CHAPTER 3

IT IS NOW EARLY MORNING IN THE FOREST, WITH A LIGHT BREEZE BLOWING THROUGH THE TREES. VYN AND HIS NEWFOUNDLINGS ARE CURRENTLY SEARCHING THROUGH THE WOODS FOR THEIR BREAKFAST.

FARKAS - I FOUND SOMETHING OVER HERE, PAPA.

VYN: OK, SON, WE’RE ON OUR WAY THERE; JUST PLEASE WAIT FOR US.

THE OTHER THREE MANAGE TO REACH FARKAS AND FIND HIM LOOKING THROUGH SOME BUSHES. [A LITTLE WAYS AHEAD IS A PRETTY BIG BOAR.]

VYN: YOU THREE STAY HERE WHILE I GO AND PREPARE YOUR BREAKFAST.

IN AN INSTANT, VYN GOES RACING FORWARD ON HIS TINY LITTLE LEGS, RUNNING RIGHT UNDER THE BOAR, HOLDING ONE HAND UP LIKE A FLAMING SWORD, SLICING A CLEAN LINE UNDER ITS BELLY. THE BOAR MADE A LOUD GRUNTING SOUND BEFORE ITS FOUR LEGS GAVE OUT FROM THE WEIGHT.

[TO NOT RUIN THE MEAT WITH HIS INCREDIBLE FLAME, HE INSTEAD SIGNALED TO THE THREE CHILDREN TO COME ON OVER.]

VYN: PAPA CAN’T CLEAN THE MEAT FOR YOU BECAUSE OF HIS ABNORMAL BODY, BUT I HOPE THIS WILL BE A GOOD MEAL NONETHELESS.

THE PUPS LOOKED AT HIM WITH A CONFUSED EXPRESSION.

ALISTAIR: BUT THIS IS HOW OUR MOMMY AND DADDY ALWAYS HAVE US EAT OUR MEALS, EXCEPT USUALLY DADDY WOULD JUST BITE AND CLAW AT THEM UNTIL THEY WERE TOO TIRED TO FIGHT BACK.

VYN: SIGH, I ALMOST FORGOT THAT WOLVES DON’T EAT THE SAME WAY HUMANS WOULD, BUT YOUR NEW FORMS PROBABLY NEED THE MEAT COOKED, SO BRING ME THE MEAT YOU’D LIKE TO EAT SO I MAY COOK IT.

GAIA - YOU’RE A HUMAN PAPA?

VYN: OH NO SWEETIE! I AM ACTUALLY A FYREKIN.

FARKAS: WHAT'S A FYREKIN PAPA?

VYN: WELL, HONESTLY, SON I AM STILL FIGURING THAT OUT. I WAS ONLY RECENTLY BORN INTO THIS WORLD THANKS TO MY MOTHER'S GRACE. FOR NOW, JUST THINK OF ME AS YOUR ETERNAL WARMTH AND SAFETY.

ALL THREE TOGETHER—YOU'RE THE BEST!

[THE THREE CHILDREN SAT AROUND VYN AS HE COOKED THE MEAT ON THE TOP OF HIS HEAD, AS HE HAD A STICK THAT LOOKED LIKE A CIGAR BURNING IN HIS LITTLE MOUTH.]

[AFTER THEIR MEAL TIME WAS OVER, VYN GOT TO WORK CREATING MAKESHIFT CLOTHES FOR THEM FROM THE BOAR'S HIDE.]

VYN: HERE YOU GO, KIDS! THESE ARE TO BE WORN TO PROTECT YOUR BODIES AS WELL AS YOUR PRIVACY.

[THE THREE PUT ON THEIR POORLY MADE CLOTHING BEFORE BEGINNING THEIR JOURNEY AGAIN.]

DEEPER INTO THE FOREST, THE FOUR HAD DECIDED TO TAKE A BREAK UNDER A LARGE TREE. [WHILE SITTING THERE, THOUGH, THEY HEARD VOICES APPROACHING.]

VYN: PAPA NEEDS YOU ALL TO HIDE WHILE HE INVESTIGATES, OK?

WITHOUT A WORD, THE THREE RUSHED INTO A NEARBY BUSH AND PEEKED OUT TO SEE WHAT THEIR NEW FATHER WOULD DO.

VYN CREPT FORWARD, MAKING SURE TO LISTEN OUT FOR ANYTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY. AS HE REACHED THE NEXT CLEARING, HE SAW FOUR HUMANOIDS, ALL DRESSED IN BLUE MILITARY UNIFORMS.

[THERE WAS AN ELF ARCHER, A DWARF MAGE, AND TWO HUMAN KNIGHTS ALL MOVING TOWARD WHERE THE CHILDREN AND VYN HAD BEEN RESTING.]

[VYN DECIDED TO APPROACH THEM, HALF FORGETTING HIS NEW STATE OF BEING.]

[AS SOON AS THE ELF SPOTTED THE FLAMEOID, HE SHOUTED AND BEGAN TO SHOOT AN ARROW.]

ELF: THERE’S A STRANGE CREATURE AHEAD; LET'S BAG IT AND SCORE SOME POINTS WITH THE SUPERIORS.

HIS ARROW FLEW STRAIGHT THROUGH VYN’S LEFT ARM AS IF HE WERE A GHOST PHASING THROUGH IT. THEN THE TWO HUMANS BOTH RUSHED IN TO TRY AND CUT HIM, BUT THEY FAILED TO LAND THEIR HITS. [ALL THE WHILE THE DWARF STOOD DRINKING FROM A FLASK, IGNORING THE TRIO TRYING TO FIGHT THE CREATURE.]

[THE HUMANS SWUNG MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE REALIZING THEY HAD NO EFFECT, ALL THE WHILE PISSING VYN OFF.]

VYN (INTERNALLY): WHO DO THESE SCUMBAGS THINK THEY ARE ATTACKING SO CASUALLY?

GURIS - YOU’RE A MONSTER NOW, WHICH MEANS HUMANOIDS DON’T SEE YOU AS ANYTHING MORE THAN A RESOURCE TO COLLECT.

VYN (INTERNALLY): WELL, THESE FOUR ARE GOING TO HAVE A RUDE AWAKENING!

[VYN, MAKING THE FLAMES ON HIS NUB ARMS BECOME LIKE TWO DAGGERS, PROCEEDED TO REPEATEDLY CUT AT THE TWO HUMAN ANKLES UNTIL ONE FINALLY FELL TO THE GROUND IN PAIN. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO REPEATEDLY STAB THEM IN THE FACE UNTIL THEY PERISHED.

[HAVING SEEN THIS, THE OTHER TURNED TO RETREAT BUT ENDED UP BEING STABBED BETWEEN THE LEGS, CAUSING HIM TO DROP AS WELL, BUT THIS TIME VYN STABBED HIM THROUGH WHERE HIS HEART WAS MELTING IT.]

DWARF: ICICLE SHOT

[THE SHOT RIPPED RIGHT THROUGH VYN’S RIGHT ARM, REMOVING IT FROM HIS BODY.]

VYN (INTERNALLY): OH NO, WHAT SHOULD I DO? I DON'T HAVE ANY RANGED ATTACKS TO FIGHT BACK WITH, AND NOW I AM MISSING AN ARM.

GURIS: YOU CAN USE AN ABILITY CALLED CREMATE THAT WILL EXTEND YOUR FLAME FROM THE TIPS OF YOUR HANDS TOWARDS A TARGET, CONSUMING THEM AND GIVING YOU THEIR TRAITS.

VYN (STRESSED) (INTERNALLY) I WISH YOU WOULD’VE SAID THAT SOONER. I HAVE BEEN TREATING EVERY FIGHT LIKE A GAME OF SUDDEN DEATH TAG.

[REACHING HIS REMAINING ARM OUT AT THE REMAINING TWO SURVIVORS]

VYN-CREMATE

LIKE MAGIC, THE FLAME FROM HIS BODY SHOT OUT FROM HIS HAND, ENGULFING THEM BOTH AND QUICKLY TURNING THEM INTO ASH. THIS ACTION ALSO RESTORED VYN’S MISSING LIMB.

VYN: PHEW, THAT WAS A CLOSE ONE, GURIS; WE ALMOST BIT IT THERE.

GURIS - YEAH, SORRY ABOUT THAT. I WILL TRY TO THINK OF USEFUL INFORMATION MUCH SOONER. SPEAKING OF WHICH, YOU SHOULD USE CREMATE ON THOSE TWO OVER THERE AS WELL TO GAIN ANY TRAITS THEY LEFT.

VIN PROCEEDED TO USE CREMATE ON THE TWO CORPSES BEFORE HEADING BACK TO HIS CHILDREN, WHO HAD BEEN WATCHING FROM THE TREE LINE. [LITTLE DID HE KNOW A LONE KOBOLD SCOUT HAD WITNESSED THE WHOLE ENCOUNTER BEFORE SCURRYING OFF INTO THE DISTANCE.]

GAIA: PAPA, YOU WERE AMAZING!

FARKAS: ARE YOU HURT, PAPA?

VYN - THANK YOU. I AM ALRIGHT, SON, JUST A LITTLE UPSET BY THE SUDDEN ATTACKS THAT HAVE RECENTLY BEFELL ME. MAYBE IT'S MY APPEARANCE THAT MAKES PEOPLE WANT TO PUNCH ME.

HE IMMEDIATELY CHANGED FORMS INTO ONE MORE HUMANOID. HE LOOKED LIKE A CHILD ABOUT THE AGE OF 12, WITH SHORT GREEN HAIR AND PINK EYES, HIS SIGNATURE FLAME LIGHTLY BURNING ON HIS HEAD, AND HIS TWO FANGS POKING OUT. HE ALSO HAD POINTED EARS LIKE AN ELF. THIS APPEARANCE MADE HIM LOOK MORE LIKE A LOST CHILD IN THE WOODS THAN A ROAMING MONSTER. HE ALSO USED HIS HEAT TO DRY SOME GRASS AND MAKE HIMSELF SOME DRIED GRASS PANTS, BUT DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER WITH A SHIRT OR SHOES, KNOWING HE’D DROP THEM UPON TRANSFORMING BACK.

GAIA - WOW, PAPA, YOU LOOK AMAZING, BUT YOUR OTHER FORM IS REALLY CUTE. CAN’T YOU KEEP THAT ONE?

VYN - DON’T WORRY, SWEETIE, THIS ONE IS JUST FOR WHEN TRAVELING OR MEETING NEW PEOPLE. I AM HOPING IT WILL HELP KEEP THE ATTACKS A BIT LESS FREQUENT.

GAIA PROCEEDED TO HUG VYN’S LEGS.

GAIA: DON'T WORRY, PAPA, WE WILL HELP PROTECT YOU.

ALISTAIR: YEAH, WE’LL GROW BIG AND STRONG AND FIGHT FOR YOU.

FARKAS: YEAH

VYN, THAT'S SWEET OF YOU, BUT AS YOUR PAPA, I WILL PROTECT YOU ALWAYS. I WON’T LET ANYTHING HAPPEN TO YOU. FOR NOW, THOUGH, LET'S GO AND REST A BIT WHILE I EAT SOME PLANTS.

THE FOUR SAT BACK AT THEIR TREE AS VYN HAD A PIECE OF WOOD THAT LOOKED LIKE A CIGAR BURNING IN HIS MOUTH. STILL IN HIS HUMAN FORM.