“Ugh, I’ve got mud in places I didn’t even know I had,” Declan complained as he tried to scrape off the worst of the mess.
They were swinging wide of the cliff as they walked to avoid any more brick-falls from the crumbling building. From below, they could look into the structure through the missing wall. It looked like an elementary school, complete with desks, chalkboards, and a gymnasium. With one wall missing, the building was crumbling bit by bit. Char was glad that the invasion had happened on a weekend. She shuddered to think about all those kids being stranded away from their parents. That made her remember something that had been bugging her.
“You and the rest of your group were at the DMV, right?” she asked Declan.
“Yeah? Why?” His brows drew together in confusion over the non-sequitur.
“The invasion happened on a Sunday.” She watched his face as the confusion cleared from it.
“Oh, yeah. Some money-saving thing the county was trying.” He sighed. “I finally got my own car, went to get it registered, and the world turned upside-down before I even got to drive it.” He kicked a rock and sent it skittering across the hard-packed desert. Lulu chased it and brought it back, her tail wagging hopefully. Declan took it from her and threw it again for her to chase. “I guess it’s moot, though. Not like there’s anywhere to drive to anymore. I was supposed to be moving up from community college to an actual university in a couple of months.”
Char wanted to say something, to console him, but what words could possibly help? She struggled to think of the right thing to say as the moment dragged on, then it felt like it would be awkward to say anything at all after such a long pause. In the end, she said nothing and silently berated herself for it.
She watched a trio of dark shapes in the sky, large wings spread, riding a thermal, but they showed no signs of coming closer. It was impossible to tell how large or far away they were with nothing nearby to give a sense of scale. At first, she thought they were vultures or buzzards circling some dead or dying thing, but the longer she watched them, the more odd they seemed. They were too far away to see details, but there was something subtly off about their shapes. The longer she watched, the more wrong they seemed.
“Take a look at that,” Decaln said, pointing to the cliffside a mile or so ahead. The ice of the lake was sheared clean through, straight and smooth as a laser cut. The desert soil beneath the lake was dark with moisture and had been washed away to create a deep basin where the lake water had flowed out from under the ice. A steady waterfall of meltwater was streaming out into the newly formed pond, and the overflow cut new channels, reshaping the arid land.
Lulu brought the rock back to Char this time, and she took the slobber-gooped rock and threw it, smiling as Lulu bounded after it. “It’ll be cold, but we could get the mud off.”
Declan looked at the new waterfall with a skeptical eyebrow raised. “I’m not sure which is worse: an ice-water shower, or itchy mud.”
“Shower’s over with quick. Mud will itch all day,” Char pointed out.
“Yeah. Good point. In this heat, we’ll at least dry out fa—Holy shit!” Declan came to a dead stop, and Char followed his gaze to see Lulu running back in their direction. She wasn’t playing around, now.
Following her was an eight-foot-tall humanoid shape made of pure fire. Her mind went blank for a second at the sheer impossibility of it, then her instincts kicked in and she called her sword to her hand. Declan had his crowbar out, and the idea of him facing down a being made of fire with nothing but a crowbar kickstarted her brain into gear. “This way,” she called, and started jogging toward the lake.
She opened her inventory as she went. Federal safety regulations had required that she carry two fire extinguishers in her truck, and when she’d packed up, she’d grabbed both of them. She pulled one out and moved the other to a Quick Access slot. “Declan, here.” She tossed the small extinguisher to him.
“It’s not a grease fire! What is this going to do?” His voice was edged with panic as he jogged alongside her.
Lulu ran past them, and Char saw a scorched patch on her flank. She and Declan picked up speed as the fire… thing got closer. She glanced back long enough to use Assess on it.
Lesser Fire Elemental
Level 28
When enough mana gathers in a single
place, sometimes an elemental will coalesce.
Elementals are dangerous foes,
but they are sought after for the
powerful crafting materials they can contain.
“Shit. I’ll keep its attention, you try to flank it. Use the extinguisher to drive it toward the water.” The newly-formed pond was still a good distance away, around half a mile, maybe a little less. She had to keep the elemental focused on her, and she could think of no better way to do that than by pissing it off. “Split off as soon as I zap it.”
Shaping the mana was hard while she was running. She should have practiced it more while she had the chance, but she chalked that up to a lesson learned and hoped she’d survive long enough to put it to use. She fumbled the pattern twice before she managed to pull it together. Turning, she fired off a bright streak of lightning, hitting the monster in the chest.
The creature let out a hollow, windy sound like a furnace drawing air. The lightning didn’t appear to have damaged it much, but it did piss it off. Its arm narrowed and lengthened into a flailing whip of fire, and it lashed out at Char. The lash caught her across the shoulder as she turned to run, and she screamed with the pain. Clenching her jaw against the agony, she waved at Declan to go. He’d slowed to look back at the sound of her scream, uncertain.
At her wave, his features firmed with resolve, and he angled off to the left, making space between himself and Char. Lulu raced ahead, faster than her human companions, but she’d stopped and turned after Char’s scream. Now she stood, growling at the elemental.
“No, Lu. Go, run!” Char commanded. Lulu hesitated, still growling, until Char caught up to her. She turned to run alongside her human.
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Char found another gear and sprinted, wanting to widen the gap before she fired off another Arc. It nearly backfired when she got too far ahead, and the living fire turned toward Declan, who was slower. Char stopped and shaped her spell, this time aiming for its head.
The beam struck. Eye-searing light splashed through living fire. The energies clashed in a shower of sparks and licks of flame. The humanoid shape of the elemental wavered for a moment before its form solidified once again. Its attention snapped back to Char. Whips of fire lashed out. Char danced back, barely avoiding them. They passed so close to her skin that they scorched red lines from the heat alone.
Lulu dashed ahead, turned to bark and growl, then dashed ahead again. She’d felt the pain of a burn from the elemental already and was in no hurry to feel another, but Char could see the tremor in her muscles. The dog wanted to attack, wanted to help her people, but there was nothing she could do.
They kept up the game of cat and mouse, luring the flaming form closer to the water. Char risked more burns as she darted and dodged, keeping barely out of the reach of the elemental’s lashes. Declan kept a steady pace, running ahead and setting up off to the left, a dozen yards from the edge of the newborn pond. He held the fire extinguisher ready.
Char had enough mana left for one more shot, but she saved it. She didn’t know how the Fire Elemental would react to the extinguishers or the water of the pond. It might not be enough, and she’d need that last Arc to give Declan and Lulu a chance to get away.
She let the flame-being push her right up to the edge of the water, then turned to face it. It struck out with both whips, trying to bracket her to keep her from dodging, but her foresight warned her. She dove low, to the side away from where Declan stood, and rolled back to her feet, dipping low and spinning away to avoid another flailing lash. She swapped her sword for the other canister.
Declan was running forward, and Char aimed her nozzle. Before the elemental could move farther from the bank, she pulled the trigger, cursed, and fumbled to pull the pin. The living blaze stepped closer. Char pulled the trigger again, and this time she sprayed the walking glob of fire mana with fire-retarding powder. Declan pulled his trigger too soon; he wasn’t in range. Some of his powder was wasted, but a few more steps brought him close enough
The monster’s form flared briefly, growing brighter before it wavered. It shrieked a crackling, breathy cry, backing away from the white clouds. The extinguishers didn’t have much range; they had to get close to the elemental to push it back. Whips of fire lashed out, weaker where they had to pass through the billowing chemical spray, but still capable of inflicting painful burns. Char heard Declan grunt with pain, but he didn’t let up.
The elemental backed up another step, and its foot went into the water. Char’s extinguisher started to sputter as its charge ran dry. She threw the heavy canister, and the blazing creature took another reflexive step backwards. Declan’s started to run out as well, and though its form wavered around the edges, and its glow had dimmed slightly, it didn’t look like they’d damaged it enough. But it was in the water. There was still a chance.
It pulled back its arms for another lashing attack. This time, both whips were aimed at Declan, and she wasn’t willing to let the boy’s decision to follow her get him killed if she could help it. Char charged. She impacted the dense mass of fire with all of the force she could muster. Her momentum bore it back several feet and down into the water, her teeth clenched against the white-hot pain that seared through her. She ignored the searing of her flesh, the barbecue smell, Declan’s cries, Lulu’s barks, and the clouds of steam that billowed around her. Flaming limbs lashed at her as the elemental tried to pull her closer, to use her as fuel. She screamed into the steam, but didn’t stop. Her thoughts narrowed to a razor edge: protect them, her found family. She’d burn to the bone if she had to. She held the monster under the water. The skin of her hands blackened. She didn’t let go.
The elemental succumbed before she did, but it was close. The water lapping against the condensed form of fire quenched and dissolved it, pulling its substance away as streams of cooling ash. Char found herself sitting in ten inches of water, her burns so severe that they didn’t hurt anymore. She felt cold. All that was left was a vaguely human-shaped lump of charcoal and ash, and Char looted it on reflex, wanting to ensure that it was truly gone.
“Oh, God! Char…” Declan cried as he splashed to her side, his extinguisher dropping into the water, forgotten.
“Char is charred,” she tried to quip, her voice a hoarse whisper. Her mind wasn’t working right. Her vision was turning gray at the edges.
“Don’t… just… don’t move, not yet.” Currents of panic swirled in his voice, making it waver. “Here… I’ve got this. It's a healing tonic. I’m going to put it to your lips. You’ve got to swallow, OK?” His hand was shaking as he lifted the vial to her mouth.
Cherry cough syrup.
She remembered cherry cough syrup. Her mother used to give her that when she was sick. She swallowed the medicine. It would make her feel better. That was what her mom always said… wasn’t it?
It was so long ago. Her mother’s face was blurry. Why couldn’t she remember her face? She was cold, but the medicine was warm in her belly. The warmth spread through her.
She wanted to sleep, but who sleeps in a swimming pool? Mom would be upset that she forgot her sunscreen. Why was she shivering?
She didn’t remember passing out, but when she woke, she was lying on the warm, sunbaked soil of the desert, cool water still evaporating from what was left of her clothes. She had the worst hangover ever, and she felt like she’d been hit by a bus. Her entire everything was tender. She turned her head.
“I’m here. So is Lulu.” Declan’s voice came from somewhere over her right shoulder. “Don’t move yet. You’re still a little…” his voice trailed off.
“Charred around the edges?” Her hoarse croak of a voice was tinged with amusement. If she didn’t feel so awful, she’d be laughing to still be alive.
“Yeah, something like that.” The start of another word, quickly aborted, let her know he had more to say, but had thought better of it. Normally, she would have pressed, but she let it go for now. She was pretty sure she knew the direction of his thoughts, and wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.
“Got most of the mud off, at least.” She started to chuckle, but it turned into a coughing fit. Her health bar was at 37% and was climbing. When the coughs passed, Declan held a water bottle to her lips, and she sipped at it. The cool water felt like a divine gift as it soothed her throat. “Gonna go quiet for a bit. Meditation. Did I teach you that yet?”
“No, first you’ve said about it.”
“OK. Remind me. Later.” She closed her eyes and tried to find that quiet peace that would let her slip into her sanctum. A warm form pressed against her side as Lulu curled up next to her. The comfort of her presence was worth the pain.
It took a while, but she eventually opened her mental eyes onto the familiar scene of her beach, with its roiling surf and imminent storm. Her core had changed again. She thought it might be just a hair larger than it had been. The second affinity was easy to see, roiling clouds and flashing lightning mirrored the storm in the sky, as though they were linked. They might actually be linked, she realized. Her Core was part of her in a way that was hard to put into words. It felt like a nexus; the knot that tied all of her together.
She sat and watched it. She had time to kill, so she might as well use it to learn more about the changes that were happening within her. It was subtle. She didn’t notice it until she’d been watching for a while, but there was a flow within the Core. It was slow, sluggish, like honey running down the side of a nearly empty bottle. She didn’t know what that meant, but it felt important.
As she watched it, she thought about the decisions she’d been making lately. They didn’t all make sense. She’d pushed across the melting tundra to avoid the delay of going north around the lake, but to what end? There was no deadline. If she was honest, she had no destination to push for. Her dad was almost certainly not in Oklahoma anymore, if there even was an Oklahoma. She needed a purpose to keep moving toward, but she wasn’t going to find her family by blindly bulling forward in an arbitrary direction. That had to stop.
She’d nearly gotten all three of them killed. Lulu helped her hold together, gave her something outside of her fear and grief to focus on, but Declan? She’d barely known the kid for three days, and he already felt like the younger brother she’d never had. His optimism and his ability to chatter on and get enthusiastic about nearly any topic… it lifted her heart, made things feel less hopeless. If she didn’t slow down and make better choices, she was going to lose that.
By the time her vitality had fully recovered, she still didn’t have an answer for what she should be doing, but she knew what she needed to stop doing. She opened her eyes.
She felt better. She stretched and sat up. She found Declan sharing a peanut butter sandwich with Lulu, one torn-off bite at a time. The way Lulu smacked her mouth at the sticky peanut butter was making him laugh.
“Are you spoiling my dog?”
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