Academy days (Book 2 of IA)

[13] By the campfire...

The chill of nightfall began to set in, as the last rays of light disappeared at the brink of horizon. Luckily for me and Veritas, we managed to stumble upon a cave on our aimless destination and settled down for the night.

"Alright, we just need to get the fire started..." I said, as I drop the bundle of timber in my arms.

"Sorry, I do not know how to use any fire elemental magic..." Veritas jutted in.

"No worries, I go this." I said, crouching beside the pile of timber. Then with one hand near and pointing at the timber, I muttered a single command word:

"Ignite."

A blue flame emerged for the palm of my hand, and slowly the ice began to melt from the wood, and a brief moment after that the wood began to catch on fire.

A small gasp escaped from Veritas as she kept her eyes on the flame, and after seeing I have finished kindling to the flames, she spoke up:

"I never seen technology like this before..."

"Yeah, I didn't know I could do this with my robotic limbs until about a week ago."

"What else can it do?" the interest in her voice piqued up.

"Uhhh...Shoot lasers and produce this world's most annoying AI?"

"Sadly I cannot fathom such objects you are saying, but they do indeed sound magnificent!"

"Wait, I can show you the AI one right now! Rin come out! I know you are there!"

A brief moment later, nothing happened. Which made me look like some crazed fool talking to the air and trying to make up for the embarrassment I called out to Rin again:

"Fine, I will buy you any Stardelight's drink if you come out of your shell." I said with pursed lips.

Almost immediately, Rin's glowing blue hologram emerged from my arm in her figurine form, with her hips arched forward and a smirk printed on her face.

"That's a promise now Kard!" Rin said playfully with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, yes..." I agreed sloppily.

"Ara ara...So this is an AI?" Veritas bent forward and took a closer examination of her.

"Yeah, she comes in really handy as a GPS, other features, well...not so much." I burst out a chuckle.

"You know I heard all of that RIGHT?" Rin gritted her teeth with agitation.

"Yes, yes..." I waved dismissively, then turned to Veritas again: "Alright, can you pass me the pigeons?"

With a slight hesitation, Veritas handed the pouch in her hands to me. And from the pouch I produced a handful of odd looking fruits and berries.

"Uhh...just making sure, are you sure they are edible?" I said looking back and forth between the fruits in my hand and her.

"You have my word for this one. All these fruit and berries are edible to both humans and elementals. This here, is the pink ample." She said, plucking a pink flower like plant from my hand.

"It's poisonous when it's still in its pink color and it must be cooked over fire. And once it has turned red, that's when you will know it's safe to eat." She said knowledgably, as she had one of the twigs hover in mid-air and stab through the flower.

"Huh...You seemed to know a lot in this area."

"That is too modest of a statement. Wynd was the one who taught me this on a trip, when we were young." She said with a hint of nostalgia in her voice, as the hovering stick held still in mid-air, just slightly above the fire.