The entire tavern rang with shots as Alwyn formed a dome of rock around us.
"Well, what do we do now?" he laughed.
"What do you mean 'what do we do'!? Don't ask us!"
"Can't you just take them all out with a big spell or something?" Prince asked.
"...No. I'm low on mana right now."
"You? Low on mana? How?"
"It doesn't matter. You two, take out the outlaws and I'll help with... defense?"
"...Alright!"
"Take them out? You want us to kill them?" Prince nervously asked.
The stone dome opened and sank into the ground. Instantly I was struck with a bullet into the leg and fell into a kneel.
"I thought you were helping with defense!?"
"Ha, my bad!"
I'm bleeding and you're laughing...!?
Prince shakily cast fire spells as Alwyn put up small defenses that accurately blocked every incoming bullet.
"Just cast one of those big spells already!" he called to me.
"I can't, I'd blow the entire place away. Look, not everyone's involved."
Though the minority, a decent handful of people were hiding beneath the tables, shaking and scared for their lives.
Fireball! Fireball! Fireball! Fire whip! Why the hell are there so many!? Is the entire town here to kill us?
"Problem! Look, the wall's caught fire!" Prince called out.
"Damn it, why'd you go and do that!?" I scolded.
"Are you serious...? That was from one of your spells!"
"Stop arguing and finish them off already, I'm getting bored," Alwyn said.
He pointed at the wall and a small stream of water shot. I wasn't sure it would put out the flames, but at least he was doing something...?
"Just surrender ya damn magics! Sooner or later we'll shoot ya asses dead!"
I ran at the remaining group and jumped into the air. My injured leg didn't take me as high as I expected and I crashed onto the table.
"This idiot put 'imself on the table like a fuckin' pig! Kill 'im!"
I rolled off the table and fell to the floor. They aimed their matchlocks at my face and I kicked away the two women hiding beneath the table. I aimed my hands at the six outlaws standing above me.
Wow, the wall really isn't on fire anymore.
I saw them light their weapons and only a few moments before they could fire, I cast a raging flame up at them that tore through the air up to the ceiling.
The tavern was silent for a second before the scared citizens all clambered out of the burning building.
"Whoa... I killed people with my own hands..." Prince muttered, falling into a chair. "Not my guards or caretaker, but my own hands..."
"Like I told you. Way too soft!" Alwyn whispered to me.
He helped me off the ground.
"Then you shouldn't have made him do it," I shrugged. "Lighten up, man. I killed most of them anyway!"
I slapped his back and sat on the table. I picked at my leg wound, fishing for the bullet.
"Could you cast a water spell to wash it out? And put out the flame, obviously."
A large flaming piece of the ceiling crashed down from above and onto the entrance, trapping us.
"Nah, why don't you do it? I'm sure you can figure it out before we die."
"You've never even explained water magic. I'm supposed to just, 'get it'?"
"There's nothing to teach. Remember, it's all your own creativity. There's no correct way to cast water magic. Well, some are easier than others—"
A beam crashed down onto Alwyn, crushing his legs.
"Shit! Lin, do something!" Prince shot up, trying to grab the beam.
It was far too heavy for the both of us to pick up.
"I'll be okAY! OW! My legs are shattered... but it'll be fine. That is, as long as you get us out of this, Lin." He smiled.
Water? I've only ever felt fire mana before. And wind... but both are completely unrelated! Or... are they? Wind was light and fast, just like fire, but it wasn't hot and was much less vicious. Fire is fast and erratic, and wind is fast and light.
What about water? I suppose it also flows just like wind, but it isn't light, is it? No, when you bring a bucket back from the well, it's heavy. Super heavy! Much heavier than wind or fire is. But how do I make the mana flow, while also being heavy?
I tried to cast water, but instead a solid rock appeared in my hand.
"Wow, you've cast earth magic. That's good! That's also not what we need at all!"
Smoke was filling the tavern. We were doomed.
Suddenly, the entrance exploded. The walls didn't even have the chance to cave in, as the entire tavern was promptly blown into the air as ash.
What? How?
"Ha, that's one way to do it—bleh..." Alwyn passed out.
He was looking awfully gray.
I looked to the source of the explosion. Liora was standing there in front of a large crowd. They were shouting at her, seemingly angry at her destruction of the tavern.
"Yo! What happened here?" she ran at us, laughing. "Woah... all these dead guys... I just wanted to get some food and here you guys are murdering people!"
"No! They were trying to kill us!" Prince shouted.
It's not that serious man... calm down...
"Help.... me....."
"Wah!? He's dying!" Liora kicked the beam off of Alwyn and hoisted him onto her back.
"Wait up!"
We pushed through the crowd and ran to the inn. Alwyn's legs were like noodles, flapping in the wind.
"Knock knock? Hello?" I knocked.
"What is it? I'm trying to—YAAAWWWN—sleep."
"Alwyn's about to die, he's bleeding all over Liora right now."
The door opened and Aliza came into view. She looked sort of like Alwyn in that moment. Gray and dead.
"YAAaawwnn. Bring him in."
Liora threw him onto the bed beside Aliza's and straightened him out by Aliza's instructions. Aliza opened Alwyn's mouth and poured a dark brown, sludge-like potion.
"He'll be fine. Go away now."
She's so anti-social today... and she looks like she has a knife in her gut!
"You don't want to put him in one of our rooms?" I asked.
"No, I should monitor him. Bye."
The door slammed shut in our faces.
The door opened. "Oh, and drink this, for your leg."
A potion flew into my arms and the door slammed shut again.
"What now?" Liora asked.
"I don't know? Sleep? It's already past sunset."
"But I'm hungry!"
"I'm going to sleep..." Prince said. He shut the door behind him.
Liora and I stared at the two remaining rooms. One had Mari behind the door and the other had Prince. Neither of us wanted to room with Mari.
"I guess we can go eat..." I sighed.
She dragged me through the streets similar to how Alwyn did only a few hours prior. I was a little nervous about the mysterious presence of murderous outlaws that remained unsolved, but we didn't run into any problems.
"How come you were able to walk through this big desert no problem?"
"Whaddaya mean?"
"Well, how come you don't catch fire and turn into ash?"
"What!? Why would I do that? Are you being mean or something?"
"No! I mean, you're a siaryn, but you don't seem to be affected by the sun at all."
"Well I'm only fifteen, silly! Gaud wouldn't be so cruel to make us die as little babies, everyone knows that. Our curse starts to become severe as we enter adulthood, or that's what I've been told. I've never even seen another siaryn, so I can't be sure at all."
Adulthood, then? But, that's so vague… when is adulthood? Soon? Or twenty? Will we have to travel at night? No, Alwyn surely has already thought of a solution…
"Chicken please!" Liora shouted as we walked in a pub.
We walked up to the bar and took two seats.
"Chicken for me too!" I slammed on the bar.
"And a beer! Cold, if ya will! Juice for the boy!"
What?
"Why're you acting like I'm a little kid? I'm barely younger than you are..."
"Pfffft, they wouldn't serve ya a beer even if I asked, runt! Aha ha ha! I could really use that beer right about now—!" she laughed. It was clearly fake...
Two plates of chicken wings and large wooden cups slid in front of us.
"What type of juice is this...?" I mumbled, taking a sip.
It's actually good...
"Where's ma' fuckin' beer, eh!?" she threw the cup at the bartender's back.
The juice poured over the man's bald head and he froze.
"You come into my bar, act like a rude little brat, but I forgive you since you're clearly a pair of spoiled little rich kids with no fuckin' manners. I even serve you food, which I don' even sell. But throwing drink at me? ARE YOU FUCKIN' SERIOUS!? GET DAFUCK OUTTA MY BAR! NOW!"
We ate dirt, thrown by our robes into the street.
"What is wrong with you?"
"I thought that's how they did it out here in the desert!?" she scratched her head.
"Damn, you're stupid... and I'm even hungry now."
We took the walk of shame back to the inn. Nowhere else was serving food. It turned out that the tavern Liora had exploded into dust was the most popular spot for a reason...
"I'm rooming with Prince. You can apologize to her for whatever."
I shut the door behind me and jumped into bed.
"Yo. You asleep?"
"..."
Guess so. I should've asked Liora to suck my blood out there in the hallway...
I lay there for a long while until I heard the door creep open. When I opened my eyes, it was quickly closed, leaving the figure standing there in darkness.
Is that the shadow? She's finally here to talk again!
The figure slowly and quietly climbed over the foot of the bed and burrowed under the covers. She stayed at the foot of the bed like a dog.
This isn't the shadow!
"What are you doing...?" I whispered, yanking the blanket off.
"You're awake!?"
"Liora, why are you in my bed? Didn't you make up with Mari?"
"No! She kicked me to the curb! That bitch..."
"Don't use such foul language when you're talking about your best friend."
"Pffft, best friend? She's not my best friend. You're my best friend. That's why I want to sleep with you!"
She yanked the blanket back and lay down. I wasn't sure why, but I felt a little strange when she said that. I'd never really felt like that before... maybe once or twice. It made me decide to lay back down instead of kicking her out.
She warmed up the bed, truly like a dog. It was nice until I felt her breathing on my feet...
"Stop that!" I kicked.
"Ow! Just go to sleep!" she lunged at my neck and bit down.
This... bi—
The window exploded, and three masked men drew swords. Prince jumped up from bed, wordless, and immediately cast a fireball.
I grabbed Liora and threw her into the men, knocking one of them over.
Who are these guys?!
"Damn it! Lin, get Mari!" Prince shouted.
"Hell no! You're dead if I leave you here!"
The sound of a matchlock went off and Liora went stiff. The door shattered into the room and Mari came charging in, sword in hand.
"Who the hell are these guys!?" she asked, fending one of them off.
Shit, I feel drowsy because of Liora!
"We don't know, they don't even spea—"
One blinked forwards at incredible speed and held me by my face. From behind, I could barely see through the dark another one twisting Prince around and pin him to the ground. The only one still fighting was Mari.
"Alwyn's useless right now! And Aliza's not well! There's no help coming, just letting you know!" she shouted.
I get it.
"You know we're magics, don't you? Did you think closing the distance would end it?"
I pressed the palms of my hands on the man's chest and fire exploded into him. He flew back into the one that was pinning prince. His chest was caved in. I'd killed him.
"Prince, quickly!"
He kicked the man in the face, disorienting him.
Please work!
I formed a piece of solid rock in my hand, molding it into a sharp-ish blade. I brought it down on the man and cleaved his head off. As I swung, Mari delivered the finishing blow to her assailant, slicing his body in half with a magic-imbued slash.
The three of us fell to the ground and sat there in disbelief. It had all happened in less than a minute.
"Liora'll be back soon, no doubt," I sighed. "It's a shame we killed all three. There was no helping it, but I'd really like to know who these guys are... attacking us in the middle of the night in such strange outfits. It's like they were after something."
"Definitely. There's no way these are simple robbers. Especially considering they have matchlocks..." Mari said.
"Actually, about that—"
The man I'd exploded leapt at me from the darkness, nearly stopping my heart in shock. I looked at his chest, and it was completely fine, as if nothing had happened in the first place.
The same thing happened to Prince and Mari, and the three of us were helpless.
"How!?" Mari screamed.
"Grab her, now!" the one holding Mari down said.
Grab who? Mari?
"Should we kill these three?" another asked.
No... Liora?
"There's no point. We'll just get the monster wizard even angrier. It's strange enough he isn't already here. Not to mention, these two are nobles."
What the hell do they want with Liora!? Wait...
The hallway's light hit one of the men for a small moment. In that instant, I managed to make out a glimmering liquid that dripped from what used to be his wound. It was exactly the same as the puddle that Liora was lying in.
Golden blood...!
The man kicked Mari in the head, knocking her out. He then did the same to Prince.
"You... strange one. Don't tell papa," he laughed.
I was thrown onto the bed and could only watch as they grabbed Liora and jumped out through the window.
Hell no you don't!
I ran to the window and looked out. I couldn't see them. They disappeared into the night instantly.