"Why are we doing this again? I feel like this job is better suited for some adventurer party than us..."
"What makes me any different from an adventurer?"
"I don't know, maybe that you're a wizard? You could've at least left me at camp with Aliza. Why'd I have to come? It's not like I can do anything."
Alwyn and I were currently walking through large, underground tunnels. Dirty, suffocating, dark tunnels.
Before we'd left the city, Alwyn had taken a few requests from the guild to do on our way. A 'wizard's quota,' he says.
But there must've been some better choices than 'mole extermination.'
"Is this beneath you, feral boy? The sooner we find the thing; the sooner we're out of here, so pick up the pace."
"...That's not good."
The two of us were forced to a stop, having come across a split in the tunnel.
"This'll take longer than expected, then..." Alwyn sighed.
"No need! We can split up. I'll take the right, and you the left. Then we'll clear the tunnels quickly, right?"
"Ehhh... I don't know. If the mole's in your tunnel, you won't be able to do anything but run."
"You think I'm that weak!? I might not know magic, but I can deal with a dumb mole!"
"Alright alright, if you say so," he conceded. "But hold on, there's still no harm in being careful."
Alwyn waved his wand in the air, materializing a silver longsword. He handed the weapon to me, and I swung it around, getting used to the weight.
"I didn't think wizards used swords..."
"They don't, but you're not a wizard, are you?"
"What!?"
"I mean, you can't even cast a spell," he mocked, dashing into his tunnel.
"I'll clear my tunnel first, you asshole!" I shouted down his tunnel, hearing only his laughter in response.
I ran into my tunnel, gripping the sword tightly. Very quickly, though, I noticed that it was Alwyn who was casting the light spell the entire way so far, and so I was left in complete darkness.
No worries, though, as within my hat, I kept a torch already soaked in oil. I grabbed it from within my hat, only to realize I hadn't a way to light it...
I almost attempted the same flame spell I used once before, but I remembered Alwyn warning specifically against fire magic within the tunnel.
If I couldn't control it correctly, I'd drain all the oxygen from the tunnel and suffocate.
To my surprise, the sword in my hand started to vibrate, and then glow.
Did Alwyn foresee this? Tch...
I continued through the tunnel, running through as fast as I could. We'd been progressing quite slow up until then because the ground was uneven and dangerous, or so Alwyn said.
But it was a light task for me, who'd grown up running around bare footed my entire life.
For a long, uncertain amount of time, I ran. The longer I ran, the stronger the vibrations beneath my feet grew.
I swallowed, bracing for an encounter with the animal. No, it wasn't an 'animal' exactly. If it was a simple mole we were chasing, there wouldn't have been a request in the guild or these large tunnels to walk through. It was a—
The molfawr...!
The giant beast hadn't noticed me yet, and it continued to dig through the earth. I dodged the mounds of dirt being tossed through the air and snuck up behind it.
There was no clear way for me to attack it cleanly, so I sat there for a moment weighing my options.
It hasn't noticed me yet... if I can get on its back and slice its neck before it even realizes what's happening, I can avoid a fight!
I looked around the tunnel for any footholds and started to climb. I was a decent climber, but the loose and flowing fabrics that hung from my body got in the way, and made it much harder.
As I climbed above it, I accidentally kicked loose a large clump of rocks and dirt. The sound echoed through the tunnel, sending the molfawr into a frenzy.
Oh no...!
The molfawr's rage shook the tunnel, and I lost my grip. Luckily, I landed on the beast's furry back. It tried to shake me off, but I held tightly onto its fur.
Swinging through the air, I slowly made my way up its back. Once I reached the top, I mounted its neck and brought the sword into the air. In a swift motion, I stabbed downward into the nape.
"REEEWEERRRRRR!!!"
The molfawr reared, and I held tightly onto the blade, which was now lodged into its flesh. I clung to the hilt for my life, and the monster rushed to the surface.
Feeling my body get assaulted by rocks, I shielded my face from the dirt and debris and hung on as the beast dug us to the surface.
I felt myself losing grip. We burst into the open air, and the molfawr shook free of me, sending me flying through the air.
The beast wasn't satisfied with just getting me off, though, and leapt into the air.
All I could do was brace for the assault, as the sword was still lodged in its nape and I was helplessly flying through the air.
I squeezed my eyes shut and felt the great jaws of the molfawr close around me.
Am I... dead?
I opened my eyes. It was pitch black around me, and I was in a tight area. The damned beast had forgotten to chew his food!
What now...??
I felt around the hot, wet area. I was in its stomach, or intestines, I didn't know. But there was no real way for me to escape, now empty handed.
Should I just wait? Surely Alwyn will find the molfawr eventually, right? ...Right?
I felt the walls shudder around me. I couldn't tell if the enclosing feeling was in my head or not... but I didn't plan on taking any chances.
How did it go again?
"This might be really, really stupid, but..." I raised my hands in front of me. "Gwaedd tân ffrwydrad!?"
Suddenly, I could see, as sputtering sparks illuminated the room. The sparks started to pick up, like a well tap that hadn't been used in a while.
Sparks...!? I don't need sparks, I need—
The fire roared, and I flew through the air. My ears rang and I nearly lost consciousness. I landed on a patch of grass, feeling a crunch, and after a few moments, regained my bearings well enough to stand.
A small distance away from me was the mangled carcass of the molfawr. Bits were charred, and some were still on fire.
I fell into a sitting position, admiring my work.
I did it... I beat the molfawr! And all on my own...!
I sat, waiting for Alwyn to arrive. I didn't know how badly I was injured, but considering I was still awake, I decided it couldn't have been that bad.
"The hell happened here?" Alwyn appeared beside me, analyzing the corpse. He looked at me, mouth agape. "How'd you manage this with a sword? Did I mess up the illumination enchantment...? Hmm..."
"I cast a spell."
"A spell? Any spell you could cast wouldn't be so... violent. Unless I'm missing something?"
"I'll tell you later... can we just go back to the camp now?" I groaned.
Alwyn scanned me, frowning at my body. Only then did he realize the state I was in.
"Can you move?"
"I can't..."
Alwyn carried me on his back as we flew back to the campsite on his staff. It was only a half hour before we got back, and the sun was only just setting.
We circled down, and Aliza, noticing my injuries, rushed over.
"Linnie, what happened!? Alwyn, what'd you do?!"
The wizard coughed, looking away. "Can you brew a potion?"
"I already made a few, just in case. Hold on."
Aliza rummaged through her leather bag and brought out a couple different glass vials.
"Why so many?" Alwyn asked.
"It depends on his condition. Linnie, how much pain are you in?"
"Huh? Oh, pain... well, none I suppose."
"How could that be? Don't try to be cool, your arm is bent backwards!" she scolded.
"No! That's not... I mean, I don't feel any pain. I never have. I'm sorry."
Will they find it weird too? They won't, right? They're not like the others, after all.
"You don't feel pain?" Alwyn butted in, in awe. "Like, ever?"
"That's right," I replied.
"That's incredible! I've never seen anything like it!" Alwyn started poking and prodding at my injuries, looking for a reaction.
Aliza shoved him aside and inspected my body herself.
"That's certainly odd... and dangerous." She looked me in the eye. "Don't ever stress your body too much. You might hurt yourself and not even realize. I'll check you for injuries every night and morning starting now, okay?"
I looked away in embarrassment.
"Ok I guess..."
After she'd assessed my injuries, she gave me a vial of dark red fluid.
"It's a powerful HP potion. Usually, I avoid giving it to people, since it mends bones and flesh very quickly, which is extremely painful. But it shouldn't be a problem for you," she grinned, giving a thumbs up.
"What's 'HP' stand for?"
"Health potion!"
Huh...
I drank the whole thing in one gulp, since it tasted terrible. It was thick and chunky, hard to get down.
Shortly after, a burning warmth surged through my entire body, and I could feel my broken bones rearrange into place. It was an uncomfortable experience, to say the least.
When it was over, I could move freely and felt even better than usual. Out of nowhere, Alwyn kicked me in the back.
"What the hell was that for!?" I shouted.
"It didn't hurt, right?" he shrugged, wrapping his arm around me and starting to walk. "I want to congratulate you on killing the molfawr. That's really impressive! I definitely didn't expect you to succeed! But the way you killed it... I can't make sense of it."
At the end, the tone in his voice went cold and flat. It sent a chill through my body.
"I don't know what you mean? I already told you—I cast a spell." I climbed out from under his arm.
"But how? It's not like I taught you such a spell. In fact, I believe I told you to avoid casting spells at all..."
"It just came to me, I don't know how. And I was inside of its stomach, I had to do something."
"Hmmm... 'something' is blowing it into smithereens? Haaah... what are you, boy?"
His tone went from 'cold and flat' to 'icy and sharp.' But I really didn't know what he meant.
"What? Was what I did so unbelievable that you're getting suspicious of me? You know who I am already."
"Right... a backwater street rat who murdered another boy in cold blood. The mana residue, it filled the air of the entire area surrounding the molfawr. Walk me through it, how did you cast the spell?"
"Okay. I was inside the molfawr's stomach, and I raised my arms in front of me. I gathered the warm mana in my hands and shouted 'gwaedd tan... something,' then—"
Alwyn grabbed both my hands and shoved them into the air. Fire exploded above us, and sparks rained down.
The two of us stood still for a moment, unsure what to do.
"What the hell are you two doing!?" Aliza shouted from the campfire.
I swallowed.
"A chant? Is that how you cast that fire spell before, too?" Alwyn stepped back.
"Yes. I don't really know how, but I recalled a few words, and when I say them..."
"And no one taught them to you before?"
"No, I swear."
"I don't think you're lying... how strange. And you can't feel pain... you're shaping up to be quite the strange apprentice, aren't you?" Alwyn leaned closer to me.
The cold tone in his voice was gone, and he was back to normal.
He slapped me on the back. "If you remember more of those chants, show them to me first. And tomorrow you're letting me experiment with your pain sensitivity!" he laughed.
I followed him back to the campsite, where Aliza was just finishing dinner. We sat down around the fire and ate. Well... 'ate.'
"What... what is this?" I asked.
Inside my bowl was a dark, mysterious and bubbling liquid. I believed I saw chunks of meat or potatoes, but I couldn't be certain.
"It's soup," Aliza replied, confused.
"You crazy hag! This isn't soup; it's a potion!" Alwyn spit out the liquid and poured his bowl over into the dirt. "This is why I do the cooking!"
"It's perfectly balanced nutritionally! You can't just soak meat in butter and call it a meal you idiot!"
I took a spoonful to my mouth and tasted it. The liquid was sweet... or was it salty? No, it was both. The texture was chunky, but went down easily.
It's not the worst thing I've eaten...
"Thank you for the meal."
"Awww... you're welcome, Linnie."
"You don't have to be nice, I'll roast some boar for the two of us..." Alwyn whispered.
"You'll eat the damn soup!" Aliza slapped the back of his head.