Chapter Text
Chapter 1, Flame
Trevor Belmont was for once, not in a tavern trying to forget about the fact his name is Trevor Belmont. He was passing through a larger city at the time, aiming to leave in the next week as he often found himself preferring the smaller villages. For once, the weather was very nice and he thought, perhaps, one day not completely drunk off his ass on piss ale might be called for. He decided to hunt, in the forest outside the city, justifying his change in routine with the fact he needed to keep his skills sharp because all he had left from his family was what little training they'd managed to pass on.
It had been a very successful venture, and he had several rabbits to sell and cook over a fire in the inn. For once he was in a good mood.
Then, as all good things do in Trevor Belmonts life, it vanishes in a literal puff of smoke.
The church. There was a gathering of onlookers as a woman was being burnt at the stake. Trevor would have sighed and passed on, pissed and angry as witch burnings brought a particularly painful kick to his gut. However, unfortunately, he recognized the woman.
He was very surprised to see Dr. Lisa Tepes of all people. A few months ago, he'd wandered into Lupu, sporting a truly dreadful injury. An infected gash from a particularly dickish demon, who had got his leg. He tried treating it himself but the infection was just too much for a man who only knew the basics of wound care, mainly from trial and error. But he was stubborn. He wasn't going to die now, to infection. Not after he'd made it this far. So, despite his mistrust in everyone, including doctors, he went to a kind woman by the name of Dr. Tepes. And he was very glad to have done so. She was very kind, and warm. A rarity in this world. And unlike most she actually knew her stuff, and faster than any other visit, to any other doctor, he was healed and only left with a scar.
And again. Good things tended to end in flame for Trevor.
He set the rabbits down on an abandoned stall and debated. He had likely about twenty, at most thirty minutes, before the kind doctor turned into a kind corpse on a stick. The crowd was too large to fight off alone. He needed a distraction... And the 'holy flames of the church', gave him an idea.
With everyone and their dog watching the poor woman be brutally burned to death, the church was open and uninhabited. Perfect.
After stealing an unattended barrel of cheap wine, and absolutely hating his good disposition, he dumped it all over the floor of the church. And then, standing at the back door, he struck a spark with some spare flint and set it ablaze. For someone who lost their entire family from a church setting their house on fire, it was very cathartic to watch the strong wine catch fire, before slipping out and back around the houses.
He went to the back of the crowd and said, in a fake panicked voice the moment he could see flames "Oh no, the church, it's caught fire!"
Their precious little church being in danger quickly caught the crowd's attention, and soon chaos broke out, citizens running to get dirt and water, or pulling their families away from the flame. Even the priest was being forced to abandon his sadistic glee of killing innocent women to go save his bleeding church.
And chaos Trevor swam through like a fish in water.
Lisa was very badly burned at this point, and had long since fainted from pain and lack of oxygen. But Trevor could tell from her little pants there was hope left yet.
Fighting the flames with his cloak, he cut her free. At this point they both were in fire but he fought through that pain with gritted teeth, scooping her up and running back just as the crowd registered what had happened. He went directly to the woods, having to stomp the flames out of his cloak and pat hers with nothing more than his now burning hand. But she was alive. And he felt a deep relief at that.
He couldn't very well travel with a half charred woman so he rested on the edge of the town along the walls, while the residents fought fires they started in a sense. He'd have to raid the stores later that night, to see if they had anything to help. But for now all he could do was cut away burnt fabric, clear away debris, and have her rest on his thick fur cloak. He even took off his rather awful smelling tunic, balled it up, and propped her head up on it like a pillow.
Her legs certainly got the worst of it. He was unsure if she'd ever be able to walk again in all honesty, and the little coughs from smoke in her sleep certainly had him worried for the good doctor. But she was breathing easier now at the very least.
Just as he was starting to feel relieved, the earth began to rumble, and life shat in his dinner once again