“So… Let’s go?” I said.

Gloria started to nod, slowly at first, but it intensified until she was flexing her muscles and screaming from the top of her lungs. “Let’s extinguish this flaming fiasco!” She charged my door, knocking it off its hinges. Granted, just turning the handle would've been faster, but she obviously had an issue with intact doors. And I didn’t care, her warcry had made me fired up as well.

Even Lurin looked like a lean mean singing machine.

Without pause, we made our way to the old city of Beetleville. We didn't stop, didn't rest. I chugged a couple of Aqua Vigours and used one charge of the trinket to keep up, but I timed the use to right before sunset, making sure I had one charge locked and ready. Couldn’t waste more good adrenaline on running.

Initially, the entrance to Beetleville eluded me. After traversing through scorched remains for hours, everything blurred together. The distinguishing factor was subtle: the charred debris that surrounded us were remnants of former buildings. It wasn't until we reached the city's heart that a noticeable difference emerged. Where sparse green shoots once fought to reclaim their space, the center was barren, swallowed by darkness.

There was something else amiss, an unsettling sensation, much like that creeping feeling you get when you're convinced someone's peering at you from behind. And in an irony that was almost comedic, when I swiveled around, dead last in our little parade, I was met with – yep, you guessed it – fiery eyes.

“Eh, guys…” My voice quivered, quite dramatically I might add, as I remained transfixed by the blazing gaze of this towering inferno-man-thing in front of me. He/it had the same autonomy as a human. The only difference, well, the main difference was that everything was burning. He was twice the size of Grugnur. But right in that moment, the burning facade seemed like issue number one on my list of concerns. Sneaking a peek over my shoulder, I spotted Gloria and Lurin, obliviously trotting forward. Without me.

“GUYS!!!!!” I yelled, like a teen who'd just caught an unexpected glimpse of their crush changing, with all his buddies around.

The rush of cold was palpable as Gloria dashed past me, her Ice Wall shimmering defiantly ahead of her, daggers gleaming. She launched herself at the fiery entity, stabbing fervently. But to him, she might as well have been a pesky gnat, dismissing her with a simple shrug. Then came Lurin, playing a hypnotic melody on his flute, similarly cloaked by the icy barrier. The fiery apparition, which I had deducted had to be Fønix, momentarily seemed entranced by the music. It gave Gloria just enough time to get back on her feet, her blades now emanating a piercing blue light. She unleashed a barrage of strikes, each landing with a hissing steam. From the grimace on Fønix's face, it was evident they hurt. But he retaliated, landing a solid blow on her.

And that was about the time I got control over my body.

“Hurt!” I screamed at Fønix, but his aura didn’t change color. I started running toward Gloria who was lying on the ground, the Ice Wall gone. Fønix had conjured a huge fire sword and was raising it to strike her. I could see that her aura had shifted color to yellow, knowing she wouldn’t survive a direct hit. I also knew it was going to be close. I raised both my Ice Wall spell and Ward, emptying my mana. I hurled myself over Gloria, acting as an oversized, pudgy shield. The heat was intense as the fiery blade seared into my back, crushing me further into the dirt and nearly flattening Gloria beneath me. The world dimmed momentarily. Blinking back to clarity, I found Fønix rearing up for another crushing blow. I knew I couldn't withstand another, yet rolling aside would leave Gloria exposed. That was a line I couldn’t cross. Just then, a deafening explosion rang out. Fønix staggered, his aura transitioning violently from green to red. My eyes darted to the source of the sound, landing on Lurin's motionless form on the ground. Despite his injuries, Fønix lumbered towards him with clear intent.

I pressed the trinket pulled my blade and attacked. The heat was intense, but the adrenaline rush made me able to attack him long enough for him to be annoyed and turn towards me, away from Lurin. He kicked me, and I was thrown several feet away, my lungs empty for air and my leather armor on fire. I lay there, stomping my armor with my hands when I saw the beautiful blue blades of gloria running passed me. She slid underneath his blade, continued underneath his legs, and planted both knives where non-fire-skinned people have their biggest weaknesses or smallest, it’s really not about the size. The apparition screamed a terrible and loud scream as the area filled with hot steam. I shielded my face with my hand, feeling the steam burning my skin.

When the steam was gone, there were four people lying on the ground in the charred city: Gloria, Lurin, me, and a naked corpse. I stood up and ran over to Gloria. She had burned the right of her face. It was severe, but it didn’t take away from her beauty. When she understood I was looking at her, she covered up. That was a good sign, nobody about to die would be that conscious about how she looks.

I ran over to Luring who was still lying still. I could see that he was breathing. He had pulled off something insanely powerful spell, almost one-shotting the giant apparition. I made eye contact with him and gave him my last Aqua Vita, see, now even I am saying that – healing potions – as I walked over to the naked body of a man. It was a young man with spotless skin and long red hair, reaching all along the length of his body.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“How?” I heard Gloria saying over my shoulder.

“I don’t know. He looks...”

“Pretty.”

“I was going to say innocent, but OK, pretty. If you like that kind of look.” I said, hearing my own jealous tone. Cue the little insecure boy again.

“I know him,” Lurin said as he leaned against my back, talking over the other shoulder.

“You do?”

“Yes. His name is, or was, Preggul. He and his sister Priggal disappeared right after the burning. She has to be…”

“Pyrola”

“Yes.”

“What now?” I asked.

“We don’t have much time. Preggul and Priggal were twins. And I guess she already knows that something has happened and is on her way here. Tim, take this, you need it.” Lurin gave me a new scroll.

Congratulation’s! You have gained a new level. You are now a level 9 bard of the Highland clan. Your Song of Rest spell is now stronger. It will heal for a small amount, but it will continue to heal you for another ten breaths. Your proficiency with the Doss Lute has been raised. All spells used while playing the lute are now stronger. Vicious Mockery has grown even stronger, it is now a level-three spell.

Even though I didn’t get any new skills or spells, I was pleased with the fact that my Rest spell was a healing over time spell now and that my mockery was stronger. I didn’t understand what it meant that my Doss Lute proficiency was raised, but I hoped it would let me hold suggestions longer.

“Good, we need to heal up. I don’t think we have much time.” Gloria said.

“Yes, and we need a plan. Last time we attacked one at a time, I think we need to coordinate our attacks. I have used my trinket and my Hurtful spell. I only have mockery and singing blade left.” I said.

Gloria looked at me hard. “Don’t even think about casting that spell again,” she said through her teeth, and I nodded eagerly.

“I can’t cast another extermination spell for another month. So we need to be smart with our spells and skills.” Lurin said. Extermination spell on a month’s cooldown?! And it didn’t take out Fønix. I really hoped Pyrolia was weaker than her brother.

“OK. When we see her, I will cast mockery on her.” I started. “Then if you can cast suggestion on her, Lurin, giving Gloria time and space to get close. And you have to use your best attacks at the start, Gloria, don’t hold back” I could see that she was sitll hurt. I hoped we had time to heal up properly before she came.

I shouldn’t have, because as I looked at Gloria I heard a terrible scream that came closer each second. She was closing in, and she was mad. “OK. And then I will cast suggestion, and you cast anything you have at her, Lurin. Rince and repeat.”

“Rince and what?” Gloria said

“And we do the same thing again. I mock, Lurin suggest, you attack, I suggest, Lurin attack and I mock…We need to keep our distance and not let her hit us. If one of us gets taken out we are scre….” Gloria slammed against my body, throwing me down to the ground as a big fire ball blew over our heads, exploding into one of the burned buildings. I followed the trajectory to where it came from. There she stood, just as big as her brother. She stood staring at the body laying in front of us. Then she raised her eyes and screamed so my ears hurt and shot another fireball at us.

"Hey, you flaming mistake! You're not hot; you're just a burnout waiting to happen!"! I said as I rolled away from it. Right after I heard the lute start playing, Gloria was already running. But I hadn’t thought about the fact she was a caster, and by the time Gloria was there, the suggestion fell off. It only lasted for a few breaths. If Lurin couldn’t hold her for more than two breaths, how could I hold her at all? My plan was busted before we even started to fight.

Gloria got one hit in before she had to roll away from a shot. Pyrolias aura was still green.

I looked at Gloria, then at Lurin. There was only one thing to do.

“RUN!” I screamed, and it seemed they had come to the same conclusion because they didn’t argue. We didn’t get far before Lurin was standing on fire, screaming. I turned and thought I could see a smile on the apparition’s face, you know the smile of someone completely insane. There was no way out of it. Either we killed her, or she would kill us.

Twentyfive breaths. “So, what's it like knowing you're just the rejected sparks from a campfire!” I shouted and pulled my rapier as I yelled. “Gloria, take care of Lurin, and stay away !” I ran toward Pyrolia dodging the smaller but fast fireballs she threw at me, but one hit me. I had the Ice Wall spell up, but the hit had made my aura go from green to yellow. When I was in mele distance I slashed wildly at her, hitting her a couple of times, but the only thing that happened was that my rapier got so hot that the blade melted and was hanging like a hot whip.

“You're not a blaze, you're just a phase!,” I yelled, my third Mockery in a row, and finally her aura went from green to yellow. But I didn’t have any more mockeries ready, and I had to use all my concentration on dodging arms, legs, and fireballs thrown at me.

“Gloria! Take Lurin and run!!” I screamed when I knew I couldn’t handle it much longer.

“No way!” someone said on the other side of Pyrolia that suddenly screamed and turned away from me, the steam from where Gloria’s knife had hit her in the back made a bone-chilling sound. I could see Pyrolia’s aura staring to get darker, and I thought she was about to fall when I heard another scream. It was Gloria.

“Hey, take me!!” I tried to shout, but Pyrolia was walking toward Gloria who lay lifeless on the ground. She started to summon a fireball. I grabbed my Doss and strum it.

“Singing blade!” I screamed in desperation, even though my rapier was destroyed. But the destroying of my blade was a blessing in disguise, a warm disguise. Gloria’s two blades started dancing wildly amongst Pyrolia’s panicky arms and legs. She screamed as the aura went red and suddenly all was white and hot.

I don’t know if it was destined or a weird coincident, but when the fog lifted, Pyrolia was laying beside her brother, her hand had fallen into his. She was as perfect as her brother.

“Well done, Tim!” Gloria said. I looked at the black face, seeing some white teeth inside there. When she wiped away the soot with her sleeve I could see that she wasn’t burned in the face after all. Her arm was hurt, but that was it.

“Lurin!” I said and ran to the place I saw him last. He wasn’t there.

“Is he?” I said and looked at Gloria.

“No. He is in DuckVille. Merlin saved him”

“Merlin was here?”

“No. Not in person. But Merlin is everywhere.”

“Ok. Let’s go back!” I said, knowing it wouldn’t take long for Volcanic to get what happened.

“Good job, Tim. We have taken out two bad people to day. OK,” Gloria said

I looked back at the two innocent-looking bodies lying holding each other hands.

“I hope you are right.”

“I am.”