Chapter 11

This time, the wildfire was an intended outcome. I walked along the leading edge of it, trying to understand the way the fire moved, and what drove it. I stood probably too close to the burning trees, patting out the occasional ember that reached my robes. I had already refilled the wand’s gem, and its’ presence was a bead of warmth against my thigh, hanging from my sash. I stared into the flames, seeing the way that some plants would fall to ash even before they’d been entirely burned, as if they had simply lost the energy to sustain themselves and remain whole. I felt like there was something to learn, some secret edging at my consciousness, even if I couldn’t quite puzzle it out.

I began to realize that I could feel where the fire was going to move, which plants were going to ignite immediately, and which plants could resist the flames for far longer before they were consumed. I could see it in my mind’s eye, the faint shadow of flame creeping ahead of the fires themselves, illuminating their path.

Despite my earlier conflict with the Hammerman, I was confident I had escaped him, for now; a wall of flames stood between him and I, and while he was certainly strong, I didn’t think much of his chances of braving a wildfire like this. I stared intently at one of the trees I knew was going to resist the flames, trying to figure out what made it resilient; this had an unexpected effect, however, as the flames nearby seemed to turn and direct themselves toward it, their future-shadows laying up against the wood from every direction. I gasped as I felt the flames respond, their eager, concerted attacks breaking down the wood’s resistance to them, the focused flames burning straight through into the heartwood, cracking and popping as they burned into the tree like axe-blows.

I focused on the sensation of their movement, and, after a moment, the flames retreated from the tree entirely, leaving a ring five feet on every side from the wood. Flames lashed and licked at it, as if angry at being denied, but did not pass within that boundary. I released my grip on them, and they rushed back inward, devouring the tree like crimson locusts. I stepped toward the edge of the flames and focused on the idea of them being unable to touch me, unable to draw close… and as I walked into the sea of fire, it retreated from me, turning me into an island of safety in the midst of absolute destruction.

My wounds were still healing, albeit slowly, from the collapse of the tower. I hadn’t yet found a refuge in which to hide and recover, but a thought struck me as I stood amidst the sea of flames, now blocking out the world around me. Where could be safer than this? I sat down in the middle of a burned-out clearing, the ground crunching beneath me as brittle sticks and charcoal-like branches snapped from the pressure. Despite the intense heat I knew surrounded me, and the choking smoke that filled the air, I felt content, safe within the heart of the inferno. I drew in a deep breath of clean air, scented with the rich flavor of burning woods, reminding me of my dad’s smoker and weekend barbecues.

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Without the impetus of danger driving me, I finally felt myself relax and think back on the System. At first, it didn’t seem clear to me at all how fire, of all things, had become so important to me. It wasn’t like I was an arsonist or anything, and I didn’t have a particularly fiery personality before all of this, either. I was an accountant, damnit. I’d spend my day lost in numbers and figures, turning my research into a game, trying to figure out as much as I could about various companies and purchases just from expense figures. It wasn’t the most interesting game, but it staved off boredom and kept my mind sharp. It wasn’t perfect, but it was enough.

Was it enough?

I’d been desperately unhappy, truth be told. My love life had been nothing fiery, either, with my closest commitment being a woman I’d been seeing once or twice a week for the past several months; at least until after my firing. Katie, I thought, surprised that this was the first time I’d thought of her since I came into the tutorial. For a moment I idly wondered how she was doing, if she was also trapped in a tutorial like this, or if perhaps life continued outside, perhaps even unaware of us kidnapped into this little bubble of violence. I wondered if she thought of me, and realized that she probably did not. We’d have a nice dinner, watch a movie, retire for the evening, and then go our separate ways after a quiet breakfast. It wasn’t that we weren’t compatible, or didn’t get along well; quite the opposite. Just that she lacked a certain… spark. Like me, she was locked into a job she did okay at, lived a life she was okay with, and retreated to her fancy gatherings once all was said and done. When she dumped me, I barely noticed; sure I raged and sobbed over her absence, but it wasn’t really about her, it was about the destruction of my life. Her departure was just another pillar tumbling down. In truth, I could understand her leaving; I didn’t give her much reason to stay.

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My life had been so… mundane. My hobbies involved jogging in the park in the mornings, and a mild amount of reading and video gaming in the evenings. I had been coasting along, settled into a comfortable enough position that I never felt the need to change it. Even when everything had started to fall apart, I hadn’t really tried to change my circumstances or turn it into something new; I just wanted my old job and stability back. I was, truth be told, boring.

My childhood had been far more interesting, those memories brighter, more vibrant; late nights along the beach, floating in the dark like I was the only person in all the world, imagining myself among the lonely stars glimmering above. I had done a little bit of boxing, a little soccer, even dabbled in Renaissance Faires for a while, diving in with all of the enthusiasm that I showed toward everything in life. I remembered close friends I haven’t spoken to in years, and realized I hadn’t even thought of most of them until now. I thought about sunny days and chilly nights, scraping by as a kid who didn’t have much, but had just enough. My whole life had turned into chasing just enough. I’d lost the desire to keep driving myself forward. I’d even lost my old habit of writing down all my grievances, all my complaints, all the day-to-day bullshit that upset me, then going out with a couple of friends and some disgusting but potent canned drinks to laugh about the petty shit that had gotten us down, and then toss our notebooks into the fire. It felt liberating, like I was burning away all the small, daily nuisances that weighed me down. Staring into the flames, I felt free. I felt powerful.

I couldn’t say quite when that feeling went away, or even why; it wasn’t that one day I had stopped caring and resigned myself to banality, but instead that I just lost a little bit of color, every day, until I became as grey and dull as the world I surrounded myself with.

Opening my eyes, I felt at home. The world was no longer grey and boring, no longer empty and dull. The forest around me was alight, dancing with flames. The ruddy red flames that gnawed at the bark and branches, the hotter orange beneath where the heartwood yielded to the fires, a slow-burning but potent fuel. Flashes of blue and gunshot pops where boiling sap burst from within, scattering embers like fireworks. I stood, willing the fires back, and a space easily ten feet around me burst clear, the flames retreating, low and dull as if in obeisance.

My gaze flicked up to the corner of my vision, where I felt the pressure of notifications waiting. I ignored the kill notifications, briefly taking note of the level I had gained. That was not, however, the most interesting change.

[Skill Increase] Fire Manipulation (Initiate -> Adept): You are gaining mastery over your affinity for Flame; a path which is focused almost solely on combat magic, immolating opponents with both direct damage and damage-over-time abilities. Your skill with controlling Fire is increased somewhat by your Willpower. This effect is somewhat reduced when controlling flames you did not create, and only functions weakly against flames created by the magic of others.

I grinned at that, and the next notification, too.

[Skill Increase] Heat Adaptation (Initiate -> Adept): Your control over Fire magic comes with some defense against such attacks. The effect of heat and fire against you is reduced somewhat, based on your Wisdom. Flames that are not created by the magic of others will not harm you.

I felt refreshed in a way that even sleep hadn’t done for me. It felt like the colors of the world were brighter, more vibrant, the sheen of red taking on hues of ruby, scarlet, crimson, sanguine, a light brush changing the palette of the world around me. I pushed, and the flames retreated even further, pulling away from the trees as if in fear. I pulled, and they rushed in around me, a wall of flames that encased me in blistering comfort. I felt the sea of fire around me flex and heave with my every breath, my will imposing itself upon the natural flames.

I turned toward where I knew the next tower to be, taking a moment to consider myself and my growing knowledge. Feeling that these revelations – or at least the impetus to find them – seemed somehow based in my Wisdom. With a shrug, I dumped all of my free points into it, feeling that the course, if not the best, at least would not lead me astray.

I moved my attention to the path before me, and the flames parted for a ways in front of me, a burning archway framing my steps, embers falling like flower petals onto my very own red carpet.

I walked, and the flames walked with me.