Chapter 35 - A Fiery Ring

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I was on the carriage to return to Vilfori after the last day of work at the distillery when I saw a column of smoke coming from the direction of Holiés village.

Suddenly the bells of the city ahead of us started clanging in alarm as a figure rose to the skies from where the column of smoke was.

“Shit!” the coachman shouted as he spurred the horses to go faster.

I saw the figure fly in a circle over the column before flying towards the city.

Soon we were in front of the city gates, rushing inside as a group of around twenty guards and adventurers with loaded crossbows was running out towards the approaching threat, lead by who looked to be the Viscount’s son, while others took position on the walls.

I jumped down from the coach and ran to meet with the adventurers and guards outside.

I had almost reached them when I saw the monster crash against the barrier around the city sending ripples through it, making it visible for a short moment. The ten meters long wyvern, with green scales, red wings and spikes protruding from its tail then fell to the ground in front of the city walls. Two arrows were embedded deep into its left eye, another one was sticking out from its right clawed foot and three small holes were widening in the membrane of its wings.

The guards and adventurers who rushed outside didn’t lose any moment and immediately shot their bolts at it when it hit the ground, attached to every bolt there was a thin rope, too thin to hope to hold a creature that strong still for long if there was only one, but all of the twenty bolts hit their target and the men proceeded to pull them until they reached their max tension and affixed them to the ground with wooden stakes.

As soon as the monster was trapped in place a barrage of arrows and spells rained on it, causing it to screech in pain and try to use its weak fire breath to burn the ropes that were binding it.

The wyvern died in under a minute, victim of the trained expertise of the city guard.

“It looks like you didn’t need my help, Lord Reynard” I said to the viscount’s son, Reynard.

“Lady Fortuna! It’s good to see you here. I’m sorry but we took the fun all for ourselves this time.”

“I can see that, it really took you nothing to bring it down.”

“That was only because we managed to prepare in time, someone must have kept it busy for quite a while. I didn’t know we had such good archers near Vilfori,” he said, pointing at the monster behind him.

“Someone does come to mind.”

“Really? You should tell them to join the city guard. We’re always in need of some good men who don’t get easily baited by the adventurer guild.”

“I’ll tell him so if I see him again. Now, if you don’t need my help I have a box of liquor I have to make sure reaches my inn,”

I was about to turn towards the gate but he stopped me with a hand on my shoulder saying, “actually, Hero Fortuna, you know holy and water magic, right?”

“Yes, why?”

“A carriage should pass by shortly with two priests and some volunteers on it to give first aid to any injured where the wyvern struck and try to quench the flames in the forest but we found no water mage.”

I sighed and said,”I will be glad to help.”

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“Thank you. It will really help us.”

“You surprisingly care a lot for your people, don’t you?”

“What are you saying? I wouldn’t be able to face the goddess if I didn’t do my best to protect my people against monsters,” he said, his tone suggesting I came really near to insulting him.

“Of course, of course,” I said, averting my eyes from him, which made me notice the approaching carriage. “Oh, it seems like my lift is here, have a nice evening, Lord Reynard.”

I jumped inside the open top carriage as it passed by before the viscount’s son could say anything, surprising the people riding in it.

“Oh, and I’d really appreciate it if you had one of your men make sure my liquor gets to the Oak Keg inn,” I shouted at him as the carriage brought me away from the city.

(I should have put them in my storage as soon as I got them. Oh well, shit happens.)

I looked at the still surprised people in the carriage, two of them had a white robe on while the others were wearing simple civilian clothes.

“Good evening gentlemen, I’m Hero Fortuna. I was told you could need some help,” I said with a smile.

“Oh, a couple more hands sure won’t hurt. I’m the head priest of the Last Night Church, Jonah, this here is the second priest of our cathedral, Father Patrick,” the oldest of the two men said.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked as I sat on one of the two benches in the carriage.

“I and Father Jonah will provide a first healing to any heavily injured while the rest of you put out the fire. Lord Granger wants to avoid making another forest spirit angry as much as possible,” Patrick said with a light chuckle.

“Lady Fortuna, may I ask you a question?” one of the men dressed in civilian clothing said.

“Sure, ask away.”

“Could you tell us if you know any magic that may help us? I ask for forgiveness if I’m being inopportune,” he said, lowering his head at the end.

“Oh, not at all, it’s only natural wanting to know. Of the types I know I think water and earth magic would be the most useful.”

“Then, may I ask you to soften some dirt for us using earth magic? It will speed our efforts considerably.”

“Sure, I’ll do what I can.”

“Thank you very much Lady Fortuna,” he said, practically touching the bench with his forehead.

A few minutes later we found ourselves surrounded by the smoke produced by the burning green forest and I used magic so that we could breathe without choking on the hot, polluted air.

Soon the fire was visible and the carriage stopped. One of the priests took out some pieces of clothes and asked me to wet them before giving one to each of the volunteers.

Once the volunteers had their mouth and nose protected they each got a bucket and a small shovel and jumped out of the carriage one after another.

I jumped out of the carriage too and softened a four meter wide patch of earth between the forest and the road.

I then used fire magic to burn the bushes and trees near the front of the fire in a matter of seconds, making it impossible for the fire to progress any further towards us.

I saw the two priests erect a holy barrier around themselves and walk straight into the raging fire while the volunteers digged out the dirt from the softened patch and brought it to the forest to clench the flames.

I started collecting all the vapor and particles raised by the fire using water and air magic, trying to concentrate them over the burning forest and fields, calling to me even the humidity from outside the range of the fire and the water from any near river or lake.

The process seemed slow at first but, in the matter of a few minutes large, black clouds were already forming over the fire and, soon enough, rain started pouring over the flames.

Confident that the smoke of the fire itself would have been enough to feed the raincloud for a while I walked too into the fire, turning the earth on itself to bury bushes and grass that had caught fire, stopping every time I reached a tree to burn it down completely in a matter of seconds.

I walked like that for almost half an hour before reaching the other side of the fire, my immense reserve of mana almost depleted for having effectively cut through the fire, leaving a five meters wide path behind me.

Having reached the other side I realized I arrived at Holiés’ village, in the dark night I could see the fields in front of me and the houses immediately behind them showing signs of the fire eating through them in the light that the flames provided, people were running around to quench the flames while others brought the injured to the two priests whose white light could be spotted from afar.

I ran towards them, passing the villagers who were carrying buckets of dirt and water.

When I reached them I saw there were around a dozen people lying on the ground. Two of them I recognized, Jacques, who was holding his severed left arm, which had already closed, showing that the priests had managed to treat him already and Holiés, who was lying unconscious with bandages all over his body.