Withdrawing her mana, Aida slipped her wand out of her pants pocket, holding it at the ready.
“It’s a…” Caleb swore softly, shaking his head as if to clear it, before focusing again. “I don’t understand.”
“What is it?” Aida pulled her eyes from Caleb, deciding it was better to be helpful and keep an eye on whatever was approaching than respectful by keeping her eyes on him.
“I think…it’s a charred zard,” Caleb said, perplexed. “But…they don’t live this far down in the forests.” He tensed. “How much mana do you have?”
“Slightly less than half,” Aida said. She began Mana Cycling. “I’m going to try to recover some more before it gets here…what’s our strategy?”
Caleb hesitated. “Honestly, I would say to run, but since you can’t yet, it would likely catch up to us quickly.” His violet eyes darkened and hardened. “So we’ll have to fight. You distract it with your Water or Ice Blasts, and I’ll take care of it. Just make sure you avoid its attacks.”
Aida nodded, retreating to where Caleb pointed, a fair distance behind him and off to the side. He turned towards the forest, facing the approaching monster. Even without her mana senses, she could hear loud cracks, sounding like splintering trees, followed by heavy footsteps crunching the leaves and undergrowth, growing louder and louder. Caleb dug his feet into the ground, lowering himself into his grappling stance. Mana pooled around him, ready to be used at a moment’s notice.
Something fiery hot washed over her, making her vision hazy. It was the charred zard’s mana, Aida realized. It wasn’t even directed at her, it was just that powerful. Dread dripped down her body, paralyzing her. Before she could suggest to Caleb that they run anyway, a jet of flame shot between the trees at Caleb - only to be bisected by the earthen wall that Caleb pulled up. The secondary flame missed Aida by a wide margin, though she had to hide her eyes behind her arm to keep the heat from drying her eyes out.
Finally, the fire abated. Unfortunately, the foliage that caught the brunt of the two flames caught on fire. Oh drops.
Black eyes gleamed, reflecting the birth of the new flames as a large reptilian head the width of her door floated through the trees. A long, sinewy neck followed, looking more like it was trailing after the giant head instead of supporting it.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t run?” Aida asked, slightly hysterically. “I don’t have enough mana to distract it and put out forest fires.”
Caleb glanced over his shoulder at her. “That might be a good idea. You go first, I’ll follow.”
“What?”
“Go!” he shouted, spearing the dragon-looking thing with a massive stalagmite underneath its chin. The collision shook her bones, as the rock spire cracked against a hard place. The zard reared its head, bellowing.
Following Caleb’s command, Aida ran - if only to put distance between her and the real-life dragon. Surging, but also trying to control the amount of surge, she just focused on the path in front of her, not thinking about what was behind. Fortunately, Caleb caught up soon after, easily keeping pace with her.
“Keep going!”
Gritting her teeth, she focused harder, though she thought she could hear heavy wing beats behind them. It has wings? How fast can it fly?
She heard the ground rip apart - a whistling noise - followed by another roar. Caleb caught back up to her. He must have thrown a piece of the ground at the zard, which apparently hit its mark.
Aida despaired. Her inefficient use of her mana was going to get them killed. She was already at a tenth of her maximum. She released her mana, slowing down to her regular sprinting pace. I can’t keep this up.
“Keep going!” Caleb shouted again. He grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder. Looking up behind him, she saw the charred zard in all its raging glory.
Much like the beloved fire monster in the popular collect-‘em-all franchise of her world, the tip of its tail was flaming. It had wings, certainly, but that was about where the resemblance ended. It was covered in black scales, with a white belly. Its leathery wings had red veins spidering through it, making it look like fresh lava flowing down obsidian. With every beat of its wings, the veins glowed and pulsed, adding to the illusion of liquid fire. It reared its head, a small lump traveling from its deep chest, up along its throat, to the jaw as it snapped open. She watched the ball of flame travel unerringly towards them.
The Ice Shield sublimated as quickly as it had appeared, absorbing the fiery missile and leaving Aida gasping.
“Nice!” Caleb panted. He renewed his effort in running.
Aida gritted her teeth. That one Ice Shield had very nearly wiped her out. She began Mana Cycling again, intent on recovering as much mana as she could while she was useless.
All too soon, the charred zard sent another gout of flame at them.
“No!” Aida cried. She didn’t have enough mana to help. Hearing her warning, Caleb added a slight burst to his speed - but all that did was help him avoid the main blast, not the aftershock. The two of them tumbled through the air, landing limbs akimbo. Disoriented, she heard the charred zard land heavily on the ground. Fighting to straighten her scrambled senses, she pushed against the ground - wall? - she was leaning on. She ended up rolling, her supporting arm giving out underneath her so that she was laying on her back. The leaves and the sky danced above her, spinning and spinning…
“Aida, get up!” she could hear Caleb’s shout in the background, followed by the tremors as the earth rearranged itself, aiding Caleb in his fight against the charred zard. That’s right. He’s in danger. I’m in danger too. Clenching her eyes shut, she pushed herself into a sitting position. So far so good. Caleb was yelling at the giant lizard. She slowly opened her eyes. Less woozy. She turned around. Too quick. Clenching her eyes shut again, she took a deep breath. She looked again.
Caleb had drawn the lizard’s attention, so that it was focused on him and completely away from her. They were now completely separated by the lizard’s body. The flaming tail danced in front of her as it served as a counterbalance for the dragon’s movements. Taunting her.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
That was when the stupidest idea hit her. Why not?
She barely had enough mana to do anything - she was guaranteed to knock herself out again. But Caleb needs help.
What if she missed? She only had one chance. What else is new?
The charred zard was moving away from her. If you don’t do it now, you’ll definitely miss.
Caleb screamed in pain. She dragged her wand forward, aiming her wand blearily at the tail. She shut her eyes, trying to blink away the haziness in her vision. It didn’t help. She shut her eyes, relying on her mana senses instead.
The lizard wasn’t hiding its mana - it was a beast, it didn’t have the slyness of a human to hide or misdirect others about its strength. Its spirit shone as bright as the sun.
Her arm steadied. She spent the very last of her mana on Freeze (Lv5).
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
When Aida came to, she was aware of water. It was nice. It was comforting. It was soothing. It was…hot.
She opened her eyes, becoming aware of burbles. Lifting her head, a towel resting on her forehead plopped down into the water - Tulver’s Bathhouse? It didn’t look too much like how she remembered it - but that was probably because it was dark, and the hot spring room she was in was illuminated by small wooden torches set in the walls instead of natural sunlight. She heard a gasp and frantic slapping sounds as she looked around.
“Aida, my dear, you’re awake!” Connie spoke with a shaking voice. She brushed Aida’s forehead with another towel from the stack she was carrying in her arms, her violet eyes glimmering with wetness. “How are you feeling?”
“Hot,” Aida rasped. She cleared her throat. “Do you have anything to drink?”
“Of course!” Connie produced a mug of steaming tea on a small saucer. Regretfully, Aida took the saucer in both hands, blowing shakily on the steam. “Oh, I’m so sorry - would you like to come out of the spring before you drink?” Connie took the cup and saucer back, setting it on a small stool. “I’ll leave this here, if you want it - I’ll go prepare you something to eat and drink. I’ll be back!” she hurried out of the hot spring room, her slippers slapping along the stone floor.
Laboriously, Aida pushed herself out of the pool she was in. She was in the lowest-temperature spring, and based on how wrinkled her palms were, she had been in there for hours. The cool night air was a relief on her feverish skin. She took a deep breath, enjoying the reprieve from the heat, before a fresh breeze made her shiver. Pulling a large towel from the stack Connie had brought, she wrapped it around herself just as Connie hurried back in, a fluffy robe draped over her arm. She hastily swept the robe around Aida’s bare shoulders, helping her cinch the robe shut as Aida exchanged her towel.
“Please, come this way,” Connie said tremulously, lightly placing her hand on Aida’s arm to guide her, like she was an invalid.
Aida followed her to the hot spring entrance, where Connie had laid out slippers for her as well. Connie then led her down the veranda, past the room she and Sue had received a massage in, to the other wing of the building. Carefully sliding open the paper screen door, Connie gently pushed her inside, softly warning her to watch her step.
“Aida,” Caleb said, standing up from the hearth where he had been kneeling with who Aida presumed was his father. The man followed suit, his tight expression relaxing. He was built like Caleb, but a full head taller, making Caleb look appropriately sized for his age. He had Caleb’s features, except his face was lined, and he had chocolate brown eyes instead of violet. Looking at the three family members, all dressed in simple yukata, Aida was struck by deja vu.
In the light of the hearth’s flickering fire, Connie and her husband’s crows’ feet belied their age, giving them an overwhelmingly exhausted look. However, the smile lines were equally deep, making the wrinkles around their eyes look like laugh lines instead. With all three of them smiling and tearing up, it was obvious they had enough. They had each other.
“Come, sit down,” Caleb said, reaching out for her. He took her hand delicately in his own, leading her to a cushion placed on the ground next to the hearth. He collected a tray of utensils from the corner, and began ladling broth from the pot hanging over the hearth into a large bowl.
“Thank you for saving Caleb,” the man said, kneeling on the cushion next to Aida. She looked up at him. Even kneeling, he was at least a head and a half taller than her. He placed his hands in front of his knees, dipping his head. “My name is John - we did not have the pleasure of meeting the last time you came to our bathhouse.”
“Not your fault,” Aida said, flustered. “I’m sorry we didn’t get a chance to meet. But…” she looked at Caleb, who was now scooping rice into a bowl. “May I ask what happened?”
At her words, both Connie and John nearly broke out in tears. “I’m sorry,” Connie said, dabbing at her eyes. “It was such a close call - when we found out we almost lost Caleb—“ she buried her face into John’s chest.
He cleared his throat as he rubbed her shoulder reassuringly. “From what the Strongholders have told us, Caleb was battling a charred zard about halfway between Maglica Academy and Buddington Town. Caleb held out until the Strongholders arrived to defeat the beast, and then they brought you two to town, where they relinquished you into our care. Connie has been tending to you since you’ve arrived - at noon.” His eyes were moist. “Caleb told us some more after they left - he explained that you used what little mana you had remaining to injure the lizard, letting him hold out just long enough for rescue to arrive. For that, Connie and I are eternally grateful.” Connie let out a loud sob as the words left his mouth.
“I - It was all Caleb’s efforts,” Aida said, feeling her face flush. “It was really my fault…if I had the endurance to keep up with him, we wouldn’t have been attacked by the lizard in the first place…”
“Nonsense,” Caleb said adamantly, placing the tray on a small folding table in front of her. The steam from the broth swirled up, tickling her nose. Creamy and savory, with a hint of basil. “Your Freeze was timely.”
“Please, please eat,” Connie said tenderly, sniffling. “We can talk after you’ve eaten.”
Her stomach revved at the meal in front of her. Aida ducked her head meekly in gratitude to the family before diving in. Caleb and his parents bustled around, preparing for bed, letting Aida dine in peace. As Aida ate, she couldn’t help but contemplate the Tulver family’s home. The bathhouse, where they received guests, looked elegant and luxurious. The wing this family sitting room was located was distinctly detached from the commercial side of the compound. If she hadn’t stepped through the sliding door, she would have thought it wasn’t attached to the bathhouse at all. The tatami mats here looked worn and broken in certain areas, stains were amplified by the shadows, and the wood columns and walls looked aged as well, with patches in several locations to keep the elements out and the structure standing.
The cooking pot hanging over the hearth and the mismatched plates she was eating off of were heavy, old, and banged up. The Tulver family’s utilitarian living reminded Annie of her own family, where they kept and used everything until it broke, then would patch it up, to be used until it broke again.
Maybe it was just because the Tulvers were tiptoeing around her, but Annie felt extremely vulnerable as she thought about her parents and wondered what they were doing without her.
Connie finally came back to Aida, clearing her dinner tray. She offered Aida a fresh cup of hot tea, which she gratefully accepted. They sat in silence together, both staring into the fire.
“I know John already said it, but I have to say it myself,” Connie said softly. “Thank you for saving my son.” She teared up. “He’s the only one we have left in the world, and we wouldn’t know what to do if we lost him.”
Aida shook her head, embarrassed. “I told you, he saved me.”
“You two worked together,” Connie insisted. “Regardless of how you ended up in that situation, the fact is that you were attacked by a charred zard. You two helped each other, and for that I am so thankful that you two have become such good friends.” Connie reached over, grasping Aida’s hand tightly. Her purple eyes shimmered in the firelight. “Thank you for coming into his life.”
Aida gripped her hand back. Connie’s touch stirred all the emotions she had packed away, and she found herself sobbing again - except this time, she wasn’t alone.