You and the squid were kicked out of the church.

The priest said it was because they couldn’t help you with your “curse” --

“Quick, use a Geyser Spell!”

“Why is it spreading so fast?!”

“Stay away from the smoke, you’ll get Smoke Damage!”

“Nooo! Not the paintings!”

-- but it was probably because the squid set everything on fire.

“Leave.” The priest roughly pushed you and the squid out the door. “Now. Before we decide to charge you for the damages.”

You tried to apologize. “I’m so sorry --”

But the priest wasn’t in the mood. “Get the hell out.”

He slammed the door in your face.

Behind the door you could still hear screaming and shouting, followed by what sounded like a firehose. The smell of smoke was thick in the air.

“Blrb?”

The squid was still floating next to you, and still on fire. You had kinda hoped that it would’ve disappeared at some point so that you wouldn’t have to deal with it. Unfortunately, you weren’t that lucky.

You sighed. “What are you, anyway? Do you have a name?”

“Blrb.” It wiggled its tentacles at you and rolled its eyes.

“Is that a yes or a no?” You could feel the heat coming off of it, though you noticed that it wasn’t nearly as hot as before. When you relaxed your blue skin you realized that it felt less like you were standing next to a roaring fire, and more like you were a few feet away from a warm heater. You also noticed that its flame aura was a lot smaller and duller than before.

“You can lower your flames?”

“Blrb.” It nodded.

“...and you couldn’t do that earlier?”

It cocked its head to the side. “Blrb?”

You sighed. “Right. Whatever.” You gave the giant, fire covered, ten-eyed squid a wave and started walking away. “Welp, see ya. I gotta find a place to live. You just go on doing… whatever it is squids like yourself do.”

“Blrb?” It started floating after you.

“No, no, no!” You pointed a finger at it. “No way! I am not dealing with you. I already have enough problems today, alright? I’m not dealing with a pyro squid on top of everything.”

You turned your skin blue and gently started to push it away from you. Despite the fact that it was easily two and a half meters tall and more than capable of pushing back, it just let you do it with no resistance. “Go. Get out of here. Find an ocean or a volcano to live in. Leave me out of it.”

“Blrb?” All ten of its eyes widened and turned watery. It took you a second to realize that it was trying to give you the puppy dog face.

...cute...

You shook your head. No, you couldn’t give in. There was no way you could take care of a living, breathing fire hazard like this one. You had to send it off.

“No. Bad fire squid.” You pointed in a random direction. “Leave. Now.”

“...blrb?” Its eyes watered even more, looking as though tears would fall any second. Which was crazy, because you were pretty sure squids couldn’t cry.

Dammit, you could feel your resolve weakening. “No. Go away!”

“B-blrb?” It wrapped its tentacles around you. You tensed up a bit when it did, but realized that its hold was gentle and loose. Like it was trying to keep you with it, but unwilling to actually hold you against your will. “Blrb…”

You looked away. “N-no! I can’t take care of you! I-I don’t even know what squids eat in the first place, and it’s not like I have the money to...to…”

It sagged forward and you had to brace yourself to keep yourself from falling over. Its head started nuzzling into your shoulder like an affectionate cat. “...blrb…”

Shit.

You sighed, loud and long. “FINE. You can come with me, alright? Just don’t set anything on fire! I don’t have the money to pay for any fire damage.”

Its sad demeanor immediately disappeared. It moved away from you and raised its tentacles in victory, its flames rising higher and hotter. “Blrb!”

You were forced to take a few steps back as the heat got more intense. That damn three headed dog had nothing on this guy. “Alright, alright! Settle down! And turn your fames down, you’re gonna set something on fire again.”

“Blrb.” The squid obediently turned its flames down to a more reasonable temperature.

“Cool. Now let’s get the hell outta here before someone calls the guards.” You could already see some random people looking at the burning church. It would only be a matter of time before an even bigger crowd formed and once that happened, you'd have to deal with a bunch of questioning guards and angry citizens.

You grabbed the squid by one of its tentacles and sprinted towards a nearby back alley. You didn’t want anyone to see you two while you were running away, or else it’ll only be a matter of time before someone connected the dots. And it wasn’t like you could hide a giant, red, ten-eyed, squid that was also on fire.

You tried not to make too many turns as you made your way through the alleyways, your blue skin on just in case you got jumped. There were a couple of shady looking guys who made as if to approach you, but they suddenly lost interest when they caught sight of your new squid friend.

Said friend was... mostly quiet and obedient as you pulled them. Save for the occasional “blrb” or gagging noise as you passed by piles of trash.

Every now and then you saw their eyes screwed up in disgust, tentacles covering the place where its nose would be, eyeing the dirty walls and stained grounds with distaste. The squid always seemed to fly higher, tuck its tentacles closer when it saw a big enough mess, as though the very air around it was tainted.

Then there’d be times where their flame aura would go a bit out of control and they’d almost light something on fire. And sometimes they’d float a bit too high and you’d find your feet a good meter off the ground. At one point they actually tried to eat a cat, and you had to spend a good five minutes yanking the poor kitty out of the squid’s beak mouth.

So yeah. Quiet and obedient when it suited them. Any other time and they were a pain to deal with.

You found yourself questioning more than once whether agreeing to take care of the squid was a smart decision.

But then the squid squid would wrap its tentacles around you in a makeshift hug, or nuzzle you with its giant head, or even give you the puppy dog eyes, and you’d end up caving.

Every. Single. Time.

Why do you have to be so weak to cute things?

By the time you decided to leave the filthy alleyways and head on back to the main street, the sun had started to set. People were already heading back to their homes and closing on their shops while the guards started patrolling the emptying streets. Even with your blue skin on, you could feel how cold it was starting to get.

Fortunately, the inns were still open.

Unfortunately, none of them would let you stay.

“But --”

“Lose the fire elemental over there and I’ll let ya stay,” the innkeeper said, pointing to your squid. “I ain’t about to let my inn get burned down.”

“He’s not a fire elemental!” You think. “He’s a squid! And he’s not gonna burn anything!”

He arched an eyebrow. “Really? Then what’s this I hear ‘bout the church burning down? A friend of mine said they saw someone and something just like you and your fire elemental running away from the smoke.”

“Th-that has nothing to do with us!” you spluttered.

“Uh-huh.” He rolled his eyes. “Get off my property before I call the guards.”

The door was slammed in your face.

You stared at the door for a good few seconds before slumping over on the ground. “Dammit, that was the fifth one…”

“Blrb?” Your squid friend -- and you really needed to give him a name at some point -- cocked its head to the side, looking concerned. One of its tentacles poked you on the cheek.

You sighed. “Nevermind. We’ll just have to find some other place. Someone will have to take us in at some point.”

Even though you sounded confident, you were actually starting to lose hope. No inn or motel-like place was willing to take in an obvious fire hazard like your squid friend. You totally understood why, but that didn’t mean you weren’t pissed off about it.

Worse, it was already night time. You were starting to feel tired from all the walking around and that wasn’t even mentioning the gnawing pit in your stomach. It was getting to the point where you were seriously contemplating just sleeping in some filthy alley corner and eating from the trash that was lying around.

“Hey! Little miss!”

You blinked and looked up. There was an old man, probably in his late seventies, calling out to you. He was wearing a straw hat, a raggedy old shirt that looked like it was made from a potato sack, and some dirt covered pants. He was also riding a horse, one that was attached to a small cart.

“I heard you were looking for a place to stay?”

“Wha -- yeah! Yeah we are!” you said excitedly. “How much would it cost?”

“Aw, it won’t cost you a thing,” he said, waving his hand. “I just happen to be in need of some scary lookin’ folk who can keep those damn teenagers outta my stables.”

He scowled. “Been spookin’ the horses up for sport and it’s been a damn hassle calming them down in the morning. I figure with someone as intimidating as your elemental there, they’ll cut it out. You up for it?”

“Sure!” You gave him a beaming smile and hopped into the cart. Your squid friend floated beside you, a single tentacle still wrapped around your shoulders. “Thanks man, you’re a lifesaver.”

Sure this could be a trick or a trap or an attempted kidnapping but honestly, you were willing to take that chance if it meant a place to sleep. And if worse comes to worst, you can just get your squid friend to set everything on fire!

“No problem little miss.” The old man flicked the reins and the horse set off with a smooth and steady pace. “The name’s John. What’s yours?”

“Uh.” You looked away. How were you supposed to put this in a way that didn’t sound like something from a bad soap opera? “Well, it might sound a bit unbelievable, but I… don’t know exactly? I kinda woke up in a field of flowers this morning not knowing much of anything. I know it sounds crazy, but --”

John hummed. “Sounds like a case of amnesia. You get hit with a spell or something? I had a friend who once made a pass at a female mage and he still sometimes forgets his name.” He shook his head. “Poor fella. I’d almost feel sorry for him if it weren’t for all the sexual harassment.”

You were a bit surprised that John was willing to believe you so easily. Though then again, in a world full of magic and three headed demon dogs, you guess amnesia isn’t that impossible.

You shrugged. “Maybe? Not like I remember. I could’ve just hit my head or something.”

“If you hit your head, the damage woulda been worse,” he pointed out. “I know a friend of mine who got hit in the head with a hammer and turned into a baby, mind wise I mean. We basically had to reteach him everything, including how to talk and walk.”

“Well shit.”

“Mmm-hmm. He’s doing better now, but he’s only ‘bout eighteen years old mind wise. Still hafta keep him from flirting with the younger girls,” he said. “Anyway, it doesn’t sound like you forgot how to do all the important things. I’m guessing it was only your personal memories that was affected?”

You thought about it for a second. “Yeah, pretty much. I mean, I remember some things every now and then, but it's mostly background information. Things everyone knows. Like how to read and write, how to count, how to tame a dragon, and how to repair a spaceship.”

John arched an eyebrow at you. “Well those last two things seem like something only you would know, but I get the idea. Only your personal memories were removed, leaving everything else intact.”

“Yeah.”

“No brain damage?”

“I mean, I haven’t felt any different,” you said, rubbing your head. “I don’t have any headaches either.”

“Then it’s probably a spell. Or a curse.” He shrugged. “Memory loss usually ain’t so clean. You end up losing a lot more than just your personal memories when you get hit in the head.”

A spell, huh. Then maybe if a spell made you this way, a different spell could cure you?

Maybe if you learned some magic… but then again, you had no idea if you had the talent for it. Maybe you could pay someone to remove it for you? But how much would that cost?

Who would curse you in the first place? It had to have been someone who hated you, but you couldn’t imagine why. You didn’t seem all that special or notable, blue stone skin aside.

Maybe the curse was meant for someone else? Maybe you were in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or maybe you just touched a cursed item or something. Who knew. You sure as hell didn’t.

“I mean, it would explain a lot,” you mused. “The priest at the church did say I was cursed.”

You thought back to the priest and the words he said to you before tossing you out. Boy, was he mad. “He also kept mentioning something about a ‘system’ and a ‘screen’ how I didn’t have one or whatever, but I have no idea what he was talking about. Something about computers probably.”

John looked surprised. “Eh? You don’t have a connection to the System?”

“What’s a system?”

He actually stopped the horse and turned around to look at you. “The System! It gives you your Status Screen. You know, with all your Skills and Stats and such?”

You were very confused. “What are you talking about? You mean like a video game or something?”

Now John was looking concerned. Concerned and a bit horrified. And was that... pity on his face? “Say Status. Out loud.”

“Okay?” You gave him a weird look. “Status.”

Nothing happened.

“Did your Screen pop up?”

You arched an eyebrow. “Uh, no. Nothing popped up. Why, was something supposed to?”

He just stared at you, the horror and pity on his face looking more pronounced. “Is it alright if I Appraise you real quick?”

“...sure?”

He focused his eyes on you. “[Appraisal].”

John’s hair turned bright pink.

You blinked. “What the fu--”

“Did something happen? Did you feel my [Appraisal]?” he said excitedly.

“Uh…” You pointed at his hair.

“What? What’s wrong with my --” A few strands of hair fell in front of his face. He blanched. “Oh dear Lord.”

“I mean, it looks great on you? Sorta?” You winced. “I’m so sorry. I mean, I’m pretty sure this is my fault somehow --”

John sighed. “No, no, it was mine. I shouldn’t have let my damn curiosity get the best of me. You’d think I’d grow outta this sorta thing by now.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Well, could be worse. It could be green. And the wife’ll get a kick outta it, I’m sure --”

Just then, John’s hair turned back to its normal dirty blond color.

“..huh.” He looked thoughtfully at his hair. “Now that’s interesting.”

You had no clue what was going on. The confusion must have shown on your face, because John quickly started to explain.

“Well you see, I tried to use my Appraisal Skill to take a quick peek at your Status,” he said. “Usually when I use my Skill it either works or it doesn’t, and I get a Notice saying I need to be a higher level or the Skill’s been blocked or I’m not allowed access or something like that. Point is, I always get something whenever I use my Skill.”

He looked at you. “But with you, I didn’t get nothing.” He paused. “Well, aside from my hair turning pink of course.”

You had a feeling you weren’t gonna like where this was going. “So, what does that mean?”

John hesitated. “It might mean you got some weird sorta curse. One that’s blocking your connection to the System. You’re gonna hafta find someone who can unblock it for you. And depending on who blocked it and why, well… it might be a while.”

He patted you on the hand and gave you a look full of pity. “It… might be hard for you, but you’re gonna hafta struggle through it. Don’t worry little miss, things’ll… they’ll be alright.”

“...okay?” You leaned away from him a bit. “I mean, is it that big of a deal? Not having system access or whatever?”

John didn’t say anything, but his face said it all. He looked at you as though you were some innocent kid who didn’t know anything about how the world worked. Like you were some poor, naive kid in a wheelchair and he was the doctor explaining why you couldn’t walk anymore.

It irritated you, but you squashed the feeling down. No point in offending the guy giving you a place to stay. “Well?”

“...let’s just get you back to the stables. A little miss like you shouldn’t be walking around in the middle of the night like this.”

The conversation trailed off after that.

John took the two of you to a set of two buildings: one that looked like a normal house and a bigger one that -- judging by the noises -- was the stables.

The smell was… strong, to say the least, but you were willing to put up with it if it meant having a warm place to sleep.

Your squid friend, on the other hand, was not cool with it. At all.

“Blrb! Blrb!”

“No,” you said, tugging him back towards the ground. “We are not finding a different place to sleep, okay? This is all we got, so suck it up.”

The squid let out an odd bubbly whining sound and tried to give you the puppy dog eyes again. The exhaustion and hunger made you immune to its usual tricks though, and you started dragging it into the stables. “Come on! We need to sleep!”

“Blrb!” Much to your alarm, the squid’s flames started growing bigger and hotter.

“You little shit!” you hissed.

“Ah, he can try and set the stables on fire as much as he wants. It won’t work.” John tapped the wall. “Damn place is near immune to fire. My son’s tried to light the place up more than once when he was younger, so me and the wife took some precautions.” He chuckled. “Cost me a pretty penny, but it was well worth it.”

The squid sagged and reduced its flames to flickering embers. “Blrb…”

You started apologizing to John. “I’m really sorry about the squid. It has a pretty sensitive sense of smell and it doesn’t like messes.”

He shrugged. “No harm done. Though I hope you can keep him in line while you’re here.”

“Oh don’t worry.” You gave the squid your deadliest glare. It shrank into itself. “I’ll make sure of it.

John directed you to a particular stable room near the entrance. Inside you found a giant pile of hay, two blankets, and a barrel full of apples. “Make yourself at home. Try not to spook the horses too much, they startle easy”

You nodded. “Anything else we should keep in mind?”

“Eh, try not to make too much noise. My wife needs all the sleep she can get.”

“And what about the teenagers?”

“Eh?”

“You know, the teenagers you wanted us to scare away?” you reminded him.

There was that pitying look again. It was starting to piss you off. “Nevermind that. Just get yourself some sleep.”

You tried not to sound irritated. “Cool. Goodnight.”

“Night.”

He tipped his hat towards you and shut the stable door, leaving you alone with your misbehaving squid.

Sensing that you were a bit ticked off, your squid tried to explain. “Blrb --”

“Nope. Don’t wanna hear it.” You reached into the barrel and started munching on some apples. You pointed at the squid midbite. “You are the entire reason why we’re sleeping in a fucking stable, okay? No one wants a living, breathing fire hazard running around in their building and honestly? With your behavior today, I don’t fucking blame them!”

You poked the squid in the middle of its face. All ten of its eyes went cross eyed trying to track your finger. “You need to get. Your. Shit. Together. You understand me? Just because things don’t go your way does not mean you can set shit on fire, alright? Nothing’s been going right for me today and do you see me setting shit on fire? Huh?”

The squid looked down. “Blrb…”

You scoffed and plopped down on the hay pile. You then started wrapping yourself in the blankets until you were a cozy burrito of warmth. “Yeah, that’s right. Follow my example a little bit, and don’t act like a child throwing a fucking tantrum. Alright?”

The squid laid down next to you. In the darkness of the stables the squid’s bright red fiery skin was like a campfire, bathing the room in a flickering light. You felt warm and cozy just by laying next to it, making you relax slightly.

It looked at you with its big black eyes, filled with guilt and sadness. It didn’t say anything, but you knew it was asking you to forgive it.

You sighed and shuffled towards it, opening up your blankets. “Come here.”

Its eyes light up and it immediately snuggled into your chest, wrapping its tentacles around your limbs. Its grip was a bit tighter than normal, but not uncomfortable, and you found yourself closing your eyes.

“Goodnight squid guy.”

“Blrb, blrb.”

You were gonna have to give it a name.