< Gaslighting >
< Rank A+ Special Fire Magic that uses the combined power of gasoline and wicked deceit. Able to ignite most materials and frail hearts. Use with caution, the chance of self-burn is high. >
"What the hell is this?!"
«As you can see, it's a unique magic available to Taxi Driver. By using the data earned from witnessing the skill
The line of reasoning was as random as it was unexpected. And what did it even mean with gasoline? Was the fossil fuel needed for the magic to activate?
"There's nothing magical about that. That's just basic chemistry!"
"Human, why are you shouting so much?" the Siberian Husky asked in wonderment.
As the system's voice was only a product of the power inside him, it couldn't be heard by anyone else, be it humans or dogs. To an outside observer, Senna must've looked like he was talking to himself.
"Ah, sorry 'bout that. I got pissed off by this power of mine. For the… what, third time today?"
"You have power? I wanna see, I wanna see!" The swagger of its tail increased tenfold as the dog's excitement rose.
Senna wanted to check this new 'magic' too. It was dubious as heck and probably had a lot of issues that came along with it. But he already spent a Spotted Tiger worth of PP unlocking it, so he must find out whether it was worth it.
Using the information forcefully crammed into his head, Senna chanted the word. "Gaslighting."
A strange smell suddenly permeated the location, originating from Senna's right hand. "Ugh, God, this smell! This is what it meant by gasoline?!"
True enough, it was the unmistakable odor of gasoline. A very potent one, enough to make someone nauseous.
Before Senna could manage to pinch his nose to protect his olfactory sense, a blazing flame erupted from his hand.
"W-What… Wait, wait, I'm burning!"
"Fire is shooting out of your hand, human! That's so amazing!"
The flame rapidly intensified without regard to its caster's panic. In mere three seconds or so, it had grown as big as Senna's own body.
"I'm… not burned. It's not even hot."
"It's a magical fire, obviously it won't hurt the caster," the Husky explained. "There, there! My ice pillars. How about trying it out on them?"
Its suggestion was one Senna approved. Holding it still like this, even though he knew it wouldn't hurt him, was still extremely terrifying.
"Here I go… Hah!" Shouting for theatrics, he moved his right hand as if to push the flame onto the pillars.
Seemed like the motion worked too. The fire burst forth like an afterburner, enveloping the ice in a crimson blanket of inferno.
«Notice: 2 Spotted Tigers defeated. Receiving 10 PP…»
The unfortunate cats trapped inside them had melted from the heat along with their prison. The PP reward was a simple but precise indication of their demise.
"Wait, how do I shut it off?" The realization struck off late. The fire was still gushing out of his palm like a fiery waterfall.
If it continued like this, it wouldn't take long for the forest to catch fire.
"How do I turn it off, Sis?!"
«Pacify your sense, remove any aggression, calm your mind.»
The answer very much made sense but was stupidly ambiguous at the same time. There was no way a man could be calm and collected with a blazing fire raging on his right hand.
"Calm down, calm down…! No, this isn't working!"
«You are still lacking in training. In order to master the delicate power of magical ability, one needs to have a semblance of control in the workings of the mind.»
"Can't you, like, told me that earlier?!"
"This is bad! The trees caught your fire!" the Husky bobbed up and down rapidly. It was hard to tell whether it was panicked or excited. "It's not a magical flame anymore. We're gonna get burned horribly if we stay here, human!"
"That's how it works, huh? But I still can't turn it off!"
Senna was starting to feel that familiar dizziness and fever associated with mana exhaustion. The flame also began to flicker out.
Normally it wouldn't be a good sign. Yet, since he currently wished for this hellscape to end, it was very much a welcome drawback.
He couldn't afford to let himself faint, however. At least until he gained some safe distance away from the forest fire.
The Gaslight magic seemed to finally run out as a last burst of flame flickered out of Senna's palm. "I'm getting out of here. Hey, Doggy! You coming?"
Leaving by himself and abandoning the Husky would appear pretty heartless. Or so Senna thought. The darn canine was capable of freezing ferocious beasts two or three times its size. Whether the fire posed a threat to it was still unknown.
"I'm coming, yes! This is my first chance to know humans better!" the dog barked in enthusiasm completely contrasting the frenzied taxi driver.
It seemed to have a misconception about Senna's motive too. He didn't invite it along just to get to know the other better.
Lifting the mountain bike back up, Senna was ready to ride the hell out of there. "Come, jump on… uhh, here, in front of me."
The bicycle wasn't exactly a vehicle built with a passenger in mind. Since it was a dog, however, Senna guessed putting it snugly in front of him would do.
"Weird object you're riding, but okay! Yup, I'm on!" Climbing the bike with glee, it placed itself securely on the front tube.
It would be a way harder ride than before, but Senna had already decided. He'd already feel guilty enough for causing a forest fire. A puppy casualty to be avoided was something he would strive upon.
*Whirl*
Pedaling with difficulty, they left the burning site. A glance behind told everything Senna needed to know about the extent of the fire. The blaze already consumed enough trees and other vegetation that his world's firefighters would have hardship extinguishing it.
"Whee! This is so fun, human! Were you doing this all the time? I'm jealous."
"Don't move too much, you're going to make me crash."
It was surreal how quickly Senna was accustomed to having a conversation with a Siberian Husky. It said a lot about how wild his life had been in the past several hours.
*****
Arriving in a suitably open prairie, Senna and the dog decided to take a rest. Since escaping the forest fire, he had been riding for around 2 hours according to his smartphone.
When it came to living creatures, they had this tendency to feel an upsetting sense every few hours of the day. Three times, for the average person.
The feeling was bearable if neglected once or twice, but for Senna, it had already grown from mere disconcerting to outright painful.
*Growl*
"…God, I'm hungry."
Even before dying and reincarnating to this world, Senna hadn't eaten dinner that night. The last meal he had was probably his convenience store lunch.
It couldn't be helped that he was now crawling on the ground in lamentable exhaustion and starvation.
"Senna bro, should I hunt a rabbit for you or anything?" the Siberian Husky offered, sitting nearby while looking at him with troubled doggy eyes.
"…Nah, I got my own food I brought with me. I just feel like I have to ration them, see?"
He had no idea how big this forest was and how long he would be traversing it. Time and time again he had to force himself from the temptation of chomping on the crispy fried chicken hanging deliciously off his bike, wrapped in a plastic bag.
If he later found out that he needed several days to escape this godforsaken place, unrestrainedly indulging in his junk food could cost him terribly.
With lethargy, he observed the Husky. It said something about hunting rabbits. "You can hunt for meat in this place?"
"Of course! I need to eat too for your information!" the dog wagged its tail in confirmation. "Alright, I'll get right to it. Just wait a second, it won't take long!"
"Ah, no need for now!" Senna told before it managed to sprint away. "We'll eat my food first before doing any hunting."
Hearing the word 'hunt' likely meant raw meat, and unless he could stomach eating them as it was, Senna would need to prepare a method to cook them.
Considering his hunger, he'd prefer to do away with that as of right now.
Returning to his bike, fallen over and neglected, Senna retrieved the plastic bag containing the food he carried.
A bucket of chicken, a cheese-topped pizza, and three bottles of colas.
"These would do."
The Husky joined him soon after. "Those are food? Looks weird," commented the dog with skepticism.
"Hah. Let's see if you can say that after trying it. Here, a thigh." He gave one of the more prominent chicken thighs on the top of the bucket.
"Ehh… Sure, I'll try. *Chomp*" Taking a single big bite of the thigh, the canine's eyes immediately shot open with shock.
"Delicious!"