I remember screaming. I remember rolling on the ground trying to put the flames out. I remember stopping and realizing I was fine and not on fire. I remember the amused and childish laughter from the spectral dragon literally rolling on the floor laughing at me.

[Ahahaha! Oh wow that was great, you should have seen your face.] He paused and caught his breath. [oh man, it's been so long since I've seen a human, I forgot you always freak out when you get bonded.] He chuckled a bit and followed me as I climbed to my feet.

"Hilarious, what exactly are you?" I waved my hand through him and it seemed not to faze him at all. "Some sort of ghost haunting the sword?" I brushed myself off and started shoving gear back in the packs not touching the sword.

[A ghost?! How dare you?!] It flew up near my face and shot a few harmless sparks at me. [I am a spirit guardian! Chosen to remain here after death to guard and guide humanity against the darkness. You should be on your knees thanking me for revealing myself to you.]

"Guiding and guarding humanity huh? I thought the elf found you in an old dungeon or something" I smirked as I picked up the sword and hopped in the saddle. "Lot of good you're gonna do from an old ruin." I stabbed the sword high into the wooden wall next to me high enough where no one could see or reach it. "Good luck with that. See ya around." I grabbed the reins from the other horses and continued down the alley.

[Human! How dare…wait. Please?] I stopped and turned surprised at the sudden desperate change in his tone. [You're right. I was trapped and abandoned in that ruin hundreds of years ago.] He sighed and landed on a barrel and laid his head in his arms. [All the others got chosen and bonded. I was the last one. None of the knights wanted a copper dragon as their companion. We're not that strong and we hate fighting.] He sighed and a ghostly tear rolled down his cheek fading into sparks when it hit the barrel.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before turning the horse around. "Look I didn't' mean to hurt your feelings. I'm new here." I noticed his odd look. "New to this world, someone pulled me here from my world and I'm just trying to survive. If you promise not to fake burn me anymore I'll take you with me." I smiled gently at him. "I think we could both use some friends." I reached up and pulled the sword from the wall.

He wagged his tail and smiled at me. [Well if you promise not to look so funny and flammable I think I can resist.] He flew over and landed on the head of the horse looking over at me. [Thank you….you're a lot better than the elf. Glad I didn't bond to him, he was such a smug asshole.]

"Yeah that's what I thought too. Now let's get outta here." I turned the horses down the alley and returned to the street. I continued out towards the gate where i vaguely remembered entering the town. "I wonder what happened to those three. Maybe I'll see them again." As I passed a fountain I saw someone I recognized. A sneaky looking character, all in black with a sack thrown over his shoulder.

"Well son of a bitch, he got away. Hey Derel, keep an eye on that guy for me. Don't lose him." I pointed and singled out the man in black and urged my horses forward slowly.

[Derel? Ooh a nickname, I've never had one of those.] He flew up and circled above me. [I've got him, he's not getting away from us….who is he anyways?] He continued circling and guiding me. [Looks like an unsavory sort.]

"Someone who stole from…friends of mine." I moved forward slowly so as to try not to attract attention. "Just curious, how far does this mind talking work? Can anyone see or hear you?" I shifted the sword uncomfortably in my lap. "I kind of wish this came with a sheathe."

[Basically as long as your near the sword we can communicate. I can't get too far from it unfortunately. ] He dipped low and did a flip. [ I can only show myself to people if you let me. Oh and if you hold the sword to your back and let go, it should stick to your armour.]

I reared back a bit surprised. "Well now, that seems like useful information." I lifted the sword and lifted it over my shoulder and slowly let it go. I felt a snap and felt the weight of it on my back. "Wow very useful. Anything else I should know?"

[Yeah, a few more things. Maybe we should talk about before your friend here gets away.] I felt the sarcasm in his voice and looked to see the man shoving and hurrying his way through the crowd and glancing back at me. "Son of a bitch! Don't lose him!" I urged the horses farther and thanked my granduncle for teaching me as a kid how to ride. People started shouting and moving out of our way so the horses wouldn't crush them.

[Oh boy high speeds chase!] Suddenly the theme song to Indiana Jones was playing in my head. [Huh, you have weird music in your head.] I lost my concentration on the fleeing thief and looked up at him. "You can read my mind too?" I asked. I wasn't comfortable with a mischievous dragon with access to my mind. [Not really, just surface thoughts. When I said theme music that popped up and I just sent it back to you.]

"Hmm my own private I-pod. Nice" I checked myself. "Wait can he hear me?...BAAA NANAA NAA NANA NAAA!" When he didn't reply I chuckled to myself and continued with the chase. "We've got him on the run, he's got nowhere to run. If he goes through the gates I'll have him easily"

Unfortunately that's when he decided to do a flip and jump to the nearest house, climb over it and start running. "Dammit what the hell was that?!" I reined in the horses and turned to chase him, thundering down another small street and watching his shadow between the houses. [Make a left, now a right. He's heading towards the river. Hey who are they?] I followed his directions and turned the final corner just in time to see him land in a group of similarly dressed men with clubs knives and crude axes. My horse reared and ran with the others, and I toppled off but managed to land on my feet.

"Oh shit" said the man in black cockily while drawing a wicked looking dagger.

"Oh shit…" I said drawing the blade slowly off my back.

[Oh shit.] said Dereloth echoing in my mind.

"Oh horsies!" said a high pitched voice from behind me.

As one I and the thieves turned to see Mellie, Rula and Braga coming out of the alley, weapons drawn. Rula lowered her axe and stared hard at me. "Is…Lad is that you?! We left ye for a few minutes and ye turn into a frigging knight?! What happened?!"

"Lookin good human, hey maybe we picked the right guy after all?" Braga chuckled as she tied the reins to a tree and drew her massive sword and stalked forth. "but maybe you could save some of them for us?"

Mellie stared at me as she approached keeping a crossbow twice her size trained at the thieves. "Wow you look good, so shiny. Are you a wizard smith?! Can you make me some magic armor?! I want it to be black and pink and lacy!"

[Interesting friends you have. that little one scares me] Derel floated down in front of her and stared. [Seriously how is she holding that thing?]

"Maybe we can discuss this after?!" I shouted I held the sword in a two handed grip in front of me, and the thieves started spreading out into a semicircle to our left. We ended up facing them, our group with our backs to the streets and them with the river at their backs. "Nowhere to run too. Just give back the money and we can forget all abo-"

"Get them!" I heard one of them shout before a wave of steel and iron charged at me.