Warnings: Mentions of gore

     ~Rob's P.O.V.~

"Well... It still stings a bit, but that should do it for now." I mutter, tossing the empty potion bottles away.

As a result from using my magic to protect the mutant, I'm left exhausted and sore. I'm still getting used to these new powers, and when I was fighting, I played it risky and got injured in the end. The arrow in my arm and the other small wounds were easy to fix, but it took quite a few healing and regeneration potions to patch up my stomach. I space out for a moment, tracing a finger along the scar on my stomach, the horrifying sight of a sharpness III diamond sword slicing deep into my gut. Shaking my head to rid the thought, I pull my white t-shirt on, and then wriggle myself through my newly mended hoodie. The pain ebbing through my stomach sends an unpleasant reminder to rest, and not move around to quickly yet. Wincing, I let my arms drop, and let out a long, tired sigh. And then, after a moment, I turn around and offer a smile to my company.

I can sense the gaze of the mutant shift towards me, but, even after all that's happened, I still haven't seen his face due to that stupid cloak covering his head. His wounds were easy enough to seal, so as I've been tending to my own, he's been sitting silently in a corner. You'd think he's a statue, with how quietly and still he sits. The only fact thing that says otherwise is the slow stroking motion of his hand, as he runs it gently over the dogs head, which is currently curled up peacefully in his lap. The warm flickering light of a torch reflects of his gem, which glints off the white surface, and I find myself unconsciously fingering my own gem. It's a good thing he just so happened to run into me. If those villagers had killed him... We'd all be dead meat.

"So um... My name's Rob." I begin awkwardly, sitting on a stool across from him. "What's yours?"
"Preston." He replies dully, shifting in his seat.
"That's a nice name."

He doesn't respond. I frown. Those jerks must have messed him up real bad to make him this shy and self-conscious... I realize, sneakily using some magic to peer into his thoughts. I feel a twang of sympathy for the poor mutant, catching a brief glimpse of all the pain and mockery he's endured. And it'll take some work, but... I'm confident that I'll be able to get him to cheer up. If only for a little while.

"So... Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" I inquire, nodding my head at the young wolf seated in his lap.

He tilts his cloaked head a bit in confusion, but then realization hits him and he nods slightly.

"Her name is Silver, I rescued her when she was just a puppy. She's been my only friend and companion for as long as I can remember." He explains, Silver opening a curious eye at the sound of her name.
I grin. "That's cool, and now you have two."

It takes a moment for the words to register, but after that I can practically feel the sheepish smile on his face, even though he tries to hide it.

"T-thanks."
"And, not to mention, soon you'll be getting four more."
He nods slowly. "Yeah, I guess we do have to save the world and stuff. It was pretty unexpected though."
I chuckle. "Yeah, I was just messing around with some spells, and then this weird white thing hit me, and the next thing I know I have a white gem instead of a blue one! Speaking of which, what colour gem were you before...?"

Preston immediately falls silent once again, and I know I've hit a sensitive topic. But we're on a roll right now, and if I'm going to get him cheered up and get to know him, we've got to work through this. I see his head lift a little, and I give a reassuring nod. Preston takes a deep breath.

"I... Was a red gem. I don't know when, how, or even why I had it, but I did." He mumbles, running his fingers over his gem. "And after we're done all this... It sucks to know I'll just go back to it. Even if I have a white gem for the moment."
"Hey, it's alright. I won't judge. Because, believe it or not, there are some good people out there who can see past the bad reputation of a red gem."

Preston shrugs in a helpless 'I know' gesture, and then falls silent yet again, resuming his light strokes to Silver's silky fur. Thankful for having got the first of two big obstacles out of the way, I decide to move the subject to something a little more desirable.

"So have you figured out your powers yet?" I ask, rising to my feet, and stretching.
      Preston perks up, apparently liking the change of topic. "No, you?"

      Hey! He actually asked me a question! I can't believe I'm actually doing something right.

      "Yeah, I got the two most powerful classes of magic; End and Aether. They're pretty overpowered, but it takes a ton of energy to use them. Like, a lot more than a normal spell."
       "Makes sense. I'm really curious to know what mine is. I hope it's something good..."
       A smirk creeps up into my face. "Well, why don't we find out?"

      I don't give Preston a second to mouth any words, and instead conjure up my magic, and send a bolt of energy directly at him. It's a harmless spell, used only as a bluff, but at a glance the spear of magic looks like it'll impale you like a fish. Preston yelps, and Silver jumps down from his lap in alarm. Only a split second before the energy hits, Preston's body suddenly begins to waver like jelly, and he collapses into a puddle of living lava on the floor. The bolt of energy streaks by, and slams into the wall, erupting into a shower of harmless sparkles. Silver barks at the puddle, but then hastily jumps back as it begins to wiggle once again, expanding and taking the shape of Preston. The second the lava takes shape, his clothes reappear, indicating that they too melt and reform with him.

      "Dude, what the fudge?!" Preston exclaims.
       I shrug, turning my back to him to hide the grin on my face. "Hey, don't look at me, I did you a favour. Now we know your power-you can melt into a puddle of mobile lava. Which could be useful for squeezing into tight spaces and stuff.  And besides, the spell is harmless."
        Preston scoffs, even though a smile is evident in his voice. "Yeah, okay, whatever you say."

~~~
Question of the chapter:

Lava

Do you pronounce it;

Lah-vah

Or

Law-Vuh

My answer: I usually pronounce it Lah-vah, but I've said it the other way a few times