A not so chance encounter
A bit later in the day, when things have calmed down more, Sally wakes up. When they see me awake and fine they show a lot of happiness and rub against my cheek.
“I’m also happy to see you, Sally. Also, I wanted to say thank you to you.”
I pick them up from my shoulder and give them a hug, “Thank you so much for saving our lives.”
They smile at me and out their foot on my cheek in response.
Over the next few days, I recover again. My body is still a bit stiff from not moving for so long but I’m doing alright and as such we decide to move again.
Ane doesn't seem to happy about me moving again though,
“Are you really sure about this, oki? It will be a long walk. We can stay a bit longer if you want.”
“No, it’s okay. We’ve got to get moving again. It’s not a journey if we’re just sitting still after all!”
“Pfft, right you are, oki. Just don’t overdo it.”
We then start to travel down the road and along the way, as we get closer to the next town, we start to see farms and farmhouses and the occasional farmer doing some repairs. Near the end of the afternoon, as we take a small break, I can hear a woman’s voice call out to us.
“Excuse me!”
Looking into the direction of the voice, a red haired woman in her mid forties starts running towards us from a farm, panting loudly on the way. As she comes closer, I can see multiple fire spirits of different types surrounding her. I can see a small fairy-like fire spirit, a striped cat with a mane made of fire, a big bird made of fire on her shoulder and what looks like a man made of fire sitting on a cloud floating next to her. Whoever this person is, she is a high class spirit mage.
“I…Huff… I didn’t think I would see a fellow spirit mage here!”
Rayla, Sher Aka and John seem a bit on edge so I approach her first with a wide smile, “It’s nice to meet you too! You must be a great spirit mage to have contracted so many familiars!”
Seemingly a bit exhausted she bends over to catch her breath and holds her hand out to me, “Haha, thank you! My name is Frieda. Nice to meet you. Who would have thought I’d see a fellow practitioner out here in the boonies.”
I shake her hand, “My name is Thoma Ahad. These are my friends Sher Aka and John, this is my sister Rayla and this is my familiar Sally, they don’t really speak but they are also my friend!”
She looks me up and down a bit confused, “They? I only see one familiar.”
“Oh, I call Sally by they because they said they don’t like being treated in a gendered way and because ‘it’ just sounds a bit objectifying.”
“Oh? But spirits are objects aren’t they?”
“Of course not, they’re people.”
“Huh…What a strange view to have, aren’t spirits just moving mana made from the environment?”
“They are but they still have personalities and they can think, talk and act like people so I treat them that way.”
She scratches her head, “Hmm you have a strange way to view things….Anyways! The reason why I’m here is actually because I’m a collector of fire spirits and I don’t own a Salamandra yet. Would you be willing to sell yours?”
“No, Sally is not for sale.”
“Oh but you haven’t even seen my offer yet!” She then pulls out a pouch full of gold coins.
“I’ll pay you six big gold for it!”
Rayla has her chin drop for a second, “Six big gold!?”
John exclaims, “With that sort of money we could buy an escort to the south if we wanted!”
I then answer, “Again, Sally is not for sale.”
Rayla pushes me to the side, “Are you sure about this Thoma? We could REALLY use that money.”
“Yes, I’m absolutely sure.”
Frieda asks, “But why not? Is the price too low? I’d be willing to go up to eight big gold coins!”
“You can offer me fifty big gold coins and I still won’t sell them because I don’t own Sally. If you want them to stay with you you’ll have to convince Sally yourself.”
“Pfft, hahaha.”
“What’s so funny?”
“Oh sorry, to be honest this was a bit of a test by me. There are few spirit mages out there but finding one that treats their spirits as well as you is a rarity even among those few. I just wanted to confirm that you treat them well.”
“So…This was all a trick?”
“Kind of, the coins are fake. They are just stones enchanted to look like gold but I still would have bought Sally off you because I believe it’s not good for spirits to be with people that treat them like property.”
“Huh…”
Rayla then moves in front of me protectively, “So, I’m guessing you randomly being here wasn’t a coincidence either.”
“Nope! I heard rumors from the spirits that there is a young spirit mage that treats spirits like people and never binds them. I also heard that you dance very well.”
“So, what do you want from my brother?”
“Well, first I wanted to see if the rumors are true, then I was going to give him a reward for being a good person if it turned out the rumors were right.”
“What kind of reward?”
“You’ll see! First I’d like to dance with him, if possible. I heard so much about it that I want to dance with you as well!”
“Uhm, I don’t really know how to dance with someone else.”
“Pfft, it’ll be fine. It’s not a contest, it’s just for fun. Don’t worry I’ll lead.”
“Well…As long as it’s just for fun…”
Giddily she takes my hand and we start to dance. Her moves are fast and erratic but somehow I’m able to keep up easily. I then get a warm feeling in my body and that’s when it hits me, we’re dancing the fire ritual.
At first I’m a bit confused and stumble a bit but Frieda assures me, “Don’t worry, we’re just having fun! Close your eyes and let me lead you.”
I close my eyes. Frieda then starts to hum the same tune as Sally did the first time I successfully completed the ritual and I begin to relax again and start to have fun. I find myself again in the ballroom that I remember every time I dance the fire ritual but this time I’m not dancing with faceless people. This time I’m dancing with a beautiful young woman with crimson hair surrounded by an audience of fire spirits. After a while of dancing, I lose my sense of time and when the music stops I open my eyes. It's already dark out and the young woman from my daydream is now standing in front of me.
She grins at me, “You really are a great dancer, I had fun Thoma Ahad.”
“Who…Who are you?”
“Do I really need to introduce myself at this point? I believe your friends already know the answer.”
She points at Sher Aka and John who are kneeling on the ground while Rayla just generally looks confused and worried.
Sher Aka, shaking slightly, answers, “We greet you Ifrit, Spirit King of Fire. Thank you for gracing us with your presence.”
“Eh!? So you’re the Spirit King of Fire? Do…Do I need to bow?”
She slaps my back, “Pfft, no don’t worry about that sorta thing when I already enjoyed a dance with you.”
“Uhm…So, why are you here?”
“Because I have heard and seen great things from you. Not only do you treat us like people, you even saved one of my children and would have given your life for them. You have no idea how rare that is. So, I want to give you a reward, what is it that you want?”
“What I want? “
Rayla then runs up to Ifrit and desperately pleads, “Can you remove his curse as a reward?”
“Hmm…I could but I won’t. We generally don’t involve ourselves in our siblings matters, I can ask him though. Nox!? You here!?”
An androgynous looking person with long black hair and black robes suddenly appears out of my shadow, “What do you want?”
“I want to give this human a reward. I’ve taken a liking to him. Can you remove his curse?”
Looking at me with a mix of disinterest and disgust, Nox answers, “Not without the price.”
Rayla asks, “What’s the price?”
“Thirteen souls. I was paid in twelve souls to create this curse, I want thirteen to undo it.”
Rayla visibly gets enraged, “So you’re telling me you’re responsible for his curse!?”
“Of course. I am darkness, every spell of the dark element is made of me.”
Rayla fletches her teeth and runs towards Nox punching him straight in the face. He just keeps standing there doing nothing in response, seemingly not taking any damage or feeling any pain from the attack at all.
He rolls his eyes, “How boringly barbaric.”
Sher Aka and John then tackle Rayla off of Nox and pin her down.
“Are you fucking crazy Rayla!?”
“Calm yourself this instant Rayla. No good can come of this.”
Ifrit scratches her head as she sighs, “Ahhh…I should have anticipated this reaction. Don’t worry Thoma Ahad, I’ll just make her fall asleep for now.”
Ifrit then puts her hand on Rayla's forehead and Rayla seems to fall asleep peacefully.
“So…Getting back to the topic, what do you want Thoma Ahad? What is your deepest desire?”
“I…First of all is Rayla okay?”
She waves her hand dismissively, “She’s fine, she'll just take a nap until we’re gone. So, what do you want?”
“I…Well you can’t remove my curse and I don’t think you can give me my deepest desire either.”
“Oh? What is your deepest desire?”
“Well… I…Sometimes I get these glimpses of a loving home. They’re like a warm breeze that reminds me of something pleasant but then they instantly disappear and take the memory with them again. I…I guess if I could have anything I’d like to have a family that loves me and a home to come back to…”
“Heh, now that I can do. Nox, move your gunk out of the way for a sec, I need access to his soul.”
“Fine.”
Nox puts his hand on my shoulder and I feel completely paralyzed.
Ifrit then holds up what looks like a fireball and pierces my heart with it.
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After his heart is pierced, Thoma Ahad falls to the ground unconscious.
Ifrit then looks at Sher Aka and John who look completely terrified, “When you go to the next town, buy a vehicle and go to a hotspring resort town called Murago. Try to avoid the police on the way if you can. Once you’re in Murago, buy as much meat as you can fit in your wagon and travel to the top of the mountain with peaceful intentions. Offer the meat to the inhabitant of that place within the next three weeks and Thoma Ahad’s wish will come true. Make sure to write it down so you won’t forget.”
John frantically nods and writes the information down in the notebook.
“My part is done now, fare well little ones. May you live good lives.”
Without leaving a trace she disappears in a pillar of flame and Nox melts into the darkness causing Rayla to wake up again.
“What happened? Thoma, are you okay!?”
In a panic she stumbles over to Thoma Ahad’s body and checks for vital signs, “Why is he unconscious!? What happened!?”
John answers, “Honestly I have no fucking idea either. How about you, Sherry? Sherry?”
Sher Aka seems immensely scared. She’s hyperventilating and shaking. When John talks to her she vomits on the ground and starts reeling for air.
“Fuck, I think she’s having a panic attack. Rayla, you look out for Thoma Ahad, I need to take care of her.”
“Alright.”
John puts his sister's arm around himself and moves her away from her vomit onto a sleeping bag, “I’m here Sherry. Do you want water?”
Sher Aka nods, still shaking and breathing too fast. John hands her some water and keeps her close.
Rayla calls out, “John, something weird is happening to Thoma.”
“What’s happening?
“His scent is changing rapidly.”
“His scent?”
“Yeah, it’s like he’s a completely different person.”
“Is anything else happening?”
“Not currently, no.”
“Keep an eye on him then, tell me if anything else changes.”
“Okay!”
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