Fugitive of Injustice

Since the Butchering of Westend, all citizens of the realm have sworn to never let it happen again. At any cost.

Ciaran Xanderson is my OC.

Tags: sfw, fight, action

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It was a dark morning along the realms today. Clouds hung over every road, city and town, yet no rain fell. However, that meant it wasn't hot or sweaty. Many people, adventurers and otherwise, were grateful, as there had been a hot spell recently.

A lone figure walked along a beaten dirt track. Dust-covered simple shoes and dark-grey trousers led up to a grey tunic and bracers. The figure's left hand shot up to shield a pair of light blue eyes from a beam of sunlight sneaking through a gap in a cloud. A wooden holster holding a wand was fixed to his left bicep. The purple "C.X." on his tunic's left side shone slightly.

"Help! Help me! Please!" A cry sounded from behind him and he turned, reaching for his wand just in case. He quickly noticed that he didn't need it. The woman running towards him had pale skin, bright blonde hair falling onto her shoulders, and wore a black dress that had certainly seen better days. She had small cuts all over her body, too. "Please-please help me!" The woman begged him.

"What's wrong?" Ciaran Xanderson asked.

"I-I'm on the run from a bunch of puritans who killed my husband I thought it was such a good idea to stay the night there at first but now he's dead and I-"

"Slow down." the wizard told her. She was talking too fast for him. "A bunch of assholes killed your husband and you're running away from them. I got that part, and I'm sorry to hear it."

She swallowed and spoke slower. "Thank you... We were heading for his homeland to the East. We stopped for a night in this city called Pureza. It was only when the guards burst into the room that we learned interspecies relationships are punishable by death." The woman explained. "He didn't hesitate-charged into them like the minotaur he was and started swinging fists. I wanted to help him, but he reminded me of our child, so I ran..."

"What makes you so sure he's gone?"

"I felt it... Like a spear through my heart... I knew he was gone... so I just... kept running..." She began to sob.

"What do you need from me?"

"I... just need an escort... while I keep moving East... I can't offer anything in return but my-ah! They're here!" She ducked behind Ciaran.

Ciaran wheeled around, drawing his wand, but placing it behind his back instead of raising it. He'd rather this not degenerate into a fight. 2 dozen guards, all clad in steel armour, were walking towards him.

"Sir, I regret to inform that a fugitive of justice is hiding behind you." One of them told the wizard. He was clearly the leader-he wore a golden strip of cloth on his waist.

Ciaran answered politely "Yes, she just told me that you killed her minotaur husband and she ran to save her child."

"Then you understand why we're here?" The leader sounded hopeful that Ciaran would turn the woman over.

"Not one bit. She's away from your city and outside of your jurisdiction." Ciaran simply said. Behind his back, he fingered the handle of his wand.

"Our laws have no jurisdiction. There can be no sanctuary for women like her."

"'Women like her'?" Ciaran repeated.

"Race traitors. Interbreeders. Only a savage would seek the company of beasts." The leader stated matter-of-factly "Now, step aside so we can bring this woman to justice and-"

Ciaran had heard enough. His wand swished through the air followed by his cry of "Glacies Sagitta!"

The spike of ice shot from his wand and hit the leader's bare forehead, embedding itself inside.The leader toppled backwards and hit the ground with a thud. The other soldiers gasped in shock. One of the men cried "You-you killed him!"

"Good to know your eyes work." Ciaran answered coldly, pointing his wand at the rest of them. "I give the rest of you a single chance to surrender and run. Your city is making the same bigoted, morally depraved mistake that caused the Butchering of Westend."

"What the hell was the Butchering of Westend?" A woman asked, stepping forwards.

"It was a massive civil war between humans and non-humans. Millions were killed." One of the men answered.

"Since the Butchering, every citizen of Westend has had to take an oath once they hit adulthood: Never again." Ciaran added "If I have to kill you all to uphold that oath, so be it. If I have to burn your city until it is nothing but glass to uphold that oath, so be it."

"Are you threatening our city?!" The woman shouted.

"Are YOU continuing to threaten this innocent woman?!" Ciaran spat back. He felt nothing but rage coursing through him.

"You call her innocent?! She lay with a minotaur!"

"Oh, dear Gods! A woman lay with a man that she was in love with!" Ciaran sarcastically shouted "She's clearly unfit to be a mother, or even to exist at all!" Ciaran's tone became a lot darker "Going by that logic, you probably execute homosexual people for absolutely nothing but being homosexual too."

A few of the guards were visibly taken aback by this. One man spoke up "We used to... long before any of our times... But it was described as inhumane and stricken from the laws..."

"Enough of this talk! This wizard just killed a guard of our city! KILL HIM!" The woman ordered. Most of the guards charged at him, but he noticed 6 or so of them stayed put.

Ciaran jumped backwards while pointing his wand forwards, shouting "Fluvius Ignis!" A jet of fire burst from his wand's tip and drove the guards backwards. He quickly followed up with a cry of "Fulgur fluunt" and the stream of lightning connected between 5 of them, but the spell channeled around their armour and into the ground.

Internally padded armour. So they weren't as stupid as they were bigoted.

The guards kept charging at him, and while he was able to deflect their blows with shorts blasts of force, he had no chance to counterattack. One of them tried to get behind him and was rewarded with another icicle to the head, but this only infuriated the rest of them further. Their blows came faster and harder, and Ciaran had to drive them back from him somehow-

"Fluvius ignis!" Ciaran's second stream of fire pushed them back a fraction, but it was a temporary relief. They recovered quickly.

One of the 6 guards who didn't attack Ciaran charged into the fray with a shout and her one-handed axe met the head of one of the other guards. She wrenched it out of his head with a spin that placed her by Ciaran's side. She looked the other guards in the eyes, placing herself in front of him.

"The wizard's right. Love isn't a crime." she told them simply.

"Treachery is! Kill h-GLRK!" The guardwoman's shout was silenced by a greatsword stabbing through her armour from behind.

"That's enough out of you!" The male guard behind her snarled before wrenching out his sword and turning to the other 4. "For once, let's fight for something we -know- is right!" With no more hesitation, the 5 of them all jumped into the ensuing battle, assisting Ciaran. They had also removed their helmets so they could tell who was ally and foe in their otherwise identical armour.

With only 5 or so guards attacking him now, Ciaran was able to focus a lot better. He was able to blast one of them backwards with another Repulsa spell and duck another's sword swing. He swished his wand upwards and the sword was flung into the air.

In the brief opening, the female ex-guard next to him rushed forwards and tackled a burly guard wielding a warhammer. The wizard caught a glimpse of another ex-guard plunge a dagger into the eyeslit of a helmet. The wearer screamed out loud until the other dagger slipped under his helmet and he was silenced.

Ciaran's next ice spike hit a nearby guard in the arm. He recoiled and shouted in pain, giving one of the rouges the chance to run him through the neck from behind. The soldiers were clearly shaken by their loss of momentum; they'd become slightly sloppier. Good. That made this easier.

Ciaran's next spell came with a shout of "Glacies Conlectus" with his wand pointing downwards. The ice spike hit the ground at his feet, and it was frozen as the wizard jumped backwards. One of the guards, who'd lunged forward in an attempt to attack, was stuck in place by the spell. Another ice spike under the helmet finished them off.

The last guard fighting him swung her mace but it was met with a blast of force from Ciaran's wand. The mace flew from her grasp and Ciaran gave her no reprieve-shooting another stream of fire that cooked her alive in her armour as she screamed in agony. A similar agony to the pain she was allowing and enforcing against others, Ciaran hoped.

He turned around and froze in shock; one burly guard using a warhammer managed to knock two of the rogues off balance at once with a single swing that left a streak of red embers in it's wake. Ciaran recognized the enchantment used; Melting Point. The guard advanced to one of them as they both lay prone, weakened by the attack. The guard raised the warhammer, about to kill the rogue soldier.

"Arcane Iecit!" Ciaran shouted. He flashed purple for a second as he pointed his wand at the guard, who'd turned to him in shock. His purple streak of light pierced through the chestplate and the guard toppled, falling to the side.

Only one guard was left now; he dropped his mace in defeat. The others walked forwards but Ciaran threw his arms wide, stopping them. He walked forwards himself.

"I've spared you to deliver a message." Ciaran warned, his tone as venomous as the deadliest snake. "Tell your city that if even one more person comes for this woman, or her child, I will come to your city and burn it to the ground, lest it's corrupt views spread and infect the rest of the world. Nobody will survive. More importantly, nobody will notice until it's too late."

The guard nodded, grabbed their mace and ran back the way the guards came. There was a definite pause, broken by a sword dropping to the ground. "We just killed our comrades..." One of the male guards was shocked.

"This is what the Butchering was. But it was an entire realm turning on itself." Ciaran told him, sadly. "The humans who took the non-human's side were decried as race-traitors too. All of that happened because a Queen wished it so."

"Is this Pureza's fate?" The pregnant woman asked him.

"It will be, unless they make some very big changes to their corrupt, biased and pointless laws. I won't hold my breath." The wizard replied "Still, we've made sure they won't be coming after you."

"Yeah... Is this the part where I offer myself to you as thanks?" The woman joked, but still sounding serious about it.

"If you do, I'll decline. I'm not into pregnant women." Ciaran politely answered. "I'll still escort you East though. You may attract bandits or worse by yourself."

"What about us? We can't go back." One of the guards asked.

"That's up to you. Personally, I'd throw away the armour and get as far away from your city as possible." Ciaran told them before turning to the woman and gesturing forwards. "By the way, Ciaran Xanderson."

"Oh, um, Nessia Blazhenok. Formerly Taura."

Saving a woman called Nessia? Ciaran got the feeling that fate was taunting him now.

It wasn't much further East. Ciaran expected him and Nessia to be on the go for two or three days, but thanks to a passing horse carriage, they arrived at the village just as night was beginning to fall. Well, Nessia told him it was the village but he couldn't tell due to the huge wall made of logs. It looked more like a fort.

Two guards, one holding an greataxe and the other a spear and shield, stopped them as they approached. "Identify yourself and state your business here." The greataxe one commanded.

Nessia spoke "I am Harold Blazhenok's pregnant wife. I must speak with the Chief."

The guard was taken aback, but recovered and turned to Ciaran "And you?"

"Ciaran Xanderson." The wizard answered "Nessia asked me to escort her here."

"Very well. Follow me." The spear and shield one told them, opening the gate. "You too, Mr Xanderson-the Chief will want to speak with you."

The village was primarily made of wooden shacks and huts, each as high as two of the wizard. Mere curtains of cloth covered the entrances. There was various words painted over each doorway: "Alchemist", "Blacksmith", "Leatherworker", "Fletcher" and-

Wait, Fletcher? There were people who still used bows and arrows? In most places, it was a dying practice due to the limited supplies of wood and the higher effectiveness of magic. Ciaran supposed that in a land full of trees, the first one wouldn't be so much of a problem as back West.

They were led into a building made of a lighter-coloured wood than the others. The word above the door said "Chief's House". There was a huge table in the centre at which many minotaurs sat.

The chief of the village was a hulking behemoth. At least three heads taller than Ciaran, and a fair share wider. He had light brown skin and a body like a brick house. Just by looking at him, Ciaran understood how he'd become chief.

Next to his throne sat a female centaur who was obviously heavily pregnant: her lower half was swollen and you could make out spots on her tunic where milk from her breasts was leaking. She smiled at Ciaran and Nessia as they approached.

"Chief William." Nessia stepped forwards "I am Nessia Blazhenok, and I have come bearing Harry Blazhenok's child, as well as news of his fate."

"What news of him?" He voice was gentler than Ciaran expected.

"Gone from this life." She answered stoically. "You know of Pureza?"

"Yes."

"Me and Harold stopped for a night there. The guards tried to execute us, but he charged in and started fighting to give me time to run. I ran until late morning, pursued by guards. However, this wizard-" she gestured to Ciaran "-fought off the guards and saved me, then escorted me here."

"I see. You shall be looked after by a handmaiden until the child is born. We shall honour Harry's memory tomorrow. Now, get yourself cleaned up, fed and rested." Nessia bowed herself out, muttering a last thank you to Ciaran. The chief now addressed him "As thanks for bringing his wife and unborn child safely to us, I offer you a place to rest with wine, women and song." He added with a slight smile "Or wine, man and song."

"I'll just take the wine and song, thank you. It's been too long of a day for a woman." Ciaran replied. "Pink wine, if you have it. Or rum."

"Rum it is." The chief answered, smirking before turning to a female minotaur. "Darla, if you could escort our new friend here to your house and play him something?"

The minotaur nodded and approached Ciaran. "Please follow me, sir."

The chief's next words reached Ciaran's ears as he turned around and followed her out of the building: "Thomas, fetch a bottle of rum and take it to Darla's place. Then check on Nessia and see if she needs anything."

Darla led him through the village to the left side. She hummed a tune as they walked, but Ciaran didn't recognize it. He hadn't expected to; he was a long, long way from either Westend or Asmana, and they were entirely different cultures on their own. He decided to just take in some of the sights, but it didn't seem that different to any other town or village. That said, why should it be?

He followed her into a shack with green vines twisted around the doorframe. "Darla" was painted over the frame. There wasn't much inside-just two straw beds and a small fire pit that was unlit. Once inside, she produced what looked like a wooden egg with holes carved into it. A tube extended from the side.

Ciaran's eyes went a little wider. "Is that an ocarina?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." Darla told him, smiling "Flutes are too unwieldy for me."

"I haven't seen or heard one of those since I left Westend."

"You're from Westend?"

"Born and raised, but I left and headed to Asmana. Don't ask how I ended up here-I just drift around." Ciaran smirked.

"I understand. I've never been interested in the adventuring life, myself."

"Well, I won't try to convince you otherwise. Settling down is certainly a safer option. And it comes with much less risks." Ciaran's voice broke very slightly on the last three words.

Before Darla could ask, another minotaur came through the curtain, holding a bottle of rum and a wooden cup. "Your rum, sir. Just so you know, it's likely stronger than what you're used to."

"Thank you... Thomas, wasn't it?" Ciaran asked.

The minotaur nodded "Yes, sir. Do you need anything else?"

"No thanks." The wizard answered "But please tell Nessia that she doesn't owe me anything for helping her."

As Thomas bowed himself out, Ciaran poured himself a cup and drank deeply. The rum was sweet as honey, and had more bite behind it than the usual drink. That was okay though. He lay down on the bed and nodded at Darla.

Darla raised the ocarina to her lips and began to play. Her chosen tune was deep, slow and paced. A memory drifted into the forefront of Ciaran's mind: his mother lulling him to sleep with a similar sounding song. He could practically hear the words...

"Oh, dear child of mine,

worry not as you close your eyes.

Hear my song of peace and love,

know it's for you, my sweet little dove.

Fall into sleep, do not be afraid.

Mommy is here, so into dreams fade."

Ciaran felt his eyes slipping closed; his dreams were inviting him in. As he felt himself falling into sleep, he knew that his dreams would not become nightmares. His past would not serve to torment him this night. He smiled and allowed himself to fall into the ether.

Grand Day Out

Sometimes, you just need a break.

Ciaran Xanderson is my OC. Ilyse Arvernus belongs to DarkShadow777.

Tags: sfw, beach, wholesome, spending_quality_time, playing_ball, sailing, swimming, water_fight, hammock, cuddling 

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The sun shone bright and warm over the town of Filia. The beach was beautiful, although it was emptier than usual. No people or towels or even litter covered the white sand. A deserted cottage, made of bamboo and leaves, sat at a far end. Palm trees dotted the beach, stretching their barks towards the clear sea.

The sand was disturbed by two pairs of feet. On the left walked a curvy elf with orange braided pigtails wearing a green dress and boots. On the right, a brown-haired wizard wearing a grey tunic with a wand holster, black trousers and grey shoes.

"Why is there nobody else here? You'd think it would be full of people. This is a huge tourist spot." Ilyse asked.

"Because I reserved this beach for us." Ciaran replied. At the elf's look, he elaborated "I think we both need a break. That's why I've brought us here. No Adol to anger you. No Devany to talk me into... Whatever she's got planned. Just you, me and a beach all to ourselves."

"Oh... Well, now I'm not sure what I want to do." the elf shrugged slightly.

"Well, we should probably start with changing clothes. I got a swimsuit that looks about your fit, but it was kind of a guess." Ciaran opened his pocket portal and brought out a dark red one-piece swimsuit and a pair of dark purple swimming shorts. He tossed the swimsuit to Ilyse with a smile.

The two stripped off and put on their swimwear. Ciaran tried not to look at Ilyse after she pulled off her dress; this afternoon wasn't about his carnal feelings for her. Ciaran's shorts fit snugly around his waist, and hung to just above his knees.

Ilyse's swimsuit fit her well, although the single shoulder strap seemed to dig in slightly due to the pull on it caused by her breasts. The strap at the bottom also seemed to dig in slightly. Ciaran hoped it wasn't uncomfortable; he didn't know how to increase clothing size.

"Mmm... It feels a little tight, but I can't complain. How does it look?" The elf asked.

"Well, I think anything you wear looks good, so you're better off not asking me." Ciaran told her sincerely.

"Heehee! Such a gentleman..." Ilyse giggled, turning a little red in the cheeks.

"How about me?" Ciaran asked, doing a quick turn around.

Ilyse smiled "What can I say when you're always handsome anyway?" Ciaran felt himself blush in answer. He picked up his wand holster and secured it to his arm, just in case.

He spotted a ball nearby. It looked new, as if it had just been placed there. He walked over and picked it up. It was full of something, but it was still pretty light for something made of leather. His first idea of playing with Ilyse came.

"Hey, Ilyse!" He called out, turning to her "Catch!"

He threw the ball up and hit it with a wandless, nonverbal Repulsa. Ilyse managed to bounce the ball upwards using both fists in a hammer. Ciaran smacked it back without using magic to find it didn't hit his hand hard enough to hurt. Much. Maybe he'd become too dependent on magic.

Ilyse let out a child-like laugh as the two bounced the ball between them. Ciaran could almost see the memories coming back to Ilyse before his eyes. It was beautiful. Even more beautiful than the Princess was normally. Ciaran felt his heart stirring at the sight.

Ciaran began to hit the ball harder, forcing Ilyse to keep up. She had no trouble; easily moving fast enough to slap the ball back to him. The ball was getting faster and faster, the slaps against the leather becoming louder, even starting echoing slightly.

Ilyse suddenly smacked the ball with a lot of force and Ciaran couldn't react fast enough.

"Oh f-OOF!" Ciaran felt the ball smack into his cheek forcefully. Losing he balanced, he toppled backwards and landed on his side.

Ilyse gasped and rushed over "Oh my- I'm sorry, Ciaran! I didn't mean to-"

"Uhh... I can sort of sympathize with Adol now..." Ciaran was glad he'd turned his cheek towards it, or he might have gotten a broken nose.

Ilyse planted a quick kiss on the bruised cheek. "Are you alright?"

"Just my pride." Ciaran joked, getting up and hoping he wasn't blushing from the kiss. "I'm alright, otherwise."

"Good... I wouldn't want to know I hurt you." Ilyse's smile betrayed her thoughts. Ciaran looked around for something to distract her with.

The wizard noticed a wooden rowboat with a makeshift mast and sail in the sand nearby, giving him another idea. "Ilyse, how about we push this boat out and do a bit of sailing?"

"I don't know much about sailing." Ilyse told him.

"I remember a few things from Westend's fishermen." Ciaran answered, pushing the boat through the sand.

When it reached water's edge, Ciaran unraveled the sail and secured it to the mast. The elf helped him push the boat into the water and both got into it. The boat moved forwards a little from the momentum.

There was a pause.

"Oh. I forgot we need wind for sailing." Ciaran internally cursed himself.

Ilyse waved her hand at the sail and a breeze shot into it, pushing the boat forwards with momentum that nearly threw Ciaran off balance. They drifted outwards a little bit before Ciaran rolled the sail back up, not wishing to drift out further. The wind, only now noticeable, was blowing back towards the beach anyway.

The sun shone visible rays onto the water, though few reflected into their eyes. Few clouds dotted the sky (though Ciaran was sure he saw one that looked like a boot). The sight was mesmerizing. It reminded him of Westend's weather, and the odd trip he'd taken with the fishermen.

Ilyse spoke up "Ciaran, there's something I've been wanting to ask."

"Yes, Princess?"

"Well, you brought up that you remember a bit of sailing from Westend... What was Westend like? It must have been nice, being up a noble's son." Ilyse asked innocently.

"Sorry to say this, but you're as wrong as wrong can be. Westend was... it -is- awful." Ciaran's truthful words dropped her smile instantly. "The rich stay rich by taking from the poor. The workers are 'ungrateful maggots', writhing in the filth dropped down so graciously by the nobility. My father told me the lower class had no will or drive to get to where the nobles had, and so they deserved to be there. From what I could tell, none of the nobles earned their fortunes. They inherited it from parents. The workers deserved-and still deserve-better. I wish I could give them better, but there's no way I can do that without bloodshed. And Westend has seen enough of that." He paused to wipe a tear from his eye before turning the question around. "What about you? How was it growing up in Luxas?"

"I... I'm sorry to hear that. Luxas was very different. My mother and father loved our people, and the people loved them back. I had trips to the beach, bubble baths, playtime... and I was taught about our people and history nearly every day. Things were simpler: Prince Adol was my best friend, not my husband-to-be. I never wanted to be betrothed to him, but my mother and father didn't listen."

"Your parents shouldn't force you to marry someone you're not in love with. My father married my mother for her outer beauty and inner fire. And he soon came to regret it. Every time my father tried to discipline me, Mum would catch the punch. He actually hurt me one time, and Mum bit him so hard the wound scarred over. He never raised a hand against me again."

"Why did your mother agree to the marriage then?" Ilyse was clearly confused.

"I have no idea. Me and my brother have turned out like chalk and cheese because we listened to different parents. My brother listened to my father's hateful poison, while I listened to my mother's sympathy for the common folk." Ciaran told her "I'm hoping Mum hasn't done anything to get herself arrested in my absence."

"She sounds like a smart woman. I'm sure she's fine." Ilyse assured him "What about your brother?"

"Shaun is older and more handsome, but that's about all he has over me." Ciaran answered "I don't think he's made a single choice that wasn't dictated by our father in some way. He's been listening to our father's bullcrap since he was 8, at least. He joined in my father's abuse of me, always telling me I won't amount to anything unless I follow in father's footsteps. Joke's on him; I hold the longest win streak in Agliophilia's history. What's he done by himself that's worthy of notice? Nothing I've heard of."

There was a pause.

Ciaran looked at Ilyse "Sorry to ramble on. I get a bit angry when it comes to Westend."

"It's fine." Ilyse assured him, smiling "I get the feeling you needed to get that off your shoulders."

Ciaran still felt uncomfortable with saying so much, and changed the subject "Shall we go for a swim? The sun should hold up and the boat won't go anywhere."

"Let's. I love swimming." Ilyse told him, smiling widely. She jumped out of the boat and into the water.

Ciaran smirked as he peered over and tried to find the elf, but there was no sign of her. He clambered over the side of the boat and floated in the water. He wasn't much of an underwater swimmer-he couldn't hold his breath very long. He heard Ilyse's voice call to him from the right.

"Ciaran! You won't believe what I found! Come! You have to see this!"

Ilyse's limbs moved gracefully, as if she were dancing through the water towards him. She was clearly a very practiced swimmer. Ciaran supposed it was one of her favourite things to do in Luxas. Getting closer to her, he saw her head was in some kind of bubble.

"Come on! There's something you need to see!" she urged him.

"I can't hold my breath well." No sooner had he said it that he felt a bubble formed around his head. Ilyse just smiled and dived under again. The wizard quickly followed.

Ciaran saw a large coral reef. A expanse of reds, greens and purples. He'd heard of these, but there were none in Westend or Asmana. It was amazing. Ilyse gave him a thumbs up and he responded with one.

He swam lower, taking in the various fish's colours. The yellows and blues of various tangs, the browns of seahorses, black gobies, but there was one fish Ciaran couldn't spot. One that he remembered he'd wanted to see since childhood. Where was it... Ciaran had seen one in a picture, but never-

The wizard spotted the elf heading back to the surface, and decided to follow her. She must have swam back up for a reason. He broke the surface and Ilyse held up a shiny white pearl "Look, Ciaran-I found a pearl."

"Nice. Pearls are considered lucky in Westend. A sailor or fisher is lucky if they find more than two over an entire lifetime." Ciaran told her. "They're traditionally used to propose marriage."

"Did either of your parents propose with one?" Ilyse asked.

"Nah-my father bought a generic wedding ring with a sapphire inset. Mum once told me it was an impersonal gift, and asked me never to propose to a girl in such a way." Ciaran chuckled. "Or a guy, come to think of it."

Ilyse giggled in answer.

"Good on you for finding it though. Let's take one more dive. I'd like to see if I can spot a blowfish." Ciaran told her.

"Aren't they poisonous?" Ilyse looked slightly incredulous.

"I'm not going to eat it!" Ciaran laughed. "They can only poison you if you touch them, and I don't intend on that."

The wizard swam back down, eyes peeled for the sight of brown and white on the same fish. There were more seahorses, some eels, a few toadfish... No pufferfish. Ciaran stayed hopeful though-there had to be a blowfish somewhere.

But no such luck. Even after ten minutes of careful searching, there was no sign of one, puffed or not. He got Ilyse's attention by waving and pointed to the boat. They swam back to the boat together before sailing it back, using a bit of magic to speed it up.

"Well, that's a bit of a bummer." Ciaran commented "I've wanted to see a blowfish since I was a kid."

"Why?" Ilyse looked curious.

"I just liked the idea of them. Making yourself bigger so predators can't eat you. And poisoning the predators dumb enough to try." Ciaran replied.

"I could have used that ability with that mimic..." Ilyse admitted.

"Well, your answer's simple, Ilyse." Ciaran told her.

She blinked and asked "It is?"

"Yeah!" Ciaran cracked up as he spoke "Ju-Just eat more swee-hee-heets!"

"Hey!" Ilyse pouted as Ciaran laughed.

The boat bumped into the shore. As they stepped out of it, Ciaran got an idea.

"Y'know Ilyse, since we're both soaked already..."

"Hmm? What do you-BRRLRLRLRL!" Ilyse's sentence was interrupted as Ciaran shot a jet of water into her face.

"Water fight!" Ciaran announced, pointing his wand again. Another jet of water shot at Ilyse from Ciaran's wand, directly hitting her in the face.

Ilyse shot her own jet of water, but Ciaran ducked it. His back caught a bit of it, but not much. His next "attack" wasn't on point, however. It missed and left him open to Ilyse's next jet, which hit him directly between the eyes.

Once his vision cleared, Ciaran shot a blast of water at the same time Ilyse did. The two jets of water hit each other and splashed upwards, causing a miniature rainstorm. The droplets fell onto the two of them.

The two continued to trade water jets under the small rain they'd created. But the wizard's focus drifted. To Ilyse's movements, her childish laugh, her wide smile, and perhaps most of all, the fire in her eyes.

Ciaran, for one of the first times he could remember, was having fun. He liked this playing with Ilyse. He was enjoying himself, and knowing that Ilyse was feeling the same made him feel lighthearted. He felt-

"GOOOOOWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!" The loud roar suddenly broke the fun ambience. The two looked at each other for a second or two.

"That wasn't my stomach." Ciaran half-joked.

Another roar sounded. Then the ground shook slightly. Both of them turned towards the beach to see a huge black squid-like creature emerging from the water. It moved a tentacle towards the elf-

"OH NO YOU DON'T!" Ciaran shouted. This... whatever the fuck it was, it was NOT ruining this day. "Flamma Iecit!" He flourished his wand to the sky and his skin flashed orange. He took careful aim, holding his wand with both hands.

He fired.

The blast of orange light hit the tentacle moving towards Ilyse, completely severing it. Using the opportunity, the elf ran to him and ignited her own magic, ready to fight back. The creature let out a shriek of pain and slammed what was left of the appendage into the water, soaking both the wizard and elf further. It seemed content with that, however, as it retreated back into the water.

"TRY THAT AGAIN AND IT'LL BE THE OTHER SEVEN!" Ciaran shouted at the water before turning to Ilyse "Are you okay?"

"Great, thanks! And thanks for saving me!"

"No problem. How the hell didn't we see that thing in the reef?"

"Maybe it was camouflaged? Or cloaked?" She suggested.

"It certainly wasn't magical or I would have sensed it..."

"Not all disguises are magical." She told him "In any case, you saved me." she pecked him on the cheek.

"Well, now we're both drenched. And I didn't bring a towel." Ciaran realized.

"There's a hammock over here, but only one. I think we'll have to share." Ilyse told him.

Well, there were worse things than sharing a hammock with Ilyse to dry off.

Ciaran clambered into it and Ilyse joined him, laying on top of him. She shivered slightly, so he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed contentedly in response. Although they only wore their swimsuits, no carnal thoughts entered their minds. They were too relaxed. Any other kind of fun would detract from the day they'd spent.

"By the way, I totally beat you." Ilyse whispered.

"Does it matter?"

"...I guess not."

A whisper escaped Ciaran's lips. "...I totally beat you though."

He heard the elf chuckle slightly and embraced her a little tighter. The feeling of her skin against his, her soft breathing, her warm weight... Ciaran had missed this feeling. He looked over towards the setting sun, and for the first time in a long time, was able to appreciate it.

He smiled and kissed Ilyse's forehead "It's getting towards night. We should go find the others."

"Okay." Ilyse answered, getting off him. "Thank you, Ciaran. I enjoyed today very much. I haven't had such fun since I was a little girl."

The two redressed and headed back into the main city. It wasn't hard to find the group-they just checked every inn until they came across them. Jordan pointed the two out to the group as soon as they walked through the door.

"Where have you two been?" Adol asked suspiciously.

"We took a day off." Ciaran answered. "Went to the beach."

Devany piped up "Ooh, did you get up to anything-"

"Fun? Absolutely." Ciaran interrupted. "We played ball, went sailing and had a water fight!"

"Don't forget the swimming and hammock swinging, Ciaran." The elf added, smiling widely.

Adol looked ready to explode. Ciaran just smiled innocently and said "Shall we find somewhere to rest for the night? It's getting late."

"Way ahead of you. This inn has enough room for all of us." Jordan told him. "I'll take Ilyse upstairs and make sure she's comfy. Kyran looks like he wants to talk with you."

"Sure." Ciaran shrugged. "Thanks for the day, Ilyse. Good night."

"You too, Ciaran." She cheerily answered, following Jordan. Adol opened his mouth to say something, but closed it and walked away without another word, followed by a snickering Levi.

"I'll wait in your room, Ciaran. I hope you still have enough energy for me..." Devany winked.

Now he and the wizard were alone, Kyran asked "Ciaran, I don't smell any indication of sex on either of you. Did you not do anything fun of the other kind?"

Ciaran sighed "Honestly? I needed a reminder that having fun was possibly without sharing a bed with a woman."

"You shouldn't need to remind yourself of that." Kyran sounded a bit concerned.

Ciaran sighed. "Let's just focus on the good parts. I had a lot of fun, and I'm positive Ilyse did too. I'm sure it was a nice break just to not have someone making advances on her for a whole afternoon."

"Heh, yeah. Well, I won't keep you from Devany. But you need to keep in mind there's more to life than just fighting and loving." Kyran told him. "And that's coming from a born and bred Asmanan."

"No promises, but I'll try." Ciaran replied, as he went to find his and Devany's room.