Lioan made his way to the barn. He found the chest and opened it up to find an assortment of different colored cards. A gray card caught his eye, and he aptly picked it up. The card had an intricate design of a dragon breathing fire. Lioan took his card and went back to Ulis to get his approval.
"Hey, check this card out; it's got a flame-breathing dragon on it. Isn't that cool as heck?"
"Lioan, I'm not sure if you'd want to use that card… That is a stilpa card. The card's element is steel with an added dragon effect. It's a combination card that mixes an element and a creature. It could be dangerous if not used properly."
"Oh. Ok then, I guess I'll put it back; such a bummer." Lioan walks back to the barn with a slight frown creeping on his face.
A fireball the size of a mini house struck the barn and reduced it to ashes in seconds. The flames then formed a tornado that ravaged the grass around it. Lioan saw this, and his jaw fell to the floor. Heartbeats became more frequent, and the smell of burnt grass infected the fresh air. Smoke filled his lungs as he tried to process the devastation before him.
"ULIS, WHAT'S HAPPENING?" Lioan yells with all his might.
"...It's these bastards again… These people have taken everything from me. I—I can't seem to live without them interfering with everything I do." Ulis responds in an undeniably melancholy manner.
"Now they also want to take my animals away from me, it seems."
Lioan sensed an incredible rage from Ulis, one that could only have been due to years of injustice and oppression. Lioan felt a bond form with Ulis at that moment. A man who had been exploited and seen as lowly. He couldn't stand it. The very thought repulsed his very being. Either he was going to help this poor man, or he was going to die trying.
The flames spread further throughout the grasslands, and engulfing smoke obscured any sight of the perpetrators. Lioan promptly looked at the steel card in his hand and resolved himself. He was going to use the card to fight off these bastards.
Lioan bonded with the card for 12 seconds and was ready to unleash its might, and so he did. The moment he threw it in the sky, a ball of raging flames burst forth and quickly took the shape of a dragon's lengthy body. The dragon let out a deafening roar as it soared through the air, ready to devour any in its path. Its whiskers danced like endless flags, and its scales shimmered with a blinding glow. The dragon blew a gust of wind that you'd expect in a hurricane or tornado and cleared the smoke in one tremendous breath.
Lioan and Ulis could see them perfectly clearly now. Already in a state of shock from seeing the great dragon looming above them, they locked their eyes on the 3 people that stood across from them. The three people were wearing identical black cloaks and masks. One of them was a girl, and the other 2 were men. The 3 guild members had a dumbfounded look as they observed the fiery beast. Their chests had a symbol made up of 3 candles in a straight line, though only the middle one was lit up. The girl stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the creature's glowing red eyes. She raised her hand, signaling for the others to stay back.
Lioan hesitatingly walked forward with an incredible look in his eyes. He wanted to fill the gaps of knowledge in his mind, and it seemed that they were accepting of diplomatic terms.
"Who are you people, and why have you taken your time to assault this poor man?"
The girl replies, "We are from the Helix guild. This 'poor man' is a traitor to the guild. We have come to exterminate him for good."
"How exactly was he a traitor?"
"He was caught abandoning the guild."
Lioan glances over to Usil to confirm whether this was true. Usil gives him a sorrowful look and says, "I—I didn't want to leave the guild. I was forced to."
"What do you mean, Usil? How were you forced to leave?"
"I couldn't afford to live my life and support my daughter at the same time while being in the guild, so I left. I knew what was to come, but yet I still transgressed."
Lioan was satisfied with the answer, and he expected the guild members to be as well, since his reasons weren't selfish but for the greater good for his daughter's life and his. He looked back at the 3 members; they stood with a wicked look on their faces. Lioan could tell this wouldn't end well. The guild members couldn't empathize with Usil; they can't understand his situation. They were only focused on their own personal gain.
"It doesn't matter the reason for your sudden departure; your life is your payment for being such a waste of time."
Lioan was up to here with the bullshit they were spitting. If these guild members can't even understand the great ultimatum Usil was given, then how could they ever understand the consequences of their actions? Lioan's voice exploded, and he declared, "Leave this man's estate now! For you will have to make peace with death before ravaging another one of Usil's possessions."
"Yeah, whatever. Your measly self couldn't put an injury on this experienced body. Why don't you give it a go then, kid, and see where that ends up?"
Lioan sends the dragon hurling at them at a staggering speed. The dragon's scorching body charred the air it traveled in, producing an immense heat that made it impossible to breathe. The members gazed up in dread as they witnessed the dragon descending upon them. They had never entertained the thought that that dragon was formed by that measly kid. The dragon's fierce claws reached out towards them, ready to strike. In that moment, they realized the true power of Lioan's abilities and felt a sense of horror like never before.
In their state of panic, they frantically began to run away from the dragon, hoping to escape its wrath. They swiftly left the Usil homestead and mixed with the imposing buildings in the main town. They have completely gone into hiding.
"Such cowards. They talk so big just so they can tuck their tails between their legs and run away. The most shameful of them dared to insult you, Usil."
"Thank you, Lioan; really, I don't know how to thank you. I've been harassed by that guild for so long… I can't remember a time they haven't ruined something for me." Usil said grievously.
"Maybe things will slowly start to change now that you're here. Talking about the fact that you're here, would you like to stay at my house for a while? I have a spare bedroom, though it's quite filthy."
"Of course, Usil, I'll stay here for the time being, and if they come back, I'll do everything in my power to repel them even if it means cleaning up that spare bedroom of yours." Lioan shared a brief laugh with Usil as he trod back to the quaint house.
A calm breeze swooshed past them as the sun set for its slumber. Lioan reflected on the day as he made his way to the house. One day he was on the beach; the next he was in a strange mystical land with abilities that no human could ever witness. Excitement spread to every cell in his body, mixed with an entree of confusion. He had a lot to learn if he was going to survive in this new world. Today was a lucky day considering he was already holding a card in his hand and blessedly had enough mana to activate the card. Though Usil had warned him that these cards use up mana, which a person has a limited amount of, he felt no different.
"I'll tell Usil about this tomorrow and ask him to explain it further." Lioan thought. After all, he was just excited to finally be able to use the powerful card in battle. When he was little, he'd imagine himself fighting evil with superheroes. As he grew up, he always had a question that he had difficulty answering. What exactly is a superhero? He believed them to be powerful people who would save people from evil, but even a snake can save a rat from a cat. He felt too tired to think anymore about such erroneous subjects and decided to just relax, for he had long to think about it.