"Yes, actually," I said immediately. Isaac and Deynan looked at me, confused, as I reached over to get something out of the sack. It was sitting on top, as if it had expected me to pull it out.

I took out the quill and scroll and held them out to Fivendor. "Are these safe to use?"

He frowned and beckoned for me to place them on the table. He picked up the scroll, which was only a little smaller than he was. He scrutinized from a couple of angles, then placed it back down. He unrolled the scroll, not having to hold it down from rolling itself back up. He frowned deeper. He rubbed the parchment with his thumb and forefinger. He looked up at me. "It only responds when you write on it?"

I nodded. He looked as though he had expected this. He handed the quill to me. "Write 'hello', please."

I did as he said, frowning as I noticed that my quill handwriting hadn't improved much since the first time I wrote with it. Immediately, the scroll responded in the curly silver script I knew so well.

"What do you want?"

He frowned. "Does it do this often?"

"What, respond like a jerk?" I asked. "Yes."

He quirked an eyebrow. "What else does it do?"

"It gives advice on how Legends transform. We're Legends," I added.

He nodded distractedly. "So it gives advice, remembers things, and has a personality?"

"That about sums it up," I said looking at Isaac and Deynan, who shrugged simultaneously.

Fivendor sat back in his chair. "I think," he said slowly, "that you have a Bound Imp."

Glynneria gasped. "Are you sure?" He nodded gravely.

"Um..." Deynan said awkwardly.

Fivendor looked at us thoughtfully. "An imp is a magical creature of mischief. They can take a material form, but often float around as wisps, so most people cannot see them. They are the reasons for many unexplainable  so-called accidents in the human world. What you have here," he said, gesturing to the scroll, "is a bound imp. While it was in wisp form, a sorcerer of considerable power trapped it in the scroll, linking it to the quill and adding a few more technicalities, like making the only communication be with the first person who uses it, and, most likely, the creator."

"So you're saying," Isaac said, his eyes growing wide, "that the PAPER is actually an IMP?"

He nodded. "It's a very complicated spell. I've never seen anything like it. No one has ever tried to bind an imp for a GOOD purpose before. Usually to cause trouble."

"Can we name it?" Deynan blurred out suddenly. I gave him a weird look. "It probably already has a name."

"Actually," Fivendor interjected, "it probably doesn't. They don't feel the need to have an identity as strongly as we do. They don't think on it much."

"Please, please, please can I name it?" Deynan pleaded, looking at me with big eyes, oddly serious.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," I said, still a bit weirded out by the fact that the paper was an imp.

"Yes!" he cried, pumping a fist in the air. "It shall now be called Tinder."

"Isn't that the stuff you use to start a fire?" Isaac asked, amused.

"Exactly," Deynan replied with relish.

"Oh my," Glynneria chuckled.

Fivendor smiled, a sight I hadn't expected to see on his weathered face. "Well, that works I suppose. You should let him know."

I took the quill and began to scribble. "Hey, we're naming you Tinder by the way."

"I've never been more insulted in my life."

I grinned. "Perfect."

Deynan, reading over my shoulder, cackled in a rather alarming way. Isaac looked a bit worried. "Shouldn't we be nice to him? I mean, he is a living creature."

The silvery writing appeared again. "Well, if you're insistent on being mean, I guess I shouldn't tell you about the...nope, I definitely shouldn't tell you."

I frowned. "Ok, that is uncalled for."

Suddenly, Glynneria shrieked, dropping the teapot with a crash. She was pointing behind us with a shaking finger, her eyes wide. We whirled around.

Hovering in the air, still but for the ripples of tentacles, was a Tempter.

"Think this is what Tinder was talking about?" Deynan asked breathlessly.

I nodded, swallowing. "Yeah."

We stood up slowly. Isaac starting walking cautiously to the left. "We have to get it away from Fivendor and Glynneria."

"How are we supposed to fight it in the middle of all these trees?" Deynan hissed, also moving left.

I shrugged slightly. "Maybe once we transform it will just leave."

At this point, we were a sizable distance from the elves. The Tempter was following us slowly, a curious glint in its eyes. This Tempter had a kind of muted red shirt, deep red tentacles, and its stringy hair was thick and black. It held itself erect, like it was trying to have good posture. It kind of DID have good posture.

Isaac stopped. I could no longer see the elves. The forest was completely silent.

Then the Tempter began to shriek.

My hands immediately went to my ears, even though I knew it would do no good. This scream permeated my skull like a spear shoved into my head. My entire body began to pound. I always forgot how hard it was to fight Tempters.

Or...was it?

Thinking back on it, after the initial bad reaction, taking down Tempters was pretty easy. I mean, Tinder had basically told us we were some of the most powerful Legends ever.

My mouth unintentionally curled into a smile. How had I forgotten about that? We were so powerful, that all the Tempters as a group made us freak out. But if it happened again, we would so totally be ready for them. This Tempter would be a breeze.

I shifted my weight and regarded the Tempter thoughtfully. How to defeat it? Warrior was an obvious option. But was that the right one? No. We had to find the form that directly countermanded this Tempter's specialty.

Suddenly, I felt the urge to laugh. I had figured that out so quickly! I was really smart. I had told my friends before, but...ha. They knew nothing. I pretended to be a lot stupider than I was, but I was smarter than all of their weak minds combined. I mean, "the form that directly countermanded this Tempter's specialty"? I even sounded smart in my own head.

My grin widened as I realized what the Tempter was. It was pride. Little did it know that the pride I was feeling was just making me more confident. Ha! I was so smart, I was cheating the system.

What form directly countermanded pride? Humility, of course! Centaurs! Oh man, I was smart. I could turn into centaur without even trying. Centaurs were the best.

Then I happened to look at Deynan.

His eyes were narrowed and his stance was strong. Something in his stance--and probably because of what I was thinking about at the time--reminded me of when we turned into centaurs on the boat.

My smile began to slip as the image of Deynan as a centaur filled my mind. He looked so strong, so powerful. My face began to grow hot as I remembered what I probably looked like. Scrawny and stupid. The swelling feeling of pride began to subside.

Then I saw a bright light flash to my right. I turned, and there Isaac was, a centaur with his head bowed low. I whirled again as a light flashes to my left. Deynan, looking just as powerful as I remembered.

They were so much stronger than I was. So much better.

And instead of shame, I was filled with respect.

The moment the realization hit, it was like walls had fallen down. I saw the world around me as it truly was. Miraculous and strong, lasting longer than I ever had and longer than I ever will. It had such beauty, such simplicity, such purity, such STRENGTH that I took a deep gasp.

I could draw my own strength from the strength of those around me, the people in the world.

And I remembered.

I was power itself. I could practically shake the earth as I walked. I could do anything I wanted to, and nothing could stop me. But all the strength, all the magnificence, came not from within, but from all around me, the dirt, the sky, the sunlight, the wind. I began to run, filling my lungs with the strength around me. I was elongated, larger, filling the world.

I was the world.

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs deep into my bones. Then I slowly raised my head.

And as one unit, three centaurs began galloping forwards, heads held high and eyes fierce as the wind.

The Tempter's eyes grew narrow and the shrieking intensified. I could feel it pulsating against my chest, the desire to be filled with that buoyancy, that self-assured safety, that feeling of security.

But it was a lie. I had to remember that. And however good it felt to be proud, I had never felt as rooted as I felt right now, thundering towards a threat with my friends at my side, the strength of the world supporting me.

You can only be one with the world once you place yourself at its level.

The gallop got faster and faster. I was avoiding the trees with ease. The Tempter was shooting backwards, always just out of reach. My eyes narrowed with intensity.

And then the Tempter's shriek cut off abruptly and it spiraled into the sky.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tried to end without a cliffhanger...I hope I did ok.

~Paint_splatt