As they reached the hill they had formerly met on so often, Dawn put Niphru down before sitting beside him. She then grumbled under her breath for a moment before saying, “I ’t believe he did that to either of us, that was so mean!”

  Niphru nodded, feeling the same way, but responded, “I uand why, even if I don’t like it. But now you will be safer since if you get hurt you heal yourself too.”

  After remaining silent for a moment, Dawn bowed her head, remarking, “I guess so, but I still don’t like it, it was still cruel!”

  Niphru then tinued, “Anyways, since we are both here together, why don’t we practiagibsp; Fire works incredibly well against the ants, and I put out any fires we start.”

  Nodding, Dawn pulled a small pendant out of her shirt and held onto it for a moment. Niphru could see a mana link being formed betweewo, and then with a sudden snap, fmes erupted around Dawn, three floating orbs of fire spinning around her. She then poi the ground nearby and a ball of fme hurled itself where she pointed before spshing over the ground like water, leaving a scorched patch of ground lighting afme. This was repeated two more times with simir results as Dawn smiled and ughed.

  “I came up with the idea from your foxfire, and somehow it just worked when I tried it!” Dawn excimed, scratg Niphru behind the ears.

  “That certainly is more impressive than what I do so far with my magic, great job!” Niphru responded, gd she would be able to defend herself.

  As he swept his foxfire over the fmes, putting them out, he tinued, “All I do is spray fire in a general dire. Although I do have an idea. Could you try that again?”

  Niphru quickly formed a mana-link with Dawn, enabling them to share cepts telepathically again, then watched both mentally and with mana-sight as she formed the spell again. He could almost figure it out from seeing it dohis way, and began experimenting to try to get it w.

  After several more cycles of Dawn casting the spell and Niphru putting out fires, he finally mao get an orb of fire to appear from within his foxfire, erratically orbiting the other fme. He tried casting it agaiing in another orb appearing. He had trouble getting them to fly away towards a target however, only succeeding whe annoyed and his tail began thrashing, sending fire to each side.

  Many more attempts ter, both of them having to stop to siphon ambient mana, Niphru finally got multiple fireballs to form at once as well. A few more tries after that, he mao direct the fme with his will much like his foxfire, ending up surrounded by a dang swarm of tiny orbs of fme.

  Dawn looked on in awe as Niphru took her teique and improved it far beyond her own, then focused on their link as he cast it again, trying to pick up the differences for herself. After several attempts, she too was surrounded by a steltion of fmes.

  Dawn shouted and jumped in surprise as she heard Amilya speak up behind her, “That is amazing work, both of you. Dawn, because you are a mage and training to help, you are free from having to go to school until this is over. Don’t waste this ce, the stronger you bee, the safer you will be.

  With her hand on her chest as she tried to rex, Dawn turo face her mother, responding, “Of course I won’t. And this was actually Niphru’s trick, I taught him what I khen he came up with this and we shared it. But Mom, Monti was cruel when we went to learn to heal, he iphru with a khen threw it at me and cut me too!”

  “That does sound like it would have been a shock, but did you learn what you needed?” she replied.

  “We both learned how to heal, but that was mean of him! What if we didn’t figure it out?” Dawn excimed.

  “Well, I’m sure he would have healed you and apologized for failing to teach you. Sometimes things like that are required, and this is one of those times,” Amilya responded.

  They turned back to the vilge as they heard the gate thump shut, seeing the leader of the warriors heading towards them. As he reached them, Amilya spoke up, “I take it your trip in the forest wasn’t as peaceful as hoped, Devon?”

  “Unfortunately, no. We firmed the presence of a Bck Tide just as Niphru reported. The progress is slow as they expand outward, but they are headed this dire stripping the forest bare,” Devon said, before turning to Niphru and tinuing, “I am sorry for not just accepting your word, but we have a saying ‘Trust but verify’ when it es to these things.”

  Niphru o the man before speaking, “I uand, besides, why would you trust me when I am, as your men said, a mere beast? You taking me seriously is more than I had hoped for already, and I thank you for it.”

  Devon looked surprised for a moment before smiling and replying, “You know, I could get used to you, you are more polite than half those I have to deal with, and more fiving. At any rate, I o get bay men. I see you’ve been w on yic, I hope those pretty lights are as dangerous as they are impressive.”

  Dawn and Niphru looked at each other in silent uanding and uheir steltions of fme in a line in front of themselves before Devon could turn aeppering the field with head-sized scorched craters, then turo smile at him as he stared in shobsp; A moment ter, Devon cpped and ughed before turning back to head to the vilge again.

  Amilya smiled and pat Dawn on the head, speaking to Niphru, “I hope you put all that out before it catches too much.”

  “Of course, I am sure I get it or we wouldn’t have tried that!” he replied, before rag off towards the fming craters.

  “Alright, I trust you, be sure to head ba time for dinner,” Amilya called out before she returo the vilge.

  Shortly afterward, Niphru finished extinguishing the growing fire, theuro Dawn. She sat down beside him and scratched him behind the ears again, smiling happily. They had both improved signifitly due t together with their bonds, even if it had been exhausting.

  After resting there for a while, they headed back to the vilge. Dawn hugged Niphru, then headed towards the school as Niphru returo the house. As he arrived, he bit the tch to enter, closing the door behind him, and found Amilya sitting in the room resting, though her head shot up again as he closed the door.

  “Hello Amilya, Daw back to school because we were exhausted with magic after doing so much experimenting with it. I’m headed to take a nap like you were. Thanks again for everything,” he said before heading into the spare room.

  He jumped up into the chair and curled up, hoping he wouldn’t have the nightmare again. As he waited for sleep, he sidered how best to use the swarm of fireballs he had learned how to make.