The sun was high in the sky, and the air was hot and humid. It was the beginning of summer, and people started to wear lighter clothes to cope with the heat. Despite all this, Trace and his friends were standing on top of a huge boulder. Not minding the heat, he looked down from where he is standing, observing the Lizardman. Liu, who has been standing just a few steps beside him, sighed. Trace took his water bottle from his waist pack, and offered it to him. Liu shook his head, and sat down.
"1500 Lizardman and their chieftain... not to mention the additional troops of 500 Lizardman that came last night... Trace, can we really win this with just 20 archers?" Trace smiled to his friend, and nodded. "Of course. I have been amassing something interesting while you all attended class." Gilbert hugged Trace's shoulder from behind, with a somewhat sour face. "Interesting indeed. Especially the news of you getting engaged to Olivia." Trace only smiled smugly, and shrugged. Gilbert growled for a moment, before sighing. "Well, it wasn't a surprise, really. The way she looks at you and the way she looks at other is very different." Gilbert smacked his friend's back and smiled. "Take good care of her, you hear?" Trace smiled, and nodded. "You don't have to tell me."
"Young master Trace." A young man called out to Trace. He turned toward the voice and saw a young man, no older than 30 years old. He carried a bow in his hand. "The team is ready. We await your order." Trace nodded, and nodded to Fang. Fang carried a small crate, and opened it. Inside was countless papers, all scribbled with foreign symbols and writings. "This is?" Trace nodded, and took one. "I want all of you to launch your arrows at their feet. Be sure to attach the papers to your arrows and cover as much area as you can. You may use glue, or fold it around your arrow, but make sure you don't accidentally erase or tear the papers. Am I clear?" The young man nodded, and picked up the crate. "There are 300 of these in total, use as much as you like." The man was visibly confused, but Trace understood why. The man left to tend to his team after bowing to Trace, and distributed the papers.
"Trace, what was that? Are you sure we can defeat the Lizardman with that?" Trace nodded, his motion filled with confidence. "It is more than enough. Now then, let us strike while the Lizardman is still resting at their camp." Trace's friends were just as confused as the archer was, but they all trust him. If Trace said that everything is going to be alright, then that is what will happen. The three split up, and each led a team. They stood up at the edge of a cliff, surrounding the Lizardman. Fang, Liu, and Gilbert are each looking at the top of the boulder, where Trace is standing. He had his arm raised high into the sky, and the three waited for the signal. Trace swung his arm down, and the three gave command to their team to rain arrows to the enemy.
The enemy was startled, for the barrage of arrows was sudden, but they quickly re-organized. The arrows that was raining down on them was too wide-spread, and there are only a few casualties here and there. The Lizardman lets out a sound that closely resembled a chuckle, and banged their swords to their shields together, provoking the Archers. "If it is death you want, then death I shall give." Trace put his hand together and closed his eyes. He then started to chant. "O fire, who devours all. O inferno, who turns everything into ashes. Rain down upon my enemy, and return them to dust!"
The seemingly harmless paper began to glow red, and the radiance became brighter with each passing time, before it burst into a raging flame. The Lizardman was instantly thrown into a panic. Some tried to put out the fire. Others tried to run for their life. In the end, all of their efforts to escape the fire was for naught, and they all perished, devoured by a seemingly unending fire. Trace swept his gaze across the calley where the Lizardman made their camp, and confirmed that no Lizardman survived the fire. He sighed, and clapped. The raging fire that seemingly cannot be extinguished, even by seven days of rain, instantly went out. It was as if all of it was an illusion, but the charred remains of the Lizardman was proof enough that the fire was not an illusion.
"Trace!" His three friends approached him, and they only saw him munching on a piece of dried fish. "Oh, you're all back." Trace swallowed the food he was chewing, and smiled. "The operation was a success I see. And much quicker than I expected!" He looked up, and noticed that the sun haven't moved that much from where it was before. "Now we don't have to wait until tomorrow for reporting to the king. Now, let's go." The three friends was confused. They wanted to ask Trace about what just happened, but they also wanted to ask what those strange papers was. They have too many question, but they were confused as to what to ask first.
"Wait! Young master Trace!" The young archer from before ran up to him as he was leaving. Trace is still chewing his dried fish, so he only nodded at the archer to acknowledge him. "If it is okay to ask. May I ask you about that strange papers? What were they?" Trace nodded, and swallowed his food. "Ah, those. They were papers that have been imbued with the power of fire." The archer nodded, and then his face lit up. "Then how do you make it? Can it be enhanced to have more power? How much does it cost to make one?" One would usually get annoyed when a barrage of question was given to them, but Trace only smiled, and nodded patiently. "As for the cost, it is fairly cheap to create one. And yes, you can raise the power of those paper to get fiercer, bigger fire. The problem lies in how to make it. Sadly, I'm the only one who can make them."
The young archer was visibly disappointed, and Trace understood it. The face he is making is the face of a leader, who is desperately searching for a way to save his comrade's life. Trace patted the man's shoulder, getting his attention. "You are a group of mercenaries hired by the king are you not?" The young man was startled, before nodding and saluting to Trace. "Indeed. My name is Ursa, and I am the leader of the Golden Blades mercenary group. Our camp is only two days journey outside the wall." Trace nodded. "Do you not have any last name?" Ursa threw his face the other way, and the grip on his bow tightened. Trace closed his eyes and nodded, before turning around. "Then, Ursa. Please wait for me at the Green Gate after the moon appeared. I will send someone to pick you up. I have something to discuss with you." Trace walked away, leaving Ursa and his crew.
"Hey Trace, you said you are the only one who can make it, but how do you make it exactly?" Liu asked, his heart filled with curiosity. Fang pulled his arm and shook his head, but Trace only laughed at the motion. "It's alright Fang. As I said, the cost will not be a problem. In fact, you can buy it at the market for cheap. The problem is in how they are manufactured. They are created by injecting the power of the spirits, into the piece of paper. Now it might sound simple, but you need a certain technique to create them, and those techniques aren't taught anywhere on this continent." Trace closed his eyes, and recalled the events on his past life. He had travelled far and wide, climbed countless mountains, and crossed the sea. He met an old sage one day, who gave that knowledge to him. He claimed to be a sage hailing from the east, and taught Trace the magics they use.
"I see... then you must be very lucky Trace. You have such an amazing book in your library, that's why you know such things, right?" Trace nodded at Liu with a smile on his face. "Yes... I am truly lucky..." Trace stopped walking, and looked at the castle gate. The gate was well guarded, with four guards guarding the front, and twelve guards guarding the connecting bridge. Trace smiled, and took a step forward, but his friends didn't follow suit. "Uh... we will go to a nearby eatery. You can report to the king alone." Trace smiled exasperatedly, and let his friends go. "Young man, what is your business here?" A guard called out to Trace, and asked him. Trace nodded, and showed the letter to the guard. "I am here to report of my success. May I see the king?" Hearing this, the guard was clearly surprised. He read the letter once again, before looking at Trace with slight doubt in his eyes.
"Open the gate!" The guards opened the gate, and the captain turned toward Trace once again. "I will escort you to the throne room." Trace nodded, and followed the guard. He was led through a lot of corridors, and took many turns before arriving at the throne room. The guard captain saluted at the guard stationed at the throne room, before stating why they're here. After a quick confirmation, the guard opened the door, and Trace along with the captain entered the throne room. The captain and Trace knelt down in front of the king, before the king spoke. "You are dismissed, captain." "As you command." The captain then left the throne room.
"Trace Redfate. Raise your head." "As you wish." Trace raised his head, and saw the king sitting on the throne. Beside him was a face familiar to him. "We meet again, Trace Redfate." Trace bowed his head. "It is an honor to be remembered by you, general Oliver." Oliver nodded, and his face turned stern. "Your report, Trace Redfate." Trace nodded his head, and spoke. "The Lizardman army has been successfully eliminated, general." The put on a shocked expression, and his fist was trembling. "Is that true?! Is that really true?!" "Your majesty." A man cloaked in black suddenly appeared behind the king's throne. He then whispered into the king's ears, before stepping back and kneeling. "My personal guards have informed me... that you truly have eliminated the Lizardman army..."
The king covered his face with the palm of his hand. Then, the king laughed. He slapped his armrest a few times as he laughed loudly. "Trace Redfate! You truly are the man of your word! A banquet! Today, we shall hold a banquet!" And so, a banquet was held in honor of Trace's name. Trace attended the banquet, until the moon was visible. He excused himself from the king, and left the party room. He sighed, and scratched the back of his head. "Thanks to that banquet, I'm late... I should go home."
Trace took a turn to get out of the castle, before he almost bumped a large man. "Excuse me." He politely said, and walked past him. "So you are the famous Crimson Summoner?" Trace stopped, and turned to see the man. The man was tall as he is muscular. He can seemingly uproot a small tree with his bare hands. There was a strong feeling of intimidation and power around him, but Trace was unaffected by it. "People have called me that, yes." He bowed slightly, but he is still looking at the man. "You must be Igor Ironfist then?" The man didn't say anything, but it was apparent from his eyes that he is underestimating Trace.
"That is true. I am Igor Ironfist, the head of the Ironfist family." The man crossed his arms and snorted. "I am surprised. I thought the Redfates were a bunch of weaklings. But it seems there is someone who have some amount of competence." His words was arrogant, but Trace knew that it wasn't baseless. Still, he would never take such insult lying down. "I hear more and more young men volunteered to join your private army. But I also caught wind that some of your generals have ran away. Why is that, I wonder?" The man's mouth curled into an arrogant smile, and snorted. "I do not need weaklings in my army. They can run to whatever weak family they want." Even so, Trace's words made his mouth feel sour, so he turned around, and left Trace.
Trace shrugged, and walked out the castle and to his mansion, where his friends and Ursa are waiting. "I hope I am not too imposing, Ursa." Ursa shook his head, and smiled. "It was alright. So? What business do you have with me?" Trace nodded, and extended his arm to the side. A butler put a scroll in his hand, and stepped back. Trace gave the scroll to Ursa, and he read it carefully. At the end of the message, his eyes went as wide as a saucer. "Young master, are you serious? Do you really want to hire my whole company?!" Trace nodded. "For an indefinite amount of time, yes. Do not worry, you will be given a proper place to sleep, and three meals a day. As written, I will also compensate you for every resource that you gather."
Ursa's mouth hanged open. He was very much surprised by how great an offer Trace is giving him. Although he is tempted to agree immediately, he also knew that such an offer usually comes with a price. "I do not know what you are up to, Trace Redfate. But for now, I will accept job." Trace smiled, and nodded. "Then I would like you and your whole company to move inside the walls. I have provided housing for you and your men." Ursa nodded, and turned toward the door. Trace sighed, and walked up the stairs to his bedroom. He sat down at his worktable, and opened a book where he recorded all of his business transaction. "This should really help me gather the things I needed." He stood up and opened the window. Summer is here, and with it, a new plan is set in motion. "Then I suppose I should try to become friends with the Alchemist Guild."