harmless-looking vegetation that tended to spew acid on unsuspecting travelers. She knew perfectly well: in the Animari Wilds, an ignorant mage is a dead mage.
"Are you a powerful mage?" Marian said as she swished her staff to the left, hitting a shrub that immediately scurried away.
"If I were, I wouldn't be doing this quest. It's easy, but doesn't pay much. Can you imagine? Each tail for measly twenty centaels?" Phoebe sighed. They heard a sound of breaking branches and swaying leaves. Phoebe held her hand across her chest, ready to slash whatever was coming with a spell.
"What are you doing?" Marian said, perplexed by Phoebe’s defensive pose. “They're just Narwoods—Fire Trees! They're harmless. Probably just looking for a better rooting ground. They're headed north, close to the fire guild though. Not really a brilliant direction to take. Most of the wood used in the fire guild are made of Narwoods, aren't they? For their fire-resistance properties," she added, recognizing the herd of marching trees.
"Dwirian!" Phoebe chanted and a gust of wind shoved brambles to the sides. There was no longer any distinct path. The closer they came to the kobolds, the thicker the vegetation grew. The dense forest provided shelter from the heat of the midday sun and this was how the kobolds liked it—cool with little daylight passing through the trees.
"You seem to know much for a girl from the Slums," Phoebe noted of her companion.
"I'm poor, not stupid," Marian replied. She skirted a sleeping nightshade, avoiding its poisonous leaves. Past the nightshades was the kobolds’ domain.
From up close a kobold was bigger than Marian, a human-sized combination of sharp claws and teeth, reptilian hard scales, a sensitive dragon nose, and a blunt tail which was used to bash the enemy's head open. A lone kobold with its back to them shook its bulky tail as if swishing off invisible flies. Its bluish reptilian coat stood in contrast to the green surroundings. The kobold seemed docile enough as if enjoying a cool lazy day.
"Steer clear of me," Phobe said as she eyed the kobold. She saw two more near a ruin of boulders and blocks. "There are probably more behind those boulders."
"Airean Stil!" Phoebe chanted, hacking the air with her bare arm, dashing towards the nearest kobold. It stumbled back stunned—a visible slash as if done by a sword appeared on its hard scaly chest. A couple more wind slashes and two more kobolds fell.
Marian stood in awe; it was her first time to see a wind mage in action. She saw Phoebe soar up higher than she could jump, barely avoiding a fatal hit from a kobold's tail. Marian's excitement quickly turned to horror though, as she realized something—the wind mage can go up to the air where the kobolds can't reach—where she can't reach her! Phoebe could easily throw her aside! Phoebe could escape leaving Marian spell-less and in danger!
The kobolds didn't attack Marian because she was too far from Phoebe who was tagged as the only hostile intruder. But Marian's suspicion edged her closer to danger: if she can just be near Phoebe, enough to grab hold just in case she decided to escape.
But at this distance, the kobolds now considered Marian a threat too. Several kobolds charged towards Marian. She tried to run as fast as her scrawny legs can take her but the monsters were much much faster. She threw her staff at the nearest monster, hoping it would do some damage…to no avail. She tried to run towards Phoebe but the monsters were gaining fast.
By now Phoebe had managed to stun half the pack. She was gasping for breath now. This was a problem for mages who didn’t have enough will power and constitution to chant spells vigorously. She was getting fatigued and the large size of this group of kobolds was unexpected. She saw Marian running towards her. She didn’t have enough energy to deal with the kobolds one by one. She had to give it one last spell.
"Veniru whirlw’nd!" Phoebe chanted. A tornado formed on her hand, small and insignificant. It whirled larger and larger until it touched ground. Commanded by Phoebe’s extended arm, it rounded on the remaining aggressive kobolds, enveloping them in swirls of forest leaves, uprooted shrubs, and ruins. Phoebe stood still, concentrating further; she was desperately trying to control the spell but it was getting difficult. She flinched and the tornado wildly swirled to the side, consuming sharp rocks. With the tornado’s swirling speed, they soon became little pieces of shrapnel.
Marian who was too close was caught and thrown aside. She was whipped to the air, her shoulders cracking on thick branches. The extreme pain she felt in her shoulders was nothing compared to that of her broken ankle which snapped as she landed on the ground below a ravaged tree.
Phoebe, finally caving in, pulled in her arm and the spell died out. Everything the tornado ate and didn’t spit out during its course tumbled down in a pile. The kobolds, perhaps partly from dizziness or partly from being torn to shreds by sharp rocks, were out cold.
"Did I not tell you to stay away?!" Phoebe bellowed in between ragged breathes. "What in curses did you think you were doing?! Alright, that's it. Deals over. Go home." Phoebe towered over Marian, looking like an enraged kobold herself.
Marian did not say anything but just glowered back. Shouldn’t Phoebe be sorry for almost killing her? Marian winced as the pain in her broken ankle shot up. Now that she was out of danger, her body was definitely making her aware of the damages.
Phoebe glared at Marian. She fished for something in her bag, all the while muttering angrily. She tossed a potion bottle to Marian. "Here, drink this; it'll make things easier."
"What is it?" Marian said, swirling the murky green potion. What's the easiest way of getting rid of her? "Poison," she added, horrified.
"What?! No! It's a healing potion. It costs me fifty centaels, you know. Fifty! That’s half a silper! Fifty centaels for a mere lesser healing potion. And it's the only one I have," Phoebe ranted while she started to gather the tails from the still unconscious kobolds. After awhile, she returned to where Marian sat.
Phoebe packed the kobold tails in the bag. "Ten tails. This should fetch me two silpers easy," she said, collapsing beside Marian. "Drink it, kid."
"You drink it first," Marian said, handing the potion over.
"Fine,” Phoebe said, taking the potion back, “If you want to limp back to town it is up to you. You don’t trust me, I can see that. But the way I see it, you have no choice in the matter. If you think this is poison, you can drink this, end it now. Or you can wait till some fiend gets you because you are not going anywhere with that broken ankle." Phoebe added, gulping half of the potion. Phoebe stopped breathing raggedly. The potion was working: she didn't seem too tired anymore.
Marian was trying her best not to mind the pain but it was intolerable now. And she knew Phoebe was right. She didn’t have a choice. All the time she stayed in the Animari, she has never been seriously hurt. But now, she can’t even stand up. It was her suspicions that got her hurt in the first place. Marian cleared her throat.
“Can I have some of that…please,” Marian said.
Phoebe handed Marian the remains of the healing potion. "It'll take some time for the potion to work on you; it's not the potent kind. But you know, what you did was very reckless. What were you thinking? And I thought you knew better than to come in between kobolds and their target."
"I thought you were going to leave me," Marian said, before drinking the remaining healing potion. She could feel it working on her broken bones. "You could have flown away, leaving me—"
"You should trust me next time. Not that there would be a next time," Phoebe said, standing up again. "Now, why don't you point the direction to putrid mushrooms and I'll be on my way. You should go back to town while it's still day out."
"No," Marian said, her lips set to a thin line. "You want me to trust you but in the same breath you are breaking your word? We had a deal."
"Don't be stupid, Marian. You're no good to me dead.”
"You don't have to worry about me. I know the dangers of the Animari more than you do."
"But can you protect yourself from them?"
"That's why I want you
to teach me."
"You think risking your life is worth these...lessons?"
"Yes! It could change my life. I’ll risk it," Marian said, confidently. She knew these parts of the Animari; if she’s careful, there wouldn’t be any danger. She put a hand on Phoebe's bag. She'll hold on to it, lest Phoebe decides to use her wind magic to abandon her.
"Change your life? You talk big but you’re just a child," Phoebe said exasperatedly, measuring Marian’s determined expression. “Do you really want to go on with this? I am not a powerful mage. I barely made it through guild lessons. I might not be able save you the next time we get ourselves in a tight spot."
"I'll risk it," Marian repeated, standing up now too. She wobbled. She didn't feel any pain anymore but the potion needed more time to work. That's a cheap potion for you. A potent healing potion would cost around two gotts, pricey but worth every centael. It provided instantaneous healing for minor injuries: broken bones, dislocated shoulders, and burns from fire and acid."
"Fine. Sit down first. You look like you're about to pass out. I need time to rest too; I’m almost just as spell-less as you are. Now, I'll give you tips and maybe a spell or two. But that's it. I'm no guild master; I don't know how to teach you complicated ones."
"That's ok," Marian said. She then scanned the forest for her staff and found it dangling on a