Somewhere Someplace

The air was filled with such fiery fog. The sky was ablaze with such demonic fury, clouds of putrid smoke condensing and concentrating…becoming less like smoke and more akin to ashen clouds which, as if deathly snow, hailed strange toxic ash down upon the city below; ash that only helped fuel those nasty-red demonic fires that continued to rage, never mind all the other fires which were suddenly enhanced.

As much as denizens scrambled to save what they could, many in the outskirts had opted to simply…flee the city; the majority only took a few personal possessions along…for most were hardly able to return to their homes, having been outside celebrating in what was supposed to be Summer’s glorious day.

Shouts and calls echoed and bounced in the smoke-infested air around, some so declaring the return of they whose demonic flames had once tormented these lands for millennia after millennia in cyclic repeat. Yet even in this confusion and chaos, many knew—and dreaded in realization—that such was brought by the hands of mortal man—omens to the times ever-changing.

“OUT OF MY WAY! OUT OF MY WAY!” so shouted aloud…a fancy driver of sorts of an equally fancy carriage of a kind, being driven by rather the strange…striped equine of sorts—one that made…rather the different noises compared to conventional equines.

The evacuating denizens on the street quickly scattered away as the carriage, not stopping at all, drove right through them…without any care. “Sodomized bastard! So much space on that thing! Ugh…I hope the Great Tyrant gives you a new gaping hole!” thus the denizens hurled in futile curses.

Pants and tired breaths, the foreigner…slowly made her way down this street—or rather more to the side of it, the pavement. Her arm and shoulder…were assisting yet another denizen, one who was injured; a leg likely broken, and unable to walk on their own. She has been assisting this denizen in their journey to the outer-walls and thus outer-gates, having had rescued them herself.

Perhaps a slight tactical error on her part, since this…escorting was taking rather the time, too much so; yet…she could hardly complain at all. A life was…a life, after all.

Compared to the rest of the outskirts, this area closer to the outer-walls was…a fairly different environment, having not been nearly as hit as the rest the outskirts, let alone city. Silent…albeit relative to the prior burning zones she had been in, thus only comparatively silent.

It was full of crowded and desperate…yet not as panicked…noise. Stuffed with dozens of denizens making way to evacuate and flee, mostly women and children…for most, practically all, of the men were out and about…doing what they could. No doubt, many will never return.

Guards…despite having been largely scarce everywhere she has been so far, were…more prominent seemingly, and were keeping the fleeing denizens in check. Indeed…thus this was where so many of the guards stationed in the outskirts have flocked to: near the outer-walls, not at all towards the raging fires.

Yet…the foreigner could not necessarily…scorn such an affair too much; it was…a…sensible tactic—lest the denizens, in their panic, trample and crush each other in their attempt to escape; though, even then…they did not need this many guards to achieve such an outcome, surely.

“…I…I need…I need a break…I can’t…sorry…” the denizen murmured out, voice exhausted.

The foreigner sighed…and helped set themself down against a building’s wall.

She herself could…perhaps use one of these ‘breaks’ or whatever. Indeed…her condition was getting worse, as if paired with that of this city…worsening along with it; certainly, it was starting to feel as though her existence could simply…vanish at any moment…

Yet to prevent exactly that…she kept herself standing in place, focusing on…random things around this space.

“…you have…really been…an angel…thank you…” the denizen mumblingly remarked with a weakly smile, eyes gazing up at the foreigner, staring into her ignited own. Yet abruptly, they began to cough…rather the nasty coughs.

Indeed, even this far out in the outskirts…were those fiery scorched clouds ferrying such toxic ash, the wind blowing them ever-further from the coast and interior, towards this direction.

The foreigner stood stationary as the denizen rested, struggling to truly catch their breaths…when each taken breath stole more life than gave.

Carriages and wagons would drive on by, some stopping to offer whatever space available to those lucky, while others simply plowed straight through the common crowds…any guards nearby not doing a single thing, for such was the…arbitrary ‘privilege’ prescribed to such ‘status’ and ‘wealth’.

Yet the foreigner…her stature was certainly not straight…slightly and just barely…wobbling, as if she struggled to keep herself standing. Dizzy, her mind…struggled to keep itself from wildering; yet she forced cooperation, nevertheless.

Yet…indeed, ever since she started escorting this denizen…she was beginning to see or…vaguely perceive…something…in the corner of her eyes, A shadowy blob…trailing her on the roofs around almost. Yet…lancing her attention as she so suddenly noticed again…nothing perceivable was there…or…maybe so or maybe not?

Ugh…her mind ached far too much; truly, it was wildering…to the point that such…illusions had to be bleeding into her very essence, for even it was sensing such falsehoods.

“Alrightly…thanks…thanks…sorry for being so…so…” the denizen mumbled out.

But the foreigner simply acknowledged; “It is fine, let me help” she said, quickly helping the denizen back onto their feet, as she once again began to assist them as both recontinued making way.

Nearing closer to the outer-gates, the columns of crowded denizens intensified, yet their movements were slow; the guards were more attentive and strict in maintaining an…orderly departure. Though, quite frankly, most seemed thoroughly exhausted and fatigued—all that adrenaline having used itself bringing them this far; thus, they had barely the energy to complain. Albeit, many certainly seemed rather…angsty over the fact that their friends, families, and others were out fighting the fires…while the guards lingered here.

A guard nearby took notice to the foreigner and denizen; realizing the situation…he approached swiftly. “Halt…who’s this?” so interrogated the guard, the foreigner and denizen halting as ordered.

« … » the foreigner, keeping her cyanic ignited eyes far more evasive and reclusive from sight, tilted her head slightly; “A…person? An injured person? You have the eyes and can see, rightly?” she bluntly replied.

“Oh shucks…don’t be…rude…please…” the denizen interjected, eyes slightly glancing at the helping foreigner…not at all wanting an incident to result from such an…attitude—they were already hurt enough.

The guard, quite tired himself, simply shook-nodded his head; “Yes…I can see…but you look quite dead on the outside…you’ve been out there getting burned and dirty? I can tell…”

The denizen nodded weakly; “She’s the one who…got me…out…of that…burning building…would’ve not made it…otherwise” they remarked.

“Really now? Huh…an adventurer sort of woman, I take it then?” the guard replied and pondered, his helmet-covered eyes peering closer; “you are more the spellcaster sorts too, I take it too? What kind of spell are you casting on yourself? I only…barely noticed it…huh” he observed further, having noticed her…hardly visible…cyanic wisp-dusty skin; though, he tried to not stare too much in detail for rather…obvious reasons, conveniently enough.

“…something like that, and it is simply the alien spell from…where I come; it heals the burns…” the foreigner replied in kind, still keeping her exposed cyanic eyes as evasively reclusive as possible. Indeed, regular denizens seeing them was one matter, local security forces on the other hand…was a completely separate matter.

“Well then…let me take this one from here then…you could use a rest, surely” the guard finally said, gesturing with his armored hands.

The foreigner sighed and exchanged the denizen with the guard who took her place in helping them forward—being far more efficient at it than she was; though, she cared not to admit it.

“…glory…to you…madam! Thank you…” the denizen, using their remaining strength, said aloud with a warmful waving goodbye, the foreigner simply waving…somewhat…in kind.

That was now…the seventeenth soul she had helped save; that one in particular, she had to…storm more into the burning flames to rescue.

Even though she was attempting to ensure the opposite, she quickly found herself…gravitating towards a wall; leaning her back against, she slid down and onto the ground. Breathing…taking in this putrid smoked-infested air…her limbs and body…burned as much as the flames ablaze. Yet…she could hardly sweat, for it was as if she was…running out of sweat…or rather…the means to produce it.

“Any new word on His Excellency?” thus a guard quietly asked another, though her ears were within sufficient distance to hear.

“Besides the last writing…nothing, nothing at all; we can presume it remains the same, talks are still forward-moving” the other replied.

“…all of this waiting, we should be heading there to ensure his safety and that of his kin! Why must we stand so uselessly?” the guard interrogated in lament.

“Because we haven’t received any new words from our highers…and as the last words said, we are in a delicate situation…they are still out there… One wrong move and they will fire another…” the other replied.

“And besides, haven’t you heard the whispers?” so inserted another guard, “the inner-gates were clogged, people were crushing themselves to get out, and forced us to shut the gates for the time being…I doubt we could even get through them if we tried…”

“Which is exactly why we must be there to reinforce!” the guard declared, audibly so.

“And let the same happen here? If we allowed that, there would be no way out of this firetrap…for us especially…”

“Oh Gods’ sacred fuck you!” a denizen—a lady of sorts—passing by, having heard some of this conservation, swiftly interjected herself; “You bunch are a whole few tailless cowards! Securing the gates just for yourselves, aren’t you now?! While our husbands and sons burn trying to save our city?!” she lambasted; “disloyal cowards, how can you stand there while our realm burns?! And…and, where in all the thousand realms are those griffons already?! What is happening!?!”

The guard tsked; “You! Silence your whore of a tongue before I cut it out or dirty it myself!” he reprimanded, unsheathing his sword with threatening intent.

“How can you dirty my mouth without having even the faintest of tails?! Coward!” the denizen retaliated in kind.

The foreigner…sighed, standing herself back up. Indeed, hearing these words had seemingly reminded her…right, she was wasting time by taking this ‘break’ or whatever. There was still far too much needing to be done, and she has…kept those whom were left to handle that still burning building…for perhaps too long. She needed to return to them and…check on their status…

Without any delay and ignoring that scene at play, she swiftly began to make way back down that street whence she came.

-||-

A building. Yet another building…burning ablaze with those nasty-red flames, devouring it now more fully than before. Such was the building from which the foreigner had rescued that denizen, and thus was from where she had subsequently departed.

Yet…unlike before, the denizens were not struggling so, for indeed to struggle implied actual effort being exerted. Instead, they simply stood there, static and with such…glimmering eyes, having allowed a specific, and nascently arriving, someone to…show-off, in a way.

“Alrightly! Everyone! Back away and stay to the sides! Let the magic happen!” so shouted that specific someone with a gesturing wave. The burnt and fatigued denizens did as told, distancing themselves and standing off to the sides.

The specific someone, staff in hand and pointed at the building ablaze, took out in hand…a spellcard, one glimmering with the purest of blues and radiant colors of magic itself—pure magic, a school known for its defensive spells. With a swift glance the card dissolved into a radiant pure light-blue, eyes igniting as the signa of the arcane revealed itself.

Barely visible, but still radiant, wisp-dusty essence flowed from aura and being, flowing and streaming into the pointed staff’s tip, concentrating and becoming more potent as the staff began to ever-faintly radiate in kind.

Mind concentrating in absolute, words and code-phrases, incantations, began to be murmured in fast and swift whisper—as faintly heard as the faint essence could be discerned. Ignited eyes only became more potent as the sigil slightly expanded and responded, essence becoming more apparent.

Pointing the staff up towards the sky, with a gentle wave the accumulated wisp-dusty radiance suddenly flashed…and disappeared completely—though, it was still very much present. Strands of almost-invisible roots of essence clung to the staff’s tip as if a puppet’s string.

Only when the spell’s commands were near completion did the essence’s wisp-dusty flare so seemingly return, as the building ablaze in those nasty-red flames…suddenly found itself…entrapped within a sparkle-wispy barrier of pure magic. Sealed tightly and completely, nothing could penetrate from the outside…not sound, nor even the air.

Noticing, the denizens suppressed their urge to rejoice…just barely…as they all could see that “The demon-fire’s been contained! Haha! Glory to the Gods!” so exclaimed loudly a rejoicing denizen, others immediately joining along in a rejoicing cascade.

Making way with arriving haste, the foreigner…finally returned to this scene at play. Panting somewhat from how…fast she had been making her return, she slowed herself down…noticing the rather…different tone compared to when she was last here. Indeed…all of the denizens were standing around doing nothing but rejoicing despite having been…frantic and panicked in their efforts prior.

Then…she quickly noticed as she arrived…that specific someone—one who had not been among this collection of denizens…the last she recalled. Standing straight with determined pride, eyes ignited with a staff held straight and firm, was a freelancer mage of sorts—one of a more combat oriented kind, seemingly.

Lightly armored and with that iconic mage-cloak and pointed-hat, there truly was no mistaking such an appearance. Albeit this one’s skin…was burned somewhat from having been in such close proximity to those hot nasty-red flames, figure covered in soot and ash.

Halting in place…the foreigner lingered behind the gathered denizens…staring and peering…indeed, that stranger of a freelancer mage…seemed rather vaguely familiar, somehow. Regardless, she quickly noticed…and became…focused on…that barrier…interesting…

Ah, thus indeed…one could so magically conjure a vacuum-containment field…assuming it was even vacuum-sealed. Well played…indeed…

She approached closer…her own ignited eyes could not help but keep staring at this…strange magical barrier, one reminiscent of that ‘heavenly’ bubble she had seen all those months prior…but was still different in many ways.

“Fantastic, absolutely…but, now what?” a denizen asked.

“Now we wait” the mage replied, maintaining her focus on the barrier in front, though with a slight smirk—by no means unsatisfied with the attention she was receiving, for in her actual profession…it felt as though she could hardly shine at all.

“ ‘Wait’? What do you mean ‘wait’?” another blurted out.

“Yes, wait, this is a…pure defensive barrier spell, so it doesn’t suck out air or freeze or anything like that…all it does is a make a big magic bubble…so all we can do is wait for the demon-flames to burn out” the mage explained, her voice tired somewhat, for such spells were quite taxing, seemingly.

Interesting…and clever too, repurposing that…so-called ‘defensive barrier’ spell for…improvised fire-containment; if this barrier was anything like that ‘holy’ bubble she had seen before, then no doubt…it was denying the entry of air…thus forcing those nasty-red flames to eat all the remaining oxygen entrapped within, and once exhausted, the flames would extinguish themselves. Though, the caveat would be the accumulation of that…charged smoke and toxic residuals…which would be unleashed all at once as soon as that barrier were to fade.

Nevertheless, the foreigner sighed in relief…now she and the rest did not have to worry about this burning building…nor its collapse; it was contained. Yet…such did not excuse…something that was, perhaps rather frankly, starting to irritate her.

“You all! Why are you standing and doing nothing! Act, now! Time, you all are wasting!” the ever-approaching foreigner shouted, commandingly so, capturing the denizens’ attention.

“Oh! Oh! Hey! Climber, you’re back!” a denizen hailed…before coughing quite so; “that was fast of you…but-but look! A freelancer showed up! She…she made a magic barrier!”

Indeed, these denizens with whom she has been trailing along…were becoming rather familiar with her presence, bestowing upon her…their own ‘names’ and such.

“Yes. I have eyes which can see, and now you are not needed here anymore; this building is fine; so move and act! There is too much to be done!” the foreigner replied, sternly and authoritatively; her tone of voice was sharp enough to pierce their spines—never mind her ignited eyes.

“Rightly right! Yeah…you bunch, pick up those buckets and go fetch more”—nasty coughing interrupted—“more…water! Come on you men, get back to it! Fires are only spreading!” thus announced a denizen, clapping his hands in chop-chop.

The denizens around quickly acknowledged and dispersed with flaring shouts, swiftly returning to the…work at hand…and there was still so much needing to be done. Hardly any progress had truly been made; for every improvement, everything seemed to become ever-worse.

Interrupted, the freelancer mage faintly ughed; “Tch…what do you know? Another…Far West alien bitch…what? Commanding the men of our lands…pfft and they actually listen even after what just happened…peh…wonder who she thinks she is…pfft…show-killer” the mage’s breaths muttered quietly while her eyes remained fixated on the barrier, slightly annoyed by the sudden buzz-kill…even though…such was the most sensible thing to do—she herself, in fact, was planning on saying the same thing, which was, perhaps, exactly her problem.

A few denizens lingered around…the foreigner herself, of course, being one of those…lingering few, in spite of her own words. Curious, she approached closer to the mage…still unable to shake…that strange sense of vague familiarity—one so vague it was more of a hunch that…maybe this whoever was somewhere in her recent memories.

“Goodly done and…very smart also, I think…” the foreigner remarked, approaching from behind, standing close enough…retaining slight distance; “just…have caution, once that…ehm…bubble, once it goes away…all of the burning smoke and ash may…burst” she added.

Yet the freelancer tsked lightly, now even more annoyed; the last thing she wanted was to conversate with this…buzz-killer. “Yeah, yeah, thank you so much for telling me the obvious!” the mage said aloud with faint sarcasm, her ignited eyes lancing in a glaring stare right to the foreigner behind…yet only to freeze in a pause, eyes widening.

The foreigner too…froze in place as both their ignited eyes met each other’s own, peering as the frontside of this mage was finally exposed. A strange feeling entered her being. Pinned firmly on this mage, she saw, was an…unmistakable badge from an equally unmistakable institution. This mage…was not only a freelancer, but also an adventurer—Iron-rank, seemingly.

And not just any adventurer, this one…the foreigner realized instantly…was one of the many angry fellows who had been present on that…peculiar day. She could tell from the attire and especially voice…now that she was up close. Indeed…this one was among those many against whom she herself had so thieved.

The foreigner had just entrapped herself in…what was most certainly going to be rather the unpleasant interchange, for indeed…the last time she had encountered this adventurer mage of sorts…never mind all the rest…had not been a pleasant exchange.

The mage stared with such widened ignited eyes…her head tilting, her raspy breaths tensing. “W-wh…who? Who the fuck are you? What…are you?” so abruptly interrogated the mage in more a blurt of thoughts, her demeanor changing completely; “those aren’t normal caster-eyes…not at all…too strong, way too strong…you are no spellcaster” she remarked with heavy breaths.

« … » immediately, the foreigner tilted her head…confused, dumbfounded almost, not at all expecting this to be the response.

Seriously? Though…right…her face…it was completely exposed for all to see; right…no local had ever seen her full maskless face. Yet…her voice and accent were the same, and this one had surely heard them before? Granted, there was far too much happening right now for most to truly attend to such details, and…denizens were not nearly as sensitive to voices as she was.

Regardless, this adventurer mage could not identify her…and…she wanted to keep it that way. It was rather odd that the foreigner was even concerned about something so…mundanely stupid, for it mattered little, objectively, if this adventurer could identify her; but nevertheless…

« I am…nobody of relevance, uhm…sorry to say though maybe not really, » she finally replied, switching tongue and accent. Indeed, no local besides…save one specific denizen…had ever heard her speak this specific language.

The adventurer mage tilted her head ever-more; “…rightly then…cute face…weird tongue…permanent mage-eyes…clearly a mistress from above…” she remarked aloud, her head nodding somewhat; “but…I clearly recall you speaking in…sensible tongue, even if I couldn’t hear too well, so…why the change?” she inquired, before panicking slightly; “D-did…did you hear w-what…I whispered, by chance?”

The foreigner head-shook a « Negative, » she began to reply, « I said nothing interesting, nor did I hear anything relevant; and since I am able to see that you have this situation under your control, I shall withdraw to handle other matters… »

The adventurer mage lightly nodded away; “…duhuh…alrightly, well…then, you, uhm…whoever, respectfully I ask you to…stop distracting me…I have to focus on upkeeping this barrier…before my mana is eaten dry” she replied, her focus returning to the barrier; “…and sorry for…my words, I’m a bitch…I admit, so…don’t curse me, thanks…”

The foreigner stepped back and quickly departed away; indeed, that entire exchange was…rather a waste of time…for the both of them.

Truly, there was still far too much needing to be done…and only more was seemingly being added minute by minute, second by second; she no longer knew what was starting to burn her more…breathing in this scorched putrid air…or keeping her very muscles and limbs moving forward.