Kindle ruffled her feathers on Tilly’s shoulder,
“Cheep!” She cried in anger eyeing the giant towering above her.
Gorock's eyes shifted in confusion and dilated at the sight of the little chick. He identified the creature and then his goat scowl/smile returned in full force.
“You will be very fierce I think burning one... but not for a while yet! BWAHAHA.” He answered before bellowing out a laugh that was completely unrestrained by the lack of any discernible humor. Tilly turned his head at the creaking sound of a cart and saw a laborer wheeling a mountain of wooden scraps over to the end of the troughs. He dumped them out with quick and economic movements before turning to go back the way he came.
“Just a second Gorock.” He called, rushing over to the pile. The still-laughing Wall Breaker just waved him on, winding down from his amusement. Tilly called a thanks over to the laborer but if he heard he didn't turn from his route back to the bustling construction going on all over the valley.
Tilly used his foot to shift over a campfire-sized bunch of wood, and then enflamed his foot, shoving it into the pile on the packed dirt of the grounds. It took about ten seconds before it was burning merrily.
“Don’t take too long playing with your fire Baby-Man! Gorock is very busy.” his booming voice called from the sparring area, "I have many bones to break today."
“Here you go, little lady. This should hold you over while I… practice fighting.” Tilly whispered, plucking the chick from his shoulder and lowering her into the fire.
As he reached down, Kindle eyed him, and Tilly felt the image of her little claws float to the top of his mind.
“No thanks, girl. I'll be fine. It may not look like it, but I am almost once hundred percent sure that guy over there is a friend.” He answered lowering her into the fire. He was surprised to feel his hands begin to burn as they interacted with fire not produced by his Mana, but his armor quickly responded, covering his hands with SunSalamaner-hide gloves.
Neat.
Kindle, however, had no problem with the different source of heat, fluffing her down coat and beginning to preen happily as flames licked all around her form. She scratched a little circle before settling down amidst the burning wood.
“Baby-Man!” Gorock called again, his voice having moved from amused to frustrated faster than a toddler denied their snack.
“Just call over if you need something.” Tilly said hurriedly, before turning around and jogging towards his ‘teacher’ for the day.
“Keep your pants on, Gorock! And don't give me any more shit about being busy! I bet if you weren’t here, they would send you to carry stone at the wall build.” Tilly called as he approached, pulling loose his hatchets and twirling them with all the bravado he did not feel.
'This is going to suck,
Might as well charge into it blades out.'
“GOOD!” Gorock boomed, laying aside his shield and weapons and gesturing an invitation to Tilly with open hands, before assuming a boxer stance.
“Come at me Baby-Man. Use all your tricks and fire and we will see who gives the healer a harder time! HAHAHA,” He finished with another burst of disturbing goat laughter. The combination brought to mind a deep human baritone and the sound of a screaming goat.
The weapons lying on the ground at Gorock's feet screamed of supreme confidence... and Tilly just shrugged. He was man enough to understand that he would need every advantage he could get, and if this was what the others thought would help him advance the fastest... he would give it his all.
Without further hesitation, he set alight and launched both hatchets, charging almost immediately behind them to the sound of Gorock’s bellow of excitement.
…
Twenty minutes later both combatants lay on the ground surrounded by charred dirt and splattered blood. Tilly groaned as he tried to take another breath, the now familiar feeling of fractured ribs grating excruciatingly against his lungs. On top of that, he was pretty sure one of his forearms was shattered. Oh, and his ankle was swollen beyond recognition.
Gorock lay a few feet away taking short breaths interspersed with giggling fits. His body was covered in burns and he sported several already closing shallow wounds from Tilly’s hatchets. He sat up wiping his eyes, tears of laughter threatening to pool and spill down from his large oblong-iris eyes.
“Baby-Man, that was the most fun I’ve had in weeks! Are you ready to keep going?” he said, his monstrous constitution already undoing the waxy edges of his biggest patches of burned skin.
Tilly groaned in answer, looking up at his Mana and Health.
Health: 42%
Mana: 3%
“No-..ugh. Not going to be… ready for a while.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Tilly rolled his head over painfully and spotted Kindle fast asleep in the smoldering ashes of the campfire he had made her. Despite everything he smiled. At least someone was having a good time this morning.
“Now young one, you take the big stupid one. I'll handle the smaller, slightly less stupid one.” A voice called from outside Tilly’s range of vision. It took a second, but the cultured voice and clipped tone of disapproval keyed him into the owner just before a cascade of healing fire washed over him.
A comforting warmth suffused his form, concentrating on the places he was most injured. There the warmth heated until it was just south of painful, like slipping into a hot tub on a cold day. A stinging sensation accompanied the reknitting of his bones and restoring of bruised flesh and he watched in fascination as his Health rapidly climbed back to 100%.
With a moan of relief, he sat up, just as the priestess cast another Ability on him and the slow refilling of his mana started to ramp up to a flood. Before he knew it, he was completely topped off.
But all of that faded out of his immediate attention as his eyes fell on a strikingly familiar young satyr woman casting over Gorock. She had to be in her mid-teens and something about her face tickled Tilly’s memory like a mental itch. Yet, he couldn’t recall meeting a girl of that age in any of his travels so far on Nephesh.
She was wearing priestess robes of a much simpler quality than Erash's and held a plain scepter in her hands.
Level 3 Priestess of Origin’s Flame
He continued to stare in muddled confusion and the young priestess looked up from her focused casting on Gorock to catch him watching. A rosy blush started on her neck and crept up her cheeks as she quickly looked back down. Then in a quiet voice, she said,
“Hello again Mr. Tillman.”
Tilly cocked his head, her face maddeningly familiar and yet he could not recall meeting anyone lik-
“A Phoenix!” Erash shouted, rushing over to the still-sleeping bird before turning back toward Tilly incredulously.
“And Bonded at that? Human, how did you get your hands on a Mythic Elemental?”
Tilly tore his eyes away from the girl to answer Erash’s question when Gorock spoke over him while climbing to his feet.
“I didn-”
“The Fire loves our Little Human! You should see what a glorious bomb he makes. It is obviously a gift from our Fire God, healer. Now, no more questions! I am teaching him how real warriors fight!” Gorock called shaking out his arms in readiness.
Looking back and forth between the girl, Gorock, and Erash, Tilly got to his feet as well, dusting off his now fully healed limbs.
“Yeah. That is pretty much it, I think.” Tilly muttered before turning back to the young priestess,
“I’m sorry, have we met?”
The girl's blush grew brighter as she attempted to stutter out a response,
“I saw… You healed… When-”
“Oh come on girl!” Erash interjected in frustration.
“You are the only one this Deity has chosen as a full Priestess. Please try and act like you have some backbone.” Then turning towards Tilly,
“It is my understanding that you purified this girl, and in doing so, you unlocked an Ability by whatever means your class and Mantle possess. It is my theory that this imbued her with enough potential to qualify as a candidate.” She said, hurrying through the explanation. Then turning back to the fire, she slowed her speech to a more thoughtful pace.
“As to the elemental-”
“Her name is Kindle.” Tilly interrupted absently, staring at the girl as the pieces came together.
“Yes, well, as to ‘Kindle’. You will continue to feed her as much heat and flame as she asks for. Then report to me on her stages of growth. This is an unprecedented opportunity to learn about the-”
“Sorry ma'am, but I’m not reporting shit to you.” He interrupted, looking back at the Priestess in frustration,
“Look, I appreciate what you did for Hiro yesterday, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. But if you expect me to jump at your every demand, it's going to be a long year of service.” He growled looking the Erash in the eyes.
Somewhere behind him, Gorock let out an explosive sigh, dropping his arms in disappointment at what was obviously going to be more talking and less fighting.
Tilly continued to stare as Erash bit back a scathing response and looked down at the phoenix with something that might have been envy.
“Very well. I will be checking in on both of you when I see you each morning. This is an immense privilege you have been given Mr. Tillman. I hope you take it seriously.”
Before Tilly could respond, a small voice interrupted from Gorock’s side,
“Mr. Tillman, I snuck up to the temple last night. I know I am too young to get a class, but I wanted to help. I hoped that the one who had given you the power to save me would be able to do something.” she spoke up hesitantly, as she looked up and saw that he was listening, she went on,
“I was offered something called a Covenant. I gave up the rest of my childhood and the possibility of ever taking another class. In return, I am the only other member of the Alliance that has been offered anything above the rank of acolyte to the Temple.” She concluded, growing bolder as she finished telling her story.
“Why would yo-” Tilly tried to ask but Gorock had had enough.
“Gah! Talk later. Now we fight!” He bellowed, stomping his foot and lifting his fists into a boxing stance once again. The young Priestess immediately began to back away from the sparring area, but even as she retreated, she called over,
“Don’t worry about me, Mr. Tillman. It was my choice and now I have a Rare class with the possibility of even greater opportunities in the future. Plus, I think we both know that my childhood ended before I met you... At least now I have a chance to do something to help those who I care about.” She said as she backed away to Erash's side.
Sorrow welled up in him as he watched Erash put a hand on the girl's shoulder and lead her to other sparring areas. There was no doubt that what she was doing was incredibly brave... but the small part of his heart that had been a father ached at the thought of the little girl giving up the rest of her childhood.
Channeling the heady mix of feelings into resolve, he turned back to Gorock. In the face of her determination... he couldn't do anything but his best.
“Alright, you big goat! All I have been hearing from you is whining. That's real funny considering you keep calling me a baby...” He called out, summoning his hatchets back to his hands, and wreathing his whole body with flame.
“HA!” Gorock shouted in delight, before charging forward in response.