Path of the Pioneers

This guy's a bit screwy, huh? Stella remarks, He doesn't really know how this is gonna go...

Whoever he is, he must have some level of talent - to have picked me out. He saw me before I saw him, which means his senses are sharpened beyond belief. Even now, he stares at me quizzically, waiting for me to make a move. The alley is narrow, and I'm left with little room to use. At the same time, it means that this mysterious attacker, Aidan, will have a much harder time dodging.

I can treat him a little rougher than I could with those two, can't I?

Mana primes within my body, raring to engage this fresh opponent. Perhaps he can feel that readiness for combat, because he immediately retaliates - whipping his crossbow around to fire another shot at me. A geyser of flame erupts from his weapon in a way I can only possibly describe as 'explosive.' The alleyway is blanketed in the stuff as it rolls toward me.

The origin point - that crossbow - flared up with aura for a moment before the ignition. The flames themselves aren't suffused with that aura, though. I have an idea for how I might be able to dispel them, but this isn't the time to be taking risks. I haven't even left Grymgate yet...

Definitely not my day! The fairy yells, Shoot shoot shoot..!

I squeeze my fist tightly. One of Cairbre's rings, Coiníncos, glows brightly. The gold band turns to a brilliant white, and I stamp my feet against the ground - hard. S-shit..! It works, far better than I could've hoped. By the time a second has passed, I'm three meters high. Over the next few seconds, I reach my jump's apex - five meters. With all the composure I can muster after that frightening leap, I send mana coursing into my boots.

The boots I received in the mines.

Their winged crests glow a bright sky blue, and I feel myself stabilize in the air. The sensation is as if there's an invisible platform in front of me - but my feet are rooted firmly to the 'ground.' That's what the aptly named Boots of Levitation are capable of. When activated, they'll lock my height relative to the ground and safely halt my vertical movement - in exchange, I can't move my feet.

Cairbre said something about my luck when he identified them for me.

I look down from my newfound vantage point, and spy Aidan squinting up at me. He murmurs something, and then loads another bolt into his crossbow - then pointing it right at me.

Fire away, Sybil!

"Fire away?" And kill the man? You remember what my master-

Come on, he's trying to kill you! The least you can do is return the favor. It's a courtesy thing. Then again... For a moment, it feels like Stella is watching the man intensely and pondering something in her mind. Huh...

What?

This guy... He's a total fake! Playing at bounty hunter, tch. He hasn't even killed anyone before!

She can discern that sort of thing? And gods, it's alarming how casual she can be about these sorts of situations. Either way, he's plenty strong for someone who hasn't killed. Maybe if I can destroy his crossbow?

I can hear her sighing in my mind, If you're insistent on the 'no killing' thing, I guess. You could always just puncture both of his legs, though~ Then he can't chase you when you leave.

Another shot rings out, a familiar roar of flames. This person, whoever he is, doesn't exactly seem to mind drawing every guard in the city over. The law is on his side, though. I need to deal with him and leave as quickly as possible. The fire's rushing toward me once more, radiating an incredible amount of heat. Even a second in that might be enough to leave a mark that'll put me out of commission for a while.

She said something about this, didn't she? Maybe... A few threads wrap around both of my wrists, tugging me forward with some effort. [Telekinesis], using a similar application to what my master mentioned in her story. They dig into my skin roughly, but not enough to pierce the flesh. To my surprise, I begin to shift forward - rather swiftly, too. Could I use this to fly? Gods, these boots really are amazing, but the way the ground moves underneath me from so high up is slightly nauseating.

Woah!~ Pretty good for a level 1, Sybil!

The flames rip through the air behind me, and I release the boots' enchantment. My balance breaks, and I tilt forward - I'm falling toward Aidan, who, with a panicked expression, is attempting to put yet another bolt into his crossbow. I just need to close the distance between the two of us. Primal, mortal fear fills my veins from the feeling of rocketing toward the ground. Before I do, though, the threads tilt me back, re-orienting myself to aim my feet down. Less than a second from striking against solid stone, I activate the boots, leaving me hovering just above the surface.

And then deactivate them, falling the rest of the way down. Luckily, I manage to keep my balance.

By some miracle, I'm standing in front of Aidan. I snap a hand to his chest, just as he tries to spring his crossbow up toward me. I'm faster. He recoils a little, but moves no more than half a step. I take a deep breath, "Drop it." I demand.

With a small, defeated sound, he loosens his grip on the crossbow, dropping it, and raises his hands to the air, "H-hey, hey. No need to blast me apart, alright? I'm familiar with your work, and u-uh... I'm not exactly trying to become another example!"

An example? Am I really perceived like that? Gods. I kick his crossbow away, sending it clattering across the cobblestones. As I do, he mutters something like, "W-wait, I spent all of my savings on!- Ah..."

"Why did you attack me, then?"

He sighs, head dropping as he looks to the side, his hands remain firmly in the air, though. "You were traveling with Adeline Cirix, right?"

There's no point in lying about that, is there? "Yes, I was."

"The Hunters talked about how some girl saved her... Y'know, when she was about to get caught in some tiny village." He licks his lips, "Was only until I got here that I learned this very same girl took out a few Hunters on her own in a... W-well, in a fashion." He laughs nervously, "H-heard it took Co-.." He stops, clears his throat, and then continues, "Josephine- to stop you. I'm a fool for it, but I just... Wanted to see what all the hubbub was about - thought I'd lost my chance when I heard you, err... Died..."

"So you aren't a bounty hunter..?" I ask.

He turns his head somehow further away from me, going awfully silent.

"I'm just a dumb boy, worried about Adeline." He whines, "So when I sensed you - saw you! I thought I might, um... Ask you a few questions..."

"You were going to interrogate me?" There's a frustrated bite to my tone, one that catches even myself off guard.

"I really do prefer the word question..." He mutters.

"Is your name really Aidan?" He isn't a threat - he's strong, maybe on par with Aisling and Maeve, but he isn't a threat. Still, the trick with the flames...

"Yeah! A-Aidan Conor Cirix..." He says, "From the branch family! I'm Adeline's cousin!"

Cirix? If he's a Cirix, that would explain the aura, and how he was spewing out all of that fire. If he's from the branch family, though, how was he allowed to awaken?

I don't think he's lying - but he really is stupid. Stella says, He could be a useful idiot, though~

"If you're so concerned about Adeline, then what are you doing here?" I continue.

He blinks a few times, turning his head back toward me, "What do you want me to do, go save her?"

There's silence between the two of us, and his shoulders slump, "Don't tell me you're..." After another bout of silence, an excited smile overtakes him, "If it's with you, maybe... Hold on, hold on! Let me come along!"

Why didn't we just kill him? I hear Stella say.