Two figures stood by the edge of the water, eyes closed. "Now feel the spirit of fire burning inside you. Feel it, and feed it. Make it grow, like an uncontrollable wild-fire..." Darkin spoke softly, but steadily, not breaking his concentration. The samurai stood over the water's edge, with his hands clasped together. His robe was folded down, and it doubled over his waiste. It was rather cold, so it would be puzzling to any passing pedestrians why Dogura's upper half was exposed to the cold winds. If anyone had looked closer, they would have seen that he was sweating profusely. He was hot. Hotter than he would have been on a 10 mile trek through Tantari. Darkin opened his eyes, and turned to face Dogura. His beak hit the ground, and he tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come out. "Let it out! Let it all out Dogura, are you mad?!"

The samurai leaned back, and his chest expanded. Lastly, he leaned forward, and with all the breath in his body, he forced the burning air out of his body, holding his hand about three inches from his chin, exposing the grainy mixture Darkin had provided him with. Fire. An unbelieveable amount of flame shot out above the water's surface, and shot in every direction in front of him in an unorthadox fasion. Darkin had to back away from the heat. Finally, the fire died down, and Dogura stumbled back a little bit. Dogura and darkin exchanged fatiqued glances. "Dogura! Have you done this before?" The samurai cuckled a little bit, before cupping some water in his hands, and drinking it. "I think I burnt my toungue..." Darkin let out a hardy laugh. "Its all mental! It doesen't turn into flame until it passes over the powder in your hands."

Dogura sighed in releif, and got to his feet. "That was wild! I could feel the heat passing through my lips!" Darkin's grin grew wider. "Its called Ki-Kaze! Your control is still a bit... terrible." Now lets try this again. Dogura stood up, and clasped his hands. "Now unlike wind, and water techniques, fire techniques rely heavily on the user's will, and passion." Dogura nodded. "I think I'm starting to get it now." The air around Dogura began to heat up again. "Now its occured to me that you specialize in that area. You have more passion that anyone I've ever met, and a will of steel. Its natural that you'll specialize in fire." Dogura stopped, and the air cooled to its normal temperature again. "Are you kidding me? I never knew I had the attributes to specialize in any certain element!" Darkin sighed. "You have a best friend who's a magic user, and you never thought to ask?" The samurai looked to the sky. "This openes up so many more doors for me... I can create new techniques, and-" He was cut off by a familiar voice.

"New techniques? Teach me sensei!" Dogura and Darkin turned around, and let their eyes rest on Alex, who stood a few yards away, wooden training sword in hand. Dogura's face twisted up.

"I thought I told you to stay at home!!"

"C'mon sensei teach me!"

"Why can't you ever listen to me??"

"Because you're so darn BORING!!"

"BORING?!? You ungrateful little-"

Darkin sighed. "Some things never change..."

OOC: I was pretty much looking for a creative way to cast fire. I bought a fire scroll, after realizing that you don't have to be a scholar to cast fire. Who knew?

OOC: How ironic, I also just bought that fire scroll....

IC: Saber whistled from the hilltop as he observed the fiery spectacle before him. "Well, obviously they can teach me how to use fire." He said aloud to himself--a habit he had been forming since he'd been traveling by himself. However, he wasn't alone. He nearly jumped out of his tunic as a heavy hand clapped down on his shoulder, making him cringe in pain and revulsion. He spun around and stared into a familiar, greasy face. The tangled mass of black hair in front of it made it hard to see the bright green eyes, but the large, nearly toothless grin was hard not to see--or smell. Saber pinched his nose as the strong smell of alcohol assaulted his senses.

"Burlo! What are you doing here!" He shouted, more out of shock than anger. "I thought I told you to stop following me!" Burlo removed his frayed tophat and looked up at the mercenary with big green puppy eyes--unfortunately, those only work if you're cute. Nobody likes a hideous dog, and the only thing that look got him was a clunk over the head with a muscular fist. "'Ey now, mate, thur's no reason' ta be hurtin' yer friend Burlo like dat, now is thur?"

Saber stepped back quickly. "You're hardly my friend! Why are you following me?!?" Burlo put the hat back on and pouted, looking hurt. "Foller? Now what would be givin' the 'pression I's follerin you? I's just sittin' 'neath this 'ere tree when all'sa sudden, 'ere comes me good mate Saber. As fer the fire thing, I kin be helpin' with that!"

Saber shuddered and responded quickly, not wanting to spend another minute in the drunk's presence. "With all the alcohol on your breath, you would cause an explosion if you so much as started a spark in the area! Now leave me alone!" Saber turned to leave, but tripped over a root, and began to roll down the hill. As he gained momentum and rolled towards Dogura and Darkin, Burlo called after him pleadingly. "Ey, c'mon now mate, don't be like that!" The pudgy man began to chase after Saber at a run, but soon got tired and decided to just stroll slowly down the slope.

Saber was traveling fairly fast now, and wasn't sure which way was up. He felt the ground level beneath him and started to slow, and eventually he stopped, dazed and nauseated, a few feet from the samurai and Rito. He looked over at the duo with spinning eyes. "So....how goes things, fellow adventurers..?" he looked over at the new shape that had appeared. "Who is that fellow...look familiar..." He mumbled. As his eyes focused again he recognized who stood there. "Alex?!? I haven't seen you for a long time! What brings you here?"

Dogura was so caught up in fighting with his apprentice, that he failed to notice the mercenery who nearly tumbled over him.

"You're so strict, you never let me go anywhere!"

"Its for your own good! You could die out here on your own!"

If you would give me a real sword, maybe I could defend myself better!!

You wouldn't skip out on my training sessions, you might earn one!!!

Darkin shot Saber an akward smile. "Guys, Guys, GUYS!!!!" Darkin shouted. "WHAT???" The two shouted in unision. Darkin pointed to Saber, who was still there on the ground. "He asked you a question Alex. What brings you here?" Alex smiled. "Saber! How've you been? I'm actually here, because I keep a vortex in a box in my closet that gets me between dimensions, and I got a time stop device from my future self, and all that jazz." He stopped, realizing how unbelievable his story was. "Dogura is my sensei..." Dogura extended a hand to help the mercenery up. "Its been a while, eh Saber?"

Saber watched the fight in amazement. Creator and creation...who woulda thought that they wouldn't get along? Then again, Dogura wasn't exactly the fatherly type...

When he finally got attention, he took Alex's hand and pulled himself up. "Yes, it has been a while. I said so myself if you weren't so busy fighting with your...sensei...anyways, how did that happen? I never thought of Dogura as a teacher, especially to children." He dismissed the thought with a wave of the hand.

"But I digress. Anyways, you guys were practicing with fire, right? I could use some work on that." He scratched the back of his head. "So then, any pointers?"

Alex smiled. "Dogura took me as his apprentice because he saw potential in me!" Dogura's facial expression told a thousand stories. "I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING IN YOU, YOU JUST NAGGED ME TO DEA-MMNNGGFF" Darkin wrapped a wing around Dogura's mouth. "Just let the kid think he's got potential. The power of the mind is an odd thing..." Dogura gave Darkin the thumbs up, and the rito released him, and stepped forward. "Of course I can help you. Dogura just tried it his first time as well! He produced magnificent flame, but can't control it worth a lick." Dogura folded his arms, and cocked his head. "I can control it just fine!" Darkin turned, and pointed towards the lake, where charred fish had surfaced. The samurai rolled his eyes, and reached back into the pouch that Darkin had given him. He removed a small ammount of a fine red powder. "I'm not very skilled in magics, however, I can heat the air inside of my body, with the small ammount of magic I possess.

Dogura turned, and clasped his hands like he normally does, to get the magic flowing in a path throughout his body. Dogura concetrated, and focused the head into his chest. Now feel the spirit of fire... he thought, putting one foot back, to steady his balance. And now realese it! Dogura leaned back, and his chest once again expanded to an unrealistic size, just before reaching into the pouch on his hip, and quickly bringing some of the powder to his mouth. The samurai leaned forward, and exhaled, creating a magnificent flame that sailed over the water, spraying in many different directions. Alex's eyes widened with excitement, as he watched his sensei. Dogura coughed once, and then once again, before turning around with a confident smirk. "Is there anything you can't do Dogura??" Alex marveledrushing out to the water. The air was still warm around the area. Darkin waggled a finger, and clasped his own hands together.

In about half the time it took Dogura, Darkin shot both hands forward, and produced a flame that shot forward, and then up into the air. Darkin moved his hands around as if controlling the flame. It circled overhead, and finally flew straight down at the lake. It disipated just before hitting the water. Darkin turned, and pointed a finger at Dogura. I don't expect you to be able to do what I just did, because I'm an experienced mage. I want you to work on focusing the flame in a certain area. He turned to Saber, and tossed a medium sized, burgandy hip-sack to him. "Thats filled with a speial poweder. I fly off to death mountain, and gather fragments of flamable melted rock, and use Dogura's little smashy machine to make it into powder!" Dogura cringed. "L-little smashy machine? You can't possibly mean... M.E.G." Darkin turned to Dogura. "M.E.G.?" Dogura nodded. "Mechanically Enginered Grinder... Its a prototype...How long have you been making this powder?"

Darkin cocked his head. "Well I used to grind it with a hard rock, but your M.E.G. does a better job in less time!" Dogura's left eye twitched a few times. "And these are f-flamable fragments?" Darkin nodded with a smile. Top of the line, straight fro-" he stopped, as if just realizing something... "Umm... I think I left something in the M.E.G.- err oven! Thats right! Heh heh heh, Turkey night!" Darking took flight, and shot off in the direction of the house. "GET BACK HERE YOU BIRD!!" Dogura screamed, running at a blazing speed back to his house. Alex was doubled over in a fit of laughter. Finally he stood up, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Oh boy, they're quite a pair huh?" Alex looked up into the sky. The sun was covered by a mass of rain clouds. "Uh-oh... Its going to rain... And as cold as it is, we could get sick." Alex turned to Saber, and grease ball comming up from behind him. "Any of you guys live around here? Its about a 20 minute walk back to Sensei's house...

Saber observed the irrepressable duo with a smile on his face. He gazed in amazement at the pyro display by Darkin and chuckled as they ran off. He nodded towards Alex and was about to respond when he felt the familiar clap on his shoulder. "You's almos'...*pant*...got's 'way from me thur, mate!" Gasped Burlo, exhausted from the journey down the slope.

He cracked his signature grin at the small boy before him, breathing out an alcohol-laden chuckle. "An'ways, laddy buck, we's live down a ways 'n Tantari!" Saber pushed Burlo away, rubbing his shoulder. "Who said you lived with me? You have no home!" He turned to Alex. "Quick, to Sen--Dogura's!" He took off running after the samurai and Rito, leaving a dismayed Burlo behind. "Aw, c'mon now, matey, don't be like that!" He called after the retreating mercenary. Shrugging, he produced a bottle from the inside of his coat and popped the cork expertly. He was about to chug it when he looked down at Alex. "Oh, right, there's a lil' lad here..." He stared at him for a while, then offered the bottle. "You want summat?"

Alex smiled, and took the bottle. He lifted it to his lips, before catching a wiff of it, and handing it back. "Hey dude, look! more booze!" At that comment, Alex made a mad dash after Saber.

Burlo nearly dropped the bottle in excitement as he whirled around. "More o' the healin' likker? Where?!?" He spent another twenty seconds scanning the area before catching on. He spun around again to see the small boy's retreating back. He pouted and crossed his arms. "Now den, why's everyone leavin' poor ol' Burlo?"