Occursus Forte - Meeting by Chance

I was frozen on my place on the floor, terrified at what I had done. The Lion's Den was practically deserted now. Only the seemingly-indifferent bartender, the man and I were there.

The man had finally stopped screaming. He had fallen asleep on the cold floor. I could not imagine how he must have felt when my flames raged towards him. The impact most probably left him blind. Though I knew I would have suffered much if I did not act the way I did, I could not help but feel sorry for the man whose pain I had caused. Nobody, even those with the darkest of hearts, deserved deliberate pain and suffering...

The doors of the tavern creaked open and footsteps broke the silence of the old, rundown place. By instinct, I turned towards the direction of the young man who had just entered. With his platinum-blond hair and incredibly fair complexion, he appeared quite striking. His clothes - a long silver topcoat with blood red linings worn atop his plain black undershirt and loose pants - showed off his well-proportioned body as well as his immense physique. He carried a long silver spear adorned with red streaks in his right hand.

His brilliant sapphire blue eyes darted towards my direction. An uncomfortable feeling came upon me upon the meeting of our gazes. He did not turn away as he slowly approached.
Without a word, he offered me his hand and helped me stand up.

Now up on my feet, I remained silent as he continued staring at me with curiosity. I kept my eyes to the floor, keeping myself from staring at his flawless face. I would have lost myself in his mesmerizing gaze and apart from that, I would not want him to end up like the man who laid unconscious on the floor. Who knows what more gruesome deeds my hands were capable of...

"That girl miraculously managed to defend herself against Ol' Tantus and left him lying over there," suddenly said the bartender, still without leaving his spot behind the counter. Both the young man and I turned to him in surprise. He speaks? "Flamma Puella...Fire Maiden, that's what she is..."

"Flamma Puella, huh?" His velvet voice resounded in my ears, much like an irresistable charm. His soft chuckles that followed revealed his amuseness at the name the bartender had titled me with. "The entire city's in disarray with the things your regulars have been talking about. To put it in a gist, they said that a young witch came and set fire to Tantus' face when he tried something on her."

"She's no witch, believe me... But she is capable of extraordinary things..." said the bartender, jumping off the counter with an elegant leap. He removed his shabby-looking apron, carelessly tossed it on the counter and walked towards the young man's side. "You'd be best to take her somewhere safe. I'm off to buy supplies." Giving the young man's shoulder a quick pat, the bartender marched out of the tavern.

The young man turned to me with an apologetic smile. And what a smile it was... "Sorry about that. Conrad can be like sometimes, but he is a pretty nice guy. Anyway..." He extended his free hand towards me. "My name is Lionel. Welcome to Gaudium."

Lionel...Lion...
He whose courage burns as that of a lion's spirit..
It was too much of a coincidence.
It was meeting of chance, perhaps, but for me, it was truly a meeting of fate.

Occursus Forte - Meeting by Chance
-end-

Exustio - Conflagration

The Lion's Den was an extremely run-down place. Its exterior appearance had gotten me thinking just how old the structure was. Getting inside and seeing its interior further reinforced my assumptions. The cracked floorboards... The chipped paint on the walls... The broken glass windows... The blinking light bulbs that dimly lit up the whole place... Everything was in poor condition. I could not imagine how this place could earn any regulars.

But apparently, quite contrary to my views, there were a lot of people present. No seat by the counter was left unoccupied and in addition, three tables were filled by men in eager conversation. Everyone inside the tavern had large muscular bodies. Majority of them wore sleeveless clothing, exposing their burly arms that were filled with a variety of tattoos. Some even went without shirts and quick glances allowed me to see their torsos, which were marked by scars and wounds.

Scars and wounds mark the bodies of a warrior... At least, this was what I thought. I felt as if I was getting closer and closer to accomplishing my mission. Surely, he must be here... He whose courage burns as that of a lion's spirit. My eyes wandered, scouting the entire scene. I was not sure how I would be able to tell who it exactly it was I was looking for but I was hoping for some sort of sign. There must be something that marks him different from all the rest.

"Hey!" I had gone too lost in my thoughts to even watch where I was going. By the time I realized my lack of alertness, it was too late. I had bumped into an incredibly intimidating man.

His bloodshot eyes met mine as he turned to face me. His large body came into full view as he glared at me, clearly angry at the disturbance I had caused him. I tried hard to remain calm but his overwhelming features had already succeeded in making my legs shake and shiver.

"I'm sorry..." The man seemed oblivious to my apologizes. He went on staring at me with his frightening gaze. I kept my ground, standing still as he lowered his face closer to mine. I held my breath against the foul stench of his. He reeked of alcohol and from that close range, it was clear to see that he was already intoxicated.

"A girl?" The drunk man gave out a horrid snort, followed by a series of boisterous laughter. "And a foreigner at that? Bah! Some place you picked to tour, girl! Bad move!" Then, he made a grab for my arm. I was too overwhelmed to move, let alone use any of my powers to defend myself. I managed to let out a scream but this seemed to have further amused the man who held me.

"No use yelling, girl... No one would dare stand against me. I am the strongest guy in this here turf!" With his massive strength and size, he was easily able to push me to the ground. Luckily, in the process, he released his hold on my arm, giving me enough momentum to cast a spell.

Moving as swiftly as I could, I placed my hands directly on top of his face and yelled at the top of my lungs, "Inflammatio!" Raging flames came bursting from my palms, hitting the intoxicated man's face and causing him to stagger down. His fall caused The Lion's Den to shake. His continuous cries of pain caused the people by the counter and the tables to quickly abandon their drinks and flee for the exit.

I was able to sit up. I was panting, a bit stunned after my first attempt at offensive magic. I stared at the man who now lay quivering on the floor, screaming in pain. I had caused this...

I had caused this...

Exustio - Conflagration
-end-