“Gloria, stand back a bit.” Hazily echoed a familiar voice. “No! I’m not leaving my mother!” Gloria shouted her voice sounding distressed.

“What’s wrong baby?” Merlynn asked yet no words left her lips. She tried opening her eyes but saw only flashes of light through the lids of her eyes. “I promise lass Cyrus is trying to help her.” The familiar voice called again.

“Abbey? No…not on Earth…Fy-Fyri?” Merlynn tried speaking again still unable to make a sound, still unable to move. “Cyrus is a paladin remember? All he’s got to do is lay his hands on her and speak a fancy name and we will be eating dinner before you know it.” Fyri stated proudly.

Despite Merlynn’s condition she felt her soul chuckle a bit, then felt a familiar warmth pour into her body the likes of which she had only felt from one other person. “Listen up! I don’t care how big you are, but you touch her inappropriately and I’ll shave your head in your sleep and glue your hands to your butt!” Gloria chastised Cyrus. “Little lower…” Merlynn meekly coughed.

“MOM!” Gloria shouted as she wrapped her mother up in her arms sobbing uncontrollably. “You had me freaking out! Are you okay!?” Gloria shouted in anger with a snotty sob. “I’m fine Glory.” Merlynn grunted in pain holding her forehead as she sat up. “Did you get the license plate of the truck that hit me?” Merlynn moaned hazily as she profusely rubbed her head and face.

“Wait do you not remember what happened?” Fyri asked, her voice filled with worry. “No, I remember…I’ve waited too long to watch that bastards smug face evaporate. I’ll never forget it. After that though pretty much a blur…damn this headache.” Merlynn grunted finally lighting a cigarette for herself.

“Sorry I wish I could do more, but I can only heal physical wounds.” Cyrus spoke up offering Merlynn assistance. With a curt nod she accepted then was gently and easily lifted off the ground. “Not going to lie. I’ve secretly always wished I’d meet a man who could sweep me off my feet and carry me.” Merlynn giggled as Cyrus cradled her. Immediately after Cyrus erupted into a red-hot fluster and carefully debated his next action.

“I didn’t mean anything awkward. If you would rather walk, I’ll let you down. I just figured it would be easier this way since your mana is quite drained it seems.” Cyrus noted pushing past his blushing awkwardness. “It’s cool Cy, I was just teasing ya’. In all seriousness though, please keep carrying me. This bitch be tired.” Merlynn mused, settling in.

She peered over Cyrus’s arm noticing a nasty scowl on Fyri’s face muttering something under her breath as they all steadily walked. Her senses came back to her a bit more as she assessed the situation better.

Gloria looked exhausted as she trudged along. Her face was awash with a mix of painful confusion and self-accomplishment. The pride she felt for feeling useful, the worry of the damage left in their wake, all swirled around keeping her quiet but contemplative.

Fyri seemed relatively fine aside from her foul mood. Merlynn quickly put together she might be jealous seeing her reactions when Cyrus is involved. She chuckled a bit to herself thinking it was cute to see them squirm around one another and dodging their feelings.

Cyrus, who was separated from the fight seemed the worst for wear aside herself. She began noticing gashes in his armor with glints of red within. His neck had a dark bruise starting to form and from what she could tell from the slight limp in his gate, he more than likely had a wound on his leg she couldn’t see.

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“Cyrus what happened to you? Hell, what happened after I blacked out?” Merlynn asked her voice sounding more coherent. “Finally awake I see.” Cyrus chuckled. “Were headed back toward the village on the coast. Seeing as the inn burned to the ground it’s the closest place for us to rest without worry.” Cyrus answered dodging the question.

“Don’t try to change the subject! I know you are hurt, so put me down, I'm fine I promise! I’ll walk and you can explain what the hell happened.” Merlynn demanded, flailing her fist. Cyrus let out an audible sigh then gently set Merlynn down…who took one step and nearly collapsed on the ground. “See? Not fine.” Cyrus snarked as he scooped Merlynn back up.

“Damn your kindness, Cyrus.” Fyri grunted, catching up to their stride. “After Gloria teleported us away I watched as that big Elemental thing roared in the air flexing before it tore off the roof of the inn and smashed its fist through. Afterwards Gloria freaked out and Cyrus stumbled over to us asking where you were. About that time the whole in blew away like ash in the wind and that Elemental flexed one more time then exploded in a cascade of sparks.” Fyri explained, her tone of voice easing as she continued.

“Salamnt has a thing for grand entrances and exits.” Merlynn chuckled slightly as she felt a pang of pain in her side. “Then the inn burned so fast nothing was left but the stone foundation and you slumped over bleeding out your nose and ears. Cyrus carried you out of the debris and here we are.” Fyri added jutting a thumb at Cyrus.

“That boss that guy mentioned turned out to be a bit more than I could handle. He was like nothing I had ever faced before, but every fiber of my being screamed this man was evil and needed to not only be stopped but punished. Most of my attacks couldn’t touch him, those that did barely left a dent. My sword seemed to hurt him, but I only connected with it once. After that he made sure to avoid every attack I could manage.” Cyrus admitted sullenly.

“I was starting to get desperate, so I decided to transform but the moment I went to change the sky opened and that massive fire beast showed up. The boss started to freak out terrified by the thing and swore this was not the last I would see of him. Afterwards he faded away into the shadows. Soon after that I caught up with the others and that brings us full circle.” Cyrus continued, his gait seeming to correct itself.

“Gloria mentioned you summoned ‘a big one’ what did she mean by that?” Fyri asked puzzled. “A while back when I was still trying to find a way to stop Eddy, I helped a fire sprite that turned out to be a fragment of a much larger being.” Merlynn paused billowing smoke for a moment.

“Although I wasn’t strong enough at the time to form a formal pact, still not mind you, I was instead offered a ‘favor’ in return for their gratitude. Once and only once I was able to call upon Salamant in his true form bound by a jeweled ring, but even then, they couldn’t guarantee my safety If I called upon them. It would take me a few years of hard training before I could summon even a lesser form of them.” Merlynn added, raising her hand to reveal a fresh burn around her left ring finger.

“You brought that thing here?” Cyrus asked in gawking amazement. “Yes, in a manner of speaking. Salamant is native to your world, at least this form of him, so technically I made a house call he couldn’t ignore.” Merlynn groaned as she felt a dip in the path jostle her. “Thanks Cyrus, if not for you there’s no telling if I would have made it.” Merlynn admitted meekly. “Were you planning on coming back at all?” Gloria asked in steeped suspicion. “Of course I was Glory, even if I died and went to hell I’d climb my way back out. No god, beast, or man would keep me from you.” Merlynn leaned over smiling at Gloria sincerely. “What’s this ‘hell’ you keep mentioning?” Fyri asked leaning in. “It’s a place where the wicked are punished for their evil deeds after they die. Ya’ll got a place like that here?” Gloria answered with a wicked smile. “Dunno, haven’t done a whole lot of dying and quite frankly don’t plan to.” Fyri deadpanned her. While their laughter was hearty and many more laughs brought their spirits high as they traveled, the feeling dissipated as Merlynn noticed the ominous pillar of smoke towering through the tree canopy, stemming from her village.