Zero could hear himself pant as he bolted through the underbrush: the embers of the fire lizard flickered a little higher above the rest. Elsewhere, a snake coiled around his neck advised it on the future by hissing, hissing disapproval like a disappointed parent.
"Don't look at me like that!" Zero wheezed, nearly tripping over a gnarled root. "This is what peak human performance looks like! And you—if you're so fit, why don't you catch the walking lighter and bring it to me?"
As though the universe felt sorry for his excuse, a moment ago, darkness enveloping energy began to radiate through his grimoire. The jagged teeth that formed the cover of the grimoire's cover grinned even more menacingly; the blood eye that glared from the back cover twitched open and directed its gaze at him, seemingly laughing at his plight.
Zero's mouth went dry. He has a good idea who it is but the time he has been waiting for has finally come. "Oh, now you decide to make an appearance. What's the reason this time? My cardiology expertise isn't sufficient?"
The grimoire kept turning its pages in video game fashion only to start again, the writing was immediately added but in a gruesome red tone. A title appeared: Tether Magic (Weak Binding).
"Did it just just gave me a leash? Like a dog leash? What, you have some sort of magic dog catcher? For real?" Speaking through the protest, he concentrated on the spell, feeling the mana in his body, waiting for it to take its form.
He extended his hand, and a faint particle of energy spun like a thread outwards seemingly living up to the saying "The force is an invisible hand that holds the knot". The lizard that was a few feet ahead running still struggled mid-air when a piece of thread attached itself to its body. Lizard went "squeak!" its little claws carved in the ground as it attempted to retreat its position.
Zero smirked; "Gotcha".
The thread was transparent for the human eye, but to zero- it looked like a black chain wrapping itself on the lizard's body. It wrapped around the lizard like an intangible rope, constricting its movements. Despite its frantic struggle, the lizard couldn't break free.
Zero tilted his head in intrigue, and thought of testing the spell further. With a flick of his fingers, the tether tightened slightly around its body, dragging the lizard closer. It screeched, its tiny flame flaring wildly in defiance against Zero.
"Oh, this is nice," Zero said, a wicked grin spreading on his face. "Remote control lizard. Who needs a pokéball when I've got this?"
Once again, Zero yanked the tether and pulled the fire lizard into his hands. There was a wrenching and thrashing of the creature but it didn't break free from the binding. Zero examined it closely, noticing how the spell adjusted itself as the lizard struggled on its hold. The more the lizard struggled and kicked about, the more the tether appeared to twist. In response to the uneven forces that pull it in different directions, the tether gets tighter in some sections and looser in others. That way the object can be held without the tether breaking.
"Something like adaptive binding," Zero said to himself, a surprised expression on his face and a little impressed despite his snarky self. "Not bad though grimoire, maybe you indeed are good for something."
ZHe adjusted himself and sat in a cross-legged position even as the fire lizard continued to squirm in his hands. He smirked, letting the tether remain active, watching it glow faintly around the creature like a magic leash and watching the creature in front of him that was helpless still breathing was somehow fun.
"Well listen here, matchstick, from this point on, let us enter into an agreement," Zero started off his speech. Then, flicking the lizard lightly on the head again in a gentle motion. Its flame flared up momentarily as the lizard hissed. "You are wasting all your strength running all over the place like a lunatic. You will now devote your strength to me. Your title? Firestarter. Do you have a problem with that? Tough luck then."
The protesting lizard wriggled its frail limbs in vain. For the second time, Zero flicked it, this time grinning. "You have two options here; you either cooperate with me or let's see how much the process of snake swallowing is in reality and see if its digestion is as painful as it sounds."
At that very moment, the snake let out a low hiss, as if on cue, its tongue going almost right up to the lizard. The lizard stood still, however, its fire decreased slightly.
"Excellent. We would proceed now." Zero released the tether but maintained a firm grip on the lizard. "Now, let's get to work."
With the fire lizard finally earning its name and grudgingly cooperating, Zero hastily assembled bundles of dry sticks and grass. He lifted the lizard in the air, aiming it at the heap.
"Light it up."
Cautiously, the lizard chirped, its flame flickering out of energy. Zero narrowed his eyes. "Don't make me re-activate the leash. You are aware that I can, and will."
In a resigned chirp, the lizard expelled a bigger flame that set ablaze the mound. Fire now roared for life, warming the clearing with its light.
"See? Teamwork," Zero said while patting the head of the lizard in mockery. "More like a little slave work, but hey who cares about details as long as the work is done!."
As Zero prepared the boar, the tether magic came in handy once more as he lifted the boar's body in the air and rolled it on fire. The lizard, sensing its moment of freedom, and it tried to wriggle away. Without even looking at the lizard, Zero reactivated the tether with a snap of his fingers. The shimmering thread coiled around the lizard again, pulling it back like a yo-yo.
"Why don't you ever seem to grasp the concept of foolishness?" Zero-sized it, jerking it back. ""You're not leaving until your shift is over. Now, hold still while I roast this thing."
The lizard groaned in frustration, but it very much complied in the process, with a flame from the boar directly consuming the target as the lizard was bound by the tether. And soon after, the image of a cooking boar was spotted, with its smell in the air.
The lizard decided it was enough after the meal. It sank its teeth into Zero's finger and fled, its flame flaring as it sped away from its captor to freedom.
"OW! You ungrateful little—" Zero held his fist and glared at the retracting lizard. "Get back here!"
The snake was faster and smarter; it didn't waste time and quickly wrapped itself around the escaping lizard. The lizard let out a horrified scream as the snake's tongue darted out towards it.
Zero moved forward with a cruel smile on his face, "Nice try, matchstick. But you still have to work a little harder."
The lizard cried out in a thin and weakened voice as if to say, "I'm a lizard and I was taken hostage." Zero lowered himself to the ground and slackened the tether spell even more, so as to make his point clearer.
He spoke slowly and almost in a whisper, "The first option is to listen. And the second option is to listen closely. You have two choies, spin the wheel and heat the boar or be a bonus to go with it. Which is it?"
The lizard let out a resigning squawk and slumped down. The snake trailing back to Zeros side released it as they watched the defeated lizard with amusement.
"Good choice," Zero finished removing the tether from the lizard. "Welcome to the night shift, flashlight."