Rise Of The Scoundrel

23. Fire Show

 The large flames coming from the wooden stage illuminated his face with a brutal warmth. He and Will had managed to snag seats in the front row, which was difficult considering how popular the show was. Rows of long wooden benches were packed with villagers and likely far over capacity, the crowd anxiously watching as a man of small stature stood proudly before them. He grinned widely, white teeth nearly blinding as he swallowed swords longer than he was tall, blades engulfed in large flames he had produced himself. Two young assistants, both dressed in complimenting handmade costumes, stood prepared to step in should something go wrong.

But Asher had yet to see something problematic occur in one of Magnus' shows. He was an extremely talented villager but had chosen to use his abilities uniquely, and he profited greatly from his decision. The small man was a mystery, for no one had a full grasp on to what extent his powers reached. One show he would go on like this, using fire-infused weapons and performing all sorts of theatrical acts under daring conditions. The next he was using shadows to deceive the audience into thinking he had completely disappeared or using great strength to conquer seemingly impossible feats. Well, they appeared impossible to villagers who had never witnessed a legitimate training session of a CK before.

Regardless of his ability to see through at least a few of Magnus' tricks, Asher always found himself enjoying the shows immensely. It was wonderful to see someone using their abilities to make people happy. He had attended the man's shows for years and had even managed to get his friends on board.

"I'm telling you, man, he created a portal to Senka at the base of his stomach," Will insisted as he reclaimed his seat beside Asher, his large frame easily booting the few who had attempted to occupy his spot while he was gone. The boy's weight caused the wooden board of the long bench to creak, briefly worrying Asher that his might snap beneath them. "Somewhere in that forest there's half a sword sticking out of a shadow on the ground, and its got some monsters real confused."

Asher laughed and shook his head. "Yeah, right! Only his birds can enter shadows to Senka Forest. There's no way he's got the whole sword in his belly, though." He scrunched his nose as he stared intently at the performer, analyzing him carefully. "Maybe it shrinks once it reaches a certain depth."

"That's gross and way less cool," Will grumbled as he handed him a large piece of jerky. Asher thanked him, quickly snatching it before his persistently hungry friend changed his mind. It was fresh, steaming, and likely too hot to eat, but Asher couldn't help himself and immediately took a bite. It nearly scalded the inside of his mouth, but the salty-sweet mixture had him grinning like a fool while Will snacked on two pieces simultaneously, unfazed by the temperature.

On the stage, Magnus had taken to breathing fire across the stage in a slightly upwards direction, startling the audience. From the tail end of the strong flame, his well-known trio of shadow birds made a surprise appearance and screeched excitedly, looping through the air before swooping back down just above the crowd to surprise them with their own small flames before taking perch on their master's shoulders. The four bowed as the crowd erupted with applause.

"Any theories?" Asher asked loudly as he clapped one hand against his knee since the other was still occupied by jerky.

Will swallowed his last mouthful of jerky. "I think - Uh, hold on," he said and quickly reached into his pocket to bring out his phone, where a number with no ID was attempting to reach him."One sec," Will grumbled before leaving his seat for the second time that evening.

Asher shrugged and took another bite of the thick jerky, tearing the piece off with more difficulty as it was cooling down. He wasn't entirely sure why Will was so concerned about the boy from that night. While he had been in a state of shock, which he wasn't particularly proud of, his friends said they had encountered a weird, sickly-looking kid who had been pretty combative. It had concerned Will enough to reach out to his family's connections at the Capitol and Garrick, hoping to identify the mystery kid, but so far he'd learned nothing.