Surrounded by flames, a red haired woman with bright, red lips showed Finn a condescending smirk. She was tall, with slim, well defined muscles geared towards speed. Her features were sharp, her gaze brimming with confidence. Her eyes were literally on fire, as was her skin.
Yet somehow, this did not bother her. Her clothes were not affected by the flames either. The simple, tight, red tracksuit she was wearing and the black rapier in her hand were not affected by the heat. In fact, like the cells forming her skin and the surface of her muscles, the mana inside seemed to be the same as the one outside, like she was as much a flame as everything else inside the cave.
‘Did you have enough?’ asked Natalie. ‘If you have anything else up your sleeves, I suggest you pull it out now.’
To this, both sides of Finn’s splintered body smiled, and he thought ‘No, sensei. I’ve had enough.’
Natalie waved her sword a couple of times, and it turned into a liquid, encircled her right arm and settled as an arm guard with two crossed scythes carved into it as a pattern. The temperature inside the cave immediately started to drop. The ground and ceiling stopped melting and columns of dried lava formed all over the place.
‘I’m glad you’ve learned your lesson, Finn. How have you been, who’s she?’
‘Yes, I could never beat you in a closed up space like this.’
‘What!?’
No matter how many times Natalie demanded a rematch, Finn outright refused. Eventually, Caroline stepped out of her crystal and introductions had to be made.
The blue girl gave a short summary of her history and goals, before Finn did the same. He left out what Natalie already knew though, as well as the results of his training.
“What about you?” he asked with a grin. “How did you become Ifrit 2.0?”
Natalie and Michael were the last to leave Finn, after two full years of training. Back then, Natalie was still experimenting with all types of magic, searching for spells she could mold into her sword skills.
However, just like everybody else, she realized that joint training was not the solution. Yes, the ‘simple’ spells Annie had mastered during her adolescence were child’s play for any awakened hero.
But there was a realm beyond, a realm of specialization where magic evolved from a tool used for tricks into a reflection of self, an expression of one's very soul.
Natalie was heat, from the tip of her toes to the top of her head, from the extremities of her fingers to the very bottom of her soul. This made her wonder: "Finn, what's your true nature? What does your magic look like?"
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"Don't stop the story mid-way," Finn looked away. "Why isn't Michael with you?"
"The being behind that door is my beloved second master, a hydra that feeds on heat and spits out flames. I felt an affinity with it, so I decided to stay and study. Michael's path is different though. We had no choice but to part ways."
"He never visited?"
"He sent me this." Natalie lifted the black arm guard a little and smiled. The scythes engraved on it glowed for a moment, illuminating the longing in its user's eyes.
"Interesting. I wonder where he found it."
"This weapon is foreign to the ocean," said Caroline.
"Of course," said Natalie. “He made it himself.”
The three chatted for hours, though it was mostly to pass the time at this point. Finn and Natalie were not willing to disclose anything about the empire, and Caroline avoided all questions regarding the echidna kingdom and the things she was looking for.
“Finn, I’m not judging your fashion sense, but what the actual hell happened to you?”
Natalie pointed at his horns, and he just shrugged. At the same time, ruckus was heard from the half melted tunnel he and Caroline had used to get here. There was the distinct clattering of metal on metal, armor on armor, weapons on weapons.
Finn got up. “I thought the guards stopped coming here.”
“No, they’ve been planning a raid for months now,” said Natalie. “I guess reinforcements have finally arrived.”
“Let’s have some fun.”
“No. This is my raid. You can’t just butt in.”
“But this is good training.”
“Yes, why do you think I antagonized an entire city?”
The clanking sounds were getting closer. Finn and Natalie started walking to the tunnel while pushing one another along the way. Suddenly, Caroline flew in front of them.
“This is unwise. Miss Natalie, they’re unknown opponents.”
“No, this is the sixth raid they’re launching at me. If it’s too much to handle, I carved a hidden exit tunnel above the doors. I never had to use it before, but we can escape if need be.”
“Miss Natalie, the residents of this city have mistaken you for a fox-kin, but unlike you two, I cannot disguise my identity. The destruction you cause will be reported to the capital. They’ll conclude I am traveling with powerful hostiles, and they will take countermeasures.”
“Such as?” Natalie frowned.
“She’s got a point.” Finn grabbed her shoulder. “Where’s that secret tunnel you mentioned?”
“This is my training ground. I’m not leaving until I’ve freed my second master.”
Natalie pointed at the large double doors and Caroline added: “I also cannot flee without the item.”
The two women gave each other a nod and turned direction towards the giant doors.
“Finn, my second master is even more in tune with fire than I am. I’ll be at a massive disadvantage.”
“Why do you want to fight it?” asked Finn.
“It’s the only way I can thank him for his teachings. He may look like a monster to you, but fighting him has taught me more than you could possibly imagine. The least I can do is inherit his skills and free him from this dungeon.”
“The hydra will run rampant if allowed to escape,” said Caroline.
“Yes,” Natalie nodded. “To free my second master from his imprisonment inside this volcano, once and for all, I will have to kill him.”