15 Hellfire

Gerard raised his arm and tossed a knife, piercing the archillian's eye.

*I have the mind's eye skill. I wonder how you'll fare without your sight!*

Gerard tossed another knife, but the beast protected its face with its tail. At the end of the tail, a giant mace-like knob rested on the end, similar to a dinosaur he saw in a book once.

"Those are some hard scales."

The archillian roared, and fire bellowed from its mouth.

*Nobody told me it could breathe fire!*

Gerard rolled backward, but the flames still caught him.

[This is a variant archillian. They're known to have special abilities, and some can cast spells.]

*Great.*

Gerard patted out the flames and charged forward. He picked up his sword and continued his charge.

The archillian thrust out its tail again, but Gerard side-stepped and slashed the tail. The sword sunk a third of the way into the tail, and an ear-piercing wail erupted from the archillian and bounced off the walls.

"That's quite the pair of lungs!"

The tail slapped him into the wall, knocking the wind from his lungs, and Gerard used both hands to sever the end of its tail before collapsing on the ground.

Gerard crawled to the severed tail and took a bite. The creature's blood tasted like spoiled fruit juice mixed with out-of-date milk, but he swallowed. His cracked ribs, dislocated shoulder, and burnt skin began to heal.

The archillian bounded forward, its eyes gleaming with rage.

"Those who lose their heads on the battlefield are the first to die."

Gerard waited a moment, and when a spark of flame appeared in the depths of its mouth, Gerard kicked its mouth shut and pierced through its jaw with his sword. Unable to open its mouth, the flames travelled through its nasal cavity, and it shuddered as the flames weaved their way through its skull and cooked its brain.

[You have gained 19,500 experience. Your base stats have increased. 10,700 experience until you reach level 11.]

*I guess that's okay. Better than the researchers, but this thing almost killed me twice.*

Gerard spat blood from his mouth.

It took over an hour, but Gerard dragged the archillian out from the mines.

"You-you really did it!" The dwarf from before inspected the creature's corpse.

"Yeah. Nobody said it was a variant, though. The thing almost burned me alive."

"Burned? Variant? We had no idea. I'll do as you asked, and if you need anything more, we'll do what we can."

[You gained a spell: inconclusive data. Reworking spell to suit undead and humanoid races.]

*Sprite?*

[Archillian's breath of arcane fire has been converted into Hellfire.]

[You have gained the spell: Hellfire.]

[Hellfire - light a fire beneath a large targeted area, as hot as the fabled flames of hell.]

"Sir?"

*Woah, woah, woah. Doesn't that sound a lot more dangerous than the breath of arcane fire? How does that conversion work?*

"Sir?"

[The power output of the archillian's breath was akin to the human spell, Hellfire.]

"Excuse me, sir!"

Gerard looked at the worried dwarf.

"Sorry, what?"

"I'm ready to use Transference on you if you're ready."

"Oh, yes. Go ahead."

"Transference!" The dwarf touched Gerard.

Gerard watched as the world swirled into a single colour. Gravity turned itself on its head. It felt like he was being squeezed through a tiny hole, and all his bones broke before his body turned to jelly.

The world appeared back in his vision. He now stood five steps from where he was.

"That was-" Gerard wretched, and his stomach contents hit the ground, splashing everywhere.

The blood from the archillian was the first to come up. Then the stew from earlier.

"Blood? Are you okay? Oh, gods, I've killed you!"

"No, no. I'm okay. See?" Gerard waved his arms around, but the extra movement caused him to vomit again.

"You might not be dying, but I don't think you're okay. We shouldn't do that again."

*Sprite?*

[You haven't learned it.]

"No. Again. Where's your brother?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Do it before I change my mind."

"Kherim, get over here!"

One of the men over by a couple of mine carts grunted before walking over.

"What do you want, Bherim?"

"Use transference on him." Bherim pointed at Gerard.

"A person? A weak human, of all things? Why?"

"You're half-human yourself, Kherim. He took care of that blasted lizard, and all he wants as payment is for us to use transference on him."

"You're weird for a human, human."

"Name's Gerard, not human."

"Don't care. Grit your teeth. Transference!"

Again, the world twisted into what seemed like a melting oil painting. When his consciousness returned, he woke up in his room at the inn, Fletch standing over him.

[You've learned the spell: Transference.]

"Finally." Gerard coughed.

His throat felt like it had been stung by bees.

"My thoughts exactly. First, you kill a variant archillian, and then you ask the Rim brothers to use magic on you that they use to transport ore. Did that lizard break your brain or something?"

*I actually fried its brain, not the other way around...*

"Ah, no. I was just curious. Magical research and all that."

"Well, you're alive. Here." Fletch grabbed a jug of water from the writing desk and handed it to Gerard.

Gerard sculled the water until not a drop remained.

"Those brothers thought they killed you and called many people to help. I told them about your request for their help building defences for our village, and they were more than happy to help."

"Everything worked out, then."

"You're a curious fellow, Gerard. The hunters, Trent, and even the rim brothers. They're all looking out for you as one of our own. Next, you'll have the blacksmith and her daughter helping you out." Fletch laughed.

"My past is a little... difficult, to say the least. I won't bring any trouble here; I just want this to be a place to call home. A safe place."

"I figured. You're not the only one here hiding from something. So long as you pull your weight, you're welcome here for as long as you need to."

"Thank you. I'd like to get some rest now, though." Gerard rolled over and pulled the blanket over his face.

"You've been unconscious for three days already, though."

"Three days?!" Gerard sprung to a seated position.

His stomach grumbled.

"Yes. Come with me, and you can try some of the jerky Trent is making from the archillian. It isn't quite ready, but it sure is delicious. Better than those wolves."

"Well, I'm not going to fight another if I don't have to. I almost died."

"Wouldn't ask you to." Fletch grabbed Gerard by the collar and dragged him into the inn's dining area. Cheers drilled into Gerard's ears.

Gerard refilled his stomach after the event with the 'Rim' brothers while he recounted the tale of slaying the beast in the mines, one that would be remembered by the villagers for the rest of their lives.