On my next day off I met Raven at the bakery once more, claiming one of the few tables it contained. She had spent the last few days out of town looking for a lost caravan off to the west.

  “They’d just gotten run off the road by a few aggressive tri-horns. They broke an axle and were far enough out that they felt it too difficult to send for help. They’d been keeping the beasts away from the stores. They didn’t leave till we showed up and took their leader down. The caravan guard had only taken down two of the smaller ones with a bow so it hadn’t bothered them.”

  “Don’t those things eat bone if they can?”

  “Yes, but they are not really hunters. Mostly just enjoy charging at things with their horns. If they kill something that way they’ll eat it. Eat each other too from what I saw. Thankfully they are very pack driven and if something can take out their leader the rest will run.”

  “Life of the adventurer.” I laugh, munching on the sweet meat bun I had ordered, “Some days you are delving into dungeons and the next you are off fixing a broken cart.

  “Yea. That one was paid out by the Transportation Guild. Got a bonus for helping them get back safe with their cargo. Also, the corpse of the tri-horn sold well at a butcher. Most don’t want to hunt a crush of the things.”

  I finished my bun and nodded. “I haven’t seen any while out hunting but I heard the best thing to do is run away and hope they do not give chase.”

  “Helps also if you drop any kill you might be carrying too. They’ll be too busy eating it to bother running at you.”

  I smiled at that, finishing my own cup of tea. “Good to know. I will keep it in mind next time I am off hunting.”

  “You’d probably be able to tell if you are in their territory. They rub their horns along the bark much lower than any deer. They also tend to shed their feathers.”

  “Any other jobs come in for you?”

  “Hmm, I haven’t checked yet. Was happy to get back in time to come here with you.”

  The tips of my ears warmed as I felt that happy smile again. “And I am happy to spend my day off with you as well.”

  It was such a nice moment as we got up from our chairs. Too bad it was ruined before we could get out the door by an out of breath civith. He was young, maybe working as a messenger around school or to help his family out. And the message he came with froze me to the spot.

  “Emergency Message for you Adventurer Raven!” He sat up on his hind legs as he caught his breath, “All hands to the south wall at once! Come armed!”

  Raven’s sail fell even as her eyes widened. “All hands…” She gasped, turning to me, “Ram, I’m sorry, I have to go. Whatever is happening it’s bad.” She said this in a lowered tone but some of the customers of the bakery were catching onto the situation themselves. My ears vibrated at each mutter passing between them even as I nodded to the paracrest.

  “Be safe.” I told her as she ran off. The messenger at my feet had finally caught his breath and was shivering a bit.

  “Do you know what’s going on?” I asked him, squatting down so he wouldn’t have to crane his neck so much.

  “Not as much sir.” He swallowed, “Messengers have been dispatched to retrieve all the adventurers in town. But it can’t be good right?”

  “No. You should get somewhere safe.” I told him in a hushed voice, not wanting to further alarm the people in line. Some of the customers had already left without ordering, likely sensing the threat that required all adventures to be recalled.

  I didn’t know what that threat was but in that moment I came to a decision. I was no adventurer but I did own a bow and know how to use it. I would go see what was happening at the south wall.

  ————————

  Raven snagged her staff from the boarding house she and Mazen were staying at. The people there were already alarmed but she had no time for them. She didn’t know what was going on herself, only that it was important to get to the south gate. Evidently this was not a normal occurrence there in Dacathus. It had never happened in her time up in Terath either.

  She was not the only one sprinting south along the streets of Dacathus. Several other adventurers she recognized from the guild, along with city guards, were headed that way. Normal people though, most of them were heading north. It wasn’t until she reached the gates that there was any clue as to what was going on.

  A fire elemental. People were shouting about it as they hurried north along the roads. She couldn’t see it yet but the heat was intrusive. It radiated through the wall, making her feathers prick along her skin.

  Raven followed several others up a ramp so she could see over the wall. Outside, the grasses were burning. The smoke was only starting to blanket the sky. Her nose clogged even as she pulled out cloth to help filter her breathing. It was dangerous to be up there with the billowing smoke but it was the only way to see the cause.

  The fire elemental moved between the road and the grass, dipping in and out of stationary flames. It grew as it did, it’s own orange and red glow flickering higher into the air. The core was bright blue, making it hard to tell any real shape of the thing.

  Arrows were let loose around her, either bouncing off the thing or being sucked into the burn. She steadied herself as she pulled water magic into her hands. A large ball formed as she pulled her hands apart, but before she could fire she heard Ramjack’s voice scream “STOP!” and felt his hand on her arm.

  Shocked to find him there she dropped the water at their feet, the liquid soaking into the wood of the walkway. “Wha?” Was all she could get out, some of the water turning to steam from the hot air as she faced him.

  “If it is burning that hot but not dead from it then water will just make it worse.” He explained as fast as he could, “It will turn to damaging steam or even explode, setting fire to the wall.” His eyes looked frantic as he let go of her arm.

  “Like grease?” a lizardfolk with a sling asked. “You never want to use water to put out a grease fire, it can set fire to the whole kitchen.” They added at Raven’s perplexed gaze.

  “What can we do then? It is coming closer to the gates and arrows are not stopping it.” Raven looked away, joining Ramjack in looking down over the wall.

  He coughed some, raising a hand to his nose. He didn’t have a mask and she’d been around him enough to know just how sensitive his sense of smell was. “The ground isn’t burning, just the grass. Is there someone who can do with dirt and soil like you do with water?” He stepped back, coughing more as soon as he finished his question.

  She reached over with a light healing spell to help him breath again as a robed minotaur reached the top of the ramp. “I’m an earth [Mage].” He declared, “What do we need?”

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  “Of course!” The lizardfolk jumped in excitement, reaching out to the minotaur and waving down at the fire elemental, “Just like with a grease fire the answer is the smother it! We don’t got a pot with a lid but lots of dirt and maybe some stone will put it out.”

  “Cut it off from the air.” Ramjack added once he got his breathing under control. “That will put out the flames.”

  The minotaur cracked his knuckles as he got to the edge. “This I can do. Stand back!” He reached his hands out and much like with Raven dirt began to form in his hands. It was being pulled up from the ground though as she could see the occasional bit of grass still clinging to the mound as he focused his magic.

  Ramjack unslung his bow and joined several others in a campaign of distracting the fire elemental while Raven worked on her own magic once more. She couldn’t deal with the fire elemental directly if Ramjack was right about it but the flames on the grass wasn’t nearly as potent.

  “YAA!” The minotaur screamed, launching his great ball of dirt at the thing. A cheer went up from the defensive forces as it connected, pushing the fire elemental away from the gates and dimming some of its flames.

  The earth [Mage] wove another spell as Raven focused on the grass, putting out what she could and dampening the ground close to the walls to hopefully keep it from sparking. She had a feeling Ramjack was right and that it would do nothing if the fire elemental got to those places though. It was just too hot for water to deal with.

  More arrows were let loose as the thing pulled itself free from the dirt pile. It pointed up at them, suddenly launching an attack of its own. A ball of fire came raining down upon them as Raven switched tactics. She launched her own ball to intercept, seeing it turn into steam above their heads.

  “Move back!” One of the guards ordered as the archers scrambled away.

  Raven didn’t head that order, it wasn’t for her anyway. As more fire came streaming up at them, the paracrest responded with water, hoping to keep out of the range of sudden steam. This gave the other [Mage] time to fire down several more large dirt balls.

  The elemental had one more desperate act. Even as it lay on the ground half pinned by the dirt its flames grew. She could see past the blue core into what looked like a black mass of charcoal. A physical body under the fire. It was gathering that fire though into a final jet up at them even as the minotaur fired an even bigger mound of dirt at it.

  The intense heat knocked them back. She felt feathers singing along her neck ever as the other [Mage] screamed in pain. Without thinking, and blinded by the smoke, she pushed healing magic into him before passing out herself.

  ———————

  That had been the most intense thing I had ever experienced. Being part of a crisis like this made me glad I was not an adventurer. I was handy with a bow but fighting was not my strong suit. Especially when I was worried for more than just myself.

  A [Healer] was looking after Raven. Mild burns, but the mask she’d put on probably kept her safe from worse harm. I squatted down next to her, patting her hand just to reassure myself that she was going to be ok. The minotaur laying next to her was in worse shape, more burns to his face, upper torso and hands. He was still breathing though, passed out like she was.

  Several people came up the ramp then, talloni and minotaur, carrying stretchers.

  “Where are they going?” I asked as both Raven and the minotaur were lifted.

  “Back to the Adventurer Guild clinic for treatment.” The [Healer], a middle aged looking human woman told me. She smiled gently as I stood. “Don’t worry, she should be fine. Probably wake up an another hour or two. The two of them overused their magic I’m guessing. That coupled with injury can cause a body to shut down a while.”

  I coughed again as they left. The smoke had done a good job of clogging my nose. I rubbed my still watering eyes as I headed down the ramp.

  “Hey you.” The lizardfolk adventurer called, hurrying to my side, “I don’t recognize you from the guild put you’re pretty handy. Know about dealing with elementals?”

  I turned towards him as I got to the bottom of the ramp, guards rushing past me towards the gate. “I know a little.” And even as I thought of what I knew I spun to the guards as the gate rose. “Hey, I wouldn’t move the dirt. It might still be alive under there and will just turn back into fire when exposed to air.”

  “See, right there. I wasn’t even thinking that.” The lizardfolk told me, a chuckle escaping from his scaly lips. “When you cover a grease fire it just goes out. But you’re so convinced that this won’t be the same?”

  “Because it’s not pure fire… it’s a life form that is igniting the air around it. I don’t know how better to explain that.” I had been shocked to see it when I’d come up the ramp. I didn’t know the species but I knew the classification. A ‘hostile’. Not by choice, but design. A type of life that is incompatible with your world but not to its own detriment but yours. In this case it emitted something that caught fire in the air and burned all around it without getting hurt. Fire elemental seemed a fitting thing to call it if you didn’t know the reasons.

  “So not an elemental then?”

  “Might be but that’s not what we named them back where I came from.”

  “Ooo. You’re from elsewhere then. Explains why I didn’t recognize your race. Figured you were just from Invirech or New Rome. There are types that never come around to the guild lands you know.”

  Amazing how he had jumped to the right conclusions. Maybe only those in my situation ever say things like ‘back where I came from’. Everyone else probably just name drops their city or country. “I didn’t know that. I’m still new enough to only know Dacathus at this point. If you’ll excuse me I want to get to the Adventuring Guild and see Raven. I don’t think I’m any further use here.”

  “Same for use. I’ll walk with you back to the guild. Name’s Clemersel by the way.”

  “Ramjack.” I started walking, allowing myself a chance to breath as my new companion chattered away at me.

  “Nice bow. Looked like you got some archery practice. You new in town?”

  “I’ve been here a few months now but I’m no adventurer. I’m a librarian.”

  “Really? What made you run to the wall when all hands were called then? Most people, sane, rational people, go running the other way or hunker down.”

  A chuckle escaped my lips, followed by another cough. The smoke had permeated my lungs and I expected I would be getting rid of it a bit at a time for the rest of the day. “Well, I was out having breakfast with Raven and thought I might be able to help.”

  “You were right about that. The water [Mage] probably would have launched her spells right at the thing. We’d have been in worse shape if it exploded like a grease fire.”

  “Worked in a kitchen?”

  “Yea. I’m a level 5 [Cook]. Spent two years in the trade before my [Hunter] levels kicked in and I got the bug for adventuring. I’m a level 8 [Hunter]. And what about you?”

  “Well, level 5 [Survival], 2 [Hunter] and 5 [Chronicler].”

  “Ooo. A [Chronicler]! It’s no wonder you work at the library. Still, since you’re not bad with a bow you really should think about joining the ranks and getting out in the field. The dues get you health care after all. Kinda how I got into this field. Working in the kitchens carries risk too and if you aren’t in a guild the clinics can rob you blind.”

  I hadn’t really thought of it in those terms. Medical was all part of being a citizen back home. You only had to pay if you wanted to change something about yourself. Apparently here it cost more than just taxes. “I can’t imagine it is as easy as paying a fee though..” I ventured.

  “Nah. You have to do at least one job a month. Some are really easy, like pest control. Some join the guild just for that. Hell, the job sometimes pays for the fees, though it might land you in the clinic after.”

  I was much too busy with my current job to even think about picking up side work but there was something to always having health care to fall back on.

  —————

  Raven woke slowly on a soft mattress rather than the wood walkway she last remembered. Instead of smoke-clogged air it was fresh with a hint of lavender. She breathed easy, opening her eyes to see a clinic ceiling. It looked much the same as the one back in Terath, letting her sigh in relief. Her face and neck throbbed lightly but beyond that she felt fine.

  “You’re awake.” Came a concerned voice from close by. Turning her head she saw Ramjack gazing down at her.

  “And you’re here.” She smiled.

  “I’m here too” Came a gruffer voice. Turning she saw Mazen sitting at her side. The smile got bigger.

  “Was I in bad shape or something?”

  “Nothing too bad.” Mazen told her, touching the paracrest’s shoulder with his good hand. “You might scar a little around your neck. The feathers there burned down to the skin.”

  She winced even as Ramjack gently took her other hand. “You saved that other [Mage]. He’s still asleep but the [Healer] said that if you hadn’t acted so quickly he might have ended up burning his throat and died before he could be helped.”

  Raven wriggled a little under the attention of both men, working to sit herself up without throwing off their concerned hands. “Ram, if not for you coming in with that warning I think it would have been worse. When the fire was changing on it I saw that it wasn’t pure flame. It had a core. If I’d dumped my water spells on it, there’s a chance it would have exploded like a river rock in a camp fire.”

  His ears flexed a bit in confusion even as Mazen nodded. “If you see a rookie do that once you never forget it. That hillsec lost an eye and never went adventuring again.”

  “My outsider knowledge came in handy.” Ramjack laughed, his ears going straight up, “Even if I don’t know what that does.” His eyes landed on Mazen.

  “I’m sorry our date got interrupted.” Raven sighed.

  “Not your fault. We’re still alive so we’ll get another. If you’re stuck here in the clinic for a few hours I’ll go grab us some more buns. What do you say?”

  “Get some for me too please.” Mazen added even as Raven laughed.