The sky was dark with rain clouds. Maybe even thunder, it was hard to tell these days. One day it would look dark as night and only rain a bit. Others it would be clear skies and a thunder storm, ferocious beyond belief would vent its rage upon those below. It was because of the war. Everything was because of the war. The strange mutated animals. The Strange weather. The Stars changing places. All down to the blasted war between the College of Magic and the Guild of Technology. How it affected these things, Hald didn’t know, all he knew was it wasn’t good.
His latest project he had set himself was to learn how to conjure fire. He wasn’t a Pyromancer, He had trained in the art of metamorphosis, allowing him to change his body into any shape or size, but he had always quite fancied being able to control fire. So far he had figured out how to light a torch with a gesture and make pre-existing fire flare up. Currently he was trying to conjure fire in his palms, without burning himself.
“Why don’t you just transform into a fire elemental?” John asked.
John was Hald’s best friend, work companion and keeper. He possessed no magic ability of his own; however he was well practiced in the arts of combat. His preferred weapons were a two handed great sword and a longbow. He was equally as deadly with each.
“Because there may come a time when I don’t have chance to transform into a fire elemental, or I am unable to do it. Being able to use fire like this will help me, and you, greatly. Imagine firing an arrow and I turn it into a flaming bolt of doom!” Hald grinned.
“What’s the point? The arrow would have already been on a kill trajectory. Fire wouldn’t make any difference” John looked confused.
Hald sighed. John was a good friend, but he lacked a bit in imagination.
“Never mind. I’ll show you some time what I mean” Hald held out a hand, palm facing up, like he was holding a ball. Concentration racked his face. The temperature in the room began to rise. A small heat haze began to emanate from his palm.
Suddenly a loud banging came from the door
Hald jumped and cursed as a tiny flame sprang from his hand, burning him for the lack of concentration and extinguished itself just as quickly as it had appeared.
“For the love of the gods! Who is it?!” Hald bellowed.
“Delivery for Hald Stormwarden” came a voice on the other side of the door.
“John, go get the door.” Hald said as he moved over to the bowl of cold water to sooth his burn.
John lumbered over to the door, he was a giant of a man. More muscle than anything else. When he opened the door, he filled the doorway so completely that Hald couldn’t see through.
“Thank you.” John said taking the box off the delivery man. “How much?”
“Oh nothing, sir.” The delivery man replied, a slight quiver of fear on his voice. It’s true, John was an imposing sight. “The sender already paid for it.”
“Who sent it?” Called Hald.
“I don’t know, Sir. I wasn’t given that information. Just the information on who to deliver it to.” The delivery mans voice came again. “Thank you Sirs’, but I must be off. More deliveries to make.”
John came back in with the box under one arm and shut the door a little too hard. The windows shook with the force.
“Oops. Sorry.” John said looking at the annoyance on Hald’s face. He always did that. Last month he managed to break a window pane, and replacing them wasn’t cheap.
