บท 3: Lightkeeper Named....

"I look like a what? Is that a good thing," the man asked scratching his beard.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it," Riley whimpered as he tried to slow his breathing.

"What are you apologizing for? I guess it DOES mean a bad thing then." the man pressed his finger onto Riley's nose and poked it as he said, "You rude bitch. Didn't your mother teach you how to not insult people? Especially people that you've just met."

After the man stopped talked, Riley swatted his finger away from his face then slowly rose up, grimacing at the pain on his knee. He groaned as he glared at the leech that was attempting to escape from the dagger that dug deep into its tail. His eyebrows fell and came close together, he clenched his jaw, and narrowed his lips. he watched the area around the impact of the blade that lodged itself deep into the ground; blue blood sprayed out staining the stainless red blade with a blue tint.

"Kid!" Riley jumped, the man continued with an annoyed tone, "I asked you a question. May you pretty please answer it."

Riley turned towards the man, who was now standing and setting his huge backpack down. "What about that leech," Riley asked.

"You'll kill it after I'm done with you."

"I'm going to kill it?"

"Yeah, you're gonna kill it," the man said puffing out a huge cloud of smoke.

"B-but I never killed anybody."

"Seriously? You aren't going to make it far," the man pondered for a bit then looked down at Riley's knee injury. "That leech did that to you," the man pointed at Riley's wound. Riley looked down at it and almost hurled, he saw blue blood come out of his slightly eaten knee. The skin on his knee was ravished enough to see tissue falling off. "Why is my blood blue?"

"God, all you do is ask questions, without even answering mine! You wanna play 20 questions so badly, fine." The man grabbed the katana on his side, he unsheathed it faster than Riley could even blink. Riley's eyes grew wide as he saw the blade of the katana burn a fierce white flame. It flickered before changing to a green color. The man took a step back from Riley and swung his katana in the air, it looked as though a streak of green was drawing the letter 'J' in the air. As the afterimage streaks disappeared, the man threw his katana to his side, however after it crossed a small distance from him it began orbiting the man.

Riley was in awe, "Cool, huh. I go by the name of Jesuh. Do you want to know why," the man asked as his katana orbited faster around him, forming a fiery green ring around his cowboy hat. "Why-" Riley asked before hearing a gunshot ring through the air.

Jesuh had drew his revolver and shot a bullet straight through Riley's knee wound. Riley screamed, "What the fuck," he fell to the ground, a burning sensation encompassed his whole knee, he writhed in pain as Jesuh laughed. "Because Jesuh is my name. That's why. What's yours kid?"

Jesuh awaited an answer, but all he got as a response was cries for help. "Hm. You can stop crying, it should be healing by now." Riley got quieter as he looked at his knee reconstruct itself. After it finished healing, he stretched his knee out, then jumped to his feet. He jogged in place before kicking with his formerly injured leg. "Was that magic?"

"Your name! Tell me your fucking name. Jesuh Christ," the man sighed while grabbing his katana and extinguishing the flames that made up the blade. He sheathed it, then holstered his revolver.

"My name is Riley."

"Great, now we can have a conversation Riley."

The leech screeched, "Just do me in you fools! I won't tell you anything about my glorious leader! Once night falls you will feel the wrath of the leeches!"

Jesuh and Riley looked at the leech, Riley raised his voice, "Shut up!"

Riley turned back to Jesuh, "When are we killing that thing?"

Jesuh laughed, "I thought you said you didn't kill anyone."

"I said I haven't killed anyone before. That thing bit the fuck out of my knee, I feel like killing it."

"You can't kill it with brute force though, you have to use magic."

"I don't know how to use magic Mr. Jesuh."

"Oh right, you're new around here. Welcome to Galdorerda. GAHL DER DAH. You got that?"

"Gawldoordah."

"No, but you'll get the hang of it later. As you may have already noticed this isn't Kansas anymore."

"I'm from Maryland."

"Maryland doesn't even exist. Stop distracting me. Shit where was I- OH right. In this world, we have no sun or moon, the only source of light is from the Great White Flame. Everything comes from or rather is born from the Great White Flame. Oh praise the flame! There are religions like that, please please, don't talk to anyone that asks you to kill them. Now I'm telling you this because the white flame is what fuels the mana in everyone that steps into Galdorerda. The white flame is extremely rare, so we only really use it for 2 things. Number one, a bonfire, and number two, a clock. Any questions?"

"Yeah, the military program that I signed up for. I vaguely remember them talking about immortality. At first I thought it was just some fancy wording to inspire people to work out or something. Do you understand me? I was thinking it was like, come do 50 pushups everyday to be so healthy that you're immortal." Jesuh stared blankly at Riley who continued, "is the immortality part actually real?"

Jesuh stayed silent for a second as the leech pleaded for its life, "Yes, I don't know much about whatever military program you signed up for, but usually when some newbie comes through either two things happen to them. They die or find an Angel."

"An Angel?"

"Lucky for you, I'm in need of filling out a good deed quota. So I'm willing to become your Angel."

"What exactly does an Angel do?"

"I teach you the lay of the land, then ditch your ass once you get to your first bonfire."

"What does the bonfire do," Jesuh and Riley asked at the same time.

"Well I'll tell you," Jesuh responded, "That's the immortality part. As long as you have a will to live again, the flame will always return you. All you have to do is place your hand in a bonfire. Now after I get you to your bonfire, you're free to do anything you want. Conquer the world, go back home, complete whatever mission you're here for. It doesn't matter to me, I'll ditch your ass and live out the rest of my days as a lightkeeper."

"A lightkeeper?"

"Sch-yeah dude," Jesuh turned around and pointed at the white flame that flickered in the distance. By this time the fog had completely disappeared, and the view of lighthouse was clear. As he pointed the white flame pulsed out a ring of flames that brushed across the sky to horizons beyond their view. "Oh shit," Jesuh uttered.

"Oh shit? What do you mean oh shit?"

"Uhhh," Jesuh started sweating, "don't worry about it. We only really have to worry when it pulses twice in succession. Let's go kill that leech."

Jesuh walked past Riley, whose mind was racing as to why the lighthouse flame had pulse, "Was it because it might explode," Riley pondered, "Do we need to run away when that happens? Did that call other leeches over to us? Maybe it was some sort of natural discharge or-"

The leeched maniacally laughed disrupting Riley's train of thought, "Foolish humans. You've used up too much of the great flame! It's over for you-" Jesuh stomped on the leech's mouth to close it shut. "You talk so much for an unintelligent Dracula. Get over here Riley!"

Riley rushed over to Jesuh's side, while he walked over he thought, "I have to just listen to him, I don't know what else to do. If his revolver had magic bullets that healed me, then surely he can kill me just as easily. I hate to see what he can do with that katana. Shit. I can feel my bowels moving. Calm down Riley. Just think of this all as some kind of game. You love games, and you're great at them. You're going to beat this game, and get out. Get your money then take Daniel and Chelsea out for sushi. Maybe you'll even bring Rachel and mom along for the fun of it."

"Riley?"

Riley snapped out of his trance, he was already standing next to Jesuh, who looked annoyed as he took another puff of smoke. "Did you hear anything I just told you?"

"N-No. What did you say?"

"Calm down Riley, this is just your tutorial. As annoying as they are, I can survive and get through this," Riley thought as he saw Jesuh smile.

"Magic 101, for me to considered that you passed this first lesson. I need for you to die Riley."