《Contractor of Flames》


 Contract is formed

    Chapter One


    Feeling bored and looking at my reflection in the pond I gave a sigh. I hit the water and watched as my face rippled. Ignoring the festival going around me was easy when I focused on my moping.


    Being sixteen meant that was a skill that I have practiced for a long time. Ignoring the world around me and focusing on their own problems was not a problem for most teenagers in this day and age.


    Looking at all the people walking around me just enjoying their lives just made me more annoyed. People went about their lives in an endless spiral. Nothing really changed even when people''s position movedthroughit.


    "I wish something interesting would happen." Standing up on the stones that formed an elevated circle and separated the water from the ground and tossing a coin into the fountain I will admit to feeling like a kid.


    "Very well. Prepare to have your mind blown." A voice said out of nowhere. Turning behind me I saw people walking behind me but not who had spoken to me. Turning left I saw that same sight.


    "Look to your right." The same voice said again making a fist I turned to that direction prepared to punch whoever was messing with me.


    Blinking a couple of minutes I needed to make sure that I wasn''t hallucinating. I knew that I had just been in a park that was holding a festival and now I was in a well lit library.


    "Whoever had the bright idea of kidnapping me is going to regret it." No matter how many people there were they were going to regret kidnapping me.


    Somehow they had managed to both drug me, kidnap me, and erase my memory of the events. Normally he would blame clowns. After all being kidnapped at festivals usually meant that the kidnapper was likely to be a clown.


    Clowns however weren''t likely to bring you to a library that was stocked with whole shelves of books. Normally I would have fun in a place like this but given that it was currently my prison I was not in too much of a mood for reading.


    "You are an excitable one." The voice said. It sounded so close but still no matter how I turned I could not see it.


    "Why don''t you come down here so I can show you just how excitable I am." There clearly was some microphone around here that led to him being here. Wondering if it was the clothes I was wearing that held the microphone I checked my plaid buttoned up shirt and blue jeans.


    I even walked in circles trying to find it. Five minutes at most was spent on that task. When the chuckling began and the voiced boomed all around me I stopped.


    "Oh man. That was like watching a dog chase it''s own tail. You know he isn''t likely to get it but it''s still funny." The voice said.


    "Show yourself you coward." This whole voice coming from everywhere shtick was annoying me. The owner of the voice had kidnapped me he could at least be brave enough to face me. It would also let me attack him and get my answers.


    "Look up." The voice said and when I did so I finally met my kidnapper I fully acknowledged that he looked different than any other person I had ever met.


    He was sitting on one of the higher bookshelves. He had long white hair that had two strand coming down from the front with tan skin which looked odd with his young face, a white cloak that covered his chest with black pants which went into his boots. He was wearing gauntlets on his arm that had white stars on each. His eyes were hidden behind dark shades.


    All in all the dude was weird. If the hair was dyed that would be one thing but for some reason he just did not think so.


    "Why don''t you come down here and let me show you how funny I am." My eyes bugged out when I saw the guy turn into little balls of light fly over towards me and turn back to normal. I stumbled backwards and fell.


    "What are you?" my question was a reasonable even if it came while I was on the ground.


    "If you use the greek/roman meaning I guess you could call me a god." was the answer I was given.


    "Could you explain?" Knowing my mythology I knew how petty and dangerous greek/roman gods and goddesses could be. Arachne was a great example of their dangers. Medusa was another depending on which version of the story you believed.


    "I am immortal and have magical powers." I had been afraid that was what he had meant. I wish that it was possible to believe that this was either a nightmare or that he was a crazy person but I couldn''t delude myself that well.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "What is your name?" gods were always the proud type so there was a chance that he would tell me but there was another chance that he would turn me into something and I would become just another story of what happens to those who annoy gods.


    "My name is Garxon. The x is sounded like a z. Like in xylophone." Garxon said. So far so good. All that was left to know was why I was taken.


    "So why did you kidnap me?" If I had learned anything from watching Tokiomi Tohsaka it was that when speaking to someone who saw themselves as a god it was best to not take an authoritative tone.


    "I didn''t kidnap you." Garxon said looking at me behind his shades. Part of me wondered what was behind his eyes. Another part was scared that seeing it would render me blind and or insane.


    "Then how did I get here?" If he did not bring me here than I could not help wonder what did and hope that it all ended well.


    "I brought you here." This was going to give me a headache for sure. Taking a deep breath so that I did not get myself killed here was important.


    "Can you please explain that." Hoping that this god had the same sense of logic I did might have been for nothing but right now hope was all I had.


    "Look." with a snap of his fingers the sky above began to ripple and showed the image of me throwing a coin into the fountain and making a wish.


    I smacked my hand against my face. The sound echoing around the gigantic library. This was definitely a case of be careful what you wish for.


    "So let''s make a deal." Those were five ominous words. There meanings could be almost anything and in most stories with gods it was going to be me doing something life threatening most likely.


    "What kind of deal?" I had gotten into this mess by wishing for something interesting to happen so I could at least listen. It''s not like I could get home on my own.


    "I want a new contractor." He said. Another snap of his fingers had stopped playing the image above them that had replaced the ceiling and a desk came into existence.


    "That means what exactly?" I knew if I agreed that I would have to do something but it was always better to know what you would have to before you signed and not after.


    The villains in doctor strange hadn''t read the whole book and that ended up being their downfall. That would not be the same for me.


    "I get bored and need new stories so I pick people to entertain me by creating new stories for me to read." At least I knew what he was getting out of this. Sitting at the table I read the contract focusing on what I felt was most important and that meant what affected me.


    1) Once signed I would be bound to the contract until both signers agreed to break it.


    2) My aging would be slowed down.


    3) Whatever new world was visited I would be reset to the age I first signed the contract.


    4) I would be able to switch between which ever lives I had previously lived.


    5) I would not be able to return to Earth.


    "What do you mean I won''t be able to return home?" I might not have the most attentive parents but Earth was still important to me. It held all of my stuff.


    "Look." With that the ceiling began playing again. This time however I saw that the version of me in there continued to look around and then when he saw no one he shook his head and walked away.


    "What in the world is going on?" How could my last memory be turning right and ending here but he just walked off.


    "I copied you exactly and left that behind when I brought you here." Well while that was annoying I decided to learn everything before freaking out.


    "Why would you do this?" I needed an actual answer besides bored. There had to be a reason.


    "I like books and I can''t read the same story over and over. That is why I created the contractors." He said as he began writing his name on the paper.


    "If I can posses past versions of myself does that mean the copy too?" If that was true then I could have my cake and eat it too so I just had to ask.


    "Yes but for that version the time is limited. I did this for my amusement after all." Well with that cleared up I looked to the part where I signed my name. Reaching into my pocket I realized I had no pen.


    "Here." I was then handed a golden pen.


    "How many contractors do you have?" I asked him. When the pen met the paper the words written glowed a golden light.


    "Around twenty or so." That caused me to drop the pen. Twenty contractors. How many stories had these people created. There was only one way to get my answers.


    I asked him. After having signed his contract he was more than likely to leave me alive now.


    "Enough to fill a wing in my library." Garxon pointed behind him to a wing in the library filled with books. A part of me was really tempted to ask if I could read them. I held back because soon I would be on my own adventure.


    "Piece of advice. When you get there you should change your name. Kyle Johnson is going to sound weird. It will be a fresh start for you. Choose your own name." He said and the contract on the table began to glow and disappear.


    Feeling a burning sensation on my body I looked at my arms and saw red lines spreading across my body.


    "That is the sign of the contract taking place." He said. He clearly did not know of the pain involved. I could feel the ink spreading across my body.


    "Take a look at the new you." he said confusing me. Walking over to a mirror I was shocked. My body had changed drastically. I was now taller. Standing at what I assumed to be five foot eleven. My short brown hair had become a deep red, and my eyes had become a light green.


    "You Kyle Jared have become my contractor. We have come to an agreement that is held by magic and inescapable. Enjoy your new life and make me new stories." Garxon said as the area around us became more oppressive. I had allowed what he was to slip from my mind during our conversation. I was aware he was a god but the actual meaning had been lost with his personality.


    "Enjoy the fall." Garxon said taking off his glasses showing me his eyes that also held a white star within them.


    "Fall?" What fall. There had been no talk of a fall taking place.


    "This one." he said pointing down and I watched as the floor around me opened up in a circle. So that was the fall. Screaming while I fell down like Wile E. Coyote I could hear that bastard chuckling.


    I truly wanted to punch him in the face regardless if it ended up with me being smote.

 Man Vs. Nature

    People have always wanted to see the stars and the planets and wondered what it would be like to see them personally from space. On my trip I found the experience to be terrifying and something that I would like to never have to do again.


    That may have been due to the fact that I had been free falling at the time and not sure if I would survive or not even if I had the contract. Luckily it seemed that the god that sent me here wanted me dead so soon. After all if this killed me how could I entertain it.


    I now knew why people in movies of ancient Greece try to destroy them. Tyrion was right on his opinion of the gods. Crawling out of the crater that my body formed when I had finally stopped landing was a task I didn''t accomplish until hours after I had landed.


    It wasn''t because of the pain. I just wasn''t motivated to move yet. I was sure Garxon would find the fact that I just laid in a crater for a few hours boring but that was my way of getting back at him for the surprise fall.


    I had landed in a forest going by the trees that had been knocked down around me. I would have felt bad for the trees in this situation if crashing through them hadn''t added to the amount of pain I had felt.


    Getting out of the hole was the easiest part of my journey so far. While landing in a forest and not a place with sentient people had probably saved me from being poked and prodded by the possible locals and prevented me from hurting anyone there was still a huge problem for me.


    I had no idea where I was and I had nothing to me besides the clothes on my back and the power over flames that were given to me by the contract that I still had no idea how to use.


    So I walked to find anything or anyone that could talk and give me directions. It had been better than waiting for hunger and thirst to affect me and sent me searching for things when I was weak.


    That had been a week ago and still no sign of civilization. Just trees, fruits, and animals. I had mainly survived off fruits, berries, and luck. I avoided the animals as I didn''t know how dangerous they were and even if I did kill them I did not know how to skin and cook the meat.


    All it would have done was tempt me and I would have given in once annoyed enough.


    So I avoided the situation all together and tried to figure out how to use the power I had been given. It began by thinking deeply on the natural instructions laid within my mind by the contract.


    The way the process was described was that due to the contract I was bringing out my aura and when I began to use it the contract would convert it into fire. The process would tire me out but as long as I didn''t go too deep into my life force this body wouldn''t die.


    It would be too embarrassing if I returned to that library because I killed myself learning the basics.


    Starting small was the answer. It had taken me a day to learn how to use my aura even with instructions and another day to learn to use it to ignite a twig. I was guessing the passage of time with the rising of the sun and the moon.


    0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0


    "Back you godless abominations, Back I say." These abominations that were trying to steal my treasure deserved nothing else but death. I was being kind just swinging a big stick at them trying to scare them off . I had scavenged for hours for these fruit.


    There was no way I was letting these freaky squirrels steal my food. These fruits may seem weird with their odd shapes and swirls but it was the only thing that I could eat without dying either by it or from it.


    These squirrels were the size of chihuahuas. There beady little eyes made them even more creepy and their sharp black claws did not help.


    Even back home I considered squirrels nothing but the pigeons of the trees. Here they were bigger and creepier and possibly deadlier but that would not stop me.


    "You want some!" This was no longer a situation where I would try to scare them off. More and more were approaching and it was looking like they wanted to make this a fight.


    I would not lose to a bunch of squirrels.


    I refused to lose to a bunch of mangy squirrels. Even when the squirrels surrounding me extended their black claws and spikes popped out of their tails. While that made me wonder what kind of evolution or magic made them this way I refused to back down.


    After sleeping on the ground under a blanket of leaves and suffering through heavy rain and questionable foods that I still wasn''t sure were perfectly healthy for human consumption I was going to stand my ground.


    I had survived too much to run away now.


    "Burn." With a palm open and extended I blasted one of the blasted squirrels that had jumped at me with it''s claws aimed at my face. The only thing left afterwards was bone.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "See that. You better run." I was still trying to show mercy on these creatures. Killing them would be a waste as I could not sell them and I could not eat them so there was no profit for me.


    They had terrible instincts however as instead of retreating into the forest they began growling at me. Their beady eyes turned a crimson red.


    Just when I thought these ugly little rodents couldn''t get any worse.


    "Bring it on." I had tried being reasonable and kind. If these squirrels wanted to ignore that it was their own faults.


    The squirrels tried surrounding me. If I focused on one at a time I would mostly likely have died so instead of using precise control I went for a more spread out range.


    Twirling around with both hands on fire and having it extend outward would tire me out but watching those squirrels burn was very therapeutic. Even as the trees around me caught on fire my laughter continued.


    After calming down and picking my fruit back up I began to walk away. That was when the world decided it didn''t like my victory. If mother nature was a thing here she was very firmly my enemy.


    Trees were knocked down and a deep roar was heard. Seemed like I had a new problem to deal with.


    "You want some come get it!" Never knew what was sentient and could talk in this world. Forming assumptions could be a costly mistake.


    Out of the bent down trees came a bear. The bear was huge. If a guess was to be made the bear standing up was the size of about three of me. It had deep red claws and brown eyes.


    "You''re a big one." There was no a way a stick was going to scare this thing and I would not win in a fight with a bear especially one this big with just my weak hands.


    That just left fire.


    Igniting my hands on fire and waving it in front of the bear like a torch did nothing. The creatures in this forest were beginning to irritate me. What was with them not being afraid of fire.


    "Take this." Sending a fireball at the bear''s chest did nothing. That was when I realized why it was not afraid of me and my flaming hand.


    "You are immune to fire." There was only one option that ended with me surviving.


    I dropped the fruits and ran.


    Fire was my only other weapon and it did little to no damage against the bear creature. The type match was not in my favour so I dragged my skinny legs and had them carry me as far away as possible as fast as possible.


    The bear was in no mood to give up and accept my retreat. I could hear it chasing me. There was no need to look back. If I did I knew that I would stop running and freeze in terror.


    That wasn''t an option.


    "HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLP!" Screaming for help however was an option available to me.


    Either someone would be heroic and rescue the kid screaming at the top of his lungs or a group of bandits would be somewhere in this forest and when I found them they could be a distraction for the bear and I would live.


    Either way it ended up in my favor.


    This forest had to end eventually. I just hoped that it did not end in a cliff or a ravine.


    The bear had picked up speed and was catching up to him.


    "Why don''t you take a break." Burning through some trees and sending them into the path of the bear might be a temporary solution but it had given me enough time to turn and run in another direction.


    Hopefully it had distracted the bear enough for it to lose focus on me.


    Hearing the growling behind me I knew it hadn''t and pushed my legs even further despite the burning sensation and the desire to simply stop running and catch my breath.


    I truly wished that I had worked out more. However I ignored those feelings and just kept running. Jumping over roots and ducking under shovels that the bear just broke through without a care I cursed Garxon for bringing me here for my first adventure.


    While wondering if he did this to every contractor or just me I hadn''t been paying proper attention to the ground and I tripped over a root.


    Rolling on the ground I closed my eyes and waited for the bear to approach. I could hear it pushing over trees in it''s way.


    My eye kept shut as I heard another thud sound. The only thing I could do now was hope that my death wasn''t too painful or if it was that once I returned to the library that I wasn''t traumatized.


    "You can open your eyes now. Your safe." A voice said to me.


    I didn''t trust that voice. For all I knew it could be the bear wanting me to watch as it took its first bite into the fool that had challenged it.


    "Seriously. You are safe." When I felt an actual human hand touch my shoulder I decided to comply. I couldn''t help but hope that the voice was serious and that someone had heard my desperate and embarrassing shouting.


    "You okay?" the person standing above me looked to be three years older than me. He was tall and lean with short dark hair.


    He was wearing white hakama with a white haori covered by armor that covered the bottom half of his chest. He was wearing gloves that were tied to his hand by his fingers. His footwear looked like what a ninja would wear.


    "Yeah. Who are you?" It was true that he had been screaming for help but he had been aware that he might get the attention of a good friendly person he was also aware that eh might get the attention of a group of bandits.


    "My name is Hien Grand and that is my friend Lance Kairi." he said and pointed to a man with blonde hair wearing a black version of a quincy outfit.


    "Who are you?" Hien asked with a grin on his face as I stood up and dusted off the dirt that was on my outfit. After spending a little over a week in this forest meant that that my clothes were already dirty I still wanted to save as much dignity as possible.


    "Kaiser Ignis." It had taken little effort to decided what I wanted my name to be and I fully intended to to fulfil its promise.


    I would be the emperor of flame.


    "Thanks for the help." I said to them as I looked to the bear that had been chasing me for the last hour. Even if my legs wanted me to sit down I had to see how it had died.


    Grabbing a tree to keep my balance I looked to see what it was that had taken down my recent predator.


    Sticking out of the bear''s stomach and back was a halberd of absurd height. The blade made up of over two thirds of it. It was wide as well as big. The handle was skinny and ended in a crescent.


    "So what do you think Lance? Was this our target?" Hien asked his blonde haired partner who pulled a picture out of his pocket.


    "You got it boss. This is it." Lance replied and I watched as Hien cheered and yanked his halberd out of the bear and watched as it shrunk and put inside his haori.


    "Let''s go back to town then." Hien said picking the huge bear up on with one hand and shoving it over his shoulder and showed no signs of fatigue or stress.


    "Can I come?" I was sick and tired of roughing it out in nature. I needed a place that had people and not dangerous animal/monster hybrids.


    "Sure." Hien said without a care and Lance just followed Hien''s decision.


    Even though I just followed them without showing emotion on the outside on the inside I felt like crying and shouting in relief. I was finally getting out of this blasted forest.

 Invitation and Giant Bees

    After being lost in a forest for over a week I did not mind the hour long walk to the closest village. It gave me time to calm down, observe nature, and most importantly ask questions.


    "So where are you from?" Hien asked. He was still carrying the bear over his shoulders. When he had seen the bear was being dragged on the ground he had moved it so that it was lifted off of the ground.


    "Far, Far away." My answer was completely true given that I was on another world. If Hien was telling me the truth this country was apparently called Zatori and it was located on the continent Kagarn.


    "So what are you doing here if you don''t know where you are?" He carried that bear like it was no problem even though both its legs and arms were drooping to the ground and getting in his way.


    Lance was jumping from one thick tree branch to another keeping lookout. I had tried looking up and seeing if I could spot him as he jumped between but that was a failure.


    "I made a deal with a god." I did not need to go into my whole backstory but a little honesty here and there was probably for the best. I had no allies in this world and I wasn''t sure if I would even remember what specific lies I told.


    "You truly did something that risky? Impressive." It had been a risk mentioning what had sent me here depending on if there were gods in this world and if they were looked upon favorably. I did not want to face the fate many of the missionaries of my world''s past faced when they went to a new land to spread their religion.


    "Are you religious?" There was nothing else to do but ask questions as it helped keep my mind off of the pain my feet must surely be in right now. The trek to the village was taking way longer than I thought it would.


    After running from that bear and fighting the monkeys for a meal that I never truly got to enjoy I was sure that my stamina would give. With how much stress I have been under there was no doubt in my mind that when I fell it would be hours before I got up again.


    "Yes. I follow the ways of Jekar." Well at least it was simple enough to pronounce. The fact that the contract translated all languages I might run into was useful. The fact that I could not read any of the words was a problem for another day.


    "What kind of god is he?" I will admit to being curious. The only god I had run into proclaimed to be similar to the ones of ancient Greece/Rome. To me that meant akin to an being of unimaginable power and a childlike temper. He held power that regular people could only dream of and he used it to sate his boredom and for him that was by choosing people to sign contracts and have adventures.


    To be fair if I was the one with god-like power I would probably use it to my benefit first as well.


    "He is the god of harvest, battle, and business." Well that was a combination I hadn''t heard of before. Whether that combination was unique to this world or my knowledge on mythology was incomplete I definitely wanted to know more.


    "How do those three go together?" I wanted to know how he saw these spheres of influence go together.


    "Business, Harvest, and Battle. All three are a different type of war that can be won. All farmers understand this." Hien said.


    "So you and Lance are farmers?" How dangerous must the creatures of this world be if the huge bear I ran from could be beaten by farmers.


    "No what I said was I followed Jekar and he was the god for farmers. I may have been raised to be a farmer but that is not what we are." He said confusing me.


    "what are you then?" He needed to be clear so I could get a better image of this world and the threats within it.


    "I am the master of an adventurers guild." He boasted to me with an arm pumped in the air.I wasn''t sure if this was a sign. That Garxon had sent me to the area to run in to them or if it was just coincidence but I could see that I had two choices for what I would do when I got out of this forest.


    I could either leave them and try to make a living out on my own which seemed like a horrible idea given that I had no idea where to go or even how to read the language. The other option was to ask Hien if I could join his guild.


    "Can I join your guild?" It had taken me about five seconds to truly think it over and admit that I would have failed on my own over my distrust of Hien and Lance. It was also due to the fact that I had no money and I hated sleeping in the wild.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Of course. Why else do you think I brought you with us?" He said with not even a stumble in his step.


    "Isn''t that kind of too soon after meeting someone?" Was this the type of kindness that was found in the farmlands and Midwest that television went on about when they talked about the old days before people migrated more to the city.


    "I follow my instincts and they are telling me to help you." He said as he he gave me a smile.


    "What if your instincts are wrong?" It was kind of him but that type of thinking could lead to people taking advantage of him.


    "Then I would crush you." The way he said that without a care and complete confidence was scary. Especially since if he had the strength to carry and swing that over-sized halberd and carry that bear without a problem he more than likely had the strength to carry out that threat.


    "We have got a problem." Lance said jumping down from the trees and landing right in front of us.


    "What is it?" Hien said to him.


    "Up ahead is a nest of rinbei." He answered and Hien gave a grimace.


    "What are the rinbei?" After being in this forest a while I was certain that I would hate everything living in it. Especially if it was in a nest.


    "Rinbei are animals. Colored gold and red. They are very fast and have very big stingers." Lance said. Great just great. These were probably there version of bees and going by the way this forest has been so far they were going to be deadly and annoying.


    "Sounds painful. Can''t we just avoid them?" I really wanted to avoid any trouble. According to them the village we were headed to was just beyond the path where the bees were. Any chanced to avoid any more encounters in the Civalm forest.


    "Unfortunately, we can''t. We are on a time limit and this is the fastest way." Hien just destroyed my hopes with that. We were going to have to fight those deadly giant bees.


    "let''s go." He said and Lance and I followed. There was a point between sadness and despair and I was sure that if I had to deal with giant bees that were immune to fire as well I would be feeling that.


    "Are they immune to fire?" When they shook their heads even though they felt confusion at the question I felt a bit better.


    "No Civalm forest has many creatures that are fire resistant due to the constant fires it experiences but very few species are truly immune to it." Lance answered standing in front of the group.


    Well I was going to keep things simple. The moment I saw the bees I was going to burn them all. I had plenty of experience burning the things in this forest when they got in my way.


    Sorry bees but I was going to leave this forest and nothing was stopping me.


    When I finally saw the bees in question I had to blink and I was sure that I was screaming inside of my head. I had expected them to be the size of tennis balls. What I got instead were bees that were bigger than people. They looked to be the size of a horse if it could stand up on two feet and had the ability to put it''s neck straight up.


    "What in the world are the animals eating in this country?" The question was at no one specific. It might have even just been me talking to myself but Lance answered me.


    "It is that these bees emigrated from the isles of the giants." While that was a definitely a question I wanted answered there were more important things too focus on. Like the twenty three giant bees that just noticed us.


    "Good luck." Hien said before running and jumping over all the bees and going forward on his own.


    "What are you doing?" I was seriously against the idea of letting the person with super strength leave.


    "We told you we are on a time limit." Lance said and his bracelet began to glow and a giant bow appeared. Those weapons were another question I wanted to get answered but again this wasn''t the time or place.


    "Ready?" Lance asked me.


    "No. I don''t have much of a choice though do I." I was armed with a just a plain sword that Lance had given me. It had been in their bag that Hien had told him to pick up when he picked up the bear. They apparently been very prepared for this trip and any problem they had. They still had no meat unfortunately.


    "That is true." Lance said. He pulled back on the string and an arrow of energy formed in the space. That was pretty cool.


    "So you guys do this a lot?" He didn''t even look scared or nervous. I wished that I could look that composed right now. If I wasn''t so exhausted I felt that m knees might be shaking.


    "Take a deep breath and calm down." Lance told me. His eyes locked onto the bees that were flying at us. Them coming closer only made things worse to me but Lance was shooting arrows with precision I doubted I would ever have whether my life was threatened or not.


    "Burn!" the fire moved down my arm in a straight pillar aimed right to the middle of the group. I wanted to take them out fast but I had to be careful not to tap into my life force for energy. My aura was still recharging and so I had to think of it like a mana bar in a video game. I had to let it refill a bit then use it without letting the bar go to red or to empty.


    "You can control fire? Are you a mage?" Lance asked me. I was definitely getting a list of all the species that lived on this planet from him and Hien later.


    "No I convert my aura into fire!" The fire separated the bees and completely burned some others and then Lance began to shoot the ones down that had separated from the group.


    "Watch Out!" Lance shouted at me. I watched as a stinger from one of the bees began to glow and was then fired at me.


    I rolled out of the way and watched as the stinger on the bee that was shot at me stab into the ground and another one grew out of the same bee.


    "They can fire their stingers?" I asked him with wide eyes. So these bees were big strong and fast and could shoot stingers that were the size of thin spears.


    "Why do you think they are so dangerous? If they were just big they would be easy to get rid of." Lance said as they continued to fight.


    "I still think they are dangerous even without the stingers." If the world I was sent to had bees this dangerous I don''t even want to imagine what the magical version of a dog or a shark would be like.

 Alchemy and Enchantments

    Well after that horrible run in with the bees me and Lance were back to walking to town. I was especially glad because the sun was setting and it was getting dark.


    I truly hoped that this world had developed the concepts of comfortable beds. The walk however gave me plenty of time to ask Lance questions.


    "What is your guild like?" I asked him as we walked over giant tree roots and I tried really not to get my leg stuck or trip.


    "It''s a fun place. Lots of people with eccentric personalities. You would fit right in." Lance said but I couldn''t help but think that he was also subtly insulting me.


    I took that in stride though because I still needed more information and I would not get it if I flew of the handle. Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood truly was full of useful advice.


    "Where did your bow go?" I asked figuring that was more important. I would be able to learn more about these interesting people later. Figuring out how these magic weapons worked seemed like the better choice.


    "The bow turned back into this." Lance said as he showed me a bracelet on his arm that a chain dangling from it with an object that looked like a bow. It looked like it connected to the bow shaped hole in the bracelet.


    "How is that possible?" I asked him.


    "Magic." Lance said like it was obvious and that I was an idiot for asking.


    "I know that. What I wanted to know is what kind of magic." I said to him as I focused on the object he was holding.


    "Some magical items like Hien''s sword and my bracelet are created from enchanting." Lance said.


    "Some? So not all then?" I asked wanting complete specifics. This world was full of mysteries and I couldn''t read any books so I would have to get all my answers from the people who have lived here their whole lives.


    "Other magical items are made from alchemy." Lance said as we walked up a steep hill. I was really wishing that we would get to the other side faster as gravity would begin to help me.


    "Is there any kind of difference between the two?" I asked him.


    "Power wise no there isn''t any difference beyond the power level of the creator and ability. Appearance though is another matter." Lance said to me as we reached the top of the hill and took a break.


    I still hadn''t seen Hien since he had departed from us which made me wonder how fast he was. According to the information the contract implanted into my mind aura could be focused into a person''s limbs.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    By rules of anime and fantasy that should make a person faster than a regular person could be capable of. The person that claimed to be the guildmaster must be extremely skilled at this.


    "What do you mean?" I asked him.


    "Enchanted items like Hien''s sword, my bracelet, or even our bags can look like anything. Everyday items can be enchanted to do anything." Lance said to me as we reached the top of the hill and took a break.


    I still hadn''t seen Hien since he had departed from us which made me wonder how fast he was. According to the information the contract implanted into my mind aura could be focused into a person''s limbs.


    By rules of anime and fantasy that should make a person faster than a regular person could be capable of. The person that claimed to be the guildmaster must be extremely skilled at this.


    "What do you mean?" I asked him.


    "Enchanted items like Hien''s sword, my bracelet, or even our bags can look like anything. Everyday items can be enchanted to do anything." Lance told me as we walked up a hill. I knew my feet would be sore for days from all this walking and when I fell asleep there was a chance I would sleep for two days.


    I was looking forward to when we got down the hill given that gravity would be helping us now. I did not know why people climbed mountains by choice. This hill was a huge hassle for me.


    "What about weapons made from alchemy?" I asked.


    "Alchemy forged weapons are a lot easier to spot. They are created by a process which has very obvious signs." Lance said as we walked down the hill and in the distance I could see lights and buildings.


    It looked like we were really close to the end of our journey.


    "Like what?" I asked. It was a good idea to know what to look for if I ever ran into one. I was also going to have to ask for one of those magic bags. If they were able to store a sword as big as Hien''s I wanted one.


    "They look like something that couldn''t be forged in a blacksmith''s forge." Lance said being annoyingly vague. I''m guessing that it was like finding a lightsaber in middle earth.


    "That''s really helpful." I said to him.


    "Sorry. If you run into one you will know it but their designs lay mostly with the alchemist that designed it." Lance said as we walked on the road and I could hear more voices talking.


    I couldn''t hear exactly what they were talking about but more signs of people meant the sooner I could find a place to sleep and get regular people food.


    I really hoped these people had heard of the sandwich. If they didn''t I was going to. I was willing to try their foods but I wanted to have the first thing I ate that wasn''t fruits and berries be something from my home that I was used to.


    I actually had been expecting we were heading to a village that would be likely to be found in most anime and video games. What I saw once we arrived was something different.


    While it was a village the design was different in that it looked like a combination of Japan and a country from the west from back home.


    The tallest building in the village was a castle in the back that would not be out of place from feudal design was similar except made of bricks and painted over in a way that somehow made it look like it was all one building and not a bunch of bricks laid over the other.


    Around it was the a stone wall similar to the one that guarded the village except shorter.


    The second building I noticed looked like a church that towered over lots of the other buildings. It had a gothic look and pane glass windows. Sitting perched atop of the church pillars were gargoyles.


    There were about twenty in total sitting on the church and overlooking the village.


    "So what do you think?" Lance asked me.