Now, the dead body of the creature was lying there, silently. I wanted to approach and take a close look, maybe bury it, or burn it to dispose of it, but it suddenly shifted its color to completely black. Startled, I stopped, a bit worried that it might pull a fast one on me and again attack, but no. It was definitely dead. After a second of hesitation I got closer and touched the creature, but as soon as I came in contact with it, it crumbled, turning into black dust that slowly started falling to the ground and soon, there was no trace left after it, besides a few ash marks on my palm. Plus the massive skid marks and burned forest of course.

Luckily for me, most of the fire died down already… A bit unusual, right? Well not really. Although it was my first encounter with a specimen that big, there was no doubt - it was a mana leech. They feed on mana and magic spells, and since the fire that was burning in the forest was of my making, when we fought, it got absorbed continuously.

I should've been more careful. I accidently made a feeding ground for the creature, making the fight that much harder. Still, I couldn't believe it. Someone succeeded in modifying those creatures. It was not without any issue, obviously, but they did manage to make it able to absorb raw elements. Shame it all was wasted. Well, at least the fire was contained…

I looked around at the destruction that we… or rather that I caused. The tree was now only a massive, smoldering stump in the middle of burned clearing. The lake itself was mostly untouched, although some ashes of the creature were still slowly sinking in the green water. Everything else was eerily quiet, the noise we made had to scare all the living creatures away. Especially the later roars of that mutant leech.

I sighed and stretched my back a little bit. For the first time in this world I was tired.

-I should move…

I almost forgot about Bert. Luckily, he seemed alright. Like before, he was completely out of it, but probably not for long. I was not in the mood to carry him anywhere, so I just pulled him out of the wet ground where he fell and towards the dryer part of the clearing, to the stump of the massive tree. I propped him up a bit and sat nearby, waiting.

I hate being confined to one element. How do even people are able to function like that? That stupid handicap almost cost me my life… And what was with that stupid incantation? I guess I shouldn't rely on smart spells. Shit, even copying the spell had some unexpected surprises. I would have to prepare for the next time… Can't get caught off guard like that.

I took a deep breath and looked at the man at my feet. He was still unconscious. I poked him with my foot a few times.

-You dead? Come on, we should move. I don't feel like spending even another minute near this mess.

A loud groan announced that he finally woke up.

-What's going on...? - he slowly raised his head from the ground. - My head is killing me…

-And it's gonna be like that for a while. You ran out of mana twice in less than an hour, no wonder now you have a headache.

-What about the creature? - he suddenly propped up, remembering what happened. - Shit, everything is pain.

-Burned to a crisp - I said and helped him sit up. - Thanks to your net I was able to kill it.

-Net…? Ah, that. But how? I thought...

-When you tossed ice at it, it absorbed all of it, making it vulnerable to fire. I just had to be fast - I explained quickly.

-Annoying bastard… Where did it even come from?

-Someone's been experimenting here. Dunno why. Can you walk?

-Yeah… But I think I will need a helping hand, would you…

-Shh!

The silence after the battle was deafening. That is why even the slightest sound could easily catch your attention. Bert also instantly caught on.

We both heard some voices. They were still distant, but they were getting louder.

-Time to leave.

-Agreed. I don't feel like explaining this mess to anyone. Can you walk?

-I don't have much of a choice, do I?

With a little bit of my help, he managed to stand up and we started to move as fast as we could in the opposite direction. With me basically dragging him like some drunk man, we were not very fast and the voices were getting louder and louder.

-Shit, this is pointless… Even a child could follow us like this…

That was true. With him barely moving his legs, we were not exactly hard to catch.

-Let's hide. Maybe they will get preoccupied by the…

-Wait, you hear that?

The voices were awfully close, to the point where we could understand what they were yelling. And recognize who they were.

-Bert!

-Mr Mor! Mr Bert!

-Anyone here?

-Hello!?

It was Goldie and the kid. There were also some other voices I did not recognize, but those two were easily distinguishable in all the shouting.

-What the hell are they doing here? And who's with them?

-Beats me - I sighed relieved that I won't have to drag him through the forest by myself. - But at least we don't have to run anymore.

-But who's with them? I don't think...

-Oh come on, let's go.

And I turned back towards the burned clearing, dragging him with me.

We didn't have to walk very far to get spotted.

-Ah, finally!

It was Goldie. He was followed by the kid and some guy that I didn't know. They were now wearing some blue robes, exactly the same as the other man. He looked young, maybe not even 20 yet. He was shaved clean and looked weirdly featureless, as bland as you can get.

-Are those the people you were looking for? - he asked, his voice was a bit raspy, which didn't fit his face.

-Yeah. Notify your leader.

He bowed his head slightly and went back towards the clearing.

-I thought I told you to run.

-We did. And on our way we met this group. Felix asked them to find you. And then all hell broke loose. What happened here?

He looked concerned.

-What do you mean hell broke loose? - I asked instead.

-I am not talking to you.

-Caleb, he saved my life. A bit of politeness would be nice.

He looked at me with surprise.

-He? Save someone? Are you sure you are alright in the head?

-Can you not…?

-When we met this group and he was trying to convince them to search for you, we suddenly heard some loud roars. After that we got swarmed by all kinds of wild animals running from this direction. It was like the whole forest was running away.

-That is a bit of overreaction, don't you think? "Hell broke loose". Just some scared animals, that's all.

-Yeah, but whatever that was, definitely unsettled the whole bunch of Blue Mages.

-Wait, wait, wait… Blue Mages? Don't tell me that this group… - started Bert, but shut up almost instantly.

Coming to greet us was, who assumed was the leader of this group, a man in his 50s, with a gray goatee, shaved bald as the other guy that was with us before. He was wearing the same blue robes, although his looked less worn and a better quality. When he was moving it almost looked like they were somehow glowing.

-Ah, so you finally managed to fi… - he stopped suddenly, when he saw who was standing before him. - What are you doing here?!

He looked absolutely stunned.

-I could ask the same question - replied Bert, looking as surprised as the bald guy.

-The King sent us to check up on… - he stopped, looking at me and Goldie. - But never mind that. Who is that with you?

-Ah, right. This is Caleb Moi, he is my, ehm, let's say assistant, I told you about him before, remember? And this is Mr Mor, we met not so long ago, a Re...

-A traveler - I interrupted him. - I was on my way to the capital when we met in some coastal town and have been traveling ever since.

-Yeah. And this is Felix, was part of my caravan before, well, all this.

-Oh. I see. My name is Harsh. Pleasure to make your acquaintance - he bowed slightly and turned back to Bert. - What happened here? Where is the rest of your caravan? We've been scouring the forest around here for a while, but found only some smoldering remains. What happened here?

-Well, it is a long story. Call off the search for now.

-You sure? There might still be some survivors!

-Besides us four there is none - Bert said with a blank expression on his face. - You have some place we can talk in private?

-Of course.

He led us back towards the burned clearing.

I don't think it was even ten minutes after we left, but, to my surprise, there were already about fifteen people running around the place. Some were inspecting the embers left after the giant tree, a few were by the skidmarks of the massive leech, and a few even started building something that looked like a massive tent. All of them were wearing the same robes as the first guy we met and were clean shaved, making them look like some kind of monks or worse, a cult.

-You have to excuse us, we just arrived and didn't have time to set up properly.

We followed him towards the other edge of the clearing, where under some trees there was already one tent set up. It was a lot smaller and surrounded by a lot of bags and boxes of different shapes and sizes.

-If you would be so kind, please wait outside? - asked Harsh

-Of course - replied Goldie. - Come on, Felix .

Felix, who, since Bert appeared, was following him constantly, stepped back and bowed to the monk.

-Thank you for helping us look, Mr Harsh.

-No problem - he smiled warmly. - Take a rest, all of you, you look like you had a rough day.

Both of them disappeared inside the tent, while the rest of us sat down nearby under some not burned trees.

Meanwhile other monks were coming and going, carrying all the supplies towards the half-build tent on the other side of the clearing. Whatever they were talking about inside, it was taking them quite a bit of time. Felix managed to fall asleep under the tree and Goldie was staring into space.

-Do you know who those people are? - I asked him to break the silence. - It looked like they knew him.

-Don't know. It is not my business to poke around in someone else's life. Especially my employers.

-Shame.

He went silent for a moment.

-Is it true that you saved his life?

-Wha? Well, yeah I guess.

-Thank you.

That caught me off guard.

-Why are you so polite all of the sudden? I thought you didn't care and are just following orders.

-Can't I be both?

He went silent again.

-I do care. But I also have to follow orders as well.

-Mhm.

-In any case… - he sighed - these people are Blue Mages dispatched by the king. I don't know what for or how they know Bert.

-Ah. Good to know.

If I had to guess, they came here for the results of the experiments… that I sort of destroyed. Just great.

After a while of idly watching monks, or rather the Blue Mages building the tent and making a camp, I got called into the tent myself. I was expecting that for a long while, but it took them longer than I anticipated.

The large tent was already done and most of the crew was now preoccupied with carrying the rest of the supplies inside.

When I came in, the Berth along with Harsh were sitting opposite to each other by the small table. Besides that, the inside of the tent was pretty barren, only a few boxes stacked on top of each other.

-So this is him, eh?

That was not the greeting I was expecting, but whatever.

He stood up and walked up to me, looking judgingly.

-Not what I expected of one of those…

Now he was circling me like some weird cat, examining me from every possible angle.

-Excuse me, but would you please stop? - I asked, unsettled with him treating me like some exhibit in the museum.

-Oh! I am sorry, I couldn't help myself. - he backed off and bowed slightly. - So. I am thankful for saving this miserable excuse of a mage, Mr Mor.

-Ah… Well, it was no problem really, I mean…

-No problem you say? What I heard you single handedly destroyed a whole army of monsters and at least two mutants! Don't be so modest!

Ah, so he talked.

-And a Red Mage! It's not often that one of you is traveling through those parts… I find it hard to believe…

-I told you that you don't have to… - started Bert , but was immediately interrupted by the monk.

-Let's get straight to the point. I believe you, Bert, but that does not mean you were not just fooled. There are always some impostors running around.

People claiming that they use fire while they can't? He was right about that one, I already met one, but…

-So here is the deal - he continued. - Prove yourself to me. If you do, we will escort you to your destination, as Bert promised.

-And if I won't?

-We will also lead you to the capital. But in shackles.

-How nice of you - I replied annoyed. - Especially considering that I already paid up front for my escort. And even saved my own escort from certain death. I honestly should be escorting them, not the other way around, considering the circumstances…

-If that is indeed true. I can think of...

-Please, Harsh, stop. Mr Mor, I know I already brought you a lot of problems lately, but can you accept his request? I know I revealed your magic, but this was the only way to convince him.

-I knew I should've just used that boat and found another village… - I mumbled to myself. - So what am I supposed to do? - I asked out loud - To prove myself I mean.

-Oh, it's easy. I will have you cast a certain spell. Nothing much, just an easy fire spell that has been used as a test for every red mage there is, I am sure you know it.

-That's it?

-Yes. It will be obviously modified for our needs, so I will provide you with an incantation. It's gonna be a bit more demanding than your regular test spell, but for someone like you that was able to burn that much of a forest it shouldn't be an issue, should it?

Ah, so he knew about that too. I mean it was not hard to deduce, especially when you got told that I use fire magic. I was a bit nervous when he said that I should know the spell, but since he was providing me with a full incantation, it shouldn't be an issue.

-So, you agree?

-Sure. Shouldn't be hard. Just tell me when and where.

-Great! - he clapped his hands, pleased. - The place is here, and the time is, as soon as the incantation is ready.

-Works for me - I sat down on one of the loose boxes nearby. - I am waiting.

He nodded his head and poked out of the tent. I did not hear what exactly he said, but he called for someone, it looked like.

After a minute of awkward silence and staring, another person arrived in the tent. It was the guy that I saw at first when we got found.

-Please prepare the incantation I asked about.

-Yes sir.

They pulled out a piece of paper that looked like it was about to crumble to dust along with an actual quil and a small bottle of ink from one of the boxes. It made me feel like I went back in time suddenly. For the next twenty minutes we were watching him furiously write while only making stops either for the ink to dry or for Harsh to whisper something into his ear, instructions most likely.

-It's ready, master.

-Good. Please, if you would.

-You sure took your time, I was about to fall asleep - I said, standing up and taking a look at the scroll.

-Are you sure you want me to cast here? You're not scared that I am gonna burn something down?

-Oh, no no, you are not casting anything here - he raised his hands up in a defensive gesture. - We are going to take it outside. But before that I have to give you time to actually read the spell, I am not stupid, I know you have to prepare.

Prepare? What kind of spell is that so I have to prepare myself to cast it?

With this in mind, even more curious I started to read into the spell, but it was not something I expected. The incantation was long and elaborate, almost like some sort of a song, or a prayer. Most of it didn't wasn't even connected to magic, it was just plain filler content. It sort of reminded me of a work of some middle schooler that had to hit a word limit on his essay homework so he started repeating random garbage that doesn't contribute anything to the overall project. I did not even bother reading half of it.

-Take your time, and when you…

-Are you making fun of me? - I looked straight at Harsh.

-Excuse me?

-Or maybe it's you - I pointed at the scribe. - What is this supposed to be?

-I believe I don't understand, sir…

All three of them looked at me with a mix of confusion and surprise in their eyes. If any of those were fake, they had to be pretty good actors.

-Okay, let's start from the beginning then. What is this supposed to be?

I pushed the paper back towards him.

-A fire spell?

-A fire spell. Sure. And the rest of it?

-I am sorry, but I don't follow. I am sure that if you take your time and read…

-Oh I read it alright.

-I still don't…

-Okay… Maybe you then - I turned again to the guy that wrote the incantation. - Are you paid off? Or what?

-I am not gonna stand idly and watch someone insult my staff! - Harsh stood up, angered. - Especially when it's from some wannabe shitty mage that can't even comprehend an easy incantation! Guards!

-Please, both of you, calm down! - spoke Bert, trying to calm the situation down. - I am sure there just was some misunderstanding. Please, Mr Mor, calm down. And you too, Harsh. I don't want any bloodshed here.

Two other robed people entered the tent, guards probably, and pulled out two short daggers each. A bit weird weapon for a guard if you ask me.

-We are fine - said Harsh towards them.-Please leave.

They both looked at the monk, who waved them off, annoyed at the situation. They were a bit hesitant, but left the tent.

Bert looked at me beggingly.

-Can't you both come to some sort of agreement? I am sure he did not mean any harm to you in any way. I am sure this is just some kind of mistake… I am sure this spell is safe and…

-Harm? - I couldn't help but laugh. - This spell? Maybe if I laughed too hard and pulled a muscle then it would've harmed me. Otherwise, not much. Here, here you go, this is the spell. Usc fi wisfe geksu.

-What are you…

Before any of them could react, I cast the spell of the exact same effect that was on the paper I was given, but omitting all the useless garbage that was piled on top of it.

It was just a simple fire orb with a minor modification - it was green in color. Also a lot smaller, so as not to burn the place down. I wasn't that crazy.

-Happy? Or do you need a better look?

Both Harsh and the scribe jumped back when I cast the spell, almost falling over one another. Bert was surprised too, but didn't even flinch in his seat, the only thing revealing his emotion was his face.

-How… What…

Harsh was struggling for words. The other guy was just staring at the small spark, slack jawed.

-Is that enough?

-I… That’s...! Ehm. Yes. The effect is absolutely correct but…

-Oh for fucks sake..

-...but how dare you botch the incantation so much? This is preposterous!

-Botch? - I snapped my fingers, ending the spell. - You botched it by adding some trash between the lines. I just simplified it.

-GARBAGE? HOW DARE YOU!

He got really angry. To the point that he looked like he wanted to punch me. Luckily, he was stopped by both Bert and the scribe.

-What?

-Nothing, sir - replied Bert. - Don't mind him, we will lead you to the capital, as promised, I will…

-BLASPHEMY! - Harsh was straight up yelling right now. - I WILL NOT ALLOW FOR THIS!

Bert leaned down towards him and whispered something into his ear, which calmed him down a little bit for some reason.

-But. Yes. It's enough. You will be leaving for the capital soon enough. Just don't think that I won't report this behavi…

Bert covered his mouth before he finished his speech.

-Thank you, Mr Mor Would you be so kind to leave for now? We need to have a talk. Please take your time to rest.

-Whatever.