The three companions left the teleportation circle arriving in a city on the border of the fire lands. The room they have teleported into must have had better days, the room hadn't been unused in many years.
Exiting the room the three entered a barren hall, the stone walls are covered in scorch marks. Moving through the corridor they eventually reached a stairway. Hearing the sounds of chatter they cautiously moved up the stairs.
"If the people up ahead try to attack us, can I practise my magic on them?" Jessiah asked. Hearing the two agree to his request he continued up the stairs by himself.
Reaching the top of the staircase Jessiah saw a group of jeivikats sitting in a circle surrounding a fire. Looking closer he saw that the people in front of him were surrounded by the corpses dressed in rags and beaten down clothing.
He reached for his sword ready to kill the group.
Jessiah paused. 'Killing them when they're not ready isn't a real challenge. Even before I could with my weakened magic.'
"Hey!" Jessiah shouted, grabbing their attention. "What are you doing here?"
"What is a human doing here?" The jeivikat in front said drawing his sword, the rest of the group drew their weapons following after their leader.
"I'm exploring the-" Jessiah is interrupted by a shard of ice flying towards his head.
Activating his magic the shard of ice slowed down, sidestepping the shard Jessiah looked to the group, his hand now holding his sword.
When Jessiah moved as he turned into a blur the group watched as their leader was cut down in the blink of an eye. The rest soon followed their leader to their death, unable to respond to Jessiah's rapid movements.
Jessiah looked at the corpses of jeivikats he had left. 'I've never moved this fast before.'
'This was a terrible test, they weren't able to do anything. I need to find something stronger or faster.' Jessiah moved past the bodies back to the top of the staircase.
"They're all dead now!" Jessiah shouted down the staircase.
Galser and Seraphine came from the stairway; they both took glances at the bodies littering the floor. Moving past the freshly made corpses Galser looked back at Seraphine seeing her stare at the bodies in surprise.
"How did you kill them so fast?" Seraphine questioned noticing that all the bodies had been killed by a sword not by any magic.
"My magic makes me move fast." Jessiah said as he used the clothing of the jeivikats to clean the blood off his sword.
"That's disrespectful to the dead." Galser said watching Jessiah clean his sword on the people he had killed.
"They attacked me for no reason. Do you also want me to smell like blood?" Jessiah asked, not receiving any answer.
They continued past the jeivikats moving through the makeshift camp laid out in front of them.
Leaving the building they had been teleported into they looked at the city surrounding them. The city was in ruins, buildings burnt to ashes. It seems as though no living beings have been occupying this city for a long time.
"We're going to have to find someone to give us directions." Seraphine said, seeing the deserted city.
"Do we have to tell them about the vampire? All the jeivikats I have met so far have been criminals or attacked unprovoked." Jessiah said. 'If I keep killing their people I don't think the leaders of this place will want to speak with me.' He thought.
"This city has been destroyed for at least a couple of decades." Seraphine looked at the decaying remains of the buildings. "The jeivikats you killed were probably just bandits. We should meet some friendly jeivikats soon."
"She is right, jeivikats are known for their paintings and music. They are more peaceful than the other races." Galser said having met many jeivikat merchants selling their paintings and musical instruments.
Seraphine looked at Galser confused. "Not completely true. Jeivikats have been fighting the dragons for the last hundred years."
"Why would they wage war on dragons?" Galser questioned. 'They live continents apart. What reason could there be for war.' He thought.
"The dragons took almost half of their land after fleeing their homeland." Seraphine informed Galser.
"Why would they ever leave Sadien and come to Rastien? Galser questioned. 'The few dragons I know would rather die than leave Sadien. Rastein may be the worst continent for them. Nowhere to nest.' He thought.
"No one truly knows but a couple of the witches at the sanctuary think the dragons were attacked by something." Seraphine said, unsure.
"Why would the witches' institutes think the dragons were attacked by something?" Galser asked Seraphine.
"The dragons that first came to Rastien were riddled by scars and wounds." Seraphine said the records on the dragons invasion on the firelands mentions that clear damage the dragons had when they first arrived.
"Dragons are known to fight each other. Their injuries could have come from a civil war." Galser said his own theory on why the dragons would leave their homeland.
"But what of Sadien have people investigated the continent?" Galser asked Seraphine.
Before Seraphine could answer Galser the sounds of beastrial grunting reached their ears.
Masses of ghouls emerged from the ruined, and torn down buildings surrounding them. The monsters lumbered forwards around the three. The monsters incased the three, their mouths dripping with drool that caused the ground to sizzle when splashed by the saliva.
The grey skinned, dark haired beasts almost looked human if you ignored the monstrous hunger in the hunched monster's eyes. The unwashed body of the monsters with dried blood and dirt assaults the senses of all that happen to breathe in their stench.
The Ghouls circled their prey, their jagged teeth hadn't tasted flesh in far too long. More ghouls poured out from the destroyed building watching the three humanoid beings that have wandered into their home.
"Hopefully they're not as strong as their smell." Jessiah said as he watched the countless ghouls emerge from the buildings around them.
Not waiting for the ghouls to attack them, Jessiah blurred into movement unsheathing his sword, cutting down a group of ghouls in a single fluid motion.
Seraphine used her magic to take to the air, casting a lighting spell causing a dark cloud to cover the sky lighting raining down on the ghouls surrounding them.
Galser looked at his two companions destroying and shredding the ghouls surrounding them. Galser unleashed a dark mist from his robe causing the ghouls' sight to become impaired he then used his magic to allow Jessiah and Seraphine to see through the dark fog now covering the battlefield.
Galser's hands turned into claws as he ripped and tore the ghouls into pieces. The ghouls' yellow blood stained the ground as he annihilated the monsters. His ruthless attacks that destroyed the monster were only matched by the grace he moved through the attacks of the ghouls untouched.
Galser grabbed hold of one of the ghouls and sank his teeth into the ghouls. Trying to drink the ghouls bloods he spat out the blood choking. "This is inedible!"
Galser looked at the ghouls around him, enraged at the disgusting taste in his mouth. Galser jumped into a group of ghouls and moved through them undamaged as he ripped the heads off the ghouls.
'This is great!' Jessiah thought as he cut down another group of ghouls carving them into pieces. Jessiah slowed down confused as he noticed that the ghouls have now started attacking each other.
'What are they doing?' Seraphine thought as she watched a ghouls swung its club into another ghoul covering itself in the yellow blood. Using her magic she created a gust of ice that shredded a legion of ghouls to pieces.
Galser continued to move through the ghouls killing them as he used his magic to confuse the monsters to attack their own.
The ghouls were left to a fraction of the amount that had attacked them. They tried to retreat, fearing certain death. The ghouls under Galser spell chased, hunting down the retreating ghouls. After finishing off the last ghoul the ones under Gasler's spell impaled and clubbed themselves on their spikes and clubs.
Jessiah looked around at the empty battlefield. The only living creatures left in the ruined city were the jester, witch and vampire.
"Do you know any magic that can clean me?" Jessiah asked as the only member of their group to be covered in the blood of the ghouls they had slaughtered.
Seraphine wordlessly summoned a great deal of water, dropping it onto Jessiah, washing away the yellow blood covering the man dressed as a jester. She then summoned a warm wind to dry the jester cleaning him and his clothing.
"That's some useful magic. Do you think I could learn it?" Jessiah asked, looking over himself his clothing cleaner than it has been in years.
"Yes, There are two types of magic. The one you are born with like your magic." Seraphine said as she gestured to him. "And the one you can learn." She gestured to herself.
"How do you learn magic?" Jessiah questioned wanting to be able to use his magic for more than just enhancing his speed.
"You need to learn how to create magic circles." Seraphine said, creating a magic circle causing a small tornado to appear above it.
"Learning to use magic circles is like learning a language. You need to spend a long time to be able to do the basics. Most people start as children."
"So I can still learn, it would just be more difficult." Jessiah said.
"It's usually considered impossible to learn this type of magic, if you didn't start as a child." Seraphine said apprehensively not wanting to disappoint Jessiah.
"I see." Jessiah said. 'I should learn the basics at the least.' He thought.
"It depends on the person." Galser said, interjecting into the conversation. "When I was a human I only started to learn magic in my thirties. I then went on to become the grandmaster of the mages society."
"Mages society?" Seraphine questioned having never heard of such a group.
"It's an old magical group, they stopped existing around two thousand years ago." Galser said. "The reason I brought it up. I became one of the strongest mages in Rastien in two decades."
"What's this got to do with anything we were talking about" Jessiah said to Galser having known him for weeks understanding he wouldn't brag for no reason.
"I was saying that if you try, you could easily become a powerful mage." Galser said, confident in Jessiah's abilities to learn magic.
"You have raw magic reserves that far surpass the average mage. I would say you have the highest reserves of any human I've met so far." Galser praised the power Jessiah emitted.
Seraphine looked over at Jessiah unimpressed. "You need to start reining in your magic, you've been blaring it out everywhere."
Jessiah looked over to her confused. "What do you mean?"
Seraphine looked at him in surprise. "Everyone and everything around us can feel your magic, the reason those ghouls came here is because they sensed you. Were you doing it by accident?"
"I didn't know I was doing it." Jessiah said a little guilty.
"It's fine." Seraphine said, smiling at Jessiah. "I can teach you to keep better control over your magic. I was actually considered one of the better witches at controlling my magic in the sanctuary."
"Thank you." Jessiah said grateful for any guidance.
Galser interrupted them. "First we should make camp soon, I saw a building that is mostly intact."
The three moved through the ruins making sure not to step on any of the bodies of the ghouls that decorated the ground of the battlefield not wanting to bloody their shoes.
The battlefield now behind them as they moved back into the city to find one of the still standing buildings in the city of ruins. Entering the building Galser found the three started to set up their camp making sure the building was safe enough for sleeping under. Galser and Seraphine opened the magic pouches they had on their person.
Seraphine brought out a tent for herself while Galser brought out two tents one for him and another for Jessiah. Galser's dropped the tents onto the ground a small distance from one another as they hit the ground the miniature tent grew in size. The stone tents reached the height of a single room building. A single door on the wall differentiates it from a stone pillar.
Seraphine brought out her tent. A simple animal skinned tent that had a magical inscription weaved into it causing it to become invisible and scentless, completely hidden from all creatures.
"Where did you get those pouches from?" Jessiah questioned. 'Gasler having one is understandable, but Seraphine as well. Are they common?' He thought.
Galser reached his hand into his pouch pulling out another pouch from within. He threw the pouch to Jessiah. Catching the pouch he looked at the words inscribed on it in a language he did not know.
"Is this one as well?" Jessiah asked Galser.
"Yes, I made them. It takes a blend of different magic to create." Galser said to Jessiah having gifted him a rare artefact of his own creation.
"You made these?" Seraphine asked, holding up her own pouch. 'The creator of the pouch has been a mystery for centuries. The overseers thought it could have even been the Gallahan that created them.'
"Yes, They are quite useful." Galser said, unaware of the gravity of his reveal.
"How many do you have? Can I buy some?" Seraphine asked hopefully. 'We only have three. The other witches are far too afraid of destroying the ones we already have to try and recreate them.' She thought.
"I don't need coins at the moment, take these as a gift." Galser said as he pulled out half a dozen pouches giving them all to Seraphine.
"Thank you!" Seraphine said grateful.
"How do you make them anyways?" Jessiah asked Galser.
Seraphine turned her head to him. "You can't just ask an artificer how they create their work."
"Why not?" He simply asked.
"You just can't. It's like… It's like asking someone for their secret recipe for a pie." Seraphine tried to explain.
"What? Why are you talking about pies?" Jessiah asked lost.
"It's akin to telling a stranger where you live, or telling everyone of a gold mine you had just found." Galser explained. "It's not something you would want to tell another. However the creation of these pouches require a perfect mix of different types of magics."
"What types of magic?" Seraphine asked, curious having never heard of magic mixing in such a way.
"Magic circles, runic magics and the magic of the elves." Galser said.
"How did you learn to use runic and elven magic? I thought humans could only use magic circles." Seraphine asked.
Galser pointed at his red eyes. "I am no longer human. Thus the shackles on my magic have become loosened, that is not to say that a normal human could do the same, it would just require great effort."
"So it is possible to learn the other magics of the world." Seraphine said with a glint in her eye.
"To those who are willing, yes." Gasler replied.
"What about my magic?" Jessiah asked.
"Your magic can't be copied or re-created by any means." Galser said. "This magic is exceedingly rare. I have met only one other with such abilities in all my years."
"Who were they? Could they increase their speed like me?" Jessiah asked.
"It was an old king centuries ago in the second age. He could heal and strengthen others, he was made to rule after his abilities were discovered by the other orcs." Galser said.
"Healing?" Seraphine exclaimed in shock. "Magic that could actually heal another."
"Yes he was quite the character. He was different from other orcs. He would always choose diplomacy before violence." Galser said.
"What was his name?" Jessiah asked.
"His name was Hius. The first orc lord." Galser said.
"How are you so old? You talk of these people as if you were there." Jessiah said.
"I was. There is little of the history of Rastein that I don't know of." Galser said. "I lived on Rastien since the second age."
"The second age started over two centuries ago. What do you do with all your time?" Seraphine asked.
"Travelling, or taking a student or two when a person of interest appears." Gasler said.
"How long do you usually sleep for?" Jessiah asked.
"Centuries, usually only one or two. As you can see, certain circumstances can cause me to sleep longer. After I wake I roam for a couple of decades then sleep once more." Galser said as he looked at the dark circles appearing under Jessiah's eyes. "Perhaps it's time for you both to sleep now. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."
Jessiah looked up at the night sky. "It has gotten late." Jessiah entered his tent leaving Seraphine and Galser in the clearing they made their camp in.
"I should go to sleep as well, goodnight." Seraphine said as she entered her own tent.
The flap closing behind her caused the tent to disappear, but to Galser's eyes the tent lit up with magic as it disappeared from the camp.
The two humans slowly drifted into a sleep. The sky darkened as Galser stared up to the night sky, stars illuminated the lands below.
'I've been alive far too long.' Galser thought looking up at the night sky, half the stars had grown dark since he was a child. Even more stars had formed, countless constellations adorned the night sky staring back at him.
Sun rose as the night ended and the start of a new day began. The two humans awakened by the smell of rot causing their faces to crease as though they sucked on a soured apple. Galser's expression remained unchanged, having become accustomed to the smell of decaying monsters.
The ghouls rotted corpses called to the other beasts and monsters in the area. Slow and heavy thuds shook the ground as a giant born of fire approached the battlefield.
The horrid disfigured beast lumbered to the corpses. Its red hair that covered its body shined brighter as it salivated over the ghouls surrounding it.
The fire giant dropped to his knees and bit down on a ghoul. His long arms caused the ruined building to tumble as his gangly hands crashed into them in his pursuit to quench his hunger.
The fire giant gorged himself on the ghouls that littered the ground. A long creature uncoiled itself from the giant's neck slithering on the battlefield joining the giant in its feast.
The salamander's saliva caused the ghouls that enter its mouth to dissolve into a liquid. Drinking the rotting, decayed monster the salamander grew in size, its scales became thicker and harder.
The fire giant finished its meal and let out a roar. The salamander, now twice its size, slithered up the giant's leg once more coiling around the giant's neck.
The three hiding in the ruined building they camped in watched the giant move away, standing still to not alert the fire giant and salamander to their presence. As the giant began to leave the battlefield satisfied, the salamander coiled on his neck hissed causing the giant to pause. The ground shook as he came to a stop.
The salamander's head slowly turned in their direction. The giant's head soon followed after looking at three in the destroyed building.
"It sees us." Jessiah froze. Both the creatures turned to the three staring down at them.
"Maybe it's friendly." Seraphine said as she watched the fire giant stare at them unmoving.
"Could be. I've never seen a real fire giant before or even a salamander. They look quite daunting." Galser said with a small smile.
Galser noticed the magic in the fire giant begin to rush up to the giant's mouth. He created a blade of wind throwing it at the fire giant before it could unleash its attack.
The three watched as Galser attack harmlessly dissipated off the fire giant's fur coated chest.
"Is that normal?" Jessiah asked, unaware of the immense danger he is currently in.
"No… No it is not." Galser said. "That should have at least injured the beast."
The fire giant opened his maw releasing a torrent of flames.
The three moved out of the way of the flames. Debris flew around them as the city was destroyed even further. The stone ground melted at the touch of the flames leaving half the city a molten wasteland.
Seraphine once more took to the sky. She created a bolt of lightning striking the giant's head. The lightning bolt left the giant undamaged.
The giant stood tall undamaged.
The salamander coiled around the giant's neck writhed in pain as the lighting coursed through its body. It spasmed as it let out a hiss. A poisonous fog left its mouth drifting towards the three surrounding the beast.
Galser used his magic to create a gust of wind blowing the poison back into the giant's face.
The giant screamed in pain waving its massive arms causing the poisonous mist to dissipate into the wind.
Jessiah blurred moving behind the giant. He implade his sword into the giant's heel, slicing into the tendon holding the beast up.
The giant stumbled before regaining its footing.
Roaring as it slammed its foot into the ground causing the ground to shake as steam rushed out the wound as the damage done by Jessiah disappeared.
Seraphine continued to bombard the salamander with attacks of lighting and ice causing chunks of the salamander's flesh to get ripped out. With each attack the salamander grip tightened around the giant's neck.
Grunting the giant pulled at the salamander constricting around its neck.
Galser used a magic circle to open up the ground, swallowing the giant's feets.
Jessiah grabbed on the fur covering the giant leg climbing up the giants whilst dodging the attacks from his companions. Reaching the base of the giant's neck under the salamander.
Jessiah gripped his sword with both hands, his knuckles whitened as he pierced the giant's spine. Orange Blood gushed out the wound.
Jessiah continued to hack into the giant's spine causing the giant to turn wildly, throwing Jessiah to the ground.
The giant swayed the loss of blood wearing him down. He glared down at the human who mangled his neck.
Jessiah nearly buckled under the weight of the giant's rage.
The giant prepared to unleash a blast of fire towards those who injured him. The blast of fire reached his mouth. Before he was able to annihilate his attackers the fire poured out the wound on his neck, scorching the salamander.
The salamander lets out strangled noise as it slowly peeled off the giant neck laying on the ground unmoving. The giant looked at his fallen companion.
He let out a cry of anguish.
The giant slowly covered itself in flames, the ground melted freeing the giant from the prison Galser created.
Jessiah watched the giant prepare to attack once more. He disappeared, his legs pounding, his breath rapid as he ran from the giant hiding behind one of the many ruined buildings.
Seraphine and Galser both noticed Jessiah was hiding. They both moved to join him escaping the giant's blaring heat.
"Why are we hiding, he's almost dead?" Seraphine questioned Jessiah.
"I open up his neck, we just need to stay away and he should just bleed out." Jessiah said hopeful.
The giant's limbs blackened as the fire burned hotter.
Flames radiating from the giant turned white then the flames slowly turned red. The three were unable to open their eyes, the giant now shone bright as the sun.
Waves of fire bursted out of the fire giant destroying everything around it. The three still hid behind the building.
Seraphine and Galser used all the protective spells they could to keep them from turning to ash.
The fire slowly came to a halt, the light died. The giant's charred body lay on the ground unmoving.
Galser looked at the head of the fire giant. The only part of the body that hadn't turned to ashes. He gestured for Jessiah and Seraphine to come closer.
"Take the eyes." Galser said
Jessiah looked at the orange eyes the size of his head. "Why would we do that?"
"Alchemy." Seraphine said.
"No, eyes this size would be worth more as a collection piece than for any alchemic reasons." Galser said.
"Fine." Jessiah said. He reached his hands out to the left eye of the beast.
His hands fidgeted as his hand touched the eye. "How do I get the eye out?"
"Pull it." Galser said his amusement was hidden everywhere, but his eyes.
Jessiah slowly pulled the eye out the socket. The eye easily popped out the head of the beast, only red dust came out the eye socket.
He held the eye out to his two companions. "Pouch, please."
Seraphine took off her pouch from her belt, opening it for Jessiah to drop the eye into.
"Wait." Galser said. He pulled out a glass container from his pouch. "Use this to keep it pristine."
Seraphine took the offered glass container letting Jessiah drop the eye into it. She then pushes the container with the eye into her pouch.
"Jessiah, you take the other one." Galser said as he used his magic pull out the eye dropping it into a second container.
Jessiah looked at him annoyed as he opened up his pouch. Galser pushed the second container into Jessiah's pouch.
Jessiah reattached the pouch to his belt. "How does it weigh so little?"
"Magic." Galser said simply.
"What about the rest? Can you use its nose or ears?" Jessiah asked.
"If you want to eat them sure, but they have no use as material." Galser said as he watched the limbs on the fire giant turn to ash. "We should get moving while the sun is still up."
"Yes, let's just get away from this city." Jessiah said as he grew weary of this ruined city.
"We do seem to keep getting attacked in this city." Seraphine said, looking back at the melted city. "Or now destroyed city, I guess."
The three left the battlefield moving deeper into the fire lands.
The salamander heard the three powerful beings leave the area, his eyes snapped open no longer playing dead. Rising up he looked around, his eyes landed on the remains of the fire giant. Its chest and head remained intact from its own attack.
Slithering up to the giant the salamander opened his mouth biting down on the body consuming the giant, as he fed his body healed.
The salamander gorged itself on the giant. Not waiting for its poison to dissolve the meat it chewed and swallowed the giant's flesh.
The salamander finished consuming the giant, the salamander rose to its full size now dwarfing the fire giant's original size. The salamander's body began to heat up. A light red glow covered the salamander, steam billowed off its body.
The salamander shrunk as the steam released faster. Limbs began to form, arms and legs.
He grew a neck, head and now feet. The salamander had turned into a human-like being.
"What is this?" The now sentient creature looked around at the death and destruction around him.
"Where am I! Who am I! What am I!" The creature shouted out grabbing his head, his mind now capable of creating thoughts.
"I'm Xolotl." The newly born being gave himself a worthy name.
Looking around for answers to his questions. He saw none and quickly gave up dropping onto the ground on his back.
Xolotl layed on the ground and stared at the clouds calmly. The chaotic magic clashing within his body quickly calmed as well.
His mind was at peace.