“Dance, embers!”

There was no time for an elaborate plan, and shouting at them to look up would only distract them from the goblins surrounding them. All I could do to save them was act. A mote of fire sprang into existence in my hand, and I stepped out into the open. All eyes, human and goblin alike, turned towards me in shock as I cocked my arm back and lobbed the fire straight at the goblin climbing through the canopy.

“Eeeaaaaargh!” I flinched at the cries of pain that rang out from above our heads. The fire apparently wasn’t strong enough to kill the goblin, though without pulling out the parchment and staring at him for a few seconds I wouldn’t be able to know just how much damage it had done.

And even if I’d been inclined to do that… Thud.

The goblin, panicked, lost its footing and fell, its scream being cut off by a sickening crunch. There was a moment of silence from everyone as I felt as though I might start hyperventilating, before the one apparently named Little Boss turned from the guards he had been menacing.

“Wizard! Shaman! Get him now! Can’t let him cast spells!”

All of the assembled goblins immediately began to charge right at me. Some moved close to the two guards, who each thrust with their spears and took one down, but eight more were fast approaching.

Oh, shit! My mind froze for a moment before I recalled the most recent session I had played. The orcs who, despite their overwhelming numbers and prowess, had broken and run after being torched from behind. I couldn’t summon the same flames I had used against them, but neither were goblins quite so disciplined, which meant that maybe…

“Burn!” I took a deep breath, waiting half a heartbeat for the goblins to approach even closer. If I had been a normal mage—a Summoner, or a Saint, or even a Wardmage—I would have needed a lengthy incantation or prayer to cast my spell. They must have been counting on that, rushing me while I was apparently unprotected.

But I was Dragon-Blooded, and my power was a part of me. With that one word I caught them off guard with a flash of white-hot fire that erupted from my mouth as I exhaled.

The two closest goblins fell immediately, skin blackened, and four more behind them began to scream as they were singed, their filthy clothing catching fire. Only Little Boss and one other lucky goblin had avoided the attack, and they skidded to a stop before stumbling back a few steps. Little Boss’s eyes flicked greedily back and forth between me and his previous prey, gauging the situation.

I can’t do much more. I should only have three MP left, and I’m so hungry that there’s no way I can stand up to him in a brawl. I swallowed hard as the goblins who had been set on fire finally patted themselves out, a tense silence settling on the clearing.

Taking a deep breath, I made myself sound as aloof and imperious as I possibly could and said, “I’d rather not waste any more of my mana on mongrels like you, so I’ll give you a choice. You can leave now, or I can introduce you to my more powerful spells instead of those elementary magics I used so far.”

Little Boss laughed nervously. “N…No way, human! We’ll kill all of y-”

“Blood of my forebears, power that flows through my veins…”

“Retreat! Run! Every man for himseeeelf!”

The still-living goblins tripped over their own feet trying to run away. Little Boss even shoved one of his underlings to the ground, a scapegoat who I allowed to scramble to his feet and flee the scene.

My shoulders sagged as relief washed over me. My moment of respite was short-lived, however, as the guards hesitantly approached and took up a defensive posture between me and their charge. That’s some loyalty.

“You saved us from the goblins, and we thank you for that. However, we must ask you: are you friend, or foe?” If I remembered correctly, the one who spoke was the one who’d had basket weaving on his character sheet. Werner, I think his name was.

“Relax. I’m friendly.”

“We beg your pardon, but there aren’t many mages in these parts. We can’t help but be a bit suspicious. Why are you here?” Behind him, the man they were protecting peeked timidly around, eyeing me in anticipation of what I might say.

“Actually… I’ve gotten a little lost. Where exactly do you mean when you say ‘these parts’?” The guards exchanged glances. The other one, Alvar, spoke up next.

“You expect us to believe that?” In contrast to Werner’s polite, even voice, Alvar’s was gruff and oddly quiet, despite his aggressive words.

“Look, let’s call it a magical mishap, okay? I was somewhere totally different, and now I’m here. Just… work with me here, okay?” I had hoped to be welcomed a bit more enthusiastically after helping them survive a goblin ambush, and now that my adrenaline was fading, I wasn’t even sure how much longer I could remain standing.

“Respectfully, that does seem like it might cause some more danger to our employer. If you can’t control your magic-”

I heard no more as the exertion, exhaustion, and hunger of the past day finally became too much to bear.

Thud.

* - * - *

As consciousness returned to me, I heard two voices nearby.

“I just don’t get why we brought him.”

“Listen, I understand and respect—and appreciate, don’t mistake me—how seriously you take your work. I’m getting my money’s worth out of you, and there’s little I like more than that. But he saved us! I grant you a bit of suspicion, but look how weak with hunger he is! He couldn’t even stay standing! He put himself in danger for us! Have I made my point, or should I continue?”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

There was a gruff sigh. “No, I get it. But just so you know, I’m against it, and if he ever starts breathing fire at us I’m cutting my losses and running.”

“Oh, calm yourself. We’ve nothing to fear. He’ll wake up, we’ll offer him some food, an-”

“Food! Yes, please!” My sudden words were met with a surprised scream and gruff laughter.

“‘Nothing to fear,’ huh?”

I opened my eyes and was met with the sight of the man and one of his apparent guards standing over me. The employer was short, maybe five feet tall, and quite thin, with a curly mess of sandy hair tamed into a mostly neat pile on top of his head. His hand was over his heart as he breathed heavily.

“Listen, you: having a fright is quite different from being fearful; one is a momentary shock, especially understandable when a man has just experienced a life-or-death situation, while the other is a persistent worry. I clearly spoke of the latter, not the former.”

The guard who I recalled being named Alvar rolled his eyes. “Sure.”

His employer paid him no mind. “Good day, sir, and thank you ever so much for coming so gallantly to our rescue! My name, which I despise but am obliged by the rules of polite conversation to reveal to you, is Hugo Hugosson. Please just call me Hugo. I am a merchant, and to answer your question from before you fai-”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, Hugo, but you said something about food? I haven’t eaten in so long.”

Hugo frowned slightly. “Um… yes, I did. Alvar, go fetch some jerky and bread. And water,” he said before looking at me and smiling once more. “It isn’t much, but Werner is doing a spot of fishing over there by the water. Should all go well, we’ll be having a nice meal shortly; this should keep you satiated in the meantime.”

“Thank you so much,” I said as Alvar returned, scowling, with a few pieces of dried meat and what looked like a large, thick cracker. After I took them, he placed a waterskin on the ground next to me before sitting down directly across from me.

Hugo waited patiently while Alvar continued to watch me like a hawk. Eating was difficult, to say the least. My fingers were longer than I was used to, and I kept accidentally misjudging their length and biting them. Thankfully, probably due to the scales, it didn’t hurt when I did, but I dropped my jerky several times as a result. The bread that Hugo had told Alvar to bring was some of the driest, most dense bread I’d ever eaten, and I hated every bite of it, but I devoured it anyway with liberal help from the waterskin.

“Oh, man. That bread was awful, but the jerky was so good. I can’t thank you enough, Hugo.”

“Think nothing of it! It is my absolute pleasure to help my savior. And as I was saying before, the answer to the question you asked before fainting is that we are on our way to Northwold. We’re traveling from-”

“Xaldryn’s Haven?” I asked, incredulous.

I didn’t particularly mean to interrupt Hugo again. I didn’t even consciously decide to speak up, but it felt like when I was watching some trivia game show and saw a random question I actually knew the answer to. I couldn’t help myself.

“Um… Yes. We’re traveling from Xaldryn’s Haven. I suppose you’re not quite as lost as you feared!” Hugo said, smiling, but his words barely registered in my mind.

Northwold? Xaldryn’s Haven? Seriously? The possibility had been in the back of my mind for some time now, but even despite all I’d experienced, I just hadn’t been able to believe it was true. But that confirmed it:

I wasn’t just inhabiting Colranth Firebreath’s body. I was in the world that we had been playing in. It was just some place Rob had made up as he went along, as far as I knew, and now I was where we had started our adventure. I looked up to see a worried expression on Hugo’s face.

“You’ve gone quite pale, friend. Are you quite alright?”

“Hey, do you get any news from the southern end of the island?”

Hugo blinked. “Well of course, some word travels. What worries you so?”

“The desert—west of Goldport—has it been expanding lately?”

Hugo sighed. “Yes, it has been quite a point of worry among some of my friends in the south. Nobody quite knows the cause, because the orcs patrol the borders and keep all but the most foolish from intruding upon their ever-expanding domain.”

“Why do you wanna know?” Alvar’s gruff voice cut in unexpectedly.

“Just… confirming some rumors I heard. That’s all,” I said, taking a moment to meet his gaze. He was broadly built and more than just square-jawed. His entire head looked like a solid chunk of rock that someone had carved facial features into. Now that he had removed his helmet, I could see his close-cropped hair and a long scar running across the top of his head where no hair grew. He had been the one with smithing on his character sheet, and he certainly looked the type.

“Yeah? How do we know you aren’t the cause? You got fire magic. Maybe you’re trying to spread the desert so you’re stronger or something!”

I opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off by Werner’s return.

“Don’t be foolish, Alvar. Someone that powerful wouldn’t have barely driven off a handful of goblins and fainted from hunger in front of us.” He stepped lightly in spite of his heavy gear, and was carrying a basket that I couldn’t see inside from my position on the ground. “I’m sorry about my companion. He’s suspicious of everyone he doesn’t know.”

Werner’s blonde hair was longer and his build much more slight than Alvar’s, but it was only his proximity to the man’s enormous frame that made him look weak. I’d seen enough boxers better than I was to know that Werner was no slouch either. He moved with an easy, assured grace that came from someone who knew their body well.

“That’s alright. Listen, I know you might be a bit suspicious of me, but could I travel with you to Northwold? You’ve seen what sort of magic I can do, and I’m pretty strong too-”

“Hah! Strong? A mage like you?”

I raised my eyebrow. “I mean… look at my hands. The claws aren’t just for show. Yeah, I’d rather let someone like you take the lead, but I can support you just fine.”

Hugo interrupted whatever response Alvar was about to shoot back. “I’m terribly sorry, friend, but the rates mages charge are… a little bit beyond my means, at the moment. Trips to Xaldryn’s Haven aren’t typically too profitable—more charity work than commerce, if you get my meaning.”

I did. From what I recalled, Xaldryn’s Haven didn’t really have much to export. It was a strange, secluded little place, but sometime in the past a leader of Northwold had made a pact to deliver food to them in exchange for anything they could spare. Many Northwold citizens disliked the practice, but the town’s government had honored the agreement for generations in spite of that.

“I don’t need any more than you’d pay a normal guard. Hell, I’d even take a bit less, if there’s not enough room in your budget. I… wound up here without a lot of preparation.”

Hugo seemed torn. “I would welcome your aid, make no mistake, but… I feel as though paying you so little would be doing a distinguished man such as yourself a disservice. But then, I can’t very well just leave you here, can I?” He had risen to his feet as he spoke, and began pacing.

“Well, you’ve called me your friend already, right? So then let’s just say that, as your friend, I’m giving you a discount.” While I tried to convince Hugo to hire me, Werner sat down the basket, which I now saw was full of fish, and began to arrange some wood to start a fire.

“Just hire him, Hugo. He’s offering you the services of a mage for the price of a regular, two-bit guard. You’d be a fool to pass that up.”

Hugo frowned. “That’s quite a disrespectful tone to take with your benefactor, Werner. But… I suppose you speak true. But before anything else, I just remembered: in your haste to fill your belly, we skipped over your chance to introduce yourself.”

“Oh, that’s right! Sorry, it completely slipped my mind. I’m…” I paused for just a moment—I had almost said Jason, but that wasn’t exactly the case right now. “...Colranth. Colranth Firebreath.”

I held out my hand. Hugo eyed my claws with only a little apprehension before firmly grasping it.

“It is an absolute pleasure to have you on board, Colranth Firebreath."