Crouching down I watched the hare. Shaping a projectile of pure Essence and imbuing it with enough force to kill the small critter I waited for the perfect moment. I willed the Spellform forwards. It was just enough to make the hare keel over. Still crouching I made my way over to secure my kill. Master would be proud for this one. But I wanted something bigger. Something to show him I was ready.

I rarely visited this part of the forest. It was a higher and dryer region, unideal for both herb gathering and hunting. But I knew he resided here. I had seen his tracks over the years, but had never dared engage. Now, it was a different story. I had Essence on my side. Forming it into a barrier of wind to mask my smell I stalked my prey. The beast was loitering about foraging for berries in the sparse underbrush, unsuspecting as the Essence inside me formed my Spellform.

Water was easy to control. It was coaxed into any shape at will. Air could be guided and shaped, retaining its wild properties but still able to move things around. Heat could be added or subtracted, igniting or cooling at will. But stone, stone was hard. Shaping something so rigid and set in its ways was a challenge I had yet to conquer, yet a skill I would need.

First it was small pebbles. The sands and gravels of the earth forming a rough sphere in front of me. Then came the rocks. Digging through the ground to expand the spear. The large bear suddenly lifted its snout high in the air, almost as if it could feel the essence gathering. Pushing deeper I tried to move the very bedrock under me, slumbering since the dawn of time. No part of it would move. I pushed harder. Suddenly it felt as if an ocean of Essence flowed trough me. I felt my power surge, felt the mountain under me start to crack and fracture. The rush was intoxicating. I willed more power into existence, the rough sphere growing into a large lance of jagged stone. Taking a deep breath, I focused and released.

A sharp pop followed by a ringing in my ears made the stone lance fall apart on the ground around me. I did not posses the Depth to form Spellfoms of this might. I contemplated pushing beyond to experience the intoxicating feeling again but the memory of the sickly Master with brittle bones from my dream dissuaded me. I knew what pushing beyond one’s limits did to the body.

I was brutally reminded of where I was as the bear lunged towards me with a roar, claws extended and snout opened. I froze as time seemed to slow. Color washed away from the world until only I and the bear remained, frozen in this moment. How could I have been so stupid? I had grasped after power, and now it would spell my doom. No. I couldn’t let it end like this. Gathering all the Essence I could muster as the color slowly returned to our surroundings, I began shaping it. Just as the bear was about to crash into my thin frame a wall of air manifested and pushed me out of the way. The bears claws ripping trough my clothes and skin as if it was made of paper. I had just managed to avoid a fatal blow. Had the beast aimed slightly more to the side, or my Spellform manifested just a tiny moment later, I would have been dead, bleeding out on the cold ground. But I was not out of danger yet. Throwing the hare towards the bear I took off running. Hopefully it would be preoccupied long enough for me to get away.

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The trees around me became a blur as I ran. The tears in my eyes made it hard to see, but I had no choice. I dared not look back at the beast, but I knew it wouldn’t give up its prey quite that easily. By some insane measure of luck, or perhaps an intervention of the gods, I managed to get to the willows by the river. Here the roots were thick and many, and would hopefully slow the bear down. I couldn’t return to the tower with the bear on my heels, I would never get the door open in time. No. My only shot would be to lose it here, on the soft riverbanks where I had spent so much time foraging. Calling upon the river to aid me I forced it into the earth creating a mud soup behind me as I ran. My entire body ached and blood was still running down my side, making me sticky. Birds left the treetops as the beat roared behind me. I couldn’t tell if it was getting closer or not. Making I sharp turn I managed to spot the bear. Caked mud was clotted in its fur and it had sunken into the ground, slowing it heavily. As I neared the river once more, I realized what I had to do.

I held my breath as I dived headfirst into the surging current, spurred on by my Essence. The bear followed. He was a much greater swimmer than me, but for as long as my Spellform held we were on equal footing. The forest around me cleared. I had never been this far from the tower, forbidden by Master. Breaching the surface I found myself alone surrounded by rocky shores. In front of me the river abruptly ended, throwing steam into the air as it threw itself off the cliff I found myself on. I focused on my Spellform trying to change its direction. Finding little success in my panicked state I instead ended It and opted to swim for shore.

Coughing I crawled out of the rushing water. I had been far enough to make it to shore before the current of the river had managed to fully take me. I had lost the hare to the bear, and I seemed to have lost my gathering tools to the river. Of my clothes only rags remained and my skin and flesh was torn on my side. My entire body ached from attempting to shape the resistant earth, but I had been able to avoid Corruption. Barely. I decided that I would be more careful next time. At least I had managed to lose the bear.

“Ill come back for you” I muttered as I began walking in the direction of the tower.