I take a deep breath.

"Haaa~aaah." I sighed until there was no air left in me, and let my hand fall. I looked over my shoulder at Alva, her sword bloody and ready, and gave her an honest smile; I didn't hide the pain, the fatigue, or the bloodlust. It was the most genuine thing I could give, and perhaps the most persuasive. "Sorry, my Dryad needs more training."

Dyed in the firelight, all of Alva was red. Her skin, her lovely hair, and the dripping sword and spattered armor. She lowered her sword after a moment, looking between the fire and me. "Quit that, before you burn the forest down."

"I don't know how." I said, taking a quick look at my hand. I was on fire, the flames dancing directly on my skin. It faded away as I watched and left me ashen, black-veined, and famished. Everything within about twenty meters of me was on fire, or smoking. The Dryad winced in pain, her green-white skin charred and her hair flecked with embers. "Nevermind. You have a way to put these flames out?"

"I do." Alva looked around. "Take the monster, or kill them, but do it away from here; the miracle I intend to invoke will hurt you."

"Alva?" I asked, not looking at her. I couldn't look at her, the demon's needs were too strong and I didn't want to show her the lust in my eyes. "This isn't a problem?"

"No." She replied flatly. "A little."

"Just a little?" A nearby branch gave way and hit the ground in a shower of sparks.

"Go." She sounded exasperated, and I gave into to the temptation to look.

She wasn't as old as I initially thought. I had assumed her to be in her late twenties, by her demeanor, by her position, by her abilities, but honestly she couldn't have been more than two years older than me. The amusement in her eyes, the flush of embarrassment, the slightly ignorant confidence. It all painted a picture for me, the image of a genius grown too fast, possessing the traits of both sophistication and callowness.

"Fine, I'll go deal with this one." I walked out of the fire, the heat finally starting to reach me, and stooped down to the Dryad.