Can't I Fit In Anywhere?

Chapter 87: Territorial Hatchling

After the first day passed with little to no fanfare, besides the slight discovery yesterday morning, Slade, who wasn’t letting Ryan out of his sights, finally let him go off on his own.

After a whole day of pestering him, Slade finally relented, allowing Ryan to explore around town and the woods (as long as he stayed close by). How Slade seen the situation as a bad thing was beyond him. It was a new world with magic beings and Ryan didn’t have to hide his Runes! Plus they weren’t terrified of his Runes like the majority of the people on Earth!

So after breakfast came and went and Slade agreed finally, Ryan nearly bolted outside. Staying inside the building, no matter how large it was, was beginning to drive him insane. Makes him wonder how he lasted so long in the bunker last year.

Gizzy followed him quickly, deeming it a good time to show him around the place. Apparently Ryan wasn’t the only one Slade was watching and wasn’t the only one to get out of Slade’s piercing gaze.

The town, while it looked small to Ryan, was apparently one of the largest towns in the world; Only the second largest, the other one topping their population with and extra 203 people. It seemed like many magic related attacks tended to keep the population down quite a bit. Only 623 people in the town at the moment. 

Ryan didn’t enjoy overhearing accidentally that 86 people ended up dying the day he showed up.

While the town was cute, it still looked like it was in slight disarray. So on a bight and sunny morning, which Ryan was absolutely loathing at the moment, the duo helped around. Gizzy because, one, he was the king/prince/whatever of the town and or world (Ryan wasn’t completely sure yet) and two, he wasn’t a jerk and enjoyed helping around. Ryan, because he also wasn’t a jerk and slightly scared of Tori’s reaction if she found out.

The jobs were simple. They couldn’t do much, since they weren’t taught how to build buildings and fix places. Carry some water over there, fetch some more nails, care some spare wood over, drop these crates off at this specific building...the list went on. It was calm and repetitive, but still enjoyable. The tasks allow Gizzy to point out a few more important building, or tell a story that happen at this place or that place.

The major point in the helping situation was when Ryan discovered something new about his Runes; More specifically the Fire Runes.

The task they were given was by the Fire Chief. Ryan had to hold in his laughter because he basically was a fire hazard, considering the town was made mostly up of wood, a very combustible and ignitable.

During the attack, some magic user from out of town missed an attack and hit the building. While not bad on its own, the building was also on fire, which seemed to absorb the magic and became unending.

So they were handed some extra buckets, the Fire Chief picked up the ones he was originally carrying and led the way.

It was too hard to find the building, considering it was the only one bathed in reds and oranges, though Ryan was thrown off by the lack of smoke.

The buckets were taken from them quickly enough, and they were pushed slightly back, because apparently they didn’t want two teens near a magical burning building. The fire didn’t seem to be spreading or anything, just chilling.

“Ryan?” Gizzy asked.

“Hm?”

“You can start fires, right?”

The look Gizzy received answered his question, though he did also receive other looks from bystanders.

“Couldn’t you also put them out then?”