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“Klaudus, forgive me…" Kera says. “I'm too late."

Cynwrig takes a big breath, puffing out his cheeks as he raises himself up. He narrows his eyes as he scans through the smoke-choked forest, before he quickly mumbles, pointing and zipping off in a path he discovered.

The heat rises as Tik Tik gets closer to the center of the smoke, and soon, the bright orange of flames douses the forest in its eerie glow. The kobold wizard coughs, but her generally short stature allows her to go deeper. Soon, she finds fire itself dancing among the flames. It stops, coalescing into a humanoid shape. The tall, lean figure is made up of tongues of flame, but keeps it featureless face staring down at the kobold.

Tik Tik gulps and holds her hands out in front of her, focusing her magical power towards the elemental. “I am Tik Tik!" she speaks in draconic, her eyes tearing up as the smoke gets heavier. “I am the owner of the book. I have written my words into it. You are a part of of it. You should listen to me!"

The flame creature takes slow steps towards her, singeing what dried flora is left in its wake. The heat only getting worse as it stands in front of her.

“Listen to me!" She shouts. “I don't want to hurt you! I… I love the knowledge that is within. It has opened my eyes to new possibilities. It has shown me truths I never would have had stuck underground, building traps all the days of my life. Please… come back to me, and let us continue our adventures and learn so many new things together!"

The fiery figure flickers before her, yet doesn't move forward. The heat is so intense, her leg wobbles and she falls back, panting heavily as she tries to breathe in the burning air.

A flaming arm reaches down before her, and she holds her arm up to defend herself, but the flames grab her, the heat hissing on her flesh. Another hand comes around, pressing to her back, lifting her up, holding her close.

Tik Tik squirms under the heat of the fire elemental. With the air so thin and the world around her so heated, she croaks out a protest that goes nearly unheard. But the elemental looks towards her and lets go, stumbling back.

Shuddering and feeling that pain that courses through where she was touched, Tik Tik slowly looks up to the creature. “You… are under… my control…" Tik Tik says, through gritted teeth. “Do not touch me… with your painful hands."

The fire elemental raises its hands towards its face, looking back and forth at them with its featureless gaze, then turning back to her.

She stumbles forward, weaving a spell through the air, producing the effects of invisible magical hands. They move up towards the fire creature, clasping around one of the hands, invisible thumbs rubbing over the combustible 'flesh' of the summon.

The elemental jumps and falls to its knees. Tik Tik smiles, bringing her tunic up over her mouth to try and keep herself from inhaling the ash. More magical hands fly up from the ether, stroking over the elemental's cheeks and over its locks of 'hair.'

The fire elemental crackles and singes the grass around it, sounding like a comforting bonfire and not the roaring inferno that is the forest around it. In fact, the wild flames all around the two slide away from their endless consumption, heading back to the host elemental. Fingers pet along its back and its chest as well as giving it quick headpats. “That's a good elemental," Tik Tik says. “I'll find a way to make you listen, and you'll enjoy it, won't you?" Her smile leads to her tunic falling off of her snout and her getting a nice big whiff of the dusty, ashy air. She coughs, covering up her face as she hacks through the smoke-drenched environment.

The elemental's attention snaps back to her. It quickly bounds up towards her, scooping her up.

Tik Tik shouts in shock as the burning touch surrounds her, her tear-filled eyes glancing out away from the elemental, seeing the conflagration part before her, providing a dead, yet clear, path out away from the burning forest. And from that path, she sees three forms running up toward her and the concerned elemental. Tik Tik can't help but smile and reach out towards her companions, but her eyes roll back and she finds herself blacking out from the intense heat.

When she finally awakes, Tik Tik groans in pain from the rocking and bumping on her back. When her eyes flutter open, she sees Kera leaning over her, dabbing a wet cloth over her cheek with a frown on her face. The catgirl stops and pulls back when she sees Tik Tik's eyes, and she smiles. “Well, you certainly got yourself in a lot of trouble, didn't you? Don't worry. We'll get you to a temple and have you healed up in no time."

“Yeah, well, she'll probably be indebted to the church for awhile," Cynwrig says, frowning.

The sound of parchment turning excites Tik Tik, and she turns her head quickly, only to yelp in pain. She tries to put her hand to her neck, only to find that she cannot move. She strains to look downward, gasping, with a muffled shriek, when she sees that she's covered from head-to-toe in bandages.

“That's what happens when you try to reason with an alien mind," Gimmegee says, flipping another page, and then scribbling something with a quill. What she's writing on, Tik Tik cannot be certain. “Your little quest is going to get you killed one day. You're already severely burned."

“It's nothing the healers can't fix," Kera says, sighing. “Though… it'll have to be you two who take her there."

“By my honor, I will protect her," Cynwrig says, thumping his carapace.

“Why me?" Gimmegee groans

“You're the one who got her into this mess," Kera snaps. “It's only responsible that you get her out of it. Plus, you'll get to have more time with that book you so love."

“MMMPH!?" Tik Tik shouts.

Kera places her hand upon Tik Tik's chest and hushes her. “Calm yourself, Tik Tik. Yes, we were able to get your book back. It's been… well, it's been a few days since your injury, you see.

Tik Tik whimpers.

“I vanquished that beast quite handily!" Cynwrig says, nodding excitedly.

“Oh please," Gimmegee says, slamming the book shut. Tik Tik winces at the sound. “That fire elemental basically wanted to be killed. It was just sitting there, staring at the poor wretched thing at its feet."

“Can a creature of elemental fire feel remorse?" Kera muses. “Perhaps, that is something we shall never know.

“Oh, anyway, we beat the air elemental, too!" Cynwrig says, bouncing on his seat.

Another bump jostles the injured kobold, and she groans.

“Can you try not to run over every ogre in the road!?" Gimmegee snaps to the front of the cart.

“Shh… don't you worry," Kera says. “It's just a bumpy road. We'll be at the convent soon… just rest.

Magic is a powerful tool that should only be used in the hands of those who truly understand and fear it. That is why I have warded this book with such powerful magic, myself. The power of the four elementals is so great that only the one who is destined to have this book will be able to control them all. But there is a slight catch to the rules I have established. If someone can find good companionship, true companionship, they may be able to work together to defeat the elementals. If that is the case, they have discovered something much more powerful than the magic that is hidden within these pages. They have discovered the magic that has the potential to come from all of us. They have discovered that can only be considered the magic of true friendship.

That, or they could just be destroyed by a creature of sufficient magical power. Perhaps, if some dark force from the realms beyond was to seek out the book. Of course, at least one of the elementals must be bonded and defeated by the true owner, for if they are all truly destroyed, then the book shall be lost forever. Let that be my final act of defiance to who would want to take my book, my knowledge, my love.

-The Author.