The fires of the café danced vividly between the dark blankets of the night and Aethel watched with a malicious grin. His burning hatred had finally manifested into a magnificent painting in front of him. The inferno itself was certainly beautiful, but the crowning jewel lay rolling on the floor naked. His former boss screamed and coughed a concerto as his skin blistered and popped. It smelled of pork. Aethel stared deep into the burning man’s eyes, until one of them splattered, ejecting a gooey eye-soup that ran down his face. It was disgusting, and made Aethel realise that it wasn’t his boss squirming on the café floor at all. Adrenaline rushed into Aethels hot body as he tried to lift himself up, but he couldn’t. He could only roll around in panic, smelling his own burning hair and feeling his skin melt into the crackling wood beneath him. He screamed. As did Teddy.

“Aethel, you cock!” The bearded man hovering over his body practically spat. Aethel’s heart raced and he darted his eyes wildly around him. Other than the stars above it was pitch black out, but his immediate surroundings were lit up by a campfire. It had a speared swine sizzling over it.

“What happened? Where are we?” Aethel questioned as he raised himself up to a seated position. The side of his torso ached in response to the movement. As did his head.

“South Wilds.” Agatha spoke up gleefully from the other side of the campfire.

“About 10 miles from The Kingsroad.” She continued. Aethel started recalling what had happened as he rubbed his temples. He wasn’t sure if the hangover still had a grip on him, or if it was the manipulator technique he had performed, but existing was definitely a little painful at the moment. When his hands reached his hair, however, he felt as though something was missing.

“Soooo…” Teddy began in an embarrassed tone. “The fire got a teeny tiny bit out of hand…” Realisation spread across Aethel’s face.

“You singed my hair?!” He yelled while following a patch of it with his fingers, which ended abruptly. A couple of charred strains were left in his grasp. They stank.

“Only a little!” Teddy explained. “I was just about to move you anyway. We noticed it almost immediately!” He continued. Aethel’s hairdo already had a weird grey streak running through it. Now he probably looked like a troll.

“You’re buying me a hat,” Aethel had another gander across the dark forest around them. “the next time we visit civilization, that is.”

“Yeah we probably won’t be seeing a proper tailor for a while.” Agatha smiled. Then her eyes widened in excitement.

“But I can make you a flower crown!” Her head twisted and turned around her, searching.

“No. Stop.” Aethel protested.

“I’d sooner be bald than prance around with flowers on my head.” Agatha’s slumped into a pout. Aethel ignored it and peered up. The moon was a thin sliver in the canopy of stars.

“Aethel, could you calm the fire a bit? I don’t care for burnt pigskin.” Teddy asked as he turned the speared swine around over the fire. Aethel shot a glance at the pit. It really was getting out of hand. He imagined it couldn’t have been easy maintaining the fire without him, let alone start it. Aethel closed his eyes and focused on the surge streaming from the burning wood. Flame, as well as water, was often used to train manipulators, as it often moved according to the streams in the surge. He almost grew a little nostalgic, as he had done this many times before at the academy when he was younger. He lifted his hand as his mind reached into the burning strands, and slowly lowered his arm as he commanded the surge within to cool. When he opened his eyes again, the fire was less agitated.

“Thanks.” Teddy said casual-like. Too casually Agatha thought, who was openly gaping at Aethel.

“That.” She began. “Is amazing.” Aethel turned to her.

“It’s one of the most basic things a manipulator can do. It’s not even considered a technique.” Aethel said nonchalantly, but his lips curved into a small smile, proud of his abilities.

“Don’t flatter him too much. His head’s already far enough up his ass.” Teddy interjected with a sly chuckle. Aethel scoffed at him.

“What’s the purpose of using your hand like that?” Agatha asked, completely ignoring Teddy’s remark.

“What do you mean?” Aethel answered and sat down by the fire.

“Well, at the bar when you moved the table, you didn’t use your hands at all. The table just slid in front of you.” As she talked Aethel’s face grew into one of understanding.

“Yes, well, you don’t have to use your hands or do anything physically really. It's all in the mind” Aethel was about to continue but Agatha interjected too quickly.

“So why do you do it?” The words came tumbling out of her mouth. Aethel chuckled.

“Commanding the surge to follow your intentions can be a tricky thing. The gestures make it easier to get your point across, so to speak.” Agatha looked shocked.

“The surge understands your gestures?!” The sincerity and surprise in Agatha's voice made Aethel boil up into a hearty laugh. Agatha shifted in her seat.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“No, no, no.” Aethel answered. “It helps me convey my intention.” Agatha nodded.

“I see.” She looked as though she understood, but there was something else in her expression as well.

“So what are we doing anyway?” Teddy asked, looking at Agatha.

“What?” She asked.

“The job. You said you’d tell us more about it. Besides, remembering anything from yesterday evening is…difficult.” Teddy continued, smiling.

“Oh!” Agatha perked up in excitement.

“Ok so basically dad has found out that there’s this powerful object within some old ruins but only a surge user can open it, and it might be dangerous inside, and we basically don’t even know if it’s there for certain, and…” She was talking at an alarming speed. Aethel cut in.

“Ok, ok, ok, Agatha.” She stopped talking and looked at him in confusion.

“Slooooower.” He said and smiled at her. She looked at the ground but her lips curved a bit.

“Sorry. I can’t help it sometimes.” She mumbled, slower than before. Aethel laughed.

“It’s fine. What you’re saying is that there’s a ruin that needs surge magic to open?” Aethel had never heard of such a thing, and was sceptical of how that would even work. His face showed exactly that.

“Yes!” Agatha answered happily. Aethel continued giving her a confused look.

“Well, that’s what we think at least. There’s this big ball locked inside of the door that needs to be moved. Only a manipulator could do that.” She continued.

“Or a machine of some sorts…” Aethel muttered.

“Well, what’s inside then?” Teddy interjected. Agatha sank into her seat and laughed awkwardly.

“Only dad- I mean Bael, knows…” She began.

“Of course.” Aethel commented and sighed. This whole ordeal was just a gigantic bad decision, Aethel thought. Hadn’t it been for the fact that he was jobless and wanted in his own city, he wouldn't even have been out of Dalen at this point. No wonder their drunken selves had gone to such extreme measures to make sure they’d accept this secret-ridden mission. ‘Idiot.’ He silently thought to himself.

“Don’t worry! He’ll fill you in with what you need to know once we arrive at camp!” She smiled as she tried to assure Aethel, who sat there with an uncertain expression. Teddy, however, didn’t seem to mind at all.

“Come on, Aethel!” Teddy reached over and slapped his friends back.

“A nomad knows no peace!” He proclaimed. Aethel scoffed at him.

“A server with a steady pay does, however.” Aethel said regretfully.

“Well you’re a nomad now.” Teddy answered seriously.

“We won’t be returning to Dalen any time soon.” Aethel sighed at the big man’s words as he stared into the dancing flame.

“You could join us!” Agatha cut in. “We don’t have any surge users in camp, and you guys would definitely help a lot. Bael already said that he wants you for the team!”

Teddy raised an eyebrow.

“Team? So this isn’t just a job?” Teddy asked, and Agatha seemed to blush a little.

“Well… I wasn’t supposed to say that.” She mumbled.

“So you want us to join your merry little gang after the job.” Aethel considered as he stroked the ends of his burnt hair.

“I could’ve guessed as much.” He continued, flicking his ashen remains into the bonfire. Agatha looked at him with a guilty expression.

“We’ll explain everything when that time comes of course. As I said, we’re not a band of highwaymen. Having a couple of surge tricks would really help us out.” She explained, but Aethel just shrugged.

“I guess we’ll just see what happens.” He answered her, which seemed to relieve her. Teddy gave a shrug of his eyebrows in return, and as if to cut the conversation short, his stomach rumbled loudly, proclaiming that it was time for dinner.

“Ok I think the pig is just about ready now!” The big man announced and smacked his hands together. He was practically drooling as he lifted the grilled animal from the makeshift stand and onto a large rock.

“Aethel’s tricks are nothing compared to what an augmentor can do.” Teddy said smugly and lifted his hand with his index raised. Agatha watched in awe as it turned from a meaty sausage of a finger into a sharp flesh coloured spike.

“Pretty handy, eh?” He winked at her. Aethel rolled his eyes in response. With his newly sharpened finger, he started to cut up edible pieces of the animal.

“That’s a little creepy, actually.” Agatha said so suddenly, and so nonchalantly that Aethel couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Teddy smiled dumbly and shook his head. Agatha realised what she'd said and her cheeks coloured.

“I mean, yes it’s…It’s good I mean, it certainly…” She sputtered, making Aethel laugh even harder.

“No worries,” Teddy began with a friendly laugh. “It freaked me out a little the first time I saw it too.” He smiled and tossed a piece of meat towards Agatha. Aethel wiped away a tear.

“Ah, you’re wonderful, Agatha. I haven’t laughed that much in a good while.” He said, still chuckling to himself. At this point Agatha was basically a caricature of embarrassment. Teddy threw a piece of pork at Aethel.

“Just eat your meat, skeleton.” He grumbled.

“Yes yes, if you hadn’t—” Aethel started, but was interrupted by what looked like a floating piece of pig on its way into the dark trees behind Teddy.

“What?” Teddy asked, still looking at him. Aethel furrowed his eyes and pointed out into the woods. They all turned to see a man in dark clothing standing in between the black of the trees. His hat was a pointy parody of a wizards hat, and he donned a white plain mask with glowing yellow eyes. He had his hands raised towards the floating piece of meat.

“Fuck.” The mysterious man uttered, and the piece dropped to the ground. Aethel began focusing on the surge around them, trying to detect anything else in the surrounding darkness. No one wanders these woods alone.

“Can we help you, sir?” Agatha asked.

“Do you want some food?” She said and pointed to the pig Teddy had been slicing up. The man nodded intensely, and began to walk up towards them.

“Not so fast.” Teddy said in a commanding tone.

“Who’s with you?” He asked. The man just looked at him for a while, and then shook his head.

“That wasn’t a yes or no question but… Aethel?” Teddy asked without taking his eyes off the stranger.

“I don’t think there should be anyone else in a 100 feet radius around us at least.” Aethel answered, eyes still closed.

“Why are you here?” Teddy questioned the man. After a silence the man’s stomach grumbled.

“Hungry?” The man sounded like someone trying to make their voice deeper than it actually is.

“Can’t we just give him a bite?” Agatha asked, looking around at the others. Teddy looked at Aethel.

“I guess we can-” As soon as Aethel’s voice gave an inkling of acceptance, the piece of pork laying on the ground flew into the man’s hands. Then he turned and bolted into the dark woods. The company around the bonfire was left dumbstruck.

“What the fuck?” Was the first words to come out of Teddy’s mouth.

“Well…” Aethel began, looking around nervously.

“We should probably take shifts sleeping tonight.” The others agreed.