[ IP ] Flame Bound


 
 Bill - `` Well, it comes most nights onto the pond, we have n't got ta fuckin clue where it comes from'' 
 
 Betty - `` Wash your mouth out with soap Bill! Sorry about that dear, he's in the sun too long most days.'' 
 
 Jack - `` That's ok Mrs Pepperbrown, I just want to know what it is?'' 
 
 Bill - `` Definitely an abomination of some sort. I mean I'm an earth mage and a farmer by trade and the first rule at the academy was'You should never mix the elements because it will result unfavourably for you' and you know being college students at the time of course we mixed the elements. But the teachers were right, nothing good comes of it, not then and not now, that's it. 
 
 Betty - `` The cat does look very pretty though and we were sure it was an elemental water sprite when it visited the first time because it was walking on water and only water mages can manipulate water and bend the shapes to their will. I'm not a mage you see, but I worked in the library when Bill was studying. Actually that's how we met'' Betty said smiling her old smile over to Bill. 
 
 Bill - `` Well the rest of the chicks were fire mages, do n't want to mess with those pyromaniacs. What's fire element good for anyway? It always ends up killing some poor bastard or burning some various building down. Ca n't they just be happy being a heating system for a house or a stove cook top? People actually need those things ah but the fire wizards are normally right up their own assholes.'' 
 
 Jack - `` I've always though fire was pretty cool.'' 
 
 Bill - `` Yeah, only in small amounts, but the temptation is too strong for its weilders, they always want bigger, better, more destruction. Ends in ruin. Far better to have another element I say. Like look at earth, I produce 8000 head of grain every year and can raise 20,000 cattle on this meagre 40 acre area - you'd need 5 times as much land for uses archaic'scientific' methods. 
 
 Betty - `` Well back on the cat, I've called it'Whisper' because it seems afraid to say hello. It runs right up our creek, normally when its raining and always leaves a trail of steam so we simply thought it was a temperature controlled water elemental created by some nearby wizard. The local water wizard around here is Benson and he can be a terrible character to deal with sometimes. His job is to be the irrigator but sometimes he just does n't `` Feel Like'' watering the crops which can be a real pain in the neck - especially when the crops will die before harvest without water. That's how we survive out here, each year and good year and it has to be otherwise we wo n't eat. 
 
 Bill - `` I do n't reckon Benson has any of his bloody hands in this creature because whenever it rains or falls into the creek steam pours off its body. It's definitely got some fire element attached to it but I do n't know how that makes any sense. At the college after first year when we all found out that mixing elements normally resulted in explosions or magical blackouts or creature paralysis we tended to stop playing around with it, nothing we dd ever turned out right and always damaged something or some animal. So I'm staggered to see what looks like a fire/water elemental cat just waltzing around on our creek like it has nothing else to do in the world.'' 
 
 Jack - `` Are n't elements supposed to be close to their owner otherwise they fade off into the magic vapour?'' 
 
 Betty - `` Ooooh so you have been reading the books I've been sneaking you'' She said with a cheeky grin. 
 
 Bill - `` You snuck him books! He has the magical aptitude of a 5 year old and his 15 this year. He needs to focus on something else for a living. Sorry lad, I'm not trying to be mean but just realistic here. I was already at the academy by the time I was 6. 
 
 Jack - With apologetic arm up `` It's ok Betty, I get that a lot from my friends as well, I just find all magic fascinating even though I'm not very good at it myself.'' 
 
 Betty - `` You can always become a trained librarian of magical studies if you want - that's what I did and it was quite rewarding getting to know all of the knowledge.'' 
 
 Bill - `` So Betty, with all of you extended knowledge as a librarian have you ever heard of a successful spell that combined two of the main four elements? Because I havent.'' 
 
 Betty - `` There were very old texts on the subject that did n't get read much and they were in very poor condition, though I was involved in the reconstruction of one of them. It was called'The Elemental Circle' and described the basis of magic not as individual schools of elements but rather a core magic that would then be used to operate in a physical plane. It's theory was that the easiest schools to form physical reality for spells were: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. There was n't much on the combinatons of the elements but it seemed to suggest that before the schools are formed the magic can be altered to flow into multiple elements and thus generate a'multi' spell. Whereas cross the individual schools merely results in disaster due to the different natures of the traditional spell schools.'' 
 
 Jack - `` So you're saying that it could be possible by understanding the core mechanics of magical flow before they are tapped into the 4 main elements of reality?'' 
 
 Betty - `` That's what this tome said and it was written by Damon the first Archmagus.'' 
 
 Bill - `` Damon was a loon in his older days, prophesying this and that and had to be removed from the position of Archmagus by general consensus. I'd take his words rather lightly. 
 
 Betty - `` This tome though was written was Damon was only 14 and he had never even cast a spell yet.'' 
 
 Bill - `` You're to tell me the best advice is from someone like Jack is now who is fully untrainted in magic? Rubbish, I find it hard to believe that magic has a common source that flows into the elements. If so why ca n't we simply access that source and bend the magical forces to our will? It does n't seem real, I think I'll keep my earth magic were I can understand it.'' 
 
 Jack - `` Well there's only one way to find out - we'll have to catch this creature and analyse its behaviour.'' 
 
 Bill - `` that's the best thing you've said all day chap. I've already built a trap. I'm an earth mage but this is an air trap, the best kind. It will hold anything under its torrents of air. Lets get it going.'' 
 
 Betty - `` Alright I'm going to stay here and knit some more, enjoy boys!'' 
 
 Bill - `` Just up the creek it was, it's only a short walk. You ready Jack?'' 
 
 Jack - `` Yep. Finders keepers'' Jack grinned and Bill scowled in return. 
 
 After a short walk through the farm field, there were no words between Jack and his Uncle Bill. They were both happy to soak in the slightly misty rain over the short walk and marvel at the height of the corn down a trackway made especially for checking different corn fields. It was a pleasant walk of grey clouds, bright green corn stalks and slightly muddy gravel track. Soon enough they were at the creek where they had seen the creature yesterday. 
 
 Jack - `` What luck Bill, it's there again, can you see it?'' 
 
 Bill was silent for a time, taking in the shadow of the animal, its qualities and characteristics and probably most important of all'what was it doing?' Bill doubted that some mage would let a dual elemental leave their sight had they managed to even created a stable one. Bill was finding the situation hard to fathom. 
 
 Jack - `` It's right there where it was yesterday, it looks like a bunny rabbit again or no actually its a cat today and is that fire at its paws?'' 
 
 Bill - `` Certainly is unaturall, look at it, it's a fire elemental cat, pretty basic spell for a journeyman wizard but.. it's walking on the water and does n't mind the misty rain pouring down on it.'' Bill scratched his head confused. `` How is it still in form instead of dissolving like most fire creations when enough water is present?'' 
 
 Jack - `` Look at its extremes Bill, they're yellow and when they touch the water they give off steam so maybe some part of a side stream of magical connection has been found - could it simple be a steam cat?'' 
 
 Bill - `` No way, that would lose its form too easily and waft away being useless, this cat just seems to provide steam from its extremities that also appear to burn brighter. What I'm having trouble with is the fact that Water and Fire are normally diametrically opposed.. 
 
 Stranger - `` Ho friends, I see you've been admiring my cat! How are you on this misty morning'' he said with a flourish and the politest manners Jack had ever heard. 
 
 Bill - `` I thought it might be you Benson you trixy water mage. How'd you build a fire elemental that looks to be immune to water?'' 
 
 Benson - `` Hah! We all ca n't be sharing our secrets now can we Bill. Though I do have a proposition for you. Would you like to hear it?'' 
 
 Bill - `` Shoot.'' 

