CHAPTER 6

VYN, ON HIS WAY BACK TO THE VILLAGE, STUMBLED ONTO THE ACTUAL MAIN FORCE OF THE SLAVERS. A GIANT HUNTING PARTY WITH MANY SLAVES IN TOW WAITED PATIENTLY FOR VYN TO AMBUSH THEM, BUT HE LOST ALL TACT WHEN HE REALIZED THAT THE SLAVES IN TOW WERE FROM THE VILLAGE. HIS CHILDREN ARE AT THE VERY END OF THE LINE, BATTERED AND BRUISED.

THIS SENT VYN INTO AN UNCONTROLLABLE RAGE. HE SHIFTED FROM HIS ADORABLE GREEN FLAME FORM INTO SOMETHING MONSTROUS. HE HAD THE SHAPE OF A HUMANOID BUT WAS NOTHING BUT EXPLODING FIRE. HIS HEAD WAS DISFIGURED, LOOKING CLOSER TO THAT OF A BURNING SKULL, WHILE HIS BODY NOW TOWERED OVER THE ENTIRE GROUP. [HE LOOKED LIKE THE PERSONIFICATION OF LITERAL HELL.]

VYN (DEMONIC VOICE): YOU DARE HARM MY CHILDREN! YOU BASTARDS WILL SUFFER MY WRATH WITHOUT RESTRAINT NOW!

AS SOON AS THE LAST WORD LEFT HIS MAW, HE SLAMMED DOWN A FIERY HAND, INCINERATING A CLUSTER OF SOLDIERS. [FOLLOWED BY HIM BREATHING FIRE ON SOME MORE.

THE SOLDIER’S LEADER QUICKLY GOT HIS REMAINING MEN INTO A FORMATION. THEN HE ORDERED HIS MAGES TO BOMBARD THE TOWERING FIRE WITH ICE AND WATER MAGIC.

[VYN, HAVING BEEN FULLY AWARE OF THIS, DIDN’T EVEN STUTTER WHEN SAYING]

SMILE):VYN (EVIL SMILE) HAHAHAHAHA, YOU PATHETIC PIECES OF SHIT THINK I CARE ABOUT YOUR FUTILE RESISTANCE. LET’S SEE THEM STOP THIS.

HE FLUNG HIS ARM, RELEASING A LARGE FLAME THAT ENGULFED THE ENTIRE GROUP, KILLING ALMOST ALL OF THEM INSTANTLY.

[THE SOLE SURVIVOR WAS THE LEADER, WHO HAD USED A FROST SHIELD ON HIMSELF JUST IN TIME.]

SOLDIER LEADER: HAIL STORM

[THE LEADER THEN BEGAN TO CAST DOWN A HAIL STORM ON VYN.]

SOLDIER LEADER: FROZEN FORECAST

[THE HAIL STORM TURNED INTO A BLIZZARD.]

[THE COLD ELEMENTS QUICKLY STARTED EATING AWAY AT VYN’S FLAMES, BUT HIS RAGE WAS CONSTANTLY REPLENISHING THEM AS WELL AS THE STILL-BURNING GROUND FROM HIS ATTACKS.]

VIN SLOWLY WALKED UP TO THE SOLDIER LEADER AND BEGAN TO REPEATEDLY STOMP ON HIM. EVEN AFTER THE MAN WAS NOTHING BUT ASHES, HE JUST KEPT STOMPING UNTIL FINALLY HE HEARD A VOICE.

ALISTAIR: FATHER, YOU’RE HURTING US. PLEASE, YOU NEED TO CALM YOURSELF.

[VYN IMMEDIATELY LOOKED BACK AT HIS SON; HIS MONSTROUS SMILE AND BODY SLOWLY BEGAN TO CHANGE INTO HIS HUMAN FORM.]

[AS SOON AS HE WAS BACK TO HIS HUMAN FORM, HE QUICKLY RAN OVER AND GRABBED HIS CHILDREN, PULLING THEM IN CLOSE.]

VYN (CRYING): IF I WOULD’VE KNOWN, I WOULD’VE NEVER LEFT YOU BEHIND. I AM SO SORRY, MY CHILDREN; YOUR FATHER NEVER MEANT FOR THIS TO HAPPEN.

FARKAS - IT’S OK, PAPA, WE MANAGED TO WOUND A FEW OF THE HUMANS, BUT EVENTUALLY THEY OUTNUMBERED US, AND THEN WE COULDN’T HOLD THEM OFF ANY LONGER.

KOBOLD GIRL: HEWO MISTER, THEY HELPED PROTECT ME AND MY FAMILY WHEN THE BAD MEN FIRST ARRIVED.

VYN, YOU GUYS DID WELL. I AM SO PROUD OF YOU.

[THE CHILDREN’S TAILS BEGIN TO WAG.]

VYN (INTERNALLY): GURIS IS THERE ANY WAY TO HEAL THEM?

GURIS: YES, ONE OF THE SLAVERS YOU TURNED TO ASH HAD A HEALING SPELL, WHICH YOU CAN COMBINE WITH CONSUMING FLAMES TO CREATE A NEW SPELL.

VYN (INTERNALLY): WILL I LOSE THOSE SKILLS BY DOING THAT?

GURIS: ONLY THE HEALING SPELL YOU CAN’T LOSE IS CONSUMING FLAME DUE TO IT BEING A RACIAL SKILL. JUST CHANT SKILL COMBINE HEALING HANDS WITH CONSUMING FLAME.

VYN: SKILL TO COMBINE HEALING HANDS AND CONSUMING FLAMES

FEMALE VOICE: YOU HAVE NOW GAINED THE SKILL HEALING FLAMES AND HAVE LOST THE SKILL HEALING HANDS.

GURIS: JUST LIKE CONSUMING FLAMES, YOU HAVE TO CHANT THE NAME TO ACTIVATE AND DEACTIVATE, BUT UNLIKE THAT ONE, WHICH FEEDS YOUR FLAME, THIS ONE WILL QUICKLY EAT AT IT.

VYN (INTERNALLY): THANK YOU, GURIS. I'LL GO AHEAD AND TOP IT OFF BEFORE I USE IT.

[VYN BEGAN TO BURN UP A FEW TREES BEFORE TURNING TO THE SURVIVORS.]

VYN: HEALING FLAMES

FEMALE VOICE: HEALING FLAMES ENABLED

[A MASSIVE GREEN FLAME INDULGED EVERYONE AND BEGAN HEALING ALL OF THEIR WOUNDS.]

[AFTER THEY FINISHED, HE DEACTIVATED THE SKILL.]

VYN: HEALING FLAMES

FEMALE VOICE: HEALING FLAMES DISABLED

VYN - CREMATE

[HE BEGAN BURNING ANY REMAINING SLAVER CORPSES BEFORE TURNING TO LOOK UPON THE SURVIVORS ONCE MORE.]

VYN, ARE YOU ALL READY TO HEAD BACK TO THE VILLAGE? UPON REACHING THE VILLAGE, VYN REALIZED THERE NO LONGER WAS ONE. [THE ELDER WALKED UP BESIDE HIM.]

VYN - I'LL HELP YOU REBUILD AS BEST I CAN.

ELDER: WELL, THAT’S SOMETHING WE WANTED TO TALK WITH YOU ABOUT, IF YOU DON’T MIND.

VYN (CONFUSED): ALRIGHT, WHAT IS IT?

ELDER: NOT HERE, PLEASE FOLLOW ME.

[IN THE WOODS, THERE SAT A LARGE STONE THAT ALREADY HAD FOUR ELDERLY KOBOLDS SURROUNDING IT.]

[VYN WENT AHEAD AND TOOK A SEAT ACROSS FROM THE NOW FIVE ELDERS.]

VYN: WHAT IS THIS ABOUT ELDERS?