fire salamander

Chapter 1

Deep within a forest filled with plants, both beautiful and deadly, green, luscious grass and trees swaying in the wind. You could hear animals and dangerous monsters of all sizes, in every inch of this place. In a clearing, Shade, a dark purple-furred monkey, was trying to enjoy a nap as he lay on the green grass. His four ears twitched as a result of experiencing a vivid nightmare. It felt as though he was reliving his previous life as a human, who was hospitalized after saving his brother from a speeding truck, in a dark blue hospital room with no one coming to visit him. His father and mother didn't seem to like him before, and now it was even more obvious they didn't.

His brother's book was the only thing that kept him company. His younger brother had given it to him. He remembered how shy and sweet his brother was and how on his 16th birthday, he got his first gift from his brother, a book. That same book was the one he was reading before he passed. That day was the happiest day of his life.

As he jolted awake, he found himself struggling to breathe, clutching at his chest as intense waves of panic washed over him. Trying to calm his mind and racing heart, he reminded himself that it was just a nightmare and the worst was over. Despite having lived here for only two months, the nightmares were by far the most challenging aspect of his new reality. Determined to ease his troubled mind, Shade went on a stroll to get his mind off things. His mind started to wonder why he had only been here for two months and a lot had happened. He had some of the previous owner's memories and had learned magic through them. After roughly ten minutes of walking, he was startled by the distant sound of people shouting.

As he quickened his speed, the scene before him was incredible – a fierce battle between a brave, armored monkey knight, a powerful bird mage, a ferocious lion brawler, and a nimble mouse spearman against a formidable fire salamander. The monster, with eyes gleaming like obsidian, had the group cornered, ready to unleash its fiery wrath.

The fire salamander attempted to turn the group to cinders, but Shade intervened just in time, conjuring a barrier with his shadow powers. The acrid smell of smoke and ash filled the air as Shade summoned multiple tentacle-like shadows to ensnare the raging beast, restraining it with a resounding thud.

Despite the shadows' hold, the fire salamander thrashed violently, breaking free from its bindings. Its furious roars reverberated through the air, muffled only by Shade's powerful magic that kept its jaws shut. Seizing the opportunity, the monkey knight swiftly retrieved his weapon and charged at the beast, gracefully dodging its thrashing tail. With astonishing speed and skill, the knight plunged his sword through the beast's head, ending its life with a definitive strike. However, as the victorious knight turned to Shade, a sense of sorrow filled his gaze before he succumbed to his injuries and collapsed.

Shade wasn't sure if he knew the name of any healing spell, so he approached the mage and asked, "What kind of healing spell do you think would work best to heal the knight over there?" The mage replied, "Wait, first you help us and now you want to heal us even after restraining the movements of the fire salamander and saving our lives? Do you have enough mana?" The mage sounded concerned and confused.

A million thoughts were running through the mage's head, one being – why was this guy nice to us? If he uses too much mana, he will die. Does he know who we are and want to use us as ransom? Shade was not sure what mana was or why the mage was giving him a weird look but decided to play it cool with a small smile. "Yeah, I have enough mana. And I most certainly am willing; I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise."

The mage seemed dumbfounded but answered, "I think you should use a Divine healing class spell, like God's Blessings or the Goddess's Undivided Love. If you don't have enough mana, you can use normal healing magic." The one thing Shade knew about this world was thanks to a memory the past owner had. But before anything else could happen, the brawler shouted, "Stay with me, Losic!" As the spearman and mage tried to run over to the knight and brawler but were too weak to do so, Shade rushed to the knight's side, who was in the brawler's arms, and without thinking, he called out the spell "God's blessing" shade placed his hands on the knight.

Shade then proceeded to heal the brawler and the spearman using the same spell. Shade then wanted to examine the three who were awake to make sure everything healed properly, but before he could ask to do that, he looked at their stunned faces – they looked like they just found out they had a long-lost sibling who was famous but was very rude. Weird, Shade thought. Then the mage passed out, leaving everyone who was still conscious to worry, including Shade.

Shade told the only conscious people, the brawler and spearman, "I know a place where you guys can rest; it's safe from monsters." They both seemed to snap back to reality after Shade made the offer. The brawler hesitated and seemed to be pondering his and his friends' options, but then the spearman said, "Yes, please!" a little too quickly. The brawler glared daggers at the spearman but then spoke. "Ugh, fine! We will take you up on your offer. I'm Raph, and the one with the spear is Misaki. The other two will introduce themselves later. Thank you for helping and healing us, blah blah blah." Shade could not help but think, He sounded annoyed. "Well, when you guys are ready, follow me." Shade was getting concerned about the mage even though he just met sounded even 15 minutes ago.

As Shade helped carry the group's supplies, leading Raph and Misaki through the forest, the sun began to set. Thankfully, they were not too far, only like ten minutes from the safe spot that Shade had mentioned. Awasthey arrived at a beautiful clearing, the magic barrier around it sparkled in the remaining sunlight, the cool breeze blowing through their fur. Shade broke the silence they had been walking in, "This barrier only keeps out monsters." Then he walked right through the barrier without giving any more explanation.

Raph and Misaki gave each other weird looks before they carried the knight and the mage on their backs through the barrier. The group decided to set up camp. Raph, after putting the knight down, then demanded their stuff from Shade. It was obvious he didn't trust the new person. The flickering fireflies cast shadows over the knight's armor as he lay unconscious, a faint furrow on his brow hinting at troubled dreams. The mage, too, lay nearby.

Shade's concesoundedy grew for the unconscious knight and the mage as nearly twenty minutes had passed since they had arrived and set up camp. Finally, Misaki broke the thick atmosphere with a question. "Hey, hmm, we didn't get your name, did we?" Shade turned to look at her, surprise and embarrassment visible on his face at the delayed introduc Ohon. "I'm Shade," he said, hDhadeice sounding apologetic. "I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."

After a bit of friendly conversation between Misaki and Shade, Raph seemed to want no part of this conversation, but suddenly the mage began to make some noises. Both Misaki and Raph immediately moved to his side, their faces etched with concern. The mage was now awakened and being bombarded with questions. "Do you remember anything?" Raph spoke, his tone very anxious and full of worry. The mage blinked a few times, his eyes adjusting to the light. He took a deep breath and managed a weak smile. "I'm fine, just a bit disoriented. I remember... We were attacked by a fire salamander, but I'm fine now. Where is the person who helped us?"

Both Raph and Misaki pointed at Shade, who gave a small smile as the mage glanced over at him. The mage, still visibly weak, took a deep breath before speaking. "Thank you. Without your help, we might not have made it." Shade nodded, feeling a mix of relief and discomfort. "I'm just glad I could help. You should rest and regain your strength. Oh and by the way my name is Shade," The camp settled into a tense silence as the night deepened. Raph, still wary of Shade, kept a vigilant watch while Misaki tended to the fire. The knight remained unconscious, his breathing steady but shallow. Shade could sense the group's unease and decided to break the silence.

"demeanor and if you don't trust me. I mean, we did just meet, but could you not stare at me?" Shade asked, addressing Raph directly but quickly adding, "I promise, I do not want to harm you guys in any way. I just want to help." Raph's eyes narrowed, and he didn't respond immediately. Instead, he continued to watch Shade closely, keeping his guard up. Misaki, sensing the tension, tried to diffuse the situation. "Shade, don't mind him. We're gratefuShade your help."he nodded, understanding their caution. He wanted to say something but decided not to. Shade's thoughts were filled with the determination not to die young again, and he slowly fell asleep.

as the sun started to rise, the knight finally regained consciousness. He looked around, disoriented but alert. Raph and Misaki rushed to his side, relief plas Ohred on their faces. The mage was still sound asleep. "How do you feel?" Misaki asked, her voice filled with concern."A bit sore, but I'll be alive, "Knight replied, his gaze shifting to the mage and to Shade, with a look of confusion and concern but then the knight spoke again. "Thank you for saving us..." the knight said in a weak voice.Shade smiled in response and replied"You're welcome. Let's just get you all back to full strength." shade couldn't help but wonder why the knight gave him a weird look, Shade decided not to pay attention to that " by The way i don't know what your name is sir Knight. Come to think of it, I don't know the mage's name either."

"It's ..law," the knight Said turning his face away

"Nice to meet you, Law. Pardon the intrusion, but why are you guys in this forest? Don't you know how dangerous it is?" Shade asked, it took a second for shade to realize he was in the world of the book he was reading, Raph spoke in a harshly sarcastic tone snapping Shade out of his thoughts "Well, what are you doing in this forest? Don't you know it's dangerous?" Shade was taken aback, but kept a calm demeanor

He quickly came up with a lie, "I was training. And why are you guys here?" "Training?!" the three members of Law's group shouted, waking up the mage immediately. the mage scolded, his voice still rough as he shouted until he noticed Law was awake. "Law! You're awake. Can I get you anything? You lost a lot of blood, and we all know even magic can't restore blood, only heal," the mage said, his concern and worry all over his face as he moved closer to Law, checking his condition with a practiced eye.

" I'm a little sore and dizzy but I will live." The three explained Why They shouted and the news shocked the mage " Shade you were here to train, to think if you weren't here we would have been severely injured or possibly worse" Shade said nothing but nodded in agreement.