That night had been restless for a few reasons. Killian was on fire, with both the magic of the phoenix and his own excitement. Jol and Killian spoke for a while before Jol, mid-sentence, drooped in the air and slept.

So, instead, Killian planned and practiced. He could shape the flames in his hand, but had no real control over it. The ball of fire that he rolled around on his palm and knuckles had a strange squish to them. They would pop like the crack of wood when he dropped it, but otherwise didn’t ignite flames.

Killian could hardly keep his eyes off his profile page now that it had started to fill.

- Profile -

|Killian|

Attributes

Power - Bronze (Phoenix)

Speed - None

Will - Bronze (Destiny)

Body - None

Charm - None

Skills

Phoenix Magic - Bronze

Abilities

Beginner’s Luck - Bronze

Flame of Rebirth - Bronze

Discerning Eye - Bronze

Killian continued admiring his profile page surreptitiously as the trio travelled towards the farm where Killing and Jol had met Pyre. The night had passed uneventfully, and Killian had slept for a few hours of sunlight before rousing to face the day. It was correct at the time to retreat, but in the light of the day, Killian wanted to find his enemies. He felt anger that anything had attacked Pyre, even though it had lead to their meeting.

He had been aimless at the start, but with familiarity of his Display came clarity. He had spent the hours conjuring and practicing with his magical flames, but the System was where true power waited.

Despite his assertion to Jol, he was definitely not a wizard. He could feel the mana moving through him. It felt like being a log in a fire, slowly being consumed to give off heat. It wasn’t a particularly unpleasant feeling, but it was taking some getting used to.

With no way to learn more about his magic from his companions who came to it naturally, Killian had decided to lean on the System and Display.

-Quest-

|Uncover the mystery of the burning farm|

As the fire rages, questions continue to rise.

Curiosity can lead to wonderful discovery, but also danger

Objective complete: Solve the mystery of the burning farmhouse.

The fall of a phoenix is not to be taken lightly. Something in the area was foolish enough to attack a creature this pure.

Take your first step as Champion by challenging this evil.

Objective: Find the culprits of the attack.

Reward: ???

He had assumed that the quest he had been given to investigate the farm would be completed when he found Pyre. Instead, the quest had asked for more. Killian was happy to oblige, intrigued by the question marks in the reward. The items the System had provided as rewards so far had been incredible, hunting for more seemed sensible.

A concern slipped into his mind, which became shared by Pyre through their connection. He was following the motions, but what happened when he did find the attackers? Anything that would shoot at something as mystical as Pyre would probably assault him on sight, too.

“Jol, do you know what might be to the south?” Killian asked.

“Which way is south? Also no.” Jol answered wisely.

That tracked. Killian sent Pyre into the air to scout. Her eyesight was fantastic, their mental connection allowed for the transfer of sight. Her vision was telescopic, though tinged with red. She sent an image of Killian’s face and feelings of love as she took off.

It was startling the first time, as Killian had no idea why he was suddenly vividly picturing a mouse on fire. Then, as he felt a phantom hunger abate, he had begun to understand. Pyre had caught her dinner for the evening, and shared the experience with Killian. Pyre could communicate through feelings and images. The pair were getting better at it as they practiced.

Killian mused on the changes to his appearance. It looked very different than he remembered, but he hadn’t looked in a mirror for a while. The most obvious change was his hair. It had been the dark brown of mud before, now it was the vibrant orange of candle flame. Less noticeable were his eyes, that he was certain had been darker before, now more amber. His skin had always been a rich, sun-kissed dark but now seemed to have a glimmer underneath.

He couldn’t know whether Pyre’s love for him changed her view, but he definitely looked more handsome. That thought was enough to carry his feet with a bounce until they reached the farm. Nostalgia washed over him, and he realised it was Pyre’s feelings. She considered this a sacred place to herself. Amongst the feelings of reverence, tinges of trepidation and even guilt mixed in. Pyre almost seemed ashamed to have caused damage to this home. She did not, however, feel fear at returning to a potentially dangerous place. Killian was proud of his brave little fledgling.

They hadn’t travelled far away last night, and this morning they had made great time. It had been markedly easier to traverse the woods this morning, Killian noted. The sun sat low in the morning sky as they arrived at the wreckage.

They didn’t waste time, simply giving it a passing reverence. They continued into the treeline, in search of danger. Killian was pushing past a part of his brain that said he was being ridiculous. He was giving up that quiet, hidden life he had tried to lead. Nothing good came from not trying to do more, do better, so he would be more. Be better.

Getting rid of whatever was plaguing this forest would work. As they continued south, conversation turned silent. The three worked in a quiet tandem, keeping eyes out and ears open. The trees began to look sickly, even deformed, as they continued. What was a beautiful forest just 400 yards in the other direction, was becoming a nightmare land.

The ground became swampy, stinking pits of stagnant water littering the makeshift path they cut. Trees were being strangled by vines, thick as the rope on a ship. The sky itself seemed to dim, Pyre joining them and becoming their primary light source, even though the sun should still be high in the sky. Gnarled branches seemed to reach out to create a canopy of intentful darkness.

All in all, it gave Killian the creeps. Jol, too, was similarly cowed.

“Wanna head back Killian? I think there’s probably humans the other way.” Jol’s whisper was no quieter than a mouse.

“I thought you had never seen a human other than me, how would you know?” Killian used Jol’s anxiety to assuage his own. A bravado that fell onto Killian like a mask helped him be courageous. A practice learned from spending his life getting Sherrin to be brave.

“If we go far enough the other way, we’ll definitely find humans. We won’t if we go this way.” Poor Jol was shivering in the air as the smells started to get more fetid and nasty. The bird sounds and other animal noises had turned more harsh and predatory. Screams of something being enjoyed as a meal hurried their pace a little. “All we can find this way is death.”

Killian looked at the fairy. He had new context for their relationship now, knowing how inexperienced Jol was with the world. Jol had been so trusting and naïve that Killian had trusted him back. He realised now that the fairy would walk right into the jaws of a predator, so he had to be protected.

“Hey,” He said, trying to be calming. “You could hide in my jacket if you like, or even head back to the farm if you want to wait?”

“Don’t try to get rid of me, Killian.” Jol snapped suddenly, surprising Killian. “I met you before that bird, you were my friend first!”

“Don’t be an idiot, Jol,” Killian replied, heat and rage flaring up. He had just been trying to be nice. How dare the fairy get angry at him? “If I wanted you gone, you’d be gone.”

“Oh? I’m easy to throw away, am I?”

“Well, you latched on to me, just let go if you want!” In the back of his mind, Killian was confused. He was faintly reminded of how it felt when Pyre pressed her emotions into him. He was unable to stop himself from bubbling over still. “I haven’t needed you once, you howling baby.”

The Howling happens every few years. A cosmic scream of magic and terror that causes monsters to rise up at prodigious rates. Monsters are similar to Aspects in that a core of mana is formed and the body forms around that core. The Howling causes so much errant mana that floods of monsters are summoned. Even Jol knew that it was a curse, and his affront increased.

“FINE!” The fairy, faster than Killian could track, disappeared from view. Killian’s anger was quickly overpowered with a sudden admonishment. Pyre began filling Killian’s mind with positive emotions, and imagery. Killian was confused. Why had he said that to Jol? He had only a moment before been wanting to treat him as a younger sibling.

Killian’s vision seemed to be covered in a haze. He shook his head, finally hearing Pyre’s quiet coos of fear. He tasted the metallic tang of blood in his mouth and his ears were pounding. His heart threatened to tear out of his chest. Confusion mounted until his Display came into focus.

-Debuff-

|Frenzy|

You have been afflicted by Frenzy.

A foul cackle seemed to ripple the air behind Killian, he swivelled to see the source. It was the broken imitation of a laugh. It was intended to be a mockery, Killian was sure. The awful hairy creature that was ridiculing Killian wasn’t shy. It stood, in full grotesque view, wiggling a leg in strange intimidation tactics.

It stood around the same height as Killian, somewhere around five and a half feet. It’s muddy fur was dark, and caked in darker filth. It wore the skin of some animal around its nethers and held a vicious looking staff outstretched. There were bones, skulls and other viscera hanging from the gnarled, blackened wood. It continued its howling laugh, further chitters beginning to erupt from behind. The forest had been continuing a slow decline into an evil state, and this was the embodiment.

-Creature-

Bronze |Gnoll Shaman (Death)|

A gnoll is a creature of pure gluttony. Created by a twisted combination of Hyena and Orc.

A race pacted to Comus, god of Excess.

A gnoll that has learned to cast spells is considered a shaman.

Disposition - Despised

He didn’t need the prompt to tell him it wasn't happy to see him. This thing must have been the cause of the debuff. The jabbering forest behind him lit up with boxes showing their numbers. It was vast. The anger didn’t fade from Killian’s mind, and he began to charge the shaman with it’s staff of skulls.

-Creature-

Bronze |Gnoll|

A gnoll is a creature of pure gluttony. Created by a twisted combination of Hyena and Orc.

A race pacted to Comus, god of Excess.

Disposition - Despised

The yammering mob behind the gnoll shaman carried themselves with less intelligence, but their numbers caused Killian to balk and sweat.

Pyre used the full weight of her emotion to stop Killian in his tracks. She showed images of him being torn to shreds by the gnolls. The emotion she filled Killian with was hope. This could not be the end for him, her or their story. They had much still to do. Dying here was ridiculous.

Turning full on his heel, Killian started to sprint. The whoops became louder, and louder. A frenzy kicked up behind Killian. He cursed himself, but he had to look. Some of the pack had taken to their front legs, running like hounds. Feverish, slobbering maws of teeth gnashed as they growled in frustration. It sounded like an army storming through the forest.

Arrows began to fly, sticking ominously into the twisted trees. Other animals screeched and hooted as they tried to escape. If one was too visible, a gnoll would break off and take after it. It seemed they weren’t picky.

Killian wasn’t thinking, just sprinting and trying to keep his eyes focused. Tears began to form as terror clawed at his back. They kept getting closer and closer, and he had nothing he could do. No way to defend himself. He wasn’t heading anywhere specific, there was no sanctuary waiting for him.

The trees began to return to their normal, healthier states. Less mushrooms and more flowers lay on the ground. That hope may have slowed Killian’s hurried feet slightly. It may have just been the panicked flight and adrenaline taking their toll but whatever the case, the claw that tore his back open caught him all the same.

He flew from the tree line, feet no longer on the ground. Hitting the mud hard, he rolled slightly. A fire had been started on his back. Had he not been told he would resist fire? He guffawed, telling himself not to trust that display in the future. The gnolls had slowed at the treeline too, not enjoying the open farmland before them.

The pain in Killian’s back began to subside. He had calmed slightly, and noted his mana dip considerably. Killian forgave the System as he realised it wasn’t fire that consumed his back but the pain of shredded tissue. He had felt the warm flames of phoenix fire as they knit his back muscles together again. Phoenix magic was incredible, he thought. Standing, covered in blood, Killian let loose his own battle cry. A rage burned inside Killian. A similar rage to the day he died.

He roared. He roared the pain of his life out in that scream. He bellowed out a defiant clarion call against the hand he had been dealt before. He would not be the same, and he would not die at the hands of some snivelling scavengers who caught him when he wasn’t ready. Not again.

Killian’s battle cry of fury continued and his back began to feel as warm as his face. It felt like a pressure growing that he knew how to release. With a final crescendo to his yell, and a “shove” of his mana, he erupted. Night became day as fire shrieked into the air from Killian’s back.

He let himself feel happiness amongst the anger. A mad joy at how drastically life had shifted in one moment. Anything could happen, Killian thought while his shout became a coughed out laugh. The fire continued to pour, a flare which sent some of the gnolls scampering off.

Killian looked at the intimidated gnolls. Their numbers had fallen during the chase as some found rabbits and birds to attack. It had dropped again as some ran from the flames, shouting and panicked. That still left at least ten gnolls standing before him, panting.

In their clawed hands they held crude weaponry. Killian hefted his iron axe, glad that it was at least sharp. He wished he had more time to learn magic, or saved some to heal some wounds but Killian was confident that he would take a few down with him. He would have to dodge the teeth though.

Pyre sent images into Killian’s mind of her glowing brightly to blind the gnolls, before pecking at their eyes. Killian had almost forgotten that she could and should be part of the battle.

“Alright, let’s do this. Pyre, now.”

The two began running at the gnolls, grim determination filling their steps.

“STOP!”

A cry from Killian’s right made him jump, tense as he was. That had been a human voice. Right as realisation hit Killian, another two steps towards the gnolls, death fell upon them. Like a boulder with anger management issues, a humanoid shape barrelled into the front of the gnolls.

Their weapons were useless, most shattering if they were used to attack the stony assaulter. Quicker than the weighty sounds and stature would suggest, a quick right hook, left hook combo dropped two of the gnolls. A glimmer fell over the craggan juggernaut, purple and green runes appearing on the stones that made up his armour.

The gnolls began to make their escape, with the amethyst and emerald combatant giving chase.

One seemed to sense an opportunity and broke away, making straight for Killian. He saw it coming but didn’t have the experience to know the right way to react. The creature leapt at him, it’s claws digging firmly into both of Killian’s arms. Killian struggled all he could, but the beast was far stronger than he was.

Pyre was in the air, attacking at the gnoll’s back. It didn’t seem to notice as it buried its face into Killian’s left shoulder and bit straight through his collarbone. The severing of his arm muscles left his hand hanging, heavy and useless. With his right hand, which held the axe, he swung with all his might.

The gnoll, taking part of Killian’s arm with it, had thrown it’s head back at the same time. The solid connection of the axe to the creature’s skull removed it from Killian’s grip completely. He scrambled to try and wrest it from the bone, preparing for another attack. That was when it hit him.

Killian screamed with a pain unknown to him beforehand. He doubled over in agony, eyes swimming as his mana desperately tried to fill the gap his lost life-blood had left. Pyre landed on the ground next to the now-huddled Killian. She pressed her face into his, evaporating tears. Giving him her mana, she helped him heal. The pain lessened in an instant, the bleeding beginning to staunch.

Thumping footsteps approached, and Killian looked up to see the golem approaching him. The rock around the man’s face shifted, his helmet melting into the rest of his armour. He had the straight blonde hair and purple eyes of a Pryvian. He had a squashed nose, and if he were a little angrier… he would have been less handsome.

Killian couldn’t believe what he was seeing, or what he was saying but he knew who he was being rescued by. Clearly much older than Killian, his earth powers more fully formed stood someone Killian hadn’t truly expected to meet again.

“Dack?” The only word Killian croaked out before exhaustion, blood loss and relief all combined to knock him out.