The Burning Flowers

Chapter XVII

“Rennigan!”

Watching with horror as the curved blade of a glaive shot through Rennigan’s back, piercing his body and splattering blood across the countertop, Fayela Rio frantically spun on her heel to face the attacker as the glaive was magically removed from her teammate’s body, flying through the air only to be caught by an outstretched gauntleted hand. She went cold with fear, for she knew instantly and without question who the man before the shattered door was. Standing at around six and a half feet tall, dressed from head to toe in sparkling red armor, Barron Kristoff was just as terrifying as Ryokumo had said he was. She had no idea why such a dangerous member of the Kosah-Rei was in Noctalus, nor did she know if Rennigan, who had fallen to a knee, was going to survive, but what she did know was that she could not allow the knight to hurt anybody else.

“Custou!” she snarled, pressing off her back leg and lunging towards the knight, a thick layer of rock spreading from her hands and across the rest of her body.

Barron instantly moved to meet her charge, gripping the glaive with both hands and stabbing it forward. Unfortunately, a weapon such as that was not designed to combat a mage like her. Faye’s arms were already protected by rock, so she raised her left fist and took the swing head on, pushing the glaive back before reaching the same hand outwards to grab the shaft. Still pushing forward with her momentum, Fayela swung her right fist into Barron’s head, putting such force into it that it launched the knight backwards, sending him sprawling into the street. True to his reputation, he didn’t hit the ground and stay there, rather he threw mana into his arm and pressed it against the cement, launching himself into the air before landing firmly in the road. Faye’s punch had released his grip on the glaive, but with a swift raising of his hand, Barron used wind magic to yank it from her grasp, only to return it to his own. By now, her armor covered her entire body much in the way Barron’s did, so she was far more prepared to tank his attacks.

When she and Rennigan first entered the potions shop, the street had been filled with people dancing, but the song must have ended at some point, for most of the crowd had been chatting and taking a break on the edges of the road. The second Barron was launched out of the shop, the ones that had remained in the street bolted away in a panic, the crowds hurriedly putting distance between themselves and the combatants, though they remained close enough to watch, as if curious to know what was happening.

If these people stay within Kristoff’s range, they could become casualties! I don’t know what’s going on, but I’ll have to ask questions later. For now, I need to fight without worrying that people are going to die!

“Get the hell out of here now!” she snarled, waving her hand at the surrounding crowd. “This man is dangerous!”

Faye’s sharp order seemed to snap many of them out of their daze, for moments after she spoke, much of the crowd turned and began running away. Those who didn’t react to Faye’s command instead reacted to those around them, following suit as the street was swiftly emptied. To her surprise, Barron allowed this to happen despite the fact that she had feared he may try to use the civilians against her much in the way Abi claimed Mallicent Malloway did in Omaruo. Of course, she was not about to complain as she turned her body sideways, raising her fists in front of her face while keeping light on her feet. Barron got into position as well, gripping his glaive before him and bending his knees ever so slightly, the wind magic pulsing through him easy to sense from their small distance.

I hope Rennigan’s okay! At the very least, it didn’t instantly kill him, so I have to hope that he’ll live long enough for a healer to reach us. Despite facing down one of the most dangerous members of the Kosah-Rei, Faye couldn’t help but smile internally. Well, at the very least, I’m not fighting this bastard alone!

Flying silently through the air, Hirokol Pafran protoed from the rooftop of a store behind Barron, closing the distance between the two in order to get a better shot at the gaps in the armor. His mana output was slightly suppressed, so Faye had been nearly certain he would get the jump on the knight, only to be swiftly and horribly proven wrong. With speed unbefitting of his size, Barron spun around, raising his armored leg in a wind-enhanced roundhouse kick that landed squarely in Hirokol’s stomach. The moment it made contact, Hiro was launched into the sky so fast that Faye didn’t have time to even try and follow him before he had vanished over the side of the buildings. It was as she beheld the man’s speed and strength that a comment from Ryokumo Caeli entered her mind.

“Yes, that red knight is a hell of a monster. His control over wind magic is beyond most mages I’ve ever met, for he managed to distort himself even when standing mere feet away from me. He has a natural physical strength that Master Taurus had trouble dealing with, and from what Liri has said, the Master of Fire somehow wasn’t powerful enough to leave a dent on that armor of his. He’s a force to be reckoned with.”

A chill ran down Faye’s spine as Barron casually turned back to face her, his calm demeanor telling her that he did not fear her. The fact that he ignored Jessi completely, who was crouched on the roof Hiro had just flown over, made it clear that he feared her even less.

Fayela swallowed back the lump in her throat. Hiro… Please be okay…

“Jessi! Send up a flare!” Faye shouted, rushing the small gap between her and Barron as quickly as she could, keeping her eyes trained on the blade of the glaive.

Typically, she wouldn’t have feared such a weapon with her armor completely formed, but after seeing Barron’s strength, she wasn’t about to test whether her rock could withstand it. It seemed the red knight didn’t care to test it out either, for he tossed it to the cobble ground and raised his own fists just as she reached him. Faye had full confidence in her hand-to-hand combat ability simply because most mages of other affinities didn’t bother to practice it. Why fight with one’s fists when you could just use magic? Knowing she was up against a wind mage had given her confidence when she first charged Barron, but just like before, she was unprepared for his speed.

His jabs were enhanced with wind the same way his earlier kick had been, making them faster than Faye’s punches and putting her on the defensive almost immediately. The first attack was aimed for her head, one she barely managed to dodge, while the second and third were sent towards her chest. Both of them landed within a second of each other, and though the armor protected her from feeling any pain, just those two shots alone created cracks that spread across her torso in a web-like pattern.

It was then that Jessi launched a blast of fire magic straight into the air that exploded like a firework once it reached a high enough altitude. It was a flare spell that every mage knew meant help was needed, so in a city as mage-dense as Noctalus, somebody should come to their aid, whether it be the city guard, other mages, or even someone from the palace.

As strong as he is, should Master Noctis, Master Luz, and Princess Ilirianna reach us, there’s no way he stands a chance! That being said, I’d be plenty content with the royal team, too!

The flare drew Barron’s attention for only a split-second but still long enough for Faye to dart around an oncoming punch and send another hit into the side of his helm. He had already prepared for another strike like that, so instead of knocking him backwards, he simply took it. Barron’s head snapped to the side, but his balance remained, and soon enough, it was Faye who was punched in the gut. With the ground slightly slick from ice, the rock mage slid backwards and towards the curb, barely staying upright as she grit her teeth. Barron was already on top of her, jamming a fist into the side of her head, followed by one that directly hit her nose, and finalized with an uppercut to her chin that knocked her off her feet and sent her sprawling to the sidewalk. Once again, the armor protected her, but with her balance thrown off, all the knight had to do was pin her to the ground and keep hitting until it broke.

“Ignitta!” Jessi snarled, finally snapping back to reality after witnessing her partner take such a brutal hit.

Three bolts of fire spawned in the air that flew straight for Barron. They made contact, hitting him square in the back and exploding on impact, the flames even reaching where Faye was prone below him, melting all the snow and ice around them. Naturally, Jessi wouldn’t have sent such a damaging attack so close to Faye if she wasn’t confident her armor would withstand it, but unfortunately, the red knight straightened up and glanced back at Jessi as if she had merely thrown a pebble at him.

“Correio,” she heard Barron mutter just as the glaive flew back to his hand.

Realizing that he was about to hurl it at her friend, Faye pressed her hand to the ground and breathed “Carseka”. Rock burst up through the cobblestone road, spreading up Barron’s legs and to his knees to bind him to the ground. Faye knew he’d have the strength to bust out, but she just needed a second to push herself to her feet and swing onto his back, grappling him from behind as she wrapped her arm around his neck, hoping to choke him. However, she could feel some metal around his neck that wasn’t bending even as she put all of her strength into it. Exhaling sharply, Faye instinctively switched gears, deciding that if she couldn’t choke him, then she’d hold him in place.

“Jessi, fire!”

“Infernus!”

While Faye was struggling to hold him down, Jessi had dropped from the rooftop and down the street, giving herself a closer and more direct shot at Barron Kristoff. Because of this, the sudden and violent stream of flames hit him directly in his broad chest. Faye felt the heat even through her rock, but she held out, not wanting Jessi to cancel the spell. If they couldn’t break the armor, the best Jessi could do was heat it up as much as possible since the metal would become hotter far faster than her rock. Of course, Barron surely wasn’t stupid, so Faye had expected him to try something, though expecting it didn’t necessarily mean countering was easy.

Jessi’s fire partially blocked the knight from her view, so she didn’t notice that he had thrown his glaive directly for her body until it was too late to dodge. Faye’s heart sank for that split second where she thought Jessi was about to die, only for a wide grin to spread across her face as she heard a shout of “Condite” just before the glaive was wrenched upwards, soaring over Jessi’s head and burying itself in the stone of the storefront behind her. Despite his features contorted in pain, Hirokol landed just beside his friend, wind surging around his fists as he glared at the knight.

“Proto,” Barron whispered, the rock around his feet exploding as he propelled himself upwards.

Faye hadn’t been ready for that, so her grip on his body was loose enough for the sudden movement to allow him a means of escape. Faye was breathing heavily as she watched him land a few yards down to the road to the right, the glaive already returning to its master’s outstretched hand.

Faye scoffed. Great… Back to square one…

***

Rennigan Glaus did everything in his power to remain conscious as pain viciously assaulted him from the wound in his chest. He heard Faye scream out her armor incantation, followed by the scraping sound of rock against metal, as well as some shouting out on the road.

I need…to go help her… It was only for a second…but I swear that was Barron Kristoff, the red knight Caeli fought. The others need me! He could feel that something important had been wounded while blood dripped from his mouth as his white jacket was further stained with red. Shit… Am I about to die? I can’t! I haven’t made it to Stellareid yet! If I die before the mission even begins, then I’ll be the most pathetic loser to ever vie for a Master’s apprenticeship! Grit your teeth and stand up, Rennigan!

“Sir! Please, take this!”

Hearing the voice of the shopkeeper off in the distance, Rennigan weakly raised his head to see the elderly features of the man kneeling beside him with a large rounded flask of green liquid that he recognized instantly as the same brand of healing potion he had just bought for Faye.

“Please, Sir! Take it!” the man repeated, popping off the bottle’s cork and motioning for Rennigan to open his mouth.

The water mage obliged, allowing the shopkeeper to carefully pour the plant-tasting elixir down his throat. Normally, one could use the potion multiple times to cure small wounds, but given the intensity of the cut in his chest, the shopkeeper decided he needed all of it. By the time the flask was empty, Rennigan felt the nature mana in his body increasing, working rapidly to close the wound in his chest. The agony gradually dulled, and though Rennigan wasn’t sure how long he was kneeling there, trying to stay upright, eventually it felt as if his insides had pulled themselves back together. When he lowered his head and gazed at his chest, he found the cut to have closed, though he certainly wasn’t fully healed. The dull throbbing across his torso made it clear he would still need Abigail or Iris to return to his normal state, but he didn’t have time to waste waiting for them, so he pushed himself to his feet and glanced towards the shattered door.

“Wait, Sir, you need to rest! That was a fatal wound!” the shopkeeper protested, but Rennigan just shook his head.

“I can’t… My team needs me… Once the knight is gone, I’ll come back and pay for that potion. You have my word. Thank you…”

“Nonsense! I don’t need any money! Sir, you must sit down!”

But Rennigan ignored him, hurrying towards the doorway and sticking his head outside to see what was going on. Within a second, he processed Jessi and Hiro standing across the street, Faye in cracked armor in the center of it, and Barron Kristoff a few yards away from her.

Thank god… They’re all still alive… Rennigan smirked smugly. No wonder this knight identified me as his biggest threat. A battlefield like this is to me what midnight is to the Noctis.

“Geldai,” he growled.

Large arrows of ice formed from the mounds of snow scattered around the sidewalk, numbering around twenty that lined the entire left side of the street. It seemed none of the combatants had realized he was there until those icicles formed, but by the time Barron’s head turned in his direction, it was already too late to react. Every single icicle centered on his position at the same time, slamming into his armor so fiercely that Rennigan was confident at least half of them would pierce the red metal and turn him into a pincushion. When every single one merely shattered on impact, falling to the cobblestone below him in pathetic fragments, Rennigan’s grin faded.

The glaive was soaring straight for his head a second later.

Rennigan would have certainly died had Hiro not wrenched the blade away with Condite, but even with his heart beating rapidly with fear, he refused to collapse as he commanded, “Pafran! Up!”

Hiro’s eyes went wide with surprise at the order, but the young man did what he wanted anyway, flicking his wrist and launching Rennigan into the air, allowing him to land safely on the roof of the elixir shop. Hirokol followed suit, knowing the two of them would be more useful from the sky. Since Fayela and Jessi would have come to the same conclusion, the two of them didn’t wait for Hiro and Rennigan to be in place before the former pushed off the ground and charged Barron while the latter created four flame bolts. The red knight wasn’t merely standing there, for the glaive had returned to his hand just as Fayela reached him.

Alright, Rennigan, take stock of the situation. Remember what Caeli said about him. Remember the report Father told you about pertaining to Master Taurus’s battle with him. Then add it with the bullshit you just witnessed. The power of the Master of Fire could not open that armor, so nothing Yuahl could do will ever come close. Rio’s the physically strongest of the four of us, so it would probably be best for her to be the primary offense, but Kristoff’s armor is clearly more durable than hers given that her rock is already cracked. His wind magic would also make him a faster attacker than her, so he would have a slight advantage in close-up combat. Therefore, the right idea would be to turn the tables in Rio’s favor. The rest of us aren’t as strong, so we should focus on distracting the bastard!

Grinning, Rennigan raised a hand to wave down Hiro, who made eye contact just as Rennigan leaped from the rooftop. As he expected, Hirokol used magic along with the momentum of his jump to pull Rennigan across the street, allowing him to land on the roof beside him.

“Alright, Glaus, out with it,” Hiro grunted. “What’s the plan?”

Rennigan grinned, rattling off everything he had just come up with while taking pleasure in the look of the reluctantly impressed Hiro. The wind mage nodded, clearly agreeing with that course of action, then gave Rennigan some information he needed.

“Jessi sent up a flare for reinforcements about five minutes ago. If we’re lucky, we’ll only be on our own for a little while longer.”

“Right, that’s perfect,” Rennigan replied. “That makes this a hell of a lot easier!”

Wanting to spread themselves out, the water mage trusted Hirokol to do what he needed as Rennigan hopped over the adjacent roof and returned his eyes to the street below. As expected, Jessi wasn’t doing much damage to Barron, but the constant streams of fire were blocking the man’s vision, allowing Faye to get a few solid hits in. The problem was that the red armor’s defense was insanely strong, so when Faye sent a sharp right hook into the side of his head, Barron wasn’t even stunned as he pivoted out of his opponents reach and attempted to jab the glaive into her. The wind power behind the thrusts gave them enough strength to crack the rock around Faye’s chest, forcing her to dodge backwards to avoid the next attack. As if expecting this, Barron used wind magic to extend the blade’s reach, the air in front of the glaive turning sharp as it hit Faye hard enough to knock her back to the ground.

Rennigan clicked his tongue with annoyance. It seems to be as Master Taurus suspected. This armor of his isn’t merely charmed. There’s something else going on here…

“Geldai,” he chanted, turning the snow on the rooftop around him into two dozen icicles, intending to distract Barron long enough for Faye to get back to her feet, but to his stunned horror, the red knight cast Proto, bursting from the road and crossing the distance between himself and Rennigan in the blink of an eye. “Eh—?”

“Condite!”

Hiro’s quick reaction speed was almost certainly what saved Rennigan’s life, meaning that he now owed his roommate twice. The ropes of wind that latched themselves around Barron’s large frame and yanked him away from Rennigan weren’t terribly strong, but it succeeded at staggering the knight, preventing the glaive from cutting Rennigan’s head off.

He had Rio right in front of him, yet he went directly for me?! I know I’m a threat in this snow, but you’d think he’d have taken the opportunity to finish one of us off! Not that I’m complaining!

“Pafran, Exalignis!” Rennigan snarled, a swift idea coming to mind that he prayed Hiro would pick up on.

One of the few openings in the armor were the narrow slits in the helm, allowing Barron to see and breathe. They weren’t big enough to send anything through without some dumb luck, but at this close of a range, he wouldn’t need accuracy. Water magic was an affinity that controlled all three states of matter. Ice spells were far more befitting of combat where water spells were mostly for recreational use. Steam, on the other hand, only had a few spells, with one of them being primarily used to blind people. However, much like with water, if the steam was hot enough, it could still burn somebody quite severely.

Rennigan raised his arm as Barron was being yanked backwards, searing steam exploding from his palm, and to his satisfaction, Hirokol understood his intentions. The air surrounding the steam shifted, funneling it straight into Barron’s face as it entered the helm through the slits. For the first time, the red knight let out a scream of pain as parts of his skin were certainly being melted within. Rennigan smirked, using his other hand that had been retaining the icicles he created and sending the barrage straight into the man. Like before, they didn’t breach the armor, but the force of their impact combined with Hiro’s ropes sent him tumbling from the roof and down into the street where Fayela Rio was ready and waiting.

Despite the fact that Barron managed to roll onto his feet even with the pain he was in, Faye charged him from behind, slamming her rock-covered fist into the back of his head hard enough that it snapped forward violently. She didn’t let up, sending punch after punch into the man’s protected skull in a desperate attempt to break the armor.

What is this bastard wearing?!

Even with Faye’s relentless assault, Barron must have managed to rattle off another casting of Proto, for he abruptly shot up into the sky, getting himself away from Faye and rising up to just in front of where Rennigan waited, his arm pulled back to hurl the glaive straight at him. Fortunately, Rennigan had already realized that, for whatever reason, he was the one Barron wanted dead the most, so he had a spell ready to defend.

“Nikirin!”

Every chunk of snow left on that roof rose into the air and flew towards the spot between him and the knight, altering its form into a tall wall of ice that separated them. It was just in time to stop the glaive that was thrown so hard it nearly blasted straight through the wall, stopping just inches before the other side. Barron made no audible reaction as he soared back down to the street where Faye instantly rushed him, though he was ready to meet her attacks with his own wind-enhanced fists. Rennigan ran around his wall of ice, hopping back to the roof where Hiro was standing to give himself a better view of the struggle below. Faye was holding Barron off, but only because Jessi was constantly barraging him with fire magic while Hiro was yanking him around with ropes of wind.

Yet, it isn’t making a damn difference! Their backup has given Rio plenty of shots, but he isn’t going down! At this point, we have to pray that one of the Masters or the Princess get here soon!

“Glaus, this isn’t working,” Hiro breathed between castings. “We need to—!”

Cutting himself off mid-sentence, Hirokol protoed from the roof, soaring over the road and to the roof on the opposite side of the street. At first, Rennigan wasn’t sure why since Barron hadn’t made any move to attack them, but as Hiro stretched out his hand and snarled, “Correio”, he understood. The knight had sent out a burst of magic to summon his glaive from where it was still stuck in the wall of ice, but just as it wrenched itself free, Hiro cast the same spell, stopping it midair as the two of them attempted to out-pull the other. Rennigan would have certainly placed his bets on Barron had the knight not been holding off Faye and Jessi, for the second he failed to get his glaive back, Faye smashed her fist directly into his head, staggering him enough to cancel the spell and allow the glaive to fly into Hiro’s hand.

Nice one, Pafran!

His thrill lasted for a second before Barron predictably recovered, and for the first time since Rennigan arrived, he used a wind spell that wasn’t in tandem with the glaive. Rennigan couldn’t hear the incantation, but given the violent shockwave that erupted from his palm and launched Faye backwards, he knew it must have been Corsikei. The young man’s eyes went wide as Faye’s already cracked armor shattered apart, sending her tumbling across the road before stopping among the fragments of her rock, the wind knocked out of her.

“Rio!” he screamed, already reaching out to create a wall of ice between her and Barron, if only to stall for time so he could get down there and turn the knight’s attention to him, but before he could do any of that, the entire street was engulfed in a blinding bright light. Rennigan exhaled sharply, momentarily confused as to what had just happened, but when light dissipated as quickly as it arrived, giving him a view of the street below, he let out an exhale of utter relief.

“Well now, you’re a little bold to so brazenly attack my city like this. Though, I must thank you for presenting yourself to me on a silver platter. Your death will make a lovely festival gift.”

The Master of Light, Acostav Luz, was standing between the fallen Faye and Barron Kristoff, his pale features contorted in rage, as if truly offended that the Kosah-Rei would dare enter his city. To Barron’s credit, the knight did not move to run, rather he bent his legs and summoned his magic, making it clear he would stand his ground against Acostav. The Master snorted, shaking his head dismissively, before disappearing in a flash of light. Barron moved to react, but Acostav was behind him faster than anybody could so much as move their eyes, his hand outstretched to aim at Barron’s back. Light exploded from his palm, nailing the red knight, but like before, it did not breach the armor, and instead seemed to reflect off the glittering surface, the beams scattering and ripping apart the storefronts just around them. Rennigan’s first thought was of anybody that was hiding within those buildings, and he silently prayed nobody had taken one of those stray beams.

“Huh,” Acostav grunted. “Curious.”

Barron spun on his heel, shooting three blades of wind at the man, like before, he disappeared and reappeared on the knight’s other side. This time, Acostav didn't attack him, rather he waited for Barron to locate him and send another offensive spell before flashing away again. As if taunting the red knight, Acostav Luz kept up this disappear/reappear strategy, never moving further than a few yards from Barron but also never attacking either. The few times Rennigan managed to get a look at his face, he found the man’s features twisted in thought, as if he wasn’t merely taunting and was simply considering how to break the armor.

Holy shit…! I can hardly keep up with him! I’ve seen Album in sparring matches before, and she can only teleport in one direction! This man… he’s got such careful control… Is this what a Master of Ijiria can do?!

Rennigan suddenly felt very small, for the four of them had barely been holding Barron off, their loss just on the horizon. Acostav, on the other hand, clearly had Barron at his mercy, for even if the Master of Light could not breach the armor, the red knight would never be fast enough to land so match as a scratch on Acostav. Rennigan was left only able to try and observe, as were the others. Jessi moved to kneel beside Faye while Hiro was still on the other roof, clutching the glaive to his chest, as if wanting to make himself useful by preventing the knight from rearming himself.

“Very curious,” Acostav repeated finally, his eyebrow cocking as he regarded Barron. “That armor of yours… It’s some sort of relic, is it not? Now where did somebody like you come across an item as unique as this?”

Barron turned his head to stare at the Master, and given that he did not attack this time, Rennigan could only assume the knight wanted to catch his breath. Naturally, he did not answer Acostav’s question, so the Master clicked his tongue with annoyance.

“Very well. I look forward to studying it once your corpse has been removed.”

Just like that, Acostav flashed across the five yards between them, his hand pressed directly against Barron’s helm before the knight could even attempt to react. Rennigan’s jaw hung slack as a beam of light exploded from Acostav’s hand, engulfing Barron’s head completely. When the beam dissipated, Rennigan was greeted with the sight of the red helm blasted open, the metal torn outwards, indicating that Acostav had taken advantage of the reflective properties the armor had displayed. His light must have gone straight through the slits in the helm, then ricocheted around within, ripping Barron’s skull apart and almost certainly killing him as if he weren’t even slightly threatening.

Yet, Acostav's smug expression at his victory was quickly replaced with surprise as Barron’s body collapsed into the street, the broken helm bouncing away before landing in the snow. Rennigan instantly realized what had confused the Master, for when the water mage dropped down to get a better look and peered through the hole at the top of the chestplate, he found the red armor empty, without any sign of the man within. Not even a burnt corpse remained inside.

What? Where did he go? Master Luz’s attack was strong, but it shouldn't have incinerated his body completely….right?

Before anybody could voice their confusion, the armor seemed to grow translucent, then abruptly faded into nothingness altogether.

***

Barron Kristoff opened his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief as it truly processed how close to death he had come. The knight grimaced, reaching up and removing his helmet to give himself some fresh air then swiftly went about sending minor healing magic into the agonizing burns he had taken to his face. The soothing mana was more than welcome given how close to passing out it had brought him, and as he cast these spells, he glanced around the small room he was sitting in. It was a spare room in the Fourth Ring of Stellareid, consisting of only the bed he sat upon and a small desk in the corner of the room, at which sat Quill Tyrus, who was apathetically reading his copy of the Ko-Hahn. Upon noticing Barron’s movement, the man furrowed his brow and muttered,

“You’re back already? I thought you were going to be in Noctalus until tonight? Did the plan not go our way?”

Barron shook his head, getting to his feet so he could unstrap the suffocating armor. “I’m not sure. Unfortunately, I was outmatched and had to flee before the signal could go up. I’d worry for Sartella and Lady Firrik, but I’m sure I’d just be lectured about her visions and how safe they are… Still though…”

“And who exactly gave you such a challenge? That looks like a nasty burn.”

The knight shivered, Acostav Luz’s features forcing their way into his head. “The Master of Light wasn’t the one who burned me, but he was the one who forced me to run. I’ll give you all the details once Captain Vesh is here, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that the rumors are not false. Acostav Luz was on a completely different level from the Master of Fire. He should not be underestimated.”

“Yes, I suppose so…” Seeming satisfied, Quill turned his eyes back to his gospel and shrugged. “Then I guess we’ve taken the right approach, huh? Lady Firrik was right…yet again…”