The next morning, Allisa, accompanied by Nel, went to meet Dran. "Two months." She said to him. Dran was sitting at the wooden throne. He was a little confused by Allisa's statement. "I'll only stay here for two months, after that I need to go back to my world. Until then, I'll learn how to use my power."

Amazed by Allisa's new resolve. He glanced at Rowin and Mira, remembering what they discussed last night, before returning his attention towards Allisa. "I don't know what happened, but that look you have is definitely different from yesterday." He stood up and approached Allisa. "You have no idea how pleased I am with your decision."

"Thanks, Arch Sage."

"You can just call me Dran. No need to be formal" He chuckled. Dran then turned to Nel. "While she's here, do you mind staying with her?"

"It won't be a problem," Nel said.

"I hope that won't be a problem with you?" he asked Allisa.

"Of course not." She said. "Happy to be working with you."

Dran then returned to his throne before continuing. "Well get started right away. What we need is to teach you about mana and swordplay."

"Right." Allisa nodded.

"Rowin will find someone who can teach you swordplay." He then called out to Rowin. "Could you handle that?" he asked.

"I've already got in contact with some old associates." The butler said, giving a short bow, "Give me a couple of days and I should be able to find an appropriate instructor."

"Of course my friend."

"So you're going to teach me about mana?" Allisa asked.

"Actually, my duties as Arch Sage leaves me with insufficient time to actually teach you. So I'm going to leave it to my apprentice."

"Are you sure about that?" Nel asked, with some concern in her voice. "I was under the impression that he was still in training."

"Of course. I think he's ready to be given this task."

"Who are you talking about?" Allisa asked.

The sound of the front door could be heard opening. "You're about to find out," Dran said.

The wizard

"MASTER!!" The door to Dran's study suddenly flung open followed by a loud call that echoed throughout the chamber.

Allisa turned and saw a small boy, no older than Luke's age running through the doorway. With straight ginger hair, he wore a blue tunic with an orange cape floating from his shoulders. At his side was a leather tube, which rattled by his side.

Ignoring Allisa and Nel, he stopped short of Dran, huffing and puffing as he tried to catch his breath. "I... I got your message," He said huffing and puffing. "Is it true, is the hero here?"

He then glanced behind him, seeing Nel and Allisa standing behind him. "Huh? Nel?"

Nel gave him a small wave. "Long time no see,"

"Yeah, a month since-" the boy glanced up towards Allisa, eyeing her up and down. "Oh! Sorry I didn't see you there." He said putting a hand to his chin. "Wow, you're not bad looking."

"E-Excuse me?" Allisa stuttered, taken off guard by the boy's comment.

"This is Allisa Reed," Nel answered, folding her arms. "This is Melvin Stride, Dran's apprentice." She introduced the boy to Allisa.

"Nice to meet you," Melvin said bowing.

"Uh.... You too," Allisa said feeling awkward.

"Good to see you two are getting along," Dran said leaning back in his chair. "As Nel said, Melvin is my apprentice. A prodigy in the art of magic. He will give you some instructions on mana as a hole."

"Wh-What?! This kid is my teacher?!" Allisa exclaimed, pointing down at Melvin who glared back up at him.

"Hey! I'm nine for your information! That's the age I should get my growth sprit!" he said puffing his cheeks out. "Who are you anyway?"

He studied Allisa up and down, taking a glance at Nel while rubbing his chin. His eyes suddenly widened with surprise as something in his mind clicked. "Wait.... Don't tell me you're the hero master was talking about?"

"That's right?" Dran nodded. "Allisa is the next chosen wielder of Excalibur.

"Seriously?" Melvin turned sharply around, studying her up and down. "She doesn't look like a hero at all. What? Was she chosen cause of her boobs or something?"

"E-Excuse me!" Allisa snapped, her face glowing red. "And you think you're having a bad day! I have literally been transported to a world I have no idea existed until a few days ago! The last thing I need is comments from a little brat like you!"

"Don't call me little!"

As the two began to bicker, Nel crossed her hands below her chest, letting out a small chuckle. "Looks like things are going to get lively."

****

Allisa left the residence with Nel and Melvin following behind her. The mood was slightly tense given the bad introduction of the arch sages apprentice.

"Catch,"

"Huh?" Allisa turned in time to see a pouch flying towards her, slamming against her face. Holding out her hand, she caught it, feeling the jingle in her hands.

"2000 Rundes. The bounty for the fenrias you killed."

"Two.... Thousand...?" Allisa stared at the pouch, realizing it was money, small gold coins gathered together.

"That's not a lot here. Adequate pocket change." Nel said quickly before Allisa thought something different. She then turned about, taking her leave.

"Nel?"

"I've got something to take care of." She said with a wave. "Give you two a chance to get acquainted."

"Wha- Huh?!" Allisa exclaimed.

"You're leaving us alone?!" Melvin exclaimed, sounding just as surprised.

"You're the one who likes women. I'm certain you two will patch things up in no time," Nel said, her voice sounding more as though meant as a joke.

She left, leaving Allisa alone with the boy Melvin. Both looked up, then turned away awkwardly.

"So.... What are we doing now?" Melvin asked, trying to break the ice.

Glaring towards Melvin, Allisa held up the pouch. "Well.... Now that I have money, there's some things I need to pick up."

The two began to walk down the cobbled streets of Riser in an awkward silence due to the bad introduction. In the end, Melvin was the one who broke the silence. "You know.... You're really pretty."

"Thanks," Allisa said drily.

"But that outfit leaves nothing to the imagination."

"I'm not wearing this cause I want to!!" Allisa exclaimed, covering her chest in embarrassment. "You're a pretty rude kid you know. Does your parents know you talk like this."

Melvin stopped and shot a hostile look towards her, as though she touched on a sore subject. "I don't have any parents!"

Allisa's tone sifted, not expecting such a response. "Y-You don't."

Melvin shook his head in response. "I literally grew up in a gutter until my master took me in. Life was very hard for me you know. Had to grow up pretty fast for I’ll end up dead."

"O-Oh..." Allisa's arms dropped, feeling a touch of guilt. "S-Sorry.... I didn't know."

Melvin's posture relaxed, letting out a sigh. "It's ok. I guess I owe you an apology to. You weren't.... well you weren't really what I was expecting when master called you the 'hero from the other world.'"

"I don't blame you. I'm still coming to grips with it myself." Allisa sighed.

Melvin began to walk again down the street. "Oh, and don't feel too bad for me. It's not like you knew." He said as Allisa continued to walk alongside him. "Sure, life was tough when I was growing up, but it's been pretty good living with Rowin and Mira, as well as learning under master Dran." His eyes shone as he gazed mindlessly up towards the sky. "He's such a great wizard, wise and powerful. It's my goal to be just like him one day."

"As in.... Arch Sage?" Allisa asked.

"Uh huh," Melvin nodded. "It's the title for the most powerful wizard in the world. If there's any goal to strive towards, it would be Master Dran."

As the two walked, they passed by a small park with a fountain in the center, surrounded by the white plastered buildings that made up most of the city. "Speaking of which," Melvin suddenly stopped.

Noticing the boy, Allisa stopped as well.

"I take it you don't know anything about mana, don't you?" He asked, folding his arms.

"Nope," Allisa responded truthfully.

"Thought so," Melvin studied the park. "Guess this will be a good spot." He walked towards the fountain in the center, indicating Allisa to follow.

"Master said I'm to teach you about mana, guess we should start with the basics." He said drawing his wand.

"Uh... what are you gonna make me do?" Allisa asked out of concern, sifting to a defensive stance on instinct.

"Don't worry, we're not gonna fight or anything," Melvin said twirling his wand. "Frist, do you mind showing me Excalibur?"

"My sword? Uh... sure," Allisa raised her right hand, her sword appearing in a flash of light.

"Whoa," Melvin gasped at the skeptical. "Ok, guess it really isn't an ordinary weapon." Clearing his throat, he walked ten passes to the right "Now, there are two forms of how mana is used," he turned about, facing Allisa while hiding up his wand. "mana channeling, and Mana focusing."

"Channelling and focusing?"

"You know what mana is at least, right?"

"Uh yeah, Nel explained." Allisa scratched her head as she pondered the question. "S-Spiritual energy?"

Melvin nodded, allowing Allisa to breathe a sigh of relief. "Channelling refers to focusing mana through an object, which act as a catalyst for our powers. Stuff like my wand for example,"

He then turned and pointed his wand forwards. "Fire bolt!" A puff of fire then emitted from his wand, enough for Allisa to jump back with surprise, gasping in amazement.

"Whoa... was that magic?"

"That's the most common form of mana channeling. It revolves around learning spells and the way to manipulate mana to perform the spell, typically cast through objects like wands or staffs.

"Think of it like a tap of your power. It concentrates your power in short bursts, allowing you to perform all sorts of phenomena."

"Ok.... So channeling is like, using an item to use magic?" Allisa pondered. "So... would it work with my sword?"

"Absolutely," Melvin nodded. "And given what sword we're talking about, I think you might be able to develop some powerful abilities. For example, extending you're slashed outwards, or even causing your sword to burst into flames, that sort of thing."

"Really?" Allisa held up her sword, examining its silver blade. "So.... I can use this to cast spells and magic?"

"Uh, not quite," Melvin corrected. "Magic is a form of mana channeling, but it's a pretty complex art to master."

"Oh..." Allisa sounded disheartened.

"But that doesn't mean you could develop other mana abilities. You hear rumors of people doing crazy stuff with rings and the like." Melvin tried to reassure her while he slotted his wand back into the cylinder.

"So, what's the other one? Huh... focusing?"

"Similar in principle. The major difference is that you channel mana through your own body."

"Through my.... Body?" Allisa didn't quite follow.

"Like, boosting your strength or improving your physical defense and speed. It's similar to mana channeling, only your using your actual body as the catalyst." Melvin clarified.

"Ohh, like what you did with your wand?"

"Precisely," Melvin folded his arms, "though it's also the most dangerous. What you're essentially doing is pushing your body beyond its natural limits, which can put a further strain on the caster if not controlled right."

Allisa grimaced at the explanation; an unexpected image of her body being torn apart from the inside came to mind.

"So most mana users would typically be using mana channeling, but you can get someone who can use both types at once." Melvin continued. "Nel's probably the best example. She uses mana to enhance her blades while also increasing her speed and reflexes."

"Seeing her in action... that's not to hard to believe." Allisa thought back to the two times she had seen Nel fighting, even recalling how she appeared behind her in less than a second while holding a dagger to her neck. "So... am I gonna learn how to fight like that?" She asked as she let go of her sword, allowing it to vanish.

"If that's the plan, I won't be able to teach you much," Melvin said truthfully. "All I know is magic, I'm not much of a fighter myself. But knowing master, I think he's got something in mind." He then folded his arms. "But I'll help any way I can. May not know much about sword fighting, but I can help you out when it comes to fundamentals of mana."

"It's a start at least," Allisa let out a loud sigh, followed by a smile. "Thanks. Guess you're not totally bad."

"No problem," Melvin said, crossing his arms. "Always willing to help out pretty ladies like yourself." He said with a bow.

".... Thanks, I guess," Allisa let out a sigh.

The Dragon

Allisa, accompanied by Melvin, went to Gretal's to get some clothing for her long stay in Avalon, as well as pick out something that didn't make her feel embarrassed. Unfortunately for her, she quickly discovered that 2000 Rundes was, as Nel pointed out, a small amount of money.

"Are you kidding me...." She moaned at the outfits before her, examining the price tags on each of them. "Looks like I'm stuck with this for a while."

"If you didn't like it, why did you pick it out, to begin with?" Melvin asked.

"I didn't. Nel chose this without telling me."

"Ahhh... Nel..." Melvin said, looking at her with a hint of sympathy.

Allisa looked to him, confused by what he meant.

"You'll find out," Melvin responded.

"Hey there! Anything catches ya fancy?" Gretal approached the two, waving her hand to greet them.

"Yeah, but all of them are way out of my price range," Allisa sighed. "Why is everything here so expensive? Is it some kind of brand or famous designer who made these?"

"Course not. I make all the clothes you see here,"

"Huh?" Allisa's eyes darted around, taking in all the clothing and costumes surrounding her. "You... made all of these?"

"Always been a hobby of mine since I was just a little girl," Gretal said with pride. "No stitch outta place and no material wasted, that's my motto."

"Wow. That's quite impressive to make all of these by yourself." Melvin complimented.

"So is that why everything is expensive?" Allisa let out a loud sigh. "Guess I'm stuck with this for a while."

"Oh! That reminds me!" Gertal suddenly ran down, ducking behind the counter and drawing out a small bag. "Managed to fix those clothes you left with me!"

"Oh you did?" Allisa took the bag from the woman. Inside were indeed her clothes she left with her to get fixed after the battle with Fenries. While she was happy to get them back, it didn't change the fact that such an outfit in this world would stick out like a sore thumb.

"It's an interesting material made out of. Never seen anything like it before in my life, and I've been round clothes all my life," Gertal said quickly.

"R-Really," Allisa said awkwardly. "A-Anyway," She changed the subject, wanting to avoid the conversation that pointed out she was actually from another world. "I've only got 2000. Is there anything like underwear or pajamas you got for that much."

"Oh that shouldn't be a problem. I'll show you what I got in stock."

*****

Allisa and Melvin left the shop, making their way down the street. Fortunately, Allisa could afford everything she needed. However, she now had only 100 Rundes left. "Ahh... since when was 2000 of anything worth so little..."

"Least you managed to get everything you need," Melvin said walking beside her. "You're staying here for two months, right? Shouldn't you have brought this stuff with you?"

"Nel told me not to bring anything with me,"

"Ah... Nel again."

"And I didn't know I'd actually have to stay here. I barely believed any of this was actually real."

"You sound like a real ditz."

"Hey! You try finding a magic sword your favorite spot and get whisked away to god knows where without knowing anything."

"Ok, fair enough."

As they continued down the street, three men suddenly stopped in front of Allisa and Melvin. Allisa quickly stopped, feeling a little on edge.

"Hey beautiful. Need someone to walk you home?" said one of them, who seemed like the leader.

"This chicks hot." Said another one, who was talking more to one of his friends.

"Yeah. Nice outfit she's wearing. Shows of her best bits well." Said the one the second was talking to.

The two turned to walk away but was quickly blocked by three other men who emerged from an ally behind them.

"We don't want any trouble," Melvin said quickly.

"Then go home kid." The center figure, a tall man with spiked brown hair and a golden earring took a step forward, putting a hand on his hips. "We want the girl to come quietly, and there won't be any trouble."

"Uh thanks," Allisa said, trying to sound braver than she actually felt. "But we really need to get a move on. We don't have time for-"

"Relax, we're not gonna hurt you." The same man said approaching her, a wicked smile on his lips. "Name's Gil, a run a little business and I think you will be perfect for it."

Allisa took a step back, terror beginning to seep in again. Meanwhile, Melvin was reaching for his wand slowly to not draw the stranger's attention.

"Hey! There you two are!"

Allisa looked to the new voice that was joining in. This one came from a boy who was Allisa's age. He had black hair and wore a shirt, which was unbuttoned, showing his chest, and shorts, a green, scaly belt tied around his waist with a massive X shaped scar dominating his toned chest.

"H-Huh?" Allisa blinked confused.

"Wha-" Melvin's eyes widened in surprise at the newcomer.

"Hope you haven't been waiting long?" he said to Allisa with a toothy smile. Without warning, he took Allisa's hand and turned to some of the men surrounding her. "Hey guys, thanks for keeping her company. We better get going."

"Um, who are you?"

Silence fell as the stranger was rendered motionless by what Allisa just said. "Come on, you could have played along!" He yelled at Allisa, more out of annoyance "That ruined my perfect 'pretend I know you and rescue you from these jerks' plan!"

"That's the oldest trick in the book!" Allisa yelled back. "And who are you anyway?!"

"Oh boy..." Melvin let out a deep sigh.

"Hey kid," Gil said menacingly as the gang turned their attention to the new visitor. "You got a problem?"

The boy took a deep sigh before he replied "Yeah I got a problem. It takes six of you to rob one little girl. What, you pick on those weaker than you since you have to be in a group in order to take everything they own?" He said to all of them with a serious tone in his voice. "You guys are pathetic."

"You wanna rephrase that kid." The largest in the group said, towering over the boy cracking his knuckles.

"Mind backing up. Your breath reeks of booze."

The man then punched the boy right in the face as hard as he could. "You got a big mouth. Guess we'll need to teach you some manners."

The punch blearily even fazed the boy. Infect, it seemed like it hardly hurt him. "What do you call that?" the man then took a step back as the boy readied his own punch. "Here's a real punch!"

His fist slammed right into the man's face. A few cracking sounds could be heard as the blow shattered his jaw and destroyed several teeth before sending him flying into the air before slamming into the ground hard. Allisa looked in amazement at this savior. Unlike the men around her, she didn't get the same kind of hostile aura from him. The rest of the gang started to back away from Allisa, shocked by the boy's strength.

"All right, who's next?"

The gang then ran away. "Well get you for this!! Mark my words!!" Gil yelled as they ran.

"Ha, what whimps," the boy said, rubbing his cheek.

"Well, thanks for not going overboard this time with us around." Melvin approached the boy, folding his arms, a warm smile on his lips. "When'd you get back? I thought you were out on a mission from the guild."

"Oh, I finished that ages ago," the boy said, resting his hands over his head. "I just reported back and got handed a letter that was for me from that old gezzer saying he needs me back for some other job."

"You realize he's not that old." Melvin let out a sigh.

The boy's gaze then drifted to the still puzzled Allisa, giving her a warm smile. "You ok? Hope those jerks didn't hurt you."

"N-No, I'm fine," Allisa said nervously. She then looked down at Melvin. "Is he... a friend of yours?"

"Something like that," Melvin said.

"What's up," The boy waved casually, "Name's Max Colt."

"Uh... Allisa," Allisa nodded, feeling lost on the conversation.

****

"Max?" From the shadows of a nearby ally, Nel spied from the corner, sheathing her blade. "Don't tell me that troublemaker got called in for this too?"

Nel had been spending the morning on track of a crime group from a request at the adventurers guild. She had managed to track down their leader, Gil Sphincus, seeing him and his henchmen surrounding Allisa and Melvin. She was about to jump in, kill the man if necessary, but Max had beaten her to it.

While she didn't mind the boy, he had a knack for attracting trouble. She had raised an issue of Allisa's safety in her report to Dran due to the assassin attack when they met. The Arch Sage had gave an assurance he had someone in mind who would be able to keep her safe.

Someone like his wasn't quite what I had in mind....

Nel let out a deep sigh, realizing it was far too late to raise any complaint she had. "At least he's made my job easier."

*****

It was late afternoon when Allisa, accompanied by Max and Melvin came to a restaurant, the Kelfild. While the establishment gave off a tavern appearance, it was considered serviceable due to the owner being a high-class merchant, known for his culinary expertise. Max had assisted them to stop by to get dinner, even against Allisa's protest that she had barely any money.

In the shadows, however, four men stood within a nearby alley, looking like your average thugs with light armor, weapons and various scars, watching the three enter the establishment.

"That's the kid that wasted Bole." One of the men said. He turned to a shorter man, who had scribbled something on a piece of paper, attaching it to the leg to the pigeon on his arm. With a heave, the pigeon flew off, out of the ally bounded for a different destination.

"You sure the boss isn't going overboard," The second thug asked. "I mean, sure the kids tough but getting the gang to take down one guy."

"The boss really hates to lose, I know that," Another of the thugs with a bandana said folding his arms. "But don't you think this is a bit of an overreaction.

"..... Don't think so," The first thug said, glancing back to the restaurant. "You saw that scar on his chest, didn't ya?"

"Well yeah. Hard to miss something like that."

"I heard some talk of some kid with black hair and a scar on his chest. Apparently, he's got some crazy strong power that can destroy an entire forest."

"Yeah, I know those rumors. But this kid?"

"I'm with him on this," The largest of the group said, standing further in the back, dominating the others with his broad muscles. "You're talking about a Salamander right? That kid just doesn't fit that bill-"

The man suddenly stopped mid-speech. Eyes widening, a small trail of blood began to flow from his mouth. He then collapsed to the ground, startling the other thugs. In the man's back was a curved blade, stuck within the man's spine.

"That moron certainly knows how to attract trouble wherever he goes," from the shadows, Nel emerged, acting as though she were out for an afternoon stroll.

"Wh-Who are you?!" One of the thugs exclaimed as the men drew their weapons. "Are you with that kid?!"

Ignoring them, Nel reached down, wrenching free her blade. A thin trail of blood dripped from her now crimson blade. "But if Gil Sphincus is after Max, that saves me trying to find him since I now know where he will show up."

The thugs tensed at the mention of their bosses name, tightening their grips on their weapons. "If you know who we are, you certainly got a lot of nerve you bitch." One of them said.

"You're gonna find out messing with Oger's foot is one of the biggest mistakes you made in your life!" Another exclaimed.

"I was going to say that to you," Nel said with a smirk, holding out her short blade while drawing her dagger.

****

Inside the restaurant, Allisa and Melvin looked in awe at the amount of food that was placed on the table. Luckily for Allisa, Max offered to pay for the meal. While both her and Melvin had ordered a simple curry Max ordered two sets of ribs, five stakes, and a curry in an enormous bowl.

"Are you really going to eat all that?" Allisa asked him when their food arrived, looking a little dumbfounded at the outrageous amount Max had ordered.

"Yep. I eat a lot because of my ability."

"What kind of ability needs you to eat that much?"

"Well, it uses a lot of mana a day, so I get very hungry easily," Max answered, not really answering the original question, already tearing into the mountain of food.

"And this is nothing," Melvin commented. "His stomach is truly bottomless. I reckon he can eat a week's worth of food and still have room for seconds."

"You don't say..." Allisa let out a sigh. "Geez, why haven't I met someone who's even remotely ordinary in this world," she muttered under her breath.

"So what's your story anyway?" Max said with his mouth full. "Way you act, I guess you're not from Riser."

"You could say that," Allisa said as she took a bite of her curry. Surprisingly, it was good given the tavern atmosphere of the restaurant. All the patrons sat on circular tables, each enjoying pleasant small talks over the raising aroma of the cooked meals before them.

"Believe it or not, she's actually from Terra." Melvin said, also tucking into his food.

"Wha-!!" Allisa immediately coughed up, alerted by the boy casually dropping the fact she's from another world.

"Don't worry," Melvin reassured her, noticing her distress. "He may not look it, but Max actually works for my master."

"Yep. Over a year now since he found me." Max responded, still chewing his food. "Terra....? Ain't that the otherworld the old geezer talked about a couple of weeks ago?"

"That's the one," Melvin nodded.

Max's hazel eyes shifted back to Allisa. "So you're from that other world, huh? What brings you to this world?"

"That's kinda a long story," Allisa responded. "To cut it short, I found a magic sword in a stone and before I knew it, Nel brought me here and I'm gonna learn how to use it."

"Ohh…?" Max stopped chewing, "Sorry, didn't mean to bring up anything bad."

"Oh no, it's fine," Allisa said waving her arms. "Beside's, I only just got here. It's not like anything terrible's happened." Her eyes drifted towards the nearby window, a dreamy look in her eye. "I'm still coming to terms that this really is another world. It all feels like a dream."

"I guess I can understand that," Melvin said, following her gaze.

"So, what are your plans for now," Max said, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster.

"Well, to start with," Allisa raised her right hand, looking as though she was examining something on it. "I guess I need to learn sword fighting. Rowin said he's gonna find someone who can teach me. Hope it's not someone really gruff and mean."

Melvin looked perplexed. "You mean you were chosen by the legendary Excalibur and you have no idea how to use a sword?"

"O-Of course not!" Allisa stuttered, putting her hand down. "People had stopped using swords since the Middle Ages."

"So you got a magic sword and you got no idea how to use it?" Max commented. "Wow, that's pretty bad luck."

"Gee, thanks," Allisa said, narrowing her eyes. She then began to notice the stacks of plates before the boy, all of them empty. "Whoa! You actually finished all of them?!"

"I told you, my ability needs lots and lots of food and stuff," Max said leaning back on his seat. "So... what's this 'Excaligar' stuff,"

"Excalibur," Melvin corrected, sounding irritated. "and I'm fairly certain master told you this stuff when Nel left."

"Yeah, but that was a long time ago."

"It was last week!"

"That was a long time in my book!"

What a strange boy... She thought to herself, seeing both him and Melvin continue there back and forth bickering, Melvin trying to explain in detail what Excalibur was, while Max complained it was too hard to understand.

It was strange but, for the first time in a while, she felt more relaxed around others besides Lucy. In her world, everyone was mostly the same, making her feel more like an outsider. Here, with the two strange people she had only just met, and even Nel, she felt more at home than ever before.

****

The sun was starting to set as the trio left the restaurant. By now, Max had some understanding of Allisa's story, if only the basics. "So Excalibur is this magic sword from the goddess and you got chosen to be the next person to use it to fight darkness and all that bad stuff." Max summarised.

"Pretty much my take on it so far," Allisa said, realizing the boy's grief.

"Took you long enough," Melvin said out of relief.

"Hey, I'm just slow with these sorts of things."

"Yeah, I know," Melvin then looked up at Allisa. "So what now? Should we go back to master?"

"Why are you asking me?" Allisa responded.

Max suddenly stopped, causing the other two to stop as well.

"Max?" Allisa asked.

Max turned his face to look at an alley. He had a serious look on his face. "I know you there!" He said with a serious tone.

A man walked out of the alley, "Well done." Allisa immediately recognized him as the leader of the gang that was harassing her earlier, Gil. "But I would expect nothing less from a monster such as you."

His men, all of whom were armed, then quickly surrounded the trio. Allisa also noticed that there was far more than last time.

"Good to see you two again." He said to Allisa and Melvin casually, resting his spear on his shoulders.

Realizing the danger, Allisa dropped the bags and summoned her sword while Melvin pulled out his wand.

"Impressive." The leader said to Allisa. "Don't see that every day." With a sneer, lowered his spear, "Don't worry though. We're not here for you this time." then pointed it towards Max "We're just here for the Salamander."

"Salamander?" Allisa looked at Max. She saw he was getting frustrated. His fists were clenched, and the cheerful demeanor he had about him was gone.

"What, you mean you don't know?" The leader then laughed hard. "Man, that's rich. You don't actually know that your boyfriend is a monster in human form." He then faced Max "Gotta say, I was sure the mark on your chest was a big giveaway. Then again, she may have a thing for monsters like you."

"What do you want?" Max said, anger building up within him.

"Well, Bole was eager to see you again. But since you wasted him, me and the boys thought it would be best to put you down. Not just for us, it would benefit the entire world to be rid of such a horrible monster like you."

"I see." Max then walked forward. "Allisa. Melvin. Stay out of this. These bastards are mine."

"Hold on, you can't" Allisa tried to stop him but Melvin stopped her.

"Don't worry. He'll be fine." He reassured her. "If anything, we should get back a few paces.

Allisa looked as Max approached the leader. Please be careful, she wanted to say.

Max stopped, still some distance from the leader; he then punched his palm, fixing him with a serious look. "All right let's do this."

The leader smiled "So eager."

One of his men came at him, wielding a morning star, approached him from the rear and swung down hard. Allisa was about to warn him, but Max elbowed the man before he made contact, winding him. He then uppercut him, sending the man flying back, landing on his head.

"That's all you got?" he taunted, parting his legs while holding out his fists.

"We're just getting started!" the voice came from a man to Max's right. He had his hand on the ground. Embedded in it was a red jewel. "FLAME PILLAR!!" A large pillar of flame erupted underneath Max, engulfing him.

"MAX!!" Allisa cried out.

The pillar of fire was fierce as it burned through the dark sky. "Uh oh. Guess I overdid it again." The man who cast the spell said laughing.

However, as the flames resided, the man stopped and looked in abject terror. At the center stood Max, who was not only unscathed, there were no scorch marks or burns on his clothes. It was as though he wasn't even hit by the flames.

"T-t-that's impossible!!" The others were dumbfounded by what they were seeing.

Max turned to the caster and smirked at him. "What do you call that?" He casually brushed his top, "Here's a real one!"

Max took a deep breath in, cheeks puffing out like a toad, and then gave out a loud roar.

Flames shot from his mouth with great force, breaking apart the pavement beneath it, taking out two of the men.

"Wh-What the?!" Allisa gasped in response, putting a hand over his mouth.

"That's why I said we should take a step back," Melvin said to her, a smile on his lips. "Don't worry. He may be dumb but he certainly doesn't lack in power.

Another man, armed with a sword, charged him from his right. As the blade was brought down, Max caught it with his bare left hand.

The whole of his hand then burst into flames, hot enough to melt the metal of the sword. Flames then erupted from his right hand, which he pounded straight into the guy's gut, passing right through them. The flames burst out the other side, burning away the clothing but not creating a hole in the man's middle. Nonetheless, this caused the man to cough up blood before he lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

Four more charged him from behind. Flames once again came from his right hand. He swung at them with a wide arc, causing a wall of fire, which blew the men away.

"Whoa..." Allisa stared in disbelief, thinking that nothing else could surprise her after seeing this. "What the heck is he?"

"A Salamander." The voice came from Nel, who was standing behind her, surprising both her and Melvin.

"N-Nel!!" Allisa squalled.

"Where did you come from?!"

"I was here this whole time," Nel said casually. She then looked towards Max. "As I was saying, he's a Salamander. A human who's been infused with the power of a dragon,"

"A d- A dragon?!"

"It's very rare, but a dragon can implant their mana into a human. This allows them to gain superhuman powers." Melvin explained. “Max is living proof of that.”

Allisa returned her attention to the fight. At that moment a large attacker swung his axe at Max. Max dogged it, jumped up and punched the man down with a flame fist. Some of the men who were knocked down were getting back up and attempted another charge.

Two men lunged at Max swords. He dodged them, but another armed with a sword slashed at him. However, when it hit the skin, the blade cracked, leaving no mark where it cut. Max then punched the face of the man and sent him flying into the wall behind him, breaking through it on impact. The two others approached from behind, swinging their swords overhead. Flaring up his right arm, Max pivoted sharply, sweeping his right arm at the attackers. With just his backhand, the blades shattered. Max grinned at the two dumbfounded attackers, pulling back his left hand, slugging the man to the right in the face, pivoted before burying his foot into the second.

"As you can see, along with super strength and hard skin, he can engulf his body in fire, attack with fire, even breathe fire." Nel summarized Max's abilities.

"Wow," Allisa said in amazement. "Wait." She turned back to Melvin. "You said you need to channel mana through objects to use it. From what I see, he's just emitting fire right off his skin. There's also that breath attack."

"You noticed," Melvin said. "He's an exception to channeling mana. He can naturally use his mana without the use of a conduit."

"Really." Again Allisa turned back to the fight. She noticed that despite the power he was using, Max wasn't killing any of them. As he knocked them down, they just got back up, hurt and some with serious injuries, but alive. The then she noticed that Gil hadn't moved from his spot since the fight began. In fact, he was smiling as he watched his men getting pummelled.

He's making short work of my boys.... Should have expected as much. He thought. He had his spear held in front of him, parting his legs while he raised his spear upwards. The tip of it was glowing, and gradually getting brighter.

As I thought, normal steel won't hurt him, but with mana infused into it, even that monster won't be able to survive this. He then placed on foot back.

"Time to die, monster." Gil then lunged, quickly covering the distance between him and Max.

Max was too busy with his men to notice the attack. However, the man stopped short and jumped back, avoiding a swing from Allisa. The men stopped attacking and looked at Allisa, who was standing between the leader and Max. Max also startled as well.

"W-when'd did she?" Melvin said In the confusion, looking at the spot where Allisa had been.

Nel let out a sigh. "I have a feeling that's going to prove an issue,"

Allisa held her blade tightly in front of her as she faced the leader.

"You're actually defending that thing?" The leader spat. "You've seen what he can do. Why on earth would you protect that monster?"

"Shut up!" Allisa yelled. "The only monster here is the one that's standing in front of me!"

"Allisa...." Max was speechless by Allisa's statement.

"All right." the leader said. "You want to die for that monster" He readied for another lunge. "Then I'll kill you first!"

Allisa braced herself. The man then started shaking "What?" he said with a confused look.

"Wh-What is this..... I can't move."

"Boss? What's going on?" It wasn't just the leader. His men were fixed in their places, unable to move.

The man fixed Allisa with a menacing look. "What did you do to us?"

"Sorry I'm late!" Came a voice behind Gil, who was unable to turn his head.

It was Dran who had just appeared, along with ten soldiers, who surrounded the frozen men.

"Dran!" Allisa said exclaimed.

"Dran?" The leader's face was then awash with terror. "As in the Arch Sage?"

"Wh-What is master doing here?" Melvin asked, surprised. "And... are those the city guards? Why are they here?"

"I called them before all this happened," Nel said, folding her arms. "Good thing too. I was worried I'd have to kill the man before the guards arrived. He's worth more alive."

Dran walked in front of the leader so he could see his face. "Nice to meet you. Gil of Ogre's foot."

"D-damn you!"

Allisa lowered her sword. "Ogres foot?"

"They're a group who have recently abducted a number of people and selling them north on the slave market," Nel answered.

"I take it that they came after you," Dran said to Allisa.

"N-Not exactly.... I think." She answered.

"Well, nonetheless, we've caught them." Dran stared into Gil's face, which was mixed with anger and fear. "I'm going to release the spell. The guards are all trained in mana channeling. Not to mention me and my apprentice, an assassin, a Salamander and that girl. So I would recommend that you drop your weapons and surrender."

The movement was then restored to Gil and his men, who all dropped their weapons. With no one behind him, Gil broke into a sprint, abandoning his men.

"Allow me," Melvin said as he readied his wand. "Lightning blast!" A surge of lightning shot from the wand, shocking Gil, paralyzing him. "Wanted to do that since this morning," he said as he twirled his wand around.

The guards quickly rounded and restrained Ogre's foot, chaining them up before haling them away. As they began to walk off, Allisa turned to Dran. "How did you know about them?"

"I was perusing them," Nel said, walking towards Max with Melvin beside her. "I picked up the job before leaving for Terra. Obviously, I had to put the job aside when I went to pick you up."

Folding her arm's, she faced Max with a hint of a grin. "I must thank you for your recklessness. Thanks to that I was able to know exactly where their entire gang would be gathered together in one place."

"Oh... uh, your welcome I guess." Max said scratching the back of his head, unsure whether Nel's words were, in fact, a compliment.

"I was in the naborhood when I ran into Nel," Dran added. "Lucky I did. Looks like things would have gotten a lot worse if I hadn't been here."

"You could say that again," Melvin let out a sigh. "I was worried Max would demolish a house if it carried on."

Chuckling, he then turned towards Allisa. "It's good to see you've run into Max. I take it you've seen him in action."

"Oh yeah," Allisa nodded. "It was.... Well, it was incredible."

"And you like him?"

"Well yeah. I mean, it's what I'd expect from this place now, but he's not a bad guy."

"Perfect," He then turned to face Max. "Max, I have a job for you. I need you to stay by Allisa's side. Keep her safe for me."

"Huh? Me?" Max looked lost. "Well sure... no problem,"

He then turned to face Melvin. "And I can trust on you as well, my apprentice?"

"Oh, of course." Melvin nodded. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to such a pretty lady. On my honor as your apprentice."

"I trust you have no objections," He turned back to Allisa, who was perplexed by the entire discussion.

"N-No! I-I mean-"

"And you can count on me to keep you alive," Nel added, walking beside her. "We're not going to just leave you to fend for yourself in this."

"Nel...." Allisa glanced down to the ground, twiddling her thumbs. "Thanks." She said, feeling bashful.

With a smile, Dran turned and took his leave. "For now, just get settled in. I'll call for you when I have something for you."

"Sun's starting to set. I should probably head back to Rowin and Mira's house." Melvin said as he began to take his leave.

"Actually," Nel stepped in his way, folding her arms, "you two are going to be coming with us." She addressed Max and Melvin, both looking puzzled.

"With you?" Suddenly, Melvin's eyes widened. "Hold on... you don't mean that old hotel in the cove?!"

Nel nodded.

"Wha-Hold on! I wasn't told anything about this?" Melvin protested. "I mean, I'm not saying no, but some heads up about it would be nice."

"I thought it would be obvious?" Nel said as she turned about with Melvin running after her.

"Obvious? I was only told all this morning! I have no idea what was gonna happen!" Melvin protested as she ran after her, waving his arms.

Allisa remained on the street with Max, realizing she was mostly ignored for most of the conversation which was about her. "Well, sure was an interesting day," Allisa said.

The second day in another world and she had learned about magic and saw a boy spontaneously combust while fighting off about a dozen armed thugs. On top of that, along with the assassin, she was lumped with a small wizard as well as a fire-breathing boy. In her experience with comics and films, the heroes' party was never made of such misfits as these.

She looked at Max, who seemed to have something on his mind. "Something wrong?"

Max looked up at Allisa in response to her query, disturbing thoughts. "Aren't you scared of me?" he asked, sounding distant. "You saw what I can do. Most people are terrified of me when they see it."

"Why would I be afraid of you?" she asked curiously.

"Well, I'm a monster. I mean, everyone I meet thinks of me that way. Even Melvin thought that way when he first met me."

"You're not a monster," Allisa said. Max looked up at her, surprised by her answer. "I mean, you're weird, but," she then smiled at him, "I think you're too nice to be a monster."

"Allisa...." Max then smiled back, as though a great weight was lifted from his broad shoulders.. "Thanks."

"Come on. Let's go." She took Max by the wrist and tugged him along until he started walking on his own.

*****

On the open seas, a boat was sailing along the calm water, sun reflecting along the surface. The ship was a passenger ship. Its purpose was to take people across this strait. It wasn't a large ship. And it was unarmed. One of the crew members was walking the deck when he noticed one of the passengers sleeping on the deck. It was a man, with blond hair, wearing a thin plain white shirt and dark trousers. Besides the man was a Katana sword, sheathed in a white scabbard. As the sailor approached the man, he awoke slightly.

"Have we arrived yet?" he asked, still half asleep.

"Not yet." The sailor chuckled. "We only just left. There are about six hours left."

"Really." The man said with annoyance. "Well, I'm going back to sleep." He said.

"You shouldn't sleep out here. You might get a cold."

"I prefer it out here though." He said bluntly.

"Ok. Just trying to help."

The man then got up and leaned out into the sea. "Well, since I'm up, might as well take in the view." He said.

"By that sword you have, I take it you're an adventurer." The sailor asked.

"More like a freelance." The man answered.

"What business do you have in Rosaria, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Don't know yet. I'm supposed to meet some big shot from Riser in a town called Lers." He said.

"That's quite the journey from Westport." The sailor answered. "Well, I wish you good travels." The sailor then left him alone.

The man pulled out the letter he received. The name on the card 'Rowin Wilhelm' seemed familiar to him. It came to him by some contact he had. It wasn't even specifically addressed to him. It was just asking for help with something important and he'll be given the details in the town of Lers.

"Wonder what this is gonna be?"