they likely scared away any lower ranked beasts not caught up in their destruction, and since it''s highly unlikely this area has any higher ranked beasts than them, they have essentially created an area devoid of magical beast presence. This makes it safe for us."


    Wow, Bryn was quite impressed with his father''s wisdom. Grinning, Bryn sarcastically replied. "You are smarter than you look, old man!"


    "It''s called experience you brat!" The father grinned as he shook his head, continuing to eat the stew. A comfortable silence fell upon the duo as they sipped their warm broth.


    "You must still be wary boy," The father started. Bryn titled his head up to listen. "Just because it''s highly likely there won''t be any magical beasts around, doesn''t mean it''s impossible. If magical beasts become desperate, they may act in the same manner we are, taking great risk for possible gain. If we encounter one that isn''t injured, we will err on the side of caution and flee. Do you understand?"


    Bryn nodded vigorously, his adventurous spirit undeterred by his father''s word of warning. In fact, he was secretly hoping to run into a magical beast, just to see one with his own eyes. The young are often foolish this way.


    Seeing the sparkle in his son''s eye, the father knew his warning was falling on deaf ears. Well, I was the same way once... Rolling his eyes, the father continued to eat in silence, enjoying the warmth of the fire.


    .


    .


    .


    All of the sudden, they heard a shuffling sound a little distance away. Both father and son glanced at each other, dropped their bowls and picked up the spears they had laying by the fire, bracing themselves to fight. A small figure made its way into their view.


    Luis finally made it the the source of the fire. The heavenly scent from whatever they were cooking had him drooling uncontrollably, his saliva pooling on the scruff of the wolf he was dragging. When he came around a tree and finally saw the two humans, a little ball of hope he had been keeping in chest shattered.


    Luis could hear them speaking to each other in a language he had never heard before, and they were dressed in winter furs holding spears in his direction. I''m...not on Earth anymore, at least, the Earth I knew... Several clues had already made that perfectly clear, but hope doesn''t always agree with reason, and he had been secretly hoping he would stumble upon a few campers wearing blue jeans. He would then write out his situation with his claw and somehow make it back to his... family.


    That had been the true hope, that he would see his family again. The memories of his former life were the only things that kept him going when he was trapped in the egg. The knowledge that he would likely never see them again... that hurt like no physical pain could.


    The two humans backed away from the fire as Luis inched closer to it, dragging along the corpse of the wolf. Once he got near the fire, he released the wolf and sat back on his haunches, trying to enjoy the warmth of the fire while simultaneous trying to make himself seem as harmless as possible.


    Meanwhile, the father son due watched in stunned silence. They had backed away from the fire as the unknown beast dragged along what seemed to be the corpse of a...


    "Son... do you realize what that is?" The father motioned toward the corpse that the white scaled creature dropped, not taking his eyes off the lizard. Bryn swallowed his saliva and answered. "Father, if I''m not mistaken, that appears to be the corpse of a rank two earth wolf.


    It has that gemstone on its forehead. They use the power of earth to heal from wounds quickly and can use the same power to strengthen their defenses. Very tough to kill for ordinary commoners..."


    The father felt pride at his son''s answer. So he had been studying the bestiary... He couldn''t help but feel overjoyed. The magic stones of magical beasts could be sold for many gold.


    Doing some quick calculations in his mind, he estimated he could sell it for at least five gold, more than enough to cover his crippling debt of three gold and twelve silvers. If nothing else happened, this risky venture was already a huge success.


    "Father... look" Bryn''s shocked voice broke his father out of his distracted state. The white... lizard was motioning towards the pot of stew with his claw and pointing back to himself. It was eerily human-like. Looking closer, the father realized that the white lizard was missing an arm. It was crippled.


    "Father, what is it?" Bryn asked motioning to the white lizard with his spear. He was filled with anticipation. Was this a magical beast as well? What kind was it? What was its attribute? It certainly looked unique, but the part of the bestiary he had studied never mentioned a creature like this. Upon closer inspection, it looked kind of cute with its fat limbs and flat, smooth head.


    "I''m not sure son." He had likewise never heard or read about any creature such as this. The stand-off continued for some time, with the white lizard repeating its gesture over and over again.


    "Dad, I think... I think it''s asking if it can have some soup..." The son spoke in a kind of fascinated disbelief. The father''s first instinct was to laugh it off as a ridiculous statement, but even he couldn''t deny how obvious the gestures of the white lizard were.


    Being the first to react, the son nodded his head exaggeratedly and pointed to the soup, then to the lizard. The lizard nodded, it immediately dipped its face into the pot and began slurping the soup. Bryn was growing giddy with amazement. What an intelligent creature! Bryn couldn''t contain his awe.


    The duo watched as the lizard drained two-thirds of the pot and let out a burp. It then pointed at the dead wolf and back to them as if to say "You can have this."


    Bryn''s smile threatened to split his skull. "Dad, I think he is saying we can have the wolf as thanks for the soup..."


    The father remained much more wary and skeptical, but even he couldn''t deny how incredible the creature was acting. It was almost... human... Although the father couldn''t help but internally grumble that he didn''t need the lizard''s permission to take the wolf in a vain attempt to ward off the incredulity he was feeling.


    After getting its point across, the lizard scooted closer to the fire, dipped his head towards them as if it was bowing, and curled around itself. Bryn felt like he might explode after witnessing this. "Father, this is the most marvelous creature I have ever seen!" Unable to curb his enthusiasm, Bryn dropped the spear and walked right up to the lizard.


    "Son wait!" The father warned quickly, but his warning was completely ignored. Bryn examined the lizard closely. If it stood up, it would likely only reach my thighs... Bryn guessed its size. Upon realizing how close the human was, the lizard lifted it head tilted it slightly as if to express confusion. Bryn smiled widely and slowly reached out his hand to touch the head of the lizard.


    The father, witnessing this, tensed up his entire body, ready to attack the second things went wrong. No tragedies occurred however, and the father was once again stunned speechless as his son stroked the scaly skin of the lizard''s head, which seemed to be leaning into Bryn''s touch.


    It was simply a miracle. The father had never seen such a docile and friendly beast before. His son moved his hand down and began scratching the base of its neck. As its leg started to twitch, Bryn laughed loudly. "It''s like a dog!" He continued to scratch before he noticed the scales on its left hind leg were dyed dark red and black. Its injured...


    "Father, pass me the water-skin!" Bryn asked as he examined the wound closer. The bite marks were consistent with the jaw size of the wolf. If didn''t take a genius to figure out that they had fought.


    After a moments hesitation, the father tossed his son his water-skin, and Bryn began cleaning the wound. The lizard growled as he did so, but made no attempt to attack him. Once the wounds were cleaned, Bryn patted the head of the lizard. "Better?"


    After a brief pause, the lizard stuck out its tongue and rubbed it across his face. It licked me! That was the final straw for Bryn. "That''s it. Father, I''m keeping it!" Bryn concluded with finality.


    Seeing that it appeared to be harmless, the father moved towards the corpse of the wolf to examine how it was killed, keeping his hands on his spear. Finding the charred hole through the wolf''s neck, he couldn''t help but glance at the lizard, who''s head was being rubbed affectionately by his son like it was a puppy.


    "What a fascinating creature..."

 6 New Home

    With the corpse of the wolf being carried by the father, Luis was able to relax as he followed the duo through the woods. He was quite pleased. That turned out much better than expected... He thought happily as he hobbled along after them. By passing himself off as harmless, he managed to avoid being killed. In fact, the boy seemed quite excited by his presence.


    Although he couldn''t understand a word of their language, their facial expressions and gestures allowed him to understand their intentions quite easily. Based on their similar features, it wasn''t hard to assume that they were father and son. The boy looked around thirteen or fourteen years while the man appeared to be in his late thirties, maybe early forties.


    From what he could guess based on their pointing, tones of voice, and expressions, the duo we''re arguing about him. He somewhat understood their two points. The child wanted him to follow, while the father was much more reluctant. Luis prayed that the man would let him tag along and not simply chase him away. Between living among people or alone in the woods, the choice of which he preferred was obvious.


    "Where are we going to keep it?" The father asked, as he maneuvered his way through the brush. He was feeling weary, not from carrying the wolf, but from his son''s insistent pestering. He was mentally drained from refusing to sleep in order to keep an eye on the beast while his son slept, which turned out to be unnecessary. After watching the lizard snore peacefully for an entire night, the man felt cheated somehow, like he had been paranoid over nothing.


    "I will keep it in the shed, or maybe build a new one! We need a new one anyway..." Came the fast response from Bryn who was tagging along a few feet behind him.


    "How do you plan to feed it?" The father rebuttled. He had already decided to let his son keep the beast, but he wanted to heckle him so that the boy would understand the responsibility he was asking for.


    From the wound left behind on the wolf, one thing was clear to him. This creature is definitely a magical beast of some kind... The father understood the possible dangers of raising one would be high.


    Raising magical beasts was not unheard of, but he knew nothing about doing it personally. At most, he had seen beasts trained as tools of war or for hunting. However, those beasts appeared to be quite the few times he saw them in the city.


    "I will catch extra fish for it every day!" Bryn finally responded after taking a minute to consider the question. Sensing his father''s resolve weaken, he ran up and stood in front of him, forcing the father to stop. "Father, think about it. We both know this is some kind of magical beast. The dead earth wolf proves it," He motioned towards the wolf on his father''s shoulder.


    "Also, if I had to take a guess from its pudgy appearance, it''s still an infant. If it was able to kill a rank two earth wolf in its infant stage, imagine how strong it will be fully grown. We could train it to hunt!" Bryn felt excited just thinking about it.


    The father nodded at this. He had already considered everything his son had just mentioned, but there was one point his son was forgetting. "Yes I do believe the beast will grow stronger, but have you considered that its strength may be a double edged sword? What if it one day gets angry and goes on a rampage? How could we possibly stop it? Are you willing to risk our family?" The heavy questions hit Bryn like a ton of stones, and he deflated immediately into silence.


    The father resumed walking, passing by his child. "Son, before making decisions, you must understand the weight those decisions carry. Only then, when you understand their full weight, will you be prepared to bear the consequences."


    Bryn let the wisdom of his father''s words stew for a little bit in his mind. Glancing back at the little white lizard that had been following behind obediently, he beckoned with his hand in a "follow me" gesture. The lizard happily complied. Bryn smiled.


    Feeling reinvigorated, he caught back up to his father. "I understand and am prepared to accept responsibility. Besides, this magical beast is quite docile and obedient, I feel like if we treat it right, we can earn its loyalty."


    The father sighed heavily. This boy understood the weight and accepted responsibility of raising a possibly very dangerous magical beast amongst our family...in less than five seconds? This boy''s impulsiveness would be the death of them both...He shook his head. Still...He glanced back at the lizard who was following at the heels of his boy like a trained puppy.


    His son did have a point, this magical beast was extraordinarily obedient and docile. He had seen many magical beasts before in auctions and rarely in the wild, but he had yet to see one, infant or no, who displayed such calmness and intelligence. He eventually smiled. I will trust my son''s judgement and will put my faith in his decisions...He slapped the back of his son''s head.


    "Hey! What was that for?" Bryn protested.


    "You will be the one to explain this decision to your mother..." The father smiled as he continued on.


    Grimacing, Bryn felt dread building his gut. "Damn, forgot about that..." He followed after his father.


    Oblivious to their entire exchange, Luis followed along after them. After many hours of walking, the endless snow covered woods finally gave way to snow covered plains. It was a very sharp contrast, seeing not a tree for miles. It was a vast, beautiful, empty expanse.


    Pausing on the edge of the forest to take a break, the father dropped the corpse of the wolf and swung his shoulder to loosen it up. Bryn went to to rest by a tree. Luis, seeing better company in the boy, joined him. Laying down beside him, Luis tried once again to see if he could sense that strange energy he had unconsciously used twice before. Maybe it can cure my fatigue... A lack of a response answered his probing.


    All of the sudden, he felt a touch. Luis lifted his scaly head and glanced over. The boy was rubbing the scar where his right limb used to be while saying something. Understanding his question, he used his claw to point at wolf then back to the scar. The boy grinned which then morphed into a sad frown, patting Luis'' head with an unmistakable look of pity. Luis mentally shrugged at this. Could be worse, I could have been completely eaten...


    Then out of nowhere the boy started scratching at the base of his neck. Oh god! Luis wondered if this was what it was like for a dog to have its belly rubbed. Pleasure radiated from the contact, and Luis uncontrollably collapsed into a heap as his leg twitched. The boy laughed while the father snorted and shook his head. I could get used to this...Luis thought while the scratching continued.


    After the break, the trio continued on their journey eventually finding what was obviously a dirt road. After an hour or so more of walking along it, they had come over the crest of a hill and finally Luis saw where the two lived.


    It was like a scene from a painting. The fading sunlight illuminated a snow covered log house that was built adjacent to a frozen stream. It had a stone chimney that was slowly releasing white smoke. Luis'' strong sense of smell was telling him that the inhabitants were cooking something.


    In the nearby stream, there was a stationary water wheel covered in snow and ice connected to a smaller building. If Luis had to guess, it was a grain mill of some kind. A small wooden fence surrounded the perimeter of the house.


    Quite a nice home... Luis followed behind the boy until the boy pointed at him then to the fence post. He wants me to wait here? Luis complied, guessing the boy had something in mind.


    "MOTHER! WE''RE HOME!" Bryn yelled as he ran up to the house. Opening the door, a petite lady with blond hair and a freckled face stepped out. She appeared to be carrying something bundled up in her arms.


    "Welcome back sweetie! How was your hunt?" The mother smiled warmly, ruffling her sons head with affection. Wrapping her in a big hug, Bryn was careful to avoid the bundle in his mother''s grasp.


    "Mother, we have a couple of surprises for you..." Bryn began to describe to his mother exactly what happened, from how they felt the earthquake while hunting and decided to risk investigating. The father walked up right as his son arrived at the part about the wolf, said wolf slung in plain view on his shoulder.


    "Oh my!" The mother audibly gasped at the sight of the large wolf slung over her husband''s back like a sack of potatoes. Looking closer she noticed the green gem on its forehead...


    She couldn''t believe her eyes. "Is that... a magical beast? How did you managed to kill such a thing?" Worry colored her voice, afraid that the two most important men in her life could''ve been hurt from fighting.


    The father smiled wryly. "That is something your son will explain."


    After a glance from his father, Bryn mustered his courage and spoke. "We didn''t kill it... he did" Bryn whistled right after he finished speaking.


    I guess that''s my cue... Luis assumed as he hobbled into view from behind the fence post.


    The mother gasped at the sight of the creature. It was small, only slightly bigger than a dog, and covered with beautiful white scales. It had a a pudgy quality to its body that made it appear quite cute with its smooth head. As it approached, she noticed that it''s scales had a pearl-like quality to them, reflecting many pretty colors.


    They would make excellent jewelry... She looked at the beast with a glint in her eye.


    If Luis could hear her thoughts, he would have shuddered in fear. He eventually stopped behind the boy, who he figured would be his best ally for negotiations.


    "This creature killed the wolf? What is it?" The mother spoke after carefully inspecting the lizard from a distance. She wasn''t impressed. The unknown beast was missing a limb and although its claws looked dangerous, she wasn''t sure it would have been able to kill a larger predator like the wolf, especially if that wolf was a magical beast on its own.


    The father gave his son a look, who nodded back solemnly. "We think... we think it''s a magical beast too."


    Luis was getting tired of not understanding what anyone was saying. As he sat there, their arguing voices started to increase in pitch. Peeking past the mom standing in the doorway, he saw a little girl with blond tufts of curly hair sitting comfortably by the fire and playing with what appeared to be dolls. It didn''t seem she was that excited her father and brother had returned. She looked up and made eye contact with Luis, who recoiled from her sudden glare.


    Luis watched as the little girl walked past her parents and brother, who were all too engrossed in their arguments to notice. She is heading right towards me... what''s with that look in her eyes? Luis felt a sense of trepidation.


    "What were you thinking! Bringing back a magical beast to our home? Have you lost your sense" The mother held nothing back as she berated her son. "George, talk some sense into your son!"


    George, suddenly put on the spot, was about to speak before his wife suddenly screamed. "LILY! NO!"


    George and Bryn jumped simultaneously at her shriek and turned to see that the little girl, who had snuck past them when they weren''t paying attention, was hitting the lizard with a stick she had found.


    Thwack! "Bad monster! Go away!" She adjusted her swing.


    Thwack! "Leave us alone!" She started aiming for the head.


    Thwack! "Don''t hurt mommy!" She lowered her posture to balance herself.


    Thwack!


    Luis was crying internally. What did I do to suffer such abuse? Truthfully, her hits did absolutely no damage and they barely even registered on his scales. However to be attacked for no reason by a cute little girl that reminded him of his own grandchildren hurt on an emotional level.


    I''m just a misunderstood old man... He felt like crying out. The reactions from the parents were not lost on him as well.


    George had already dropped the wolf and was slowly reaching for the spear hooked to his pack. Although he knew the beast was docile, that didn''t mean it couldn''t be provoked into attacking, which was exactly what his daughter was doing. "LILY! Stop at once and get away!" Utilizing his commanding voice, George managed to snap his daughter out of her warpath.


    Being yelled at by her father, the girl started sniffling and dropped her stick. "But dad, it''s a monster! It''s bad!" The injustice she felt for being yelled at for fighting off the monster made her start to cry.


    Then something happened that stunned everyone into silence. The magical beast raised its head and licked Lily right across the face. The action caused her to uncontrollably mutter "Ewwwwwwwwwww" before she started to giggle.


    Luis, sensing it was a good opportunity to make a good first impression, seized the moment. Being a parent and grandpa, he felt he understood children quite well. Children don''t stay sad for long, especially if you provide a decent distraction.


    "Hehehe. It''s a good monster!" The little girl went right up Luis and hugged him, petting his head while apologizing for smacking him with a stick. From wanting to "slay" me to hugging me. Children were so simple... Luis internally smiled at her innocence.


    Bryn, who had been tense as a board while watching the whole thing unfold, laughed uproariously, breaking the stunned silence. "See father, he can definitely be trained!"


    George rubbed his head. Although it had been proven time and time again, he still couldn''t quite wrap his head around the idea of such a docile magical beast. It didn''t even attack after being hit in such a provocative manner.


    Seeing his own opportunity, Bryn once again pleaded to his mom to keep it. The mother was still against the idea, but after witnessing the earlier display as well as the constant begging from her son and a nod of approval from her husband, she finally relented. Sighing heavily, she spoke. "Fine, but it is not allowed in the house!"


    Bryn cheered. George carried the wolf to a shed located out back for harvesting tomorrow. The mother picked up her daughter with her free arm and carried her inside. Eventually, Bryn led the lizard to the shed where his father had deposited the wolf. Pointing at the shed, he bent down and patted the lizard on it glossy smooth head. "You stay here."


    Hoping it would understand, Bryn waited for its response. The lizard pointed at itself before pointing at the shed. Bryn smiled widely as he nodded. This has got to be the smartest beast I have ever seen... Bryn was already looking forward to the future when it grew bigger for training.


    Luis hobbled into the shed, and laid against the corpse of the wolf that had once tried to kill him, whose fur was softer than the cold ground. Quite weary from traveling so far on three legs, he watched as the boy retreated back to his own house, skipping merrily. Finally alone, he rested his head on his forearm, like a dog would, and began thinking deeply.


    What am I going to do from now on? Luis kept asking himself over and over. Sadly, no epiphanies or revelations struck him no matter how much he questioned. Sighing in defeat, he decided to leave his future up to fate. There must be some reason I was brought here... a test maybe? Luis wasn''t sure. However, one thing was for certain. For now, he would be living with this strange family. This would be his new home.

 7 New Life

    Three months passed by in the blink of an eye as the snow melted to give way to spring, and Luis used this time adjusting to life in his new form.


    Everyday, he would search deep within himself to see if he could sense the mysterious power that had saved his life twice before.


    With no tangible success, he concluded it was only possible to use in extreme circumstances. How he was able to do it at all, however, was still the greatest mystery. Its powerful effects completely defied common sense. Luis hoped that he would eventually come to understand this magical power, but he currently had bigger problems.


    After all, it wasn''t just his body he was adjusting to.


    Learning a new language simply by listening was incredibly difficult, but Luis could now pick out certain words. The names of the family came first, hearing them spoken over and over.


    The mother''s name was Mary, the daughter''s name was Lillith or Lily, the father''s name was George, and the son''s name was Bryn.


    He also discovered that there was a smaller member of the family, a baby, that had yet to be introduced. With his stronger sense of smell, Luis was beginning to recognize them based on their scent alone, each of which was slightly different.


    In addition to their names, Luis also learned other... very specific words... like "follow" or "fetch." He is treating me like a dog... Luis didn''t know whether to laugh or cry when he realized this.


    It could''ve been worse though, at least he was fed and had shelter. Baby steps. First... I need to learn their language... Were Luis'' thoughts on the subject of his demotion from grandpa to pet.


    It wasn''t all bad. Luis never found himself bored. Everyday, the boy would have Luis accompany him wherever he went, taking him fishing or hunting small wildlife back in the edge of the border woods.


    Luis'' sense of smell really helped in these cases, often leading Bryn to rabbit holes where he would flush them out for Bryn to shoot with his bow.


    Bryn was quite pleased that his rabbit hunting efficiency basically tripled with Luis around, often scratching his neck in thanks.


    At the house, the little girl Lily would often antagonize him, jumping on his back and pretending he was a horse, laughing uncontrollably while he carried her around.


    Her mother, Mary, was hesitant at first, but she quickly relented and allowed her daughter to play with Luis. The beast had proven quite docile, and she was quite pleased that Luis allowed her to collect any scales that he shed without fuss.


    As if I would even care about something so trivial... Luis was more then willing to share.


    Slowly but surely, he was integrating himself into this family, comfortable with the routine. Playing with the children was a small joy all on its own.


    For all the drawbacks having a new form had, the ability to move without his old joints hurting was not one of them. Luis found he had far more energy, vitality, and strength then he ever had as a man.


    Or maybe I just got used to being old... Luis couldn''t quite remember. Regardless, after spending every waking moment with the kids, he couldn''t help but grow fond of them.


    With the thaw of spring, new life began to blossom. All around the house, green started to appear. Flowers started popping up, and vast patches of barren dirt covered in weeds emerged where the snow melted.


    This was a farm... The connection was easy to make. All at once, the lazy days ended and things started to get busy. Luis'' comfortable routine was disrupted.


    "BRYN! Come here!" George yelled as Luis watched him enter into the shed he had been sleeping in, likely to gather some tools.


    "Go already!" Lily commanded from her perch on his back. Luis pretended to ignore her as he looked off into the distance. "GO!" Came her impatient shout. In a flash, Luis whipped his head around and licked her across the face without warning. "Eww! Stop it!" She demanded as she rolled off and tried kicking him.


    Luis jumped and ran away, being chased by a "furious" little girl. If he could physically laugh, he would have. Playing hard-to-get was quite entertaining for him.


    Before the snow melted, he would often hide, playing hide-and-seek with her, blending right into the snow with his white scales to effectively disappear. Now, with no snow around, his fate was sealed.


    Cornered against the house, Luis "cowered" in fear at the little girl who was now holding a "deadly" stick, pointing it right at him.


    "Surrender monster! You have nowhere to run!"


    Luis, understanding though context, dramatically collapsed onto the ground in submission. Lily put one foot on his snout and pointed the stick to the sky. "You have been conquered!" She declared, striking a mighty pose.


    Luis heard laughing from the side. "Lillith, stop terrorizing the poor beast" Mary couldn''t keep the grin off her face. Every since their first meeting, she couldn''t keep her daughter away from the poor thing.


    However, she was secretly relieved, her daughter used to be so reserved and quiet. Now she was always out and about, "defeating" magical beasts.


    Despite her misgivings in the beginning, she was quite thankful the beast was entertaining her daughter so much.


    It took a load off her shoulders in trying to entertain her herself, especially when she had other matters to attend too... Mary smiled down at the bundle in her arms, rubbing the face of the baby sleeping snugly inside it.


    At this moment, Bryn came running out of the house to answer his father''s call. "Yes father, what is it?" He asked, adjusting the woolen shirt he put on backwards in his haste.


    "The snow has melted. The time has come to pluck the weeds before their roots go deep. I need you to go to town and buy the seeds from Milano''s shop while I start here..." George reached into his pocket and pulled out a green gem, handing it to his son.


    "Here, take this and sell it. This will be your first lesson in haggling my boy. Do not sell it for anything less than five gold, for I know it''s worth at least that much..."


    George patted his son on the shoulder and smiled. "Anything you earn more than five gold, you can keep for yourself."


    Bryn examined the gem that was brimming with earth energy. He was moved deeply by the trust his father was putting on him, as well as excited by the prospect of earning money of his own. "Yes father, I won''t let you down!" Bryn saluted dramatically. He was immediately slapped on his head.


    "Don''t let this go to your head, boy! There are simply too many weeds this year for me to go personally, and I need to get started..." George couldn''t keep the smile out of his voice.


    Bryn was too excited to be aggrieved at the slap. He could finally go into town and visit the guild library. Hopefully, I can find out what he is... Bryn looked over to the lazy white lizard, who was too busy enjoying a neck scratch from Lily to notice.


    "Can I bring him along? Bryn asked his father while looking at Luis.


    George considered for a moment. Magical beast pets were not that rare, but not exactly common either. Even for those that were around, they were often used as mounts or as weapons of war. That was of course, unless they had a particular use...


    To have one as a pet, or even a hunting hound... that was quite uncommon.


    He also assumed that whatever the scaly lizard was, it was only rank one at most, based on its size. Although, it was able to kill a rank two earth wolf... George was still considering. Eventually, he came to a decision.


    "I''ll leave the choice up to you. Should you decide to bring him, be aware that you mustn''t tell anyone that it killed the earth wolf. If any store owner asks, you will say we chanced upon its corpse,"


    Bryn nodded vigorously, being sure to memorize everything his father was saying. George nodded and continued. "If you do bring him, be prepared to garner some attention. The only other trained magical beast in town is the blacksmith''s fire salamander.


    Although it''s unlikely, should you encounter trouble, seek him out if you do. Now... off with you!" George finished and bent down, beginning the slow process of weeding an entire field.


    Bryn ran over to Luis, who was pinning Lily under his arm as she tried to break free, yelling childish curses at him.


    He immediately motioned for Luis to follow, and Luis complied, leaving the saddened Lily behind as he followed Bryn. Together, they walked towards the dirt path.


    I wonder where we''re going? Luis couldn''t help but be curious.


    Bryn couldn''t contain his enthusiasm as he walked with a spring in his step. This was going to be fun!

 8 The Town

    The walk was quite enjoyable. A gentle breeze blew cool air across the plains while the sun warmed the scales on Luis'' body, which he discovered in this form was quite a pleasant feeling. Yeah, I can see why reptiles love sunning themselves... Luis basked in the warmth.


    Eventually, the dirt path connected to a wider perpendicular dirt road stretching far off in either direction. Luis followed as Bryn turned right.


    He stopped, sniffing the air suddenly on alert. If his sense of smell was right, someone was approaching. Looking off into the distance, he saw a speck on the distance growing closer.


    Finally! Another person! Luis was quite excited to meet new people. Not that he was unhappy with the one''s he already met, but he wanted to know what their society was like. I want to learn more about this world... Watching the speck grow bigger, Luis felt a yearning in his heart.


    The speck grew into a carriage carrying a chubby well dressed man and armored guard sitting next to him on the coach seat. A merchant? Luis could only guess.


    The carriage paused as the merchant spoke to Bryn while pointing at Luis. Luis sighed internally. I guess this will become a common occurrence... He sometimes forgot he was only a small lizard. Only now did he realize he would likely attract attention from most people.


    The carriage continued on after Bryn pacified the merchant''s curiosity, and the man and lizard duo continued on the path towards... Luis wasn''t sure, but he hoped it was to a town of some kind. He was filled with a burning curiosity.


    Not too much later, Luis'' wishes came true. Off in the distance, a small stone wall came into view, tiny flags waving in the wind on top of where the gate stood. In front, there were two figures. Upon further approach, Luis realized they were guards wearing leather armor and carrying spears.


    "Two coppers for entry!" One of the guards yelled as they approached. Once they got within a certain distance, the guards finally noticed the three legged lizard following the boy. They lowered their spears threateningly.


    "What is that?" The guard demanded, pointing his spear at Luis, who remained behind Bryn.


    "He is my trained magical beast!" Bryn declared proudly, puffing out his chest in front of the two guards. The two guards gave each other a look and quickly returned their gazes back to the boy, their skepticism obvious.


    "Prove it." One of them said.


    Bryn was stumped for a moment. "How can I prove it. He is already following me obediently isn''t he?"


    The guard considered, rubbing his beard with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Winking to his fellow guard, he answered Bryn. "Make him roll over."


    Bryn was confused. "How the hell do I make him do that?" He felt like they were making fun of him somehow.


    The guard put on a stoic face, betraying no emotion. "Figure it out, kid..."


    Bryn turned to face Luis, who had a question mark over his head. Behind him, the guard nudged his companion. "This is gonna be good..." He whispered softly.


    First, Bryn tried making spinning motions with his hands directed at Luis. That didn''t work, and Luis became more and more puzzled by the second. The stoic expression on the guards'' faces slightly fractured, a tiny curve appearing at the corner of their lips.


    Getting desperate, Bryn told Luis to "follow" before bending over and rotating his body, spinning in a windmill-like motion. Luis had figured out via context what Bryn was asking him to do, but just like the guards Luis could see failing miserably to hold back their chuckling, he was also too amused watching the boy make a fool of himself to comply.


    Finally, the guards couldn''t take it anymore and started bellowing, their laughter echoing across the wall. Bryn''s face was beet red, and in a moment of anger, shoved Luis. "This is your fault you stupid lizard!"


    Luis, barely stumbling, swept his small tail into Bryn''s feet with force, causing his legs to buckle. Bryn fell to the floor, stunned. Luis then proceeded to put his whole weight on Bryn''s chest, pinning him to the ground. Luis was far heavier than he looked.


    One of the guards couldn''t take it anymore and fell to his knees, smacking the dirt as tears leaked from his eyes. A good thirty seconds passed while the guards vented their humor. Bryn didn''t attempt to shove Luis off, knowing he was wrong to blame him. "Sorry buddy..." He patted the head of Luis.


    Hearing the apologetic tone, Luis moved his weight off, allowing Bryn to sit up. If Luis could smile, he would have at this moment. Children will be children after all... He licked Bryn''s face for good measure, being one of the only ways he could show affection.


    The guards, having had a great laugh, were in a much better mood. Wiping his eyes, the guard that started it all smiled at Bryn. "Kid, that was the funniest thing I''ve seen since last winter. For that display, I''ll even waive the entrance fee..."


    Bryn didn''t forget why this happened. "I can bring him in too, right?" He gestured to Luis.


    "Yea, seems harmless enough. Just keep an eye on him..." Truthfully, the guard wasn''t that concerned worried at all.


    Judging from its size and slightly chubby appearance, even if it was a magical beast, it was almost certainly rank one. Besides, it was crippled. Although it was slightly strange that the boy had a magical beast, it wasn''t their place to pry.


    The guards moved aside, yelling past the wall to open the portcullis. The two guards stepped aside and allowed them to pass as the metal bars rose up.


    Once they were out of earshot, the other guard could help but ask, "Are you sure it''s alright. I mean, even rank one magical beasts can cause trouble..."


    The first guard shook his head. "I''m not worried. You forget that winter has ended. All those fools hoping to strike it rich are gathering to try their luck in the border woods," He leaned forward to whisper.


    "Besides, I heard that a group of magic warriors recently showed up at this guild branch, also looking to head into those woods..."


    The other guard immediately nodded in understanding. Even on the small chance that beast did cause trouble, it would be nothing for a magic warrior.


    Once they stepped inside, Luis was greeted with a fantastic scene.


    People. People everywhere! Finally... Luis saw human society for the first time since he had been "hatched" into this world. Loads of new smells were stimulating his senses.


    People of all shapes, sizes, and complexions were walking to a fro, into and out of buildings, buying various things from stalls, and generally contributing to the lifeblood that was a bustling town.


    The buildings were tightly packed like a city in his old life, but only one or two stories tall. All were made of wood, and were often covered in decorative signs written in a foreign language, likely signifying their business.


    Luis swept his head in every direction, trying to absorb the atmosphere of life that was lifting his spirits. Good lord have I missed this... Luis had an extra bounce to his hobbling as he followed Bryn along.


    As they walked, people approached Bryn in interest, obviously inquiring about the crippled white lizard beast following him. At first, Luis felt a little guilty that he might be being a hindrance to Bryn.


    However, when he saw the arrogant smile on Bryn''s face, his guilt evaporated like a drop of water on a frying pan. This brat is milking me for attention... Luis felt like tripping the boy.


    Though, remembering the earlier stunt with the guards, he ultimately decided Bryn had suffered enough humbling for one day. Luis followed Bryn as he slowly waded through the nosy crowd, boasting loudly along the way.


    Luis assumed that it was about him, but since he couldn''t understand the language, he wasn''t certain. This is priority number one! Luis decided that he would somehow convince the boy to teach him. But... how am I supposed to do that? Gestures can only get me so far... Luis pondered over this ongoing dilemma.


    Maybe if I draw for him my own language for him, but the issue remains that he still won''t understand my writing... WAIT! A bombshell dropped in his mind. Luis suddenly felt foolish, wanting to facepalm.


    He had thought of this same problem before... but focused too much on the fact that Bryn wouldn''t be able to understand his written language. Only now did he realize...


    That doesn''t matter at all! Luis was sure that Bryn merely considered him a smarter than average animal or beast. If he just showed him that he could write words, even in a language Bryn couldn''t understand, that would clue the boy in to his true level of intelligence. Maybe then he would finally get somewhere with communication.


    Thump!


    Luis bumped into Bryn, who had stopped walking and was bantering with three figures. As Luis peered in front of him, he saw three boys around Bryn''s own age. Friends of his? Luis guessed as he watched patiently.


    "Hey Bryn! What is it?" Asked the the first, a big burly boy with pale skin and a mop of red hair on his head. The other two boys, shorter twins with tan completions and brown hair slightly darker than Bryn''s, asked similar questions.


    "This, my friends, is my new magical beast!" Bryn puffed out his chest and presented Luis with a wave of his hand.


    The three other boys looked Luis down head to claw. They all laughed at the same time. "Not much of a magical beast. It''s even crippled. What''s its rank?" The redhead spoke first, clearly mocking him.


    Bryn frowned. "He''s a rank one, and I''m not sure of his affinity yet..."


    "He''s kind cute when you think about it, look at those fat limbs..." One of the twins added thoughtfully while the other remained silent, only observing.


    "Peh, what''s the point of having a magical beast that can''t fight?" The redhead continued to needle Bryn, who resisted the difficult urge to reveal that Luis had killed a rank two wolf in his current form.


    "He will get stronger, and then I will have him help me hunt other magical beasts!" Bryn revealed his ultimate goal with passion.


    The redhead continued to laugh mockingly. "You? An adventurer? With skinny arms like yours, you are basically as crippled as that lizard!" The redhead smacked his thigh as he continued to snicker.


    Bryn had enough, the blood pooling to his head. "Leo! Just because your dad died as an adventure doesn''t mean I will make the same mistake..." Bryn regretted the words as soon as they left his mouth.


    All at once Leo''s face turned deadly serious, and he immediately threw a rage filled punch at Bryn who was too slow to react.


    Smack!


    Bryn was hit right on the nose, the blow knocking him senseless, and he immediately fell on his back. Luis, not prepared for or understanding what happened, stepped in front of Bryn, growling threateningly at the larger boy. Leo merely glanced at Luis before turning and walking away, his shoulders tense.


    The twins also glanced at Bryn, whose face was now covered with blood leaking from his nose. They each shook their heads at Bryn in disappointment and followed after Leo.


    Bryn sat up and put a hand to his face. "I shouldn''t have said that... He felt like a bastard, and realized there was no way he couldn''t apologize for such a slight to his friend. He would take care of that later.


    Putting a hand on Luis'' head to let him know he was fine, he stood up slowly. "Let''s just go... He motioned for Luis to follow, any pride or enthusiasm from the earlier bragging gone completely.


    Luis watched Bryn with concern, wondering what words were exchanged to cause such an outcome. The walk resumed in sullen silence, Bryn walking with his shoulders slumped. Eventually, Bryn came to a stop.


    Luis looked up at the store they wondered up to. The smell of metal, fire, and smoke permeated his nostrils as he took in the surroundings.


    The store was open to the outside, and he could see shelves and tables stocked with all manner of metal weapons and armor. From his position, Luis could see a separate back room was awash in a warm red glow, likely from a furnace.


    Luis heard Bryn shout something, and a grumpy sounding response emanated from the back room. A figure clad in smithing gear walked out of the furnace room, his clothes smoking. A dwarf! Luis was intrigued by this.


    Luis knew dwarves existed back on Earth, but it was due to some genetic condition or something. This one though... this one looked like he was meant to exist in this form, with stocky arms and legs and a full braided beard that was smoking slightly. He looked quite healthy in fact, like a very buff, short, man.


    Intriguing as it was, Luis wasn''t all that surprised by new developments anymore, considering how he ended up here in the first place.


    The dwarf removed his goggles as he walked to the front, followed by a...


    Woah... Now Luis was surprised. A large red salamander about Luis'' own size trailed behind the dwarf, flicking its tongue lazily. It looked like a red scalier version of a komodo dragon.


    When it caught sight of Luis, it hissed threateningly. Only when the dwarf patted it on the head did it calm down, not taking its eyes off Luis. Luis, in turn, merely stared back with causal interest.


    The dwarf walked right up to Bryn, who stood at almost equal height with him. "Judging from yer looks, you must be Geoge''s boy eh? What can I do for you?"

 9 Bestiary

    Bryn had made the decision to stop by the blacksmith''s forge first, the same place his father had told him to go if he got into trouble. He knew from hearsay that magical gems could be utilized in smithing to make stronger weapons and armor.


    Henceforth, there was a chance the smith would give him a better deal for the rank two earth wolf''s magical gem. A reasonable deduction. However, that was not the only reason...


    "Judging from yer looks, you must be George''s boy, eh? What can I do fer you?" The dwarf grunted.


    "Uncle Grum! Don''t act like you don''t recognize me!" Bryn was indignant at the way the dwarf addressed him.


    "Heh, last time I saw ye, ye were this tall..." Grum put a hand to his chest representing Bryn''s former height. "What can I do for ye boy?"


    Bryn looked around, reached into his pocket, and pulled out the green magic stone before handing it to Grum.


    Luis, who was examining the large red salamander, suddenly felt a chill trickle down his spine. Using an instinct he didn''t understand, he turned and locked his eyes with a man who was staring intently at the exchange between the drawf and Bryn.


    The blond haired man was dressed like several others he had seen, wearing a mix of leather and metal armor. He had a curved sword at his waist, and a thoughtful smile was on his face.


    What is this? Is he a threat? Luis'' instinct was telling him to be wary of this man. Why or how, he didn''t understand. He just felt that the man was a threat in some manner.


    Strange... Luis took a mental note of this. Bryn however, was completely oblivious, as was the dwarf.


    "A rank two magic stone... Grum whispered softly, spinning the gemstone carefully in his hand. Out of nowhere, he barked his offer. "Six gold, not a copper more!"


    Bryn was about to demand a higher price when the dwarf cut him off by raising his other hand.


    "Yer father told you to haggle me I presume. He is smart enough to know he can get at least five gold fer this. That''s why I gave ye the extra gold for yer trouble. Yer welcome, now stop."


    Bryn felt that this was not quite the lesson in haggling his father had in mind, but the prospect of a whole gold piece to himself was too tempting to risk. "Deal!"


    Revealing a rare smile, the dwarf pocketed the gem, left, and returned with the gold. Handing the small pouch to Bryn he inquired. "I see you have a beast following ye..." Grum left the rest of the question unsaid.


    Reaching into one of his many pockets, the dwarf tossed Luis a piece of dried meat. Merely reacting accordingly, Luis caught the jerky with his mouth, and found it to be delicious, chomping on it gratefully.


    The red salamander on the other hand, narrowed its eyes, a look of betrayal on its face as Grum patted Luis'' smooth head.


    "Yea, about that I wanted to ask you if he..." Bryb started before Grum cut him off again, believing he knew what he was going to be asked.


    "I wouldn''t worry about it boy. No one would bother trying to take yer beast. He looks like he is only rank one, and rank one beast cores and stones are worthless.


    They contain too little energy to be used for anything, and any if any pitiful fellow tried to sell one, they''d be lucky to recieve fifty coppers. Not worth the effort..."


    Bryn nodded, his knowledge regarding magic stones slightly increased. However, this wasn''t his question.


    "What I wanted to ask was if you know what he is? What kind of magical beast?"


    Grum bent down and scratched the base of Luis'' neck, who shivered in pleasure from the touch. "I''m afraid not boy, but I would check the bestiary at the guild. Maybe you''ll find some clues about this here beast."


    Bryn nodded and left after saying goodbye with Luis following behind. Next stop, the guild! Bryn''s somber mood from before considerably brightened. The guild was the place he hoped to frequent in the future, after he became an adventurer himself.


    The building the duo stopped in front of was in the close to town square. It was large, approximately two stories, and a big sign was hung over the double door.


    On the sign, there was a symbol of a large iron shield. The most identifiable feature though, was that the walls of the building were made of white stone. Very few buildings were made of stone in this city, not including the walls, and Luis assumed they were all important in some way.


    Bryn took a deep breath and opened the door. Luis followed Bryn as he walked in. The interior reminded Luis of the DMV.


    People were in line to meet three separate receptionists behind windows cut into a wooden wall. Around the space, there were tables where various people sat, mostly men and a couple women. There was a bulliten board on a nearby wall with papers pinned to it


    Luis noticed that everyone minus the receptionists and Bryn were dressed in various levels of armor and carrying all manner of different weapons. Soldiers? No, there was no uniformity. They more closely resembled mercenaries... Luis couldn''t be certain. Most of the people here yelled out greetings when Bryn entered.


    Several even came over and clapped him on the back, talking excitedly. Bryn returned their enthusiasm. He must come here often... Luis was made aware of Bryn''s popularity among these people.


    Some dialogue was exchanged, the Bryn pointed to Luis. All at once, Luis found himself suddenly surrounded by a large group of men and woman, all much larger than him and carrying sharp looking weapons.


    Luis felt a cold sweat trickle down his back, mentally of course. They all started poking and prodding him with their hands, much to his annoyance. These people are lucky I am patient... Grumbled Luis internally. Otherwise, several of them would have lost fingers from their invasive touching.


    "Wow, he really is docile!" One of the adventurers observed, impressed at the beast''s patience. A normal magical beast would be too nervous to be surrounded by humans like this.


    "He is quite cute too!" Observed a well built female adventurer. "You are very lucky to have a cute magical beast following you around. Grumpy ol'' Grum''s salamander pales in comparison..." She rubbed Luis'' small head, cooing softly.


    Luis'' dignity demanded he not be embarrassed by the cooing sound this woman was making to him. He was not a child.


    Bryn asked them all what their plans were, and they explained they were going to go hunting for beast cores and stones as a group. Humans were always stronger and safer in numbers. Bryn was brimming with jealousy, wishing he could join them.


    Suddenly, Luis felt a familiar chill going down his back, pinpointing the source of the feeling, he saw a man sitting at a table in the corner covered in a long robe that concealed his body. His face was hidden, but Luis could somehow tell he was looking over.


    Strange... The feeling was the same as what he felt before, but it lacked the sharpness of hostility he felt from the previous man. Basically, he sensed that the man was dangerous, but not currently a threat. Huh...


    After some more dialogue was exchanged, Bryn eventually moved towards a set of stairs, heading up into the unknown. As he climbed, Luis found he had a lot of trouble following. He had to hop up each step, and the imbalance from only having one front leg made it relatively difficult.


    His perseverance paid off, and he was greeted with a large assortment of shelves covered wall to wall with books. A couple people were standing around searching for particular books, while others were sitting at a long table in the center, reading silently.


    A library... This was not what he was expecting, but it provided him with an opportunity. I can show him! This was his chance to prove his true intelligence and convince Bryn to teach him the language.


    Bryn walked up to a podium standing in the center of the library. A thick worn tome was resting atop it. The bestiary! Bryn was glad no one had taken it yet. Grabbing the massive book, he brought it to the table. Getting comfortable, he started flipping through it.


    Luis hopped up onto the table, gathering various glances. No one, however, bothered to stop him, and he soon was ignored. Luis watched over Bryn''s shoulder as he flipped through the tome.


    As the pages turned, pictures of all kinds of beasts followed by lines of writing greeted his eyes. Some creatures looked like familiar animals, while others were new to Luis. These look quite interesting! Luis wished he could read it!


    Bryn stopped at a particular page that had a picture even Luis recognized. Bryn read the general description.


    Elemental wolf... a common magical beast. They are so named by the elemental affinity they bear. Commonly seen elemental affinities of these wolves include wind and earth. A rarer variant of elemental wolf with the affinity of fire has been recorded near areas rich with fire elemental energy. No recorded cases of a water elemental wolf varient have been documented.


    However, there have been documented encounters with an extremely rare shadow affinty elemental wolf, but these encounters are incredibly uncommon. No cases of aberrant elemental variant types have been recorded.


    The elemental energy of an elemental wolf manifests itself as a stone embedded in the skull or chest of the wolf. Rarer cases will see it embedded on the stomach. Elemental wolves have been documented to grow up to rank three. However, rank two is by far the most comman rank these wolves mature at...


    The book continued on in great detail, describing elemental wolf habits, strengths, weaknesses, and effective methods of killing for all listed affinity variants.


    "So, you killed one of these huh?" Bryn whispered to Luis who was still staring at the page. Luis was looking specifically at the handwriting...


    Bryn continued to flip through the book, curious to see if he could find out what type of magical beast Luis was. Sadly, the book wasn''t really organized, and there was no rhyme or reason where magical beasts were placed in the book.


    It was like they were recorded in the exact order of their discovery, which made searching for a particular beast difficult. However, it was necessary for an up and coming adventurer to study the whole thing anyway if he wanted to be prepared for hunting in the border woods.


    Knowledge was power, and the information in here could save a person''s life.


    The book listed most of the known and recorded magical beasts. According to the book, a magical beast constituted any wild beast able to manipulate and use elemental essence. The element they were able to manipulate was what classified its affinity. These included the standard elements of wind, water, earth, and fire.


    There were also the incredibly rare light and shadow elemental affinities. Even finding one and reporting a magic beast with these affinities could set someone up for life, for even the most powerful people on the continent would seek them out. The reason for this was due to the certain abilities and effects elemental affinities provided the user.


    Fire granted a person or magical beast the ability to manipulate fire, which was deadly on its own. It could be applied in various ways such as making weapons or claws burn the victim or causing explosions with concentrated fire energy. The stones and cores of fire beasts with a fire affinity could even be used as explosives themselves.


    People and beasts with a wind affinity could become like the wind. Essentially, it granted a speed boost. At higher levels, one could even use their power to fly. With enough control, wind could also become a deadly weapon.


    Earth affinity granted strong defence and natural regeneration in the form of increased vitality. Higher ranking beasts with this affinity in particular were considered nearly impossible to kill.


    Water affinty was less common among land creatures, but it essentially granted the ability to manipulate water. Its biggest strength was actually its heavy suppression of those with fire affinity, but it also had several minor uses, including breathing underwater, internal temperature regulation, and increased bodily flexibility, among other things.


    Light and shadow affinities were not as detailed in the bestiary. In short, light had incredible healing properties and damage capability for those who wielded it while shadow affinity offered those who had it incredible stealth potential. Any more detail with regard to those two were likely only available for qualified adventurers.


    There were other special magical affinity types too, collectively known as abberants, which were extreme manifestations of the four basic elements. Information on those however, was only available, again, to qualified members of the guild.


    I wonder what affinity you have... Bryn glanced at Luis, who was studying the book intently. Smiling, Byrn started scratching the base of Luis'' neck, who could no longer concentrate on the book due to the pleasure.


    Bryn had looked all over the body of Luis searching for a stone, but never found any. You must have a core then... Bryn naturally assumed.


    According to the book, all magical beasts have either a core or stone that represents the culmination of their magical power. If it''s on the outside body of the magical beast, then it''s a stone. If it''s inside, it''s a core. The beasts that manifest a stone somewhere on the body typically have their physique enhanced by the beneficial effects of their element.


    For example, a wind wolf, when using its magic power, was able to lighten its body and increase its speed drastically. An earth wolf, on the other hand, was able to harden its body to incredible levels, making it able to resist many otherwise fatal attacks.


    Magical beasts with a core leaned more towards powerful elemental attacks. The most famous example was the firebreath of a red dragon. Bryn sighed in awe as he imagined it.


    Dragons were considered the most powerful magical beasts, and grew naturally to rank seven, where they developed their iconic wings. They were recorded to be fiercely intelligent, essentially sentient, and rumor has it that they even built their own society in the years they have been absent from this half of the continent.


    Dragons lived somewhere on the other side of the border forest. Bryn wished he could meet some. However, there was only one problem, dragons detested humans and humans feared and fought against dragons. According to history books, this was due to a war that occurred several hundred years ago... Bryn tried to recall the history.


    Flipping through the rest of the book, Bryn was unable to discover anything that clued him in on Luis'' species. It was highly possible that whatever he was hadn''t been discovered and recorded yet.


    Scritch... Scritch... Scritch...


    Bryn looked over to see what was making that scratching noise, only to discover that Luis was scratching the table with his claw. Although the table wasn''t anything fancy, Bryn didn''t want his reputation ruined for defacing furniture. "Hey! Stop that!" Bryn swatted Luis'' claw away. He moved to inspect the damage when suddenly his heart stopped.


    "Elemental... magical... wind... affinity," Bryn whispered breathlessly. He couldn''t believe what he was reading.


    Luis, while Bryn had been reading and recalling information from the book, had been busy trying to copy markings from the most common symbols he saw from the same book. Judging by Bryn''s reaction, he had succeeded in thoroughly shocking the poor boy.


    Luis made eye contact with Bryn and while he was still stunned, pointed at the words he drew, then to the book, and finally back to himself. Please understand... Luis prayed.


    Bryn''s mind was working at a million miles a minute. He actually wrote... words. A magical beast was writing words! Watching Luis'' gestures, a mind exploding revelation dawned upon Bryn.


    "He wants me... he wants me to teach him to read?"

 10 Attack

    Bryn had to take a moment to consider what he was seeing. In truth, he was intimidated by Luis'' display of advanced intelligence. Even the smartest magical beasts were not this intelligent at rank one, the rank all magical beasts were born at.


    He backed away slowly from Luis. "What if he''s been tricking us this whole time... what if he''s just waiting for us to let our guards down..."


    However, Bryn paused at those thoughts. He remembered that this was the same lizard who let him scratch his neck and accompanied him everywhere. The same lizard who would entertain his little sister when she was bored and lick her when she cried.


    From their time together, this lizard had done nothing but add joy to the family. That''s what he was now... family. Bryn calmed down, the realization soothing his agitated soul.


    No matter how terrifyingly smart the lizard was, he was now apart of their family. He didn''t mean them any harm. In fact... Bryn began to smile.


    Having such an intelligent magical beast by his side as a partner could only prove beneficial. Now that he wasn''t panicking, Bryn''s over active imagination took hold, imagining them hunting magical beasts side by side in the future. His smile widened.


    Looking at Luis, he made a decision. "I really need to give you a proper name." All this time he had been calling him lizard or beast. That was not appropriate for a family member, but for now...


    "You want to learn how to read?" Bryn asked Luis directly. Seeing Luis'' blank look, Bryn smacked himself on the forehead, recognizing his stupidity. Picking up the book and facing it towards Luis, Bryn pointed at the words and back to Luis repeatedly.


    Luis was thrilled! This was exactly the result he was after. To get his point across, Luis jumped up and down, nodding vigorously. Bryn laughed hard.


    This was simply amazing. He was communicating effectively with a magic beast. He now couldn''t wait to start teaching Luis to read. Bryn wondered what Luis would have to say...


    "Shhhhhhh!"


    Bryn flinched, realizing that they weren''t the only two people on this floor and that they were making a lot of noise. Seeing someone walk over to tell him off, he quickly slid the bestiary over Luis'' claw marks.


    Bryn knew enough about the ways of the world to understand how special Luis'' unbelievable intelligence was. In fact, if anyone else knew, it would certainly bring about a whole lot of trouble.


    It will have to remain a secret between us... Bryn would explain this to Luis when he was able to understand.


    "Will you both keep it down!" A stocky man whispered with authority. Glancing at Luis who was still on the furniture, he added another demand. "Get your beast off the table! This isn''t a playground!"


    Bryn nodded repeatedly while apologizing, trying to maintain an air of innocence. The man snorted and walked back to his seat, satisfied with the boy''s response.


    Although Bryn wanted nothing more than to start teaching Luis now, he still had matters to attend to. He would have to figure out a way to teach him in secret.


    Bryn imagined how strange it would look teaching a lizard to read in the middle of a popular library. He chuckled at the thought. "Come on, let''s go..." He motioned for Luis to follow.


    Bryn stopped by a seed shop on the way out of the city, purchasing twelve bags of seeds for two gold and forty silver, nearly half of the money they had earned. He then paid an additional ten silver to have them delivered to his father''s farm, leaving with exactly half of his father''s money, not including the gold coin that was now his own.


    Bryn was pleased at today''s results. Usually, they would go into debt to buy the seeds needed for the farm, but now thanks to Luis and that earth wolf''s magical gem, they now had excess money that could used to rid themselves of the majority of the debt from years prior.


    Bryn walked through the gate, now crowded with people. A merchant caravan had just arrived and the two guards who pranked Bryn were too busy collecting taxes and inspecting goods to really bother them again.


    As the walls receded into the distance, the amount of people on the main road decreased until it was just Bryn and Luis walking side by side. They came back to the familiar trail and turned left. Wait...


    There was a figure about a hundred feet away, standing there as if he was waiting for them. Bryn was only slightly suspicious as the figure began to approach, but Luis felt a horrible premonition.


    It was the blond man with the curved sword that had given him the bad feeling back at the blacksmith''s. He still sensed he was dangerous, but now the sharp feeling of hostility was incredibly strong.


    Luis didn''t know how he knew, but he knew that this man meant them harm. Grabbing Bryn''s pant leg with his teeth, Luis forced Bryn to stop.


    Stepping in front of Bryn, Luis growled as the man approached with an amused smile. "Quite a loyal pet you have there..." The man started as if he was just here to have a normal conversation.


    "Who are you? What do you want? How did you find out were I was going?" Bryn asked a series of rapid fire questions, obviously nervous from Luis'' reaction. Magical beasts had better senses for danger than humans.


    "Tsk. So many questions. Who I am doesn''t matter, and you would be surprised how much you can learn by asking around..." The stranger pulled out his curved sword and inspected it.


    "I''ll keep this short kid. Give me the money you got from that rank two earth stone... or I will kill you." The blond man didn''t beat around the bush as he laid bare his intentions.


    Bryn gasped at the threat, fear evident in his voice. "How did you know about that?"


    The man laughed. "You were quite foolish if you thought simply putting it in your pocket was enough to hide its presence, especially in front of a man like me..." A green glow appeared on his sword.


    Bryn felt true despair. He''s a magic knight! We''re done for... There was no way they could fight and win against a magic knight of any rank. Bryn''s legs started shaking, when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his ankle. He bit me! Bryn stared at Luis in shock.


    Luis had bit him to break him out of his frozen state. He then pulled on his pants hard, his intention easily decipherable. Run!


    Bryn did just that, taking off back towards the town. If he could make it within sight of the guards he might be saved.


    A magic knight abusing his powers against regular folk was highly taboo, and the man would face severe punishment from both the Adventurer''s Guild and the Association of Magic Knights... that is... if Bryn made it back alive to report it.


    The man didn''t waste any time, immediately chasing in pursuit. However, his pursuit was thrown off when he felt a painful bite on his shin.


    Luis had struck! When the blond man ran by, completely ignoring him, Luis didn''t let the chance slip. However, the man''s skin reminded Luis of the earth wolf, incredibly tough! Grunting in annoyance, the man slashed down with his sword to decapitate the pest.


    Sensing death approach, Luis released his bite. He managed to avoid decapitation, but he couldn''t completely dodge the blow.


    "Gah!" An uncontrollable yelp of pain was released as Luis stumbled away, a deep gash and broken scales on his chest leaking blood profusely. The man paid him no more mind as he ran off in pursuit of the boy.


    Fury welled in Luis'' chest. As an adult, as a parent, as a grandpa... He would never allow some mugger to hurt a child under his watch. Not my boy... Luis collapsed. A familiar power swelled in his chest...


    Bryn was running as fast as he could. He didn''t even dare look back. A sound entered his ears, like something flying through the air end over end... Bryn felt his left leg give out as he fell over, sliding along the ground due to his momentum.


    "AHHHHHHHGGG" Bryn screamed as he stared at the curved sword of the man that was sticking out of his leg. The knight had thrown it with impeccable aim. Only a magic knight would be able to do something like that... Bryn stared at his wound in horror.


    "Did you really think you could escape from me? I''m a magic knight, while you are just a boy. You should''ve just handed over the money quietly..." The man spoke as if he was genuinely confused.


    Bryn was overwhelmed with pain. Scooting away in fear as the man approached, Bryn couldn''t help but feel a deep injustice. "Why are you doing this! Aren''t you a magic knight! Don''t you protect people from magic beasts! Bryn roared out his grievances.


    Stopping in front of the Bryn, the man replied without mercy. "Human''s are the easiest prey..." The blond man had already been kicked out of the association for abusing his powers, but the man would never admit this to the child.


    Bending down, the man reached for his sword in the boy''s leg, ready to finish the job.


    Tug...


    The man paused as he felt a claw wrap around his left leg. When the man saw what had grabbed him, he was genuinely surprised.


    I thought I already killed you... Letting down his guard, the man bent over to inspect where he had sliced the lizard.


    With his strength, he believed that there was no way this small magical beast posed any sort of threat.


    This arrogance cost him his life...


    Earlier, after Luis had collapsed, he had managed in his desperation to summon the same magical power that had already saved his life twice before.


    After it healed him, he quickly followed after Bryn and the man who was trying to kill him. When he saw how bad the man had hurt Bryn... hurt his boy... something in him snapped.


    Luis felt the same familiar energy building in his chest. However this time, he kept drawing more of it from whatever its source was.


    It started to hurt like nothing he had felt before, but he refused to stop. It built and built and the pressure in his throat made it clear that he was ready to release his attack.


    Kill that man... a singular thought kept Luis from losing control of the overwhelming power building in his center.


    By the time Luis had gripped the blond man''s leg, he was on the verge of exploding. When the man bent down like a lamb to slaughter, Luis released the blast.


    In the split second before he died, the man''s eyes locked with the lizard''s golden slit pupils. Beautiful... Only a single stray thought made it through.


    Then, a pure and magnifcent beam of white light completely incinerated the man''s face, leaving nothing but a smoking skull and cooked brain matter where his head used to be. The formerly blond man collapsed like a sack of potatoes.


    It was the most powerful attack he had ever achieved, executed so fast and decisively that the man couldn''t even put up any defense to block it.


    Afterwards, Luis felt something shatter in his chest, and he fell over unconscious. Bryn, who had witnessed Luis'' brilliant display, was once again made speechless. Light affinity... He is a light affinity magical beast.


    This news alone could bring upon their family a terrible calamity. No one must ever find out... Bryn decided as he stood up on his good leg. Walking over to Luis, Bryn was highly relieved to discover he was still breathing, but the breaths were shallow and rapid. I have to get help...


    Trying his best to ignore the pain, Bryn left straight for home to seek aid, hopping as fast as he could on one leg while blood leaked out of his wound. He prayed he would be able to make it before he passed out from bloodloss.

 11 Recovery

    "How is your leg feeling today sweetie?" Mary asked her son as she gently rubbed his face. Bryn didn''t respond, only staring blankly ahead. This had been his common response over the past couple months to any of her questions regarding his health.


    Mary smiled sadly, kissing Bryn on the forehead and moving to leave. Before she did, she moved the covers to cover his stump to make sure it didn''t get cold.


    After she left, Bryn removed the covers, staring at the place where his leg had once been. After he had made it home, he had been rushed to the city by his father to request a doctor. They were brought to the town healer, but sadly he could only do so much, he wasn''t a priest of light after all.


    The sword had damaged the bone, and instead of risking possible gangrene from the severe damage, the doctor had his leg amputated below his knee to preserve his life.


    Bryn''s plans for the future had been destroyed. His dreams crushed. He continued to stare into nothing.


    .


    .


    .


    The door pushed open. Luis, carrying Lily gently, had pushed the door open and entered. Bryn looked upon the now much larger lizard. Luis had grown much bigger since the attack.


    Before losing conciousness, Luis had felt something shatter in his chest, as the miraculous power that had originated there diffused into the rest of his body. When he awoke, he felt the energy recollect into his chest, like a kind of "core" that held the power he had released.


    All Luis knew was that after this occurred, he could now stimulate this energy on command.


    Luis was very happy with this new development. For the first time since he had gotten here, he could actually manipulate the strange energy with his will.


    When experimenting with it, he found that when he circulated it through his body, it would remove any fatigue and soreness he felt. Even more than that, he felt much stronger when he did so. Luis had a funny feeling that it would be able to fix almost any injury to his body. After all, it had already created such miracles before.


    With continued experimentation, Luis realized he could now create blasts of damaging bright energy from his mouth on command. Depending on the amount of energy he used, the power could be varied from deadly intense beams to bursts of light similar to the light create by a child with magnifying glass. The power had a wide range.


    There were limits to this, however. Luis estimated that he could only create three strong attacks with the power he possessed, then he would need to allow the power to build back up again, which it did slowly.


    I seem to have grown a bit as well... Luis examined the changes that occurred to his physical form. His scales had become thicker and stronger, and his body had essentially doubled in a size. He was now a size bigger than the wolf he had killed on the day he was... born.


    From staring at the mirror they had in their home, Luis found that his head was now more angular than before, and horn like growths were beginning to sprout on the sides of his head. Looking less like a cute lizard and more like a proper magical beast, Luis felt concerned that people would be more afraid of him.


    Looking down, Luis noted that even the claws on his left arm were much bigger and sharper. He admitted he looked quite a bit more intimidating. If he happened to run into another wolf of the type that attacked him., Luis was confident he could kill it with his body alone.


    Thinking back, it was like whatever had happened to him had removed the limit to his old size. Luis had grown to this new size in only a week.


    Thankfully, he seemed to have stopped growing after that. The amount of scales being shed during this process was quite annoying. Shedding scales caused him endless suffering in the form of itchiness, although Mary was quite pleased...


    Overall, Luis felt that he had "evolved" somehow. He didn''t understand what these changes happening to him were, but it brought nothing but improvements, so he wasn''t too worried about lasting defects.


    So far, the only defect Luis still had was that he was still missing his right arm, not that he was expecting it to regrow or anything. He wasn''t too worried. Luis was quite used to having only three limbs.


    No... right now, Luis was most concerned with someone else''s well being.


    Bryn was suffering from depression. Luis knew it, and he knew that it was a tragedy what had happened to him. However, Luis also knew that family was the only way Bryn would get through this tough period. Carrying Lily, Luis walked over to Bryn''s bedside.


    He lowered himself to the ground and Lily hopped off. As if by unspoken agreement, Luis used his teeth to pick Lily up, jumped onto the bed, and deposited her into her brother''s lap. Lily, without a word, hugged Bryn. A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips.


    Luis joined in by nudging Bryn and licking his face. His smile widened further, even letting out a chuckle. Pleased with the results, Luis grabbed a book from a desk nearby and plopped it into Bryn''s lap. With children, you needed to reasure them that everything would be ok before distracting them with something to do. Parenting 101.


    I will help him get through this... Luis would make sure the boy under his care would not give in to dispair. It hurt his heart to see Bryn so sad. Losing a limb was not easy, especially when you were young. Luis didn''t have much experience personally in this regard.


    Although technically, I did lose my limb right after I hatched... Luis wasn''t sure if that counted.


    Picking up the book, Bryn asked, "You want me to continue on your lessons?" Luis nodded repeatedly. He could somewhat understand Bryn better now through words alone. These several months that Bryn had been bedridden, he had been teaching Luis how to read and understand their language.


    Lily giggled from her brothers lap. "Monster''s shouldn''t be reading. They''re monsters! They fight!" She puffed up her face for emphasis. Luis couldn''t resist licking her for her clear provocation. She screeched as Luis "attacked" her. Bryn watched their interaction with amusement. "Ok then... let''s continue where we left off..."


    Time passed slowly, Bryn teaching Luis in secret day by day while he acclimated to a new life as a cripple himself. Because of his injury, Bryn was unable to assist his father with the planting, meaning George had to work himself ragged every day to make up the difference.


    Despite being told numerous times it wasn''t his fault, Bryn couldn''t help but feel responsible. The weeks passed by, and Luis did everything he could to support Bryn through this tribulation. Then, one day, something happened.


    "Bryn! Come to dinner!" Mary yelled as she set the table. A lack of a response greeted her answer. Luis, who had been laying by the fire, also noted the silence. Mary turned to Luis. "Can you go get him please?"


    Luis nodded and headed for the stairs, neither finding the interaction strange. The mother, having been told how Luis saved her son''s life, had accepted Luis as a member of the family.


    What she didn''t realize was that if it was discovered that she was communicating with a magical beast like this, it would have created huge waves throughout the country. For her though, it was simply daily life.


    Luis searched the bedroom Bryn had been sleeping in, but found no traces of his presence except his scent. Following that scent, Luis wandered out of the house.


    Strange... did he go for a walk? Luis pondered. This wasn''t an impossibility. George had fashioned his son a crutch out of wood and cloth that he could use to move around. Without him missing half his leg, he couldn''t have gotten far... Luis was sorry to think.


    Following the scent, Luis found Bryn a mile up from the stream that ran alongside the grain mill located next to their house. He was staring into a small pond, throwing stones.


    Without making any sound, Luis walked up next to Bryn and sat down, sensing that Bryn was brooding and maybe wanted to talk. He was proven correct.


    "What am I going to do now? Bryn asked to no one in particular.


    Scritch... Scritch...


    Bryn looked down at the dirt. ''Live... find... out...'' Bryn snorted.


    "You forgot the ''to'' you dumb lizard." Bryn was no teacher, but he had been doing the best he could. Luis could now understand most of what Bryn was saying, but reading and writing had been tougher to grasp.


    Their language used wavy lines combined in different ways to represent their alphabet. It was quite a challenge to comprehend.


    "What''s there to live for... what? Do you think I want to live the rest of my life as a crippled farmer? No!" Bryn started yelling.


    "I dont want to live the rest of my life as a damned invalid!" Bryn threw the crutch he had been leaning on into the pond as far a he could. It sank, while Bryn sat down to prevent himself from falling, panting heatedly.


    Unfettered by his anger, Luis paused for a minute before wading into the pond, picking up the crutch and bringing it back, dropping it in front of Bryn. Bryn watched with incredulity before the blood rushed to his head.


    Bryn exploded.


    "What the fu** do you think you''re doing you god damned lizard! If you''re so fu***** smart why do you stay with us. Why dont you just leave! Do you pity me? Why..." Bryn picked up the crutch in his sitting position.


    "DON''T" Bryn smashed the crutch against Luis'' head. Luis barely stumbled.


    "YOU" Bryn hit him again in the same manner.


    "JUST" Bryn struck again, a cracking sound coming from the crutch.


    "GO!" The crutch shattered as Bryn smacked it across Luis'' face one last time.


    Breathing heavily from the exertion, Bryn expected Luis to retaliate, attack him, do something! In a darker part of his heart, Bryn hoped the lizard would kill him so he wouldn''t have to live life this way.


    Scritch... Scritch


    Instead, Luis wrote something in the dirt. Unfazed from the assault.


    Bryn looked down. ''Family... don''t... leave... family.'' Bryn chuckled humorlessly. The chuckles turned to hiccups which evolved into full on sobbing.


    The damn had burst.


    Bryn wept uncontrollably as he hid his face from Luis. He felt so ashamed.


    Luis stood by in silence, watching the boy completely break down. Bryn had hit an all time low, and Luis was prepared let this tragedy run its course before helping him build back up. He didn''t even mind being hit, didn''t hurt much anyway.


    Shifting closer, Luis placed his head against Bryn''s, cooing softly as a show of support. Bryn hugged Luis hard and cried onto his scales. After what felt like a long time, Bryn stopped shedding tears. Without any more words, Luis lowered his body so that Bryn could hop on. Bryn complied silently, picking up the pieces of the broken crutch in the process.


    Luis'' bigger size meant that carrying Bryn wasn''t that difficult, and he carried Luis home to enjoy a nice dinner with his family. He would show Bryn that he was never alone. On the way back, Bryn came to a decision. He finally thought of the name he would call the kind lizard.

 12 Named

    Finngradus? What a bizarre name... Luis contemplated as he basked in the sun. I guess I just have to get used to it... Luis didn''t realize that being given a name had deeper meaning in Bryn''s culture.


    It was for this very reason that they hadn''t named him yet. Luis had indeed wondered why it had taken them so long, and it turns out this was the reason.


    Apparently, Finngradus was an ancient language''s word for family, hence why Bryn felt like it suited Luis.


    "Ancient and powerful," was how Bryn described it. Ignoring it''s strange sound, Luis was quite touched by the symbolism. The good news was that instead of calling the full name every time, Bryn simply called him Finn.


    Finn the lizard huh? Luis would definitely need time to get used to that.


    Currently, Luis was enjoying himself in the sunlight. Ever since he grew, Luis found that sunlight invigorated his body more than before.


    If he circulated his power and released it, it would "recharge" faster when he sunbathed. It was as if he became solar powered. A pleasant side effect was that it felt amazing when he did both simultaneously, basking in the sun and circulating the energy from his core.


    "Finn!" Luis'' quiet relaxation was interrupted when Lily called out his name and ran over. Luis made a show of ignoring her, and thanks to his much bigger size, it made for a comical scene when Luis stood up, turned his back to her, and plopped back down.


    "Hey!" Offended, Lily tried climbing over the bigger frame of Luis, only to figuratively melt over his scales. "Your scales are warm..." She sighed in bliss. Luis snorted and the peaceful relaxation continued.


    "Finn!" Another voice called


    Ugh... Can''t an old man relax in peace. These kids have too much energy... Luis huffed and rose, Lily hanging carefree off his body. Moving slowly to avoid knocking her off, he sought out the source of the voice who called him.


    "Lily! Get off of Finn you brat!" Bryn demanded with a chuckle.


    "No! He''s warm..." Lily rebuttled. Luis rotated his head back and scooped up the back of her dress with his teeth, lowering her to the ground gently. He completely ignored her pout the whole time.


    "No fair! You get to be with him all the time. I want a turn!" She demanded.


    Bryn laughed. "He is not a toy..."


    Luis nodded in affirmation. I''m glad he understands...


    "Besides, he is mine," Bryn finished with a beat to his chest. Luis glared sharply with his slit eyes, but he resisted the urge to slap the boy with his tail. He had been doing so much better after that incident a couple days ago.


    However, he never considered himself a pet... more like a guardian for these impudent punks.


    Lifting his crutch, Bryn hopped on to Luis'' back, and the duo headed for the city. Luis had taken it upon himself to carry the boy where he needed to go. He would continue to support him until Bryn fully overcame his injury.


    Luis'' larger size meant carrying Bryn was easy, and since Bryn still hadn''t quite grown into a man yet, it posed almost no trouble. Although Luis only had three legs, he managed to compensate for it quite well.


    Besides, I can always fix my fatigue with this unique power... Luis felt grateful for its usefulness. As long as he kept it circulating, he could theoretically run forever, unless he ran out of the special energy, which could happen if it became cloudy.


    When Luis couldn''t see the sun, he found his power replenished slower. How interesting... Luis would test this more later.


    I really need to learn more about this world... This was Luis next objective. There were things he had seen here that defied what he considered to be common sense.


    Withholding the fact that he was now a lizard that could shoot beams of light, there was that wolf and bandit who utilized a strange green energy that made them stronger. There was something special about this world, a new science that he had yet to grasp.


    "Finn, let''s go to the blacksmith''s first. I want to request something from him." Bryn tapped Luis on the neck. Luis looked back and nodded.


    Entering the town was easy. It happened to be the same two guards who had pranked Bryn before, but they didn''t bother stopping Bryn this time.


    Word got around about what had happened, and there was no way they would bother a young boy crippled by a disgraced magic knight. What they had heard made them sigh in pity.


    In fact, the only mystery was how the boy managed to survive. Apparently, the magic knight had been killed in the attack.


    The most popular rumor was... The guards eyed the much larger magic beast warily, as it carried the boy through the gate. Comparing the cute little lizard to what he had grown into, the difference was astonishing.


    The two guards knew that magic beasts grow when they break through to a new rank, but they didn''t think they would grow so much.


    Then again, they weren''t experts on the subject. However, one thing was certain. All clues to the death of the magic knight pointed to the boy''s beast.


    The guards often speculated and debated when they were bored. It was hard to believe a magic knight would be overcome by a mere rank one beast. However, even those who are powerful can be taken out if they get careless.


    They both took this as a lesson to never underestimate any beast no matter how cute or weak they seem.


    Luis and Bryn passed through the city, drawing many curious onlookers. Luis was far more eye catching than before, and it was quite obvious that it was still the same lizard Bryn had brought the first time.


    The general consensus, that Luis could decipher from the murmurings, was that they were shocked that he had grown so big, only some used a new word he had yet to decipher.


    I''ll just ask Bryn later... Luis maintained his pace to the blacksmith''s forge. When he got there, Bryn called out to the blacksmith, same as before, with the dwarf blacksmith coming out of the forge room with his clothes smoking, same as before.


    Even the red salamander that hated Luis'' guts was present, only this time it was much more reserved. Guess my new size isn''t so bad after all... Luis laughed internally at the salamander''s reserved reaction to him.


    "Ah, I see yer beast has evolved to rank two. Must be quite strong now eh?" Grum the dwarf walked around Luis, examining him head to claw.


    There is that term again... Luis heard the people in town him saying the same thing. What does it mean... Luis would be sure to ask Bryn when he had the chance.


    "I have named him. His name is Finngradus. I call him Finn." Bryn explained as he hopped of Luis, utilizing his crutch he brought along.


    "A named beast, eh? You are quite lucky to have been able to find a beast loyal to you. You treat them fairly, and they will respect ye..." Grum tossed his salamander a piece of dried meat, which it caught out of the air.


    "Ain''t that right, Flamey"


    Bryn snorted while asking in disbelief, "You named your fire salamander Flamey? What... do you have a wind salamander named Windy?" Bryn laughed hard.


    "You dare mock me boy! I be a simple dwarf with simple name sense. What about yer beast? Finngradus? Too fancy for me..." Grum huffed in his defense.


    "Anyways, I would say I''m sorry for yer leg, but I bet you have recieved enough pity eh? So I''ll just ask ya why yer here." Grum cut straight to the point.


    Grateful for his bluntness, Bryn spoke his purpose. "I want you to fashion me a spear. Like the ones used by war beast riders..."


    Grum looked from Luis to Bryn and replied, "I think I see what yer planning boy, but I would advise against it. However, I will honor your request."


    After doing some mental calculations, Grum came up with a figure. "This commission will cost ye forty-seven silver"


    Bryn felt that Grum was a breath of fresh air. His parents had been treating him like a piece of fine glass, like he would shatter at the slightest touch. Grum was like a blunt hammer, and Bryn relished in the contrast.


    All that being said, the single gold he had earned many months ago was already almost half gone with one purchase, and he wasn''t even done yet.


    "I also want you to fashion me a saddle for him," Bryn pointed at Luis. "And some leather armor for me. Make what you can from this..." Bryn tossed a singular gold piece that he took out of his pocket to Grum.


    The dwarf caught it without even looking, instead staring at Bryn with the same intensity as the heat of the forge he worked in.


    "Boy, I can vaguely guess what is going through yer head. I can see you haven''t given up on yer dreams of fighting quite yet, but yer asking me to outfit a cripple to fight beasts..."


    Grum walked right up to Bryn, and despite the dwarf being slightly shorter, Bryn felt like he was facing off against a mountain. Putting a hand on Bryn''s shoulder, a sliver of gentleness appeared on the old dwarf''s face, surprising both Luis and Bryn.


    "Boy, some dreams are worth fighting for, even dying for. I understand this, which is why I haven''t outright refused you yet. But, can you look me in the eye and tell me, with no doubt''n of any kind, that you are willing to risk your life for this? To die for this?"


    For someone so short, he commands such a large presence... Luis was impressed with Grum''s words. These were some of the questions Luis wanted to ask Bryn himself, for he had the same vague understanding of Bryn''s intentions as the dwarf did.


    Bryn, standing on one leg, felt a stable confidence swell within him. With Finn by my side, we can accomplish anything... Bryn had bonded quite deeply with Luis, and believed they could make a great team.


    "Yes, I am willing to die for this. I won''t let this injury decide my fate!" Bryn spoke with a powerful confidence.


    Grum smiled and nodded. "Very well boy. I will see what I can do." Walking up to Luis, Grum patted him on the shoulder. "Take good care of this boy. He''s young, and likes to bite off more''n he can chew." Luis nodded, already fully intending on doing so.


    Smart beast... Grum grinned and walked back into the forge area, the flame salamander following closely behind, leaving the two alone. Bryn sighed. One gold... one-hundred silver... ten-thousand coppers, gone, just like that...


    Bending slightly, Luis helped the mopping Bryn hop on his back. "Let''s stop by the guild..."


    When the got to the front of the the guild hall, Bryn hopped off of Luis and sighed before entering. All of the heavily equipped personnel present, upon noticing who entered, mobbed him.


    The rumor mill never slept, and now everyone was dying to know what happened for real. It had been quite a while since they had seen Bryn.


    Still as popular as ever... Luis noted about Bryn as he waited patiently for him to sooth the insatiable curiosity of the adventurers.


    At least, that''s what Bryn told me what they were... Luis was interested himself in what the job description of "adventurer" entailed. Bryn seemed to want nothing more in the world than to be one.


    "He saved me..." Luis'' excellent hearing perked up at his mentioning. Deja vu settled in as Luis once again was surrounded by many dangerous looking individuals. Luis wanted to shove them away. It was like personal space didn''t apply when you were merely a magical beast.


    Bryn patted Luis'' neck. "I have named him Finngradus. He will be my hunting partner."


    There was a collective sucking of breath from the surrounding adventurers, the deeper meaning of naming a magic beast not lost on any of them.


    The way they looked at Luis changed subtlety, but Luis could tell they were noticeably less cautious around him. I guess names really do mean more than I know... Luis thought, recalling what Bryn told him.


    Unfortunately for Luis, now that they weren''t as cautious, they seemed to be getting a bit too comfortable around him for his liking.


    One of the adventurers in particular was starting to get on his nerves...


    "Quite a bit bigger than before, ain''t he?" Spoke a skinny bald man as he tapped a dagger against Luis'' scales, seemingly testing their strength. This was going too far...


    Luis moved his tail and swept the man''s legs out from under him. Dropping the dagger as he fell, the man yelped as Luis grabbed the dagger out of the air with his teeth in one quick motion. He then let it fall into the floor below him, sticking straight up from the wood.


    Instead of retaliating, all the adventurers laughed uproariously at the man''s misfortune.


    "Serves you right for antagonizing him you dolt," Spoke a pretty female adventurer wearing beautifully crafted leather armor. Walking up to Luis, she gently rubbed his scales and scratched the side of his neck, much to Luis'' delight.


    Giggling, she said, "His scales are gorgeous, I would pay to have some sown into my armor."


    Sensing a business opportunity, Bryn mentioned that his mother had been collecting Luis'' scales and would be likely willing to sell some. She agreed to discuss it further later.


    Don''t I get a say in this... Luis didn''t really care so much about the money as much as the principle. In the end, he decided he didn''t have it in him to be so petty.


    Bryn continued to entertain curious individuals before a receptionist from the front came to him personally. "The guild master wishes to see you..."


    Bryn was expecting this. "Thank you, please take me to him."


    Heading to a room further in the back of the guild, Luis was taken by surprise. Usually he was well aware of what the boy was up to, but being asked to personally meet the master of this place threw him for a loop.


    What did he do? Luis could only wait and find out. They were led to what appeared to be the door to an office. Upon entering, Luis wanted to whistle with appreciation.


    Bryn''s family lived in wooden house with relatively nice furnishings, but this was the most elegant room he had seen since he had been here.


    Beautiful tan rug with red embroidered patterns. A mahogany colored desk carved with intricate decorative patterns. A marble fireplace, which spoke volumes of the owner''s wealth on its own. Silk curtains, through which golden sunlight filtered through...


    Whoever this guild master is, he is very wealthy... Luis was amazed at the decor. The duo were led right up to the desk, behind which sat a middle aged man with white hair.


    His looks reminded Luis of the man from "The most interesting man in the world" commercial for Dos Equis alcohol. The only difference was that the man looked stronger, and had a scar running across his face, giving him a no nonsense look.


    Immediately, Luis sensed that he was strong. It was the same feeling of danger he had gotten from the bandit, only many times stronger. Luis instincts told him to escape right away, but he wouldn''t just leave Bryn alone with this man.


    Introduced by the receptionist, Bryn put down his crutch and took a seat in the chair across from the man, with Luis following suit beside him. The receptionist left, leaving the three alone in the office.


    The white haired man spoke first. "Welcome back Bryn. I have honored your request and sent the report of what happened to the association. The response should come in the following weeks. Do not worry about payment, it''s the least we can do for you after suffering that unfortunate attack."


    Bryn brightened considerably. "Thank you so much! I wish to demand justice from them for allowing something like this to happen. My parents suffered a lot from what happened to me... He dimmed a bit at mentioning this.


    The man nodded, seemingly understanding his frustration. "I agree wholeheartedly. The report states everything that happened word for word from your account, backed by our report from the recovered corpse."


    Bryn was very pleased with this. This meeting was going exactly as he had hoped. "I cannot thank you enough-"


    "However..." The guild master interrupted suddenly, throwing Bryn off.


    "There is something I would like to confirm from you personally..."


    Bryn, at a loss, nodded numbly. "Ok? And what would that be?"


    The guild master leaned forward and put his head on the crossed fingers, smiling gently. "Tell me lad, what affinity does your beast have?"


    Bryn''s blood ran cold.

 13 Secre

    When Bryn was rushed into the town by his father, he had already passed out. Unable to warn his father otherwise, George had naturally reported the attack to the guild.


    When he finally came out of his coma, Bryn had been hoping he would be able to misreport how he survived and even claim damages as a result. Little did he know this was naive, wishful thinking.


    He had been coming here for years, but this was the first time he had seen the guild master in person. Why would he suddenly call for me now after all these years? Only at this moment did the full gravity of his blunder sink into his gut.


    "Fire, of course, like I stated in the report. The man''s head was burned right off his body... right?" Bryn struggled to maintain his cool.


    Luis, on the other hand, was growing concerned. Bryn had vaguely explained to him some things when he was being taught the language, one of those being that he had a light affinity and must never reveal this to anyone.


    When asked to elaborate more, Bryn had explained to him that it was a rare affinity and beast, like him, who have this affinity were highly sought after. For what purpose, Luis could only guess.


    Luis tried to ask more questions, but in response to Luis'' persistence on the subject, Bryn promised he would explain everything the next time they visited the guild library. Bryn didn''t like it when Luis kept scratching the wood with his claws.


    Unfortunately, the guild master had called for him before they had the chance to go upstairs. Luis had been looking forward to learning more about his situation in this foreign world.


    The guild master smiled coldly. He had seen the damage done to the magic knights head, having inspected the body himself. He wasn''t a greenhorn, and if his conjecture was true, then this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity.


    "Boy, don''t lie to me..." The guild master warned, his smile gone.


    Bryn saw no other choice than to double down. "I''m not lying! He killed the swordsman with a fire breath attack. He shot it right into his face..."


    Luis flinched. As Bryn was talking, he felt a sharp mental sting in his mind coming from the man behind the desk. It was the same kind of sensation he felt from the bandit that had tried to murder them. He''s going to attack Bryn! Luis panicked.


    Reacting purely on instinct, Luis charged up and fired a bright, deadly beam from his mouth in the span of a second, aimed right at the man across the desk. He spared no expense, immediately using as much power as he could in one shot. It was equivalent to the blast that had killed the bandit from before.


    Bryn, who was sitting right next to Luis, nearly fell out of his chair at Luis'' sudden action. He was unable to sense the threat like Luis, so this attack appeared to him as completely out of nowhere.


    Luis'' eyes widened considerably. The man had vanished! Luis'' attack went straight through the window behind where the man had stood, melting the glass and setting the curtains on fire. Hopefully, that didn''t hit anyone outside... Luis was surprised by his own power.


    "Remarkable... What intense magical strength your beast has, even when it''s only rank two..." The guild master''s impressed voice came from behind Luis.


    Turning around, Luis found the man standing there, rubbing his chin in consideration, a blue aura surrounding his body. Blue... Luis noted that it was similar to the green energy displayed by the bandit, but bluish. A different form of energy?


    The sharp feeling of danger had disappeared the moment Luis had attacked, and Luis now felt confused. Did this man mean them harm or not? If he did, Luis sensed that they would already be dead. This man was strong.


    "FINN! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" Bryn''s horrified voice snapped Luis back to his senses. Only now did he fully comprehend what be had just done. Oops... Luis wasn''t sure how to proceed.


    "Calm down boy, it''s not the beast''s fault..." The guild master waved his hand unperturbed, as if Luis had only knocked over his coffee instead of trying to kill him, destroying his windows and curtains in the process. Both Luis and Bryn were stumped by his nonchalance.


    Sensing the need for an explanation, the guild master elaborated for Bryn. "I merely released my killing intent to gage his reaction. A magical beast''s senses are much sharper than a human''s.


    A shame about my silk curtains, though. Those weren''t cheap." The guild master sighed in remorse. With a wave of his hand, a sudden breeze appeared and blew out the fire that had been forming on the drapes.


    Bryn had a million thoughts going through his head, the most prevalent one being how Finn was now in deep trouble. His secret was revealed to the guild master, the worst person possible in this establishment.


    He would report Finn to the main guild hall. No, worse... He might even take it upon himself to capture Finn and deliver him, earning the reward that woukd most surely be promised for Finn''s capture.


    Overall, their chances of leaving unscathed were slim to none. The guild master was obviously powerful, much more powerful than the bandit they had faced with how easily he dodged such a powerful strike.


    Not daring to make any movements, the lizard and boy duo simply watched as the man returned to his chair. He examined them both, drumming his fingers on the desk.


    Bryn was dreadfully waiting for the command from the guild master to relinquish Finn into the the guild''s custody. What he said next however, was completely unexpected.


    "I have a proposition for you."


    Bryn and Luis looked at each other in confusion. "A... proposition?" Bryn mustered up the courage to speak.


    "I, personally, would like to request a favor from you. More specifically, your magic beast, with your word as confirmation. In return, I promise to keep his secret." The guild master spoke as if conducting a business transaction.


    His words were like a miracle from heaven to Bryn. He is not taking Finn away... The amount of relief he felt was overwhelming. It sounded almost too good to be true, but he had no choice but to accept.


    Anything but losing Finn... The sheer thought alone filled him with horror. "Deal, but what can he possibly help you with?"


    What the heck! This situation was too jarring for Luis. From acting threateningly to asking for a request? At on top of that, Bryn immediately jumped at the chance...


    Luis wished now more than ever that they had gotten the chance to head up to the library first. He really wanted for Bryn to explain everything in detail. That knowledge would have really come in handy here...


    Also, Luis felt like his opinions were considered upon less and less lately. It''s so frustrating when Bryn is the only one who knows that I''m not just a mere mindless beast... Luis decided he would also discuss this with Bryn later.


    He loved the boy dearly, but Luis was his own person... lizard, an old one at that. He did not wish for Bryn to decide for him on everything without discussing it with him first.


    "Tell me... how much do you know about those who possess a light affinity? The guild master asked Bryn directly.


    Bryn answered truthfully. "Not too much, just what was mentioned in the bestiary. It''s a very rare affinity..." Bryn added, trying to be helpful.


    The guild master laughed loudly. "Yound lad, rare doesn''t even begin to describe it. The world is far bigger than you know, much more than this mere small town. Tell me... do you know how many humans on this half of the continent are known to have an affinity to light? He asked rhetorically.


    Brian shrugged in response.


    "Four. Only four known people out the tens of millions who live in the five kingdoms. They are collectively called the ''Priests of Light'' and the legends of their abilities are well known throughout the major cities.


    There are more established kingdoms than there are confirmed magic users with a light affinity. Although I suspect there might be a couple who have managed to hide it, it''s likely not more than two or three."


    This statistic blew Bryn''s original guess away. It was much rarer than he thought. The guild master wasn''t done talking.


    "Confirmed magic beasts with this affinity are even more mythic. Seven years ago, a Sun Basilisk, a rank seven magical beast with an innate light affinity, was discovered on an expedition deep into the border forest.


    It was hunted by the three of the five kingdoms most powerful mages and warriors, and its stone extracted. That stone, shared among the three kingdoms who hunted the beast, has the power to heal any injury, recent or old, when one absorbs its energy.


    It gathers energy from the sun, and can be used once a month. You can imagine just how valuable that stone is, with effects like that."


    Bryn felt like he was receiving a lesson in a classroom. After hearing about the Sun Basilisk, and how truly rare the light affinity is, Bryn looked upon Luis in a new light.


    His wild imagination reformed his meeting with Luis as destiny. They were destined to do great things together! Bryn felt his blood pumping.


    But... wait. His blood cooled considerably. He asked the question plaguing his heart. "If this is the case... why aren''t you threatening to take him?"


    The guild master nodded, as if expecting this question. "I bet you are thinking that I would recieve some kind of big ''reward'' for reporting him, yes?"


    Brian nodded, it was exactly what he thought. Luis, who had also been listening the whole time, was also thinking this. He mostly understood what the guild master was saying. Anything else he missed, he would confer with Bryn later.


    "That''s not quite true. The most likely scenario would be my superiors at the main guild hall taking the credit, with me receiving a minor reward as pittance. However, this isn''t the biggest loss... The guild master leaned forward, as if he was about to tell a big secret.


    "The biggest loss, would be the golden opportunity his appearance can provide me..." The guild master let the sentence linger.


    Bryn was beginning to connect the dots. "You mentioned the Sun Basilisk stone''s healing properties... but what does that have to do with you?"


    Clever boy. The guild master stood up slowly and lifted the edge of his cotton shirt. Luis and Bryn both winced hard, the former internally. There was a horrible gash on the abdomen of the guild master.


    Red, raw looking skin that didn''t quite heal right covering up a nasty scar running across his stomach at an angle leading up to his chest, where there was more of the scar hidden.


    The guild master frowned sadly. "The opportunity to recover what I have lost, lies with this beast here..."


    Luis tilted his head like a question, and the smile returned to the man''s face. He continued describing his intentions.


    "He seems to be quite intelligent and listens to you, so I hope we can come to an arrangement. You see... I was stationed here at this guild branch due to an old injury." The man scowled at the memory.


    "Years ago, I was wounded in a duel of pride, and only barely survived due to luck. This wouldn''t trouble me on it''s own, but the injury was deep enough that it affects my mana flow.


    I can no longer channel it properly, limiting my strength and blocking any hope of advancement. Originally, I was forced to settle at my current state. Now, though, I see a chance to recover my past self." The guild master''s blue eyes brightened.


    "With a magic beast of light, there is now a chance! I simply implore you, that when the time comes and he grows strong enough, you can convince him to fix this old injury of mine." The man sighed heavily while rubbing his scar, and Luis actually felt pity for him.


    He didn''t understand what he was talking about with regards to mana, but as an old man himself, he understood the pain of old injuries limiting you for the rest of your life.


    Back in Luis'' thirties, he crushed his hand in a construction accident, and that injury affected him till the day he died... and came here.


    Although, I''m not sure how to heal others, or if I''m even capable of doing so... Luis knew his power could heal himself from within, but he never tried extending that ability outward. He would definitely test this later.


    Nudging Bryn, Luis looked up and gave his consent with a nod. Filled with confidence at Luis'' acceptance, Bryn agreed to the guild master''s request.


    Smiling brightly, the guild master stood up. "Splendid! We have come to an agreement then! Bryn, is there anything you desire? I will not extort you. For bringing this old man some hope, I will not leave you with nothing in return," The man declared with a magnanimous air fitting of a man in his position.


    Bryn saw a grand opportunity. "Sir, do you know the method of how one trains to become a magic knight?"


    The man''s luminous smile wilted back into a frown, and he sat back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "Bryn, you have been coming to this guild since you were a child. The receptionists have grown fond of you, and your name had come up every so often in their reports. I believe you wished to become an adventurer, yes?"


    Bryn nodded vigorously. "I want to see more of the world. I want to go on a grand adventure!" His youthful optimism was on full display. It was like he had already forgotten how how close they just were to certain disaster.


    Luis shook his head on the side. This boy just keeps pushing his luck... They had just avoided a catastrophe, and Luis couldn''t believe how fast he was already back to wanting to go on adventurers. A true one track mind.


    The guild master probed a bit. "It wasn''t hard to guess, but why then, do you want to become a magic knight? There are countless adventures here who are ordinary folk."


    "I want to be more than ordinary! I want to command the same powers I have only seen glimpes of. I want to shoot fire, command tornados, summon tidal waves, create earthquakes..." Bryn listed off many of the fantastical rumors he had heard about mages and magic knights.


    The old man couldn''t help but laugh at the boys description of magic. It''s good for the young to dream... "Lad, you make it sound like it''s as easy as snapping your fingers. It takes decades for most to even command a fraction of the power you described..." He turned solemn again.


    "Not to mention the hardship that goes along with obtaining that power. Sometimes, living an ordinary life can provide the most happiness..."


    Luis could understand the wisdom of the man''s words. He had seen many people chase after big dreams only to be disappointed when what they were able to achieve didn''t match their expectations.


    Simple lives are blessed in their own way... Luis understood this concept very well, having lived through one in its entirety.


    However, a simple life was one Bryn viewed with abhorrence. I would rather die gloriously than live in mediocrity... Bryn did not want to live in the same town for the rest of his life.


    "No, I only desire to become a magic knight. From what I have been told, its unlikely I have talent for magic, but I also heard you don''t need that to become a magic knight!" Bryn was headstrong with his one desire.


    The guild master explained it in more detail. There was is still so much the boy didn''t know... "Yes. Only about one in a thousand have enough talent to be trained as mages. However, training as a knight of the elements is not as easy as you think. It requires resources, as well as talents in other things."


    "Sir, this is my desire. If you can help me achieve it. I would be eternally grateful. As you can see, this is my only chance..." Bryn glanced down at his stump, frowning sadly.


    The guild master frowned as well. It was true, the association would never bother to waste resources to train a cripple. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes.


    With a great sigh, the guild master acquiesced. "Very well, but I must leave and retrieve some things from the city. This small town does not have what I need. Even then, incannot guarentee you with success."


    Bryn felt like cheering, his dream that he thought was lost was now coming true, and he there was only one lizard he could thank. This made it official in his mind, meeting Luis was destiny!


    After agreeing upon a return date, the guild master excused them both. Before leaving the office on Luis'' back, the guild master addressed Bryn one last time.


    "Lad, be sure to keep this a secret. If anyone else finds out about him, there would be nowhere he could run that they wouldn''t chase..."


    Bryn swallowed a lump of saliva when he imagined who ''they'' would be, but as long as no more surprise attacks happened, Bryn felt they would be safe. Finn never wantonly attacked anyone anyway. He was quite friendly.


    "Sir, I promise not to reveal anything!" Bryn beat his chest in confirmation.


    "Please, my name is Markus. Soon, you will be calling me teacher..." The man smiled as they walked out back into the receptionist area.


    Bryn, without a word, led Luis upstairs. Luckily there was no one up here at this time of day. Hopping off of Luis'' back, Bryn hopped in front and looked him in the eyes. Balancing himself on one leg, Bryn gave Luis a full on hug. Luis fell still.


    "Thank you Finn. This is the second time you have saved me. You have given me another chance at my dreams. I can never repay you for that." Bryn spoke his most honest thanks as he hugged the large lizard tighter.


    All minor transgressions Luis had with the boy withered away. "Ah, he is so naive and foolhardy, but he has a pure heart." Bryn reminded him too much of his grandkids back in his old life. At this point, Luis considered him one of his own now. He could never stay mad at his grandkids.


    Luis nudged Bryn''s head with his own, licking his face, causing Bryn to laughed.


    "Yea yea, I love you too, you fat lizard!"


    Oi... This brat was asking for a beating. Being the bigger man... lizard, Luis nudged Bryn towards the bookcases.


    "Yes, I know. We have the whole library to ourselves. Now is the time I teach you everything!

 14 Worldview

    Bryn headed for the table in the center of the library and fiddled with a latch of some kind. Inching around Bryn to get a better look, Luis noticed it was actually some kind of lever that opened a compartment on top of the table''s surface.


    Gripping the opening that formed, Bryn lifted two wooden panels in the center of the table, revealing something that had been locked underneath.


    Hopping up onto the side of the table, Luis'' eyes widened when he saw what was hidden.


    A world map... There was no mistaking it.


    There was a circle with arrows in the bottom right corner that likely signified the four cardinal directions, and in the center was a green landmass with various landmarks and features.


    Someone had drawn a map of what Luis assumed to be the world into the center portion of the library''s table. A nice touch... Luis was eagerly scanning said table to gather insights into the landscape. Bryn''s chuckle echoed from the side at Finn''s eagerness.


    "This is the world, or what has been mapped of it..." Bryn gave an initial explanation. Luis leaned upwards, almost standing on two legs, to get a more aerial view. His new Earth was a single massive landmass which made Luis think of Pangaea.


    It had an overall fat, oval shape, with the longer portion going east to west. The edges of the landmass were very broken and uneven, with a chunk missing from the lower left portion, looking as if it had been crunched off.


    Plate tectonics? Luis wondered how much this world was affected by similar geological phenomena, or how old it was for that matter. Surrounding all sides of the continent was blue wavy inscriptions, which Luis assumed to be this world''s oceans.


    The map looked like any other from home, with differing elevations and levels of green and blue. However, there was a distinct lack of detail of any terrain past the forest that resided in the center, with only a few notable exceptions.


    Other than a large mountain range, the southern desert, and the northern tundra, everything west of the center forest landmark was gray, which obviously meant uncharted terrain. Or maybe an updated version hadn''t been brought here... Luis couldn''t be certain.


    The major points that Luis noted on the map were the southern desert, central forest, a northern arctic, and a rather large body of water nestled near the middle of the right portion of the landmass. A massive lake... Luis was reminded of the great lakes back home.


    The lowest portion of the map was sand colored, and it extended along the majority of the bottom of world, like a jagged smile. On the reverse side, the northern arctic or tundra extended across in the same way, like a jagged frown.


    They were intersected by a massive forest running straight down through the entire landmass, from the tip of the arctic to the bottom of the desert. Looking closer, Luis saw that it was titled ''The Border Forest.''


    Border to what? What lies beyond these massive woods? The little explorer in him was already itching to know. It didn''t help that Bryn''s adventurous spirit had been slowly rubbing off on him.


    Luis found this forest landmark very strange. It was like someone had created a very large wall of trees straight through the center of the continent.


    It was completely straight and had a set width the entire way, appearing almost perfectly shaped. It even cut the ''smile'' of the desert and the ''frown'' of the tundra in half.


    A desert and frozen tundra don''t just abruptly become forests... Luis wondered how such bizarre topography came to be. The landmass itself looked far too... symmetrical, with the perfect wall of trees adding to this feeling


    This border forest essentially split the continent into an eastern and western hemisphere. Based on how the eastern side was very detailed, Luis assumed he was somewhere on the eastern portion of the continent.


    The lake in the upper right had countless little streams and rivers branching off of it, going across the eastern portion of the continent.


    It was like the lake was a heart and the rivers and streams the arteries and veins. Luis felt like rubbing his face in disbelief.


    Despite already knowing, actually seeing physical proof was still quite a shock. If this was truly how the earth looked now, then it most definitely was not Earth.


    Tilting his head, Luis began to wonder what that scale of this earth was. Wait, now that I''m thinking about it... Luis only now fully grasped that he was indeed on a new planet, most likely... ugh.


    Luis wanted to groan in annoyance. The only real differences he noticed at first were the people and culture, but now that he was thinking about it...


    He remembered the days to be similar in length, with a sunrise and sunset as the classic method of time keeping. Bryn also described four distinct seasons that they used to keep track of the time of year.


    Wait... I don''t recall seeing a moon. Luis had noticed this early on when he gazed at the sky, but it was such a minor detail in the grand scheme of everything else going on that he simply forgot. This resurfaced forgotten memory stirred up a storm in his head.


    Are there high and low tides on the coast? Is gravity the same? Is the day exactly twenty-four hours? How many days in a year? This new train of thought had questions popping into his head left and right.


    Bryn returned, Luis not even noticing he left, and slapped something on the table. This action derailed the runaway train in Luis'' mind. Luis shook his head, shoving these currently unanswerable questions aside.


    I guess I will just focus on here and now, on what actually matters... Luis licked Bryn across the face, eliciting a laugh from the boy. He playfully shoved Luis'' head away, pointing to the paper he had plopped down.


    "That map shows the world, while this one shows the five kingdoms..." He explained with a beaming smile.


    Bryn had placed the new paper map atop the table map, aligning them together. The paper map displayed new features and special icons. One look and Luis could tell the difference. This must be a political map...


    Instead of displaying forests, streams, and elevation, this new map showed roads, cities, towns, regions, and notable locations. The only similarities between the two maps were the massive lake and the Border Forest, likely because they also helped define political borders.


    According to this map, the entirety of the eastern hemisphere was controlled by five kingdoms, who''s territories were labled and color coded. The Grimshire Kingdom, the Oriol Kingdom, the Feten Dynasty, the Samsara Council, and the Border States.


    The first three sounded like typical kingdom-esque style lands ruled by a hereditary king or emperor. The other two however, had unique sounding titles. Samsara Council? Border States? These sound interesting...


    Luis was becoming intrigued. If this is truly a new world, I wonder what kinds of different and interesting cultures are out there... Luis was beginning to truly understand how Bryn felt.


    He was also beginning to feel an itch to see the world. After all, it would be just as new and exciting for him as it would be for Bryn.


    Luis pointed at the map with his claw, then pointed to himself and Bryn. "Are you trying to ask where we are?" Bryn was getting better at understanding the subtle intentions behind Luis'' gestures.


    Nodding in affirmation, Bryn pointed to a spot near the middle of the map. It was very close to the border forest. "We live in the center most border state, Brexin. The jewel of the thirteen border states!" Bryn spoke with a nationalistic pride.


    Interesting, so we live in Brexin, which is a border state? I wonder what type of government rules the Samsara Council and Border States. The ''Council'' in Samara Council implies a senatorial ruling? Luis began to construct theories based solely off the names.


    The distribution of territory on the map was quite simple. The territories collectively known as the Border States were simply thirteen individuals... Republics? Kingdoms? I guess I''ll have to wait for further clarification. I''ll just consider them states... Luis decided.


    These thirteen states ran parallel to the border forest, from the arctic at the north to the desert in the south. Each state was roughly the same size, coming out to about thirteen equal, semi-rectangular chunks of territory.


    Each state bordered the Border Forest, where their drawn border lines ended, and each state was adjacent to another. They were like a chain link fence, sealing the entire eastern hemisphere off from the Border Forest.


    The only exceptions to this rule were the northernmost and southernmost states, which bordered their respective oceans.


    I guess that''s why they''re called Border States... Luis concluded from examining the map. He wondered what the political world dynamic was. How did each of these kingdoms interact with each other.


    The other kingdoms were much more straightforward. In summary, it was like the rest of the land past the border states was divided into three strips, one at the top, one in the middle, and one at the bottom.


    The top strip was the Oriol Kingdom. It contained a majority of the arctic region as well as a sizable portion of woodlands and mountainous regions.


    The Fenten Dynasty controlled the middle strip, filled with huge plains and smaller pockets of forest.


    The Samsara Council held the bottom strip, which included the majority of the desert and some parts of the grasslands.


    The odd one out was the Grimshire Kingdom. It was substantially smaller than the other four territories, and was nestled in the top right corner. It consisted of majority arctic regions and some woodlands. There was a single large mountain range at its back.


    The Grimshire Kingdom, Oriol Kingdom, and Fenten Dynasty all had their borders connected to the massive lake. There was one thing odd though, the lake and oceans had no name. Is it because each kingdom has it''s own name for them? Luis guessed.


    Just by looking at the map, Luis could sense a deep political history that formed these territories, especially the Border States. The fact that they so uniformly shielded the other eastern territories from the Border Forest... There must be an interesting backstory behind it.


    "Finn, let''s go home..." Bryn nudged Luis out of his musings. Wait just a moment! Why does he want to leave now! He said he would explain everything here... Luis felt aggrieved at this.


    Without words or human facial expressions, it was quite difficult to express more detailed emotions. All Luis could do to express his sense of betrayal was growl and nudge Bryn to the bookcases. It was as if to say "Not yet! Teach me more!" in gesture form.


    Bryn, understanding Luis'' frustration, chuckled apologetically. "Sorry buddy, I was hoping to use the bestiary to help me explain. Turns out it''s already been borrowed... Luis stopped to glance at the podium he remembered from last time.


    As Bryn said, the podium was empty, taunting Luis with its broken promise of coveted knowledge. Luis couldn''t help it. He pouted, despite himself. Collapsing to the floor, he turned away from Bryn.


    "Aww, don''t be like that Finn!" Bryn tried to console Luis, who ignored him. Bryn walked in front of Luis'' face to meet his eyes. Luis averted his own. Bryn kept moving his head to make eye contact with Luis. Luis just closed his eyes.


    As a last resort, Bryn hugged the large lizard and started scratching at the base of his neck, in the sweet spot.


    ...That''s cheating... Luis relented, relaxing into the blissful scratching. "I''m sorry buddy, I was going to use the bestiary to help explain some stuff to you. Since we can''t use it, I''ll just have to do my best on the way home. At least outside by ourselves, you can ask all the questions you want...


    This is true... It wasn''t like Luis enjoyed destroying furniture by scratching questions into it.


    I''m too lenient with this punk... Luis stood back up, gesturing to his back.


    Get on... One of the easiest things Luis could convey. Bryn obliged, and the duo made their way out of the guild and out of the town, heading towards home.

 15 Who Am I?

    Luis lay by the hearth fire, basking in its warm glow as the family he was living with ate dinner, talking amongst themselves. It was quite a merry atmosphere, with spurts of laughter interspersed with casual conversation.


    He looks so happy... Luis watched as Bryn playfully harrassed his little sister Lillith, only to be scolded by their mother Mary. The father, George, was smirking knowingly as he drank from his mug.


    There was a simple joy that no wealth or glory could replace in such a scene. Luis bore witness to many men and woman achieving such things as fame, fortune, and power, only to lack any semblance of joy and contentment.


    His years of living taught him one immutable truth. There is no point in achieving such things if one has no one to celebrate them with. To sacrifice family for the sake of such goals was a tragedy of the highest order.


    Bryn was still young, full of youthful optimism. Luis prayed that the boy wouldn''t forget what matters most on his quest for "greatness." There was nothing greater than family. Luis felt it a privilege to be considered a part of theirs now.


    Luis closed his eyes and turned away, content to fall asleep to the sweet lullaby of a nice family dinner. However, there was still one thing stuck on his mind. The conversation he had on the walk home.


    .


    .


    .


    "Finn, you are a magic beast, just like the ones in the bestiary you saw before. If my guess is correct, you are rank two...


    Scritch... Scritch... Luis clawed a question into the dirt. ''What are ranks?'' He thought of the word the townsfolk had used when talking about him. He added another question. ''What does evolve mean?''


    Bryn nodded as if expecting this question. He was already taking for granted how intelligent Luis was. Bryn basically considered Luis as smart as a person. If anyone else saw how easily they were communicating, their jaws would drop in shock. The duo continued on towards home.


    "Ranks are how we classify magic strength in the five kingdoms. Although it''s the same system for beasts and men, there are differences. For people, or rather humans, we harness strength from the elemental energies that surround us. The more we can control or absorb, the stronger we become...


    How interesting, so the green and blue energy I saw on the bandit and guild master was this so called elemental energy... Luis was beginning to connect the dots.


    "Humans use this energy in two ways. One is to absorb it into the body, slowly molding your physical form to match your element. People who have gone down this path are collectively known as magic knights!" Bryn expression glowed as he described it.


    No doubt that is what he seeks to become... Luis inwardly smiled at the boy''s enthusiasm.


    "Anyone can become a magic knight with training and resources. There are others, however, who have a natural talent for sensing the elements. These people are much more rare, and they can directly command the elements themselves depending on their affinity. We call these people mages."


    Oh, I have yet to see such a miraculous power... When explained in this way, Luis imagined men and women commanding tornados, summoning tidal waves, and unleashing grand infernos.


    We classify magic knights and mages into nine ranks. I''m not sure about mages, but for magic knights, the first three ranks are about refining your body to better host the elemental energy of your particular affinity. I''m not too sure about the details, but supposedly there is a qualitative change once you break through to rank four, although I''m not sure what happens..."


    How interesting! So ranks describe how much of this elemental energy one could command? Luis came to his own conclusion.


    I wonder where this world''s energy comes from... Luis was absolutely positive there was no such energy back on Earth. If there was, it definitely would have been discovered long before he had been born.


    Luis felt even more certain that this world had many secrets he had yet to uncover. Bryn began patting Luis'' neck.


    "For magic beasts like you, it''s a bit different..."


    Oh? Luis was eagerly awaiting more clues to his existence.


    "Unlike humans who have to take the first step, magic beasts are born at rank one and grow to their adult rank naturally, which depends on the species. A magic beast is born with a core or stone that is the physical manifestation of their magic power. To remove a magic beasts core or stone means death, without exception." Bryn patted Luis'' head in reassurance.


    "You dont gave to worry though, the stones and cores of magic beasts below rank four are not very valuable to anyone other than commoners, but you''re too strong for any commoner to kill."


    Bryn took a pause to consider the opposite.


    "On the other hand, a more powerful mage or magic knight wouldn''t waste their time over killing you for your stone, unless of course they were desperate..." Bryn added with a sigh, the absence of his leg reminding him that there are no absolutes.


    Luis didn''t quite share this sentiment. Maybe it was a lack of knowledge of this world, but the magic knight that had attacked them didn''t seem desperate. He looked quite well off in fact.


    Maybe he was just an outlier... Although Luis couldn''t comprehend how or why a man with such amazing powers would stoop so low as to threaten the life of a child. I suppose scumbags will always exist... Luis decided he would strive to be more vigilant in the future.


    Bryn continued. "Anyways, when a magic beast ''evolves,'' like you asked, their core or stone reforms and undergoes a qualitative change, essentially becoming stronger and granting more power. A rapid period of physical growth usually follows to match this increase in strength, like you did. That''s how we knew you must''ve ranked up!"


    Ah, I see. So the core evolves, and then my body follows... Bryn''s description matched what Luis remembered experiencing. If he recalled correctly, something had shattered in his chest first.


    This must have been my core then... Luis remembered the feeling of when it reformed, and the new abilities that came with it, followed by the subsequent physical growth.


    So that is evolving, huh? Now Luis was wondering if it would happen again. I wonder what new changes another evolution would bring? Luis began to make guesses.


    Luis paused his stroll to scratch some more questions into the dirt.


    ''What are affinities?''


    Luis had heard mention of them multiple times, but he only barely understood their meaning.


    Bryn looked down and sighed at the question. "I really wish we could have gotten the bestiary so you could have read it. It explains so much more than I can, and all you would have to do is read it..."


    Shaking his head in regret, Bryn began explaining. "All magic beasts and humans have innate affinities to a certain element. There''s fire, water, earth, and wind as the core elements, which are the most common. Then there are the extremely rare light and shadow affinities. Following that, there are abberants, which I still haven''t learned about..."


    Bryn appeared disgruntled when mentioning this topic, and Luis took the hint that he had tried to access this information before without success.


    "All I know about abberants is from hearsay. Apparently, they are extreme representations of the core elements. They only appear in those with the highest affinities towards a particular element."


    Luis tried to consolidate everything he had learned thus far.


    So, in this world I am considered a magic beast. My species is some type of lizard creature, and these powers I have been able to use are due to some solidified core of energy located in my chest. Also, I must never reveal my affinity because it is... rare? None of this makes any sense scientifically.


    Luis reconsidered. Then again, magic is simply science that hasn''t been studied yet. If you demonstrated a gun to a caveman, he would think it to be magic... Luis believed that through trial and error, he could unravel the mysteries of his lizard form.


    Luis felt the familiar weight on his back shift to get more comfortable.


    Luis mentally smiled. However, for now, I will simply enjoy the extra time I have been given... He realized that regardless of the circumstances, this new life could be considered a gift. He got to spend more time with people he cared about, watching them grow like he once did with his own children.


    Luis shook his head. Ah, I''m too damn sentimental! I''m a young lizard... creature... thing. I can''t already be going senile again... Luis lampooned internally.


    He remembered an expression his grandkids would use often... Yolo. You only live once huh? Luis felt like laughing at this. Guess it doesn''t apply to me. Luis took his time carrying Bryn the rest of the way. He was in no hurry after all...


    .


    .


    .


    Now, Luis more or less knew what he was, but this did not make him feel any less lost. He stared into the fire, the question on his mind preventing him from falling asleep.


    What should I do?


    This was the question that plagued Luis'' the most. He had lived a full life already. He had seen and done mostly everything he had wanted in his old life. He wasn''t quite sure what his purpose in this new one should be, aside from watching over the boy...


    Luis once again glanced at the beautiful family, eating their dinner without a care in the world. He felt some of his worries flow away. Regardless of his questions, regardless if he didn''t understand what his purpose was, there was only one thing for sure.


    I suppose I will just have to live and find out...


    Luis fell asleep to the crackling of the fire.


    .


    .


    .


    A weight was placed upon Luis'' scales, waking him up.


    "Finn, can you help me carry her to bed please?" Luis looked up to see Bryn tucking the half asleep Lily snuggly onto his back, where she instinctively grabbed his scales as handholds.


    The fire had died down, casting a warm orange glow on the trio as Luis carried Lily up the stairs behind Bryn, who limped up carefully. Even if he fell, Luis would be there to catch him.


    As Luis walked through the narrow doorway to the room, he felt his right shoulder knick the doorframe. Strange, I thought for sure I fit perfectly through... wait a moment. Bryn lifted Lily off of Luis'' back, placing her on her bed, completely unaware that Luis had completely frozen stiff.


    "Night Finn," Bryn yawned out as he crawled into his own bed, pulling the covers over himself and quickly entering the land of dreams. However, Luis was still frozen in shock. Backing out of the room carefully, Luis went back downstairs to the fire, the embers still emitting a faint glow.


    There, by the fading warmth of the fire, Luis closely examined where his right arm used to be. Instead of a flat smooth scar, there was a bump growing about an inch off where the wolf tore crippled him so long ago.


    My arm... My arm is growing back!

 16 Moving On

    The sun was shining bright, and Luis had left the house earlier than usual. He was quite a ways away from the family home, with it only being a speck in the distance.


    All around him, the tall grass swayed to and fro as the wind blew through it, bringing fresh air into his lungs. All was calm on the prairie, with nothing but the whooshing of the air for miles.


    Luis had his eyes closed, sitting in the middle of a field, allowing the breeze to wash over his scales creating a cooling effect. He was steadily absorbing the sun''s energy, directing it to his old injury. A thin sheen of golden light emanated from his scales as he did so.


    When Luis discovered that he was growing a stump where his right arm was torn off, he was reminded of what the guild master had said, that those with light affinities have miraculous healing powers. Although, he didn''t believe it would be as exaggerated as this...


    My arm is actually growing back, unbelievable... Luis stopped absorbing energy to glance at the progress he''d made. There was another couple inches of length to the reforming stump.


    While experimenting with his energy, Luis realized that if he focused it from his core specifically to the spot where his arm used to be, it would slowly grow.


    It was then that he remembered the slight itchiness he had gotten all those other times he had haphazardly wasted his energy while sunbathing.


    So it turns out that those other times, my body had been naturally trying to regrow my arm using this... light energy. How incredible! Despite having already experienced countless miraculous things in his short time here, Luis was once again shocked at this development.


    Through testing, he noticed that when he just naturally circulated the energy from his core through his body, the regenerating effect was much less than when he actually focused it to one spot. However, there was a drawback.


    When Luis circulated his energy all around, only a fraction was being used to regenerate his limb, meaning he never ran out. But, when he condensed it purely on his missing limb, he could feel the energy from his core draining like a deflating balloon.


    In other words, it took exponentially more energy to forcibly regenerate faster than simply letting it happen gradually on its own.


    Honestly though, that''s not much of a drawback... Luis internally smiled as he continued to bask in the sunlight, replenishing his drained core.


    From everything he had learned, Luis realized that the reason he was able to harness the sun''s light must be because of this... light affinity.


    Bryn did say that both humans and magic beasts absorb the elemental energies from their surroundings. If my affinity is light...


    I guess in a sense, I really am solar powered. Nature enthusiasts from back home would approve... Luis mentally laughed at what he thought was a clever joke.


    He didn''t want to return home just yet. While it wasn''t so obvious before, the fact that he now had regrown a complete shoulder with a good portion of his right arm would be impossible to hide.


    Imagine their surprise... Luis hummed in thought as he pictured the family''s shocked faces. At the rate he was healing, factoring in the time it took to recover his core energy, he estimated he would have his arm back by tomorrow. In the meantime...


    Luis got up and starting walking slowly. As long as he didn''t move too fast or uneven, he was able to maintain his concentration, keeping the energy constantly circulating.


    More importantly, it meant that he didn''t have to stand still to use or recover his power.


    How versatile! Luis was quite enjoying the abilities that came with his affinity.


    He headed off in the direction of the woods where the father and son found him, knowing now that they were called the Border Woods. There was something he had to do before returning home.


    Home huh? I wonder when I started referring to it as that...


    Back on Earth, Luis lived humbly, for he never needed more than his family to feel at peace. Home wasn''t defined by the house you lived in, but rather those you shared it with. Although...


    A memory surfaced of when his eldest son nearly burned down their old house by lighting fireworks indoors. Heh... I spanked him so bad, he had to sit on a pillow for a week.


    Then, his oldest daughter. Luis remembered the time when he bought her her first car, and then when she immediately ran it into a ditch. Heh... We were both in tears. Me from pissing myself laughing and her from sheer horror.


    Luis could see the woods in the distance.


    His youngest son, causing a family feud when he stole his oldest brothers car keys and blamed the middle brother, all because the middle brother refused to help him with the chores. That scheming little brat... Luis remembered watching the drama unfold, which included a fist fight that he had to break up.


    Luis reached the woods, and proceeded to look for something that would suit his needs.


    His youngest daughter, who loved to paint. Luis remembered when she was little, and he had found her painting the walls in the house with crude drawings of dolls and flowers. When she asked him if he thought they were any good, all he could say to her as a father was that they were beautiful.


    That smile she gave me was so bright, it put the sun to shame... Luis found a rock in just the right size.


    My wife... Luis paused in thought as he rolled the stone up to a small ditch he had dug so that it stood straight up. Using his power, he shot a small but intense beam of light onto the stone. From a distance, it looked like someone using a welding torch.


    He remembered first meeting his wife, their first date, when he proposed. Scenes of their wedding flickered through his mind. When their first child was born, the way she had looked at him with hope as she held his newborn son. How he thought at that moment that he would literally jump into hell to take care of them both.


    The following years of struggle, the fights they had, the tears they both shed when they said things they didn''t mean.


    The long days of work, returning home to find his wife cooking dinner with the kids. The way she would rub his shoulders when they were sore, without him even having to ask.


    In his later years, his wife helping him into the car when his knees gave out. Spoon feeding him after surgury, when he was unable to feed himself. The way he always found a glass of water nearby that she had left for him, just so he wouldnt get thirsty.


    Countless little memories and moments that he cherished, good and bad.


    When Luis finished his carving, he stepped back to admire his handiwork. The words burned onto the stone read as follows:


    Here lies Luis J. Ferdinand.


    Underneath, Luis wondered what he could put to add meaning, but he drew a blank. There was too much he could say and not enough stone to say it.


    Eventually, he decided on what he figured best summed up his old existence. Adding a new line with controlled bursts of light, he once again stepped back.


    Here lies Luis J. Ferdinand


    He lived a good life


    Luis still deeply missed his family. Often times he couldn''t sleep, thinking about what became of them.


    I hope they still miss their old man... Luis would give anything to see how they were doing right now.


    Luis shook his head. It wasn''t fair to himself to wallow in self pity. Perhaps this is why men aren''t meant to live forever. One life is plenty.


    Otherwise, they end up drowning in memories of what they leave behind... Luis felt he had a slight epiphany.


    It was time to let go.


    He had lived. He had died. Now that he was given another go, it would be cruel to waste it. Perhaps, at the end of this life, I will see you all again... Luis put his claw on the stone that signified his grave.


    Luis fell asleep at the base of his own grave that night, having spent the rest of the day focusing his energy on regeneration. When the new day broke, Luis continued this process. Finally, once the sun was beginning to set once again, Luis had finished.


    He swung his right arm around a few times, flexing his regrown claws. He even tried running around to get used to having all fours. Turning from a tricycle into a four wheeler was quite an adjustment.


    It didn''t take long however, since it was how he was naturally supposed to be. Done experiencing his new arm, Luis... no. Finn walked up to his grave one last time, placing his head against it. He gave a moment of silence, and then walked away, leaving Luis Ferdinand behind. Luis had died a long time ago.


    In this new life, those that make up his new home already gave him a new name, and he would respect it, despite how strange it felt.


    Finngradus, more commonly known as Finn, walked backed home, on all fours. He didn''t realize how much easier it was to move fast. Sprinting was a breeze unlike before, and he felt like he was almost flying with how fast he could move.


    Much faster than a wolf, that''s for sure... Finn thought to himself. He made it back to the house at record speed. When he pushed opened the door, the first thing he heard was arguing.


    "What do you mean I can''t go search for him! He is a part of our family and he is lost! We have to find him!" Bryn''s desperate voice was the first thing Finn registered.


    "Dear, he is probably just out roaming or exploring, I doubt he''s... right there..." Mary''s soothing voice faltered as Luis entered the living room without a care in the world.


    She immediately noticed something different about Finn. However, Bryn was too emotional to notice.


    "FINN!" Bryn had turned around to see what had caught his mother''s attention, only to find the lizard he had been worrying over sitting there acting all innocent.


    Bryn hobbled over without his crutch, accidentally tripping in his haste. Finn bent down and caught him before he hit the floor.


    "You damned lizard! How dare you make me worry!" Bryn''s words could not mask the relief in his voice. He hugged Finn, only to just now realize he couldn''t wrap his arm around him the same way as before.


    Leaning back, Bryn felt his jaw drop.


    Finn... his right arm... it''s back! How... how is this possible? Bryn had also heard about the healing properties of those with a light affinity, but even he couldn''t believe it. To fully regrow a lost limb! What an amazing power!


    A sudden and obvious thought bloomed in his mind. If he can grow his arm back, then maybe...


    "Haha!" Lily laughed loudly, snapping the boy back to reality. Lily and George had walked into the living room to see what the commotion was.


    George shared the same expression of awe as his wife as he looked upon the clearly no longer crippled magical beast.


    This went beyond all expectations. George looked at his son, who he felt was hiding something. He would have some explaining to do...


    In the middle of all of this, Lily walked up to Finn and patted him on his new arm. "Good monster got better because you have been good!" She nodded with authority, as if she just answered the world''s hardest question.


    Finn wished he could laugh. Bending down, he licked Lily on the neck where she was ticklish, electing a loud screech from the little girl as she struggled to run away.


    "Nevermind! You''re a bad monster!" Lily pointed at him as she hid behind her mother''s legs.


    George and Mary just smiled and shook their heads while Bryn scratched the base of Finn''s neck, right in that sweet spot.


    Looking around at the family that had taken him in. Finn felt at peace once again.


    It''s good to be home...

 17 Crisis

    Finn ran around wildly, pursued by Lily who was demanding a ride. He enjoyed teasing her by slowing down just enough for her to get close, only to leap out of range at the last second.


    Having all four legs really helps with my agility... Finn was loving the increased mobility. Being an old man for so long, he had forgotten what it felt like to be young. It was like reliving his glory days... as a lizard.


    Lily started getting tired, and she stamped her feet in frustration, her lower lip quivering at her failure to catch the "mean" monster.


    Oh no, she is about to cry... Finn felt he had taken it too far. Just before the tears could flow, he jumped in front of her and licked her face, crouching down so she could hop on.


    "Gotcha!" Liky declared proudly as she pounced on Finn''s back, her "almost tears" a charade


    It was a trick!


    This little brat! Finn''s jaw hung open. He could not believe she was already starting to scheme at her age.


    "Go!" She yelled from his back, gripping his scales in preparation. Finn obliged, taking off. It had become Lily''s new favorite pastime, riding Finn. Now that he could move so fast, it was like riding a miniature horse.


    Her cackling echoed across the fields that had been plowed and planted by George. As Finn ran by at high speed, he couldn''t help but smile at his daughter''s laughter.


    Finn was obviously being careful, not making any sudden turns or shaking too much to avoid knocking her off. When she had enough, Finn trotted up to the house, depositing her by her mother, who was washing clothes in the stream.


    Laughing at her daughter''s windswept hair, she lifted Lily from off Finn''s back, patting his head gently. "Thank you Finn. Now what do you say sweetie?"


    "Thank you monster!" Lily patted Finn''s head as well. The mother sighed. "Lillith, he is not a monster. You need to stop calling him that..."


    Sensing an opportunity, Finn gave her a surprise slobbery lick on her face and ran off at high speed.


    "Ewww! See he is a monster!" Lily''s disgruntled voiced cried out as Finn ran away. He could hear her mother''s laughter fade as he ran off down the path.


    After the whole fiasco where he reappeared with a brand new limb, it was decided that he couldn''t go back to the town. He would be too obvious, as everyone knew he was supposed to be crippled.


    To suddenly show up with a new limb, even the most clueless person would get suspicious.


    Bryn had confessed to his family that although he didn''t know what species Finn was, he was a light affinity magic beast.


    Surprisingly, they all took it well, but Finn realized it was because Mary and Lily didn''t fully understand what that meant.


    George, however, was fully aware of the ramifications. He told them both explicitly that they couldn''t reveal this secret to anyone. He even gave explicit instructions to Bryn that he was not to bring Finn into town.


    For lack of a better word, Finn was grounded.


    He felt guilty that he was unable to help his boy walk to the city when he now had four limbs, but that didn''t discourage the boy.


    When Bryn had asked him if he could possibly regrow his own leg, Finn had explained as best he could that he didn''t know how, but if he ever learned then that would be the first thing he''d do.


    Although Bryn was clearly disappointed at the time, Finn could see the hope in his eyes. Indeed, if he could grant the boy a new leg so that he could fulfill his dream of being an adventurer, then all the suffering would have been worth it.


    New objective, learn how to heal others... Finn added it to his agenda. Although, he didn''t have a suitable target to test on. It wasn''t like he was going to willingly risk hurting any family members...


    At the moment, Finn was laying on the tall grass, sunbathing in comfort while he watched the path leading to the main road that led to the town. Bryn had left two days ago, and he was wondering when the boy would return.


    As he sat there, collecting the free energy from the sky, Finn found that his core was able to absorb more energy than a few days ago. In other words...


    My core is growing! Is this how magical beasts grow and evolve? Finn made an educated guess. From internally probing, Luis felt that his core could grow about three more sizes, which meant it could potentially hold three times as much energy before it reached a certain limit.


    How he knew this, Finn didn''t quite understand. The feeling was akin to knowing how full you were when eating and how much more you could eat before you became stuffed. You couldn''t put it into exact numbers, but you could definitely estimate with accuracy.


    However, the difficult part was actually growing the core. Finn realized that it only grew when fully saturated with energy, meaning he had to constantly absorb energy from the sun to stuff his core.


    Even then, the process was slow, because Finn would feel pain in his chest if he stuffed too much energy into it. There was a limit to its capacity, and therefore there was a limit to how fast he could grow it.


    It would be many months before his core reached what he felt would be its maximum size, at least for this rank, if he understood evolution correctly.


    Time passed, and the breeze of the prairie blew clouds across the sky as the day flowed on. When the sun was starting its decent, Finn assumed it would be another day before the boy returned.


    Standing up, he was about to return home when he saw a speck in the distance on the trail. Sniffing the air, Finn confirmed it was Bryn, and was about to run up and greet him. However, he stopped immediately. Another scent had entered his nostrils.


    There is someone else... Remebering the warning from George, Finn instead hid in the tall grass to watch Bryn''s approach, like how a lioness stalks her prey.


    When Finn got low to the ground, the tall grass was able to fully conceal his form. Perfect for hiding! He waited patiently for them to pass his position.


    Bryn came down the path, walking alongside a thin man wearing business attire. Wait a minute... Walking! Bryn was walking without crutches!


    How is this possible... Finn was flabbergasted. Peering through the blades of grass, he managed to get a cursory look at Bryn''s leg.


    A prosthetic! That must be what''s allowing him to walk without crutches. From what he could see, it was made of wood reinforced with metal. Finn wondered where he got it.


    It clearly wasn''t perfect though.


    He is still limping slightly. Indeed, even the best prosthetics couldn''t fully compensate for the real thing. On Bryn''s back, there was a large backpack that looked to be bursting at the seams.


    What''s he carrying? The boy leaves with nothing for two days and comes back accompanied by a strange man, wearing a prosthetic, and carrying a full backpack.


    What on earth did he do in town? Finn was rather curious, and he would ask Bryn as soon as he was able.


    "...Dont worry my boy. I just have some business to discuss with your father." As they got close enough, Finn could make out a snippet of their conversation before they continued on. Bryn clearly looked nervous.


    Time to move! Finn slithered his way back to the house, being extra careful to remain out of sight. He remained at the house border, where the tall grass met with plowed land, watching from a distance as Bryn let the man into the house.


    A short while later, the boy came out sans backpack and looked around wildly, twisting in every direction as if searching for...


    He is looking for me! Finn realized this right away, raising himself so that he appeared over the tall grass he was hiding in. Bryn spotted him right away, and came sprinting over.


    In less than a couple of seconds, the boy was almost upon him. Wow, he sure can book it... Finn was impressed with how fast the boy could run on his new prosthetic. Just as this thought crossed his mind, Bryn faceplanted into the dirt, having lost his balance from being unaccustomed to a fake leg.


    ...I guess he still had a ways to go before he is used to it. Finn ran into the open, and helped the boy up by nudging his head under his arm.


    "Thanks buddy. Now MOVE! Back into the grass. Can''t let that guy see you. Thank god you remembered to hide!" Bryn started talking rapidly.


    Ahh, so that''s why he was so nervous... Finn''s initial fears about the man being a threat were set at ease. Although Finn couldn''t sense that he was dangerous, that didn''t mean he wasn''t. Turns out, Bryn''s only worry was his discovery.


    Before Finn could even scratch out a question, Bryn excitedly grabbed his head. "Oh Finn! So much has happened that I don''t even know where to start..." It only took him a second to figure out where to start.


    "So I went back into town to pick up the stuff I commissioned from Grum, and it turns out he also made me a prosthetic leg. When I asked about payment, he said it was free as long as I gave him priority to any materials we find, but I know that''s just his excuse. He acts tough, but he has a heart of gold." Bryn nodded repeatedly with a smile.


    Wow, that blacksmith made Bryn a prosthetic free of charge. What a good, honest dwarf. Finn vowed to repay him in some way later. A true act of kindness such as that should never go unrewarded. Finn had met few people who would show such generosity.


    "It fit so perfectly, that I didn''t even have to use my crutches anymore! Bless that dwarf. I really owe him one."


    Finn internally smiled. This boy truly was a good egg. He licked Bryn across the face.


    "Quit it Finn!" Bryn laughed as he continued.


    "After thanking him, I grabbed the gear he made for me and left for the guild. Trust me Finn you''re gonna love what he made me!"


    Finn felt his anticipation increasing unwittingly. Bryn''s youthful enthusiasm was impossible not to get infected with.


    "I met the guild master... I guess I should call him teacher now! He had me test my affinity. Guess what Finn! I have a wind affinity, same as his!" Bryn''s grin threatened to split his face.


    "Even better, he directly helped take the first step and break through to rank one!"


    He is positively vibrating with glee... Finn was truly happy for the boy. A couple of months ago he was on the brink of despair. Now, he is even better than before.


    "Finn... watch this!" Finn had his attention drawn to Bryn''s hand. The boy had a look of pure concentration, as if he was trying to do something...


    Holy cow! Finn nearly jumped when he saw a light blue glow form on the surface of Bryn''s skin around his hand. The blue glow traveled up his arm as beads of sweat formed on his face.


    Then, with precision, Bryn swung his arm with insane speed, right through a couple of stalks of grass. They were instantly cut in two, the blades gently falling onto the ground.


    Finn was amazed. Even though it was merely a few blades of grass, a human arm should not be able to accomplish such a feat, unless boosted by something.


    So this is magic huh? If this is what a wind affinity can do, I wonder about those with other elements. What can they do? At this point, Finn had just as much a longing to go adventuring as Bryn. This world held many more interesting secrets that he felt a new desire to uncover.


    "Teacher says that I can also use it to move like the wind. I''m guessing he means to run fast. It''s very exhausting though. Im still only rank one."


    "To continue to grow, I need to absorb wind energy. He told me he would teach me the basics soon after I stabilized. For now, I am to continue to getting used to this new power..." Bryn flexed his arm and hand, contemplating new ways to apply wind energy.


    "That''s not all Finn. A letter came in from the Association of Magic Knights..." Bryn''s face morphed into a scowl.


    Oh, I''m guessing this isn''t good news... Finn could tell from the look on the boy''s face.


    "Those bastards! All they did was issue an apology! As if that changes what happened! In the letter, they explained that the man who attacked us was a former disgraced rank two magic knight who was kicked out for abusing commoners, just like with me."


    "Even after explaining what it cost me, they didn''t offer any compensation. It''s their fault for letting such a bastard go!" Bryn was fuming, which Finn found understandable. To try and wash off any responsibility by simply apologizing was a low tactic.


    Finally sensing a lull as Bryn calmed down, Finn scratched out a question.


    ''Who is that man?''


    "Ah, he said he had some business with my father. When I asked, he said that it was not my place to know. Said it was between adults..."


    Just then, the front door to the house swung open. From their place hidden in the grass, the duo could see the whole thing.


    The thin man wearing business attire walked out, pursued frantically by both George and Mary who were seemingly pleading something.


    He kept shaking he head in negative while he kept retreating. Finally he held his hand out, ending the discussion with an ultimatum.


    He then left in a huff, walking back down the path to the main road. The sunset highlighted his figure as he walked away.


    Once the coast was clear, Finn picked up Bryn and sprinted to the house. Although it was no longer as necessary to carry Bryn, old habits die hard.


    Entering the house, they found a scene that filled their guts with apprehension. The mother was crying and the father hunched over, his gripping his skull as he sat at the table.


    Bryn could only ask one thing.


    "What''s wrong?"


    The father, without lifting his head, spoke softly. "The debt that we owe has been called in full. We can''t afford to pay it. If we do not come up with the money soon, we will lose... everything."


    Finn and Bryn shared a glance.


    Oh no...

 18 Resolve

    It turns out that doctors aren''t free. After carefully prodding his parents for information, they reluctantly admitted the truth. Bryn learned another cold hard lesson on the harshness of life.


    In order to pay for a reputable doctor, George had to take out a large loan of ten gold at a relatively high interest rate.


    They never told their son about this, for they knew he would have blamed himself even more, which wasn''t fair to the boy.


    He had already sunk deep enough into depression from being unable to help with the seasonal planting. If he found out that his injury also plunged them deep into debt...


    Turns out the parents knew their boy quite well.


    Bryn ran out of the house after their reluctant explanation. Having attempted to sugar coat it didn''t help, and only made Bryn feel guiltier. He ignored his mother''s cries as she tried to call him back.


    Finn, sensing another crisis, immediately followed.


    Just when he had made a full recovery... Finn never believed in fate, but right now he felt like it seemed to want to screw with him. Bryn was young and impulsive. He had yet to learn patience.


    If only he was able to take a step back and control his emotions, he would be able to understand that it really wasn''t his fault in the grand scheme of things.


    Sadly, young people always seemed to think one disaster was enough to ruin their entire lives... Finn knew that as long as they were all still breathing, no setback was impossible to overcome with effort and time. However Bryn hadn''t lived long enough to develop this wisdom.


    Finn followed Bryn as he ran to the shed, tripping on his prosthetic over and over. When he finally scrambled over to it, he punched it as hard as he could, cursing violently. He then collapsed to his knees, gripping his skull so tight that blood started to leak out where his nails went in.


    Finn could hear the boy mumbling curses as the veins on his head, neck and arms bulged from his fury. He smelt salt as well, from the boys tears.


    This isn''t healthy. He is going off the deep end... The last time Finn saw Bryn break down, it had been a much more natural reaction. The boy had lost a leg and he had vented his sorrow. This time though...


    This was the kind of rage that warped a person''s perspective. He was unfairly punishing himself for their unfortunate circumstance. Although Finn wished Bryn to grow more, this was not the direction he wanted to see. It was time for him to act.


    With children, when in doubt, cause a distraction. It was his tried and true method for managing kids, and it rarely failed him.


    Just as kids were quick to react, they were also quick to forget, when given an opportunity.


    Finn tackled Bryn, pinning him to the dirt under his weight.


    "Wha-? Get off you fu***** lizard!" Bryn used all his strength to shove off the heavier-than-he-looks beast, with no effect.


    Finn''s tactic was to shift the target of his rage. Instead of hating himself, he would hate him, at least for a short while.


    Once the emotions die down, Bryn will see that everything will be ok... This was Finn''s ultimate goal.


    Only, Bryn was not as helpless against him as Finn thought.


    "I said... get OFF!" Bryn screamed in wrath. As he racked his arm against Finn''s side.


    Ack! Finn felt a sharp pain on his flank, rolling off of Bryn and jumping away instinctively.


    Finn turned his head to look at the scales covering his ribs. His eyes widened in shock. Several scales were broken in a straight line, cutting into the flesh beneath.


    Bryn had used his wind energy to cut through his natural defense. Although the wound wasn''t very deep, the implications filled Finn with anger.


    He is so blinded that he would attack those close to him... Never in a million years would Finn stand for this. This was going too far.


    Bryn looked at what he had done unconsciously. Only now did he realize that his new power could hurt others without control. His wrath turned to horror at the drop of hat.


    He stood there, petrified as Finn advanced on him.


    "I''m sorry. I''m sor-OOF!" Finn cut the boy''s apology off with spin, sweeping his tail under the boys legs. He then pounced, using more force than neccessary as he stepped on Bryn''s chest.


    If Finn hadn''t developed great control over his strength, he could have actually injured the boy by piercing his skin with his claws.


    Bryn found himself face to face with an enraged magical beast, his blood turning to ice. As Bryn trembled beneath his claws, Finn opened his mouth, revealing two sets of razor sharp teeth, and let out a terrible snarl that rattled the boy''s eardrums.


    Bryn cowered, shielding his head with his shaking arms. He had never seen Finn act so aggressively, especially at himself, and he was thoroughly frightened. Even when striking him with his crutch a while back hadn''t garnered such a reaction.


    It was at a moment like this where Bryn truly remembered that Finn was still a magic beast, no matter how human he acts.


    As quick as he tackled the boy, Finn released him and trotted away down the path, seething.


    Only after some time, did Bryn managed to stand, his legs still shaking from fear. He felt foolish and awkward. All remaining traces of self pity had long fled, and the anger from learning about the debt had been replaced with regret.


    I hurt him... Bryn couldn''t believe he had done so. First and foremost, he didn''t even think he could hurt Finn. His scales, although pretty and thin, were very tough, and made for a solid defense. But breaking through Finns scales wasn''t the crux of the issue.


    I hurt Finn. He has been by my side for so long now. Even after everything, he stays with me, and yet I still hurt him. All for a stupid tantrum... Indeed, now that he wasn''t so emotional, he saw his own actions for what they were, immature.


    In other words, Bryn felt like a complete bastard.


    He clenched his fists, wishing that he would stop acting like a fool whenever something bad happens. He couldn''t keep relying on Finn to help him through all his problems.


    Finn. How can I face him now? Bryn didn''t know what to do. He stood by, contemplating his next course of action. Eventually, he decided upon following after Finn. Apologizing wasn''t something to be delayed.


    Bryn found Finn on a slight hill overlooking the prairie. He was resting on his back haunches, gazing off into the distance. Relieved to see that Finn didn''t appear to agitated, Bryn cautiously approached him.


    Finn could tell the boy was approaching from the corner of his eye. He wasn''t mad anymore, just feeling slightly disappointed. He believed the boy to be better than this. For him to react so violently after any setback...


    One day he would do something that was irreversible, and he would forever regret it. Finn didn''t want to see that happen. That was the point of passing on wisdom. To share the mistakes of the past so the younger generations could learn from them.


    Bryn sat down on the hill, a few feet away from Finn. An old lizard and a boy watched in silence as the breeze created waves on tall grass. The light from the setting sun cast a warm golden glow on the plains.


    It''s quite beautiful... Finn wouldn''t mind enjoying such a scene for the rest of his life. Sometimes, all it took were the little things. People moving too fast in life often times forget to stop and enjoy it...


    Just as Finn was getting sentimental, Bryn broke the comfortable silence.


    "I''m sorry."


    Finn let out an audible sigh, which came out as a snort of air. He scratched something into the dirt by his feet.


    Leaning over, Bryn read, ''Stop blaming yourself. It''s not your fault.''


    Bryn frowned, but didn''t say anything. The silence resumed. The sun on the horizon expanded into an orange ball that was slowly disappearing.


    Finn took this chance to write something else down. ''You need to always remain calm. Overreacting won''t solve anything.''


    Bryn snorted. Since when did Finn develop such wisdom. It''s like talking to an old man...


    "I''m sorry for hurting you..."


    Finn risked a glance. The boy had a lost look on his face as he hugged his legs. At the moment, he looked so confused and uncertain.


    Foolish boy... Finn shook his head and his gaze grew soft. Scooting closer, Finn laid down on all fours so that his head was at the same level as Bryn''s.


    Moving slowly, Finn touched his skull to the boy''s. It was his equivalent to a pat on the head, as he lacked a more human way to show forgiveness, being a lizard.


    Hesitantly, Bryn put his arm around Finn''s neck, who began cooing softly. Bryn sniffed a bit as he felt a lump form in his throat. He is too good for me... At this moment, Bryn vowed he would never hurt his friend again.


    They sat there until the sun set, and like clockwork, Finn nudged Bryn onto his back and carried him home. No matter how dire things seemed, there was always hope. Finn hoped that in time, Bryn would start to see things his way.


    When they got back, his parents were expecting Bryn to be an emotional wreck. Their surprise when he instead apologized for overreacting left them reeling.


    How in the world... This behavior was very unexpected from his son. George spared a glance at the magical beast sitting in the corner. Ever since he joined their family, both their kids had changed.


    For the better... Was his opinion. Lillith was smiling and laughing way more than she ever had. She had really opened up, and Bryn...


    George looked at the boy who was being hugged by his mother. She was absolutely relieved that her boy wasn''t blaming himself. She had told him over and over, but he never listened, at least, until now apparently.


    George sized up Finn again. There was definitely more to this beast than meets the eye...


    The day was ending, and Bryn was able to walk up the stairs on his own for the first time in a long time. Before hopping into his bed, he patted Finn on the head.


    "Thank you... for everything."


    Finn licked Bryn across the face, causing him to smile uncontrollably. Pushing Finn''s head away he glanced at the backpack he had left on his bed before heading out. An idea popped back into his head.


    As the gears turned, he looked back to Finn and grabbed his head, looking him in the eyes.


    "Finn... I know how we can fix this!" Bryn yelled in whisper fashion.


    Oh? Finn wondered what his big idea was.


    "We can go hunt magical beasts!" Bryn''s smile bloomed like a sunrise.


    Finn blinked. What?

 19 Honor Thy Father

    "Absolutely not!" George yelled as he stood in front of the door, blocking his son from leaving. It was just after breakfast, and Bryn had been hoping to sneak out.


    He might''ve been successful too, had he not elected to change into the gear he brought back from the blacksmith inside the house.


    It made him too obvious. He wore a hardened leather vest with vambraces inlaid with thin metal plates. They could likely block a strike or two from a small sword.


    Covering his legs were interwoven pads of sown leather that allowed for free range of motion.


    The hardened leather pads on his chest and legs looked tough enough to stop any indirect grazes from a bladed weapon, but not a direct hit from a well placed strike or arrow shot.


    Last but not least, he had the same large backpack that he brought back from the city, now filled with supplies.


    Still, Finn had to admit the gear did make him appear a tad more formidable. The blacksmith really did a nice job. The formidable look, however, was not to be confused with true strength.


    Of course, there was no way his parents wouldn''t notice that their son looked like he was dressed for battle. Finn was grateful for once that Bryn acted impulsively.


    Bryn had absolutely zero training in combat, yet he was acting like he expected hunting magical beasts to be a cakewalk.


    A sudden boost in power does not make him a fighter... Finn understood that Bryn was feeling a false sense of confidence from his recent advancement and new gear.


    Maybe if the guild master trained him for a couple years, but for now...


    He is going to get himself hurt. Hopefully, his father would put a stop to this...


    "But dad, look," Bryn said as he manifested a blue energy on his arm. It was the same energy he use to cut Finn. Furthermore, it was the source of his newfound confidence.


    George''s eyes opened in shock at this reveal. "You''ve stepped onto the path of the magiks? How? When?" His reaction to his son''s new power was like getting slapped in the face.


    Bryn looked lost, confused by what his father said. His newfound pride sizzled out, and he explained. "Father, the guild master made me his student. Using a special stone, he found that I held a wind affinity like him. He directly helped me advance..."


    Finn noticed a vein bulge on George''s forehead. "You accepted him as your teacher! Without asking me? Idiot son!" George roared and paced around as he gripped his skull in anger.


    Bryn was completely lost at this point, he wasn''t expecting this reaction from his father at all.


    Seeing his son''s confused face, George''s furious eyes softened a bit. He sighed heavily.


    "Boy, you don''t realize what you have agreed too. Have you never wondered why I settled for the life of a common farmer?"


    George shook his head when Bryn gave him a befuddled look.


    "Becoming a full-fledged magic knight is not easy. Unlike mages, who''s special sense for the elements allow them to draw in energy on their own, a magic knight requires energy from outside sources..." George looked down at his boy.


    "Did he give you a blueish crystal and help you direct its energy into your body? Was this how you advanced?" He asked his son directly, looking him square in the eyes.


    Bryn felt a chill down his spine. This was exactly what the guild master did. "Yes," was all Bryn could say.


    George held back a groan, feeling a need to rub his temples. The deed was done, the proof displayed by his son earlier.


    "Son, I was once offered the same choice you have taken, that which you did without consulting me nontheless. Ultimately, I refused because of the responsibility you yourself will now have to bear..."


    Bryn looked puzzled, as did Finn.


    This must be related to certain customs I am unaware off... Now that he thought about it, Finn thought that Bryn suddenly gaining this power for free seemed too simple. It turns out there is a catch.


    Bryn did not like the look of pity his father was giving him. It made him feel like he was missing something, and if he was being honest with himself, he probably was.


    George put a hand on his son''s shoulder, gripping it tight. "Son, the resources required to become a magic knight are expensive, and the cost only grows exponentially as you increase in power. That crystal you recieved was likely the core of a rank two wind beast of some kind!"


    "Just to advance to rank one, he has already spent a fortune in gold to help you. If he has taken you as his student, then he has an obligation to teach you and provide the resources you need to grow into a proper magic knight."


    "On the same token, your life now belongs to him for the foreseeable future..." George let that statement hang for effect.


    "This is part of the code of the magiks. The reciprocity of the teacher and student. It''s also the same reason why I chose against becoming a student."


    Bryn, slightly rattled, asked, "Why would you choose against becoming a student to a magic knight? It''s not like its forever, right? You even get to become powerful!" He couldn''t understand why his father would choose a mundane life over power and glory.


    George shook his head. " I couldn''t make that kind of commitment. I already had a prior commitment I needed to address."


    Bryn asked the million dollar question.


    "What commitment could possibly more important than the possibility of becoming a magic knight?"


    George put his hand on his son''s head and smiled fondly. He gave the million dollar answer.


    "You... You were on the way. I couldn''t just abandon you and your mother, even to become a magic knight."


    Finn, who was listening to the exchange, was moved by this revelation. He gave up a life of adventure and power to raise his family.


    What an excellent father... Finn greatly respected the man for his choice.


    Bryn felt like an arrow went through his gut. His father lost his chance to become great, because of himself? He couldn''t help but ask.


    "Did... do you regret it?"


    Pausing for a moment, George bent down and hugged his son tightly.


    "Never! However, now that you are committed, we have to talk more about this. I believe I need to meet this guild master. We all need to have a chat."


    Bryn gave a thoughtful look. "Father, you mentioned magiks. What is that?"


    George felt a sense of nostalgia, remembering old times. "Magiks is slang for magic knights. Its what they call themselves, at least here in the Border States. I''m not sure about other kingdoms."


    Woah! He knows a lot more than I thought about magic knights! Bryn suddenly felt like he knew less about his father''s past than he previously believed.


    George stood up. "And now if you''ll excuse me, I need to talk with your mother about all this..."


    George started to walk back into the house. "Oh, and you''re still not allowed to go hunting."


    Yes! Finn thought happily. Better to wait until he at least has some combat training.


    No! Bryn sulked internally. He couldn''t wait to make up for the debt. Deep down, he still slightly blamed himself, even though everyone said otherwise.


    "What about the debt then!" Bryn exclaimed.


    George''s confident walk morphed into a sad scene. His back sagged, and he looked like he aged ten years in a moment. The posture of a defeated man. "I... We will figure something out." He said no more on the subject as he sat down at the table, becoming lost in thought.


    Bryn and Finn did not miss the change in his mood at the mention of the debt. Finn felt pity for the man. He was no stranger to hard times himself, and he probably cast the same sorry figure back in those days.


    Bryn looked upon his despondent father and felt a flame burn in his heart.


    Father sacrificed everything for me, it''s time to return the favor, even if he doesn''t want me too...


    Bryn deliberately walked back into the house, and began walking to his room. Thinking that the boy was finally seeing sense, Finn followed happily. When he got up to the room, however, his happiness turned into shock.


    The boy was climbing out the window!


    "Finn, go outside and meet me by the shed!" Bryn whispered as he hopped out before Finn could react.


    Feeling insulted on the father''s behalf, Finn bolted out of the house to confront Bryn, who he found dusting his pants off from the fall, next to the shed.


    Before Bryn could say anything, Finn immediately started to scribble in the dirt.


    ''What are you doing?''


    "I''m going going hunting..." Bryn shrugged nonchalantly. Resisting the urge to growl, Finn wrote more.


    ''Honor your father''s wishes.''


    "I will honor him by helping him!" Bryn started getting defensive. Finn wrote some more.


    ''You wont be honoring him by getting yourself hurt or killed.''


    Bryn shook his head. "I wont get hurt. After all, I have you by my side. Together, we can face any beast under rank three. I''m not suicidal, we are just going to hunt enough to pay back the debt with their stones or cores."


    Finn was momentarily at a loss of what to write. Although he enjoyed the faith the boy had in him, it wasn''t like he had much combat experience either, especially with a new body. Every fight he ever had since coming here, he had just barely come out on top, mostly out of sheer desperation or luck.


    Finn felt a hand placed on his head. He met Bryn''s eyes, and he could see the resolve in his firm look. "Look Finn, I know you care for my safety, but I can''t keep living knowing I could be doing something to help and simply... not. I owe my family too much..."


    It was hard to stay mad at the boy when he mentioned his noble intentions. In his shoes, Finn would have probably felt the same way.


    Even still, Finn felt woefully underprepared to start fighting random beasts with magical abilities, even if he had a few of his own.


    "Please Finn, I need your help..." Bryn pleaded with the sorriest look he could make.


    Finn snorted out a sigh, and after much internal debate, wrote a line on the ground.


    ''Fine, but safety is priority. I will not risk your life for this''


    Bryn cheered and hugged the large lizard, who rolled his eyes. Finn was still quite nervous about his decision. Protecting the boy would be top priority, but mistakes could always be made even in the best situations.


    "I got something special just for you!" Bryn declared in glee as he suddenly reached into his oversized backpack and pulled out a leather object.


    A saddle!


    Finn narrowed his eyes.

 20 Trus

    It was only because it was Bryn that he accepted wearing it. Anyone else, besides the sweet angel Lily, Finn would have blasted them with a superheated beam of light.


    Sure, he had carried them both all around, but that was purely consensual, and he felt no shame in doing so.


    The saddle changed that.


    I''m no horse, nor beast of burden! Finn still had his pride. Again, he only allowed it because it was his boy he had to protect. This was how he consoled himself.


    When he finally consented to Bryn placing it on his back, he was relieved that it didn''t feel uncomfortable. As a matter of fact, he could barely feel the weight through his scales.


    It happen to fit like a glove too. Finn realized with a hint of betrayal that the boy must have given his measurements to the dwarf, or some leather worker in town.


    Although, his bitterness dissolved slightly when Bryn expressed how much better the saddle treated his... nether regions. When Bryn mentioned it, Finn realized that his back was not soft like a horses due to his scales.


    It would probably be uncomfortable riding on my back without a saddle for any extended period of time... Finn felt stupid for feeling guilty. It''s not my fault I''m scaly!


    I must endure... It was only for family that Finn could swallow his pride. As long as the boy never treated him like a pack horse, he would tolerate it.


    As they walked, Finn heard a clinking sound above him. Using his flexible neck, he turned to see Bryn screwing metal rods together that he was pulling out of his backpack.


    What''s this now? Finn stopped to examine closer what Bryn was doing. By now, the metal rod was already around five feet long. When he added two more metal connections, the final length came out to around seven or eight feet.


    Smiling, Bryn pulled out of his pack the last segment and the glint of pointed steel was reflected in Finn''s eyes


    A spear head... Was Finn''s first guess. However, when Bryn rolled it over in his hand it became clear that wasn''t right. Looking closer, Finn was intrigued by the design. It had the point of a spear at the end, but slightly below it there was an extra segment of metal, like an axe.


    It took him a second to realize that it wasn''t a spear, but a poleaxe. The final product came out around eight feet long. The edges of the blades looked razor sharp, gleaming in the sunlight. Small, decorative engravings on the blade gave testament to the superior craftsmanship.


    Although, Finn suspected the dwarf did those engravings because he was quite fond of the boy. All in all, the weapon looked quite deadly.


    Bryn laughed as Finn examined the weapon. "What do you think Finn? Did Grum do a good job or what?"


    Bryn gave a few test swings, and Finn had to admit that he wouldn''t want to be hit by such a weapon, the whooshing sounds of the pole cutting the air solidifying this thought.


    Finn resumed walking as the boy swung his weapon around, getting the feel for it while on Finn''s back.


    "This is the most commonly used weapon by beast riders, so they say. I haven''t actually seen an actual rider before..." Bryn chuckled.


    "Although I guess I''m technically one now. Beast riders are almost always magic knights from what I''ve heard..."


    This is clearly going to his head... Finn felt his back getting heavier from the boy''s expanding ego.


    Bryn began to grow more passionate. "This is where our legend begins Finn! We are first going to save our farm! We will grow stronger, becoming the best adventurers in the region. I will apply to become a full fledged magic knight and then travel the five kingdoms. Eventually, we will set off for what ever lies beyond the border woods!"


    At least he has goals... Finn wished that he would focus more on the fact that he was currently disobeying his father. Although, I guess that makes me an enabler... Finn considered his own acceptance of this.


    Truth be told, he didn''t know how George would overcome his current financial situation. Finn had developed a rudimentary understanding of this land''s currency, and he knew that anything over ten gold was something very few common folk could afford.


    Perhaps, ignoring my own bias, this actually is the best way to help Bryn''s father... Finn let that thought sink in for a moment.


    Maybe I''ve become too passive... Finn considered long and hard about Bryn''s choice as he walked.


    Finn was an old man at heart, concerned with taking things slow and evaluating every possibility. However, there were two sides to every coin.


    Just as there were times to pause and plan, occasionally there are times where action simply needed be taken. Where pausing and waiting to plan might be a cause for regretting missed opportunities.


    If it had been up to him, he would have had Bryn train under the guild master until he was more prepared to fight. Realistically however, that would have taken a lot of time.


    In that time, George could have lost his farm by then. Finn knew that the debt was pushed forward, but he didn''t know when it needed to be paid in full.


    Perhaps Bryn''s impulsive decision could have been the right one after all. I have become too timid... Finn had to grudgingly admit.


    He knew he was much stronger than when he was born. If he ran into another one of those so called earth wolves, he felt he could easily kill one.


    According to what Bryn told me, a rank two magical beast core was worth between three and ten gold depending on the affinity... Finn remembered Bryn explaining the differences.


    Apparently, wind and fire were the most expensive, around eight and ten gold respectfully for rank two beasts of these affinities.


    In general, wind beasts were difficult to kill outside of an ambush or trap due to their incredible speed and agility. As they grew in rank, it become exponentially harder to do so.


    There was no stopping one that wanted to run away unless you were noticeably more powerful.


    Fire beasts cores and stones were the most expensive due to high demand and rarity. Flame stones and cores could be imbued into weapons, making them far deadlier.


    Flame beasts were also rare around these parts, decreasing the supply and therefore, the price.


    "Hey Finn, I see the woods!" Bryn''s excited voice broke Finn out of his mental revelry.


    Finn''s eyes focused onto the horizon where he could see a line of trees. Yup, the sun was still rising in the sky and they had already made it to the woods.


    That was fast... Finn again realized that his basic walking pace was much faster with four legs. Another benefit to being a quadruped.


    In his excitement, Bryn exclaimed, "Onward to adventure! GO!" As he pointed to the distant horizon.


    Only, in his elation, he kicked his heels into Finn''s sides... exactly like one would do to a horse.


    Nope! Finn sat down suddenly, rolling Bryn off his back as he dropped the poleaxe.


    "Finn! What-?" Bryn began, but was cut off when Finn sat his body on the boy causing him to let out an "ooomph" from his squeezed lungs.


    I have begun to make a habit of this... Finn lampooned inwardly. This happened to be his favorite way of disciplining the boy, as he couldn''t talk, and it''s not like he would claw him to get his points across. This was simply the best way!


    Bryn immediately realized what must have set Finn off. In his haste to avoid dying from being crushed, he patted Finn''s flank and wheezed out, "I''m sorry! I''m sorry!"


    Nodding in recognition of the apology, Finn raised himself off the boy, who gasped for breath. Writing something into the dirt, he shoved Bryn with his head, directing him toward what he wrote.


    "Do not treat me like a horse..." Bryn read what Finn wrote out loud, and turned to face the lizard, who was glaring at him with his slit eyes.


    Bryn raised his arm''s up defensively. "You''re right, you''re right, I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have done that."


    Finn''s glare softened. As long as he understands...


    Bryn patted Finn on the head and smiled at him. "You''re my best friend and partner. I wouldn''t be here without you..."


    Oh, now you''re just buttering me up... Finn remembered how his grandkids would always do the same thing before immediately asking for something. That being said, he fell for it every time.


    Finn licked Bryn across the face, and lowered himself to let the boy back on. Bryn laughed and, after retrieving his poleaxe, the duo continued on to the woods.


    They made it there just as the sun reached its zenith. Finn felt its warmth douse his scales with energy, making him feel wonderful. His abilities meant he would never grow exhausted during the day.


    Looking up, he noticed that the sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, creating a mesmerizing display of light beams.


    Starting to get lost in the view, Finn was brought back to reality by Bryn''s sudden request.


    "Finn, run past that tree over there. I wanna test something..." Bryn spoke softly as he pointed with the poleaxe to a particular tree about fifty feet away.


    Oh? What''s he planning? With a questiong head tilt, Finn started accelerating towards the tree.


    Bryn, with a look of concentration, raised his poleaxe in preparation. He was clearly struggling to maintain his form with Finn''s movement.


    Running past the tree at high speeds, Finn heard a loud whistling sound followed by a loud smack! Digging his heels in, he turned around and watched as the rather large tree began to topple over.


    It fell with a loud crash, scaring away birds that were resting in the nearby trees.


    Whoa... Finn walked over to inspect the tree stump. When he got close enough, he felt his jaw slacken in shock.


    Smooth, perfectly smooth... Finn could scarcely believe it as he examined the perfectly sliced stump. He had severely underestimated the boy''s power.


    The tree was not the biggest around, but it had a diameter of about a foot. It wasn''t small by any means.


    When Finn had run past it at high speed, Bryn had swung his poleaxe like a scythe, and managed to cut clean through it. How?


    Finn looked back to see Bryn hunched over, leaning onto Finn while panting hard. Looking at the bladed end of his weapon, Finn could see remnant blue energy dissipating off of it. It reminded him of what that bandit had done a while ago.


    Through the panting and sweating, Bryn''s massive grin was on full display at Finn''s shock. "My teacher taught me that before I left. Said it was one of the most basic tricks a magic knight can do, applying their elemental energies to their weapons."


    Finn was genuinely impressed. Even the strongest men back on Earth wouldn''t be able to accomplish a feat like that in one swing. Although, the extra impact from my speed might have helped quite a bit... Finn reigned in his shocked face.


    "Trust me Finn, were unstoppable around here. We are just going to hunt enough to save our farm. Then we will go home." Bryn never forgot how worried Finn had been acting about this little trip.


    Finn snorted out a sigh. It was in his nature to be cautious, but for now, he would trust in the boy''s judgement.


    Who knows, maybe everything would turn out ok... Finn set aside his caution based pessimism for now.


    After giving Bryn time to catch his breath, the duo began their trek into the woods.


    For the first couple hours, they saw nothing but normal wildlife. Multiple deer, rabbits, and the occasional fox crossed their path, but nothing interesting had made itself known. Just trees and shrubbery for miles.


    By the time it got dark, they had made it quite a ways into the woods. Bryn explained that they would have to go deeper before they found actual magical beasts. Apparently, elemental energies of all types grew stronger the further you went in.


    For those of higher ranks, it was a method of telling how far you were into the Border Woods, by simply sensing the elemental density.


    The duo stopped to rest for the night. Bryn laid a pillow against Finn''s flank and fell asleep next to the fire he created, leaning into Finn''s warmth. Finn curled around the boy, enjoying the heat from the flames.


    In the morning, they ate dried slabs of meat that Bryn had packed before continuing on. It became almost boring as Finn''s hesitation and wariness gradually faded away.


    Maybe I was just being paranoid...


    After a few more hours of traveling, Finn stopped to give Bryn a break from riding.


    We''re definitely tens of miles deep into these woods by now... Finn made a rough estimate of the distance they had traveled.


    Overall nothing interesting had caught his eye so far-wait!


    Finn jerked his head up. Something was wrong, something had changed. His instincts were suddenly screaming at him.


    Shooting to his feet, he scanned the area to try and make sense of the strange premonition he was feeling.


    "Hey bud, what is it?" Finn''s sudden actions were not lost on the boy, who immediately became alert. Finn ignored him, trying to focus on what his instincts were telling him.


    Although he didn''t fully understand his new body, he had learned to trust the instincts that came with it. They hadn''t been wrong yet.


    He froze, now realizing what it was. Sniffing the air carefully, Finn could just make out a faint metallic scent.


    Finn''s eyes narrowed. He recognized this particular scent. Blood.


    He smelled blood.

 21 Whirlwind Eagle

    Finn moved carefully, avoiding any leaves or branches that lay in his path. He didn''t want to make any excess noise. Bryn lay low on Finn''s back, decreasing their total profile in an effort to increase stealth.


    "How much further?" Bryn whispered as he adjusted his grip on the weapon. Finn had explained in writing that he smelled blood, and Bryn made the immediate suggestion to head towards it.


    A classic horror movie victim''s response... Finn seriously worried for the boy''s future. He seemed like the kind of child who would poke a bear just to see its reaction.


    In response to his question, Finn just shook his head. This wasn''t the time to stop and chat. The initial whiff of blood he detected earlier was now assaulting his sense of smell in waves, which could only mean one thing.


    We are getting closer... Finn grimaced internally. He knew what they were here for, but there was so much that could go wrong.


    Despite reassuring himself over and over that everything would be ok, he couldn''t shake this bad feeling.


    Finn noticed another detail. The surroundings had lost the natural ambience of a forest. The area was devoid of the familiar tweeting of birds or scurrying of small animals.


    Finn looked around, the sudden quiet creating an eerie atmosphere. Subconsciously, he began to walk slower, quieter. Even Bryn was somber, leaning close to Finn and looking around warily.


    Finn froze and strained his sense of hearing. There was a... chewing sound coming from their front left. It was only a few trees away.


    That must be it where it is... Finn swallowed. Bryn, however, was practically vibrating with anticipation. He could tell Finn was honing in on the source.


    Finn went low to the ground and crept forward. Without even realizing it, he went into a stalking mode. His movements became more agile and smooth, making almost zero sound. Clearly, there were some instincts ingrained into him that he wasn''t aware of.


    He crawled up to a large bush, somewhere behind which was the origin of the smell, judging from its intensity. Peering through the branches, Finn saw an amazing sight.


    A massive bird type creature was feasting upon the corpse of what looked to be a deer-ish looking creature. Although, it was hard to recognize from being torn apart. The four inch long claws that the bird was sporting on its legs were the likely culprit.


    The bird had enourmous wings curled into its side, adorned with feathers that were colored various shades of blue. They overlapped in such a way to create a mesmerizing wavy pattern.


    If its white beak wasn''t covered in the blood and guts of its victim, Finn would have considered it a majestic creature.


    "It''s a whirlwind eagle," Bryn whispered in awe. He had only read about such a creature, and according to the bestiary, they were not common in this portion of the Border Woods.


    As a flying type magical beast, they preferred mountainous regions where they could nest safely and gather elemental wind energy, which was more abundant at higher altitudes.


    They grew naturally up to rank four, where they evolved to become gargantuan birds of prey, virtually unkillable death gods of the sky to common beasts and men.


    To find one here like this was very unlikely, and judging from its current size, it was only in its adolescence, rank two at most.


    Bryn tapped Finn on the neck. "It''s only rank two, we can take it..."


    Finn nodded in agreement. Although he could sense that the bird in front of him was dangerous, it wasn''t like the oppressive feeling he had gotten from the guild master.


    The feeling I had from him was completely hopeless, as if no matter what I did I couldn''t possibly survive fighting him... Finn compared the danger he felt back then to the one he felt now. It was like comparing a bonfire to a ranging inferno.


    However, a bonfire is still plenty dangerous if handled wrong... Finn tensed up, unsure of his next move.


    It was at times like this when Bryn''s decisiveness shined through.


    "Finn, attack its wings. If it can''t fly away, we may have a chance at killing it. Bryn whispered heatedly.


    Finn nodded and relaxed slightly. Judging the distance, he opened his mouth and started gathering energy from his core. A warm current started flowing into his throat.


    If the eagle had been facing them, it would have seen a bright expanding orb growing larger in the bushes. Unfortunately, it had been too engrossed in its meal to notice anything out of the ordinary.


    Finn silently gathered his energy, illuminating the wild grin on Bryn''s face. He was excited to witness Finn''s true power first hand.


    The energy expanded in his throat, the ball of light growing brighter and brighter. Finally noticing something was wrong, the bird paused its feasting to look at where the excess light was coming from.


    Too late... Finn thought as he released the pent up energy, which had built up to quite a formidable degree. A devastating beam of white light was unleashed.


    This was Finn''s strongest attack, one he could only fire three times before needing to rest. A continuous beam of superheated light slammed into the bird''s left wing, destroying the beautiful patterns on its feathers.


    It burned a hole clean through the bird''s appendage, causing it to let out a strangled cry. That, however, wasn''t the end of it. The unstoppable column of light continued on and burned a hole through the next tree, and the next, and set the last one on fire.


    There was a brief moment of silence, the bird reeling from its shock and the duo admiring Finn''s handiwork.


    Bryn was stunned. He had grossly underestimated how tyrannical Finn''s attack would be. If he had known earlier, he would have just told him to aim at the main body of the eagle.


    Without prior preparation, no one could survive a direct hit from that. If he had aimed for the body, the bird would likely already be dead... Bryn made a rough guess.


    Well, maybe those of higher ranks could... Bryn shrugged in happiness as a smile bloomed on his face. As far as he was concerned, Finn being more powerful could only be seen as a blessing.


    The trees that had been pierced by the attack had perfect circles burned through their trunks, the edges still smoldering. One by one, they began to collapse, unable to support their own weight anymore.


    Meanwhile the whirlwind eagle regained its composure and tried to fly, only to crash to the ground in agony, letting out a horrible, ear shredding squak.


    Wincing, Bryn patted Finn on the neck once again. "Let''s get it bud!" Every fiber of the boy''s being was brimming with vigor.


    This was it! With Finn being as powerful as he is, we can actually save our farm! Bryn''s hope gave him newfound strength which he started to use to focus energy into his weapon.


    Finn, who was also in shock at the ridiculous collateral damage his attack caused, started advancing on the grounded magical beast.


    When he had been practicing, he never had any viable targets to shoot at living in a forest-less plain. This was the first time he was seeing the aftermath when used in actual combat.


    However, the bird might have been crippled, but it wasn''t down for the count yet. Seeing its attackers approach, it raised its good wing.


    Finn, seeing a glint of fury in the bird''s eyes, stopped his advance and jumped to the side. This action saved both their lives.


    The bird had swung it''s good wing, letting loose a blue blade of wind energy that flew directly past where they had just been, slicing clean through the tree behind them.


    That would''ve cut us both in two... Finn was horrified. He had only reacted on what his instincts were telling him, but Finn was not accustomed to using such things. He was more a fan of reason. This was far too risky!


    The bird continued to swing it''s good wing around in a dance like fashion, releasing strike after strike of those wind blades. Finn did all he could to avoid each and every one. From a distance, it probably looked like an elaborate dance with how they were moving.


    Finn saw no opportunity to charge up another attack, the eagle firing wind blades off left and right. Meanwhile, Bryn was simply hanging on for dear life.


    The eagle narrowed its eyes, and swung once again. Finn jumped, predicting where the attack would go.


    Only, the attack never came...


    It was a feint!


    Finn had never expected the beast to be clever enough to do such a thing. This cost him dearly.


    He could almost feel the ridicule in the eagle''s eyes when it swung and launched an extra large wind blade at where he was going to land.


    Schwick!


    "Ack!" Finn let out a strangled cry. He had been too slow to dodge completely, being taken by surprise. His right leg sported a long and deep gash where he had failed to avoid the attack. Blood started pouring out of the wound.


    Unable to support the weight on that leg, Finn partially collapsed. Seizing the opportunity, the eagle started gathering energy on it''s good wing...


    "Finn!" Bryn jumped off of Finn''s back and stepped in between him and the eagle. Finn looked up to see the boy''s small back. A look of gleeful vengeance adorned the eagle''s visage as it swung its arm once again.


    A massive blue, crescent shaped blade flew from the tip of its wing. From the size, Finn could tell it was the eagle''s most powerful strike yet.


    Even though Finn''s mind was working a million miles per hour, there was no way he could move in time to shove the boy out of the way.


    As certain doom approached, Bryn raised his poleaxe without fear, a strained look on his face as he shoved his energy into it, giving it a bluish glow. With all his might, he swung down just before the attack reached him.


    The massive wind blade was split in two.


    The two halves of the eagle''s attack flew harmlessly past them, the boy standing there having heroically saved them both.


    Finn just looked on in awe. The boy just kept surprising him. How was that even possible? How did he do that? How did he know that would work? A list of questions fired off in Finn''s mind.


    "I can''t believe that worked..." Bryn whispered in pleasant surprise as he knelt down onto the ground in exhaustion, the amazing feat taking its toll. He leaned agaisnt his poleaxe for support.


    Finn felt like smacking his head into the ground repeatedly. We almost died and he bet his life on a guess? We clearly aren''t prepared for this... He shook his head. It was too late for regrets.


    The fight wasn''t over yet. The eagle had a clearly disappointed look on its face, but it made no move to attack again. It likely couldn''t use such a powerful attack in quick succession.


    Just like me... Finn thought as he directed his own energy to his leg, which was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Although Bryn had saved them, he was in no condition to continue.


    Being only rank one meant that he did not have a large amount of elemental essence stored in his body. That one act of his basically used it all up.


    However, it did give Finn an idea. I wonder if...


    The eagle, having sufficiently recovered, fired another wind blade at the duo. Clearly, it wasn''t just going to give them time to rest.


    Focusing a small amount of energy into his throat very quickly, Finn fired a mini blast of light straight at the oncoming attack. The eagle''s attacks were fast, but Finn''s were much faster.


    The small beam of light collided with the wind blade, causing an explosion of wind and light that rippled throughout the area.


    Finn was thrilled, so he could actually do something like this. Filled with confidence, he stood up, now fully healed.


    The whirlwind eagle was disheartened seeing both its attack fail and its enemy walking towards it seemingly unscathed. However, it wouldn''t just sit and wait for death.


    It continued to fire wind blades at the approaching Finn, who accurately hit them with his own shots each time. Small explosions of light and wind created a dazzling display as Finn got closer.


    The cauterized hole in its wing finally taking its toll, the eagle began to run out of steam. Seeing his own opportunity, Finn began charging up his own powerful attack.


    Unable to fire any more wind blades for the time being, the wind eagle tried to run away on its legs. Regrettably for it, it couldn''t run fast enough.


    Finn''s second full power strike struck the whirlwind eagle square in the back, a large gaping hole forming right through its body where the beam pierced. It was unable to even let out a cry as it died.


    That was it, they had won, barely. Finn collapsed to the ground exhausted, more mentally than physically. This was his first true fight.


    Why was this so much harder than killing that earth wolf? Why was this damned bird so much stronger? They are both rank two right? Finn realized that there was still a lot he needed to learn about magical beasts.


    That was a poor performance... In hindsight, he felt that this fight should have gone differently. There were many aspects he needed to improve on.


    Ignoring his tiredness, Finn got back up and walked over to Bryn, who was still panting in exhaustion. Finn tapped his head to the boy''s, who patted his.


    "You got em bud..." Bryn gave him a thumbs up and Finn responded with a lick to his face. Bryn laughed hard.


    "Easy Finn, we still have to collect its core first. We were lucky that we got its wing early on. Whirlwind eagles are known to be able to create whirlwinds when they can use both their wings."


    Why was he describing this after the fact... Finn made a mental note to inform Bryn that he should tell him details like this before they fight in the future.


    Picking him up, Finn headed over to the corpse. A smoking hole and ruined feathers was all that was left of this once beautiful beast. A sudden unwelcomed thought crossed his mind.


    Could this have been me? Although he still kind of thought of himself as human, he physically was a magical beast. This was an internal dilemma he currently had no answer too.


    Bryn wasted no time, smashing open the skull of the eagle and pulling out a blue, diamond shaped crystal that was pulsing with energy.


    Finn examined it closely, intrigued. All this effort for such a small object. He wondered about all those adventures that went hunting just to collect crystals like these.


    Is it truly worth it? I guess only they would know.


    "Alright Finn, we got this one, ready to find another?" Bryn smiled cheekily as he asked the question.


    Finn felt a figurative vein bulge on his head.


    This boy will drive me insane one day... Finn did the only natural thing to do when faced with such an impetuous youngster.


    Sweeping his tail under the boy''s legs, he knocked Bryn to the ground and sat on him.

 22 Run

    "Finn, let''s continue on already..." Bryn''s impatient whine grated on Finn''s nerves. He had been relaxing, enjoying the soothing sensation of gathering and circulating the sun''s energy through his body.


    Is he not at all concerned with the fact that we literally almost died earlier... Finn lamented at how little Bryn seemed to care for his own safety.


    Or maybe since he is young, he just thinks he is invincible...


    Finn remembered also being that way, a long long time ago.


    Finn glanced at the prosthetic that the boy was sporting, feeling a pang of sadness. Back in his old life, Finn didn''t think he would have been able to cope with losing a leg.


    Maybe... maybe he stopped seeing value in his own life... The unwelcome, harrowing thought cut Finn''s relaxed attitude like a blade of ice. He seriously considered it.


    However, after thinking about all his interactions with the boy previously, Finn dismissed this notion quickly. He snorted.


    The boy just didn''t understand his own mortality. The young often don''t...


    Life is precious! He should consider the risk to his own a bit more!


    This fight shouldn''t have been that dangerous, though. When he thought of the earth wolf and bandit he had killed, he found that he only succeeded because he struck quickly and without warning.


    In the case of the earth wolf, he managed to trap it before killing it slowly. With the bandit, he took him by surprise where he couldn''t defend himself in time.


    Finn felt a revelation come to mind. This was the key!


    As long as he struck first in a decisive manner with full power, he could end any fight prematurely with less effort. There was no need to amplify the risk by drawing fights out.


    A blitzkrieg style of fighting. Now that he knew how strong his sunbeams were, he wouldn''t hold back anymore.


    Sunbeams... Finn smiled internally at his own cleverness, quite liking how the name sounded. It was quite fitting actually, since the energy he used to create them came from sunlight.


    From experience and rough estimation, it took about two hours to recharge enough power to fire his most powerful sunbeam once.


    Healing his own body took different amounts of energy, varying on both the degree of injury and the speed of the healing process.


    Right now, he was still slightly drained from their earlier encounter and he wanted to be fully rested before fighting again. That being said, Bryn seemed to have other plans.


    "Fiiiiiiiiinnnnn... Let''s go already!" Bryn grumbled as he chewed on a piece of jerky. Currently, he was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed.


    It''s only been an hour, this brat has no patience... Finn felt the urge to smack him. Electing to be the bigger man-er... lizard, he elected to simply ignore the boy.


    Thud! A pebble bounced off Finn''s scales harmlessly.


    Finn''s jaw dropped open in shock. Bryn had thrown a stone at him!


    The audacity!


    Another stone came flying. Nope, Finn was not going to accept such abuse. Energy rapidly gathered and condensed in his throat. Opening his mouth, he fired. A bright blob of light hit the pebble, incinerating it to dust.


    "Whoa..." Bryn sighed, impressed with the shot.


    Hmm... that was like a bullet of light. Or maybe a spearhead? How about sunspike? Finn came up with a name on the spot. It wasn''t continuous like a sunbeam, just a quick spurt of condensed light energy.


    It was the same attack he used in the fight earlier to counter each windblade, only now deciding to give this particular technique a name.


    Why didn''t I think of that before... Only now did Finn think it was odd to categorize his attacks after the fact.


    Oh well... live and learn I suppose. Finn definitely vowed to see what other types of


    methods he could come up with to use his powers.


    Thud!


    While he was distracted by his own thoughts, Bryn had managed to sneak another pebble past his defenses.


    "Ha!" He laughed at his success, until his grin turned into a look of horror. A massive white scaled lizard was coming his way.


    "Ahhhhhh! I''m sorry! I was just kidding!" Bryn screamed apologies as he waved his arms frantically, hoping to not be crushed once again. But it was no use, Finn was on the warpath.


    Acting in self preservation, Bryn began climbing the tree he had been leaning against and came to rest on a branch about ten feet in the air.


    Finn was stumped. Only now, after looking up and down the tree, did he realize that there was no way he could climb without hands.


    Seeing this as his victory, Bryn scoffed at the lizard below. In response, Finn opened his mouth and started gathering energy...


    Uh oh... Bryn was thinking Finn was actually about to attack him.


    "Wait! Wait! No!" Bryn yelled as Finn released a sunspike. Bryn turned away in fear as he braced for impact. Only, the attack wasn''t aimed at him...


    Crack!


    Bryn opened one eye to see the base of the branch he had been sitting on was mostly blown apart by Finn''s strike. He stared at the remaining wood that was holding his weight.


    Snap!


    Eh... Bryn thought in confusion as he fell to the earth below, managing to soften the fall by rolling. Out of nowhere, he saw a bulky weight preparing to crush the life from his bones.


    "Mercy!" The boy pleaded, but Finn had none to give. He sat on Bryn, who expelled two lungfulls of air.


    To his credit, the boy did all he could to escape his captor, squirming and writhing and eventually cursing up a storm.


    Finn was as steadfast as a mountain, not budging in the least. The boy would suffer for his insolence!


    After throwing a fit, Bryn finally tired and submitted. "I''m sorry for throwing stones at you. It won''t happen again..."


    Finn considered the apology and ultimately decided he was above holding grudges. Stepping off of Bryn, he wrote a line in the dirt.


    ''I need to rest more. I used a lot of energy.''


    Bryn read this and rubbed his chin. Deciding to actually take Finn seriously, he asked, "How long?"


    ''Two more hours'' Finn wrote in response. He actually needed more, but he decided to spare the impatient boy.


    Besides, I can always gather energy while moving. How likely would it be to run into another magical beast within two hours of each other?


    Frowning internally, Finn wondered if thoughts like these could jinx him even if they weren''t spoken.


    Bryn read Finn''s scribbles and sighed. Finn recognized it as the kind of sigh a child gives when they have to go to class in the morning.


    "...Fine," Bryn grumbled as he went to fetch his poleaxe.


    If I have to wait, might as well practice what the old man taught me... Bryn sat down, cradling the weapon with both hands and began concentrating.


    A layer of thin, blue energy started forming on the surface of the poleaxe. Wherever the energy flowed, a small breeze would blow as if the weapon was attracting the wind.


    Finn, curious as to what Bryn was doing, silently crept up next to him and watched as the boy trained with his eyes sealed shut.


    Finn stared with fascination at the blue, glowing poleaxe. Having no experience on the matter, Finn wondered how the boy was accomplishing such a feat.


    How does he circulate his energy outside the body? Finn tilted his head as he watched. He had tried before to send his energy outward, not like an attack, but to just let it leave his physical body.


    Sadly, when he did that, the energy would dissipate. Either he wasn''t strong enough yet or he was missing a piece to the puzzle. Finn took a closer look at the poleaxe.


    When he put his snout right up to it, he could feel the slight breeze humming around it, an effect from his wind energy.


    The poleaxe... Finn''s eyes widened in realization.


    It''s a conduit! The reason I have never been able to bring my energy outside the body was because I lack a medium to channel it through.


    Just like electricity needs a path, so did his own energy. No matter how much power is connected to a wire, if there is no outlet, nothing will flow.


    Feeling inspired, Finn ran off to grab something he could use to channel his power.


    Ah ha! Finn was quick in finding a large sized stick. Bringing it back, he again sat next to Bryn, who had been maintaining his concentration for a couple minutes now.


    He is beginning to struggle... Finn could see the sweat forming on the boy''s face.


    Taking his attention off the diligent student, Finn focused on his own test. Because he found it easier to channel his energy from his mouth, Finn kept the stick there instead of his claws.


    For science... Finn closed his eyes and tried to direct his energy in a path through the stick. He felt the energy surge up his throat, into his mouth and then...


    Moment of truth... Finn pushed the energy into the branch.


    Instead of dissipating like it normally did, the warm current he was controlling began to flow into the branch, but it wasn''t perfect.


    There is so much resistance! Finn finally understood why Bryn had to concentrate so hard to achieve this. In his own body, there was zero resistance to his own energy, which is why it flowed so easily.


    Forcing energy through other means was like trying to force electricity through a resistor. He had to increase the output in order to get just a little bit through. If he kept this up, it could quickly get tiring.


    Seeing as he didn''t have much energy to spare and that he was currently recovering, Finn decided to shelve his tests for later. Recovery came first.


    Dropping the stick, he was alarmed when he realized that at some point it had caught on fire. Stamping it out quickly, he settled down in a patch of sunlight and laid down to rest.


    Two hours past in the blink of an eye. Finn helped Bryn onto his back, and the duo set off to find more creatures to hunt.


    Thinking about it, Finn decided that they would only need to hunt another before their mission would be complete.


    If Bryn is accurate, then that rank two wind core nearly covers the loan by itself... Finn did some basic mental math. It made sense why so many commoners would team up to hunt very dangerous magical beasts.


    Even if a team of ten worked together to kill one rank two magical beast, the divided payoff was already worth more then what some people make in a month.


    It was the classic case of high risk, high reward.


    As they walked, Finn continued to absorb the ambient sunlight, any fatigue from the earlier fight slowly fading away.


    "Finn! Look over there!" Bryn tapped Finn on the shoulder excitedly and pointed to the right. There was a tree that was... shattered.


    It looks like it was smashed by something huge... Walking over to inspect, a familiar scene gradually formed in Finn''s eyes.


    It''s the clearing... Finn recognized the roots of the stump he hid under long ago in the distance, as well as the traces of catastrophic damage that were slowly mending.


    This is where I was... born. Finn felt a very weird sense of nostalgia.


    "Wow... what happened here?" Bryn could tell something big must have happened from all the fading signs of destruction lying around.


    The craters were still there, but now slightly filled with water. All kinds of trees were destroyed or toppled around the clearing. However, there was one thing noticeably missing...


    Where are the smashed eggs? Finn had walked over to the spot he remembered first seeing, but there were no traces of the eggshells.


    Odd...


    Thud!


    Bryn hopped off of Finn. "I''m going to look around." He wanted to examine a particular crater that he had seen from Finn''s back.


    Finn, however, was still puzzled at the eggshells disappearance.


    Can eggshells be eaten? Or do they decay very quickly? Finn didn''t think so, but then again, he was born a white scaley lizard that could shoot lasers.


    Perhaps there was something about these eggshells that was special that he didn''t notice.


    "Finn! Check this out!" Bryn called to Finn, stopping him from continuing to think too hard about the shells. Walking over to the boy, he nudged him and recieved a scratch on the neck.


    "Look, what does this look like to you?" Bryn pointed at the crater on the ground.


    Is this a trick question? Finn saw nothing but a large hole in the dirt. Not wanting to jump to any conclusions, he circled around the hole, took a couple sniffs, and even jumped into and out of it. Nothing stuck out to him.


    Is this a prank? Finn looked over, but Bryn wasn''t smiling. He only looked... thoughtful, maybe even a little nervous.


    Hmm... what does he see that I don''t? Finn had a thought and stood up on his two hind legs. Only when he viewed the hole from a higher angle did he finally understand what Bryn was talking about.


    His eyes widened in shock. It wasn''t just a simple crater.


    It was a footprint!


    From this new perspective, Finn could see the smaller holes in front of the bigger one that were either the claws or digits of the massive beast.


    What kind of gargantuan creature could make such a footprint? Finn felt his mind spinning. His whole body was able to fit in it easily. From this, it wasn''t hard to guess that the creature must have been unbelievably huge.


    Finn remembered the moments before he was born. He had heard deep growls before an earthquake rocked his world.


    It must have been this creature... Finn could only surmise. It had happened so long ago.


    As Bryn continued to ponder over the large footprint, Finn looked around and found that the other craters were also footprints.


    As he was scanning the ground, he paused. There was another footprint, one that was a more reasonable size, yet still larger than anything he had seen yet.


    It looks like a bear''s... Finn took a sniff, only to stiffen. Alarm bells started ringing in his mind. Just from the residual scent, Finn felt a sense of extreme danger. Whatever made this made it recently, and it was extremely powerful.


    How he could tell, he didn''t know. It was just what his instincts were telling him.


    We need to leave, now! Finn ran over to Bryn, still lost in thought, but before he could scratch out any words on the ground, he heard Bryn gasp.


    Bryn was looking the other side of the clearing. Following his line of sight, Finn''s eyes landed on something that caused all his instincts to go haywire. They were all screaming one thing...


    Run!

 23 Separation

    It was the largest bear Finn had ever seen, easily triple the size of a polar bear. It had brown fur, with dark green stripes running down its arms and legs. Its teeth were so long, that they protruded out of its mouth even while closed.


    Even without fighting, Finn knew there was absolutely no way they could defeat such a monster. However, that didn''t mean he couldn''t scare it off.


    Glancing at its claws that could likely rip through steel plating, Finn began channeling power into his throat.


    Bryn watched as the bear lumbered into the clearing, seemingly without a care in the world. Its actions could be described as lazy, as if it was on a casual stroll.


    That was, until it started sniffing the air.


    All at once, it became noticeably more animated. Sweeping its head around, it caught sight of the delicious source.


    Bryn locked eyes with the massive predator, his brown eyes staring into the bear''s inky black pupils, like gazing into the abyss.


    The bear let out a deafening roar, and began to charge. However, before it could make it more then ten feet, a bright beam of light shot across the clearing, startling it.


    The beam impacted the bear square in the chest, and it let out a scream of pain, before collapsing from its momentum. Its fall actually shook the earth a tiny bit.


    Bryn started cheering, thinking it was over, but Finn knew better. The signals of danger coming from the massive bear started increasing in intensity. That blast wasn''t nearly enough.


    Finn yanked Bryn by his clothes and hurriedly tried to scoop him on his back.


    We need to get out of here now! Finn knew time was of the essence. Bryn struggled against him, still not fathoming how much danger they were in.


    "Finn, you got it! That''s an ironhide bear! An incredibly tough magical beast that grows naturally to rank four. It must be only a rank two since you managed to kill it..."


    Definitely not! It must be at least a rank three. It wouldn''t be giving me such a bad feeling otherwise... Finn wasted no more time and stuck his head underneath Bryn''s legs, swooping him up and onto his back.


    "Hey! What gives Finn? You already shot it! It must be dea-" Bryn''s disgruntled voice faded suddenly as they both glanced at the downed bear. A thick, greenish energy was slowly enveloping it as it began to twitch.


    The signals of danger radiating off the bear turned up in intensity. From Finn''s perspective, it was like a beacon of death.


    He prepared another full powered blast. The bear started moving again, beginning to stand up, its growls like drums reverberating through the duo''s skulls.


    Before it could fully recover, Finn fired once more. A brilliant beam of intense light flew across the clearing, hitting the bear on the top of the head. Only, it didn''t actually hit the bear itself.


    The beam with the power to burn clean through several thick trees made contact with the thick green fluid-like energy radiating off the bear''s body... and was completely absorbed.


    The only noticable effect was that the green energy surrounding the bear thinned slightly.


    My most powerful attack only managed to weaken its energy? Finn turned tail and ran. He had already used two of his three most powerful attacks with no appreciable effect. There was little else he could do now.


    Bryn was, for once, on the same wavelength. He had seen what Finn''s blast could do. To have absolutely no effect, this beast was much more then they could handle.


    How is this possible? How can such a strong magical beast be this close to the edge of the border woods? Bryn held close onto Finn''s back as they sped away, cursing their bad luck.


    It made no sense! Unless... Bryn thought hard about what his father said so long ago when they were investigating the source of the earthquake.


    Could it be after all this time, the residual energies of whatever powerful beasts fought here still haven''t faded? Bryn had read somewhere that the stronger a person or magical beast is, the more potent their energy.


    Perhaps, even after all this time, it was still enough to attract lower level beasts... Bryn felt the wind whistling through his ears with how fast Finn was moving.


    Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!


    Even with the wind hindering his sense of hearing, Bryn could hear loud impacts resounding behind them. Feeling a chill down his spine, he turned his head.


    He squeaked in fear.


    The massive ironhide bear was gaining on them! If their lives weren''t in mortal danger, Bryn would have been impressed with how fast such a large beast could move.


    As it panted, large puffs of steam were shot out of its mouth, its drool leaking from its oversized fangs. Bryn could see the anger in its eyes...


    It was pissed!


    Seeing how it was gaining on its prey, the bear let out an ear shattering roar and increased its pace.


    Finn wasn''t looking behind him, but he didn''t need to. Alarm bells were ringing in his head over and over, pushing him to go faster.


    So far, he had been running in a straight line, weaving around trees like how water flows around rocks. Unfortunately, after a couple minutes of being chased, the ironhide bear was right on his tail.


    Bryn was shaking with fear, completely relying on Finn for his survival. There was no way he could possibly run away fast enough on his own.


    Finn could practically feel the beast breathing down his back, each leap it took sending tremors that he could feel with each step he took.


    The sounds of its growls as it came ever closer fueled the terror that drove him to run faster. Alas, despite his strength, Finn just couldn''t outrun the massive bear.


    Damn it! I can''t recover... Finn felt a sense of despair. With him running for his life like this, he couldn''t muster enough focus to absorb and channel energy to fix his fatigue. In other words, he was growing tired.


    Even with my wisdom and foresight, I''m still so foolish... Only now as he ran for his life did Finn realize he never tested his own limits.


    This was precisely the wrong time to discover that he lacked the skill necessary to focus his energy under pressure.


    Move! Move! Finn could feel the strain on his legs. For the first time in a long while, they were beginning to feel the burn. Finn let out clouds of steam with every breath, which were quickly whisked away as he ran.


    Not good, I''m reaching my limit! Finn clenched his jaw as he felt his body reach a threshold. It was forcing him to slow down. He couldn''t maintain his sprint any longer!


    Seeing its prey suddenly slow down, the ironhide bear felt a surge of adrenaline. It increased its speed, opening its huge jaws to bite down...


    "Ack!" Finn felt a searing pain on his tail. The beautiful protective scales were useless as the bear''s powerful jaws cut through them like hot knives through butter.


    With a grip on its prey, the bear slowed down, forcing Finn to slow down with it. Finn''s claws scratched in the dirt as he tried to find any purchase to get away.


    "Finn!" Bryn shouted in a mixture of fury and horror. Looking at the bear behind them was like staring up at a mountain, but he would not just stand by and watch as his buddy was killed.


    Gripping the poleaxe that had been anchored securely to the saddle, Bryn focused all his remaining wind energy through the metal, which began to glow blue.


    Extending the weapon out far to the side, he twisted himself and swung as hard as he could. The large poleaxe covered with wind energy hummed as it reached the snout of the ironhide bear and sliced neatly through the green protective layer.


    The bear roared and released its grip on Finn''s tail, a thin line of blood leaking from its snout. Although it barely cut the skin, it was enough to cause the bear to release its grip. However, just as quick as it was cut, the green energy reformed like a liquid.


    Wind energy was especially known for its cutting power. Focused into a blade, Bryn had managed to barely slice through the bear''s protective layer of earth energy, but it came at a cost...


    Bryn nearly fell off of Finn. He struggled to both breath and hold on as Finn took off once again. That was it, Bryn was completely spent.


    All my energy and I barely left a cut... Bryn could only despair at his own weakness.


    However, he had given Finn a chance!


    Finn, his strength renewed from the pain of having his tail crushed, ran off once again, gaining a small distance before the bear resumed the chase.


    Finn knew though, that the adrenaline he was feeling would not last long before he tired once again. When that happened, he would be run down, killed, and eaten.


    So would the boy... It wasn''t just his own life that he needed to save.


    I have to keep Bryn alive! Finn had already lived one full life, and he felt it would be a tragedy if this stubborn, foolish boy didn''t get a chance to live his own.


    The terrifying thuds of the bear''s steps got closer and Finn felt the panic building. He had to think of a solution!


    Trees kept zipping by as Finn ran full speed, his weariness slowing his ability to think clearly.


    Spotting a particularly thick bunch of trees off to his right, Finn made a sharp turn and headed towards them. Bryn nearly fell off, yelling as he held on for dear life.


    The bear had to slow down in order to turn to follow, creating large hills of dirt with its paws as it changed directions suddenly.


    When Finn saw the trees, he had a similar thought to when he was just born. Comparing his size to the large bear''s, he could easily weave through those trees while the bear was much too large to do so.


    Made it! Finn rushed through the tight packing of trees. He spared a moment to glance back as he ran, only to feel his soul nearly leave his body.


    Instead of slowing down, the bear actually sped up!


    The glowing green energy grew thicker and greener as the bear focused it on its front, just before it reached the trees...


    Boom!


    The bear smashed through the trees with the force of an explosion. Splinters went everwhere, showering the forest floor with debris.


    The unfortunate trees collapsed as the bear looked almost completely unaffected from the major collision.


    The chase resumed. The only noticable result of the that maneuver was that Finn had gained a slight lead, as the bear now had to regain its momentum, but it wasn''t nearly enough to make a huge difference.


    There was little hope at this point. Finn continued to run, unwilling to resign himself and Bryn to death.


    However, nature was cruel.


    Finn could not keep up the pace necessary to outrun the chasing beast, his legs and lungs burning. The shadow of death loomed over them both. Finn felt a sense of clarity through the exhaustion.


    There is only one good choice here... Finn felt his emotions calm down. With little choice, he slowed down, and the bear was almost within reach of grabbing his tail again.


    Just as he was about to be caught, Finn darted quickly to the left, narrowly missing the jaws of death that were aiming for his bloodied tail.


    Unable to slow down, the bear lost its balance and tumbled, knocking down several trees in its path.


    This is my only chance... Struggling to catch his breath, Finn headed over to a tree a good distance away from the confused bear. Reaching behind his back, Finn grabbed Bryn with his teeth and threw him off his back.


    In the same manner, he used his sharp teeth to rip off the saddle and bags that he was carrying, tossing them next to the stunned boy.


    "Finn? What are you doing?"


    Finn could hear the fear and denial in the boy''s voice. Right now more than ever, Finn wished he could speak. He wished he could tell the boy that everything would be ok, even if it wasn''t true.


    Children shouldn''t ever have to fear for their lives... Finn wished he could hug the boy.


    There was so much Finn wanted to write down, but simply no time to do so. He did the only thing he could do with the time he had left.


    Finn pressed his head to Bryn''s, who grabbed it out of instinct. Licking the boy once on the nose, Finn jumped away, and headed in the other direction.


    "Finn! Wait!" Bryn tried to stand up, but found that he couldn''t. He really was completely exhausted, that one strike of his enough to leave him completely defenseless.


    The boy watched as his friend ran in the opposite direction. He understood... He understood immediately what Finn was doing.


    "Stop! Finn, don''t go!" Bryn tried to plead. A sense of immense guilt overcame him. If they were to die, let it at least be together.


    Finn ignored the boy''s pleas, and started gathering energy in his throat. The enourmous bear was stirring. Like a mountain rising from the dirt, the bear rose from the pit it had dug itself into in its fall, growling menacingly.


    Before it could reorient itself, a scorching beam of energy struck its hide once again, absorbed by the layer of green energy the bear had kept formed ever since the first sneak attack.


    However, some of the heat made it through, singing the fur and slightly burning the bears skin.


    Finn watched once again as his most powerful attack had no effect except to piss off the bear more. That was it, his internal energy was completely spent.


    However, his intention was never to hurt the bear, but to grab it''s full attention.


    Blinded by rage, the bear started running towards the annoying lizard that had hurt it, unaware that the lizard now lacked a passenger.


    Sparing only a brief second, Finn glanced one last time at the boy in the distance, who was trying to stand.


    Bryn''s face was filled with unwillingness as he watched Finn turn and run full speed, drawing the bear away from himself.


    Noooooooo! Bryn felt an anguish that ate at his soul.


    Why am I so weak? Why am I so useless? Bryn watched as the figures of Finn and the ironhide bear faded into the distance.


    Memories of all the times Finn had helped him popped into his head. All of his choices had led them to this moment, where Finn was sacrificing himself to save him.


    Tears started to flow from the boy''s eyes. He pounded the ground in his fury.


    Why do you keep saving me? Bryn wailed as he mounred the loss of his friend. The now empty surroundings offered no comfort as the boy vented his misery.


    As the adrenaline faded and his emotions overcame him, Bryn lapsed into unconsciousness, leaning on the tree where Finn dropped him.


    The surroundings had become tranquil once again.

 24 Snake Attack

    Finn felt a strange sense of peace. It was a similar to how he felt on his deathbed in his former life. An acceptance of death. That didnt mean, though, that he didn''t feel regret.


    It''s a shame, this world was so interesting... Finn dodged to the right, forcing the bear to slow down in order to avoid tumbling once again, the action rocking the earth beneath his feet.


    To Finn''s dismay however, the bear was beginning to adapt to his sudden changes in direction.


    Finn, being smaller, was much more agile than the massive bear, but it more then made up for it in raw speed, strength, and endurance.


    Although, right now Finn was noticeably faster than before.


    Bryn... Finn felt a pang of sadness for the boy. He prayed that he would make it home safely, although he would definitely be devastated.


    He hadn''t and would never consider the boy a burden, but less weight always meant more speed. He had to admit that without Bryn and a saddle on his back, he felt far less strain on his muscles.


    But regardless, it made no difference, Finn still couldn''t absorb energy when running at this speed. The few times he attempted to do so, the energy dissipated before he could gather it in his core.


    Believe it or not, it took a lot more concentration when being chased by a giant mountain of a bear that was intent on ripping your guts open.


    Each time the bear got close, Bryn would quickly change direction, using the trees as momentary cover to disguise his intentions. This led to the bear wasting time trying to adjust its course.


    Unfortunately, this trick could only work so many times before the bear got wise. It took less time for the bear to course correct Finn''s dodges.


    Combine that with how Finn was nearing muscle failure, the end result was easily decipherable.


    Burning pain clouded Finn''s thoughts, both from his legs and his lungs. He was relying more and more on instinct at this point, any higher brain functions limited by exhaustion.


    I... cant... continue... Finn was running on fumes. All of the sudden, his eyes were greeted by bright sunlight. He had been chased into a clearing, and not just any clearing...


    This is... how?


    Somehow, Finn had managed to make it right back to the open area where the chase began.


    The same place where he had been born.


    After all the running and dodging, he had only succeeded in going in a big circle.


    Normally, the bright sunlight would be welcome to Finn, but in this case it was a death sentence. With no trees around, there was nowhere to hide.


    The bear let out a might roar of pent up frustration. It had been waiting for a chance like this.


    Picking up speed, it caught right up to the fleeing lizard, chomping down on it''s already bloodied tail once again. The shriek of pain Finn uncontrollably let loose fueled the bear''s bloodlust.


    Using the grip the bear had on his tail, the bear came to a sudden halt, forcing Finn to do the same. Without warning, Finn felt his claws leave the earth.


    With a mighty heave of its body, the bear threw Finn with great force using his own tail as the sling.


    Excruciating pain radiated throughout his body as he felt his tail nearly rip off, and for a moment, Finn felt weightless.


    Then his back collided with the trunck of a tree.


    Finn heard and felt a crunch as his rear limbs bent at an unnatural angle. His back had been broken.


    I can''t move my legs... Finn was done. He had tried his best, but there was no escaping the looming shadow of death. He watched as the ironhide bear causally walked up to its meal, jaws dripping with saliva.


    Even now, its body was protected by that green energy. It was being cautious in case Finn had any more tricks left.


    Only, Finn knew he had shown all his cards already. There was no ace in the hole.


    Fear coursed through Finn''s veins. Understanding one''s inevitable demise didn''t make it any less terrifying. He wasn''t very keen on knowing the feeling of being eaten.


    Hopefully, it makes it quick... Finn closed his his eyes as dark thoughts clouded his mind, unwilling to watch as the gruesome end came.


    Just as Finn could feel its hot breath closing in around his neck, the bear quickly retracted its jaws. It began growling intensely as it gazed off into the distance.


    Finn heard several whistling sounds reminiscent of a car zooming past at high speed. Daring to open one of his eyes, Finn saw bluish objects moving too fast to see impact the side of the ironhide bear.


    The bear recoiled in pain, each spot where the blue projectiles hit revealing large gashes, which began oozing copious amounts of blood.


    What in the world... Both Finn''s eyes were now wide open in shock. Somehow, the massive bear that treated my attacks like a sunburn, was seriously wounded by a single sneak attack.


    The green energy surrounding the bear''s body appeared seemingly useless against these attacks.


    How unfair... Finn wondered why his own attacks were so ineffective by comparison. If he wasn''t so hurt, Finn would have used this opportunity to run away. Alas, all he could do was pray that whoever was attacking the bear now ignored his existence.


    Despite the pain, Finn adjusted his head to see where the strikes came from.


    ... Now this is just getting ridiculous.


    An unbelievably massive snake was slowly slithering out of the woods. Its long and sleek body that seemingly had no end curled around several trees like a cord. Its scales had striped patterns, alternating between different shades of blue.


    As it entered the clearing, Finn''s view improved, and it only made him shudder in fear. The snake''s beautiful blue body was almost as thick around as a mid sized car, which could only lead to one to making preposterous deductions about its length.


    By comparison of scale, the ironhide bear was like a jumbo polar bear on steroids. This snake however...


    If the largest snakes on earth were like twigs, this snake was a damn tree!


    Visually, the bear was actually much taller than the snake, but by volume and weight, the snake most likely dwarfed the bear by many tons.


    There was no time wasted. The larger than life beasts circled each other, the bear''s growls and the snake''s hisses combined together like a serenade of impending war.


    They stood off for a moment, neither willing to back down, and immediately commenced a life or death brawl, their fighting adding more destruction to the already devastated clearing.


    Finn lacked the current mental capacity to process what was happening. It was like watching titans clash, the sheer scale of the fight was almost impossible to comprehend.


    Gradually, Finn''s eyes closed back down to a bored expression. Nothing mattered anyway. Whoever won would still kill him. In this case, there wasn''t a "lesser of two evils" option.


    Since I have nothing better to do, might as well ease this pain... Finn started gathering energy, pleased that he could now focus it into his core with no problems.


    His back being broken, Finn was as still as a rock as sunlight flowed into his body.


    Successfully condensed in his core, the energy flowed through his body, rejuvenating his worn muscles and alleviating the pain from his injuries.


    In fact, Finn could tell that if he was given enough time, his body could make a complete recovery. Unfortunately, there was no way he would be given the chance.


    The battle between the unknown snake type magical beast and the ironhide bear was reaching a climax.


    Although the ironhide bear had an incredibly tough hide when reinforced with its earth energy, the snake''s windblades were able to leave serious injuries every volley.


    It was clear the the snakes initial sneak attack was paying off, the bear slowly losing strength as they collided together. Riddled with numerous injuries, the bear was losing enough blood to fill a small pool.


    The snake was much better off, its massive oily scales made it difficult for the bear to find purchase with its claws or fangs, but the bear did manage to inflict several wounds itself.


    However, a gash deep enough to cut Finn in half was likely only a minor flesh wound to such a large reptile.


    Eventually, the snake began to create distance with the bear, slithering away and redirecting its body whenever the bear advanced, attacking whenever it saw an opening. It had wounded the bear enough, now it was biding its time waiting for the bear to bleed out.


    How intelligent... Finn watched, impressed. If he was being honest, he would rather be eaten by a snake than a bear.


    Swallowed in one bite would be much less horrible than being ripped to pieces... Finn''s thoughts could only be described as depressing.


    Sensing its defeat approaching, a dazzling bright green light illuminated off the bear''s back as it rose up and slammed the ground with tremendous force. A massive amount of green energy poured like a stream down its legs into the earth where it stomped.


    Finn was forced to stop his absorption as he felt the earth begin to shake, concerned about his immediate surroundings.


    The snake looked around warily, understanding something bad was happening but unable to pinpoint what it was.


    Just then, a large earthen spike erupted from the ground like a spear, nearly impaling the snake clean through. With its quick reflexes, it was able to dodge in time, but not without sustaining a critical wound.


    That earth spike managed to cut almost a third of the way through a part of the snake''s width, leaving behind a massive bleeding hole.


    Finn watched in awe. The earth... it''s still shaking! Finn realized that wasn''t the end of it. More earth spikes started erupting around the vicinity of where the ironhide bear stomped.


    Deadly spears of earth popped up left and right, forcing the snake to begin evasive maneuvers. Its skin lit up with a blue aura, and it looked almost like it was gliding on the air as it zoomed around, narrowly dodging each spike that rose from the earth.


    As the snake danced in the field of spikes, Finn''s eyes turned to the bear. Copious amounts of earth energy was still being pumped into the ground via its arms.


    It''s going all in... This dramatic, landscape destroying power was created by the ironhide bear''s last desperate act. If it was unable to kill this snake with this, it was finished.


    Alas, despite the initial lucky spike, the snake was too quick when empowered with it''s own wind energy. It managed to avoid each and every one. It slowly circled around the ironhide bear, which had already collapsed from bloodloss.


    Although, it was still very much alive, judging from the threateningly sharp growls it was emitting. To the victorious snake, however, it was simply the cries of defeat.


    Without wasting any time, windblades materialized out of the air flew towards the defenseless bear.


    Schwing!


    The bear''s head separated from its body, shooting blood out like a fountain. It was over, the rank three ironhide bear was dead.


    Finn sat perfectly still, wondering what type and rank this mysterious snake was. Bryn would probably know... Finn''s thoughts turned to the family he was leaving behind.


    Meanwhile, the snake was beginning to swallow the body of the bear whole, which was amazing to watch, in its own terrifying way.


    Its jaw unhinged itself, and began working its mouth around the frame of the massive beast. It looked particularly gruesome, at least to Finn, who began to have second thoughts about being swallowed whole.


    Hopefully its satisfied with the bear and forgets about me... Finn could only hope for such a miracle. Sadly it was not to be.


    Upon finishing its swallowing of the bear, the snake approached the tree upon where the broken form of Finn lay. The bulge in its body causing it to be noticeably slower.


    It... looks so much bigger up close. Finn felt an instinctive terror course through his veins. As the snake gazed down at him with its blue, slit eyes, Finn gathered what meager energy he had managed to gather and condensed it into his throat.


    Finn fired a small, weak beam of light at the snake gazing down upon him. The beam impacted its scales... and did absolutely nothing, not even a blemish was left behind.


    It was purely a knee jerk reaction. The snake did not flinch, but its eyes did widen marginally. Finn interpreted this as an ''I cant believe this puny lizard did that...'' look.


    Tilting its head, the snake started closely examining Finn, licking him with its tongue even, which made Finn shiver in discomfort.


    Is it tasting me first? Just get it over with you damned snake! Finn''s nerves were fried. Being examined by a snake large enough to destroy a house was not a pleasant experience.


    Raising its head, the snake beheld Finn one more time before scooping him up into his mouth.


    This is the end... Finn lost conciousness to that thought. The pain of being moved while critically injured, as well as the stress of the day combined to send Finn over the edge.


    All he saw now, was darkness...


    .


    .


    .


    ... Am I dead? Finn awoke to darkness. He felt wet all over, and a foul smell permeated his nostrils. It was quite overwhelming actually.


    Trying to move only brought stabs of pain, forcing him to stop. Craning his neck carefully, he looked up, and the darkness slightly receded. He could see...


    Stars! Where the hell am I? I don''t feel dead... Finn was beyond confused. The last thing he remembered was being swallowed. Now he was looking up at stars. However, upon closer examination, only a small circular patch of sky was actually visible.


    It was as if he was in a building and the roof had a large circular hole in it. Except for a small patch of sky, everything else was pitch black.


    Unable to see anything, unable to move, unable to gather energy into his core due to lack of sunlight, Finn did the only thing he could do at the moment.


    Finn fell asleep. He was still exhausted after all.


    When he awoke due to the bright sunlight bearing down on him, Finn was greeted with an unbelievable sight. He was still alive, sure, but he was surrounded.


    The snake that had killed the ironhide bear was completely curled around him in all directions. The building he thought of before was actually the body of the snake surrounding him on all sides like a bluish prison


    He was literally caged in by the snake!


    The only way out was the large opening at the top, where the snake didnt cover.


    Why... am I still alive? Fighting through the pain, Finn lifted his head to look around and nearly choked on his saliva.


    The head of the snake was staring down at him from above.


    Oh... hello there... Finn prayed he didn''t just jinx himself with that thought.

 25 Healing

    Finn shuddered under the gaze of the gargantuan snake. Its head was large enough to swallow three of him, without even unhinging its jaw. So far, it was only staring at him with its mesmerizing blue slit eyes, almost expectantly.


    Why didn''t it eat me? Not that Finn wasn''t thankful to still be breathing, but he couldn''t figure out its intentions.


    Wait... maybe it''s just saving me for later! A frightening thought popped into his head before it withered away. It''s not like he had the luxury of choice. Ironically, the fact that he literally had no chance of escape made him calm.


    After all, what was the point of worrying about something you can''t control? Finn chose a more stoic mindset for this particular situation. There was, however, something he could control.


    Finn''s body ached like nothing he could ever remember. When he had his limb ripped off so long ago, that had been a sharp, intense pain.


    This was more like a continuous ache sending pulses of hurt every second, with one noteworthy exception.


    A hotspot on the part of his back that was broken felt like someone was pressing a scalding iron to it.


    It was a pain that was hard to describe with words!


    Finn lay his head back down. Indeed, he longed to be free of the suffering. If the snake wasn''t going to finish him off, there was no point in letting the agony continue.


    Under the snake''s watch, Finn started absorbing the light energy bearing down on him from above. As per the process, the energy that was condensed in his core started circulating throughout his body, the magical substance mending his aches and pains.


    Finn sighed in relief. This ability was truly mana from heaven, the feeling akin to having sore muscles softly massaged as well as having cold water poured on the flaming pain that was his broken back.


    Fortunately, the snake did not attempt to stop Finn from recovering, though he assumed it simply didn''t consider him enough of a threat.


    Even at my full strength, I couldn''t put a scratch on this thing... Finn tried visually finding the tail end of the snake, hoping to get a better grasp on its size, to no avail.


    Hmm, snake doesn''t do it justice... Finn recalled what he knew about snakes from Earth, recalling names such as boa constrictors and anacondas, which he believed to be... pythons.


    Yes, python seems like a more appropriate description... Finn tried his best, but he could not find the end to this mythical python. After all, he could only see the portion of the beast caging him in.


    Pop!


    Ouch! Finn visibly winced when he felt his back release a popping sound before his soothing internal energy washed the pain away.


    SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS...


    The blue scaled python let out a hiss as it curled itself tighter, its movements generating winds that buffeted Finn''s prone form.


    What''s it doing? Alarmed, Finn could only watch in fear as the python adjusted itself and finally rested its head on its body, closing its eyes.


    It''s... taking a nap? Finn didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. He was trapped, surrounded by a mythical sized beast who''s intentions were unknown, and the damned thing was sleeping.


    I suppose this isn''t a bad thing. At least I can enjoy the sunlight... Finn stopped feeling so pessimistic. It''s not healthy to do so if you are likely going to die soon... Finn lampooned at his predicament.


    The day passed on, Finn doing the best he could to recover. By now, after a full day of sunbathing, his fatigue was all but gone and his back mostly healed. He was just starting to feel his hind legs again.


    By his own estimations, Finn would only take another half day to recover.


    Truly miraculous! It never ceased to amaze Finn just how potent the healing effect was. Now if it could only solve his hunger and thirst...


    Although his lizard body was more robust and could last longer without food or water, there were limits, and although his energy healed his wounds, it did nothing to fill his stomach.


    Being chased for your life builds up quite an appetite! Now that I think about it... how long has it been. It''s quite possible I could have been unconscious for longer than a day!


    Ah, forget it. Not important... Finn decided overthinking his situation wasn''t in his best interests. The sun was setting, he was feeling loads better, and there was no need to stress over what he couldn''t control.


    As the sun set, creating a beautiful orange hue across the sky, Finn fell asleep, surrounded by a blue python of immeasurable size.


    .


    .


    .


    Finn awoke as the sun started breaching the horizon, signaling a new day. Yawning, Finn took note of his body''s condition.


    I can almost move my back legs! Finn felt his spirits rejuvenated. Although he suspected that his energy would be able to heal almost any internal injury, it was quite a relief to feel proof that he wouldn''t suffer being a cripple once again.


    Grumble!


    However, Finn was still hungry...


    Wait! The surroundings seemed to lack an omnipresent blue tint... Finn was immediately put on alert. Jerking his head around, he saw nothing but green grass and trees.


    Where is the python!


    His understanding of magical beasts came solely from what Bryn had taught him and from the bestiary itself. From what was known, magical beasts, although stronger, were essentially animals that relied completely on instincts. While they could be trained, they were still animals.


    Simply speaking, there was no way that this wind python would save Finn like it did out of a sense of justice.


    But where did it go? Finn felt it was too good to be true that the immediate threat to his life has simply disappeared. It was likely roaming around somewhere nearby. Although the chance was small, it was his only chance at escape.


    Although Finn could somewhat wiggle his back legs, it was obvious he wasn''t fully recovered. Trying to stand only resulted in him toppling over, his back legs unable to support his weight yet.


    Grunting in frustration, Finn could only curb his desire to flee and began focusing the sun''s energy in a bid to recover faster.


    Hours past, and Finn finally felt strong enough to stand on his back legs. Just as he stood up, though, his senses told him something was approaching... fast.


    In the distance, Finn turned his head to see the massive form of the wind python heading speedily in his direction, holding something in its mouth.


    He had no chance. Despite running some distance away, the python immediately caught up with him, curling itself around him like a cage once again.


    The entrapment was so quick, that the python''s movements produced powerful gales that buffeted Finn''s tiny frame, who struggled to remain standing.


    With the winds brought the obvious smell of fresh blood.


    Plop!


    Finn jumped back as something that resembled a dead buffalo was dropped in front of him.


    Finn stared at it for a long time, unsure of what to do.


    Almost as if sensing Finn''s confusion, the python lowered its head and nudged the carcass towards him.


    Finn felt thunderbolts go off in his mind. Its... feeding me? This display destroyed his basic understanding of magical beasts.


    It was clearly behaving with much more reason and intelligence that he initially gave it credit for.


    He thought he was unique in having such intelligence simply due to his human soul and experiences.


    Right now, the python was showing such qualities itself. Finn wondered if magical beasts grew in intelligence as they became more powerful. With this as a basis, he came up with a theory.


    Maybe... maybe its possible for the most powerful magical beasts to become sentient!


    Sensing that he was wasting precious time, Finn calmed the upheavals in his mind. It didn''t matter that the python was smart, what mattered most was that it was feeding him.


    But... why? Finn wanted to know the answer to this simple question.


    Intentionally feeding me implies that it wants me or needs me for something. Otherwise, I would have already been eaten... Finn puzzled over this as he stared at the corpse in front of him.


    Seeing Finn make no movements, the python nudged the carcass towards him once again.


    Finn looked up at the colossal beast. Their contrast in size reminded Finn of the story of David and Goliath, if Goliath was a humongous snake.


    The python tilted its head and Finn could almost see a question mark appear above its head as if to ask, ''Why you no eat?''


    Feeling emboldened by the python''s lack of desire to eat him, Finn walked around the carcass and towards the head of the python, slowly, in a tip-toe like fashion.


    Despite being nervous, Finn wanted to see if he could somehow communicate with the beast. As he approached, the head of the snake receded backwards slightly, not out of fear, but simply by reflex.


    When Finn felt he was close enough, he stopped and sat on his haunches. The massive python and puny lizard stared at each other.


    Hmm... maybe I can use gestures... Finn tried pointing to himself and back to the snake in an attempt to ask, ''What do you want with me?''


    This obviously did not go well, as the snake showed no reaction. Finn tried other methods of gesturing his intent, with zero success.


    Either the snake didn''t know what he was asking or Finn was simply terrible at charades.


    Seeing this was going nowhere, Finn tried a more drastic measure. Walking up to a corner or the scaley "cage", Finn tried nudging the python''s body as if to say "let me out!''


    SSSSSSSSSSSS!


    The python''s loud hiss renewed Finn''s terror. The wind roared as it started shifting its body once again.


    Oh god! Did I piss it off somehow? Finn feared he made a terrible mistake. He dropped to the ground and covered his head in a very pathetic fashion, fearing that this was the end.


    Only... it wasn''t.


    Finn never felt the sensation of being flattened or swallowed. Instead, a rather foul smell entered his nostrils, like something rotting, but not quite.


    Daring to open his eyes and uncover his head, he was brought face to face with a disgusting sight. A completely exposed wound on the python''s body was oozing puss and blood intermittently.


    It was where the final attack of the ironhide bear struck true!


    Red and pink colored flesh exposed beneath the scales contrasted with their bluish color. The wound itself was ghastly, the source of the rotting smell having been the gangrene from dead tissue.


    From this wound alone, Finn wondered how the snake was still alive. A huge chunk of its body was torn clean through!


    Thump!


    Whoa! Finn went on high alert as he felt himself being pushed forward towards the foul-smelling wound.


    Turning his head quickly, Finn saw that the python was nudging his back and shoving him towards the gash on its body.


    Done pushing him, the python gave Finn an expectant look. Finn turned from looking at the wound to looking at the python and back. The python gave a gentle nod.


    Oh my god! It wants me to heal it! That''s why it hasn''t eaten me! All at once, Finn came to the truth, which only led to more questions.


    How does it know I can possibly heal it? Could this powerfully beast somehow sense my light affinity? Should I even attempt to do so?


    Unfortunately, there were two problems with his last question


    One, he didn''t know how to extend his healing powers outside his own body.


    Two, even if he did know, would the python just eat him afterwards?


    Problem one was actually most concerning to him right now. If the python discovered that he didn''t know how to heal it, it would probably eat him simply out of spite.


    Finn felt had no choice, he had a better chance of living if he saved it anyway.


    However, how in the world do I do it? Finn felt immense pressure settle upon him. This was his chance to live!


    Again, his lack of understanding towards his own abilities was proving to be quite problematic.


    I swear if I live through this, I will fully explore my powers... Finn vowed to himself as he walked up to the pus riddled wound.


    Examining it closely, Finn recalled what he did know how to do.


    When he focused his energy into his throat, he could shoot out deadly beams of light depending on how much energy was used.


    If he cut the supply off immediately, the beam instead became a short 1blast of light energy.


    Also, when he circulated his own energy throughout his body, it would heal any wounds or fatigue he felt...


    ... That was it!


    That was all he knew about his own powers!


    Damn! Finn felt his doom was assured. As despair started settling in, Finn recalled a memory.


    It was when he tried imitating Bryn''s ability of pushing his energy through the poleaxe of his. Finn had tried doing the same to a stick!


    Only, the stick had caught on fire when he tried it. Finn doubted the python would appreciate its vulnerable flesh bursting into flames. Finn felt stuck once again.


    Wait a minute... When Finn really thought about it, the energy that circulated his body and the energy that he fired from his throat were quite different, even if the source was the same.


    Why is this? Finn did a quick internal test and found that when the energy gathered into his throat, it became much more agitated due to some natural mechanism, a point he never paid attention too till now.


    It was likely the reason why the peaceful and soothing energy that coursed through his body was able to do such destructive damage.


    He thought about it, and wondered if it was possible to gather the energy into his throat without agitating it with that natural mechanism.


    In other words, could he keep the energy in its peaceful healing state when expelled from his body?


    Maybe this was the key! Finn felt enlightened and didn''t hesitate to try.


    Power gathered into his throat and Finn "watched" this flow carefully, trying to pinpoint where his peaceful energy became agitated...


    There!


    In a certain spot at the base of his throat was the point where the peaceful light energy turned chaotic and violent. When not directing it consciously, this was path the energy always took. This must be why it''s always deadly!


    Now, was it possible to avoid it? Finn swallowed the violent energy he had summoned to his throat to try again.


    This time, as the energy flowed up his neck, he specifically guided it around whatever that natural mechanism was. When the energy reached his throat, he was ecstatic to find that it was the same peaceful energy that circulated around his own body.


    Success!


    I did it! Finn felt a great sense of accomplishment. If this works like I think it does, I just opened up a world of possibilities!


    First things first... Finn reigned in his delusions of grandeur. Stepping right up to the disgusting wound, Finn leaned in and nervously released the energy that had built up in his throat right into the lower part of the wound, under the careful scrutiny of the python.


    Ssssssssssss!


    The python let out a low hiss and for a terrifying moment, Finn was worried he did something wrong. However, when he examined where his energy was flowing, he was subsequently amazed.


    Instead of a brilliant superheated beam of light, a stream like flow of warm yellow light was released like a breath from his mouth, washing over the wound. Where it passed, the flesh would wriggle and squirm, releasing puss and fluids.


    Slowly but surely, new muscles and tissues were forming. He was actually healing the python''s fatal wound!


    Finn watched dumbfounded as he continued to "breathe" this life saving energy into the python''s side.


    This changes everything! Finn could only imagine the possibilities.

 26 Freedom?

    Finn had been told before about how his abilities could be used to heal others. Of course, he never understood how to do so until now, because he never had a suitable target to practice on.


    Watching in amazement, Finn continued to pour his internal healing energy onto the festering gash that would likely claim the python''s life eventually.


    Infection and gangrene were not to be underestimated!


    Wait... could microorganisms here also feed off this energy... Now that he thought about it, this did seem highly possible. If humans and animals could use this so called magic, what''s to stop, let''s say bacteria, from doing the same?


    The possibilities and implications of this left his head spinning. While he was busy thinking, the python watched and felt as its fatal wound slowly mended itself.


    Muscle and tissue regrew and connected with other muscles and tissues. Dead cells were quickly shed off and pockets of puss burst and flowed out of the affected area, leaving behind stains of yellow on its scales.


    There was a twinkle of intelligence in its eyes. Its judgement had proven fruitful in sparing the small prey.


    Finn continued for a few hours until he ran out of energy. Bypassing the natural mechanism in his throat that turned it violent was not easy and required constant concentration, meaning he couldn''t both heal and absorb energy from the sun at the same time.


    He didn''t want it accidentally turning from a healing yellow light energy into a superheated beam of brilliant searing light.


    I''m assuming the enourmous python would not appreciate its exposed and sensitive tissues being cooked suddenly... Finn remained vigilant throughout the process.


    When he could no longer continue, Finn struggled to remain standing. He had unknowingly remained extremely tense throughout the whole process and suddenly relaxing caused a bit of vertigo.


    Hopefully, this beast understands that I need to rest... Finn examined his progress. Only about a fourth of the wound had regrown, but the stink of rot and decay was almost gone.


    From what he learned, Finn knew that magical beasts of higher ranks generally had stronger constitutions. He assumed it had something to do with their bodies being strengthened by the elemental energies they absorbed.


    Unfortunately, his understanding on this concept was limited to vague knowledge from the bestiary.


    All that being said, Finn hypothesized that the python could likely survive with a nasty scar in its current condition if he did nothing else.


    Though, it''s unlikely to just let me leave now... Finn lay down to rest and recover his drained core energy. Meanwhile the python, as Finn expected, curled its body tighter around him.


    There is zero chance of escape... Finn watched his prison constrict tighter and tighter.


    At least it''s less likely to just kill me... hopefully. Healing the python must have brought it some goodwill towards me, right? Finn closed his eyes and began resuming his function as a solar panel.


    Grumble...


    Finn was suddenly forced to stop after only ten minutes, a spasm in his stomach breaking his concentration.


    So hungry... Finn actually felt pain in his abdominal region. He couldn''t remember the last time he had felt hungry. Bryn had always made sure to give him plenty of fish and occasional cooked meat.


    I hope he is safe... Finn shook off the surge of melancholy that came with thinking of the boy.


    Looking up, Finn couldn''t see the python''s head watching him, but he could see its long body expanding and contracting slowly.


    Is this how it breathes? Hmm...


    Finn guessed that the python was likely sleeping. While Finn was recovering his energy, the python was likely trying to recover on its own too.


    Seeing how he was in the clear for the moment, Finn waltzed right up to the corpse that the snake had brought for him earlier, which had been just sitting there the entire time.


    If he was his old self, before he arrived on this world, he would have been quite reluctant to simply eat a random animal carcass thrown in front of him.


    Now though, Finn could only describe how he felt as though he was walking into a buffet!


    My food palette has really been numbed... Finn lampooned as he drooled uncontrollably in front of the carcass that slightly resembled a buffalo.


    His taste buds had indeed changed when he became a lizard. He could eat meat both cooked and raw and it all tasted amazing.


    However, he still preferred cooked meat over raw meat, mostly because of old habits. Also, cooked meat usually was seasoned, which made it tastier in his opinion.


    Now though, he would work with what he had. Using his claws, Finn sliced open the hide, revealing the muscle underneath.


    It hadn''t been too long ago that the python had killed this... Finn quickly recognized. It still bled from where he sliced it open, the smell only making Finn drool more.


    Gouging a chunk of its meat out, Finn opened his mouth and released a controlled beam of bright light that started cooking the flesh.


    Having learned to cook things with his power with Bryn, Finn was quite pleased to be putting it into practice now.


    The smell of cooked meat began permeating the surroundings, and Finn could barely hold himself back from just diving in.


    His self control won out, and he finished slicing off portions before cooking them.


    Cooking with light, what a novel concept... Finn was just about to start eating the small feast he prepared for himself when he suddenly shuddered...


    The danger sense of his was triggered!


    Looking behind himself slowly, he discovered that the python had been watching him with its mesmerizing blue eyes.


    The python was close enough to where Finn could see just how much it dwarfed him in size. It was quite intimidating!


    It likely smelled the cooking of meat... Finn made a logical assumption. Erring on the side of caution, Finn slowly scooted a few slabs of cooked meat behind himself towards the python.


    Tilting its head, the python licked the offering before grabbing and swallowing it. It then ignored Finn, resting its head on its body and closing its eyes.


    Deciding to not be disgruntled at the loss of food, Finn started consuming the remaining portions. I can always just cook some more...


    There was still a lot more untouched meat on the buffalo-like creature. Finn wouldn''t be going hungry anytime soon.


    Feeling the pleasure from satisfying his starving body, Finn collapsed onto the dirt and grass. Content with his full stomach, he resumed basking in the sunlight.


    Finn was still thirsty, but having solved one immediate issue would have to be enough for the moment.


    Healing the python was taking much longer than when he healed himself. In fact, Finn even felt a slight resistance when as he pushed his energy into its wound.


    Why is this? Finn recalled what he learned from both reading and Bryn''s teachings. He remembered a passage about clashes of differing elemental affinities.


    Was this the reason? This python clearly has a wind affinity while I have a light affinity. There is an innate natural rejection? Interesting... Finn wished he had been reborn into this world with a manual or something.


    Having to learn everything from scratch about this world''s magical nature was really quite a hassle!


    It wasn''t just this though. Before he had started, the gash had been about the same size as Finn himself. The sheer volume of the python made healing it that much more difficult.


    Time flowed by in a circle of healing and resting. Two days passed in this manner, with the python remaining completely docile.


    At last, the pivotal moment arrived...


    There we go! Finn took a step back to admire his handiwork. What had been a terrible, festering wound was gone without a trace, leaving behind not even a scar.


    In its place, the bluish skin of the python shined healthily. The beautiful scales had not grown back in yet, but the skin itself maintained the scale pattern, indicating where they would be growing back. It was only a matter of time!


    Although time is something I might not have much of... Finn felt an overwhelming sense of trepidation as the python inspected it''s own wound, licking it in multiple places.


    Now that my usefulness is up... will it simply eat me? Finn was not optimistic enough to expect the best result out of this situation.


    Suddenly, the python turned its head towards Finn.


    Looks like it''s done admiring my work... Finn swallowed in fear. Maybe it...


    Finn''s thoughts were abruptly cut off as its head rushed towards him!


    Oh no! I''m dead! Finn cowered and covered his eyes, feeling no shame in doing so.


    What can one do against such overwhelming power? Finn thought as he recalled its earlier battle with the ironhide bear.


    Bracing himself to be either crushed or swallowed, a minute passed by agonizingly slow. When Finn realized that he was still alive, he slowly peeked his eyes from under his claws.


    The python''s head was hovering over him, tilting his head in a confused manner. Indeed, I probably do look ridiculous... Finn mustered the courage to stand up and look the massive beast in its blue eyes.


    The python slowly brought its head forward and gently connected it with Finn''s in a fist-bump like fashion.


    Finn felt time stop as all sound faded away. He was too mentally overwhelmed to move, or do anything really, his eyes wide open.


    His first thought was that it was exactly what he did with Bryn to show affection or thanks.


    A couple seconds passed, and the python moved its head away while it started slithering its massive body into the forest.


    Finn cautiously looked around to see the walls of his prison grinding against each other as it moved.


    Then, after some time, he finally saw the python''s tail as the trunks of the surrounding trees came into view.


    The tail then began following the main body and faded as the snake slithered off into the distance. Eventually, Finn lost sight of it through the trees.


    .


    .


    .


    It was almost... anticlimactic. When expecting the worst to happen, only to have nothing happen... it was a very strange feeling.


    Not bad, just strange... When Finn finally broke out of his stupor he collapsed in relief. He was now free! The python, who proved to be far more intelligent than he could fathom, let him go free!


    Agaisnt all odds, he had managed to survive both encounters with beasts far too powerful for him to handle. Finn was now, for the moment, safe!


    Wait... am I safe? Finn got up and looked around. It was a forest. Everything looked the same...


    Where even am I? Finn, having solved his python problem, now realized that he was essentially lost.


    Finn felt a powerful need fill his body. He was severely dehydrated!


    Internally grimacing, Finn decided that he would first find some water to drink before doing anything else.


    One way or another, he would find his way home... eventually.

 27 The River

    Using the sun as a guide would be a fifty-fifty shot... Finn thought as he walked through the woods, searching for a stream or river.


    His first idea was to use the sun to point the way, but then Finn realized that he never actually confirmed its rising and falling in accordance with the cardinal directions.


    It could actually be different in this world!


    For all he knew, the sun could rise in the north and set in the south... Finn recognized the problem with not knowing for certain.


    Really though... how often does one consider the direction of the sun''s rising and setting to be an important detail? Finn chastised himself from forgetting to confirm such basic information.


    On Earth it was obvious common knowledge that the sun rose in the east and set in the west. It was something that you knew and never questioned because it just was.


    This was yet another poignant reminder that he needed to stop using common sense from his former life.


    Then again, the fact that he was born as a lizard from an egg and could shoot light from his mouth should have already destroyed any of "that" common sense long ago.


    Although, Finn had a general idea of what he needed to do.


    From the world map he saw, Finn knew that since he was in the Border Forest, he would have to simply travel east to find home again.


    Just head east... simple!


    However, that was easier said then done...


    Unfortunately, Finn''s lizard body did not come with a built in compass. He could only choose to guess.


    First things first though, I need to find some water!


    Step by step, Finn relished in his newfound freedom, breathing in the fresh air of the woods as he searched for water, evaluating the past few days.


    This week has been too stimulating for me... Finn felt that he wasn''t accustomed to experiencing such traumatic events.


    Back on Earth, my life was relatively normal. I got into fights and a few close calls sure, but I was never nearly eaten alive by anything... Finn couldn''t help but notice the dramatic difference his new life had in terms of excitement.


    He was already beginning to miss the peaceful days lazing about around the farm. Where he could just sunbath all day and entertain Lily and Bryn with simple games.


    A peaceful and relaxing life! For a moment, the fond memories provided a means of escape.


    Finn felt his breathing turn ragged. His thirst was becoming almost painful, wrenching him from his memories back to harsh reality. Peace and relaxation would have to wait.


    I dont think I could last another day like this... Finn felt the urgency from his body. He needed to find water, fast!


    I''m in a forest... there must be streams or rivers nearby right? Finn felt this was a correct analysis. He just need to keep looking...


    After walking aimlessly for what felt like hours, Finn finally found what he was looking for.


    Upon walking over the crest of a small hill, Finn spotted a stream flowing freely, its beautiful blue ripples reflecting the sunlight.


    The stream was big, closer to the size of a smaller river. Not quite the size of the Mississippi, but there would be no way to cross without fully submerging one''s body.


    Thank god! Finally! Finn felt his body cry out in joy and relief. Wasting no time, Finn ran right up to the water.


    Only after drinking several deep gulps did Finn remember that he still had to breath. His body immediately thanked him as the cooling liquid filled his stomach.


    No longer at risk of dying from dehydration, Finn took a moment to stare at his reflection in the surface of the water.


    What am I really... Finn had been referring to himself as a lizard this whole time, simply because there wasn''t any animal he felt he was more similar too.


    But right now he wasn''t sure anymore. He had scales, yes, but he wasn''t cold blooded. Although he enjoyed sunbathing, his body definitely produced it''s own heat.


    He had a tail and claws, sure, but his frame was more upright. In his memory, lizards were built closer to the ground, with their limbs more on the sides than the bottom.


    However, his limbs were like a wolf''s, protruding out of the bottom of his form so that he stood taller instead of wider.


    And then there was his head...


    Golden irises greeted Finn as he continued to stare into the water. He wasn''t sure what to make of his own face. Sharp teeth, slit eyes, and small horn like bumps growing off the sides of his sleek head...


    Seriously, what the hell am I? Even Bryn wasn''t sure even after going through the entire bestiary. Not knowing what he was gave Finn a bizarre feeling of uncertainty.


    Although, it''s not what on the outside, but the inside that counts... Finn remembered the famous saying.


    Having lived an entire lifetime already and having met countless people, there was never a quote that held more truth that this.


    Just as he was consoling himself with age old wisdom, Finn suddenly noticed a dark shadow approaching from the depths.


    The shadow was heading to the shore, where he was sitting, and it was getting bigger, fast!


    Reacting on instinct alone, Finn jumped straight up like a surprised cat just as a prehistoric looking monstrosity breached the surface near the shore. Its mouth swung wide open in an attempt to grab him, displaying rows of wicked sharp teeth as long as knives.


    Oh my god! In the quick instant he was airborne, Finn recognized the beast trying to eat him looked similar to a dinosaur era sea predator back on Earth. He couldn''t remember the name though...


    Regardless, it was huge and terrifying! Finn immediately wanted to escape. Unfortunately, jumping straight up might not have been the best of decisions in hindsight.


    Having aimed for the smaller lizard creature, the massive river predator ended up slightly beached on the bank of the small river, right under where Finn was going to land.


    What goes up must come down after all...


    Thud!


    Finn landed right onto the flat, slippery head of the river monster!


    There was a faint moment of calm where Finn turned its head and gazed into the pitch black eyes of the river monster. If there was any shred of intelligence or mercy in them, Finn couldn''t see it.


    Angry at its failed surprise attack, the monster immediately flipped its body to try and reenter the water. This action launched Finn like a catapult.


    End over end, Finn flew until he splashed into the middle of the river.


    Gasp!


    Unable to take a deep breath before entering the water, Finn struggled back to the surface and sucked in air.


    Out of the corner of his eyes, Finn saw the gaze of the large river monster promising death as it sank below the surface.


    This wouldn''t have been so terrifying on it''s own, but Finn was currently swimming in the middle of the river...


    I need to get out of the water! Finn knew he was as helpless as long as he remained in the deep. A dark shadow was approaching unbelievably fast, creating ripples on the surface of the water as it grew closer


    Horror filled Finn''s thoughts. Right now, he felt like a human being pursued by a shark in the ocean.


    Swim!


    Natually, it was only when his life was in mortal danger did Finn realize he was not built for swimming. Resorting to a very rapid doggy paddle, he tried his best to maneuver his body towards the shallow bank on the other side where he could set his feet on the bottom.


    Ack!


    Unfortunately, Finn was far to slow to escape. He felt a great force pull on his hind leg. With a small cry, he was forced under the water.


    As he was pulled ever further, Finn was disheartened to discover that the river was deceptively deep, as there was no obvious sign of a bottom.


    Suddenly, he felt himself being violently flung around by the grip on his leg.


    It''s trying to drown me! Knowing he had limited air, Finn tried his best to strike at the head of the beast grabbing his leg in a bid to force it to release him.


    Due to the thrashing, though, he was unable to properly orient himself. As the thrashing continued, he felt the rising need to breath.


    Damn it! Let go! As he was thrown about underwater, he felt his conciousness slipping. He held on only due to the pain coming from his limb. It was getting harder and harder to resist the reciprocation of being tossed back and forth.


    Is this how I die? Drowning? His eyes and lungs were starting to burn. The pain grew more and more intense.


    Amidst his despair, Finn''s eyes widened in realization. An idea borne of desperation popped into his head.


    Finn suddenly relaxed, ceasing his resistance to being flung around. Instead of resisting the flow, he attempted to ride with it to seek an opportunity!


    The river monster either didn''t notice or didn''t care as Finn went limp, continuing to fling him to and fro. It likely wasn''t going to stop anytime soon in order to make sure he was dead.


    Time was running out. Like a whip, Finn went with the motion of the thrashing, getting a feel for the timing.


    NOW!


    Having grasped the pattern, Finn used his momentum to flip himself under the neck of the river beast the moment before it changed direction, latching onto it with his claws.


    Believing its prey to be all but dead, the river beast was not expecting this sudden assault.


    Claws digging deep into the slippery flesh of the beasts neck, Finn pulled his head close.


    LET GO! Finn opened his mouth and bit as hard as he good onto its neck flesh. Energy gathered into his throat...


    From the surface, it looked like a sun bloomed underwater, light spreading in all directions.


    A shrill scream nearly burst Finn''s eardrums as he felt the grip on his leg suddenly release. Without any thought, Finn rushed towards the light of the sun.


    Breaching the surface of the water like a missile, Finn felt his lungs rejoice as he breathed in fresh air. However, this wasn''t the time to celebrate.


    With all his might, Finn swam to the shore on the other side. Just as he made it onto the sand, he felt a familair grip pulling his other leg.


    Not again! God dammit! Finn again felt himself being dragged back into the water, towards the depths. Clearly, the river monster wasn''t giving up.


    This time however, he had the advantage of being in the shallows.


    Digging into the mixture of dirt, sand, and rocks with his claws, Finn resisted the pulling. Turning his head, he locked eyes once again with the horrid river monster.


    Being in the shallows, its entire body was visible to his eyes. It wasn''t as large as he had thought, only its head was disproportionally huge.


    Finn gritted his teeth, an unfamiliar feeling bubbling in his chest that he couldn''t quite explain. It was like his pride had been hurt, which didn''t make sense considering the circumstances.


    However the feeling seemed to be coming from deeper in his consciousness, like it stemmed from his soul.


    Finn didn''t have time to consider this strange emotion, but it did influence him somewhat.


    Gritting his teeth in hatred and wrath. Finn turned and fired a powerful sunbeam into the face of the beast gripping his leg. As it collided with its slippery skin, a dark bluish-purple glow eminated from its body, mitigating the damage.


    Even so, Finn''s power was not to be scoffed at. Despite the beast''s magical defences, his attack left it with scorched skin in a line along its face.


    Screeching in pain, the river beast finally decided to abandon its hunt. The smaller lizard proved too dangerous outside of the deep.


    Releasing his leg for the last time, the river predator started turning its body to return to deeper waters.


    In normal circumstances, Finn would have let it go, thankful for simply being alive. However that strange emotion from before was flooding his head.


    He would not, no... could not let it escape!


    Before the river beast could make it back, Finn grabbed its rear tail that was more akin to a flipper.


    What am I doing? Finn was asking himself before he felt his conciousness dulled by an unfamiliar and primitive rage.


    With all his strength, Finn began pulling the river beast towards the shore. As it was in the shallows, the beast could not use its flipper-like limbs as effectively as before.


    Here in the shallows, Finn had the advantage. Not expecting the tables to be turned so suddenly, the river beast let out a cry as it splashed in the water, trying to gain traction.


    Finn''s head felt fuzzy. All he knew right then was that he could not let the beast that attacked him get away. In fact, in this strange state he was in, Finn was quite enjoying its struggles!


    Without even realizing, his power was thrumming through him at full capacity. All his wounds and fatigue melted away, and he was constantly gathering energy from the sunlight shining above.


    His body was even emitting a faint golden glow off his white scales. Finn felt absolutely empowered!


    It was a tug of war between the river beast and Finn, and tug of wars were always battles of attrition.


    And in battles of attrition, Finn was a king!


    His abilities allowed him to heal from fatigue and injury rapidly as long as he had energy. Just one of the many benefits his affinity granted him.


    Finn began winning. The struggles from the beast were initially fierce, creating many waves that slashed the shoreline.


    However, it soon began to tire, as resisting was much more difficult in the shallow water.


    Finn, however, did not tire!


    Dragging the river monster ashore, Finn pulled it further inland. This was no longer the river monster''s territory, it was his!


    Trying desperately to crawl back to the river, the beast floundered like a seal as it attempted to "flop" away.


    Finn watched, amused, before he fired a sunbeam at the poor beast.


    SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!


    A horrible ear shredding scream bellowed from the beast''s throat. Finn continued cooking the pitiful beast as its cries echoed throughout the forest.


    Initially, Finn felt immense gratification and satisfaction from its screams, but as the screams turned into whimpers, the strange emotion that turned his head fuzzy faded away.


    Finally, Finn stopped.


    Standing there rooted to his spot, Finn was in horror of what he had just done.


    I just... tortured it, and I enjoyed it? Finn felt like vomiting. Something was wrong with him. He wasn''t acting like himself.


    Unable to quickly resolve his problem, Finn watched as the horribly burned beast drew its last breath.


    Standing there still soaking wet, Finn was finally safe once again. Only, he didnt feel safe at all. He was lost, and had been attacked many times by various powerful creatures.


    Finn subconsciously started scanning his surroundings as if afraid something else was going to pop out and attempt to eat him.


    Finn had inevitably come to a single conclusion regarding this forest after everything that had happened so far...


    This was a forest of death!

 28 Advancemen

    Finn sat under the sunlight, gazing into nothing, his mind in disarray.


    What happened? What came over me? Finn remembered everything now that his mind was clear. He had felt a powerful urge to kill the beast. Not just that, he felt the need to make it suffer for daring to attack him!


    Something''s wrong with me... Finn couldn''t help but feel fear at this revelation.


    Several theories popped into his head as he struggled to understand the cause of his sudden bloodlust and cruelty.


    Anger, he was familiar with. His past life was full of memories of being angry or even enraged at things. This though... this was different.


    There was anger, yes, but it was tainted with a feeling of... Finn could only describe it as bloodthirsty excitement. Joy in the suffering of something that tried to hurt him.


    That, Finn was absolutely certain, was not something he ever felt in his past life.


    Finn''s eyes opened wide. An idea had popped into his head, something that he had never considered before.


    Maybe I''m slowly being influenced by the instincts and biology of my new form! This harrowing conclusion made Finn shudder.


    Am I slowly and unnoticeabley changing? Will I start becoming colder and crueler? Will I still be myself in the future? These were several questions that chipped at Finn''s confidence for the future.


    Will I... cease being me? This was the deepest fear Finn held. He shook his head, banishing the depressing thoughts.


    No! I refuse to believe that!


    Finn had always believed in the power of mind over matter. No matter what influences someone, they always made choices. People are ultimately defined by those choices.


    Finn nodded resolutely. I will not let myself become something I''m not! I just have to be careful in the future... Finn made a mental note of the unfamiliar emotions he felt before.


    I''m the future, if he felt it again, he would remember to focus to maintain his self control.


    Pacifying himself for the time being, Finn decided to worry more about his immediate surroundings. It seemed no matter where he went, danger lurked everywhere.


    The surrounding forest, once seemingly calm and peaceful, now had a hint sinisterness to it as Finn looked around. For all he knew, there could be some other horrible beast hiding in the shadows.


    Picking up no strange smells or warning signals, Finn turned his attention to the cooked corpse that lay in front of him. Walking to its oversized head, Finn carefully pried open its mouth.


    Finn winced internally. Its teeth were huge! Each one was as large as a small dagger and just as sharp. They resembled sharks teeth, but these also had serrated edges.


    To think that these would have been the teeth used to slice me up... Although Finn felt guilty for enjoying torturing it, he still was quite glad he survived the encounter.


    Although, Finn suspected the only reason he was alive was because of his rationality. A regular beast would likely not have been smart enough to escape its death grip like Finn had.


    Unfortunately, you met me. May you terrorize other lizards in your afterlife... Finn considered what to do with the body.


    The skin color was now charred black from the roasting Finn had given it earlier, but underneath there was definitely a lot of fresh meat.


    Oh yea! If I recall, it was able to resist my attacks somewhat... Finn wondered if this river monster also had a magic stone or core of some kind.


    Examining closely, he didn''t see a stone embedded into its body. Must have a core then... Finn resigned himself to digging through the body.


    With fresh blood staining his claws, Finn held in his claw a dark blue, almost purple gem shaped like a smooth rock. As he flipped and examined it, he could sense power flowing inside.


    Interesting... As he gazed into the core, Finn realized that he had never thoroughly examined one up close before. He knew what they looked like, but he had never personally handled one.


    It''s really quite beautiful! Judging from its size and color, it must be a rank two core with a water affinity... Finn glanced at the mutilated corpse he pulled it from.


    It made perfect sense, after all. A magical beast that lives and hunts in the water would probably have a water affinity.


    Now that he thought about it, there were certain trends he noticed before when reading the bestiary. Most flying magical beasts had wind affinities, while most burrowing magical beasts had earth affinities.


    Although as with everything else, there were always exceptions... Finn pushed the distracting thoughts to the back of his mind and focused again on the core.


    Finn could feel the energy contained within. However, Finn could also sense that the glowing bluish-purple energy seemed... hostile, as if it was rejecting him.


    Why is this? Naturally, this only made Finn more curious. He suddenly had a novel idea.


    Remembering how he had once tried to force his own energy into a stick, Finn was interested to see what would happen if he tried forcing it into this stone that was rejecting him.


    For science of course!


    Gripping the core tightly, Finn shut his eyes and concentrated.


    Finn could feel his power manifesting itself in his claws. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw his own warm, yellowish-white energy starting to surround and envelop the darker stone like a cocoon.


    Finn could feel a repulsive force coming from the core, like if magnets of the same polarity were pushed together.


    However, as Finn focused more of his power into the core, something began to change.


    Finn watched as his own light energy started seeping into the core, overcoming its natural resistance and slowly changing its color.


    Amazing! The core started turning from a dark, bluish-purple hue, into a color similar to his own energy.


    My energy is converting the energy in the core to my own! This was a mind blowing revelation!


    Now Finn was beginning to understand how and why people would hunt magical beasts for their stones and cores.


    If they could convert and absorb the concentrated energy from cores, they could advance in rank and power much faster!


    Feeling as though he had solved a big puzzle, Finn continued to watch as the core finally turned a brilliant shade of white in his claw.


    The rejection from before was gone, and the concentrated energy inside felt just as familiar as his own.


    Continuing his experiment, Finn started directing the energy in the transformed core to his own body...


    Whoa! As the first slivers of energy from the converted core entered his own body, Finn couldn''t help but mentally exclaim. The energy was potent!


    The energy flowed into his form through his arm and eventually traveled to his own core, saturating it with power.


    This feels incredible... Finn felt his cells come alive with vibrant light energy. Heat was flowing through his veins, relaxing his muscles and providing feelings of contentment and comfort.


    If it feels this good, I can see why other magical beasts hunt each other... Finn made another connection to his discovery.


    However, Finn lacked any corresponding knowledge on how other beasts converted the power to their own, so he could only make assumptions.


    He somewhat doubted that less intelligent magical beasts would be able to do what he just did.


    Maybe they simply swallow them... Finn made an educated guess. If I ate one, would my body naturally begin to convert and absorb its energy?


    As Finn pulled more and more power from the converted core into his own, he felt his core reaching a threshold.


    Every day since he had broken through to rank two, Finn had been slowly absorbing more and more sunlight. As his core had been saturated with energy constantly, it had been slowly growing.


    Now, Finn could subconsciously feel that it was beginning to hit some kind of peak.


    Hmm? Something inside him began to react strangely. His core was beginning to turn chaotic, the energy within becoming violent and unrestrained.


    Not good! Finn tried to stop channeling energy from the converted core in a bid to regain control, but it was too late.


    Almost as if it had a mind of its own, Finn''s core rapidly sucked the the remaining energy from the converted core like a sponge, before Finn could toss it away.


    As the last of the energy was drained from the converted core, it quickly crumbled to dust in his claw, but Finn was too preoccupied to notice.


    Gah! Finn let out an involuntary cry as he felt a sharp pain in his chest, he clenched his form up to prevent himself from convulsing, trying to ride out the storm brewing in his chest.


    The pain he was feeling was akin to someone pushing a hot knife into his chest. Then, without warning, Finn felt the core in his chest shatter.


    Roaring in agony, Finn collapsed to the ground, panting rapidly as terror engulfed him. The pain was excruciating and Finn felt confused and frightened, unable to form coherent thoughts.


    However, just as quick as it came, the pain started receding. Like a cramp that finally relaxed, Finn felt a tremendous sense of relief followed by waves of exhaustion.


    Upon inspection, Finn realized with shock that he could no longer sense his own core! Although he still felt completely saturated and full of energy, he had no core and therefore, no control over that energy.


    What''s happening to me? Finn sat with his eyes closed as he closely followed the changes occurring to his body.


    Slowly but surely, Finn observed as the saturated energy that was filling his body began coalescing back into his chest area.


    After many hours of sitting under the shade of a tree, the ordeal was finally over. Finn''s core had reformed!


    What was once a small hand sized stone, Finn''s core nearly quadrupled in size! Now, it would be hard to hold with two hands.


    Is this what advancing in rank is like for magical beasts? Finn had once read that magical beasts will be vulnerable during the periods when they were about to advance or during advancement.


    Now, he completely understood why. It was incredibly painful!


    Not only that, but I was unable to manipulate or control any of my own energy during the process. If another beast had attacked me during that time, I would have been severely hindered.


    Although he could still move while it was occurring, he had felt much weaker as his core was reforming. It wasn''t just that though, Finn also had an instinctual feeling deep down that movement would have been bad during the coalescing stage.


    Finn remembered how his energy had become violent and chaotic for a short time. Was it possible that he could have exploded if his energy got too violent?


    That thought made Finn shudder. Ignoring the negative possibilities, he began probing his larger core.


    Unbelievable... The amount of energy I can now store has increased by a factor of ten! Finn could hardly believe it. He immediately wanted to test out his new strength, but ultimately decided against it.


    Having just gone through a life and death battle, Finn decided to wait until his energy settled. Finn could still detect instability in his core, so it wasn''t wise to push the limit.


    Despite it only being the afternoon, Finn curled himself securely under the shade of a tree and fell asleep through to the next day.


    Awakened by his growling stomach, Finn headed over to the corpse of the river monster. Beggars couldn''t be choosers. He would have to settle for eating whatever was available for the time being.


    Finn cut out a portion that looked the freshest, despite being a day old already.


    I guess my food palette has really been totally numbed by this point... Finn felt shock at how little he cared at this point about the quality.


    Shooting a beam of light to cook a portion he had sliced, all concerns were thrown out the window when he smelled the cooking flesh.


    Oh, interesting... Finn felt his control over the intensity of the sunbeam had dramatically improved. There would be time to test this more later, though.


    After eating his fill, Finn picked a random direction and headed off. It was time to keep moving. Every day he was in this forest was another day of fear and paranoia.


    Finn internally sighed as he trudged along. He missed the peaceful days when he wasn''t always being attacked.


    I''m too old for this...

 29 Growth

    There is no doubt, I''m definitely growing... Finn marveled at his increased size in the reflection of the pool.


    It was safe to say that Finn now had a phobia of deeper water, staying away from anything deeper than a large stream.


    Currently lost, Finn had spent several days walking aimlessly, accomplishing nothing.


    With no better options, he headed in the direction of the sunrise, hoping it was facing East.


    Although, by now Finn figured he would have at some point already exited the Border Forest if it had truly been East.


    Damn it! Where the hell am I! Finn was quite sick of the endless trees, how behind each one there could be danger lurking, just waiting for an opportunity to get him.


    Every night, he would have trouble falling asleep due to this paranoia.


    Finn had lost count of how many times he had been awoken by strange sounds or smells that tickled his sense for danger.


    He didnt quite know how himself, but his instincts seemed to always know when something dangerous was coming, the only exception to this being that ambush by the river beast.


    At this point, Finn had become completely reliant on them. Just yesterday, a weird scent had woken him up only to discover a large panther-like creature attempting to sneak up on him in his sleep.


    A quick sunbeam blast scared it away, but the thought of being attacked while he was most vulnerable ruined any chances of getting peaceful rest.


    Finn let out a long breath like a weary sigh as his gaze unfocused.


    I miss home... Finn often thought of his boy and the farm they lived on. He would give anything to know that Bryn had made it home safe.


    The thought of lazing around under the sun whilst the breeze blew across the fields in a mesmerizing undulating fashion made Finn long for simpler times.


    Lily would likely being chasing me around right now... Finn longed to see the faces of his family.


    Just spending all day relaxing and playing with the kids, what more could a grandpa ask for?


    A splash of water nearby nearly made Finn jump, wrenching him out of his thoughts. Turning his attention, Finn made a deadpan expression when he realized it was only a fish.


    Finn let out another sigh. There was a distinct disconnect between his human mind and his now much larger body. He understood this, yes, but spending one whole life the size of a person made his perspective person-sized.


    Now that he was larger than a horse, he felt as awkward as a boy going through puberty!


    Finn had started growing immensely ever since he had broken through to rank three.


    Finn knew from reading that most magical beasts experienced periods of explosive physical growth after advancement, but this was ridiculous.


    Isn''t this a bit too exaggerated? Once again, Finn felt how out of touch he was with his lizard self. In just a few days, his body had nearly tripled in size!


    Finn''s whole body had grown to match proportionally. His scales had increased in size and had thickened. They had been growing and falling off at an uncomfortablely high rate during this period.


    The ichting alone had been driving him insane. His claws, in addition to becoming a couple inches longer, were now incredibly strong. Finn had found that he was able to cut marks into solid rock without damaging them.


    His tail had experienced the biggest increase in size. It went from being around half the length of his wolf form to almost doubling his length in total!


    It could now be classified as a lethal weapon. Finn had tested it, using it like a whip. In conjunction with his stronger scales, it could do serious damage to the trees around him. Finn could only imagine what it could do to a body of flesh.


    His head had only changed somewhat. Along with increasing in size proportionally, the horn like growths had become more pronounced.


    He even saw that there were two boney bumps on his back that were starting to protrude. Spikes? Finn wasn''t sure what those were. One thing was certain though, Finn still had no idea what in the world he was!


    Unfortunately, this period of growth had resulted in massive hunger pangs. Over the course of these few days, Finn had committed fish genocide in every stream he came across.


    For whatever reason, there always seemed to be limitless fish for him to snack on in all the streams he had found. Finn attributed it to the magical nature of this forest.


    There seemed to be energy flowing though the air here. To Finn, it was very faint, but after advancing he could sense it somewhat.


    Clearing his thoughts, Finn took a few last drinks before moving along.


    I have to keep moving! As long as I keep moving, I''ll eventually end up somewhere where I can find out where I am... This was Finn''s goal, either find his way out of the forest, or find somewhere that allowed him to get his bearings like a mountain... or something.


    A very boring week passed in this manner. Endless walking, eating, sleeping with one eye open. Finn had used his powerful senses to avoid several dangerous creatures, even finding his way around two that had been fighting.


    There seemed to be no end to the variety of magical beasts he had seen or avoided. The two that had been fighting looked quite strange themselves.


    One looked like an armadillo with spikes on its back that created earth quakes with its power. The other had been a bird type beast that used its wings like blades to slice its foe with its wind energy.


    Watching from a distance, they clashed over and over. However it looked like neither could actually hurt the other. The armadillo-like beast''s defenses were too strong to cut through and the bird was too fast to hit.


    Eventually they both simply gave up, as it was a waste of energy.


    From what Finn could tell from his instincts, they had been around the same rank as him, and he found it interesting to see how magical beasts fought eachother.


    Very savage and wild all out attacks. There was no finesse whatsoever, but the ruthlessness had a quality all its own.


    It was very reminiscent of that wind python and ironhide bear, although the python had shown far more intelligence than he initially realized.


    Regardless, Finn''s only consolation this whole week had been that he had finally stopped growing. He was now a size bigger than even the biggest of horses, and all his body grew in proportion to match that.


    He felt slightly disappointed when he realized that he could no longer sit on Bryn as an amusing form of punishment. With his current size, he would surely crush the boy. He would also have to be extra gentle with Lily.


    If I ever see them again... Finn internally grimaced. He was very self aware that he was becoming more and more pessimistic as the days dragged on.


    Begone depressing thoughts! That''s right, at least I''m still alive. Where there is life, there is hope! Finn spotted another clearing in the distance where the lack of trees created a cozy little spot for Finn to sunbath.


    It had become his favorite pastime since he literally had nothing else to do. Trotting over happily, Finn laid upon the soft dirt and grass and proceeded to absorb sunlight, closing his eyes and enjoying himself.


    The energy from the sun endlessly blessed Finn with power as it was drawn into his core and circulated throughout his now huge body.


    Where it had once flowed like a stream, Finn''s light energy was now rushing like torrents through his large frame. Not only was he able to store much more of it, but the energy also seemed to be more condensed, adding to its potency.


    Every cell in his body came alive and rejoiced as the energy passed by in an endless cycle. It was addicting, like the relaxing feeling one had when entering a hot bath.


    Without even realizing, Finn was releasing a golden aura of vitality that spread to the surrounding air. Beneath him, the grass was growing at a rate almost visible to the eye.


    Sighing in appreciation, Finn lay flat upon the ground, content to relax his worries away. Traveling for so long, he felt he earned a moment of rest.


    Hours passed in what felt like thirty minutes to Finn, but he hardly noticed. When he finally opened his eyes, there was a brief moment of surprise followed by an internal sigh.


    It happened again... Finn ignored his initial urge to shake his body. That would scare away all the birds and small animals that had gathered around him.


    Just like before, there were birds were resting on his back, too small to notice through his scales, while small critters were relaxing as close as they could to his own body without actually touching him.


    The two other times I have sunbathed since I advanced also resulted in this same strange circumstance... Finn recalled how startled he was the first time this happened, scaring away all the little visitors when he jumped up suddenly.


    Now, though, he was only mildly perplexed. Why was this happening? Finn''s only guess was the excess energy he noticed he was emitting while he absorbed sunlight.


    It became apparent very quickly that this excess energy had a noticeable effect on the surrounding environment. The rapid and unnatural growth of the grass where he had been sitting was a good example of these effects.


    Maybe they find it just as comfortable and relaxing as me? This was the only answer that made sense, and it led to an inevitable conclusion.


    These little buggers were mooching off me!


    Finn didn''t actually feel offended of course, just amused at the little entourage of critters that he had collected in these few hours.


    Learning from experience, Finn slowly shifted his body, allowing the surrounding critters to react in time.


    As he stopped absorbing energy, the golden aura Finn was emitting dispersed. Faced with his movement and the lack of the comforting aura, the crowd of critters dispersed, with the birds flying into the trees and the small animals retreating back into the woods.


    Heh... Finn thought in amusement as the clearing became quiet and lonely once again.


    Let''s see... Finn looked around for a suitable target. He had waited on testing his powers in order to let his core settle down.


    After he advanced, Finn could subconsciously tell that the energy in his core was still erratic and violent. If he had tried forcing the issue, the consequences could be severe, and seeing as how there was no rush, he patiently waited for his core to settle naturally.


    Finn also discovered that channeling his energy internally also helped it "cool down" a bit, as if he was burning off excess steam from his core.


    Finally, Finn no longer felt any instability, and he was eager to see just how powerful his abilities had become.


    Looking around, Finn saw a large boulder embedded into a small hill at the edge of the clearing.


    How convenient... It was the perfect target to shoot at. Before, Finn was able to shoot through multiple thick trees with a fully charged attack, so he opted against using trees as targets. He wasn''t trying to cause a forest fire after all...


    Finn drew concentrated energy from his core and channeled it to his throat. As the energy entered his neck, it passed through some natural mechanism that turned it violent and chaotic as it gathered into a mass of power.


    After ten seconds of this, Finn started growing concerned, energy was still being drawn from his core, but Finn could not sense a limit yet. He felt the raw and destructive power growing exponentially in his throat.


    At thirty seconds of channeling, Finn felt shocked. He wanted to just release the sunbeam and be done with it, but he could instinctively tell that he wasn''t yet at his limit.


    Finn knew that if he stopped now, his natural inclination towards safety would hinder another attempt. He had to go for broke now!


    After the thirty second mark, Finn could bo longer keep his mouth closed due to the burgeoning energy.


    When he opened his jaws, a brilliant ball of condensed light energy emerged floating in front of his mouth. It was only held together by Finn''s control over it.


    Finn braced his body, aiming this destructive ball of light at the boulder in nervous anticipation.


    At last, after a full minute passed Finn could feel that he was at his limit. Half of the energy in his core had been drawn into the sphere of light energy that appeared to be floating in front of his open mouth.


    Finn was scared as he held back the unbelievably compressed energy in front of his face. It was like holding back a miniature sun!


    Finn found it unthinkable that he could be holding so much power inside him.


    Handling it made him feel like a person who was holding a lit stick of dynamite. One mistake and boom!


    Knowing it was time, Finn released his control, and like a spring released from compression, the blast erupted.


    It was like a solar flare blooming in Finn''s eyes. From the sphere of compressed energy, a stream branched out forward before expanding rapidly to enormous size.


    The sunbeam that was firing was magnitudes more powerful than when he was at rank two!


    The massive column of superheated light flew in the direction of Finn''s aim, creating whirring sound effects as the suddenly superheated air rushed to expand.


    Colliding with the boulder, the sunbeam melted right through, turning it red hot in the process. The beam penetrated all the way, and continued on, utterly decimating everything in its path.


    Trees were incinerated, rocks were melted, and water was vaporized in a straight line for thirty meters before the sunbeam ran out of steam.


    When the chaotic power was finally used up, Finn closed his mouth, observing the catastrophic damage in stunned silence.


    To be able to destroy so much and cause so much damage, he didn''t know what to think anymore.


    The common saying "with great power comes great responsibility" came to mind. Indeed, he could really hurt and kill people so easily with this much power if he wasn''t careful.


    However, he looked at it from another perspective. This was currently his most powerful attack, and it took him a full minute to charge as well as requiring half the energy in his expanded core, meaning he could only fire it twice before needing to recover.


    It was powerful, but impractical. If I ever get attacked again, what beast would be so kind as to give me enough time to do that? Finn shook his head at the thought.


    Finn ignored the sounds of trees collapsing in the background as he did some other tests.


    He quickly learned that he could instantly shoot sunbeams that had the same power and intensity as his full powered ones from when he was rank two.


    Even more amazing was how much his control had improved, which affected all aspects of his powers.


    For example, through trial and error, Finn found that he could actually curve his sunbeams to a certain extent, making them change direction mid flight!


    Greater control also assisted him with absorbing sunlight. His rate of recovery grew to match his increase in capacity, meaning he could virtually have limitless energy as long as the sun was up!


    Even his sunburst attack had improved. When Finn condensed a small "bullet" of light energy and shot it at a tree, it managed to burn it''s way into the wood before the energy expanded, causing an explosion which blew the trunk of the tree apart.


    A small but effective attack!


    With my power increasing, I hopefully will never be forced into such dire circumstances again... Finn recalled the ironhide bear and felt his confidence rising. If he faced one now, he reckoned he could actually kill it.


    Not that he was wishing to fight another strong magical beast though. Right now, Finn just wanted to leave the forest.


    Leaving a scene of destruction behind, Finn continued on in a random direction, completely unaware that there were four pairs of eyes following closely behind...

 30 Little Moochers

    Whumph... whumph... crunch... The repetitive sounds of his footsteps and the occasional snapping of twigs added to a feeling of monotony that Finn had grown accustomed too.


    In a spontaneous motion, Finn swung his body hoping to spot what he sensed.


    ...Nothing once again... Finn couldn''t help but sigh.


    I''m definitely being watched... Finn looked around carefully. Over the past few days of wandering, something kept pricking at his senses, but every time he looked, there was nothing there.


    That feeling did not go away though, even after inspecting his surroundings in detail.


    What could it be? Finn didn''t sense any danger or ill-intent, but there was certainly something following him.


    Every now and then, he could detect a whiff of a unique scent that alerted him to something hiding nearby, but he could never spot it.


    Trudging along for many hours, Finn came upon another break in the forest that allowed sunshine through.


    That''s the spot... Finn decided he would rest there. Maybe take a little nap.


    Who knew boredom could be so tiring? Finn yawned as he laid upon the ground, beginning the rejuvenating process of sunbathing.


    Finn sighed in bliss as his body started releasing a golden aura. It had become so habitual, that Finn could even maintain his recharging state while he napped, granting him great sleep.


    Finn was beginning to sleep more during the day because of this, as sleeping at night couldn''t compare to snoozing during the day under the refreshing sunlight.


    As Finn lay prone on the ground, a breeze rustled the surrounding trees, bringing with it that same unique scent that had been tormenting Finn the past couple of days.


    Ugh, what the hell is it! Finn was growing tired of being stalked by something he could not see. Again, while his instincts told him there was no threat, there was still something he had yet to identify nearby.


    What if I just ignore it? Unlike the previous times, Finn debated if he should move to investigate the source. Every time he tried, there had been zero success in spotting whatever was stalking him.


    It was like a ghost was haunting him, invisible, but still making its presence known.


    Hmph forget it... Finn did not want to interrupt his rest again. As long as he didn''t sense any danger, he figured it wouldn''t hurt to disregard it.


    Time passed and the unique scent grew stronger as Finn lay under the sun. Several times he glanced around only to see grass and trees in all directions, no lurking magical beasts.


    His sense of sight and sense of smell were in disagreement. Whatever he was smelling was getting closer, but he still couldn''t see anything.


    Maybe I''m just hallucinating... Finn thought of a worrying possiblity. Maybe I''ve been alone for so long that I''ve started to imagine things...


    This was not impossible, Finn had read about the effects of prolonged isolation in his old life, hallucination was one of the many possible side effects.


    Whoa! Finn felt a shiver go up his spine. Something had jumped onto his body!


    He could barely feel it through his scales, but it was there, something very small was currently sitting on his back!


    Very slowly, Finn lifted his head up and turned so he could examine the spot where he felt the pressure. His eye twitched. There was nothing there!


    No wait! There has to be! I can literally feel it right now... Finn held back the thought that he was losing his mind. Taking a deep whiff of air, a flowery scent entered his nostrils.


    That unique scent he had been smelling was now overpowering. Yes, there was definitely something small sitting on his back. Finn turned his head to look at his surroundings one last time to see if he could spot anything.


    When his gaze returned to that spot, Finn nearly jolted. There it was!


    As if it had materialized out of thin air, a small fluffy creature was currently curled up into a small ball on his scales.


    It looked similar to a fox, but had a shorter body and rounder ears. It was kind of fat looking, and its poofy fur was as white as snow. Some kind of magical beast maybe? Finn wasn''t sure.


    It looked like it was sleeping, but Finn noticed the small creature was channeling the golden aura he was emitting into its own body.


    Finn could see how the golden aura that was radiating from his scales flowed into the little puffball like a sponge soaking up water.


    Finn couldn''t believe it, the thing that had been giving him headaches over the past couple days had been this fat little speck of a creature.


    It even had the audacity to sit on his body and steal his energy... well, excess energy... but still! Finn was curious at how it managed to get so close to him without being seen.


    Without warning, Finn felt an inexplicable urge to attack and kill the little creature resting on his back. How dare it use me like this! He felt his pride had been sullied by such an act.


    Wait... Finn quickly realized that those weren''t his real thoughts. That foreign emotion stemming from deep within his body was acting up again, trying to turn him savage and brutal.


    Finn quickly squashed those thoughts, forcing them back down, deep into his internal abyss. He refused to let such primitive emotions control him again.


    Meanwhile, the little ball of fur noticed nothing amiss as it continued to absorb the golden aura leaking out of Finn.


    Bringing his head closer, Finn took a sniff of the puffball to confirm that it was indeed the source of that unique scent.


    Sensing it was being inspected, the small creature stopped its channeling.


    EEP! It let out a rather adorable squeal before it... vanished!


    It''s gone! Where did it go? Finns eyes and jaw opened in shock. One second, it was there, and the next, poof!


    After it vanished, Finn heard similar squeals around himself as if they were responding to the first one. There were more of these things?


    Swinging his head around quickly, Finn could not spot the source of the other squeals, as if they had vanished too.


    Wait a minute... After Finn''s surprise faded, he could still sense a slight pressure on the scales where that little puffball had been sitting. It was still there? Hold on...


    It didn''t vanish... it was just invisible! Amazing! Finn couldn''t hide his astonishment. Now it made sense why he couldn''t see them before. Somehow, they were able to turn invisible!


    How do they do that? Finn''s insatiable curiosity reared its head. Calming himself down, Finn pretended to lose interest as he placed his head back on the ground.


    Ten minutes later, he moved his head again. The little creature was back! Well... visible anyway. Finn wondered what gave the tiny creature such courage. Does it not fear that I will crush it in my jaws? It wouldn''t be hard to do so at all...


    Moving slowly, Finn also observed three other fox-like creatures almost identical to the first one sitting around the periphery of his body.


    Finn felt a pronounced feeling of incredulity. This family unit of furballs were casually siphoning energy from his aura!


    Finn did notice that two of them looked to be bigger than the one sitting on his back. From this difference, Finn assumed that they were either a family or a pack, and the one on his back happened to be an infant.


    Finn internally nodded to this assessment... That would indeed explain why it dared to rest on my back. Children often lacked awareness for danger, giving them blind courage.


    That being said, Finn still didn''t know what to do next. Should I scare them off? They weren''t exactly threatening him in any way, and their presence did not hinder his sunbathing.


    Although, watching the excess light energy he emitted be absorbed by these little creatures made him wonder...


    Were they magical beasts as well? Finn was quite certain that the bestiary he had read with Bryn was limited in scope, because he had already seen many magical beasts that did not match any of the descriptions.


    He had not read anything about a small creature that looked or sounded familiar to the white little cottonballs he was looking at currently.


    If they are able to siphon off my aura, does that mean they also have a light affinity? Finn brought his face up close to the one on his back, watching the little fox creature carefully.


    When it noticed Finn''s face moving closer, it once again let out a startled cry before disappearing...


    There! It was incredibly faint, but Finn sensed a power familiar to his own being utilized.


    Compared to his own, the little fox creature''s power was like a spark next to a roaring flame, but due to its proximity, Finn could still sense it, just barely.


    A sudden and inexplicable sense of kinship to the small foxes bloomed in Finn''s heart. They were like him! Finn had been reminded over and over about how rare a light affinity was, and yet sitting around him right now were four other beasts like himself.


    Although they must be only rank one with how small and weak their power felt compared to his own. Subconsciously, Finn started referring to them as light foxes due to not knowing their species'' name.


    Did they sense that I was similar to them? Is this why they dared to approach me? This thought made Finn wonder about other magical beasts. Did those of a similar affinities attract each other or was this unique to him only?


    Finn could only ponder these questions, as he had no one to talk too. Seeing that Finn had not moved to attack it, the infant light fox slowly faded back into existence under Finn''s disbelieving eyes.


    How? How does it do that? Finn had not lost his focus, and was watching as it reappeared. From what he saw, the process was very quick, but not instantaneous.


    It appeared as though the infant light fox was channeling its power through the filaments in its white fur. At least, that was what Finn was able to garner from watching it closely.


    Somehow, the little creature was using its magical power to manipulate the light traveling through its fur, making it appear as though it simply disappeared.


    Was this an innate ability to the light fox? Even further, am I able to do something similar since I can also manipulate light energy? Finn felt a flash of inspiration after witnessing such a scene.


    Eager to try this, Finn began focusing inward. He tried drawing his power out through his skin and into his scales directly.


    Feeling a kind of resonance on their surface, Finn was surprised to see a thick golden film forming over them.


    It''s just like how the ironhide bear had used its earth energy to protect itself from my attacks! From previous encounters, Finn realized this must be a natural defensive mechanism all magical beasts can utilize.


    Finn looked over his glowing body in awe. The natural aura he emitted when sunbathing was more mist-like in fashion, while this was more like wearing a blanket of light.


    All this time, I have been thinking too one dimensionally... Finn had never once thought about using his own body as the medium for channeling his power, only focusing on how he could use it to shoot devastating beams of light.


    Actually, when he thought about it, using his power this way was similar to using it to heal bodily wounds, just taking it a step further.


    Using this train of thought, Finn next directed his energy through his claws, which appeared just as receptive to it as his scales had. They started glowing a brilliant white, the ground beneath them starting to smoke.


    Meanwhile, the light foxes surrounding Finn were watching his actions in confusion.


    Finding new ways to use this power is always exciting... Finn raised one of his glowing claws in wonder, admiring the heat radiating off them. They would be quite deadly if used against another living being...


    Having thought of this before, Finn again wished he had been born with an instruction manual. He wondered what other tricks he could use his power to do...


    That being said, through observing the cute little light fox, Finn had discovered a way to enhance the defensive capabilities of his scales as well as the offensive capabilities of his claws.


    However he didn''t know how to manipulate the light around his body in the same manner to achieve what the little light foxes had done.


    Here was the main dilemma.


    I absorb light as energy and am able to use that same energy to accomplish many miraculous things, but am I capable of manipulating light itself? Finn pondered this question.


    Although similar, naturally occurring light and the light energy stored within his core were two different things.


    In simple terms, his light energy was natural light that had been filtered and turned into his own. However, was he able to manipulate the light that existed outside of himself directly?


    Finn had never attempted this before, because it seemed outside the scope of his capabilities.


    To be able to control ambient light itself, is it possible? Finn figured there was no harm in trying.


    Focusing inward, Finn tried visualizing warping the light around himself. Initially, there was no success, but Finn had felt a strange inclination.


    When he had visualized warping the light around him, he felt his core stir, as if it was trying to... activate? Finn didn''t know how else to describe it, his core and its amazing powers were still an enigma to him.


    Using this experience as a base, Finn tried again, this time rotating the energy stored within his core as he did so.


    As he did this, Finn sat back on his haunches slowly, the light foxes around him adjusting themselves accordingly and watching him with curiosity.


    Holding up his claws as if they were hands, Finn tried visualizing compressing the light between them, as if he was squeezing a ball.


    Finn''s eyes were closed as he focused hard. His core was starting to stir just like before. As he wasn''t quite sure what he was doing, he let instincts guide his rotation of the energy in his core.


    After some tweaking in the flow, it was like a final puzzle piece had been popped into place.


    Finn''s core started... humming! A resonance only Finn could hear and feel stemmed out from his core and connected with the outside world. Opening his eyes, Finn was astonished to see that he was holding a... a black hole!


    The space between his claws was pitch black in the form of a sphere. Is this the result of compressing light in a certain space? Finn marveled at the unthinkable phenomena happening by his own will.


    Curious, Finn released his control over the space. The resonance from his core ceased, and the black hole in his hands suddenly exploded like a flashbang, momentarily blinding him.


    Damn... Finn had to blink several times to regain his vision. Although he thought of it like an explosion, there was no force, just a blinding flash of light.


    Despite feeling slightly foolish and blinding himself, Finn was elated. He had just confirmed the he had the power to manipulate light itself! What an extraordinary discovery!


    High in spirits, Finn decided it was time to move on. He still needed to find some way to get his bearings in these god forsaken woods.


    With a spring in his step, Finn started walking further into the woods. To his surprise, Finn noticed the four little light foxes were following closely behind as if they intended to stay with him.


    Hmm, ok then... Finn did not really mind of course. They weren''t annoying him in any way.


    And besides, at least I will finally have company... Finn decided to look on the bright side of things, for once.

 31 Another Attack

    It wasn''t long before the little family of light foxes completely opened up to Finn. Every time he stopped, they wouldn''t even hesitate to climb on him and rest their bodies under his welcoming aura.


    Their behavior broadened Finn''s horizons on magical beasts. I suppose there are magical beasts with gentle natures out there... His only experiences thus far had been negative, with the exception of the wind python, but that was still quite unsettling.


    Although, that blacksmith''s salamander seemed harmless enough. I suppose any magical beast is pretty much harmless at rank one... Finn tried keeping an open mind about all this.


    Hmm? Finn''s thoughts were interrupted when a small tuft of fur fell over his eyes. The littlest of the four light foxes, which he affectionately named Shrimp, was chewing on the horn growth poking out of the side of his head!


    It was the same furball that had been the first to jump on Finn''s back.


    Shrimp reminded Finn of one of his younger grandkids, a rascal of a boy who always had too much energy. This little light fox held no fear towards him from the start, and even dared to ride on his back while he walked.


    From a distance, it looked like four cottonballs had gotten stuck to Finn''s scales. Gently shaking his head, the little fox wisely stopped chewing on his left horn... before immediately running over and chewing on his tail.


    Finn let out a long sigh. He had dealt with kids his whole adult life. They never change... Finn was thankful for the tolerance he had built up over years of having kids of his own.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Finn saw the two bigger foxes watching their pups carefully, making sure they didn''t run too far.


    At least they aren''t wary of me anymore... Finn couldn''t deny that their presence was welcome. Their arrival broke the monotony that had been his past few weeks of trudging along through the dark, sinister, and dangerous woods.


    In fact, watching the baby light foxes play had been the highlight of his boring days. Now though, it was time to move on. Raising his body, the light foxes let out a string of calls before they all hopped onto his back.


    I guess I''m their new mobile home... Finn lampooned internally, wondering if these creatures had a burrow somewhere that they abandoned. Or maybe they were natural roamers, Finn didn''t know for sure.


    Hours went by as Finn walked with a steady pace. Physical fatigue was a thing of the past due to his abilities, but mental fatigue could not be cured with his power alone, which is why he still rested a couple times a day.


    As Finn''s thoughts were about to wander, a terrified squeal jolted him back into focus. It was from one of the light foxes on his back!


    Unconsciously bracing himself, Finn spun around wildly, trying to see find any source of danger. He couldn''t smell or hear anything, but that was the problem... it was far too quiet!


    It was as if all the birds in the area vanished. The sounds of bird calls had become so constant, that Finn didn''t even register their presence until it was gone.


    What is it? Finn could tell something was wrong, but he still couldn''t sense anything yet...


    ...rumble...


    Hmm? Now that it was so quiet, Finn could hear a rumbling sound off in the distance... followed by the faint sound of... trees crashing!


    Finn tensed up immediately. The sounds of destruction... they were getting closer.


    As unlikely as it was, Finn was still hoping that whatever thing was coming was not actually aiming for him, but just heading sort of in his direction.


    His hopes were dashed the moment he saw what was approaching. Indeed, his luck at avoiding confrontations had run out.


    What the hell? It was a massive ball as tall as him... a ball made of dirt, stones, and what appeared the be spikes poking out its sides as it rolled in a straight line towards him, decimating everything in its path.


    The earth shook as trees that were unlucky enough to be in its path were bulldozed aside.


    Finn noticed a faint green glow outlining the surface which told him one thing, this had to be a magical beast of some kind.


    And clearly, it was coming for him!


    Not one to stand and wait for death, Finn started charging a sunbeam. Meanwhile, Finn heard the calls of the light foxes on his back as he felt them jump off and flee into the woods. They hid behind cover and vanished from his sight.


    Good, they would only get in the way... Finn would have felt devastated to see his cute little stowaways get hurt.


    The spiked ball of earth picked up speed, as if sensing Finn was close. Having little time, Finn only managed to build up ten seconds worth of energy before the beast got into range.


    Finn fired, a bright column of searing light leaving his mouth and hitting the ball of earth square in the center. Unable to resist its power, the green film of protective energy covering it dissipated immediately, and the sunbeam began burning the dirt and stones surrounding what Finn assumed was the magical beast controlling them.


    Finn''s eyes widened. Its not enough! Given time, Finn was sure he could burn through almost anything. However, because the ball of stones and dirt was spinning, it was distributing the heat as it rolled.


    Although it was leaving a nice black scorch mark, Finn realized he could not burn through fast enough to affect the magical beast underneath before it rammed him.


    Cutting off his attack abruptly, Finn steadied himself. The maximum unimpeded range of attack with his sunbeams was around a hundred and fifty feet, which he estimated through testing.


    Adrenaline pumping though his veins, Finn''s thought processes slowed down.


    One hundred feet...fifty feet... It only took a couple seconds for the spiked ball of death to nearly reach him. Waiting for just the right moment, Finn quickly leapt out of the way, dodging it at the last second.


    Having nearly been cut by the spikes on the side, Finn assumption that it couldn''t change direction fast was proven correct. The laws of momentum were still in effect.


    Shaking the ground as it rolled, the ball of dirt and stones sailed past harmlessly, but then it did something that froze Finn''s good feelings from having dodged... it came to rapid stop, throwing up soil and rocks all around it.


    As if on a pedestal, the now motionless spiked ball of earth let out dirt crunching sounds as it started turning slowly, until what Finn assumed was the front was facing him again.


    Then, it resumed rolling...


    Dammit! Finn was disheartened at its persistence. It gave him no time to come up with any countermeasures.


    Digging his heels in, Finn broke into a sprint, running as fast as he could away from the magical beast.


    As he fled, he started thinking of ways he could possibly stop something like this. He didn''t have time to dig a trap or prepare in any way...


    Wait! There was one solution that came to mind, water!


    If he could find a stream, he could lead the rolling mass of earth right into the water, slowing it down and adding weight. Finn didn''t believe that whatever magical beast lay beneath would be able to control the earth as easily if it was soaked.


    It wasn''t the best of solutions, but it was all Finn could think of in a pinch.


    Well, there was one problem with this, Finn had not seen a stream or river for many days.


    The sounds of crashing trees and quaking earth behind him were growing louder. Even at his fastest speed, Finn was still slower than the boulder of earth that was aiming to crush him.


    In other words, it was gaining fast!


    Finn snorted in disbelief. Once again he was on the run from a chasing magical beast that he was helpless against. For as powerful and strong as he''d become, there was always something worse that could threaten him.


    I really need to escape this dreadful forest... Finn felt so done with it all. Even his patience had limits.


    Finn was mentally prepared to turn this chase into a game of cat and mouse. He had the endurance, and the sun would be up for a few more hours. He could definitely outlast the chasing magical beast until he found a stream or something.


    I wonder how long it can stay in that form... Finn wondered this as he suddenly jumped over a fallen tree.


    EEP!


    Finn''s pupils constricted to slits. Turning his head, he saw that the smallest light fox, Shrimp, was flying through the air, having just fallen off his back when he abruptly leapt.


    When did he...! Finn had thought all of his little passengers had fled when he prepared himself to fight. Turns out one hadn''t, and he had been too preoccupied to notice.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Finn could see the scratch marks on his scales where the poor little guy had been holding on for dear life.


    A flare of anger rose within Finn''s chest. Inexplicably, he felt like scolding the baby fox for being so foolish before remembering that it wasn''t a human child, but a baby fox.


    However, his anger turned to terror when he witnessed the little furball harshly tumble to the ground, right in the path of the rolling magical beast.


    Screw it! There wasn''t any time to think. Finn''s claws dig deep as he abruptly turned around. Looking up, he could see death approaching in the form of an unstoppable wrecking ball.


    It was moving fast! Too fast! Finn rushed in, scooping up the little fox as carefully as he could with his claws before flinging it out of the way.


    There was no time to be gentle, nor was there anytime to check on its condition. The magical beast was upon him!


    Rationality went out the window as the shadow of the rolling mass of earth enveloped him, leaving nothing behind but fear and dread.


    Unexpectedly, in the heat of the moment Finn relied on his human instincts, standing on his hind legs and bringing his limbs up in a boxer stance, bracing just like a human would.


    Without even meaning too, a thick golden layer of energy appeared on his scales...


    BOOM!


    A boulder of dirt and stone as tall as him collided with Finn, knocking him back with the force of a speeding truck. The boulder lost most of its momentum, nearly coming to a stop.


    Finn, however, was not nearly as lucky.


    Ack! Finn let out a strangled cry as his limbs were crushed, having been braced to recieve the majority of the blow.


    Although he had prepared, his strong hind legs could not maintain themselves and failed under the monumental force.


    End over end, Finn tumbled backwards, crashing through the underbrush until he smashed into a tree that cracked under his weight.


    Pain was all Finn could fathom for a few moments before his magical beast instincts took back over. Immediately, his healing energy started pumping through his body, fixing everything that had been damaged.


    His front limbs were a mess, mangled under the intense pressure of the impact. Although not as bad as his arms, all other parts of his body suffered various degrees of injury.


    If he was some other type of magical beast, this would have been a death sentence, but Finn knew he only needed time to heal. Already, his body was showing signs of improvement.


    However, time was in short supply. There was still a magical beast aiming for his life!


    As if emerging from a cocoon, the sphere of dirt and rock split open to reveal sharp teeth covered in drool. From the ball emerged what appeared to be some type of boar creature, although it looked quite strange for a boar.


    Its legs had fur, but it''s back and sides appeared to be covered in... plates. They had patterns similar to a turtle''s shell. Even more strange was that the plates on its ribs were layered with several boney spikes that were each nearly a meter long.


    It reminded Finn of a mutated version of an armored prehistoric dinosaur that he couldn''t remember the name of.


    Size wise, it was only slightly smaller than Finn himself, but that definitely didn''t faze the beast as it approached him.


    Finn unconsciously released a low growl, baring his sharp teeth as the armored boar approached him. It was already licking its mouth, drooling pooling under as it approach.


    Smelling its terrible breath, Finn felt primal emotions rising from within him. Wrath and feelings of hurt pride welled from his very being. Sitting up, Finn balanced himself on his back legs, still unable to support any weight on his front limbs.


    Finn roared his grievances right into the face of the armored boar, which appeared stunned at his recovery. Clearly, it had already believed it had won once it crushed him. This had been the first prey it had encountered that was still able to fight back after being hit by its boulder attack.


    Not wasting time, the boar rushed him, headbutting his chest in an attempt to knock Finn over. He held fast, his back legs leaving trenches in the dirt as he was pushed back.


    Bringing his head down, Finn ferociously bit at the armoured boars neck. He was dissatisfied to find that even his razor sharp teeth couldn''t penetrate its armor plates.


    Unable to succeed with physical measures, Finn used this chance to concentrate a beam of superheated light right onto the spot he was biting, just like how he dealt with the earth wolf long ago.


    SQEEEEEEEEEEEAAA!


    The armoured boar let out a blood curdling scream as its neck began cooking. Giving up on tackling Finn, the boar bucked and threw Finn off of itself.


    Backing up a respectable distance, the boar started circling Finn, both growling at each other menacingly. Finn fired a quick sunbeam, at which the boar turned its body, taking the blow with its side plates.


    Beginning to feel the heat from the concentrated firepower, the boar let out a squeal before it rapidly burrowed into the ground, using its earth energy to push the dirt aside like a magic powered mole.


    Finn was seeing red, mentally cursing the beast for daring to run. However, he was mistaken. The ground beneath Finn had started vibrating...


    A sudden pain in his left hind leg brought Finn collapsing to the ground. Looking down his body, he saw a crimson bone spike sticking out of the dirt, impaled through his back claw.


    The beast had attacked him from underground!


    Covered in his blood, the bone spike was quickly retracted back into the earth. Sensing a familiar vibration, Finn reacted by rolling, narrowly dodging another spike that sprung from the ground, aimed at his back.


    This continued for a bit, Finn dodging the magical beast''s deadly spikes as he rolled out of the way. As long as he reacted fast enough, the spikes wouldn''t hit.


    Finn grunted in pain, he was finally able to put weight back onto his front limbs, but it was excruciating. He could only bear it as long as he kept the healing energy flowing.


    As he became faster, Finn also grew frustrated. I can''t hit the damn thing as long as it stays below! Rage consuming him, Finn dodged another bone spike before chomping down on it, just before it could reenter the ground.


    Ignoring the pain in his limbs, Finn used his great strength to rip the spike from below, along with a chunk of flesh.


    Finn had torn the bone spike straight off the magical beast!


    As if on cue, the armoured boar emerged, squealing in hatred as the gaping wound on its side where its spike used to be bled furiously.


    It tried charging once again. Finn reacted by swinging his body, bringing his tail that was covered in a golden aura whipping around...


    Thwack!


    His tail struck the armoured boars face with great force, disorientating it, causing it to veer off target.


    As it ran past, Finn body slammed it, knocking it onto its side. Avoiding its spikes, Finn jumped onto the beast, pinning it by locking its legs in place with his own, like a magical beast version of wrestling.


    The armored boar roared in indignation, furiously trying to break free. Its struggles turned more and more desperate as it began to feel heat radiating from its limbs.


    Finn''s claws were glowing white hot as the gripped onto the fur of its legs, creating a horrid burnt hair smell in the air.


    Meanwhile, Finn started charging his sunbeam. Panic was evident in the boar''s eyes as it felt massive waves of energy radiating off the sphere of light that was forming in front of Finn''s mouth.


    Having pinned the beast, Finn had secured all the time he needed. As he finished forming his most powerful attack, the armoured boar summoned all its remaining energy.


    Slamming its head against the earth, the area around Finn started shaking vigorously. It had created a miniature earthquake!


    Sadly, this act of desperation bore no fruit as Finn was too tightly clamped to the boar. Having lost his patience, Finn released his control over the miniature sun held in control by his power.


    Aimed at the boars head, blinding beam of light incinerated everything in its path, leaving nothing but a large smoking crater. The boars head was missing, the parts that had been connected to it cauterized by the heat.


    Finn crawled off the body of the armoured boar and released a loud roar that echoed into the distance. As if a switch was flipped, the intense bloodlust and savagery that Finn unknowingly displayed earlier, faded away.


    Collapsing in exhaustion, Finn worriedly pondered if these new savage feelings and emotions were permanent, if they were just a new aspect of himself he would just have to live with and control.


    Also, how many brushes of death was he supposed to survive. I am just an old man, I cant keep this up forever... Finn suddenly felt homesick.


    Looking over to the dead magical beast, Finn confirmed that it indeed wasn''t a dream. Just like with every fight before, he had felt like he was in a murderous haze the whole time.


    Looking around, it was hard to fathom the destruction their fighting had caused. Overturned trees, shattered earth, burning underbrush... it reminded Finn of the scene he had witnessed when he had been born, just on a much smaller scale.


    Putting all his concerned thoughts aside, Finn was about to begin meditating to recover his energy when he felt a small presence jump onto his back. Turning his head in alarm, Finn was rendered speechless... It was the smallest light fox, Shrimp!


    What are you doing here? Did you follow me all this way? Finn brought his head in close to inspect the tiny ball of fur. When he did so, the tiny thing licked his snout, to his surprise. Tilting his head, Finn came to an understanding.


    At least you know how to be grateful you brat... Finn smiled internally, believing this was some form of thanks.


    It wasn''t long before he was rejoined by the other three light foxes, who squealed happily when they found him and their pup.


    Finn didn''t know how, but they somehow were able to track him despite having run quite a distance. Maybe their sense of smell was much stronger? Finn could only guess.


    As he began absorbing sunlight, Finn looked a certain direction and focused his eyes. After a second, they widened in realization.


    Is that... a mountain?

 32 The Mountain

    Bryn would probably know what this is... Finn felt a familiar pang of longing to see his boy as he inspected the dead magical beast.


    Sending power through his claws, the smell of cooking flesh wafted into the air as Finn cut through the body, seeking out its core.


    He had to be careful to avoid the armor plates, as those were nearly impenetrable to his claws alone.


    Pulling out a large glowing green gem, Finn at last confirmed it was likely rank three based on the level of energy radiating off the core in his hand.


    With previous experience, Finn forced energy into the core, purifying and converting it into a warm golden color identical to his own before absorbing it. From what he could sense in his own core, he still had a long way to go before it reached a new stage.


    Meanwhile, the little light foxes that had been traveling with him were picking at the meat where its head used to be connected. I guess cooked meat was preferable to raw meat even to magical beasts, huh... Finn learned a little bit more about his little companions.


    Now then, before anything else happens... Finn looked off into the distance. Indeed, there was a dark blue shadow that rose up high into the sky into a flat point. Its color contrasted with the bright oranges and purples of the sunset.


    Damn, better wait until the morning... From weeks spent in these woods, Finn knew there were far more dangers in the night, not including the lack of sunlight for himself.


    Curling up, he found himself joined by the little stowaways, who curled themselves up in the nooks of his form and fell fast asleep. Shrimp had apparently taken a special liking to him, and curled up right underneath his head, showcasing its total disregard for Finn''s personal space.


    This brat... I wonder if you taste like shrimp too... Finn thought humorously as the lay his head down carefully to avoid disturbing the little furball.


    Finn woke up, having not been ambushed in the night. Small blessings I suppose... Finn felt today would be a good day. Of course, he had zero basis with which to back this feeling, but he didn''t care.


    Looking in the distance, it was difficult to tell how far the mountain was, same with its height. Unless one was right at its base, it was hard to judge a mountains true size.


    Maybe if I climb it, I can finally gain a bearing on where to travel... Finn considered this for a moment. This was the first landmark he had seen these past couple weeks that could possibly help him find the correct direction home.


    Who knows, maybe at that height I will be able to see smoke from a faraway village, or maybe even the grassy plains at the edge of the Border Woods. Wouldn''t that be nice... Finn hoped for the best. After all, it could lead him...


    Home... Finn thought wistfully. It was decided then. It wasn''t like he had any better ideas. Rising on all fours, Finn began trudging along, the chirps and squeals of the little light foxes running along his back breaking the depressing silence as he marched.


    Several rest stops later, Finn approached what he assumed was the base of the rather large mountain due to the sudden increase in elevation. From here on, it was all uphill.


    Heh, if I was still my old self, this would be impossible... Finn wryly chuckled at the thought. His old body wouldn''t have been able to climb a mountain at his age.


    As he approached, the bluish haze of the most had faded into layers of dark green. The mountain was teeming with trees, giving it a vibrant feeling of life.


    However, now that he was closer, Finn could see a strip of black amongst the sea of green near the peak, as if the trees vanished in that area. It looked like a black scar along an otherwise beautiful green painting.


    I wonder what happened there? Finn began feeling a strange premonition of danger. Why does everything out of the ordinary always lead to something dangerous? Finn internally grimaced.


    If possible, he wanted to avoid conflict, but it always seemed to find him on its own. Am I a magnet for other magical beasts or something? Finn thoughts went off on a tangent before reeling them in again.


    Finn shook his head and cleared his mind of all unnecessary thoughts. Although he wanted to avoid risks, this was one he was willing to take. Who knows how long I would wander before finding another mountain. I need to at least try... Finn decided to climb.


    After all, when am I not in danger in these dreadful woods. It''s not like this is any different than usual... Finn took the first steps on the path to the top.


    Despite its height, it wasn''t long before Finn was almost a third of the way up. Things were going smoothly, so far anyway.


    I wonder how tall this mountain is? Finn would often ask himself these pointless questions to drive away the boredom. That, and he was trying to ignore Shrimp, who was chewing on one of his horns again.


    Although it was bone, Finn could still slightly feel the chewing. It was quite a strange sensation, one that he resigned himself to patiently ignore.


    Crunch!


    Hmm? Finn looked down. At some point, the dirt ground had turned into gravel. Looking all around, he realized that the gravel actually formed... a path!


    Finn''s eyes widened. The way the gravel was collected and formed made it obvious that it was intentionally placed here, which could only mean one thing...


    People! This must have been put here by people! Finn nearly started shaking in excitement. To see a friendly face after so long, who wouldn''t be excited?


    Before he could start running down the path however, some details grabbed his attention. The gravel path, although clearly man-made, showed signs of deep neglect, as if it had been left alone for years. Many weeds and plants were growing on the path, which indicated its lack of use for a long period of time.


    Finn''s bubbling excitement grudgingly receeded. This path, as well as the people who might have laid it, likely left long ago.


    Of course there were other possibilities, like this path was just one they stopped using after making a new one, but it was unlikely, as Finn couldn''t smell any scents that reminded him of people around the area.


    Ultimately refusing to get his hopes up, Finn followed the old gravel path as it curved in a route up the mountainside. Each step created a relaxing crunching sound, reminding Finn of hikes along similar trails in his old life.


    As he went higher, a nice breeze blew along his scales. Finn took a long breath, admiring the fresh mountain air. It was cooler and dryer than the moist air of the woods below.


    The mountain''s topography followed a relatively simple pattern. For a while it would be a slightly steep incline, then it would gradually plateau into flat land before becoming steep again, similar to how stairs are shaped. Now, he was just coming over another steep portion.


    Wait, what''s that? Looking ahead in the distance, Finn could see a change in the scenery. Instead of the usual tree covered plateau, it was instead empty.


    It was as if the whole area had been cleared of trees, but that wasn''t the surprising part. Ahead, there were hundreds of what appeared to be stone structures lined up in an observable pattern.


    It looked almost like... a village! Finn hurried his pace. Yes, this must be a village... Finn could see a dilapidated wooden fence surrounding the stone village.


    Finn wondered what kind of people could have built a settlement in these dangerous lands, but even further, he wondered what had happened to them.


    Finn couldn''t smell anything. To his sense of smell, it was as if these buildings were no different than the mountainside itself. Clearly, this place had been abandoned, but why?


    Walking through what once could have been a gate, Finn examined the buildings carefully. What surprised Finn the most was the uniformity of the designs.


    Each house, at least Finn assumed they were houses, were constructed in a very block like fashion. Although each building had slight differences, every one of them had this unique stylized look to them.


    Walking up close to one of them, Finn could see faint lines in between certain blocks. Hmm, they were built similar to brick buildings. I wonder what adhesive they used to connect the stones together? Having owned a construction company in his former life, Finn could appreciate the design and effort it took to build these homes.


    The bricks were cut almost perfectly even, giving the outer surface a nice flush look. In fact, the cuts seemed almost too perfect. Incredible craftsmanship... Finn praised wholeheartedly.


    The stones used must''ve come from the mountain itself... This was a fairly obvious assumption. The further he went up the mountainside, the rockier the terrain had become, and the dark grey stones used in the construction of these buildings matched the stones embedded into the mountain.


    Looking at the rotten wood that was the door to the home, Finn was dumbfounded. I guess I''m too big to enter it... Finn forgot that he indeed was a size bigger than a horse now, and quite a bit wider.


    I don''t think I will be able to fit in Bryn''s room anymore, not without demolishing the frame... Finn lampooned as he realized an underlying truth. It would be quite difficult to fit in the farmhouse should he ever get home.


    The thought of not being able to lie down next to the fireplace suddenly filled him with sadness.


    Finn shook his head, forcing the depression away. Instead of the door, he went up to a square cutout in the side of the house, a window.


    Pushing his head through, he peered into a small, poorly lit room. Opening his mouth, Finn used his power, creating a glowing ball of light in his throat that illuminated the dark space.


    The light revealed very old and rotten wooden furniture in a small and compact living area. Chairs, a table covered in various wooden utensils, and a bed in the corner.


    Upon closer inspection, Finn could see some worrying signs. There were clothes strewn everywhere, and it was a complete mess with all manner of things strewn about.


    Whoever left this house... left in a hurry. What were they running from? Finn suddenly didn''t feel so safe.


    Crash!


    Finn nearly had a heart attack as he jumped at the sound, only to remember his head was still inside the house. It smacked the stone ceiling, causing dust to rain from above.


    What the hell was that? It sounded to Finn like a clay pot being smashed.


    A squeal from inside the house gave him his answer. At some point, his little companions had run inside in their invisible state, so he didn''t notice. Over in the corner where a shelf was located, a pot had been pushed to the floor, smashing it and releasing the contents within.


    The four light foxes had appeared and were licking whatever had spilled. Taking a whiff of the fragrance, Finn knew immediately what it was... honey!


    Those little rascals, scaring me half to death, all for some honey... Despite himself, Finn felt embarrassed.


    Pulling himself out of the window, Finn examined a couple more houses, each with similar situations inside.


    I wonder what happened here? It was a complete ghost town. Although the houses were well built, nature had begun to reclaim them, with weeds and vines growing up many of the houses he passed.


    All these houses were built on either side of a small dirt road that cut through the length of the village. It was on this dirt road that Finn was walking, trying to find any signs that could tell him what caused these people to flee.


    As he neared the center, Finn finally got his answer. When he came upon the scene, Finn stood perfectly still, too shocked to form coherent thoughts.


    Bodies, bodies everywhere, with nothing remaining of them but charred skeletons. At what was likely the village center, a scene of carnage was painted before Finn.


    Many of the surrounding stone houses had deep black scorch marks, consistent with strong and high temperature flames.


    The remains of those who once lived here were also burnt black as night, some leaving behind gruesome poses, as if they had tried to run, but had been caught in a tornado of fire before they could escape, dying in agony.


    Some of the bodies were covered in rusted metal, which must''ve been gleaming armor at some point in time.


    In fact, there were remains of weapons and armor all over the place, most rusted beyond repair being exposed to the elements for who knows how long.


    One thing was certain, a tragic battle occured here. Against what, Finn didn''t want to find out. Whatever could cause such carnage is not something I would like to face...


    Finn shuddered as he slowly looked around, a horrible scene was recreated from his imagination as he pictured the battle. Soldiers defending against a fire-spewing demon as innocent people fled for their lives.


    Small sensations on his back brought Finn back to reality. His little companions had rejoined him after having their snack. They seemed oblivious to the horror around him.


    Looking back at them, he witnessed the mother, he assumed anyway, licking the remaining honey off the snouts of the little pups, who appeared reluctant to be cleaned in this manner.


    Finn sighed, the display of levity calming him down. He had never witnessed such death and devastation, and it was definitely quite a shock. Saying a quick prayer, Finn moved on, determined to reach the top and be on his way.


    The path he had been walking on led to the other side of the village. Along the way, Finn could see more bodies, most of them burnt various shades of black.


    Finn ended up coming to another gate on the opposite side.


    ...


    What remained of this gate was a pile of ashes and burnt wood. Finn could see many more cauterized bodies covered in rusted armor around. Whatever attacked this place, came in through here... Finn frowned internally at this.


    Further ahead the path continued onto the next incline, leading up to the peak. Finn debated on whether or not it was worth the risk to continue.


    On one hand, there was a chance that whatever attacked this place was still here, living on this mountain. On the other, this clearly happened years ago and Finn''s instincts were not picking up any signs of danger yet.


    At that thought, Finn glanced back at his passengers. The little light foxes were curled up comfortably in between the two spikey growths on his back, like a secure nest.


    These guys seem to sense danger faster than me, and they aren''t reacting yet... Finn recalled how they had sensed the armored boar earlier than he did. If they aren''t scared, I shouldn''t be.


    To continue on was the decision.


    Finn walked through the destroyed gates, leaving the scene of death behind him. The gravel path had not reached an end, and it led him further up to the peak.


    Finn could see the top, but when he walked over the crest of a hill, he finally found the scar along the mountainside he had seen from the base.


    A forest fire? Finn looked around warily at the field of burnt trees that resembled sinister black spears jutting out of the earth. The ground was black with ash and soot, and Finn''s sense of smell was flooded with scents of burning charcoal, and even a hint of sulfur.


    Oddly, there was nothing growing at all in the wake of the destruction. Finn knew about forest fires, and it was common knowledge that after the trees were burned away, new growth would sprout almost immediately.


    It''s almost like something is keeping anything from regrowing... Finn looked around until he finally noticed an anomaly. There was a cave at the back of this burnt landscape.


    Finn felt himself shiver, the premonition he had at the beginning of his climb coming back in full force.


    A nagging sensation started tugging at his mind.


    Eep!


    A squeak from behind him made Finn jolt as he glanced back. The four little light foxes were standing at attention, looking at Finn with what Finn could only interpret as... worry.


    What are they doing? Finn looked closely and noticed something amiss. Where they were standing was a sort of border, where the luscious green grass turned into blackened ash and burnt soil. It was like a divide between the sides of life and death.


    Finn looked down and noticed he was standing on the other side of this divide.


    Is this... territorial marking? Finn suddenly had an epiphany. Was this the source of the nagging sensation, my instincts telling me that I''m trespassing?


    No matter what Finn did or how he moved, the light foxes refused to join him, and just watched him silently from the side of life.


    Although his instincts weren''t prickling at any source of danger, Finn erred on the side of caution and crossed back over, and was immediately "tackled" by his little companions, who rejoined him on his back.


    Taking another glance at the cave in the distance, Finn didn''t see any signs of movement. Nothing horrifying came out to investigate his presence.


    Then, the wind shifted in his direction, bringing about a new scent...


    Danger!


    At same moment he noticed it, his little passengers all let out alarmed squeals. Acting purely on instinct, Finn ran as fast as he could away from the cave.


    Whatever terrible monster he had smelled, everything about it screamed untenable danger!


    When he finally got a fair distance away, Finn spun around to make sure he wasn''t being chased. Confirming he was in the clear, Finn let out a shaky breath.


    What could it be? Something terrible was living in that cave! Just its scent alone scares the life out of me! Finn keyed his senses up to eleven as he looked all around to make sure nothing was waiting in ambush.


    Why didn''t it chase me? Finn realized the problem. Normally, once any powerful magical beast sensed his presence, they would often immediately attack.


    Finn thought for a moment. Is it... not home? This was just a guess, but it was the only reason he could think of at why he wasn''t being attacked right now.


    After all, I did unwittingly step into its territory. With the tempers he knew wild magical beasts had, that should''ve been enough to accidentally provoke whatever was living there.


    It was a very difficult internal debate, whether or not he should just leave or reach the peak by taking a detour. I am so close, it wouldn''t even take me an hour to reach the top, even if I bypass that creature''s territory.


    Ugh! I''ve come this far, I have to reach the top. It was time to be bold for a change. Steeling his nerves and heightening his wariness, Finn took another path.


    A little over an hour later, after walking well around that torched landscape, Finn made it to the peak unscathed.


    Oh! Finn internally exclaimed at an interesting discovery as he came over the final crest of a hill. There was a worn down sentry tower still standing on the peak. It was likely the people who had once lived in the village below used it for scouting purposes.


    Feeling a rough breeze over his scales, Finn took a good long breath and gazed into the distance in all directions.


    ...nothing


    There was nothing but an endless landscape of green everywhere he looked. It went on for as far as his eyes could visibly see. No other landmarks were visible, just a neverending forest.


    Sitting down on his haunches, Finn remained still as the wind blew across him, gazing out towards the horizon. He remained in that position for a long time. His only solace for this disappointment was that he wasn''t alone anymore.


    As looked down, he could see the pups trying to fight against the strong winds, only to have themselves blown backwards. The adult light foxes watched from the safety of Finn''s body, wisely using him to shelter themselves from the breeze.


    Eventually, they gave up and hid behind Finn as well, the parents nuzzling their windswept fur as if to say "Did you have fun?"


    Let''s go... Finn sighed heavily. As he turned around to walk back down the mountain, a bright flash of light grabbed his attention.


    A good distance away from the base of the mountain he was on, there was... fire! As Finn''s focus zeroed in, he couldn''t believe what he saw.


    A tornado, a tornado of flame! As he continued to watch, the tornado dissipated, but it was followed up by sequential bursts of hot intense fire bursting through the top of the treeline.


    What''s happening over there? Finn watched with concerned curiosity at the strange phenomena. Several trees in that area shook, while some directly collapsed. Are magical beasts fighting?


    Through a gap in the treeline, Finn saw tiny figures that appeared to be fleeing from the source of the flames.


    Tiny figures that looked like... people!

 33 Aid

    Anya raised her round shield, pouring her wind energy through its built in channels. Special symbols on the shield glowed, and the outer rim started rotating at high speeds, generating a magical forcefield-like current of air.


    It was just in time too, as right at that moment, a powerful blast of fire crashed into the wind barrier.


    Instead of being burned to a crisp, the flames were dispersed by a vortex of wind, creating a tornado of wind and fire that passed harmlessly around her.


    Never had Anya been so grateful to her father for gifting her this magical artifact for her coming of age ceremony. She had requested a weapon artifact, but he had reasoned that her safety was more important. His wise choice was the only reason she was still alive today.


    After dispersing the attack, Anya continued to run. In her footsteps chased a monstrous creature that was shooting fireballs the size of boulders out of its mouth at her retreating form.


    Why! Why has it chosen now to attack us? Anya repeatedly asked this question as she swiftly dodged incoming fireballs.


    Three years ago, it drove us from our home. Since then, it has ignored our existence. Why now all of a sudden! Activating her shield, Anya repelled another wave of flame.


    Was it somehow aware that father left? How could it have known? Anya jumped over fallen debris as she attempted to create distance.


    I must continue to lead it away from my people! Steeling her resolve, Ayna pulled out her short sword. Stepping out from behind the cover of a tree, she faced the monster threatening her village.


    Concentrating, Anya channeled a thin layer of her wind energy along the razor edge of the blade. Swinging her sword, the energy slid off and became a blue streak as it raced across the air, cutting through anything in its path.


    It collided with its target, leaving behind only a scratch on its scales, but that was enough to continue drawing its attention, judging by its offended roar of fury.


    Loud stomps echoed in the forest as the massive beast gave chase to the diminutive figure that insulted it.


    Meanwhile, Finn was working his way down the mountain at a rapid pace. As he approached the decline that faced the direction where the flames originated, Finn felt a regrettably familiar feeling surface from deep within him.


    Fear... Finn felt an unexplainable fear coming from instincts that were ingrained into his very being. Whatever created those flames was something a whole magnitude more powerful than anything he had ever faced.


    Wait, this seems familiar... A memory resurfaced in Finn''s mind, his feeling of terror when he had faced that guild master long ago. A feeling of insurmountable danger.


    This must be the qualitative change rank four brings... Nothing Finn had met so far in these woods had given him such a feeling of pause. Whatever this beast was, it definitely was the biggest threat he had ever encountered.


    Finally reaching the bottom, Finn struggled to move forward towards the source of conflict. His body was telling him to run, but his curiosity would not be denied.


    I have to see! Finn could''ve sworn he had seen people shaped figures. He couldn''t run until he confirmed the situation himself. The sun was still up, and he could always retreat if it came down to it.


    Feeling subtle vibrations on his back, Finn glanced back to see the four light foxes shivering as they curled up in fear.


    They are terrified... Finn felt a little guilty for not noticing this sooner. Kneeling down, Finn gently nudged them off his back with his head. Scooting them away, Finn lightly pushed them towards the underbrush, hoping they would understand.


    Finn was relieved to see they did, somewhat. The parents squeaked, leading their pups away as they turned invisible. Finn saw Shrimp give him one last long look, before he too disappeared into thin air.


    I really need to learn that... Finn was jealous of their ability to turn invisible. He had been practicing, but so far his manipulation of natual light was still in its infant stages. He could only warp and compress it somewhat, lacking the delicate control such an ability likely takes.


    Confident they would be able to find him later, Finn continued on towards the sounds of destruction. When he finally crept close enough to see what was happening, he finally confirmed his suspicions.


    A person! A girl! Finn saw what appeared to be a young woman darting from tree to tree at incredible speeds. She had pale skin with blond hair, and was wearing what looked like a combination of brown leather and sewn white cloth for clothes.


    The most eye catching feature about her was the large round shield covered with strange symbols strapped to her left arm. Observing closely, he could see a bluish glow on her legs and feet.


    Wind energy! She is able to use wind energy! Finn confirmed from the safety of his hiding spot.


    What is she running from? His delight at finally finding someone in these woods was hampered by this question.


    The oppressive feeling of danger had only grown in intensity the closer he came, and if the loud growls and stomps he was hearing were any indication, he would soon find out.


    The girl flew by his field of vision like a blur, and several seconds later, something else came chasing along the same path, something terrifying!


    As the massive beast came into view, Finn started shivering uncontrollably. It was something he couldn''t help, a result of being near something so dangerous. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to escape.


    Finn was having trouble containing his shock. This mountain of a creature... looked similar to him! At least, its overall form looked similar. This new beast was at least three times bigger than Finn, which was saying something! He was reminded of the time when he was nearly killed by the ironhide bear. The size difference was staggering.


    Adorned with blood red scales, this beast was like a physical embodiment of wrath. Its scales were not smooth like Finn''s, but were tapered to sharp points that gleamed in the sunlight. It gave it a feeling of a porcupine, where simply touching it would give you a cut.


    Its head, legs and claws were similar in form to Finn''s own, only the beast''s somehow looked even more menacing due to their larger size and reddish hue, and its head had several more horn growths than Finn had, giving it a very complex and fearsome look.


    Even more eye catching was that the beast was literally on fire! Self immolation? Wait... Finn looked closer to see a layer of reddish colored energy surrounding its body.


    Finn had come to learn that this was a common defensive tactic that all magical beasts utilized. However, the energy he was seeing surrounding its body was almost no different than fire itself. Tongues of flame peeled off its scales as it ran by, falling to the ground and igniting the surroundings.


    Is this a common occurence for those with a fire affinity, or is this a qualitative change rank four brings? Finn didn''t have time to consider the possibilities, as the game of cat and mouse was getting further away from him.


    She is... leading it away? Finn made a guess. There were scents similar to the girl coming from the opposite direction. Knowing this, it wasn''t hard to assume she was leading this fire breathing beast away from other people.


    Finn watched as the chasing fiery beast opened its mouth and released a large flaming projectile at the puny person running away, who narrowly dodged the blast.


    Finn followed behind, making sure to stay hidden. There was no question, Finn wanted to help the poor girl. Deep down, Finn still considered himself a person, and there was no way he would sit idly by while a young woman was massacred by a monster.


    What would be the point of my power otherwise? Finn continuously encouraged himself to combat his ingrained instincts to run. Even now, they were telling him to leave, to forget the girl, to flee.


    To... abandon someone who needed help to save his own skin.


    Finn felt angry at this fear, for it highlighted the discrepancy he had always felt, being a man in a beast''s body.


    A magical beast would run away, only facing dangers it knew it could handle, slowly growing stronger as it hunted weaker beings. If Finn did this, in time he would grow to become strong as well, but there was a problem.


    In Finn''s mind, that was completely stupid. He was a person deep down, not a mindless magical beast. There was more to life than simply surviving and growing stronger.


    How could I face my family if they knew I left someone to die when I could have done something? Finn had been taught growing up to always stand up for others who needed help. His own father had called it standing up for the little guy and helping your fellow man.


    As pleasant memories of his old life resurfaced, Finn felt a calm settle over him that washed away his fear. Remembering a whole lifetime of experience and learned wisdom filled Finn with an empowering sense of self assurance.


    Deep down, I am a man, and men were blessed with the power to control their instincts. I won''t be lead by fear!


    At the end of the day, some things were more important than personal safety. Finn chose the only action he could live with, which could ironically get him killed.


    I have to help her, but how? Finn picked up the pace as he followed the trail of flames left behind by the inferno beast, as Finn had begun calling it in his mind.


    I will have to wait for an opportunity...


    Meanwhile, Anya was running out of steam. Having advanced to a rank three wind warrior, she was able to last for quite a while, but the relentless fireballs from the chasing fire drake forced her to burn through her accumulated wind energy at a ridiculous rate.


    Using her shield took a lot of energy, and running at sufficient speed to stay one step ahead of a rank four beast was taking its toll as well. She was caught on the horns of a dilemma. No matter what she did, she felt trapped.


    Eventually, she would run out of energy and either be burned to a crisp or eaten.


    Anya scowled in fury and sadness. At least I managed to draw it away from the village. Hopefully they''ve already retreated...


    Even if she died here, Anya could at least comfort herself with the knowledge that her people would live on.


    Sending energy into her shield, Anya dispersed another fireball she wasn''t able to dodge in time. With a sinking feeling, she realized that the fire drake''s aim was improving. It was getting harder to dodge.


    Or maybe I''m just getting tired... Either way, it wasn''t good news. Having to disperse fireballs with her shield gave the fire drake time to get closer, which made it easier for it to aim, making it harder to dodge, and therefore giving her no time to run. It was a vicious cycle, one that inevitably led to Anya being cornered.


    With her back against a tree, Anya struggled to catch her breath. Her clothes were badly singed, and she was trying desperately to gather ambient wind energy, but it just wasn''t fast enough.


    Soon, the beast was fully upon her. Standing above its exhausted prey, the cat and mouse game had finally come to an end. The fire drake released a continuous breath of intense fire at the spot where the puny girl was standing.


    In the sea of reds and oranges, one could see a speck of blue struggling against the tides of flame. Ayna was using the last of her energy to form a shield of wind, but she knew she was delaying the inevitable. The bubble of air protecting her from being washed away in the inferno was shrinking rapidly. Sonn she would be engulfed.


    Anya felt tears rolling down her cheeks as the surrounding heat became more and more intense. She didn''t want to die to the same beast that massacred so many loved ones from her village.


    If only she had been stronger, maybe she could have helped her father and brother defeat this evil monster that stole their home.


    Despair clouded her thoughts as the protective wind bubble produced by her shield was about to implode.


    And then everything stopped. The flames that were battering her wind barrier receded. Unable to maintain it anymore, the barrier dispersed as Ayna collapsed to her knees, sweat causing her blond hair to stick to her face.


    What? What happened? Why didn''t it finish me? Struggling to catch her breath, she looked up to see the fire drake staring off in another direction. It wasn''t even looking at her anymore.


    And then there was light.


    A column of light brighter than the sun slammed into the stunned fire drake as it staggered backwards. Quickly regaining its bearings, the drake countered by breathing fire into the onslaught of powerful light energy.


    The energies from both attacks fought eachother, causing the surrounding air to distort from the intense heat.


    Anya was too shocked to understand. What was happening? What had ambushed the fire drake?


    She watched as the beam of light dwindled in strength before ceasing. Looking to the fire drake, she could see a black streak of burnt skin and charred scales on the spot where the attack had landed.


    Anya''s eyes widened. How intense must''ve been the heat from that column of light to burn even an infamous rank four fire drake?


    Anya''s surprise only lasted a second before she was forced to cover her ears. An ear shredding roar of fury bellowed out of the drake''s mouth. Completely forgetting the small creature on front of it, it took off towards its attacker.


    Having just successfully completed his ambush, Finn felt a jolt of terror when the monster truck sized inferno beast started running over.


    Having not forgotten to plan ahead, Finn controlled himself and focused, condensing the ambient light in front of his face. A small black sphere started forming.


    As more light was absorbed into the miniature black hole, it grew in size till it was about the size of a beach ball. Using his control over the compressed light, he sent it out towards the charging beast.


    The fire drake witneased the strange black orb being created by the creature that ambushed it. Having survived long enough to grow this powerful, the fire drake was no fool. It did not dare to underestimate any creature that could harm it.


    Coming to a stop, the fire drake braced itself by enveloping its body in a layer of red energy identical to flames that flickered off its scales.


    Clearly, it was suspecting this was some form of attack. It watched carefully as the black orb floated towards it, exactly as Finn hoped it would.


    Finn internally smirked, and released his control over the sphere, closing his eyes in the process.


    A brilliant flash of light illuminated the area, casting shadows in all directions. The light that had been gathered and compressed into a ball exploded with intense luminescence, blinding both the girl and inferno beast, who were totally unprepared for such a tactic.


    Finn watched as the inferno beast stumbled around, shooting fire in all directions as it roared in confusion.


    Now was his chance!


    Using this opportunity, Finn ran to where the girl had collapsed, avoiding the random barrages of fire being spewed out by the blinded beast.


    He found her rubbing her eyes as copious amount of tears leaked out.


    Without waiting for consent, Finn stuck his head under her body and scooped her up onto his back. The girl let out a startled yelp, before unconsciously clinging to his neck. He then took off, away from the inferno beast, who''s eyesight still hadn''t returned.


    Finally, Finn listened to his instincts. He ran as fast as he could.

 34 First Impressions

    Anya''s mind was in disarray. The prospect of a painful fiery death had seemed quite certain until someone intervened. Who or what it was, she could not determine from where she had collapsed.


    And before she could think to escape, a blinding flash of light robbed her of her most important sense.


    In her blinded confusion, Anya felt something grab her, and for a terrible moment, she felt certain she was about to be crushed between the massive jaws of the fiery drake.


    Instead however, Anya felt herself uncomfortably thrown onto something that was running at high speeds, forcing her to grab hold of the nearest object to prevent herself from falling off.


    When her fingers grabbed hold of the closest available purchase, she gasped at the sensation of warm smooth scales beneath her fingers.


    Still blind with tears running down her face, she could only hold on for dear life as whatever was carrying her continued to race away.


    Gradually, her vision returned as the breeze from the high speed movement whipped past her body, drying the sweat from her hair.


    When she could finally make out the figure that had carried her away, she nearly let go of its neck in surprise and terror.


    She would have shrieked if the wind wasn''t forcing her mouth shut.


    It''s another drake! Anya felt the trauma from three years ago swing back in full force. A drake had destroyed her home, and now she was on top of one!


    If she wasn''t so exhausted, Anya would have attempted to jump off and run away from the creature that had been haunting her nightmares for so long.


    Unfortunately for her, giving her all to defend against the fire drake meant that she was running on fumes.


    Not really understanding what was happening, it took all of her concentration to prevent herself from falling off. She couldn''t even gather the ambient wind energy to replenish herself.


    All she knew was that she was moving away from the terrible fire drake, and the more away she was from it, the better.


    Two hours past like this until Finn finally came to a halt. An hour ago, Finn felt the last traces of the inferno beast fade away, which likely meant it wasn''t pursuing them. To be extra safe, Finn ran further than what was probably necessary.


    I guess it decided we were too much trouble to chase down? Finn was actually surprised that it gave up on following them. As he looked back in the direction where they came, he felt the girl collapse off his back.


    Turning around in surprise, Finn saw her backing away quickly, holding her shield between herself and him. She backed herself up to a tree, pulling out her shortsword and pointing it at him in the process, as if she expected him to attack.


    Finn titled his head in confusion, before he again realized that he was in fact not a very old man, but instead a large magical lizard beast. Any other type of reaction except hers would have been abnormal in most circumstances, the thought making Finn sigh internally.


    Anya held her shield and sword defensively against the drake across from her. There were too many questions, the main one being...


    Why did it save me? Having grown up in the Kurugo Woods, Anya had been taught by her father how to hunt and observe magical beasts. Their behaviors were now very predictable to her, and hunting them was simply a way of life.


    Although Anya''s father had mentioned before that magical beasts of higher ranks were usually more intelligent, even the fire drake only had a basic level of intelligence. If it had been smarter, it wouldn''t have been so easily baited into following her.


    However, even with all her accumulated experience on the subject of magical beasts, Anya could not explain why the white scaled drake across from her had essentially saved her life.


    Her first instinct was to think it was a trick or trap of some kind, but that possibility was quickly ruled out due to the fact that it was a magical beast. What ulterior motives could a beast possibly have?


    If it wanted to kill me, why is it simply watching me? Anya could see this drake''s golden irises watching her as she adjusted her position.


    For some baffling reason, she didn''t feel any sense of malice or hunger in its gaze. From the way its head was titled and its sitting position, it actually looked more curious than anything.


    What? Although much less common, Anya knew of magical beasts that had docile and even friendly natures, but drake''s were notorious for being highly aggressive and short tempered, regardless of their elemental affinity.


    In one of his many stories, her father had explained that it was due to their immense pride. They were partial descendants of the infamous dragon race, who were one of the most powerful creatures that existed.


    Unlike actual dragons however, drakes were land bound and never grew wings. Because of this they were sometimes referred to as land dragons.


    Even having only traces of a dragon''s bloodline made drake''s incredibly strong and arrogant, which made them very aggressive.


    This one however, did not seem hostile in the least. There was an intense contradiction in front of her that Anya had no answer or response for.


    Standing up from her sitting position, Anya cautiously spoke while readjusting her shield protectively. "What do you want beast?"


    Finn''s utter joy at finally hearing another person''s voice was countered by the fact that he couldn''t understand what she was saying.


    Another language! Of course she speaks in another language! Why wouldn''t she speak in another language? Finn felt his frustrations explode after recalling how long it had taken to learn Bryn''s language when he first arrived here.


    It was like starting back at square one, and now it was going to take that much longer to explain that he needed her help.


    Anya''s breath caught in her throat. For a scary moment, she thought she angered the beast by speaking to it from how it was growling and swinging its head around in apparent displeasure, but then it simply plopped down onto the ground and huffed.


    Anya''s eyebrow twitched. This massive and dangerous drake that could tear her apart easily just threw what looked like a childish temper tantrum. She was at a loss for words.


    After Finn vented his frustration, he laid upon the ground and started thinking about how he was going to get her help. Examining the girl closer, he confirmed that she was indeed burned in several places.


    Finn felt his frustration dissipate as his concern grew. From those burns, Finn could tell that she was likely in pain.


    Poor thing... the girl didn''t look that much older than Bryn, and yet Finn had watched her bravely fight a creature she was no match for. Hell, even he was no match for such a beast.


    Finn knew what he needed to do. Standing up, he slowly crept towards the girl, one step at a time. Naturally, she became extremely wary at his sudden approach.


    Finn only now realized how much he had grown, for now he was looking down at the girl that was taller than Bryn as she looked up at him in fear. She held her shield tightly to her body, ready for any sudden attack.


    Do I really look that scary... Her reaction made him slightly depressed. Deep down he was just an old man. Helping her would be the only way to earn goodwill.


    That being said, Finn remained cautious of her shield. He had seen the miraculous way it created wind storms when she powered it with her energy.


    Standing over the girl, Finn opened his mouth and began channeling energy down a familiar path.


    Anya was truly frightened. Looking up, she could see the white scales drake open its mouth to reveal razor sharp teeth that could bite her in half.


    What''s it doing? Is it going to bite me? Burn me to a crisp? Anya listed the possibilities as she prepared for the worst. Drained of energy, she felt weak and powerless.


    Closing her eyes Anya prepared for the end. Only... the end never came like she imagined. All of a sudden, she felt an unbelievably soothing sensation coming from all the burns on her pale skin.


    Opening her eyes in surprise, Anya looked up to see golden mist-like energy pouring out of the drake''s mouth. As it fell upon her, all the pain she only just now realized she was in began to fade away. A wave of relief flooded her body as she unwittingly slid to the ground.


    Anya watched as the burnt skin on her arms regrew at a rate visible to the naked eye, leaving nothing behind but unblemished pale skin. Even her physical fatigue began to fade, it was a wonderful feeling.


    Without even realizing it, Anya began to close her eyes as she dropped her sword to the ground. The accumulated stress and tension in her body were unwinding due to the soothing effects of the healing mist, and she felt warm and comfortable.


    Finn continued to provide healing energy to the poor girl as she slowly sank to the ground. He was satisfied to see her wounds and burns were healing beautifully, just as he''d hoped.


    After a few minutes passed, Finn ceased his flow of energy. All her visible wounds were now gone, and Finn was shocked to see that the girl had actually fallen asleep in the shade of the tree.


    Looking around, Finn decided he didn''t have it in him to wake the poor girl up. I can wait till tomorrow... The sun was still up and Finn decided he would simply sunbath and sleep to the next day.


    Finn curled himself protectively around the girl as he laid upon the ground. Closing his eyes, he began channeling sunlight.


    Without noticing, the golden aura Finn emitted while sunbathing continued to wash over the girl, providing her with continuous warmth and comfort.


    The rest of the day past by peacefully, and the duo slept soundly through the night.


    .


    .


    .


    Anya dreamed of her village. Of the times she fought with her brother over who got to practice with dad''s bow. Of the times she snuck into berries into her friend''s shoes as a prank. Of the times she was scolded by her father for her pranks.


    All happy memories that filtered though her mind as she slept soundly. As sunlight from a new day began shining into her eyes, Anya finally stirred.


    When she finally opened her eyes, Anya sat up and stretched, feeling completely rejuvenated. What great sleep... For a precious moment, Anya remained blissfully unaware as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her hair disheveled from sleeping on the ground.


    Then, reality came knocking with the subtlety of a war hammer. All at once, memories of the day prior flashed back. Anya remembered everything.


    Anya jumped to her feet in confusion and found herself face to face with a certain white scaled drake, who was looking at her with a questioning glance.


    "Ah!" Anya yelped in surprise as she backed up into the tree and bumped her head painfully. Crouching low, she rubbed her sore spot while muttering curses.


    What in the world is this girl doing? Internally, Finn was laughing at her amusing display.


    When she finally regained her bearings, Anya found herself lost in thought. I almost died, and yet, you saved and helped me. Anya looked up at the drake, who titled its head back in a questioning manner.


    Anya grit her teeth. Gathering her courage, she stood up and reached her hand out, slowly creeping towards the white scaled drake.


    As Finn was laying down, his head was just about at her eye level, and he watched her actions with interest.


    Anya still felt fear towards this creature, for it reminded her too much of the fire drake, but it did save her life. There was no denying that.


    As she inched closer, Finn found himself holding his breath, not really understanding her intentions. When she was right in front of him, she reached out.


    Finn didn''t move a muscle, not so much as a twitch as the girl touched the side of his face. A second that felt like an eternity passed, and then he heard the girl laugh before saying something he couldn''t understand.


    "You are a gentle and kind beast, aren''t you? That''s why you saved me?" Anya giggled a bit as she grabbed the drake''s head with both hands. To her, the situation was almost surreal. By all accounts I should be dead...


    Finn felt dumbfounded as the girl hugged his head. He was further stunned when he smelled salt. The girl had started crying as she hugged him while whispering something.


    Anya felt tears build in her eyes as she thought about what could have been. Hugging the beast that had saved her she whispered softly, "Thank you for saving my life."


    Although Finn still didn''t understand her, he could make a guess. Deciding to let the poor girl vent her sorrow, he relaxed his head into her hug.


    You''re welcome...

 35 Questions

    Anya sat with her legs crossed as she gathered ambient wind energy to replenish her drained body. As the wind energy was drawn to her, it generated a breeze that blew across her.


    From Finn''s point of view, it looked like the girl was caught in a miniature windstorm, with her hair and clothes whipping about. Although, the wind didn''t seem to bother the girl at all, which led him to believe this was a common occurrence.


    Currently, Finn was laying across from the girl, watching her gather energy with a gaze full of curiosity. He had never seen another person gathering energy like he did.


    Then again, he had never seen someone as powerful as her before, not including the guild master. From Finn''s danger sense, as he had come to know it, she was comparable to a rank three magical beast in terms of strength.


    If Bryn''s strength at rank one was a equal to a small breeze, then her strength was like a powerful gale. A vast difference in volume and intensity.


    They both produce wind when absorbing... Finn noticed the similarity between how Bryn and this girl restored their power.


    So those with different elemental affinities produce different effects when gathering energy? Would someone with a fire affinity create flames then... Finn''s thoughts wandered.


    Speaking of fire... Finn thought back to the inferno beast he had ambushed. He could not deny that it bore a scary resemblance to himself.


    Is that creature similar to me? Although it was red and much bigger, the similarities were too obvious.


    In fact, this was the first time he had seen anything close to himself, physically speaking. However, their behaviors couldn''t be more different.


    Finn thought of how the inferno beast attacked the girl, consumed by anger and rage. Will I eventually become like that if I lose my sense of self?


    Finn shuddered as he remembered the strange emotions he had felt before whenever he fought other creatures. Unbridled rage, fury, and brutality.


    Cruelty...


    Is that what I would have been like? Having seen the actions of the inferno beast, Finn vaguely guessed a worrying truth as he thought about the creature whose body he had come to inhabit.


    Finn had already come to terms with his new life, but it was still a shock to see a possible future that could have been.


    Shaking his head, Finn tabled his musings for later, for he had human company for the first time in what felt like forever, and that in itself was something to be happy about.


    He glanced at the girl again and let out a sigh. Although he was happy to see another person, Finn knew the language barrier would make communication difficult.


    It really was like going back to square one for Finn. He would have to communicate with crude drawings like he did with Bryn in the beginning.


    However, although the hope was slim, he would first try writing in Bryn''s language first to see if she could read it, or at least react to it.


    First I just have to wait for her... Finn looked at the girls face. It appeared she was completely oblivious to him, her eyes sealed shut as she focused, gusts of wind still blowing around her.


    Finn decided he would patiently wait for her to finish. Turning his gaze away, Finn began absorbing sunlight, relaxing into the comfortable feeling that it provided.


    As soon as he took his eyes off the girl, she slowly peeked open one of her own to observe the drake across from her, as if she had been waiting for him to retract his gaze.


    If Anya wasn''t certain before, she was now. This drake was of the light attribute, the rarest of all attributes. This was a once in a lifetime encounter!


    She watched as the light seemingly bent towards its body, seemingly vanishing through its scales. A golden glow slowly permeated the air surrounding the drake, giving it an ephemeral, holy look.


    As she watched the drake absorb the sunlight, Anya remembered her earlier emotional breakdown, and her eye twitched in embarrassment. She was a proud warrior, and to allow herself to fall apart so easily was a shameful thing.


    The more she thought about it, however, the less embarrassed she became. In fact, Anya was starting to find this light drake''s actions too peculiar. Not only had it saved her, but it even healed her wounds!


    This went far beyond what Anya thought any magical beast was capable of. Its actions went against everything she understood about them. If it were a fellow tribemate, she could understand, but a random magical beast that was also a drake?


    Why? For what purpose? It seemed impossible. Are magical beasts even capable of empathy? Anya couldn''t stop thinking about how it had healed her wounds.


    It was definitely a miraculous feeling... The light affinity was so rare, that it was only mentioned in passing during her father''s teachings, so she knew little about their abilities.


    However, amongst her people it was known to be taboo to hunt beasts with a light affinity. Because she never believed she would come across one, she never bothered to ask why. That would definitely be something she would have to inquire about when her father returned.


    Anya refocused her gaze back onto the white scaled drake.


    Wild magical beasts were almost always violent and brutal. Although there were exceptions, drakes were definitely not among those.


    They were by far one of the worst species of beasts to encounter due to their natural arrogance and pride from their bloodline. If not for her father, Anya is certain no one would have been spared three years ago when their home was attacked.


    Why is this drake different? Anya continued to gaze at the beast, as if by doing so, all the answers would reveal themselves.


    Unfortunately, Anya did not have the luxury of time. Although she wanted answers, it was important that she return to her people right away.


    When Anya felt she had recovered to about fifty percent, she quickly stood up, startling the drake who paused its absorbing of sunlight.


    "Thank you for saving my life!" Anya spoke quickly as she bowed towards the drake. She felt only slightly foolish, as she was certain the beast couldn''t understand her.


    However, Anya would never let it be said that she was ungrateful. After bowing, she righted herself, adjusted the shield on her arm, and made to leave.


    Before the girl could turn around completely, Finn stood up, hoping to keep her attention in order to accomplish his first goal.


    Anya reflexively took a step back as the large drake approached her. Although she believed this one meant her no harm, old instincts and fears were hard to completely ignore.


    Finn went right up to the girl and pointed his head at the ground, attempting to draw words in the dirt.


    Anya witnessed the drake lower its head in front of her. Is it... saying goodbye? Unsure of what it was doing, Anya tentatively patted its neck.


    A moment passed like this, and before Finn could do anything, the girl smiled, turned around, and suddenly leapt away at high speed.


    ...


    She didn''t notice! Finn nearly panicked, half formed words on the ground now useless. She mistook my intentions... Finn was stunned as the first person he had met in over a month simply left. He had meant for her to look at what his head was pointing at.


    For a second, Finn hesitated, unsure what to do. Then he quickly realized there was no time to hesitate!


    Dirt flew as Finn dug his heels into the ground and moved to follow after thebgirl. Finn felt fairly certain that she was heading back to the people she was with. Where else would she be going?


    How she intended to find them after running so far, Finn wasn''t sure, but he knew for certain he needed her help to find his own way back home. He was tired of wandering around with no sense of direction.


    Anya quickly realized she was being followed. It wasn''t hard to notice when a massive white scaled drake was chasing after you.


    She slowed and came to a stop, wondering why the drake that had saved her was now following her. When it approached, it quickly sat on its haunches and started quickly clawing at the dirt.


    There was a question mark above Anya''s head as she stood by awkwardly.


    When Finn finished writing his words, he waved his claw at the girl. Anya''s eyes widened at the very... human-like act and she instinctively waved back.


    Finn breathed out a deep sigh. He wasn''t waving at her, he was trying to beckon her over. Being more specific, he pointed one claw at the girl, and then aimed it straight down to where he wrote. It couldn''t have been more clear.


    In a daze, Anya walked forward. Clearly, the drake was trying to show her something, but what?


    When she finally saw what the drake had gotten so worked up over, she gasped audibly. Familiar yet unfamiliar symbols were crudely drawn in the dirt.


    The drake... it''s writing! Although I can''t read it, its clearly writing words! This sent shockwaves through her heart. This was beyond advanced intelligence for magical beasts. Never... never had she heard about any magical beast smart enough to write, let alone understand any human language.


    So distracted was the girl by the words in the dirt, that it took a while before Finn managed to grab her attention once again. This time, he pointed at her and back at himself over and over, hoping to get his point across.


    Still in a daze, Anya mimicked the drake a few times. It felt like a game she played with her fellow tribemates when they were kids, where they would act out words in order to guess certain things.


    Only after a few repeats did Anya finally understand, much to her surprise. It wants to follow me?


    Anya looked at the drake with new eyes. It was like she wasn''t looking at a drake anymore, but a thinking and intelligent being. It was quite a remarkable contrast.


    Seeing as how she had no reason to refuse it, Anya gestured the drake to follow her, to which it did so happily. She had been right, it wanted to follow her.


    Although she still wasn''t sure of its intentions, Anya did not believe they were malicious. In fact, if the beast that saved her followed her back to her people, maybe she might get some answers after all.

 36 Return

    The girl was incredibly fast! Even on all fours, Finn struggled to keep up with her. Although he had already seen her speed, having to keep up with her gave him a newfound respect for it. If it wasn''t for his limitless stamina, he would have fallen behind.


    The girl''s legs were covered with a blueish haze, which led Finn to believe she was using her wind affinity to bolster her natural speed to great effect.


    In a full out sprint, Finn didn''t think he would be able to outrun her, but speed wasn''t his forte. It was endurance.


    Several times on their way back did the girl have to stop for a couple minutes to rest and absorb more energy.


    I guess she is unable to gather on the move... Unlike her, Finn did not have this trouble. Having been doing so for so long, Finn thought it was only natural to passively recover his light energy.


    Maybe it has something to do with my body? Being a magical beast, there were numerous advantages his body had over his old one, not including age. However, Finn most cleanly felt the sting of lacking the dexterity of a human.


    In other words, Finn missed having fingers.


    Hmm? A gap appeared in the trees as the girl ran with Finn following, allowing him to see the mountain they had run from off in the distance.


    As I thought... Finn had noticed that the girl was leading them well around the mountain. To avoid encountering the inferno beast was likely the main reason, but Finn still wasn''t sure how she knew where to go.


    Over two hours had passed since they had left, and Finn was starting to worry.


    Where are my little passengers? The light foxes had yet to find him. They had always managed to do so before, but Finn was beginning to wonder if he had gone too far.


    Having grown quite attached to the little rascals, Finn would have been devastated to lose them like this.


    Whoa! Finn skidded to a halt, nearly running over the girl, who had stopped dead in her tracks. She was looking down at something in her hands with great focus.


    Curious, Finn peeked over her shoulder and stared at the object in her hand. It was a small white colored stone, a softer shade than his pure white scales. It emitted a pale glow.


    Oh! What is it? Finn felt his interest spike. Anything with magical properties was bound to be fascinating. Along this same train of thought, he had also wanted to examine the girl''s shield, but he never found an appropriate opportunity. It wasn''t like he could ask directly too.


    Anya examined her lodestone closely. For a while she had felt it pulling her in the same direction, but now the pull was beginning to shift, which could only mean one thing.


    They are moving! I have to catch up... Just before she could return the lodestone to her pocket, she felt a breath on her neck.


    "Eh"! Anya involuntary flinched, dropping her lodestone in the process as it bounced away. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she glowered at the light drake for startling her, only to realize its attention was focused completely on the stone that she dropped.


    Anya watched as the white scaled drake sniffed the stone, and picked it up with its claws. It sat back on its haunches and eyed it closely.


    Anya was at a loss for words. From her perspective, it looked as though the light drake was studying the stone, as if to figure out its secrets. It was too human-like, making it almost unsettling to watch.


    The delicate way it was holding and turning the stone appeared incredibly bizarre with its huge size, although it did slightly alleviate her fears of the light drake accidentally breaking it.


    Although she wanted the stone back, Anya was unsure of how to ask. It was the only thing she had that could help her find her people from a distance, so it would be tragic to have it break.


    Suddenly, Anya''s eyed widened. The drake was aiming the stone in a certain direction while tilting its head in confusion.


    It already figured out its function? Incredible! The number of times she had been amazed by this creature was constantly growing. Somehow, this strange beast was smart enough to understand magical items.


    Gradually, Anya''s perception of the drake was changing. It no longer felt that she was looking at a magical beast, but a sentient being.


    Finn missed the shocked expression of the girl, his attention focused completely on the stone in his hand. When the girl had dropped it, he noticed how the faint glow it had been emitting had ceased. This led him to believe she was pushing energy into the stone causing some kind of reaction.


    When he tried doing the same, he felt a noticeable pull on the stone, similar in feel to how magnets attract eachother.


    This was it! This is how the girl was finding her way. This special stone is like... a magical compass! Finn came up with an appropriate analogy on the spot.


    Maybe this is my key to getting home... Finn decided he needed to learn more about this stone. This could possibly be a ticket to finding his own way.


    When Finn stopped inputting energy, the faint glow and pulling sensations ceased. Carefully, he carried the stone in his claw over to the girl who was as silent as a statue.


    Wordlessly, he handed it back to her and waited for her to continue on. She just stared at him in a daze.


    Finn was about to tilt his head in confusion at her silence, when he suddenly detected a familiar scent. Relief instantly flooded through him. His little friends had finally found him!


    Looking around excitedly, Finn did not see any trace of the little white puffballs anywhere, before he realized that they could indeed manipulate light to appear invisible.


    A moment later, he felt a light pressure on his back scales created by small paws. It was quickly followed by more pairs of paws. The entire family had found him once again. All was right in the world!


    Looking back, Finn was surprised to see them maintaining their invisibility. Or rather, he couldn''t see them at all, but could definitely feel their presence on his back.


    Why are they doing that? Finn glanced back to the girl, who was staring dumbly at her hand, lost in thought. Is it because she is here?


    Finn wished he could convey to his little companions that the girl meant no harm, but it turns out there was no need. He felt a smaller presence leave his back and could see small pawprints appearing on the ground headed towards the girl.


    Shrimp is either incredibly brave or completely ignorant of danger... Finn waited to see what the smallest light fox would do. He doubted the girl would hurt the little guy.


    Anya gazed at the stone, still trying to wrap her head around this strange drake. It wasn''t everyday you saw something that shook the very core of your understanding.


    So engrossed was she in her thoughts that Anya nearly jumped when a small little white creature materialized at her feet.


    Small rounded ears, pristine white fur, long tail, pudgy body. It can''t be... Anya remembered a specific legend about this particular creature.


    If my guess is right, that''s a seraphim fox! From what she knew, these were incredibly elusive and timid magical beasts that were nearly impossible to hunt due to their innate cleverness and ability to disappear into nothingness.


    They were special because one of their great ancestors had managed to befriend one as a companion.


    According to legend, spotting one in the wild would bring about great fortune and luck. What were the odds of meeting one in these circumstances?


    As the curious little fox sniffed the girl''s legs seemingly without fear, Anya felt her face heating up. The legends don''t due them justice...


    It''s too damn cute! Anya blushed heavily, wanting nothing more than to grab it and smother her face into its poofy fur.


    However, she maintained her composure, with the only indication of her internal war being the bright blush on her face and and a sparkle in her eye.


    Daring to take a chance, she slowly bent down as to lightly stroke the impossibly adorable creature''s fur.


    EEP! Seeing the girl move to touch him, Shrimp vanished from sight and retreated, climbing back onto Finn''s head where he reappeared and chuffed at the girl.


    Anya felt her heart shatter when the cute foxling disappeared, fearing that she had lost her one chance. However, when the creature reappeared on the drake''s head, she fell speechless once again.


    Magical beasts were always hostile to one another, yet this drake, whose species was notorious for being arrogant and proud, was letting this tiny seraphim fox hang around on its body like it was no big deal.


    Anya shook her head. Nothing else would surprise her at this point. This light drake defied common sense. She needed to seek answers from someone more knowledgeable.


    Anya desperately wanted to see her father. Shelving all her concerns for for now, Anya continued moving to where the lodestone was pulling her.


    Another hour passed before Anya felt the lodestone pull increase in intensity and strength, which meant that they were approaching the lodestone''s other half.


    Excited, Anya picked up speed, forcing Finn to pick up his own pace as his little passengers gripped his scales tightly.


    Just when Anya felt she should have seen someone by now, a blue tipped spear flew past her at great speed, startling her.


    Ack! The spear was not aimed at her, but rather the drake right behind her.


    Finn did not see the attack coming at all. The blue spear sailed through the air and hit him square his front right shoulder, breaking through his scales and digging deep into his body.


    It was a critical hit! Finn, unable to support his weight on his right limb anymore, collapsed due to his momentum, creating a small ditch in the ground. His little companions all tumbled off in his fall, righting themselves and hiding amongst the surrounding foliage.


    Anya was horrified, but before she could react, a loud voice reverberated throughout the forest.


    "ANYA! GET AWAY FROM THAT DRAKE!"


    Oh no! Her own people seemed to have misunderstood something. One by one, several of her tribesmen appeared out of the underbrush. They were likely one of many scouting parties. Most of them were holding spears while only a few had swords.


    This really hurts... It wasn''t the worst pain he had ever felt by far, but the spear was digging deep into his body. Anytime he moved, it was like countless needles were being shoved into his shoulder.


    Looking around, Finn noticed several people similarly dressed to the girl appear from behind the countless trees. Most were men while a few were woman, and the majority were carrying spears like the one currently embedded in his shoulder.


    Quickly, dark emotions from surfaced once again in his mind. Wounded pride from being ambushed and fury for them daring to attack him at all.


    However, he quickly squashed them back down. Finn was hoping the girl would explain the situation well enough so they wouldn''t continue their assault.


    Anya could tell her tribesmen were clearly agitated at the sight of the drake, all of them shuffling nervously while angling their spears towards fully expecting it to retaliate.


    "Anya! Come over here quickly!" A familiar female tribe member spoke as she held out her hand. Currently, Anya was the closer to the drake than her tribemates were to her.


    "Sel, you need to stop. All of you stop attacking this drake!" Anya spoken in an authoritative voice, commanding her friend and fellow tribemates to stand down.


    Her tribemates all looked at eachother and back to her as if she was crazy. They were momentarily unsure of how to proceed, taken completely aback by the unexpected command.


    Shaking her head, Anya spoke with her actions as she headed back towards the drake without any fear, causing her brethren to call out in surprise and alarm.


    Seeing how the injured drake was watching her without making a move to retaliate, Anya was certain there was something unique and amazing about this particular creature.


    It wasn''t even growling defensively, just calmly letting her approach. A normal magical beast would never do such a thing, especially while injured, a fact which she felt slightly guilty over.


    Tentatively, she reached out to grab the spear stuck in its shoulder. The drake turned its body to give her a better angle.


    Only slightly flinching when the drake let out a grunt, she pulled out the spear covered in the drake''s blood, tossing it aside.


    The onlookers could not believe what they were witnessing. Why was their chieftain''s daughter helping a drake of all things? Further more, why wasn''t it attacking her?


    They were torn, wanting nothing more to just jump in and finish the beast, but afraid that they wouldn''t be able to stop it from hurting Anya before they could get to it.


    Despite their concerns though, nothing happened when Anya pulled out the spear. The drake did not even growl, let alone attack.


    However, what truly stunned them all was when the drake''s wound started closing at a speed visible to the naked eye. Its flesh mended itself, causing what would have likely been a crippling wound to disappear in a matter of moments.


    Finn stood back up, startling the onlookers. The girl in front of him just smiled and patted his shoulder. Finn took a long look at the girl, before giving her a big lick across the face as a show of thanks for pulling the spear out.


    Laughing, Anya shoved the drake''s face away. "As you all can see, he is very friendly!" Anya declared proudly as her brethren stared in disbelief.


    Anya''s friend Sel couldn''t contain herself. Gesturing to the drake with her spear, she asked directly.


    "Anya, can you please explain this?"

 37 Special Beas

    "We thought it was chasing you. It was running after you at like a wolf chasing its prey." Sel explained in a hushed tone as the small scouting party traveled on.


    Anya turned to look at the drake, who seemed far too at ease with people around, considering those same people were all holding spears similar to the one that had been impaled in its shoulder earlier.


    It wasn''t like magical beasts to forgive such a slight, but Anya had already been surprised enough times by this special beast to feel much shock. She simply added it to her list of questions to save for later.


    Right now, Anya''s main concern was to return to her people and confirm their well being. She wasn''t naive enough to believe they got away completely unscathed. She just hoped that there weren''t any deaths, for any death of a tribemate was a tragedy.


    Finn was in a great mood, so much so that being impaled by a flying spear did not damper his spirits in the slightest. When viewing their first meeting from his own perspective, it did indeed look like he was chasing after her, because he actually was.


    There was no way they could have known beforehand that he meant the girl no harm, so it wasn''t hard to let bygones be bygones. The fact that he fully recovered in moments also made forgiveness quite easy.


    That being said, Finn looked around at the party of what appeared to be warriors. These men and women were eyeing him with clear hostility and distrust.


    As they walked along, it didn''t go beyond Finn''s notice that they had slowly surrounded him, gripping their spears tightly. Clearly, they were preparing in case he made any move to attack them unawares.


    Finn internally scoffed at this sentiment. If I had wanted them dead, they wouldn''t stand a chance... This wasn''t Finn being arrogant or looking down on them, but a simple fact.


    With his unique danger sense, Finn could feel their power relative to his own, and there was no comparison.


    In this group currently, the only one who actually posed a real threat to him was the girl he had saved. She was by far the strongest here, not including himself.


    This simple truth helped connect some dots. Finn had noticed that these people seemed much more respectful to her than others, bowing when approaching her and hunching their shoulders back in a respective posture when talking to her.


    It reminded him of soldiers addressing their commanding officer, a particular form of defference.


    Body language was a great tool to determine who was important when you couldn''t understand the language, and from the way these people acted around this girl, Finn could tell she held some sort of status.


    The fact that she was the strongest also made this obvious.


    Finn watched as the girl conversed with another girl who appeared similar to her in age. Her friend? From the way they giggled and laughed at eachother, it wasn''t a difficult assumption to make.


    Shuffling his shoulders a bit, Finn confirmed through the small palpitations on his back that his little friends were still there. Right now, they were in their invisible state.


    They must be wary of being around so many people. I guess they are shy of humans... Finn was just content that they were with him and that they were safe. It was up to them to reveal themselves.


    However, Finn did feel a little concerned about Shrimp. That rambunctious furball seemed to hold no fear towards anything.


    Finn turned his head and looked at the spot where he felt them sitting. Although, I guess even Shrimp would get cold feet with this many people around.


    People, ahh yes. It was good to see people again, despite it being bittersweet. Not being able to communicate was like a constant sting to his psyche.


    I really miss intelligent conversations... Finn lamented his inability to talk. Even so, with Bryn he could at least speak through written word. Now, he was stuck with three year old level crude drawings.


    Oh... Looking up, Finn could see that the group was approaching a small watchtower nearly identical to the one he had seen on the mountaintop before. Only this one was clearly freshly made and showed no signs of dilapidation.


    There were two sentries armed with bows sitting atop it. From a distance, Finn watched them giving a series of hand signals. Turning his head, he saw the friend if the girl he saved making hand signals back, likely some form of secret communication. How interesting...


    When they got closer, Finn could tell that they had finally noticed him. The duo started getting antsy, nocking arrows. It was only when the girl he saved gave a universal "stop" hand signal did they cease their actions, albeit grudgingly.


    A majority of the party dispersed, gathering around the base of the watchtower where there were a few tents and tables set up.


    This is like a small scouting camp... Finn mused as he watched several men and woman restock supplies and trade items with eachother. All of them were sneaking glances towards him, and muttering between themselves.


    Hmm, whatever. Finn looked and found a patch of grass where the sunlight broke through the treeline. Heading over, he plopped down and curled himself around the warm patch of green.


    Under the assumption that the group was collecting themselves and redistributing supplies, Finn figured he had time for a quick nap.


    Placing his head down, he began absorbing sunlight. His little companions snuggled into the nook of his curled form, enjoying the warmth his afterglow produced.


    Off in a secluded corner of the small scouting camp, Anya was discussing her tale with her friend.


    "Anya, what you are describing makes no sense. Why would a wild drake save you?" Sel asked as she pointed over to the sunbathing drake.


    Anya looked over at the drake with a twinkle in her eye. "I''m not sure, but I think it''s different from other magical beasts. Not only did it save me, it even healed my wounds!"


    Sel nodded distractedly. "Ok then, but what happened with the fire dra- wait!" Sel snapped her head back to Anya. "What do you mean healed your wounds?


    Anya smiled brightly. "Maybe it was a blessing from the godesses. Maybe they sent this special creature to aid me."


    Sel rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe it was. They are capable of amazing things after all, but even if they sent you aid, why would it be a drake of all things? Isn''t it too ironic, considering it was a drake that drove us from our home?"


    Anya grinned at this. "That is exactly why I think it was the godesses. Don''t you think it fits their personality to do something like this?"


    Sel thought about it and reluctantly agreed. Previous blessings from the godesses often manifested in unexpected ways, as if they were playing pranks on their believers.


    Rubbing her temples in exasperation while sighing heavily, Sel brought up her first question. "Fine then, but what did you mean when you said it healed your wounds?"


    How could a drake have done such a thing?


    Anya gave her friend a coy look. "That''s what is so special about it!" Leaning in a conspiratorial fashion, Anya whispered in her friends ear, to her friends surprise. "This drake''s affinity... is that of light."


    Sel recoiled in shock, the news too unthinkable. Beasts with a light affinity were notoriously rare, and for one to be a drake of all things...


    Sel wanted to outright deny it, but before she could say anything, a loud commotion broke out by the tents.


    "I say we kill it now!" A loud voice from a rather muscular man voiced his distrust towards the drake.


    Brandishing his spear, the man continued. "We have hunted enough magical beasts to know some can be clever. I say this beast is acting docile, just waiting to kill us when the opportunity arises!"


    Several nods all around gave the man a boost of confidence. Cleary, he was not the only one who shared this sentiment.


    Before he could speak further, he was slapped on the back of the head by Sel, who had come over after hearing his shouting.


    "Borg you idiot! Even if you wanted to kill it, do you think you can." Sel jabbed her finger in his chest.


    Borg''s face flushed for a moment. It was true, and he knew it. As a wind warrior himself, he understood that it was just as important to know when not to fight as it was to know how to fight.


    From the minute waves of energy radiating off the drake, it was definitely at rank three. Being only a rank two wind warrior, Borg knew the only person here who could actually rival the beast was Anya, the chief''s daughter.


    Borg shook away his embarrassment. Beating his chest once, he declared his intentions. "I know I''m not strong enough, alone, but together with Anya we could win. There are enough of us. A rank three core is very valuable and could help our tribe!


    "Enough!" Anya declared, having walked over and heard Borg''s declaration. "Although it is a magical beast, and a drake at that, it saved my life. I will not help you, but you are more then welcome to try on your own..." Anya let the small taunt hang in the air.


    Having already admitted he wasn''t strong enough alone, Borg could do nothing but glower. Glancing over at the beast that caused all of this, Borg''s gaze turned from angry and mistrustful, to full on shocked.


    Other who had been watching in amusement, noticed this change, and swiftly turned their heads in the direction Borg was facing. Their eyes also widened in shock.


    Curious, Anya followed the group''s gaze and smiled when she saw the source of their astonishment.


    Borg was the first to speak. "The drake... it''s glowing!" The drake mentioned was radiating a golden aura of vitality, a side effect of its absorption of sunlight. Now focused, the group could see the grass around it growing at a speed nearly visible to the naked eye.


    "What is the meaning of this?" Borg couldn''t help but glance at Anya, hoping she would be able to dispel the confusion.


    Meeting his gaze, Anya explained. "Borg, this drake is unique. It holds an affinity to light!"


    Several loud gasps and cries of exclamation were echoed among the group. This was completely unprecedented!


    To help alleviate their fears, Anya immediately headed over to the light drake. Glancing amongst themselves, the scouting party couldn''t help but follow behind her.


    When the group got close, they noticed that the drake was not sitting alone, there were four little furry creatures sitting in the book of his form.


    "Se-seraphim foxes! A whole family of them!" Someone exclaimed when they identified what the little creatures accompanying the drake were.


    They were so rare and timid that they were often classified as a mere folktale or legend. To see four of them sitting casually against a drake that happened to have a light affinity, it was simply mind boggling.


    Finn was enjoying his nap, when something suddenly triggered his senses. Opening his eyes, he was met with many strange gazes.


    With a question mark over his head, he looked down at his little companions. When they were busy mooching off the aura emitted by his body, they could not maintain their invisibility.


    They were on full display, and Finn believed it was them that were drawing the group''s attention.


    Hmm? Finn noticed the girl he saved approaching tentatively, reaching out as if to rub his head. Snorting, Finn leaned into her touch as if to say it was fine before laying his head back down to go back to sleep.


    To say the group was astonished at how docile the drake was would be an understatement. It was a drake! They were notorious for being bad tempered, and yet this one actually let the chief''s daughter rub its head without retaliation.


    Add that to the fact that it supposedly had a light affinity, and to call this all a miracle would not be wrong.


    Anya sat next to the drake, basking in its warm aura that made her feel so comfortable. Finn opened one eye to observe before closing it again, returning to sleep.


    Borg didn''t know what to think at this display. Unable to curb his curiosity, he cautiously reached his hand out to "touch" the golden aura flowing off the drake''s body.


    For a few seconds, he felt an unexplainabley comfortable sensation flowing through his hand. Retracting it, he examined it thoroughly.


    Borg''s eyes widened. The training scars on his hand... they were gone! Vanished! Like they never even existed in the first place! In their place was smooth and fair skin as if he had never accidentally cut himself many times.


    Glancing back to Anya, he wondered if there really was some higher power at work here.

 38 Burns

    Opening his eyes to the sound of voices, Finn felt kind of awkward. It looked like the warriors were preparing to head out, but the girl he had only known for a day was out cold, sleeping against his side. Her drool was slipping down his scales.


    Moving his head as not to disturb the girl, Finn noticed the girl''s friend pointing and snickering at her, probably due to her lack of manners. At least, that was Finn assumed, for he did not understand their language or culture.


    Once he stopped absorbing sunlight, Finn''s golden glow naturally faded away, and the warm and comfortable feeling it brought went along with it.


    Once a cool breeze blew across Anya''s face, the cold sensation from her drool evaporating caused her to snap awake.


    Still groggy, Anya immediately noticed her friend, smiling brightly at her own drool ridden face. Before she could even yell at her, Anya noticed that she had fallen asleep against the drake''s side without realizing, which is probably why her friend was laughing at her.


    Flushing in embarrassment, Anya jumped up and shuffled away. Thinking about how her tribesmen saw her in such a state, Anya began chasing her laughing friend Sel, who she blamed for not waking her up.


    Anya felt aggrieved. It wasn''t her fault that the light drake''s aura was so warm and inviting. It could even attract seraphim foxes that were known for being notoriously skittish, let alone humans.


    Finn watched the girl''s antics in amusement. Clearly, she was embarrassed about falling asleep and drooling on him, and she was naturally blaming her friend as if it was her fault.


    Meanwhile, off in a remote part of the camp, Borg was sitting on the stump of a felled tree, staring at his hand in silent contemplation, his thoughts a mystery.


    Eventually, everyone finished packing and swapping supplies. The group designated two new scouts to man the small watchtower, and under the leadership of Anya, they set off.


    Wherever these people live, its shouldn''t be far... A watchtower wouldn''t be placed too far away from a village or town if its purpose was to be an early warning system. That''s what Finn thought anyway.


    His guess was proven accurate, because it wasn''t long at all before the party passed by other villagers, who appeared to be foraging.


    Men, women, and children of all ages were out and about gathering wood or harvesting berries or other fruits. However, whenever the group passed by, the surrounding people gathered around, pointing at the drake and whispering to each other, their expressions filled with a mixture of fear and awe.


    What were they doing with a wild drake? Why are they leading such a beast to the village? The questions the surrounding labourers had were palpable to the group in question.


    Finn was not small anymore. Even on all fours, he stood above the surrounding warriors, making him easily visible. Without knowing him personally, he looked quite intimidating, purely from his size alone, let alone being a drake.


    The group was traveling in their original formation, with Finn surrounded on all sides by strong warriors. However, if one was looking closely, they could tell the warriors did not seem too afraid of the drake. In fact, they seemed too relaxed to the onlookers.


    Were they not afraid of this beast going wild and attacking them? As they came closer, they could see the daughter of their chief standing by as if unafraid of the dangerous magical beast.


    It was obvious there was more to the story. Clearly something extraordinary happened to their Chieftain''s daughter.


    More and more people appeared, watching the entourage approach. It became such a huge commotion, that by the time they reached what Finn assumed was the front of the village, there was a large crowd waiting for their arrival.


    Hundreds of people were waiting. Men and women, young and old were all gathered. Many of them were carrying weapons similar to the one''s in their party.


    The ones with weapons were standing in front of everyone else, clearly suspicious of some random wild drake being led towards them.


    Finn believed all the attention was a mix of himself and the return of this girl, who seemed to be important in some capacity.


    His little companions had ready gone invisible, sitting comfortably on his back, so they could not be seen by the crowd


    When the party escorting Finn finally met with the crowd that had formed, a symphony of voices sounded out. Everyone was talking at once, leaving Finn completely confused.


    Finn''s senses were much stronger than a normal person. Even as he approached, he could smell a myriad of smells that he could only describe as... human.


    Sweat, fire, leather, cloth, steel, everything had its own smell. When combined together, it created a unique scent that screamed "habited by humans."


    Although his sense of smell was strongest, his hearing was nothing to scoff at either. With everyone talking over each other in a language he didn''t understand, Finn felt a headache forming. Too much stimulation was quite draining on his psyche.


    It was the same for his little friends, who he could feel shaking on his back.


    Perhaps this is why magical beasts avoid human settlements... Finn strained to handle all the noise. He didn''t remember it being this bad back when he visited the small town with Bryn. Maybe it had something to do with living on my own for so long... Finn sat down and covered his head, trying to drown out all the voices.


    When the party first arrived, Anya was greeted with a heroes welcome, with many cheering her name. When the fire drake had attacked their village out of the blue, it had been her that had drawn its attention away from them, allowing the villagers to pack up and flee.


    Thanks to her, most of the villagers had time to leave in good order. Although many belongings had to be left behind, their already nomadic style allowed them to pack up relatively quickly. Her heroism did not go unnoticed by her people.


    After being mobbed by her own tribesmen that had been cheering her name, Anya couldn''t help but smile and cry at seeing them so happy at her return, the main reason being that it appeared her people had not been too dispirited by the brutal attack of the fire drake.


    "My lady, why is there a drake with you?" Once the cheers settled down, one of the many questions pierced through the chaos of noise and reached her ears. Waving her hands, Anya silenced the crowd.


    "Everyone! This magnificent beast was sent by the godesses! It saved me from certain death at the hands of the fire drake! I owe it my life!" Anya explained loudly to all who could hear. The news was completely unexpected.


    This beast, a drake, saved the Chieftain''s daughter? Sent by the godesses? The people discussed her announcement with a mixture of disbelief and confusion.


    Why would the godesses send a drake to save the daughter of their Chieftain?


    As she was giving her people a moment to digest her announcement, Anya felt a hand on her shoulder.


    "Anya, something is wrong with the beast!" Sel whispered loud enough to overcome the background chatter.


    Spinning around, Anya saw the drake laying down and covering its head. Now paying attention, she could hear a low growl emanating from its mouth.


    Oh no, is it feeling threatened with too many humans around? This was her first guess, as magical beasts were known to become more aggressive when surrounded by large amounts of people. Although, in those cases, it was because they were being hunted...


    Anya, making a quick decision, decided to err on the side of caution. She trusted the drake, but would never gamble with the lives of her people.


    "Alright everyone, please return! You all have jobs to do and so do I!" Anya commanded the warriors to disperse the large crowd as to give the drake some space.


    The crowd, prompted by the warriors, begrudgingly filtered away. Curiosity was a powerful driving force, and to see a wild drake acting calmly in the presence of humans was too extraordinary to simply ignore.


    Finn had been struggling to try and ignore the headache that had been forming, but it was beginning to become unbearable.


    However, all at once the sounds began to settle, and after opening his eyes Finn quickly noticed that many people were leaving.


    He felt a hand on his skull and saw the girl peering at him with concern, whispering something he couldn''t understand.


    Ah, this must be her doing... Finn was actually genuinely grateful. He hoped this wouldn''t become a recurring problem, but all that noise was just too much.


    Standing up, Finn peered down at the girl and shook his head before nudging her shoulder with it. Finn hoped she understood that as a thumbs up type gesture.


    Smiling, Anya turned to her friend. Deciding it was better to avoid the unpleasant truth, she directly asked. "Sel, what were the casualties from the attack?"


    Understanding the weight this question held, Sel straightened her back and beat a fist to her chest. "My lady, thirteen were directly killed, ten of which were warriors. They died bravely defending the people of our village.


    Anya''s smile turned solemn. To die defending their people was a great honor, but the loss of anyone was a tragedy.


    Sel continued. "Fifty were injured, thirty of which were only minor injuries. Fifteen of those were significant but not life threatening, and lastly...


    Sel paused, clearly struggling with what to say next. Finally, she gathered herself enough to finish her report. "Five are in critical condition.


    The extent of their burns goes beyond our healing capabilities. They... are not expected to survive. Selmor''s daughter... she... she is one of them."


    Anya felt something unexplainabley heavy weighing her down from the inside. Selmor was a personal friend of her father. His daughter Nep... she was only nine summers old.


    There was too much to do. Anya still had to take inventory, reorganize their defenses in case of another attack, make preparations for her father''s return, convene with her people, so many things entrusted to her by her father before he left.


    However, the most important thing she had to do now was still by far the hardest of them all.


    "Sel... take me to them."


    Nodding with a heavy heart, Sel led Anya and the group of warriors that had been listening into the village, in search of a particular tent.


    Finn could tell something was up. He watched as the girl''s attitude turned from upbeat to sullen as she talked with her friend.


    Bad news? Finn felt a little concerned for this girl. This was the first time he had seen her so down. When they started moving again, he followed the group as they were led into the actual village.


    All around, Finn noticed tent like structures covered with various paints and symbols creating a variety of colors. In the surrounding trees, there were ropes strung across where clothes were being dried and other equipment being hung from them.


    In fact, it wasn''t just those ropes in the trees. There were several small scale platforms built into them, allowing for people to stand in the trees to observe the village from above. On each, he could see a bow and quiver full of arrows.


    So it''s like a defensive position in case the village get attacked, clever... Finn saw the benefit from such preparations. However, the distinct lack of a wall or structure resembling one felt odd to him. Maybe it''s just not something a nomadic tribe would construct.


    As for the people, kids were running around playing while adults doing various tasks walked to and fro with purpose. Whenever their group passed by, they were greeted loudly, while many pointed and stared at him.


    Finn could tell something was wrong, because those in his group seemed far more solemn than before. The group moved on until they came to a particularly massive tent, which was more like a pavilion. It was very long and wide, covered with a large amount of leather. Finn figured even he could easily fit inside.


    Taking a sniff, Finn could smell the scent of cooked flesh. Was this a meat storehouse? No that doesn''t make sense... Finn still did not quite understand why they were here.


    Finn watched as Anya took a deep breath and entered the large opening flap in the pavilion. All the warriors followed in after her. Unable to help himself, Finn did the same.


    What greeted him made Finn want to vomit. Rows of injured people covered in terrible burns that were red and swollen, sitting on beds while being taken care of by what looked like doctors or healers.


    Cooked flesh... Finn felt like gagging when he thought of his initial assumption. He remembered how he saw people fleeing before he met the girl, and now it all made sense.


    Anya took it all in before walking towards the back. The group followed after her silently, their thoughts unknown.


    In the back, there were five beds, each holding a figure that could have once looked human. Horrible burns that charred their skin black, nearly exposing the bone underneath on several of these poor soul''s limbs. Faces that were once pretty and vibrant, cooked until their skin cracked apart. Everything about these victims screamed tragedy


    The worst part, Finn felt terrible for thinking, was that these people were still alive. Despite their ravaged bodies, he could still see the rise and falls of their chests. Living in such agony, death would seem like a better alternative.


    Each bed had people surrounding the victim, likely their friends or family. Anya, without a word, walked up to a rather small man standing next to the bed with the smallest burnt figure upon it.


    Placing a hand on his shoulder, the man turned around and came face to face with Anya, who had tears streaking down her face.


    "I''m so sorr-" Anya began before she was cut off. The man had hugged her suddenly.


    "Anya, it''s not your fault. Without you, so many more... so many more..." The man couldn''t find the words. On this bed lay the broken body of his only child. There were no words that could be said.


    As he was hugging Anya, the man looked up at the warriors who had followed her in before he caught sight of the drake.


    Finn could see the blond middle aged man had been crying from his bloodshot eyes. It must have been his child on that bed... Finn felt his heart go out to the man, that was until the man caught sight of him.


    Finn had never seen a man, one who looked so broken, give him a look that filled him with such fear.


    The man''s expression warped unnaturally when he finally saw the drake. Gently pushing back Anya, he demanded in a sudden shortness of breath.


    "WHAT... IS THAT DOING HERE!"

 39 Second Chances

    Before anyone could react, the small man snatched a scabbard that was leaning agaisnt the bedside of his dying daughter. He started advancing on Finn.


    Finn was reminded of so long ago when that bandit attacked him and Bryn. He remembered sensing a deep malice from him that the guild master called killing intent.


    When comparing the two, Finn could tell some distinct differences. The bandit''s killing intent had been more casual, almost like killing him and Bryn would have been a minor inconvenience.


    The small man''s killing intent, however, was purely focused. Finn could sense an unbelievably deep well of hatred directed entirely at himself.


    Finn wasn''t an idiot. From the burnt bodies all around him, all this pain and suffering was most likely caused by that inferno beast. This man had been sitting in front of a bed holding a horribly burnt child. It wasn''t difficult to correlate the two.


    The man was expressing his grief through rage, and pinning the blame on Finn. Why? Because Finn resembled the beast that ruined his daughter.


    The group that had been travelling with the drake instinctively moved out of the way to avoid the man''s warpath. Despite shouts from onlookers, the small man did not hesitate. He was beyond reasoning.


    Finn stood his ground, frozen. His initial fear had faded away, in its place was a sense of melancholy. While the small man''s killing intent was sharp and strong, his own power was lacking.


    With his danger sense, Finn could tell the man was at most comparable to a rank two magical beast. He was no real theat.


    The small man unsheathed a very plain metal sword that seemed too small even for him. It looked like... it belonged to a child.


    Finn''s sense of meloncholy grew deeper. Finally, the small man stood in front of the large white scaled drake. Finn absolutely dwarfed him in stature, having subconsciously straightened up when he first felt the killing intent.


    All eyes in the pavilion were on them. Most were fearful that Selmor would cause the beast to go on a rampage, which would be terrible considering their current location.


    However, the white scaled drake did nothing but watch intently as the small man approached. It was odd to say the least, to see a strong magical beast, a drake no less, not react to such provocation with reciprocated violence.


    A green glow appeared on the small man''s sword as he reared back. Finn looked down upon the small man sadly, sending energy through his body to his scales, causing a bright golden aura to form around them. It was Finn''s defensive power.


    Anya was petrified. Despite having experience working under pressure, how could she attempt to stop the man she looked up to as a kind uncle when he was grieving for his daughter? Everything was wrong, so wrong...


    Selmor had also moved too quickly for most to react. Everyone watched in horror as Selmor swung his blade in a downcut which collided with the drake''s front shoulder, roaring in madness. His sword, covered in earth energy, collided with the golden film covering Finn, releasing a small boom as the opposing energies reacted violently.


    Silence. No one knew what would happen next. Those that were closer could see a few cracked scales falling off the drake''s shoulder. A full power attack, negated with minimal damage.


    However, despite being assaulted, the drake did not move, not even flinch. It stood there like a mountain, gazing down on the small man who attacked it directly.


    The attack had felt much to heavy for such a small sword, which Finn immediately attributed to the earth energy. It seemed to give weapons far more of an impact. That being said, it wasn''t enough to even lightly shake him.


    The small man seemed unpreturbed in his madness, even after seeing hiw his attack had no affect. He struck again... and again.


    Finally, on the fourth strike, the small sword shattered against Finn''s glowing scales, unable to withstand the powerful collisions of differing energies.


    Finn hadn''t moved an inch the entire time, silently watching the man vent his sorrow. The small man was breathing heavily, having used up almost all his energy in those few strikes.


    Anya ran over, finally breaking out of her dilemma, and held back Selmor by his arms. The man seemed intent on continuing, having already pulled out a dagger from a small leather sheath on his belt.


    The group watched with a mixture of shock and sadness. Shock at how the drake was silent and unmoved, and sad for their fellow tribesman.


    What can you say to a man who has lost everything?


    "Its one of the vile demons! How could you let such a beast into our home?" Selmor sputtered as he struggled to attack the drake with his puny dagger.


    "Selmor, you must stop this! This drake is not our enemy!" Anya tried to reason, but it fell on deaf ears.


    Selmor would have none of it, and he continued to struggle to break free, forcing Anya to bring him to the ground, locking his arms and legs.


    No one else stepped in. The surrounding group felt as if there was a delicate balance at play, and if they tried to mettle they would invoke disaster.


    Finn could still feel the killing intent, and the blue eyes filled with mindless hatred glaring at him from the immobilized man gave him pause.


    Lifting his head, Finn slowly changed his focus to the child of the small man, the source of the man''s emnity towards him.


    Tilting his head slightly, Finn started moving towards the bed.


    Everyone flinched once the drake finally moved. No one knew what its intentions were, but it had yet to attack or rampage even after being directly provoked.


    No one moved to stop it because no one wanted to be the spark to ignite its fury. It was a drake after all.


    Stopping in front of the small figure, Finn was finally able to get a closer look, and what he say made him internally cringe.


    The little girl looked like a black mummified corpse. Every single part of her body was burnt black with the expection of a portion of her scalp. It actually made it look worse, seeing a small patch of long and slightly burnt blond hair.


    This small portion was the only indication that this had once been a bright and cheerful young lady. The only thing that confirmed that she was alive was her breathing, which was shallow.


    Even back in his former life, burns like these would likely spell death even with advanced medical care. It made Finn wonder... if even he could fix something like this.


    Since he had been born into this new world, Finn had wondered about his purpose. He had lived a full and blessed life already, which was already more than anyone could ever ask for.


    Recieving another seemed like an unnecessary sequal to a good movie. Not that he wasn''t grateful, but Finn had oftentimes pondered about he should be doing with it.


    Seeing all these poor souls in great pain, and knowing about the power he had been given, Finn felt like another puzzle piece had finally fallen into place.


    Right here... right now... with the gifts he had been given, a simple thought bloomed in Finn''s mind as he looked down upon the broken form of a child that once had so much to live for.


    I can heal them...


    As he stood over the bed of the burned girl, Finn opened his mouth revealing rows of sharp teeth. Energy started pooling in his throat...


    Others looked on in reluctant fear, itching to intervene, but knowing they lacked the strength to do anything. What was this beast doing?


    Selmor once again lost his mind. In his eyes, seeing the beast open its mouth over his little girl was unacceptable.


    Anya, unprepared for Selmor''s sudden burst of energy, lost her grip. Had she been using her own, there was no way he would have been able to break free. Alas, she was too afraid of hurting him.


    Selmor sprinted full speed, attempting to impale his dagger through the drake''s eye, the eye being a natural weakness of any creature.


    Finn glanced out of the corner of his own, pausing his flow of energy. Coiling his tail back, Finn waited until the right moment.


    Thwick!


    Just before the small man reached him, Finn released the tension in his tail, causing it to slam into the man''s side, propelling him across the pavilion before he crashed onto the floor.


    Even without using any light energy, Finn''s physical prowess as a magical beast was more than enough to briefly incapacitate the small man. Finn had made sure to not use too much force.


    Yells of confusion and anger sounded out at the sudden retaliation. Fears that the drake was beginning to rampage spread instantly.


    However, Finn did not continue his attacks. He simply brought his focus back to the little girl. Once the energy in his chest bypassed the natural mechanism in his throat, it became a softer and warmer type of light energy.


    A stream of this golden yellow light energy spilled from his mouth, envoloping the girl. Like a sponge sucking in water, her body began to absorb the flowing gold colored energy.


    At first, nothing noticeable happened. Everyone watched with apprehesive curiosity. Anya, who had gone over to check on Selmor, watched with rapt attention.


    Her eyes lit up as the realization dawned on her face. Could it be...


    "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" A screech of agony caused all those watching the scene to jump. At some point without anyone realizing it, the girl laying on the bed had woken up.


    A girl that resembled a mummified corpse was shouting in agony. It caused eveyone watching to get goosebumps. Despite their fears, several warriors couldn''t take it anymore, and moved to attack the drake, believing the beast to be the cause of her pain.


    They were right in a sense, but Finn was not trying to hurt her. However, there was no way they could have known that.


    Just before a warrior struck with a spear, a gust of wind blew him away. Anya had appeared and used her magic artifiact just in time.


    "Halt your attacks!" Anya roared at the members who attempted to stop the drake.


    "But lady Anya, it is hurting her!" The disgruntled warrior shouted back in defiance. The girl was still screaming bloody murder, and the others around could barely contain themselves from jumping in as well.


    Anya simply held her ground and repeated her demand. There was no room for discussion. If her hunch was correct, then maybe Selmor''s daughter would actually have a chance.


    Despite not showing it outwardly, Finn had also been surprised when the girl started screaming. He began to wonder if maybe her injuries were too severe to be healed even with his light energy.


    However, he continued on regardless of his concerns, because in the end, this was the girl''s only chance for survival.


    Finn continued to pour his healing energy onto the girls body, which greedily soaked it up despite not showing any substantial changes. At least, not at first.


    After about a minute of pained screaming, Finn finally saw cracks forming on the burnt husk where her skin used to be. Slowly but surely, chunks of blackened skin began falling off, revealing layers of rejuvenating muscles and other tissues.


    Finn''s eyes lit up. It was working! The third degree burns on her skin were peeling off, revealing muscles, tendons, and skin tissues regrowing at a rate visible to the naked eye.


    Everyone who had been watching was absolutely astonished. After witnessing such a miracle, they had slowly gathered around the girl''s bedside, watching her body fill with vitality.


    The girl had stopped screaming at some point and fell asleep during the healing process. Only now as he watched her wounds peel away revealing fresh pink skin did he realize that the rapid healing was the cause of her suffering.


    When burns go deep enough, they burn away the nerves as well. By healing the girl, he was also forcibly regrowing those burnt nerves. It probably caused a lot of pain.


    After some time had passed, Finn finished. What was once a barely alive mummified black corpse was now a small little girl.


    A... very naked small little girl. Being the decent old man that he was, Finn grabbed the bedsheet with his teeth and pulled it up to her chest. The action was not lost to those watching.


    Looking up, he noticed the surrounding people all looking at him with strange expressions. Anya just stood at the girl''s side, rubbing her bald head. Although the drake had restored her body with his power, her hair was not included.


    There was still only the small patch of blond hair remaining from before. Anya checked the girl''s body, confirming that she was only in a deep sleep. Every other injury, gone, seemingly as if she had never been burned in the first place


    Tears streaming down her face, she slowly hugged the girl to her chest. Her hunch was correct, the arrival of this beast was truly a miracle set up by the godesses!

 40 Healing

    It''s even more exaggerated than I thought... Finn couldn''t help but marvel at the little girl''s miraculous recovery. He knew how effective it was on himself, but to see it happen to someone else on the brink of death really opened his mind to the possibilities.


    Without even waiting, Finn walked over to the next bed. The group he was with were too distracted to notice, crowding around the healthy sleeping girl in awe and amazement.


    This was a perfect opportunity for Finn, for he was quite curious about the nature of healing he provided. He wanted to examine its effects even closer.


    Looking down at the medium sized brown haired man, Finn could tell this man''s injuries were noticeably less serious than the girl he just healed.


    However, without effective medical treatment, he too would likely succumb to infection. Most of his right side was burnt shades of dark red bordering on black. Right now, he was sleeping, although it did not look peaceful.


    With the attention off himself for the moment, Finn found it easier to focus as he breathed healing energy onto the man''s body. Looking closely, it appeared as though the man''s arm was a vacuum, sucking up any light energy that got too close.


    Once an area began this process, the tissues around appeared to react violently.


    Looks gross... Finn gave an honest opinion as he watched the cells on the man''s body wriggle and squirm as if there were worms moving beneath the skin. Finn couldn''t get goosebumps, but he figured he would have if he still had his old body.


    Just as Finn was about done, the sleeping man opened his eyes.


    "Nnngh... what''s going-" The man stopped abruptly as he noticed a large ominous white figure standing over him. The man''s eyes met the drake''s.


    "WHAT THE HELL!" Like a coiled spring, the man leapt off the bed and took a panicked fighting stance, instinctively reaching for a weapon on his left hip that wasn''t there.


    His yelp brought back the attention of the group who had been examining the formerly cauterized girl, and several came walking over, including Anya.


    WHY IS A... drake... in here... The man''s sentence petered off as suddenly realized the obvious. The arm he was pointing with, his right... was completely fine!


    "Garen? Are you alright?" Anya couldn''t help but ask, seeing him in his state of shock. When Anya noticed his arm, she covered her mouth, too moved to speak.


    Unlike with Selmor''s daughter, Anya had witnessed Garen''s brutal injury during the fire drake''s initial ambush. He had been too slow to dodge a stream of intense fire, ending up in such a poor state.


    How can this be? Garen felt his surroundings fall away. Memories of the fire drake resurfaced, bringing along feeling of intense suffering. I was too slow...


    But now... Garen flexed his right forearm and wriggled all his fingers. There was no horrifying pain, no loss of motion, no scars to bear witness to such a terrible burn.


    Garen, forgetting himself, sank to his knees cradling his arm in disbelief. Hearing a slight chuckle, he looked up to see Anya smiling at him with tears in her eyes.


    "Lady Anya, what is going on? Wait!" Looking over his shoulder, Garen finally noticed that the drake was gone. Scanning the pavilion, he saw it breathing a golden yellow stream of energy onto someone else.


    Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Garen felt his astonished gaze connect with Anya''s. Answering the question in his heart, Anya explained in simple terms. "The godesses have sent us aid!"


    Although Garen still didn''t quite understand what was happening, he knew a miracle when he saw one. Looking at his arm again, Garen couldn''t help but nod his head mutely.


    Finn continued on from bed to bed, healing the burns from all the victims in the pavilion. Each time, he watched carefully, trying to sense the flow of energy as it healed those he provided it with.


    Unfortunately, once his energy entered someone else''s body, it was like the connection was cut. He could no longer sense its flow.


    This made Finn wonder if it was possible to regrow the limbs of someone else. When he had regrown his own, it was because he had pushed the flow of healing energy into his stump. If I cant control the flow once it enters someone else''s body, how am I supposed to do the same thing? Finn thought of Bryn in this regard.


    Finn also found that it wasn''t just fresh injuries that healed either. One of the women he "fixed" had scars on her arms initially, but they disappeared during the healing process.


    This is surprisingly easy... The amount of energy Finn was using to heal everyone could almost be considered negligible if he added the amount he gained from passive recovery.


    After Finn finished working on those with more serious injuries, he continued on to anyone who happened to be hurt. At first, those who had been awake were still intimidated by him, leading to many awkward situations.


    However, as he healed more and more people, everyone began warming up to him. In the eyes of the people, he was being seen less as a terrible magical beast, and more as a kindred spirit sent by the godesses.


    It was not long before those with less serious injuries who could walk came up to him on their own, to which Finn obliged.


    News spread fast. Those who had been healed left to find their friends and loved ones. People began talking. It wasn''t long before the story about Lady Anya bringing home a drake that was healing their wounded began to spread.


    It was a ridiculous tale, but one that soon proved to be anything but as formerly wounded tribesman left the medical pavilion in droves.


    Curiosity was a potent drug, and many of the tribe couldn''t help but investigate such a wild story.


    Soon, the medical pavilion was packed with people watching intently as a large white scaled drake walked from bed to bed and healed person after person without so much as a growl.


    Too much noise... Finn began realizing a depressing truth about his physiology. With senses much stronger than a human''s, it was too much stimulation when a lot of people gathered in one place.


    The smells and sounds were overwhelming. When he was only rank two, it didn''t bother him so much, but now it seemed far worse. Finn started feeling agitated.


    By the time he was done with all the wounded, there might have been over a hundred people in the pavilion. Even as large as it was, it was beginning to feel cramped.


    Voices clambered over eachother, but to Finn it was all white noise, since he couldn''t understand their language. Not understanding what they were saying only made his agitation worse.


    Anya grew concerned the more she watched the drake. Being well versed in magical beast body language, she could tell it was growing either angry or frustrated by the rapid swishing of its tail or the unconscious gnashing of its teeth.


    Although it was understandable how excited her people had become, she was worried it was becoming too much.


    It was becoming too much for Finn. Trying to work his way to the exit was proving to difficult. Unfortunately, due to his lack of aggression, people were now getting a little to close for comfort.


    Instead of moving out of the way, they clamored closer, eager to see the miracle beast sent by the godesses. One person even tried touching him, which proved to be the last straw. The smells, the sounds, someone trying to grab onto him. Finn snapped.


    Bowing up to his full height, Finn reared back and slammed the earth with his two front legs, creating a large tremor. Spinning his head around, he roared menacingly at the people surrounding him.


    A wave of panic took hold as people scrambled to get away from the angry drake. Finn continued to growl, but he still saw no way out. There were still people in the way, and they were now too scared to move.


    Great... Finn''s agitation grew worse. He found himself wanting nothing more than to leave at this moment, but those people weren''t getting out of the way.


    Before the situation could devolve anymore however, a loud whistling sound grabbed everyone''s attention.


    "Clear a path to the entrance at once!" Anya demanded as she walked past the drake, helping those who were knocked over to get out of the way.


    Finn''s growling subconsciously dimmed significantly as he realized what the girl was doing. Once the path was clear, Finn did not hesitate to quickly escape the confines of the pavilion.


    Those who came to see watched with fear and awe as the drake left. The original party he was with were left scratching their heads, unsure of how to feel about everything that was happening.


    Once out of the pavilion, Finn felt the pressure on his mind ease drastically and he relaxed his body.


    Seeing how he was still in the middle of the village, Finn made his way back to the entrance, leaving many stunned people in his wake when he waltzed back into the woods.


    I just need to get somewhere quiet... Finn felt like taking a nap, as drained as he felt. Walking a good distance away from the village, Finn found a nice sunny spot where there weren''t any villagers around.


    Eep!


    A small squeal brought Finn some much needed relief. His little friends had returned, having left him at some point when he entered the village. They gathered and settled in the crook of his form, falling asleep as he did. He would deal with the aftermath later.


    Running out of the tent, Anya was quickly informed that the drake had left the village entirely. Although she wanted to go after it to ensure it was ok, she simply had too many other tasks to complete.


    Although, knowing that all her injured tribemates were alive and healthy thanks to the drake, she prayed to the godesses that the drake would return. The village was in its debt after all.


    .


    .


    .


    Selmor''s eyes snapped awake. Sitting up quickly, he rubbed his head and winced.


    I was... knocked unconscious? He remembered seeing and feeling the tail of the drake slam into him before everything went dark.


    It seemed that, at some point, someone had moved him onto one of the beds.


    "How you feeling shorty?" An unwelcome voice grated on Selmor''s eardrums.


    "Borg, have you come to mock me again?" Selmor growled out, not in the mood to deal with him. Where was the drake?


    Selmor looked over at Borg, who was sitting on a barrel cleaning his fingernails with a dagger.


    Instead of an uncouth jab like he was expecting, Selmor was surprised when Borg remained uncharacteristically silent. He seemed to be staring at his right hand deep in thought.


    Shaking his head, Borg stood up abruptly, flicking the dagger into the dirt at Selmor''s feet.


    Selmor scowled, only now realizing it was HIS dagger that Borg had been picking his nails with.


    However, before he left Borg mentioned something quietly. "Selmor, how about you go check on your daughter."


    Selmor watched Borg''s back as the large man exited the pavilion. Forcing the ache down, Selmor stood up and headed over to his daughter''s bed, already fearing the worst.


    Only, when he got there, what greeted him was not the sight of his dead child, but rather a sleeping and healthy little girl.


    The blood rushed to Selmor''s head, unable to process what he was seeing. Am I dead?


    With a shaking hand, Selmor gently rubbed the face of his daughter, the sensation of soft skin confirming that he indeed was not dreaming.


    Thud!


    Selmor fell over backwards, landing on the ground. He had fainted.

 41 Elemental Tendencies

    "Hein, are you even listening to me?" A middle aged man wearing worn green robes rubbed his face in exasperation. Sitting across from him was his red haired son, who was staring into the fire cooking their freshly caught rabbit.


    "...Beautiful," Hein couldn''t but speak his admiration. "Fire is truly the most magnificent of all the elements!"


    Reaching out, Hein suddenly stuck his hand into the fire, letting the flames lick over his arm. To someone else, this would have been a sign of insanity, but the father who was sitting across merely watched without much reaction.


    Common sense would dictate that the young man''s arm would at the very least be horribly burned from such a stupid stunt. However, instead of consuming his arm, the flames slowly melded around it, crawling up his skin without damaging it.


    A red film of energy grew on Hein''s body, and like throwing oil onto a fire, the flames seemed attracted to this energy, completely consuming the young man in moments.


    Instead of screaming in pain, Hein simply sat cross legged and worked to absorb the heat, as tongues of fire flickered off his skin and clothes. Surprisingly, he was not suffering at all. Even his clothes seemed unaffected by the inferno.


    Unperturbed by the fact that his son was literally on fire, the middle aged man stood up, showcasing a rather large ox like build, with bronze skin and brown hair. Hein, from his position in the flames, looked up at his father, a smirk on his face.


    "Dad, this feeling is amazing. It feels as if I have the power to... burn everything. Yes! I WILL SET THE WORLD ABLAZE! AHAHAHAHA-OW! The boy''s father smacked him on top of his head, breaking his concentration, and extinguishing the fire that had been swelling around his body.


    "Ow ow ow, dad! Why did you hit me! Hein yelped, feeling aggrieved. He was simply enjoying the feeling of power the flames provided him.


    The father sighed once again. His son had similar episodes on their way back to their village. He knew it was due to his rapid and forced advancement, but it was necessary to defeat that vicious fire drake.


    "Son, we have already talked about this. You need to learn to control yourself..." Sitting back down, the man once again tried explaining to his son.


    "Hein, reaching the elemental stage is different than the three steps of assimilation. Before, you were simply training your body to become accustomed to your affinity of fire, but now it''s different..." Seeing as how he had his son''s attention, he continued.


    "Look son, as you grow more in tune with your element, your element''s natural... inclinations start to affect you. It gets worse the stronger you become if you do not take measures to control it. You have to master self discipline. How many times do I have to explain this to you?"


    Frowning at his dad''s lack of trust, he argued back, "Alright then old man, then what about you? What about your element? What "sinister" inclinations do you have to control yourself from?"


    Instead of getting offended, the father laughed. "Boy, at our stage of strength, those with a fire affinity tend to become reckless, impulsive, generally hot headed. However, for those with my affinity, it''s very different..." A green glow grew over the father''s body.


    "When someone with an earth affinity like me reaches the elemental stage, they tend to become... lazy. For me, I have to control urges to be stationary, immovable, and stubborn. I have to ignore the will of my element to meld with the earth."


    Hein gave his father a look. "That''s weird and doesn''t make much sense. What do you mean meld with the earth?"


    The father smiled down at his boy. "It has to due with the nature of each element. Fire is destructive and powerful, making those who harness it wild and impulsive."


    "Earth is unmoving, rigid, and unyielding, making those who harness it stubborn and lazy."


    "At our level, those with wind affinities become distant, ethereal, wanting nothing more than to move from place to place."


    The father paused for a moment before admitting, "I''m honestly not sure about those with water affinities or abberants, but I could make guesses."


    Looking back to his son, he found him scratching his head, confused. "This is important for you to know, boy! As one grows stronger, they need to be aware of the effect their elements have on them. Many legends have lost their lives when advancing into the avatar stage due to being consumed by their elements."


    "I got it! I got it! Stop nagging!" Hein waved his arms, trying to stop another lecture from continuing. Quickly changing the subject, he mentioned something that had been bothering him.


    "It''s a shame about your spear though, how you are going to have to give it up." Hein felt quite guilty about this fact.


    Reaching behind him, the father grabbed a beautiful two meter long spear adorned in detailed engravings. On the tip, there was a bluish white shard cut into the shape of a spearhead. If one looked closely, they could see tongues of electricity bouncing around it.


    It was a magic artifact! The head was carved from a magic stone of a defeated abberant rank five magical beast, a lightning serpent!


    Having won it in a competition at the main village many years ago, it was his prized weapon.


    Although it took more energy to activate because of clashing elements, he could use it to shoot lightning from its tip, among other amazing effects.


    Sadly, it was the price he had to pay to help his son advance. After he and his son defeated the fire drake, he would need to return to the main village and surrender it as payment.


    "It was a necessary choice Hein, don''t feel ashamed about it. If you want to make it up to me, you need to focus and stabilize your energy before we return home, so we can finally defeat that creature."


    Nodding, Hein reached into the fire once again, pulling out a piece of rabbit while simultaneously setting himself on fire. As he chewed on his food, he worked on absorbing the energy from the flames. This time, he did not have any manic episodes.


    .


    .


    .


    Finn dreamed of his family, both from his old life and this one, only it was strange. In his dream, somehow his two different families were all together, but the scenery kept changing. One minute they were at Bryn''s farmhouse, the next they were at his old home.


    Even stranger was that he kept swapping between being a person and being a lizard. Who was he really? Was he a human in the mind of a magical lizard, or a magical lizard with the mind of a human. Was there even a difference?


    Eventually, the surrealness of the dream overtook everything, and the surroundings melted away like wax before he felt himself falling into an abyss.


    Finn''s eyes snapped open when something tickled his senses, a different smell. Lifting his head off the ground, he scanned the surroundings and found the source.


    There was a little brown haired girl hiding behind a tree, peeking her head out and watching him with curiosity. She couldn''t have been more than five, and she was carrying a hand woven basket holding what Finn could smell as berries.


    Finn wondered where her parents were, as if he was a regular magical beast, this would have been a very dangerous situation for her.


    She was likely scavenging from the forest and had stumbled onto him. Only, she wasn''t looking at him so much as she was looking at what was snuggled against him.


    Finn looked down, noticing that his little companions were sound asleep, nestled in the crook of his curled body. These light foxes looked quite cute, all bundled up together, and Finn was certain the girl wanted to pet them but was too afraid to approach him.


    Smirking to himself, Finn concentrated and created a ball of light that floated around his body. Using his power he made it float to the little girl and zip around her. Naturally, this immediately grabbed her attention as she gazed at it with wonder.


    As if by instinct, she reached out to touch it, only for Finn to move it just out of her reach.


    "Hey!" Her cry of indignace was easily translatable. The chase was on.


    Finn guided the ball of light all around the girl, who tried hopelessly to catch it. Finn laughed internally, seeing how it was like using a laser beam with a cat. Kids were so easy to entertain.


    Eventually, he guided it closer and closer to himself, the girl being too lost in the chase to notice. When she finally got close enough, Finn stopped controlling the ball of light and it vanished, leaving the girl stunned as she now realized how close she was to such a large creature.


    She froze up, gazing up at him in awe and fear unsure whether or not to scream or run. Moving slowly as not to spook her, Finn reached down with his claw and carefully scooped up Shrimp, who was on top of the pile.


    Shrimp jolted awake, but didn''t attempt to escape Finn''s grasp. It unknowingly had full trust in the much larger light affinity magical beast that had been protecting him.


    After scooping up the tiny light fox, Finn held him out to the girl, whose face flushed pink with what Finn could only interpret as glee. Shrimp unsurprisingly didn''t turn invisible. He was the most fearless of the lot.


    Tentatively, the girl''s desire to pet the cute little creature overcame her fear of Finn. She reached out and scooped up Shrimp right from Finn''s claw and began cooing at him, hugging it close.


    At first, Shrimp struggled against the touch, but once she started rubbing his head, he melted into her embrace.


    How cute... As heartwarming as this was to watch for Finn, he had important matters to attend to. He still had not forgotten his original goal in coming here.


    Standing up, the girl who had been holding and petting Shrimp jumped slightly. Seeing Finn tower over her, she held Shrimp up towards him, as if she was returning a toy now that her time was done.


    It was too precious. Finn walked over and lowered his body. He decided he would take her back, as it wouldn''t be very kind to leave a small girl all on her own in these woods.


    The little girl was unsure what to do, that was until Shrimp jumped out of her arms and onto Finn''s back.


    EEP!


    Shrimp called out to the girl, who was now wringing her hands in indecision, as if the choice to get on Finn''s back was the most important one she would ever make.


    EEP!


    It didn''t take long at all, Shrimp was just that convincing.


    "HAHA" The girl''s wild laughter rang through the woods as Finn carried her back to the village. From up as high as she was, she could see everything. Shrimp was sitting snugly on her lap, enjoying the petting she was providing.


    When he finally got back to the entrance, he was met with a lot of incredulous gazes . Most of the villagers never expected


    the drake would be back. The rumours about him had multiplied since he had left.


    Lowering his body, the girl leapt off his back and ran off with a bright smile on her face, not forgetting to bow in return for taking her home before she sped off. Those that were watching the scene were stumped.


    The rumors weren''t doing the drake justice. It really was friendly!


    New spread fast that the drake had returned, all the while Finn waited at the entrance for a certain young girl to arrive who could hopefully help him.


    A small crowd had gathered around him, watching him with interest. Finn found it curious at how quickly they became unafraid of him once they learned he was friendly.


    A morbid and unwelcome thought of how easy it would be to kill all of them flew into and out of his mind.


    Before he could reflect on that more, he heard a commotion in the crowd. Someone was pushing their way through.


    Finn perked up when he saw who it was. That girl''s father who attacked me? Figuring that he had come to attack him again, Finn was quite surprised when the man instead bowed before him, saying something he couldn''t quite understand.


    Only after bowing Finn could now see that directly behind him stood a small bald girl with an odd patch of blond hair, looking quite healthy and nervous.


    Finn smiled internally. He didn''t need to know the language to understand the intent in his words.


    You''re welcome...

 42 Understanding

    It was quite an uplifting feeling for Finn, to see a little girl once on the edge of death walking around, healthy. It gave him a jolt of appreciation of the abilities that came with his new life. There were others in the crowd that he recognized, people who had been inside that pavilion.


    The looks of appreciation and wonder felt welcome, as he grew tired of being stared at with hostility and fear.


    Of course, he also found it cute how the little girl hid behind her father, clearly confused about why her father was bowing to a magical beast.


    I guess she doesn''t remember... Finn would never forget her awful screams. That''s probably for the best... It was probably a small mercy she forgot what happened. No child should live with the knowledge of such pain.


    Finn walked up close to her, examining her body. She stiffened in nervousness as Finn got close, clenching her fists in apprehension.


    The little girl''s father looked like he wanted to say something, but instead moved aside. Finn looked over the girl, confirming that she indeed was perfectly healthy. There weren''t any visible signs of any remaining damage.


    Nodding, he stepped back and sat there, patiently waiting for someone specific. He couldn''t communicate with these people, but he hoped his sudden appearance would would draw her here.


    Ah, there she is... With his height came the advantage of being able to see over crowds, and he could see the girl he had saved from the fire drake running over.


    Unlike with the small man, the crowd instantly parted like the red sea when the girl came through, cementing Finn''s belief that she was indeed someone of high status.


    Anya, having used her wind energy to rush over, patted down her hair, blown back by the wind from traveling at high speeds. She was honestly shocked that the drake had returned at all, let alone so soon.


    Did the godesses influence this creature to stay? For what purpose? Shelving her theories, Anya proceeded to bow in thanks, having not forgotten the miracle this beast performed for her village.


    "Thank you for helping my people!" She spoke frankly. Several of her tribesman cheered at this, mostly those who either were healed themselves or had seen it firsthand creating a small uproar.


    Finn acknowledged that the girl was likely thanking him again with a huff and a nod, lacking any ability to speak himself, an anatomical function he lamented not having.


    Ignoring the rising sounds of the crowd, and the growing apprehension that came with it, Finn got right to the point. Reaching out his claw, he very deliberately drew out a sentence in the dirt, to the great surprise of the crowd.


    Anya, however, already knew of the drake''s capacity to write, and waited until the drake finished before moving to inspect.


    Ahh, I still don''t know what it is saying... Anya frowned in concentration as she tried to remember if she had ever seen a language like this before.


    "What!"


    Anya''s head snapped to Selmor, who had been watching quietly from the side. "Uncle Mor, do you recognize the language?"


    Selmor, ignoring the question, moved to examine the words closer. After looking at them from every angle, he finally addressed Anya directly.


    "Lady Anya, I cannot read this, but if memory serves, these characters resemble some of characters on the documents and books brought back by Maorn from his travels." Selmor gave Anya a deep look.


    "I may be wrong, but I think... this is a language used in the traitors in the lands to the east."


    Anya, as well as several others in the crowd were shocked at this news. How could a beast sent by the godesses write in language used by the traitors?


    Considering for a moment, Anya gave Selmor an order. "Uncle Selmor, go get Maorn please."


    .


    .


    .


    Interesting... A tall and skinny young looking man ran from bookshelf to bookshelf pulling down certain books. Each time he would open them, he would quickly scan them hoping to find certain passages. When he was done, he would toss the books back into a pile on his desk, where a small mountain of books were starting to form.


    Interesting! The man was so absorbed in his scholarly findings that he failed to notice another person enter his... study.


    Selmor took a good look around, sighing at the mess. Books were all over the place. On the table, on the floor, under the chairs. Selmor even saw a pitiful book lost under a cupboard, with just the corner sticking out.


    Maorn''s tent was larger than most, mostly because he would sell trinkets from his travels to his fellow villagers at premium prices, allowing him to buy more room to store more of his... junk.


    To Selmor, that was what decorated Maorn''s tent. A strange painting in the corner, a wooden pole with holes carved into it, a human shaped doll lying on top of a cabinet filled with maps. There was even a suit of plate armor, which happened to be the only thing here that Selmor found mildly interesting.


    Supposedly, all of these things were found in the lands to the east, otherwise known as the traitor''s lands, but these strange objects were not why Selmor was here.


    Walking up to the man who was leaning over a map he had placed on the table, he regarded him for a moment. Selmor couldn''t quite figure out why Maorn was so fascinated by the history of a land he didn''t live in, let alone one that was filled with the descendants of those who betrayed the great masters of old.


    Maorn''s long blonde hair that fell past his shoulders was slightly greasy, likely from a lack of sleep, and he was constantly rubbing the space between his eyes where his so called "spectacles" sat.


    Selmor couldn''t help but ask abruptly, "Why do you wear those if they bother you so much?"


    Maorn jumped at the sudden question and shook the table, only now realizing someone had entered his tent.


    "Oh! Selmor, it''s just you. I believe I mentioned it before, but they help me see better when reading." Maorn''s face suddenly lit up.


    "I bought these in a land called the Deserts of Samsara! It''s a fascinating place with nothing but scorching sands as far as the eye can see! There, they have learned how to create and mold a substance called glass, which is what these are made of! They focus the light-"


    Selmor internally groaned. Maorn had gone off on another tangent once again. The man loved nothing more than to describe in excruciating detail everything about his experiences traveling to those willing to listen.


    Unfortunately for him, Selmor was not here for idle chat. He cut him off. "Stop! Lady Anya has requested your presence. She needs help deciphering a language from the lands to the east.


    Ohhhhhhh! Maorn grew excited. Having traveled through those lands, he was quite familiar with several of their languages. If Lady Anya also requested his presence, then it had to be something important!


    Regret. Terrible all encompassing regret. Maorn felt his legs shaking as he was led up to a monstrous creature, a drake! Having spent the last few days nose deep in his own personal research, he had clearly missed something of great significance if this creature was allowed to simply sit inside the village.


    He remembered that the village had been attacked by a fire drake, but Lady Anya had saved them by leading the beast away. After the village packed up and moved to a new location further away from the mountain, they had resettled themselves down once again.


    To Maorn, the incident was nothing but a major inconvenience, for he had to hire help to move all his belongings, unwilling to just leave all his possessions. It had cost him quite a bit.


    But now, he was faced to face with a dangerous magical beast and he didn''t have any of the preventative measures he used to avoid them when traveling such as his personally mixed scent erasing solution.


    "Mi-Milady! Why have you summoned me?" Maorn stammered as he stared up at the large drake surrounded by a crowd of people.


    "Maorn, please look down at the drake''s feet," Anya replied calmly.


    Feeling somewhat doubtful, Maorn took his eyes off the massive creature in front of him and glanced downward while adjusting his spectacles.


    What in the... There were words, words that appeared to have been... clawed into the ground!


    Don''t tell me... Maorn looked up at the drake in disbelief before turning to Anya. "Lady Anya, did this drake carve these words?"


    Seeing her nod, Maorn felt a rush of excitement. He had heard tales of intelligent magical beasts, but never one smart enough to read and write in any human language. This was incredible!


    Focusing his enthusiasm, Maorn looked down at the words written by this beast.


    Indeed, this is the language used by those in the Border States as well as the two kingdoms. How could this amazing beast have learned this language?


    It''s well known that magical beasts are hunted and harvested for their cores or stones. Although I''ve heard stories that those in the kingdoms use magical beasts as weapons of war, I have never seen such things personally...


    Before Maorn got too lost in his observations and theories, Anya coughed loudly. Despite her calm appearance, she was also dying to know what this amazing creature could tell her. If possible, she was hoping Maorn could be her translator.


    Maorn immediately corrected himself. "Oh! Right! Of course! Milady, the words written, if I am correct, say "Can you please help me?"


    "Really?" Although she was already aware of its intelligence, to have it confirmed so blatantly left her breathless. A sentient magical beast that could write!


    Seeing this as an opportunity, Maorn cleared his throat.


    Finn had been watching with patience as the small man had left and brought a much taller and skinnier man who appeared dressed in strange attire. After a quick discussion between them, he heard this strange tall man clear his throat and speak


    "Hello, my name is Maorn!"


    Hmm!


    Finn understood what he was saying! He can speak in Bryn''s language! This is amazing! Finn grew so excited that he started shaking and lightly jumping up and down without even realizing. His reaction startled the crowd who backed away several meters from the excited magical beast.


    "What did you say to it?" Anya demanded to know. This kind of reaction was unprecedented.


    Maorn had also backed off, terrified that he had somehow insulted the drake. "A-All I said was hello my name is Maorn!"


    The excitement of finally finding someone who could understand him was held back by the tall man''s terrified reaction. Calming himself down, Finn erased what he had wrote previously and wrote a new line in the dirt.


    Maorn stepped forward, his curiosity overwhelming his fear as the drake wrote something new.


    Speaking in his native language for the sake of Anya and the crowd, he translated the sentence.


    "Hello, my name is Finngradus. You can call me Finn."

 43 Answers

    Finn moved his claws, scratching more questions into the ground. After realizing that there was indeed a person who could speak his language in this village, Finn had felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders.


    Finn''s opportunity had arrived!


    After his initial introduction, Finn finally learned some of the names of the people that had been around him. Anya, Selmor, and a few others, including the one he was speaking too.


    Maorn. The man had a scholarly air about him, further enhanced by the fact he was wearing glasses. Where did he get glasses? Who makes glasses in this world?


    This little feature perked Finn''s curiosity. He immediately wanted nothing more than to start pelting the man with questions, but he had felt that their current location was not the best, surrounded by a crowd of loud onlookers.


    Not forgetting his manners, Finn had respectfully requested to continue the discussion elsewhere. Now, Finn was resting in the sun in a small clearing just outside the village while Maorn was sitting in the shade under a tree, eagerly waiting for Finn to write in the dirt.


    This is amazing! Maorn stood by, his notebook ready. Never had he met a sentient magical beast before. Legends he had heard mentioned such types of beasts existing in the lands to west of the woodland border, but he had never personally confirmed any of these.


    Maorn frowned. It had not been for lack of trying, but the further he went west, the stronger magical beasts became. Going any further than the main village was suicide for someone of his level of strength, which was to say... none.


    Hearing a snort, Maorn was brought out of his thoughts and looked over at what the drake, Finn, drew into the dirt. Copying the characters onto his notebook, he read the question aloud.


    "What is this place?" Maorn thought about how to answer this question. Translating into his native language, Maorn passed the question along. "Milady, how should I answer this?"


    Anya, absolutely refusing to be absent from the conversation, had tagged along. There was no way she would pass up this chance to learn more about this unique creature. She also had questions of her own.


    Currently, she was sitting under another tree, rubbing the face of a cute baby seraphim fox. Cooing softly to the adorable creature that hung around the light drake, she gave a measured response.


    "There''s no need to overthink it! Just explain who we are. Also, ask him if he was sent by the godesses."


    Speaking slowly as to not mess up his pronunciation, Maorn explained after clearning his throat


    "We are in a section of the woodland border known as the Kurugo Woods. Our village is a branch of the Tyrin tribe, the easternmost branch, which is where you are now. Milady Anya wanted me to ask if you were sent here by the godesses?


    Kurugo Woods, huh? What does she mean by goddesses? Literal gods? Maorn''s response only left Finn with more questions.


    Erasing his previous question, Finn wrote down another. Upon reading and recording Finn''s scratches in his notebook, Maorn nudged his glasses and repeated it for Anya to hear.


    "He is asking who the godesses are. It seems he was not sent by them after all. How interesting..."


    This answer completely stunned Anya, her previous conclusions shattered by Finn''s answer.


    "But if he wasn''t sent by the godesses, then why did he come here? Why did he save me?"


    "I do not know Lady Anya, but I shall ask him!" Maorn replied to her questions with a smile. Turning back to the large drake that was staring down at him, Maorn felt surprised at himself that he no longer felt fear towards it... him.


    "Finn, Lady Anya wants to know why you came here."


    While considering how to respond, Finn felt something bite his tail. Lifting it so that it hung in front of his face, he found Shrimp dangling off it.


    Carefully pulling him off like one would remove a tick, he set him down in front of his parents. His mother pounced on him, and proceeded to start aggressively grooming her child, who protested very vocally.


    Serves you right brat... Never did these small fox-like creatures fail to amuse him.


    Having thought a bit, Finn finally wrote something.


    "It''s a long story, but I come from a land to the east, where other humans live."


    This answer shocked Maorn and Anya after she heard it translated. The light drake came from the traitor''s lands?


    "Where specifically?" Maorn couldn''t help but ask. Knowing more about the eastern lands than anyone in his village, he felt it was a necessary question.


    Finn wrote his answer down. Maorn read it aloud. "Brexin, one of the thirteen Border States."


    Maorn frowned in thought. It made the most sense geographically considering it was the closest Border State to their village, but it was still quite far. How has this beast survived living there?


    If Maorn recalled correctly, Anya had explained how this drake had saved her life and the lives of others with his light affinity.


    Having traveled through those lands in secret, he knew that beasts with a light affinity were zealously hunted down for their potent healing stones and cores.


    When he asked about this, Finn explained that he had been taken in by a family when he was still very young. Although very uncommon, it wasn''t unheard of to have weak magical beast as a... pet.


    Finn still didn''t like that term. He never viewed himself as one, even if others saw it that way. He had just been looking after Bryn and his little sister, whom he had taken a liking too after reminding him of his own grandkids.


    He didn''t bother explaining this though, and just detailed how he had lived with this family while keeping his affinity a secret. An accident happened, and he got lost in these woods.


    After translating everything Finn had said so far, Maorn found his story quite odd. If everything this drake said is true, than it hasn''t even been a year since it was born, yet displays such intelligence.


    Anya, on the other hand, found it incredulous that it was pure coincidence that she had met him. Even if everything that was said was true, why did he save me?


    Anya relayed this question to Maorn who translated it to Finn, who was puzzled by it. Scratching something into the ground, Maorn read it aloud.


    "Why wouldn''t I save you?"


    A magical beast with a very human sense of justice. How poetic... Maorn found Finn''s answer very amusing. Anya, on the other hand, was just rendered speechless.


    Even worse was the way Maorn translated it, as if were mocking her for asking such a foolish question.


    Finn was very clearly a magical beast. Since when does a magical beast go out of its way and put itself in danger for a human? It all made sense when she believed it was because of the godesses, but now Anya felt she understood this drake less and less.


    However, that wasn''t necessarily a bad thing. Listening to a sentient magical beast that lived among and was kind to people was something of a novelty, if not a one of a kind experience.


    Finn finally got to the point and scratched out the request he had been longing to ask. Maorn translated.


    "Can you help me get home?"


    Maorn was taken aback by this request, as was Anya. After thinking for a moment, Maorn took the silence as an opportunity to ask what had been on his mind.


    "As a magical beast, why do you bother with humans? Aren''t you afraid of being hunted for your core? Surely you understand the danger?


    Finn tilted his head questioningly and wrote quite a bit in the dirt. Maorn read it aloud.


    "When I was born, I was badly injured. In my confusion, I stumbled across a man and his child, accepting they might kill me. Instead, the boy took me in and cared for me. They became my family, and I will return to them."


    Besides, having no one to talk to is incredibly boring. Who would choose to just live in the woods by themselves? Finn didn''t write this, but it was another reason he wanted to go home.


    Your family huh? Anya felt strangely moved by the drake''s words. Without warning, she found herself greatly missing her own father and brother, who had been gone for quite some time.


    Along that same line of thought, Anya suddenly thought of a wonderful idea. Asking Maorn to translate for her, she addressed Finn directly.


    "Finn, if I may, I would like to propose a request."


    "Oh, and what would that be?" Finn replied in writing, intrigued by her sudden change in demeanor.


    "As you know, my father is the Chief of this village, and he left on a special mission to help my brother advance to become an elemental warrior like himself."


    Elemental warrior? Finn had never heard a term like that before.


    Anya continued. "My father does not have the strength alone to defeat the fire drake that drove us out of our home, which is why he left to help my brother advance. When they return, they will face the drake in an attempt to regain our land."


    Hmm, so that village was once their home? The carnage he saw there a while ago now made more sense.


    Anya took a breath and reached her point.


    "Can you please help us defeat it? If you do, I can promise that we will lead you home."


    Finn was stunned by this request, suddenly remembering the feeling of absolute oppression the fire drake gave him. It was on a whole other level of power, the kind only a qualitative change brings.


    Finn believed that this so called fire drake must be at least rank four. Only the guild master had given him such a feeling of absolute hopelessness. What could he possibly do against such a demon?


    Seeing the clear hesitation to answer, Anya added more. "It would only be to aid my father and brother as support. You have unique powers and abilities that I believe could help them. You are also quite powerful yourself."


    Finn''s eyes narrowed. He suddenly felt that he was being taken advantage of. After saving her life and helping her people, she instead gives me a conditional offer to help me get home only if I help her father and brother fight that monster?


    Before Finn could give her a piece of his mind, he faltered as she suddenly knelt before him.


    "Please! I know this is a selfish request. I know you have already given us more aid than we can ever repay, but for the sake of my people, I have to do everything in my power to ensure we can reclaim our home. Please... help us!


    Maorn translated everything, shocked that Anya would kneel before anyone, let alone a magical beast.


    Finn looked down at the girl for a long time, the clearing becoming unusually silent. However, before too much time passed, he let out a long breath.


    Indeed, it was incredibly selfish to ask for more, but when he thought of the sufferings of those he had healed, as well as the carnage he saw back on the mountain, he could sympathize with her plight.


    For a brief moment, Finn entertained the idea of simply grabbing Maorn and running, kidnapping him and using him as a guide to get home. He could speak Finn''s language, and according to him he had been to the Border States before, so he could likely get him there.


    But then Finn realized that he was indeed himself, and not some kidnapping criminal.


    Although Finn still felt aggrieved at the way things were turning out, he decided it wouldn''t be that terrible to help this girl. If what she said was true, that he wouldn''t have to fight that thing directly. In addition, he would get to see those of a higher level of power fight, which was bound to be interesting.


    After several minutes of silence, Finn finally wrote his response in the dirt.


    "I will help!"

 44 Demonstration

    Eep!


    Finn watched as Shrimp was chased around by the little girl he had brought back home several days earlier. Just as the little light fox was about to be caught, he vanished, turning invisible at the last second.


    When the little girl gave a shout of frustration, Shrimp reappeared nearby, and the chase was on again. This little game of tag had been the norm these past few days as Finn relaxed outside the village.


    During this time, he had been visited on several occasions by both Maorn and Anya. Together, they would ask Finn questions about his origins and Finn in turn would ask about their culture.


    One of the interesting tidbits he learned was that the godesses Anya kept referring too were actually four of their ancestors who had transcended and became embodiments of the elements themselves, whatever that implies.


    Confused, Finn asked her to elaborate more on what she meant by transcend. From what Finn could gather, it essentially meant that these beings had reached a level higher than the nine ranks of power, which was something both he and Anya knew very little about.


    All he did know was what Anya had explained. Apparently, she thought he had been sent by these beings of great power. As the descendants of these beings, these ancestral godesses have sent their tribe aid in times of need. Several times in the past has this occurred, although it usually came in strange forms, and Finn fit that description perfectly, hence the misunderstanding.


    Finn also learned a little about her father and brother, who had left to help her brother advance to the elemental stage. When he inquired more, Anya explained that the elemental stage was when one started transforming their bodies to start the process of elemental assimilation.


    It was the next step in power, a qualitative change. While the first three ranks were for attuning the body to a specific element, the elemental stage was building a foundation to prepare the body for transformation.


    Unlike with the first three ranks, ranks four through six each involved a qualitative jump.


    For ranks one through three, each level only increased both mastery and capacity of one''s specific element. Although significant, it did not compare to what came next.


    Upon reaching rank four, or the elemental stage, one''s whole body began exhibiting characteristics of their respective element. Those of the wind would become faster, lighter, and more agile, while those of earth would become stronger, heavier, and their skin would toughen like steel.


    Anya knew less about those with fire and water affinities, let alone light and dark affinities, but it was great info to learn about. When he thought of Bryn, he wondered if he would ever become like this girl before him.


    When Finn asked about her if it was any different for magical beasts like himself, Anya gave him a strange look. She explained that it was not much different for magical beasts with one big exception.


    Magical beasts, by their nature, condensed their elemental essence into either cores or stones. For humans who traveled down the path of an elemental warrior, their whole body was the "core."


    As for mages, both Anya and Finn knew very little about them. One thing Anya could tell him was that it required a special gift to become one. One had to be able to see the flow of elemental essence in order to control it.


    Finn didn''t really understand what that meant, but he supposed there were those that did. He barely understood his own powers, let alone the essence of elements or whatever.


    All this talk about the elements and the power they give left Finn wondering about the source of it all. Where did this power originate from?


    There were other things that Finn learned about as well. When Finn asked about her about her special shield, Anya gladly demonstrated its use.


    Focusing on her form, Finn sensed a surge of energy leave her body and enter the shield in question. A blue gem located in its center glowed, and then special symbols lit up with a blueish white color. Suddenly, the rim started spinning, and a tornado of air was produced causing the surrounding trees to blow like they were in the middle of a hurricane.


    Fascinating! It was just as Finn remembered. When he asked her how it worked, she explained that it was created by an artisan back in the main village using the core of a rank four magical beast with a wind affinity. It had cost her father quite a bit, but it was gift for reaching her sixteenth summer.


    Finn interpreted that as Anya''s father''s gift for her sixteenth birthday. That being said, it was quite an amazing magical artifact, even if it did come from the core of a magical beast like him.


    Oddly enough, Finn did not feel offended or uncomfortable with the knowledge that her shield was made with the core of a magical beast.


    Maybe I should be? Finn still felt a disconnect between his body and his sensibilities. He still sought comfort in human interaction, although it was less than before.


    Finn only recently discovered that he now couldn''t stand crowds of people. What if that grew worse? What if he grew to hate any interaction with people?


    Finn had yet to meet another intelligent magical beast like himself. Oh wait... Finn thought of the giant wind python. Could that have been another intelligent beast? Finn didn''t know for sure, but what he did know was that resigning himself to a life as a beast would be a special kind of hell.


    Maybe it was a curse, to be sentient? Without anyone to communicate with and talk too, Finn was sure he would go insane.


    Finn still feared that one day he would wake up and forget he was ever human, becoming nothing more than a smarter than average magical beast.


    Although he felt that was less likely to happen, Finn didn''t completely disregard the possibility.


    Putting aside his internal dilemmas for now, the topic of conversation had recently been more about himself. After telling them his life story, which wasn''t all that long to be honest, Anya began asking about his abilities.


    Seeing as how she so readily displayed hers for him to see, Finn felt it was only fair to reciprocate.


    Instead of writing out everything he could do, he simply wrote that he would also demonstrate.


    Sending a stream of power to his claws, Finn displayed his golden glowing claws as he pressed them to the ground, immediately burning a dark patch into the grass.


    Following that, he sent power directly to his scales, and a thin golden film started forming.


    Finn heard Anya say something and Maorn, who had been writing something into a notebook nearby, translated.


    "She says elemental infusion into a magical beasts claws, teeth, and skin or scales is a basic ability shared by nearly all magical beasts..."


    Finn''s eye twitched. It had taken him quite a long time to learn both those things, mostly because he never really tried due to lack of necessity. Still, the subtle jab hurt his pride a little bit, even if she didn''t mean it as one.


    Snorting, he next held up his other claw. After focusing a bit, he felt a resonance in his core. The light in the area above his claw started coalescing into a sphere, creating what appeared to be a black orb suspended over his claw.


    He heard a couple of surprised "Ooohs" which made him feel better. I bet they have never seen something like this... As long as Finn controlled the light over his claw, it would continue to absorb the surrounding sunlight, creating a black hole effect.


    Feeling a flash of inspiration, instead of fully releasing the sphere of compressed light like a flashbang, he allowed it to slowly fizzle out. Following this mental image, he looked at his claw to see a bright glowing ball of light in place of where the black hole used to be.


    Woah... Finn was amazed yet again. It looked like he was holding a miniature sun in the palm of his hand... claw.


    Looking down, he saw Maorn, Anya, and the little girl staring at the "sun" in his claw with fascination. Tilting his head, he lowered it to their level so they could see the the small sun a bit closer.


    Feeling adventurous, Anya reached out and stuck her hand into the ball of light.


    "It''s warm!" Anya had a bright smile on her face as she commented. The other two followed her lead, each touching the glowing ball. The little girl giggled as she swirled her hand inside it while Moarn adjusted his glasses, trying to eye it closer.


    Before he could stick his whole head in, the ball completely dissipated, leaving behind nothing but the air and a little girl''s disappointed whine.


    Feeling satisfied with their responses, Finn next charged up energy into his throat, compressing it. Finding a suitable target, he shot out a sunspike at the branch of a tree over fifty feet away. The strike landed, blowing the branch clean off the tree, startling several birds in the vicinity.


    Rubbing her chin in thought, Anya asked through Maorn, "How far can you shoot one?"


    Finn wasn''t exactly sure. The blasts of energy dissipated after around one hundred and fifty feet, but they lacked power at that range unless he charged up a stronger shot. Unlike with his sunbeams, Finn had never actually tried firing a fully charged sunspike.


    Deciding now was as good a time as any, Finn started compressing energy into his throat...


    It was easier to feel that it was to describe for Finn. Unlike with sunbeams, sunspikes had to be... shaped a certain way during formation in order to maintain their disk like shape. If he did it wrong, it would simply dissipate the moment the energy left his throat.


    It took about thirty seconds before it became too erratic and uncontrollable. If he didn''t fire the sunspike now, it would explode in his throat, which would definitely not be pleasant.


    Both Maorn and Anya could feel the condensed power in the air. They were eager to see what Finn was about to do.


    Finally unable to hold it back anymore, Finn fired the shot at a tree a hundred feet away. His eyes widened as the projectile sailed through the air at incredibly high speeds. This sunspike was at least four times the normal size, and it was glowing bright white instead of golden yellow.


    The sunspike drilled straight through the large tree he was aiming at, leaving a perfectly shaped scorched cylindrical hole two feet in diameter.


    Upon exiting the first tree, the beam continued on before colliding with a second tree where it exploded upon hitting it. It was like a bomb had been detonated at the base of the tree, blasting apart bark and wooden splinters everywhere.


    The tree itself was destroyed at the bottom, causing what remained to collapse with a heavy crash. The small group watching had their mouths open, including Finn, as a strong gust of wind from the shockwave blew into them.


    "So powerful..." Both Maorn and Anya muttered at the same time. Finn himself was impressed, but he calmed down realizing how impractical it was.


    In every fight he had so far with another magical beast, he never had any chance to charge power like he just demonstrated. Although it looked impressive, it was useless in an actual fight.


    Then again, his goal here was not to fight anything, but to impress his audience. Their wowed reactions were boosting his ego. There was nothing wrong with being a little vain every now and again!


    Saving the best for last, Finn gently nudged the group a little further away from himself. Looking in a direction opposite the village, he started charging his most powerful attack.


    As the energy gathered, Maorn and Anya felt a sense of trepidation as the air grew heavy with compressed energy. This was unlike anything they had ever experienced.


    In Anya''s case, only her father had ever created such a phenomenon, and that was when he was truly furious. It was the oppression of a higher level of power.


    Soon, Finn reached the limit of what could be contained in his throat, and just like before, a massive sphere of glowing white energy took shape in front on his mouth the second he opened it.


    As the mini sun in front of him grew larger, three smaller orbs of light formed around it, when a full minute had passed, Finn reached his limit.


    Directing the shot, Finn released control. The three smaller orbs of light surrounding the main sun fused back into it, and the torrent of continuous white hot energy launched in the direction Finn was facing.


    As Finn''s most powerful attack, this sunbeam annihilated everything in its path. Trees, dirt, shrubs, all turned to ash in its wake. The beam traveled further than what could be seen, but the devastation was clear as day.


    The trio of humans had to hold their ears as a booming sound caused by sudden superheated air erupted in the vicinity.


    Once the intense beam of energy trickled out, there was nothing left in the direction Finn had been facing except destruction.


    Anya, Maorn, and the little girl who had been playing with the light foxes were speechless at the devastation they had just witnessed. It looked as though a new path had been cleared through the woods, with residual flames as decoration.


    Slowly, she looked over at Finn once again, who was too busy admiring his own handiwork.


    Not even the fire drake could cause such destruction with a single attack. What in the world is this creature? Anya was beginning to have doubts.


    "Lady Anya!"


    An urgent voice cut through the stunned silence. A runner from the village had arrived at the clearing. Owing to his professionalism, he only briefly paused to look upon the devastation before delivering his message.


    "Milady! It is urgent you come back to the village at once!


    Anya frowned, already worried something bad had happened. "What is it! What''s wrong!"


    The runner smiled, easing her fears.


    "Nothing is wrong Lady Anya. It''s just that your father and brother have returned, and they request your presence!"

 45 Finding The Village

    "I underestimated that damn beast''s craftiness. How did it realize I was gone?" Chief Orn crumbled the charred remains of a pole that had once held up a tent.


    His current surroundings consisted of the old remains of their village, but Orn did not despair. The surroundings were surprisingly barren, lacking the atmosphere of death.


    His intuition led him to the conclusion that his contingency plan had worked. Before he left, he had gone over several plans with his daughter in the event of certain catastrophes, namely an attack from the neighboring fire drake that had taken up residence in the mountain of the former home.


    Although he felt relatively assured of the village''s safety, he was more worried about his daughter. After all, he had given her the responsibility of leading the drake away should it decide to attack.


    Having fought the beast before, he knew his daughter could outrun it, but accidents do happen. Chief Orn frowned at this thought.


    As a father, he was simply worried for his little girl. There wasn''t any time to waste!


    Chief Orn let the black ash from the charred wood fall from his hands.


    "Father, how do we find where they went?" Hein asked as he inspected the remains of a burnt tent. Hein was no fool, and he eventually came to the same conclusion as his father while his father was brooding.


    "Give me a moment..." Orn dismissed his son. From his kneeling position, Orn raised his fist into the air. Slowly, a vibrant, thick and viscous green energy enveloped his fist and half his forearm.


    With a loud grunt, he slammed his fist deep into the earth, causing small cracks to form from the point of impact. Shockwaves spread out through the ground surrounding the Chief.


    Hein watched in awe, not exactly sure what his father was doing. He gasped when he saw his father open his eyes. Instead of the familair brown pupils, his eyes were dyed green with energy, which gave Hein goosebumps.


    Orn, his eyes still glowing green, snorted at his son''s reaction. "Relax boy! I am searching through the earth for tracks."


    Indeed he was. Orn had discovered this ability long ago. When he connected his earthly energy with the natural energy of the world itself, he could expand his vision through the earth. It was like awakening a new sense.


    Orn could sense all the bugs of the earth beneath his feet, all the rocks, and the roots of the trees. As long as it was apart of the ground, it could not be hidden from him.


    Right now, his ability had a range large enough to cover the whole village and then some. He could increase the range even further up to a point, but to do so would require a lot more energy.


    As his awareness melded with the earth, he looked into the surrounding area and found patterns of small depressions in the soil. Footprints!


    On the other side, Orn found a much larger pair of footprints, beast prints, that seemed to be following a much smaller pair.


    Orn frowed when he discovered these. The only explanation for this was the one scenario he didn''t want to see. Knowing the fire drake''s temperment, it was quiet easy to anger and bait it, which had been the plan should it attack while he was gone.


    Lead it away from the village at all costs in order to give the villagers time to evacuate. That being said, Orn prayed that his daughter had been able to escape with her life. He wouldn''t know for sure until he found the village.


    Pulling his arm from the earth, Orn''s eyes returned to their brownish hue as he shook the mud from his hand and pointed in the direction of the footprints he found. "I found traces of their evacuation. We need to head this way."


    Breaking off into a jog, Hein followed silently after his father, praying that there weren''t too many deaths from this attack.


    It didn''t take long. After following a remnant trail left behind by those who had evacuated in a hurry, Orn and his son ran into a scouting party that was patrolling the outskirts of the village''s new location.


    As they were escorted through the village''s entrance, they were met with resounding cheers as people noticed their Chief had returned. Countless people came up to greet him, among them was one of Orn''s old friends.


    A small blond man walked through the crowd and stood in front of the Chief. When Selmor arrived, he stood in the Chief''s path and crossed his arms. Noticing this, the Chief walked right up him.


    The contrast between the two men was quite astounding. Chief Orn was massive, built like an ox, with bronze skin and brown hair. Selmor, on the other hand, was much shorter, had a slim build, and was pale and blond.


    "Selmor, you seem to have shrunk a few feet since I''ve been gone..." Orn opened their conversation with an insult.


    "Ornin, even with all the traveling, you only seem to get fatter each time I see you..." Selmor scoffed in reply.


    There was a pregnant pause as the two men glared at eachother.


    Then Orn let out a bellowing laugh. Stepping forward he reached out his arm. Selmor, who was now smiling, clasped the Chief''s outstretched hand.


    "How have you been old friend?" Orn asked.


    "I''ve seen better days, but I can''t complain." Selmor replied.


    Nodding, Orn asked the one question that had been plaguing his mind as of late.


    "Selmor, how is my daughter? How is Anya?"


    When Orn saw Selmor make a strange face, his heart fell into his stomach. However, Selmor quickly eased his fears when he finally answered.


    "Anya is fine. As you can probably guess, we moved here because we were attacked by the fire drake after you and Hein left."


    "Aye, that''s what I figured." Orn scowled at the mention of that damned beast.


    Selmor seemed to be considering how to explain before he continued. "Lady Anya saved us by drawing the fire drake away, giving us time to flee."


    "That''s my girl!" Orn donned a bright smile after hearing about his daughter''s heroics. However, his smile quickly slipped to a frown.


    Leaning downward so he was at eye level, Orn reached out and grabbed his friend''s shoulder.


    "Selmor, how many were lost?" Orn dreaded what he was about to hear.


    Selmor did not beat around the bush, which was something Orn appreciated. "We lost thirteen warriors who helped repel the beast''s initial attack before Anya could draw its attention and lead it away.


    Thirteen... No number was a good number, but that was far less than what he was expecting. Orn did not want to feel happy with "less than expected," but it felt good to have his initial estimates proven false.


    Nodding heavily, Orn handed his pack to his son, instructing him to drop it off at their designated tent. Turning back to Selmor, he asked him, "Lead me to the injured. I wish to address them directly."


    Although he didn''t ask for a number, Orn knew there would be many injured in such an attack. It was almost a guarantee. He felt obligated to tend to them first. The knowledge that his daughter was safe would have to suffice for the moment.


    However, Selmor''s words caught Orn off guard.


    "This... might be an issue. We no longer have any injured. They... have all been... healed."


    Orn could see how much Selmor was struggling to explain, which did nothing for helping him to understand what he was talking about.


    How could there be no one with injuries left? How was that even possible?


    Before he could demand answers, Selmor held up a hand, silencing him. "This is something I recommend you let your daughter explain. Just... try to listen to her before acting."


    What was that supposed to mean? What was he expecting me to do? Orn felt a strange sense of foreboding at his friend''s words.


    "Where is she?" Orn felt he now needed to see his daughter right away.


    Selmor scratched his head. "She and Maorn are visiting our... special guest. They are a short distance away from the main entrance."


    Maorn? That eccentric who likes to visit the human lands across the border? Who is...


    "Special guest?" Orn asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Yes the one who healed our injured. Orn, he saved my daughter''s life. Your daughter will explain, but I ask that you keep an open mind."


    Orn was shocked at this piece of news, but before he could inquire more, Selmor took off. Although Orn tried to pull more information from him, he wouldn''t budge.


    Orn felt like he was missing something... something big. Who was this stranger, and why did he help us? If it wasn''t for some sinister purpose, than he personally had to thank this stranger for helping them.


    Weaving through a sea of people coming to greet him, Orn made his way to the front entrance once again. There, he asked a sentry where his daughter was. Smiling, the sentry pointed him in a direction. "Can you please send for her?"


    Finn, having just finished his demonstration, was surprised when Maorn informed him that Anya''s father had returned from the runner''s words.


    From what he had learned from Anya, her father was now in the elemental stage, which meant he was at least rank four.


    In other words, he was very powerful.


    "Father is back?" Anya was positively glowing from the great news.


    The sentry grinned in return. "Yes! He sent me to fetch you!"


    Anya thought for a moment before turning to Finn, a thoughtful look in her eye.


    Finn watched as Maorn and Anya communicated back and forth, seemingly in discussion. Finally, Maorn translated Anya''s question. "She requests that you come with her back to the village. She believes it''s important that you meet the Chief."


    Well since I agreed to help, I might as well...


    Finn scribbled his response in the dirt.


    "I would like to meet him!" Moarn read aloud.

 46 The Man On Fire

    Chief Orn stood outside the entrance to his village, patiently waiting for the sentry to bring his daughter. Rubbing his bearded chin in thought, he couldn''t help but think about the strange warning from Selmor.


    What did he mean by ''keep an open mind?'' Was this special guest someone from another village? Would he demand some substantial payment in return for helping them?


    The more he thought about it, the more Orn worried. He was more inclined to believe that he would be extorted by this stranger. As he stood there, spear in hand, Hein was off to the side playing with fire... literally.


    As a technique taught to him by his father, Hein was practicing controlling the flow of energy through his body. To do this, he would create a ball of fire in his hand and have it slide around his entire form.


    The key was to make sure the size and intensity remained constant, forcing him to control his output from every inch of his body.


    Hein cursed under his breath each time he lost control, causing the ball to either grow massively in size or shrink into a small flicker. Controlling output was easy from his hands, but when it came from his shoulder or his legs, it became much harder.


    Just as he was about to ask his father for more advice on the matter, Hein noticed him gazing off into the trees, a smile on his face. Following his gaze, he saw Anya and the town oddball, Maorn, coming around a bend in the path.


    Having not seen his sister in so long, Hein donned a bright smile and began running towards her, waving his arms frantically.


    "Hey Anya! Long time no se-!" Hein''s enthusiastic greeting was immediately cut short when he noticed another, much larger figure appear behind his sister.


    Huge frame, long tail, razor sharp claws, pure white scales. Hein felt the blood rush to his head, having not forgotten the type of creature that had razed their old home to the ground. It was a drake!


    At the same time Hein noticed, so did Chief Orn. A vein bulged on his head while his grip on his spear tightened, but before he did anything, he immediately took a deep breath and calmed down. Clearly, something was not right.


    For one, his daughter was currently smiling and waiving in their direction, and Orn knew there was no way she wouldn''t have noticed a massive drake walking right behind her.


    Secondly, Orn''s senses told him that the beast following his daughter was only at rank three, meaning it wasn''t strong enough to pose a big threat to himself or to his daughter.


    Thirdly, there was one obvious feature about the beast that gave him pause.


    White scales? Orn had read about and heard stories about magical beasts with white skin, fur and scales, although he had yet to encounter one in person.


    However, before Chief Orn could do anything, he felt a surge of power from his son.


    "GET AWAY FROM HER YOU BEAST!"


    Finn had long ago realized that there were two powerful presences nearby, and they were getting closer. From the energy he could sense, they were definitely at rank four or what Anya had called the elemental stage.


    Oddly enough, he could feel major differences between the two based on the energy they emmited. One felt restrained, emmitting an oppressive air while the other screamed intensity and vibrance.


    Like tasting different flavors of ice cream, each had their own unique characteristics.


    Naturally, his instincts told him to avoid moving towards these bastions of power, but Finn was going to see this through. Besides, he felt that as long as Anya explained, everything would be fine...


    Oh how Finn immediately regretted ever feeling optimistic.


    After Finn came in view and saw the two powerful humans, the one with the vibrant and intense energy radiating off him immediately screamed, burst into flames, and charged him.


    Finn had to admit that seeing a person spontaneously combust and run straight at him screaming bloody murder was quite terrifying. Couple that with the instinctual fear he felt from their difference in power, Finn couldn''t be blamed for his own reaction.


    Acting purely out of instinct, Finn roared and fired a fast sunspike right at the charging human.


    Raising his arms up, flames poured of of the man''s forearms, creating a blazing inferno. Finn watched as his sunspike entered the flames. Instead of exploding like he thought it would, the sunspike fizzled out and dispersed.


    It was as if the man''s flames had burned away the energy in the very attack itself.


    Growling lowly, Finn realized that this must be the suppression of higher power that Anya had mentioned in their talks. Because of his higher level of power, the man''s fire energy is more potent and stronger than his own.


    Any light energy based attack will be countered and burned away by the man''s elemental flames.


    Just because I can''t match his flames doesn''t mean I''m defenseless... Finn focused as the man controlled his flames. Instead of dispersing, the flames traveled to the man''s hand forming what appeared to be a sword made entirely of fire.


    Uh oh... Finn crouched lower, growling incessantly as the man approached once more. Finn could hear someone screaming in the background, but he was too focused to pay any attention the the noise. Shifting his back legs, Finn''s entire being glowed golden yellow.


    Just before the man reached him and swung his sword, Finn turned his lower body and whipped his tail around at incredibly high speeds. This was his signature surprise attack! A tail whip!


    Unable to dodge in time, the man, enshrouded in an inferno, abandoned his swing and barely braced his body for the impact.


    Thwack!


    The flaming man was hit square in the arm that he brought down to cover his ribcage, the place Finn had been aiming for. The force of the hit knocked the man off his feet, sending him tumbling where his back crashed into a tree.


    Roaring in pain, Finn fliched back. The flames from the man''s body had set his own tail on fire. Instead of going out, the flames continued to burn his scales and flesh.


    The flames, they''re feeding off my energy! Finn realized in horror as the pain continued to spread. Finn, seeing no other options, was forced to draw his energy inward. Only when the golden glow on his scales receded, did the flames finally die.


    Looking at his tail, Finn felt a shiver go down his spine. It was completely scorched black. Sending healing energy to start repairing the damage, Finn considered his next move.


    His flames are able to burn through my energy as fuel? How am I supposed to fight him if I can''t touch him? Finn didn''t see an immediate solution to this problem. He keenly felt the major disadvantage he had when facing this man.


    The man, still covered in flames, removed himself from the tree he had crashed into, leaving behind a black silhouette charred into the bark and wood.


    With a loud battle cry, he again charged at Finn. Finn roared back in response, ready to fight or flee as necessary. However, before the flaming man could reach him, another powerful and oppressive aura descended upon the immediate area.


    At some point in time, the other powerful human had moved, and Finn wad surprised to find him standing between him and the flaming man.


    Finn''s first impression of the man was that he was built like a bear. Tall and muscular with bronze skin and brown hair. Rugged was the word Finn was looking for.


    Even more eye catching than his appearance was the green glow that was pouring off his form. Finn watched this man with wary eyes.


    Despite the older man appearing calm and composed, Finn could tell that he was far more dangerous.


    As the older man stood by with his spear in hand, he reached out, suddenly grabbing the flaming man by the chest, stopping his full charge with one arm. The flames that were able to severely hurt Finn did not seem to affect this older man at all.


    Both Finn and the Hein were completely surprised by this sudden move, and Hein yet out a loud cry of defiance before Orn lifted him up with one arm and slammed him into the ground, creating a small shockwave throughout the earth.


    Hein had the wind knocked out him, and he struggled to breath as he felt his father let go of him. Rolling out of the human shaped crater, Hein struggled to catch his breath.


    Leaning on one arm, he struggled to ask as he coughed out dust, "Why... why did you stop me dad?"


    Orn shook his head, looking over to his daughter who had her hands over her mouth in shock.


    "You''re too impulsive boy! How many times do I have to explain that you must think before you act? One of these days that recklessness will be your end..."


    Orn sighed, feeling that his son was truly hopeless in this regard. It didn''t help that his advancement came too swiftly, but he expected his own son to at least have more self control.


    Finally able to catch his breath, Hein stood up and brushed the remaining dirt from his clothes, which were remarkably unscathed.


    Sending a glower towards the drake that was glaring at him, Hein couldn''t help but speak in anger. "Why is that THING here?"


    Chief Orn could understand his son''s wrath. A drake had robbed them of their home, so it only natural they would not be the most well recieved type of magical beast in this village.


    That being said, there was definitely something strange about this one, more then just having white scales. The beast was not fleeing from their presence, instead sticking close to his daughter. Normal magical beasts would flee before stronger beings. It was the natural response.


    Even now, although it was growling at his son, it made no moves to attack his daughter or Maorn, who had been standing by watching.


    His earlier guess that he ignored came back to nag at him, but it seemed too surreal to be true. Maybe it was the work of the goddesses again?


    Chief Orn let out a sigh, grabbing the attention of all in the area. Looking towards his daughter, he carefully asked, "Anya, what is the meaning of this?"


    Seeing as she now had an opportunity to explain herself, Anya walked over to Finn''s side, Hein bristling when she did so.


    Patting the side of his neck, Anya introduced Finn. "His name is Finngradus, but he prefers to be called Finn."


    He? Both father and son thought at the same time.


    Giving her father a meaningful look, she explained, "Father, this beast was the one who saved my life, and the lives of many in the village who were harmed by the fire drake. If not for him, I''d be dead."


    Hein donned a look of disbelief while Orn frowned seriously. His guess had been right, Selmor had been referring to this beast, but why would a magical beast help humans?


    There were still so many questions left unanswered, but this was not the appropriate place to discuss. They had only just returned, and he wanted to hear more from his daughter.


    Waving his arm, Orn gestured for his daughter to follow him. "Come, we will talk more inside the village."

 47 Underestimated

    Chief Orn felt his eye twitch. Off in the distance, the drake was lazing about under the shade of a tree inside the village. There was a little girl climbing on top of him, laughing hysterically.


    Whenever she was about to fall off, the drake would either shift his position to stop it, or outright catch her when she fell, after which she would attempt to climb back on top of it.


    Never in his life did Orn think he would ever see a magical beast as... gentle. Even stranger was that no one seemed to care that much, as if they were used to its presence.


    Granted, there were many around it who were staring and whispering, but there was almost no fear in their eyes or postures. It was as if they were simply admiring an interesting display.


    "Dad, are you listening to anything I''m saying?" Orn heard a voice and saw a hand wave in front of his face.


    Snapping back to attention, he remembered that his daughter was telling her story before he was distracted. To his right, Hein was twitching his leg as the trio sat around a firepit, glaring at the drake in the distance. Occasionally, flames would flicker off his arms.


    "Oh, um, yes... please continue," Orn coughed into his hand as he replied.


    Anya sighed. This wasn''t the first time her father had gotten distracted, but she really couldn''t blame him. It really was quite a culture shock to meet a magical beast like Finn, who was unlike any they had ever seen before.


    "I can''t stand this!" Hein grunted loudly. "Why is that beast allowed to be inside the village?"


    Anya rolled her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "Hein, I already explained, he saved my life and the lives of others. I''m not sure why, but this beast has a kind soul. He is also very intelligent!"


    Intelligent? Orn frowned when he heard that. "What do you mean by intelligent?" Orn demanded.


    "Well Finn has been telling me stories of his origins..."


    "Wait, who''s Finn?" Hein interjected with a wave of his hand.


    Anya pointed over to the drake who was now calmly sleeping and emitting a golden aura. The little girl who had been climbing all over him was leaning agaisnt his side, relaxing into the warmth.


    Anya smiled when she saw this. "His name is Finngradus, but he prefers to be called Finn."


    "You named it? Hein asked in disbelief, already prepared to mock his sister for creating such a bizarre name.


    Anya chuckled. "No, he told me his name."


    Silence. The two men tensed up, simply too surprised by this piece of news, throwing meaningful glances at eachother.


    Clearing his throat again, Orn asked, "This beast... spoke to you?"


    Anya laughed. "Of course not!" Orn and Hein relaxed and let out silent breaths of relief, but before they could recover, Anya quickly added.


    Both Orn and Hein''s eyes widened significantly. "Anya, you mean to say this beast can read and write?" Orn had to confirm.


    After seeing Anya nod enthusiasticly, Orn crossed his arms and frowned while Hein glanced back over at the snoozing drake.


    Orn sighed and looked down in thought. Magical beasts smart enough to read and write? Only very powerful magical beasts ever become this smart... Orn had seen and heard enough things to not be too surprised by this news, but for such a weak magical beast to display these qualities? It didn''t make sense.


    Has it achieved self awareness? Anya did say it can communicate... Standing up suddenly, Orn looked to his only daughter and said, "Please get Maorn, I wish to... speak to this magical beast.


    Anya nodded and scrambled away in a hurry. Hein, who had been watching silenty, finally found his voice. "Do you believe her? It seems impossible..."


    Orn huffed. "It''s not impossible, but it is quite hard to believe. That being said, Anya would not lie to us. I will have to see for myself."


    Hein picked up on the subtlety, standing up angrily. "Hey! I am coming too!"


    Orn sized up his son and immediately came to a conclusion. "No, you''re still too hot-headed and unable to control your emotions. Without even thinking, you attacked that beast. If it still has enmity towards you, it will be difficult to properly communicate."


    Hein opened his mouth to object, but found his father''s reasoning flawless. That being said, he didn''t have to like the outcome. Grumbling under his breath, he stormed away as flames flickered off his body.


    Orn watched his son''s childish display and shook his head. When Anya returned with Maorn in tow, the three walked up to where the drake had been snoozing. Sensing their arrival, Finn raised his head and locked eyes with Chief Orn.


    After the debacle earlier, Anya had explained that these two men were her father and brother, Orn and Hein, so Finn was now aware that the man before him was the leader of this tribe.


    Even so, Finn still felt immense pressure even when this man was not releasing any killing intent or energy. It was an instictual feeling, one that was broadcasting "possible danger nearby."


    Although, it was not as bad as how he felt when he first met the guild master back home. However, Finn wasn''t sure if that was because he was a lower rank back then, or if that guild master had an even stronger rank than this man before him.


    Chief Orn sat on the ground in front of the drake, eyeing it carefully. He still did not feel too comfortable being so close to a powerful beast, but he trusted his daughter''s word.


    That, and the fact that there was a little girl sleeping comfortabley next to it made him refuse to feel any fear.


    Anya and Maorn stood by, waiting to hear what Chief Orn would ask.


    Thinking of what to say, Chief Orn simply started with, "Hello," to which Maorn quickly translated for him.


    Finn responded by writing a "hello" back in the dirt. When Orn saw the beast writing characters with his claw, his eyes widened in disbelief. Although the characters looked strange, there was definitely a pattern that could be recognized as a language.


    So it was true, this beast really can communicate... Orn decided to ignore the ramifications of this for now.


    "What are your intentions? Orn got straight to the point.


    After hearing Maorn translate, Finn wrote his response. "I wish to find my way home."


    "Your home in the lands to the east? Why would you want to return there? Aren''t you aware of the dangers?"


    Finn internally frowed, having considered this before. Even if he did find Bryn again, it would be impossible to hide now that he was so big. Could he really keep the fact that he had a light affinity a secret?


    Pausing for a moment, Finn thought of a measured response which he clawed in the dirt.


    "I am aware of the dangers, but I have important people that I must return to."


    Orn felt amazed. It was just like talking to another person. This creature truly is intelligent... Shelving his amazement, Orn then asked, "Why did you help my daughter?"


    Finn scritched his answer. "Because it looked like she needed it, and I believed she could also help me."


    Orn heard this answer and contemplated in silence before giving a reply. "Alright then. If you wish to return home, that can be arranged. Maorn frequently travels to the traitor''s lands, he can guide you back. It''s the least we can do to repay you for your aid."


    Although this drake was quite an interesting specimen, Orn had bigger issues to tackle at the moment. If this beast wished to leave, it was only right to guide it on its way.


    Finn, on his part, was overjoyed to hear this news. In his opinion, a promise from a Chief was likely to hold significant weight.


    Thinking that was it, Orn stood up and prepared to leave, but Anya cut in. "Father, although it was a bit of a selfish request, I asked Finn if he could help you face the fire drake. He agreed to my request."


    Orn was surprised, not knowing what to make of that. It was far beyond his expectations. Why would it... he want to help us?


    Facing Finn again, Chief Orn questioned him directly. "Why did you agree to help us? Don''t you wish to return home?"


    Finn replied in writing. "Anya pleaded with me and I agreed, as long as I''m not fighting that monster directly. I was also curious..."


    Orn frowned. "How do you think you can help us? The fire drake is immensely powerful, and you are only a rank three magical beast. You''re much weaker than it."


    Being directly called weak hit a hidden sore spot within Finn. Never had he been called weak before, but he had to admit to the truth of his words. Still, he felt he was being underestimated. He wrote his response.


    "I am stronger than you think."


    Seeing the drake''s reply, Orn quickly weighed the pros and cons before deciding on a more prudent course of action. "I need to think about this. We set out in two days, I will give you my decision tomorrow."


    Finn didnt mind either way. Even if he said no, Maorn would still be able to take him home. Getting to see a battle between beings far more powerful than himself would just be a bonus.


    Finn spent the rest of the day sleeping under the sun inside the village. When there wasn''t a crowd around to bombard him with constant crowding and noise, the peaceful village ambiance was actually quite nice.


    When the next day rolled around, Finn once again met with the Chief, only this time, he was accompanied by his son, Hein, who clearly did not look pleased. Maorn was already on standby waiting to tranlsate for the Chief.


    "You may accompany us, but I''m not sure how you''ll be able to help. I know little about beasts of a light affinity."


    Finn internally smiled. It made perfect sense. Why would they want a wildcard with them. They needed to know what he could do so they could plan accordingly. Granted, he could just have Anya explain, but this was his chance to prove he was stronger than the Chief gave him credit for.


    It was time for another demonstration! Scratching in the dirt, Finn wrote three words.


    "Come with me."

 48 Prelude

    Chief Orn gazed into the fire as the embers crumbled away, lost in thought. It was night, the day before they were to set off for their final confrontation with their sworn nemesis.


    These past couple years had been leading up to this moment, and Orn would be lying to himself if he said he wasn''t nervous.


    "Gwahhhhhhhh!" A loud snoring echoed from the adjacent tent, the one Hein was sleeping in, causing Orn''s eye to twitch.


    It''s nice to be young, without a care in the world... Orn was fully aware that he could die tomorrow. Despite feeling very prepared, mistakes were always possible. There were no guarantees in a life or death battle.


    He didn''t wish to feel so pessimistic, but being responsible for an entire village of people made him fully aware of the consequences should he fail. A magical beast like the fire drake would likely take its rage out on the village if they lose.


    And then there was this creature named Finn. Orn recalled yesterday''s demonstration. He had seen first hand the incredible destructive power this strange beast was capable of. It went beyond all his expectations.


    For a mere rank three magical beast to produce such power, is this the uniqueness of a light affinity? Orn couldn''t be sure, but one thing was for certain, their odds of success were definitely higher with the aid of this creature.


    Granted it took a full minute for it to achieve such destruction, an eternity during a fierce battle, but if he and Hein could stall for enough time, then they could allow Finn to deal a devastating blow.


    This had been Orn''s plan, one that he thought of the moment he witnessed Finn''s power. Having gone over it with Hein, they both agreed it was a solid baseline.


    As for the details, they had already been discussed thoroughly between the two. All that was left was to face their enemy.


    "Are you nervous?"


    Hmm? Orn looked up to see his daughter giving him a concerned look. She had sat down next to him at some point and he had been too distracted to notice.


    Laughing quietly, Orn patted her head. "A bit, but not to worry. I have full trust in you should things go astray."


    Anya took her father''s hand into hers. "You know you don''t have to do this. I know it took our village, but we can rebuild elsewhere."


    Hidden beneath the logic, Orn could sense his daughter''s deep concern. Knowing her, it was because she was not strong enough to provide aid in their upcoming battle. Orn knew his daughter hated sitting on the sidelines. Smiling softly, he asked her a question.


    "Anya, do you know why I chose Hein as the one to help advance instead of you?"


    Seeing her shake her head in puzzlement, Orn answered his own question. "It was because he holds an affinity to fire. That''s it, the only reason."


    Orn returned his gaze to the fire. "The flames produced by the fire drake are too potent, even for me. I need someone by my side who can withstand their power, and Hein is the only one qualified enough to do it- Guh!


    Orn suddenly found himself in a headlock. Glancing backwards, he found the culprit to be his son, Hein, who was sneering at him.


    "So you think I''m only good for my affinity huh? I can''t be calm and collected too? Hein demanded mockingly.


    "I thought you were asleep you brat! And you''re just proving my point!" Orn pried his son''s arms off from around his neck and tackled him. The two began wrestling in the dirt, while Anya watched from the sidelines, cheering them on. The sparks from the fire they all sat around filtering off into the sky.


    Meanwhile, a certain distance away from the village, Finn was playing with his powers. Opening his claw, a ball of light appeared. It was like a miniature sun, illuminating the surrounding darkness with warm yellow light.


    It was a comforting thought, that no matter how dark it became, Finn could now banish the darkness. He didn''t fear the dark as much as he feared the unknown, and being able to illuminate his surroundings on command gave him a sense of confidence at night, when he felt most vulnerable.


    With a thought, he guided the ball of light towards the ground, where a small figure attempted to pounce on it. The little light fox, Shrimp, nearly managed to catch it before Finn moved it just out of reach.


    Like a cat chasing a lazer pointer, Finn entertained himself by watching Shrimp chase the floating ball of light all around the darkness, eventually tiring himself out.


    Eventually, even Finn grew tired, and he curled up into a giant C-shape. In the nook of his form, his four little companion light foxes snuggled in, comforted by the protection Finn bestowed. The night passed peacefully.


    When morning came, Finn immediately began sunbathing, casting a golden aura around himself as energy flowed into his body from the stray rays of light that hit his scales.


    His little companions soaked in the residual energy, and Finn soon felt himself recharged and ready to go. He knew this was the day, and a feeling of anticipation stirred his heart.


    If he was by himself, there was no way he could ever face a creature as monstrous as that fire drake. However, since he was only helping as support while the other two powerful humans fought the beast directly, Finn found himself feeling more confident.


    Sitting patiently in the sunlight, Finn waited for their arrival.


    In the early hours of the morning, a small crowd consiting of warriors stood by at the village entrance, a solemn silence hanging throughout the cool morning air. All those gathered knew what today was.


    Strapping on their armor and gathering their weapons, Orn and Hein said their goodbyes to their friends and comrades. Joined by Anya and Maorn, they started heading out of the village.


    "Chief!" A loud voice cut through the solemn silence, calling everyone''s attention to one man.


    Looking back, Orn saw who it was and addressed him. "Borg? What is it?"


    Walking out of the crowd, Borg unstrapped something off his back and handed it to the Chief. A beautifully engraved round shield, adorned with spikes on the periphery.


    Orn knew what this was, but he wasn''t sure why Borg was giving him it. It was a valuable magical artifact crafted from a rank three magical beast of the earth affinity.


    Orn was speechless. "Borg, why are you giving me your brother''s shield?"


    Borg''s normally cold demeanor was replaced with an aura of sadness. "I give this to you as a promise. May it serve you better than it served my brother. Avenge him Chief."


    Orn felt the weight of the shield in his hand increase exponentially. Beating his chest with one arm, he accepted this promise. "We will not fail!"


    Nodding, Borg returned to the village, his head held high. Having Hein strap the shield to his back, Anya, Maorn, Hein and Orn finally left the village heading into the woods towards their final destination.


    When Finn saw the four humans enter into his line of sight, he knew the time had come. Rising up, he stretched each of his limbs, feeling the satisfying pops of a good stretch.


    Examining each person that had come, he saw that the Chief and his son were adorned in studded metal armor. It reminded him of what Bryn had worn long ago, only more sturdy and with more metal instead of leather. However, it was their weapons that truly grabbed his attention.


    The Chief was carrying a spear tipped with some kind of gemstone that was flickering with energy. It appeared very similar to electricity, and Finn could feel the power held within the stone. His guess was that it was a magical artifact created from the core of some magical beast.


    In addition to the spear, the Chief was also carrying a large hammer strapped to his waist as well as a shield on his back. It made Finn wonder what kind of fighting style the Chief battled with.


    The son, Hein, on the other hand, was simply carrying a bow and quiver strapped to his back. On his waist, there was a whip and a short sword strapped to his belt.


    In short, they both looked intimidating, people you would not want to mess with, which was good for building confidence in their allies.


    "It''s time to go." Orn declared as he faced the beast. After Maorn tranlsated, Finn simply nodded, not feeling the need to reply in writing.


    Hein barely acknowledged Finn, but he didn''t appear hostile either, which Finn took as a good sign. The two began walking further into the woods.


    Before Finn could follow, he found Anya standing in front of him.


    "Please take care of them. I know they are strong, but they often bite off more then they can chew."


    Hearing her heartfelt request from Maorn, Finn drew a single sentence on the ground.


    "I will do what I can." Finn honestly didn''t know how much help he could truly be in such a fight, but he would try his best.


    Relieved at his answer, Anya stepped out of the way to allow Finn to continue on. Watching them walk away, Anya couldn''t help but feel a sense of trepidation.


    "Don''t worry Lady Anya, I''m sure everything will turn out fine!" Maorn offered his words of comfort. Anya turned and gave him a bizzare look, one that sent shivers down Maorn''s spine.


    Maorn felt the blood drain from his face.


    "What?"

 49 Into The Inferno Part 1

    The walk to the mountain was rather uneventful, not that Finn was expecting it to be. He kept a respectful distance away from Orn and Hein as they spoke quietly to eachother along the way. However, he was not bored, because he had quite a talkative companion by his side.


    "I can''t believe she is making me come with you! How could she do this to me? Do you not realize how much danger there is..."


    Maorn''s complaining was constant as he adjusted the glasses on his nose, and he only did so in Finn''s language to prevent the Chief from hearing, which Finn found amusing.


    Finn could tell Maorn was terrified of coming along, not that he could blame him. He didn''t feel even an ounce of strength coming from his lanky form. Although for Maorn, that might actually be a blessing.


    In Finn''s view, because Maorn was so weak, it meant that he would be virtually invisible. Why would the fire drake waste even a second on him when there were much bigger threats nearby? His strength was his intelligence, not his combat abilities.


    Even so, it was still possible to be hurt in the crossfire, so when they got there, Finn would be sure to have him stay a safe distance away.


    Hours passed as they walked, and Finn found himself impressed at Maorn''s stamina. Having judged him as a bookworm type, Finn was pleasantly surprised that Maorn didn''t even look to be breaking a sweat even after all this time.


    Hmm, I guess all the traveling he''s done really makes a difference... Finn didn''t even consider the same for the Chief and his son, but for a normal human, it was quite impressive.


    It took many hours before the group reached the base of the mountain of their former home. Taking a long pause, Finn could hear the Chief speaking lowly to his son. Although he couldn''t understand it, Finn could hear the sadness in his voice.


    Just like he remembered, Finn walked up the same path he did before, eventually coming upon the entrance to the stone village. Walking past the abandoned homes, Finn could feel fluctuations in power coming from the redhead.


    Looking up, Finn saw Hein looking at each and every stone house, his shoulders tense in anger as flickers of flame peeled off his clothes. He saw Orn grab his son''s shoulder and say something to him. Immediately, the energy fluctuations ceased as Hein regained control of himself.


    That lasted until they came upon the harrowing scene of the central square. It was unchanged since the last time Finn saw it.


    Destruction and carnage, with bodies scorched black strewn about in various states of despair, burnt alive in their death poses.


    Finn could feel pulses of power eminate from both Orn and Hein as they looked upon the scene. To them, it served as a reminder of what they were fighting for, motivation for what they must do.


    After a brief moment of silence, the group continued on, lead by Orn and Hein up the mountain path. As they grew closer to the cave, Finn''s instincts started whispering softly to him, that there was danger ahead.


    The whispers grew into shouts, which turned into screams as he drew near. It wasn''t long before the group were all standing a distance away from the dreaded cave. Just like he remembered, the entire area around the entrance was scorched black from intense flame, likely the fire drake marking its territory.


    "We''re here..." Orn grunted as he unhooked his his whip from his belt. Reaching back, Orn also grabbed the spear attached to a loop on his back under the shield. Hein followed suit, unslinging the bow off his back.


    Once they were ready, Orn signaled for a group huddle. "Remember, we will engage the beast. If you see an opportunity, you take it. I''ll... leave it to your discretion." Orn explained Finn''s role in this fight.


    After Maorn translated and seeing Finn nod, Orn donned a grim smile. "There are no guarantees in this fight. This beast is powerful, and you must not let your guard down."


    Hein slapped him on the shoulder and gave him a smile. "Don''t be so melodramatic old man. We won''t die so easily!"


    In spite of the situation, Orn smiled at his son, reaching his arm out. "If we die, we will die gloriously.


    Hein laughed and clasped arms with his father. "That''s the spirit! Let''s kill this bastard!"


    While the father and son duo said their pieces, Finn nudged Maorn with his claw. It was time for him to retreat to a safe distance. Writing down in the dirt, Maorn read what he saw out loud.


    "It''s time for you to go. Move a safe distance away. Flee if it becomes too dangerous."


    Maorn looked up at Finn and nodded. Patting his large claw, he said with sincerity, "Good luck, and may the goddesses bless you."


    With that, Maorn backed away and started running to safety. Finn watched him leave, and turned his attention to the cave where his instincts were telling him to follow in Maorn''s footsteps.


    However, deep inside his heart, Finn actually felt kind of excited. It was the knowledge that he was willingly doing something dangerous that gave him a feeling of morbid anticipation.


    Standing right in front of the line that designated the fire drake''s territory, Orn asked one final time. "Are you ready?"


    Hein smirked as his grip on his bow tightened. "Let''s do this!"


    Nodding in satisfaction, Orn tightened his grip on his spear as the duo stepped over the divide. All at once, they released their suppressed auras completely.


    Wow... Finn was in awe of the strength he sensed from the two humans. It was like a tidal wave of force slamming into him, the heavy oppressive aura from the father was only matched by the violent and explosive aura of his son.


    As it was predicted, Finn wasn''t the only being who sensed the appearance of two powerful auras...


    GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!


    A deep and menacing growl emanated from the depths of the cave in the distance. An orange glow appeared in its depths, which illuminated the inside of the cave as it approached the entrance.


    When that monster reached the opening, Finn was reminded exactly how terrifying the fire drake really was. The orange glow was created from the drake''s body, which was currently on fire. It looked as though someone had doused its blood red scales in gasoline and set it ablaze.


    Seemingly taking its time, the beast casually strode out of its cave, each step causing the earth to tremble a bit. As it drew closer, Finn was further reminded just how small he really was. This massive beast was over two and a half times his size by comparison.


    That made the size disparity between it and the two powerful humans even more pronounced. No matter how brave one was, the oppression from its size alone would deter anyone from messing with it.


    Chief Orn and Hein, however, didn''t even bat an eye. They had prepared for this moment for so long.


    When the fire drake drew close enough to the two humans that dared encroach upon its territory, it opened its mouth and released a torrent of flames, aiming to quickly incinerate the trespassers.


    Without a word, Hein stepped in front of his father. Finn felt a sense of panic as he watched the flames engulf the two humans. Finn had yet to feel the fire drake''s flames personally, but he could instinctually tell that they were incredibly potent.


    Finn watched in horror as the flames continued to block the Chief and his son from view. However, before long his horror turned into confusion. Their auras hadn''t died down at all, which could only mean one thing.


    The fire drake seemed to sense this as well, and it ceased its spewing of flames. When the flames cleared, Finn was rendered speechless.


    The two were completely fine!


    Hein was covered in a red glow as flames flickered off his form, completely unscathed. In fact, it looked as though the sudden bath of flames energized him even more. Having stood in the path of the flames, Hein was able to shield his father from the brunt of the blast.


    The fire drake saw that its stream of fire had no effect, and it narrowed its eyes, realizing the puny humans before it were not weak.


    Orn couldn''t help but smirk. It was a good feeling when your conjecture was validated. As he thought, Hein was immune to the drake''s fire attacks! Since they were now equal in level, Hein could now withstand its flames!


    Gripping his spear tightly, Orn channeled energy into the tip where the lightning core was. Sparks of energy began dancing around the tip, while some traveled back into his arm.


    Orn grimaced, the backlash from mismatched affinities causing him slight pain. Just as the charge in the staff was built up sufficiently, he yelled at Hein, "Remember to aim for its eyes!"


    The fire drake began moving forward, barring its teeth as it charged the two humans. Each powerful step shook the earth.


    Hein nocked an arrow and stepped out of his father''s way. He began channeling his own energy into it, causing it to begin glowing red.


    Just before the fire drake reached them, Orn unleashed the built up energy in the staff, causing a massive bolt of lightning to shoot right at the approaching drake.


    Its eyes widened in surprise as it attempted to stop, but it was too late. The bolt of lightning moved like a serpent as it hit the drake center mass, creating a deafening explosion.


    GUAHHHHHHHHH!


    The fire drake let out a roar of pain as the intense electrical currents momentarily paralyzed its movements. Hein siezed this opportunity and fired an arrow, striking the beast in its left eye.


    The fire drake let out another scream of pain and fury. Finn, who had watched the whole exchange from a distance, was amazed by the coordination the two showed. In their first exchange, they had already managed to blind it in one eye.


    Roaring in fury, the fire drake managed to shake off the momentary paralysis and fired a large fireball at the human with the spear.


    Just like before, Hein jumped in the path of the blast, the fire washing over him like water around a rock, having no effect. However, before the fire cleared, a large red tail appeared in his vision.


    Oh... Was all Hein could think before he felt a massive impact hit him in his side, launching him like a missle out of the area, his condition unknown. The beast had used the momentary period where Hein''s vision was blocked by the flames to sneak in a sweep of its tail.


    "Hein!" Orn yelled before dodging to the side, flames incinerating his original location. The fire drake moved in close, hoping to use its size to crush the puny human before it could use that paralyzing spear again.


    Unfortunately for it, that was the wrong choice. Orn''s body glowed green as he braced for impact. A tail sweep slammed into Orn with unbelievable force. However, instead of knocking him off his feet as expected, Orn instead managed to catch the massive tail with both arms, as he dug a small trench in the dirt.


    The fire drake was stunned by this outcome and was even more surprised when it found it couldn''t free its tail from the puny human''s grasp. Orn''s arms bulged as green energy poured off his body.


    Although the flames on the drake''s body were starting to burn away at Orn''s energy, they weren''t fast enough to stop what came next.


    Using an enormous amount of energy, Orn started pulling on the drake''s tail, causing it to lose it balance as it found itself nearly lifted into the air. Spinning around, Orn managed to throw the massive beast as it crashed into the side of the mountain next to the cave.


    Such a feat of superhuman strength left Finn staring in awe. However, although quite impressive, it did not seem to phase the fire drake, as it soon stood up, shaking the dirt off its body.


    All of the sudden, Hein came running out of the woods where he was launched, rejoining the fight.


    "Hein! Are you alright?" Orn yelled as Hein rejoined him.


    Wiping some blood from his mouth, Hein replied, "Damned thing caught me by surprise. Lost my bow..."


    The two stared at the fire drake that was growling heavily as it glared back at them. Then, without warning, it retreated back into its cave.


    Orn and Hein were stunned by its sudden decision to run, but were not about to consider it a victory.


    "Why is it running?" Hein couldn''t believe it.


    Orn wasn''t sure either, but he was certain of one thing. "We can''t give it a chance to recover! We have to kill it once and for all." Orn solemly declared. Nodding, the two gave chase, entering the cave after the beast.


    Finn, who had been watching from the sidelines, followed in pursuit. Unsure of what would happen next.

 50 Into The Inferno Part 2

    "Dad, something''s not right..." Hein voiced his concern as they headed deeper into the cave, his sword at the ready. In his left hand, a flame was suspended in order to light the path.


    Chief Orn agreed with his son''s concerns, but he just couldn''t pinpoint what was making him feel uneasy. Rubbing the burns on his arms, Orn maintained his vigilance, constantly shifting his gaze to prevent any ambushes.


    Finn followed closely behind, unwilling to lose them in the maze like structure. The cave they had entered was not linear, and had many branching paths leading into the dark unknown. Contrary to the entrance''s size, which was just big enough for the fire drake, the interior was far more spacious.


    It was more like a large cavern, and in different circumstances, Finn would have paused to admire the beautiful stalactites and stalagmites that dotted the surroundings.


    Its a bit too dark... Finn noticed that Hein was illuminating the path with a flame held in his hand, like a torch. However, just like a torch, the mellow orange glow combined with the flickering made for a poor light source.


    Willing a sphere of bright light into existence, Finn causally let it float in front of the path to light the way, surprising the two human warriors. Unlike Hein''s flame, Finn''s light was bright like a miniature sun, and provided constant luminescence.


    Snorting, Hein shook the flame in his hand out, while Orn turned and beat his chest once, an action that Finn had learned meant "thanks."


    Finn nodded, and the trio continued on into the dark.


    After about half an hour passed, Finn was starting to get suspicious. How deep does this go? Finn couldn''t help but think that they had been walking in circles, but he couldn''t voice his concerns.


    However, there was something else that was beginning to trouble him more. The air was getting warmer...


    "Dad, are you sure you know where we''re going?" Even Hein was beginning to feel doubt.


    Not slowing down, Orn continued to maintain his vigilance as they passed every junction and corner, preparing to be ambushed at any moment. "Listen boy, I grew up exploring these caves. They extend very deep, and I believe that the fire drake would be-" Orn''s response was cut short as they came to a fork in the path.


    Ahead, there were three tunnels from which to chose, spread out evenly. Noticing his father''s sudden lack of words, Hein inquired, "What is it?"


    "This... there should only be two tunnels here..." Orn whispered as he approached the one in the middle. As he did so, Finn conjured up two more light spheres and sent them down the other two paths to see where they went.


    The paths on the right and left eventually looped back, rejoining the more complex cave system. As for the one in the middle...


    When he approached, he also saw what they were looking at.


    Claw marks... This tunnel was dug out by a creature with claws even bigger than Finn''s own, and there was only one possible creature it could be.


    The fire drake dug out this tunnel? Finn willed a sphere of light down the middle path. Unlike the other two, this path went straight and down, seemingly further into the depths of the mountain. Not an ominous sign at all...


    As if to add to the mood, a sudden and hot breeze blew past the trio, as if the mountain was warning them of what''s ahead.


    Hein suddenly twitched, and Orn was alerted as well. "Father, did you sense it?"


    Orn''s grip on his spear tightened significantly. "Aye son, there''s a massive amount of fire elemental energy ahead, but it doesn''t feel like it belongs to the fire drake."


    Hein nodded. "I know, it feels... purer somehow. Do you know what it''s coming from."


    Orn frowned in thought. "There are a few possibilities, but I''m not certain of any of them."


    Hein shook his shoulders to stretch them out. "Well, what''s the worst it could be? I say we keep moving. My sword is thirsting for blood." Hein boldly stated as he flipped the sword in his hand.


    Orn chuckled humorlessly. "The worst it could be is something I dare not imagine, but that is not likely. If it was, we would have sensed its energy long ago..."


    Hein''s bravado cooled off at that. His smirk trending into a frown. "Well... what should we do then?"


    Orn looked down in thought as he leaned on his spear. Finn and Hein stood by quietly, sensing the mood.


    They were heading into the unknown with a possibly dangerous new variable at play. Orn was not one to run in blind. However, right now they had the initiative.


    If they left now, the fire drake could retaliate at any moment against their village. If it managed to find their village once, Orn was certain it could do it again. At least right here and now, they could kill the beast without involving their fellow tribesmen.


    Besides, Orn had come fully prepared to fight a bitter battle against the beast that destroyed their home. Vengeance was always a compelling reason to fight.


    Having come to a decision, Orn slammed his spear into the ground with finality.


    "We continue forward!"


    Hein smiled, feeling reinvigorated. "Onward to glory!" He declared as he followed after his father.


    Finn just stood there for a moment before following after them. I really wish I knew what they were saying... Whatever motivational speech the Chief just gave would have been nice to hear.


    As the trio continued onward and downward, Finn was finally able to sense what the two humans had sensed earlier. He felt as though intense hot waves of energy were beginning to wash over his body, making him feel hot and tired. Every breath he let out now had traces of steam in it.


    It feels like a sauna, what''s causing this? As Finn circulated his energy to keep his body condition stable, he only now recognized a real issue.


    There wasn''t any sunlight in a cave!


    Finn had followed them without a second thought since they simply charged in right after the fire drake, but now he was noticing that his energy supply was currently recharging much slower than normal.


    Finn was normally used to a near limitless supply of ambient energy, but now he was deep underground where the sunlight couldn''t reach him.


    Well... this isn''t good... Finn felt a grim realization that he was biting off more than he could chew, but he wasn''t going to simply abandon these two, even if they were strong enough on their own.


    Gathering his determination, Finn pressed onward as he followed the two humans to their fate.


    Hmm! A familiar and unwelcome scent drifted into Finn''s nostrils. Without even realizing it, Finn began to let out a low growl. Noticing this, the two humans turned to look at Finn before nodding at eachother.


    "I think we''re getting close..." Hein offered.


    Orn nodded. "Normally, we would be able to sense the fire drake''s energy, but with all this excess energy flowing through the air, its become nearly impossible."


    Hein held his swords at the ready. "Yea, even now, I can barely sense yours even though you''re right here."


    Orn lowered his spear defensively. "Stay vigilant son..."


    The group''s walking pace slowed a bit. Off in the distance down the cave, a blood red glow started forming.


    A light at the end of the tunnel? Finn thought in passing before realizing that in this situation, it wasn''t necessarily a good sign.


    As they approached, the smell of the fire drake grew stronger, as if it was all around Finn, which made him shiver in nervousness.


    "This is..." Hein started asking but stopped when the cave exit opened up into a massive cavern space.


    The ceiling of the space was covered with sharp juts of rock that appeared very dangerous should they fall, like arrows waiting to skewer those below.


    The surrounding area was mostly flat, with several ditches and crevices of rock spaced out here and there.


    However, none of these features were what caught the attention of the trio as they entered the space. Right in the center of the cavern, a massive pillar of rock stretched from floor to ceiling, like a wooden mast holding up a pavilion.


    Embedded in this rocky column were chunks of red colored gems that were emitting a pale red glow.


    "Fire crystal! So that''s why!" Orn exclaimed in surprise. It was like a major puzzle piece finally fell into place. Years ago, the fire drake attacked their village, drove them away, and took residence in this cave all for one reason.


    "What''s fire crystal?" Hein asked in response, his eyes glued to the red glowing crystals as if they were calling to him.


    Orn glanced at his son. "Fire crystals are incredibly pure condensed forms of fire energy. They can aid those of a fire affinity to grow in power. The fire drake must have sense their presence and attacked us to drive us away and claim them."


    "Wait..." Hein felt confused about something. "How come you didn''t know about these before?"


    Orn shook his head. "I never sensed them until now. They were buried too deep even for me. Somehow the fire drake found out about them, which is why it attacked us..."


    While the two humans were talking, Finn took his eyes off the glowing energy emitting ruby-like crystals long enough to realize a big problem.


    Where was the fire drake? Finn could smell its presence everywhere, but he could not see it anywhere, unless...


    GRRRRRRR!


    A deep and menacing growl echoed throughout the cavern space, sending chills down Finn''s spine. From behind the massive stone pillar in the center, the massive figure of the fire drake appeared as it casually strolled to the front.


    Finn heard the two humans yell warcries as they began to move towards it, ready to battle.


    Finn followed behind, but suddenly came to a stop.


    Something''s wrong here... Finn had learned to trust his instincts during his time in this world, and right now they were screaming that something was not right. The amount of danger he felt was far greater then the last time he faced the fire drake, which didn''t make sense!


    What is it! Finn frantically his head around and tuned up all his senses. Ignoring the cries from the humans, Finn could hear the thuds of massive footsteps approaching from behind.


    Focusing his vision on where he heard the footfalls, Finn''s eyes narrowed to pinpricks.


    Exiting out of a tunnel that was adjacent to the one they came into the cavern from, a massive creature came walking into view.


    Blood red scales, long, razor-sharp claws, body currently on fire...


    Oh my god... Finn felt the crushing weight of despair settle onto him.


    There were two of them!

 51 Flee

    All at once, Finn understood that these fire drakes had led them into an area where it would have been impossible to sense the presence of both.


    The glowing red crystals in the center of the cavern continued to pour out an excess amount of ambient fire energy, making it nearly impossible to discover that there were actually two of these beasts roaming these tunnels.


    There wasnt any time to waste! Finn roared loudly, grabbing the attention of the two humans who had already begun moving to engage the first fire drake.


    Hearing Finn''s roar, the duo stopped for a moment to glance behind themselves before they made eye contact with...


    Chief Orn felt a sickening sense of dread wash over him. Upon seeing a second fire drake, both father and son glanced at each other, worry reflecting in their eyes.


    "We''ve been deceived! We have to flee!" Orn whispered to his son sullenly. The decision was as quick as it was easy. This was far beyond their capabilities. Even one fire drake would''ve been a difficult battle, two was nearly insurmountable.


    Inwardly, Orn cursed the cleverness of this beast. He had planned for everything except the possibility that there were two. How could he have possibly known that?


    "Dad, how are we supposed to get past both of them?" Hein felt his breath catch in his throat. This situation was far worse than he could have ever imagined. The other fire drake was blocking the entrance they came in from.


    "I don''t know..." Just as Orn replied, he noticed that a ball of darkness was beginning to form over Finn''s mouth. It grew bigger and bigger, catching the attention of both the fire drakes and the humans.


    "What''s it doing?" Hein watched in confusion. Orn, however, was quicker on the uptake. Putting his arm around his son''s head, he covered his son''s eyes and turned away.


    As the first fire drake watched with one good eye, it turned away, having seen this trick before. However, the second fire drake that had snuck up from behind was less aware.


    Finn continued to pour energy into the black sphere. After realizing that they were cornered with no way out, Finn quickly came to the conclusion that they had to run. Having used this tactic before, he was hoping it would work a second time.


    The black sphere hovering over Finn''s mouth grew to a massive size. Then, all at once, Finn released control.


    A brilliant flash of light exploded out, covering the entire cavern in brilliant white luminescence. The light reflected off the ruby red crystals, creating a blinding and confusing display of light fragments.


    The fire drake that had snuck up from behind let out a terrible roar of agony as it was blinded by the intense and unexpected flash. Having been used to only the faint glow of the cavern, the sudden burst of light stole its vision temporarily.


    "Run!" Orn yelled as they both picked up speed, passing by Finn who was waiting for them. As they ran by, they carefully avoided the blind and rampaging fire drake who was smashing the area around itself in a fury.


    Finn was about to run to follow, when he heard a loud shout from up ahead. Looking up, he saw Hein pointing at something to his right, and when he turned to look, he was greeted with a large wall of red, approaching him fast, too fast.


    BOOM!


    Finn felt his world rocked as the large tail from the rampaging fire drake slammed into him with the force of a truck, sending him hurtling sideways as he stumbled and crashed into a stalagmite, destroying it.


    Finn had gotten quite unlucky, as the fire drake had managed to score an accidental hit with its tail in its random thrashing.


    Dazed from the blow, shards of broken scales fell from his head and neck as Finn struggled to reorient himself from the impact as his own internal energy went to work repairing the damage he suffered.


    However, there wasn''t any time to wait! Finn looked up to see the massive drake approaching his location, its eyes still sealed shut.


    Finn tensed up as he stood perfectly still. He watched as the fire drake craned its head and sniffed deeply through its nostrils. All at once, Finn realized that although its was temporarily blinded, the fire drake was not helpless.


    Letting out a low growl, the fire drake stomped closer and closer to his location. Then, as if it suddenly sensed something, its head snapped in the exact direction Finn was sitting still. It opened its mouth.


    It can smell where I am? Finn felt terror wash him as a bright glow started forming in the fire drake''s maw. He knew what was coming.


    However, before the fire drake could breath fire, a blueish-white beam of light struck the fire drake in the neck before releasing a discharge of energy.


    Immediately rearing back, the fire drake roared as electricity danced along its scales. Looking closer, Finn could see a pole sticking out of the point of impact.


    The Chief''s spear! Finn recognized it right away. Struggling to stand, Finn could see the two humans yelling in his direction.


    "Finn! Run away!" Orn bellowed at the top of his lungs. Having seen the peril Finn had found himself in, Orn had made an executive decision. Seeing Finn regain his footing and begin heading over, Orn pulled his son by the shoulder and continued to move towards the exit.


    "But...but dad! Your spear!" Hein had watched with great reluctance as his father threw away his most cherished weapon, and all for a magical beast no less.


    Still running, Orn gritted his teeth and responded with, "It''s a small price to pay for our lives..."


    Truthfully, Orn was just as reluctant to leave his spear behind as his son, but there was no way he was going to abandon the being that saved his daughter, even if it happened to be a magical beast. With that in mind, he had made his choice.


    Finn, still recovering from the devastating blow earlier, finally managed to catch up to the two fast humans. Together, they headed for the entrance they came through.


    However, before they reached it, Finn heard Orn roar something before grabbing his son and diving to the ground. Finn felt his senses trigger as he heard a loud whistling sound overheard.


    Looking up, Finn saw a basketball sized smooth orb of fire flying overhead in the direction of the cave entrance. Despite its minute appearance, Finn could tell that there was a massive amount of compressed energy contained within that small sphere.


    Acting on instinct, Finn turned away and covered his head with his claws. An earth sundering boom resounded throughout the cavern as dust blew all around.


    Glancing back quickly, Finn saw where the attack came from. The first fire drake was standing by the fire crystal pillar, chewing on something as glowing red liquid seeped from its mouth.


    Oh no! Finn''s eyes widened as he realized that the fire drake was apparently eating those fire crystals to help bolster its power.


    Crack!


    A loud cracking sound coming from the entrance made Finn turn his head back towards the humans, who were just beginning to stand.


    When the three of them all heard the same sound, they all glanced in the same direction. A worrisome sight greeted their gazes.


    Above the entrance they came in from, a massive crack was forming in the rock, which was clearly spreading, creating more and more cracking sounds.


    The entrance they came through, it was collapsing from the blast!


    In that moment, Finn, Orn, and Hein understood at the same time what the goal of the fire drake was. To prevent them from escaping!


    "Go!" Orn shoved his son towards the entrance as he took off in front. Hein broke out of his stupor and quickly followed. Finn moved after them, slower than usual.


    As they got closer and closer, the cracks above the entrance continued to propagate. Bits of rock started falling from the cave entrance''s ceiling.


    Move faster! Finn found himself much more sluggish than usual. He still hadn''t recovered fully from the blow earlier, and his stores of energy were beginning to run low.


    Just before Orn and his son reached the entrance, a final unnerving snapping sound resounded from the rock above, and a huge chunk of the ceiling came crashing down, big enough to cover the entrance and seal them in.


    "NO!" Orn roared loudly. Rushing in a final mad dash, he gathered earth energy throughout his body and jumped underneath the falling rock. Hein watched, stunned at his fathers actions.


    A sound like two massive rocks crashing into eachother spread throughout the cavern. When the dust settled, Orn was standing in the middle of the semi-collapsed entrance, using all his strength to hold up the fallen ceiling.


    Hein, without hesitation, slid through the gap his father had created by holding up the collapsing rocks.


    Finn, having seen everything as he struggled to catch up, heaved a sigh of relief. With renewed energy, he bolted after the two humans.


    However, when he at last reached the entrance, Finn discovered a critical problem. He was too big!


    Finn struggled with all his might to squeeze under the gap that Orn was creating for him, but it was no use. Orn was beginning to lose strength, and his breathing was becoming ragged from holding up such immense weight.


    What can I do? What can I do? Now more than ever did Finn curse his bigger size as he darted back and forth, trying to think of a way to fit, but it appeared hopeless.


    With one final growl of agony, Finn forced his body as far as he could go through the gap, only to find himself nearly stuck. He could hear the labored pants of Orn and the screams of Hein yelling something he couldn''t understand.


    Gah! Finn yelped as a sharp and terrible pain eminated from his tail. All of the sudden, he found himself being pulled out from under the gap.


    In that final moment, Finn dug his claws in the dirt in an effort to prevent what he knew was happening. He managed to make eye contact with Orn, who gave him the most desperate and helpless look he had ever seen from the man.


    Then, the strength of the pull on his tail overcame all resistance. Finn found himself drug out from underneath the rubble while leaving trails of claw marks and thrown into the air. For a brief moment, Finn felt weightless, until he smashed into the cavern wall.


    After watching Finn being drug away, Orn hit his limit. With a final heave he tossed the rocks above him and dove out of the way. The rest of the ceiling collapsed, sealing this entrance forever.


    Orn and Hein managed to escape, but Finn had been trapped in the process. With shaky legs, Orn attempted to stand. Hein reached out to help stabilize his father. Both looked at eachother, then at the pile of collapsed rocks they had just come from.


    After a brief moment, Hein couldn''t help but ask with great uncertainty in his voice, "What now?"