By the time the trio started walking, the sun had already begun to set. Seamus insisted that they make camp so they would have enough energy to make the trip to Flanders.
"Why are we quartering so far from the water?" Davy asked inquisitively, "Wouldn't we be in greater danger closer to the swamp, where all manner of wicked creatures live?"
"Y'ain't gotta be worrying about no swamp creatures", Seamus replied , looking weary, "It's those gators you gotta be on the lookout for. They'll come out the water, eat yer baby."
"I see..." Davy whispered, looking unsure.
"Gators kinda look like my boy Rico over here, 'cept they can't talk or walk on two legs, and they got nasty teeth," Seamus explained proudly.
Davy was still apprehensive about talking to Rico. He knew the lizard-man meant no harm, but he was still getting used to his appearance.
The two finished unpacking their gear and took seats on the ground, inviting Davy to do the same. They each got busy; Rico stared down at some sort of journal, drawing and taking notes of their surroundings, while Seamus unhooked the basket on his hip and rummaged through its contents, pulling out six crimson stones. A faint glow shone from them, scattering through his fingers.
"What are those?" Davy inquired innocently.
"Fire stones!" exclaimed Seamus excitedly, "they can keep ya warm in winter, but they can also blow your arm off if y'ain't careful."
He laid the stones on the ground in a hexagonal pattern and pulled a dark metal pot from his bag, placing it on top of the stones. He then reached into one of the pockets in his pack, revealing a container wrapped in canvas and sealed tight at the lid, which he promptly opened and poured its contents into the pot. A pleasant aroma emanated from it, causing Davy's mouth to water. He was completely famished, and he began fantasizing about what foreign cuisine he was about to try.
"This here's some beans," Seamus said nonchalantly, showing Davy the jar's contents, "gonna use the stones to cook em up."
He did not bother asking Seamus how the stones worked; he simply observed, wondering if he would strike them with steel like they had in his country; But Seamus's next actions put his theories to rest, further muddling his already foggy understanding of the foreign land. Instead of performing some mechanical action, Seamus simply stared at the stones while whispering gibberish to himself.
Suddenly, visible vapour escaped from under the pot. Davy looked on incredulously, eyes wide open.
"That'll do it. Just gotta wait for the beans to warm up and —," He was cut off.
"Pardon me for a moment!" Davy exclaimed, "but how is that possible?"
"You sure are strange boy," Seamus said, shooting the boy a grin, "taught myself a little fire magic, so I just gotta say the right words and they sparkle. simple as."
"Yes, of course, tis just a bit fire magic. Nothing unusual about that," he thought sarcastically.
Davy wiped the stupid look off his face as he tried to reconcile the situation.
"This is not just a foreign land from which I may return form. This is an entirely different world."
The idea of never returning home disturbed him greatly. What would his family think?
"Alright, time to eat," Seamus said, handing Davy a wooden bowl.
After finishing his meal, he returned the empty bowl to Seamus with two hands.
"Goa," Seamus spoke softly, but with firm diction.
A burst of flame erupted from his hand, embers floating aimlessly into the night sky. There was nothing left of the bowl to see, stunning Davy.
"Can't leave something they might find, ya know? Rico, give me yours."
Seamus summarily incinerated both his and Rico's bowls. Davy pondered his words, deducing quickly that these men were more than they seemed. Still, neither of their dispositions struck him as dishonest.
"Now, get some rest. Got a lotta walkin' tomorrow, and the next, and the one aft..." Seamus whispered quietly, trailing off on the end of his sentence.
#
He awoke to the sound of rummaging, and, looking beside him, he saw Seamus and Rico finishing up packing their gear. It was still dark. This was the sixth morning of their journey.
He rose to his feet, wiping the dried mud off his lap, and glanced at Seamus, who caught his gaze.
"Hey, you're finally awake!" Seamus shouted, "No time for breakfast. If we leave now, we'll make it to Flanders around lunchtime."
Davy contemplated the two men walking in front of him. They walked with purpose, so it seemed to him like they weren't just wandering aimlessly, but they certainly weren't heading to Flanders on vacation, even he could tell that. Davy was extremely perceptive, but people still confused him sometimes. It seemed that these two were straightforward, though, and he liked that.
"Why does it seem like you are both fleeing from something?" He spoke, not a hint of trepidation in his tone.
It took a moment for Seamus and Rico to register what he had just said, but they continued walking. Neither of them spoke up for what seemed like an eternity to Davy, but Seamus eventually reneged, sighing. Rico glanced at him, letting him go first.
"Well...it's kind of a long story."
"No matter, we have all day," Davy replied well-meaningly.
"I'll jus' give you the short version."
Seamus cleared his through to speak.
"So, basically, I ran into some trouble back in Vollachia, and a certain noble family is pissed beyond measure," he continued, "They sent some people after me, but I don't think they'll follow me into Flanders. Lugunica's a different country ya know?"
"Lugunica...I see," Davy noted.
"And your friend Rico...how did you make acquaintances?"
"That's far simpler," he replied, looking like a burden had lifted.
"We have similar circumstances," Rico began, taking Seamus's cue, "I'm a thief, but I never hurt anyone, never got caught. Walked in on a murder in progress and got blamed for it. Seamus found me by the river. I'd already been running for two days."
Davy took in the information he received and contemplated it.
"They are not telling me everything, but I don't think it out of fear."
"Some things are better left unsaid; It was written on his face..."
The city walls were now but a few meters away. Ever since they left the swamp, their travel was expedited. Trudging through mud was problematic; their feet frequently got stuck, and they could never walk in a straight line, but after exiting the forest, the paved road allowed them to travel unhindered. They had finally made it after an entire week.
In between two towers stood a massive gate. Only two guards were stationed on the ground level, and the rest were seemingly up in the towers. The walls themselves made of some kind of yellow stone. He'd never seen anything like it on earth, but, then again, he wasn't aware of swamps or gators, so perhaps they had those too.
"If men can conjure flames at their fingertips, perhaps they can build even large structures without mortar or concrete." he though naively.
Magic could accomplish many things thought impossible to earthly men, but the bill always comes due, and the house takes their cut. Davy fantasized about the experiments he wanted to conduct, asking every question he could think of. What manner of secrets could he unlock with the benefit and convenience of magic?
The trio arrived just before the checkpoint, and the guard on the right halted them.
"What is your reason for entering the city?" asked the guard.
Seamus spoke up confidently, "We're here to trade with the merchants, got a big haul ya know?" he chuckled.
"Very well. I'll need to see your merchant's license." The guard replied sternly.
Seamus rolled his eyes and slipped the guard a silver coin.
"Take yer money. Don't got time for this."
The guard smirked through the visor of his helmet, clearly satisfied with his fleece. He signaled the guards in the tower with his hand, and the guard slowly lifted.
"I have only seen scoundrels like that living in the sewers," Davy commented, "It cannot be like this everywhere, can it?"
Seamus sighed, his eyes meeting the ground. "It's so much worse than you think, kid."
The two began to walk through the gate, but Rico didn't follow. His gaze was fixed on the ground, as if contemplating.
"Seamus, this is where I get off." He stated matter of factly.
"Eh, hate to see you go so soon," he patted the lizard man on the shoulder, "I hope we meet again, though. Was kind of cool having you around and stuff."
Davy stole a glance at Seamus, but right as he looked back, Rico had already made himself scarce
"He lives up to his profession, I suppose." he joked, "I shall hope we see him again—perhaps in a more legitimate line of work."
Davy did not know what to expect of Flanders; no, he expected to be blown away, but this was something else. The ginormous metal gate gave way to a sprawling bazaar. The main road was ten meters wide, and on either side were hundreds of poky little booths, each with their own quaint looking characters all bartering something you'd never heard of. Wolf people, lizard-men, and even bunny-men; they all haggled for odds and ends in this city. There were fewer buildings than he imagined, and instead of blocks, large plazas littered the place. The booths weaved between buildings and sometimes themselves, creating a labyrinth.
"Incredible. Simply incredible."
Unabashed excitement bubbled up inside his chest, anticipating the sights and experiences he would accumulate on his adventure. Any latent anxiety that afflicted his adolescent heart was now forfeit.
"Seamus!" he shouted with youthful exuberance, catching Seamus off guard.
"Y-Yeah? He replied tentatively.
"Everything will be fine, you see." Davy smiled and let out a giggle.
Seamus shrugged returned his gaze to the road, slightly amused. They had walked for five minutes now, and he had a good idea of their surroundings. All the buildings, and even the roads, were made of limestone. He figured the walls were also made of this stone.
"I should definitely run an experiment on that stone. Perhaps it yields a useful secret?
Now that Davy was thinking about his future, he considered what he could do without Seamus. The signs on the merchant's booths were unreadable, so becoming an amanuensis was out the question.
"Hey kid, whatcha gonna do when we get to the capitol?" Seamus asked, as if reading his thoughts.
"I don't know. I have no family or friends. My skill set is very esoteric, so I think finding a job will be almost impossible."
Seamus frowned at him and took pity. Davy had nowhere to go and no ambition or drive by which to orient himself in this new world.
"Well, you can always stick with me," he replied reassuringly, "There's a place for you somewhere—always is."
Davy smiled, and the excitement he felt before returned, his gaze meeting the road.
"I leave it up to you now, Lord."
The architecture of the buildings became more dilapidated as they continued their stroll. Windows were boarded up, and there were children in rags loitering on the street. They looked completely haggard, their eyes sunken and arms frail. Davy had seen poverty like this before, but in his land, churches performed charity work, keeping the streets relatively clean. Here, it seemed like they were urchins, roaming and scrounging for scraps just to survive.
After another hour, all the buildings were either abandoned or condemned, the road was now dirt with little weeds scattered about. Dusk had crept its way in, and the sky was now painted various hues of orange and red, filtering through the cirrus clouds.
"So will we camp outside the city?" Davy questioned.
"Yeah. From there it should be another three days of travel. We'll be able to take a wagon on the road." Seamus replied optimistically.
"Splendid, I can't wait to finally—"
Seamus grabbed him by the cravat and tossed him to the ground. Stunned, Davy looked up and saw him parrying a curved dark blade with his hatchet, his pack lying on the ground. His eyes then drifted to the party responsible for the surprise attack; a voluptuous woman in extremely revealing clothing. Every part of her face bore a seductive visage, dark purple eyes rosy lips, and leery eyes.
"What a tempting woman!" he shouted in his mind.
She was shorter than Seamus by a whole head, and Davy was only a little shorter than him; Yet, despite her stature, her presence foisted an unshakeable fear in his heart.
"Dumb bitch...hggk...shit!" Seamus parried her strike and immediately followed up with a slash from his hatchet.
"That's not way to talk to someone you just met, is it?" she inquired seductively.
They both moved inhumanly fast. Davy could barely evince their movements, exchanging blows quicker than his eyes could even perceive. Still though, it was clear that they were evenly matched; all he could do was watch them go. Seamus fought like an artist waxing freely, letting the weight of his hatchet strikes carry him along like a brush on a canvas. He treated battle like a dance, captivating Davy with its beauty.
Meanwhile, however, the woman fought like a feral animal; her strikes were wicked and brutal like a feral animal.
"It's time to go kid! The guards can't handle her, she'll slaughter 'em all. Jus' run and don't look back!" Seamus screamed, his voice hoarse with exertion.
"But what about you, how will you make it to the capitol!" Davy exclaimed desperately.
"I'll find my own way home, son," Seamus let out in resignation, "this is what I deserve."
Davy looked at himself, clothes still stained with mud.
"GO! I ain't gonna ask twice!"
Davy finally rose to his feet and darted away from the scene, tears welling up; their saltiness irritated his eyes, and he felt the weight of an unbearable sadness overtake him. This man who rescued him from the slough of despond was now giving his life for a kid he just met a week prior. The impropriety of the ordeal disturbed him.
He had never exerted himself physically, but over the past week, the walking had made him resistant to fatigue. Regardless, the weight of his heart stayed his feet. He wished so badly that he could return and rescue his new friend, but he could not betray his final wish. Seamus would spend his last moments practicing his beautiful art, and he probably wouldn't have had it any other way.
"I will not forget you, Seamus. I will make it up to you, with interest." he whispered, choking up on his own tears, chuckling in vain at his last statement.
Before he could even make it five blocks, he lost his balance and felt on his back. He looked down and saw blood gushing from below his waist.
Everything from the knee down was gone.
"GhhAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" He wailed as his eyes met with reality.
The temptress had caught up with him and was now staring directly into his eyes with a terrible smile.
"My oh my! So young and handsome. What a waste...I would've eaten you right up!" she licked her lips lasciviously.
Davy studied her appearance. Even in his last moments, he was systematizing the world, though his head was light and his body cold.
"I wasn't told about the man, but he may have bested me in a fair fight...but it was not a fair fight. He was certainly fun, but he was not the target." she lamented facetiously.
I would've loved to see your bowels...but I think I would have enjoyed ravishing you instead! To taste you! To—She trailed off, giggling.
Despite bleeding to death and experiencing unfathomable agony, his thoughts were lucid, and he took in his surroundings, fusing the sparse and unfiltered information into usable data. The woman's salacious comments on his appearance did not flatter him; he could not tell if she was being genuine. He received looks from women, but he was always too caught up in his thoughts to pay them any mind. "Books to read, experiments to run!" He always thought.
"I shall die..." He finally awoke to the reality of circumstances, snapping out of his lucidity.
"I shall die! I shall die! I shall die! Oh, I shall die...and for what?"
"Seamus gave his life, and now I shall perish too? May he not rest in peace?
"C-curse me! Fool that I am!"
"I let a man give his life for mine, and now we shall both die in vain."
"I have failed you, Lord! How slothful am I!"
He felt the end approaching. The edge of his vision became darker like shadows slowly encroaching on the daylight, filling the world with endless night. He shivered as though heat of his fiery soul was slowly leaking out of his wound. The woman stood over his sprawled-out body, looking like she had discovered a new organism. She was still smiling.
"My god, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
His last thought echoed into oblivion never to be heard by anyone or anything.
#
His eyes opened, and the limestone road stared back at him. He rubbed his sockets, making sure he wasn't dreaming. Just like when he awoke in the swamp, he concluded that what he saw was reality.
"THIS IS MADNESS!" he screamed crazily; eyes bloodshot.
He paid no attention to the pedestrians shooting him sour looks.
"What's the matter with you, kid!" Seamus interrogated, grabbing him by the shoulders.
Davy couldn't move. He was still busy figuring out how he ended up casted in the tragedy of the century. He could still remember the agony in his legs, the frigid, prickly feeling of losing blood, the feeling of his consciousness slipping into eternity. The terrible images played back in his mind. They were all real, and he was smart enough to figure that out right away. He returned to the point before they entered the slums.
"Y-yes, Seamus, I didn't mean to startle you. You'll have to ffff-forgive mmm-e."
He hesitated to apologise. He couldn't forgive himself for letting Seamus die, let alone in vain. Now he was back, but how? And why?
"Ok, son, let me know if somethin's botherin' you." he uttered, still slightly worried.
Davy gained his composure. He was back. He had returned to this point for a reason.
"Even suffering is enjoyment, after all."
Resuming their pace, they walked for another hour, just like before. Everything was the same. The little wretches loitered around the streets, the people looked drained of their dignity, and the sun perched on the horizon as if begging to be chased. Davy stopped just before entering the slums.
"Seamus,"
"Yeah?" he asked.
"You will have to trust me and not ask questions."
"Well, that's a bit creepy...better not have anything to do with your noble status."
"I am not a noble! My father was a woodcarver!
Davy cleared his throat and retreated into his mind.
"He was certainly fun, but he was not the target," he replayed the assassin's words from his memory.
His eidetic memory let him recall events perfectly. When the woman caught up to him, she showed no signs of injury, but that did not add up with what he witnessed before that, or what she said herself.
"I wasn't told about the man, but he may have bested me in a fair fight...but it was not a fair fight."
He had witnessed Seamus's incredible skill with the hatchet. There was no way he could have lost so one-sidedly. The woman even admitted the possibility of defeat; Additionally, she didn't expect him to be there, meaning she hadn't been following them for long at all.
"It seems she was not privy to Seamus before immediately meeting him. She must have approached ahead of where we were walking...that is good to know."
"In a fair fight..." Davy pondered.
"She admits to the possibility of losing, meaning Seamus could have landed enough blows to kill her, but when she shows up, she bears no wounds..."
Davy rubbed his chin, engrossed deep thought, feeling like he was onto something.
"No, she must have been wounded."
"If men can conjure flames at their fingertips, then perhaps it is not foolish to think they may heal faster than normal humans..."
"Thats's it!" Davy shouted, startling his dear friend.
"Yes?" Seamus replied, annoyed at his outburst.
"Seamus, there is an assassin after me. She can heal her wounds very quickly. In an extended confrontation, you will lose." he stated confidently.
"uhhhh..."
"I don't know why, but it's not because she wishes to defile me—I'm certain of that,"
"O..kay?" He let out, even more confused, "but if I can't beat em—her, then who can?"
"I figure she cannot be bested in a battle of attrition, but a sneak attack or sudden overwhelming force should do well." Davy surmised.
Davy knew he needed to catch the woman off guard, but she was an assassin—that would be like foreclosing on the bank. Davy was not trained in any combat discipline. He only knew how to fire and reload a musket, and even understood the principles of firearms. None of those skills would help him here, though.
He recalled Seamus's use of fire magic to destroy their leftover bowls.
"The fire stones," he let out.
"Yes, those might generate an explosive force strong enough to severely injure or even kill the assassin."
"Seamus, how powerful would an explosion from all of the stones be?" he quizzed, glancing curiously at the still confounded man.
"Enough to blow yer arm off, but it ain't nothing special, really."
Seamus's words cut through his enthusiasm like a needle to a balloon. The stones would not be enough alone. He only thought of them as a weapon because of a rumor he heard from his schoolteachers. A bakery in Italy had been destroyed by an explosion that swept throughout the inside, injuring two people. They had been tossing flour like normal, only it was dryer outside than usual, and it was the first time they used a lamp inside. He thought the explosion might have been caused by the flour dust meeting the lamp. It did occur indoors, and if the dust was scattered, then it would seem like the air had ignited. He recalled the wooden bowls embers floating towards the night sky.
"Of course!" he exclaimed, basking in his own genius.
#
The duo traced their previous route, sticking closer to the buildings this time. The assassin would not be able to attack them as easily as she did out in the open.
"You sure this'll work, kid?"
"Have faith, my friend."
"Don't let me down or it'll all be for nothing," Seamus muttered as he left Davy alone.
Davy's plan was simple, but by no means safe. Seamus had parted with Davy and snuck into one of the abandoned houses. After drawing the assassin out, he would run to Seamus's location. This was the hard part, and it relied on him being able to reach the house without getting killed, but he figured this woman liked to play with her food, so he was slightly comforted. The last part of his plan was a long shot, but it was all he had.
"Oh, voluptuous temptress who prowls the streets, come out! Come out!"
"My, my, you'd been expecting me? You have my attention...but also—"
Her honey like voice vibrated his eardrums, sending a chill down his spine.
"Yes, yes, I know, but if you want me, you'll have to catch me," he said sarcastically.
"All is well then, all is well!" she howled excitedly before jumping off a rooftop.
Her blade almost sliced his ear off, but he was expecting the attack, so he narrowly dodged and ran between two buildings. Her speed was incredible, hopping from rooftop to rooftop effortlessly, laughing all the way. Despite this, he could tell she was toying with him. His instinct had been proven correct.
After turning left through and alley, he caught sight of the house Seamus was waiting in, his eyes on the slightly open door. Saying his prayers, he mustered the last of his strength and burst into the house.
"You have nowhere left to run, boy..." she licked her lips and smiled pruriently.
"Likewise." he whispered.
Before she could turn him to mincemeat, Seamus took off from the ceiling and launched a decisive strike on her left leg. Before she even registered the injury, he dealt a collateral strike on her left arm, blood gushing as she crumbled to the floor. Davy looked at her mutilated body, she only seemed slightly uncomfortable.
"ALRIGHT BOY IT'S NOW OR NEVER!"
Seamus dove, grabbing Davy by his arm and leading out of the house before shutting the door. Now standing at a considerable distance, Davy could see the woman through the window. She looked so smug.
"Don't underestimate me, bo—," she sneered, but she would not finish that sentence.
"GOA!"
A fireball careened from Seamus's palm, breaking through the closed window.
The woman finally noticed the reflective red particles in the air.
"Oh, my! I think I'm in love!" she closed her eyes, accepting her fate.
Time stood still. Davy felt like the entire world was watching, cheering him on. He had extrapolated the science behind his plan and deemed it sound, but it would not matter if their pursuer still lived.
A moment later, his fears were to put rest.
A bright flash erupted from inside the house, but it hesitated as if waiting for permission to be released. Then, the outside air was sucked in through the broken window like the vacuum of space.
The air was set on fire.
"Guh—"
Then the shock wave hit them, sending them both flying five meters back and racking their eardrums with an unbearable ringing. After what felt like an eternity, they both stood up and looked upon the destruction.
"Ouch," Seamus muttered.
The house was completely gone. It simply was not there. Every trace of its existence had been erased from the world.
"Heat and pressure...Thermobaric detonation."
Davy's hypothesis was correct, and he had not only discovered a way to increase the yield of an explosive, but he had also obliterated his enemy. The principle was simple. In a conventional explosive, the fuel and oxidizer were premixed, so you could only use a certain amount of fuel before there was not enough oxidizer to ignite it. To solve this, you only needed to increase the size of the explosive, but the weight would eventually become impractical. Here though, Seamus's firestones were suspended in the air as dust, meaning it could use atmospheric oxygen. The explosive was 100% fuel, and it could get all the oxygen it needed from the air; The result being that a thermobaric explosive was many, many times more powerful than a conventional explosive of equal weight. Because the house was confined, the shockwave reflected several times inside, increasing yield, and as the gases cooled, the pressure dropped, thus creating a partial vacuum, increasing the damage again.
Luckily, they were far away enough to not sustain damage from the shockwave.
"Holy fucking shit, kid," he muttered, "remind me not to piss you off."
Seamus sighed in relief.
"Well, we best get going. That's gonna be someone's problem and I'd like it not to be ours."
Seamus's words did not immediately reach him; he still was reveling. His discovery allowed him a further understanding of gases and their interactions. The applications of this experiment would surely be useful, he thought.
Snapping back to reality, he answered Seamus.
"Yes, let us depart," he trailed off, feeling strangely that their relationship had not yet concluded.
Without looking back, the pair of arsonists made haste and left the outskirts of the city. They would have to hitch a carriage on the way.
#
"What is it..." he mumbled, visibly irked.
He was drunk, again. It was not like he had anything better to do. All he could do what sit around and grow old thinking about what could have been.
"Deputy Commander, a massive explosion occurred in the slums. We're not sure when exactly it happened or who was responsible, but it appears nobody was hurt."
"Ok then what's the problem?" he grumbled, running his hand through his fire red hair.
"Well—," the junior officer paused.
"That's not all, sir. We found this at the site."
He held a wicked dark blade in both of his hands.
The Deputy Commander groused, "Ah shit, here we go again."