The next morning, after a simple breakfast, we continued on the wooded trail, with, again, only a few words shared between us. I surmised that Kidu and Elwin were likely thinking about our return to civilization. My thoughts, on the other hand, danced between how to test my new spells safely and the violent actions of the night before last.
With no sign of pursuit, we stopped for our midday meal. Our lunch consisted of hard cheese and even harder tack rations, which were mercifully softened and washed down with stale-tasting water. Despite traveling for most of the morning, I felt much better than when I had traversed through the woods in my simple leather sandals. The difference that simple good footwear could have on one’s outlook on life was startling.
When our meal was finished, I turned to my companions and spoke frankly, "I need your help once again with some new spells."
"How is this even possible? Did you discover a spell after the battle? Have the powers that be granted you new magic already? It is said that it takes a mage years of learning and dedicated effort, or a pious cleric many seasons of devotion and prayer to gain new spells! And you say that you have acquired more already?" Elwin exclaimed, clearly taken aback by this news.
"He is god-touched," the Hunter interjected, as if this were all the explanation that was necessary. "We will assist in whatever way we can..."
Elwin almost interrupted, but a single glance from the Hunter silenced the Rogue. "We owe you, after all, a great debt that can never be repaid," Kidu declared with finality.
"Thank you, thank you both," I replied, my voice slightly thick with repressed emotion. "I will require you both to remain at a safe distance, but close enough to observe."
They both nodded, Elwin a little more hesitantly than Kidu, before following me a little way from our place of rest. The sun shone bright and high, and not a cloud marred the sky. We walked to a small field of grass filled with white flowers poking up from between some of the blades. Checking that my companions were at a safe but observable distance, I began to cast one of my new spells.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
A darkness and a fierce joy surged deep within me, coalescing into a force that demanded release. With a shudder, I gave in, letting the power course through my body and erupt outward. The void between heartbeats and atoms was filled with a frigid emptiness, and my being radiated with a dark and terrible energy. Like ripples on a stagnant pool, the gray pulses of power expanded outward from me, spreading wider and wider in a circle before abruptly ceasing its expansion at a distance of fifteen meters.
As I took in the reactions of my companions, it became clear that the effect had gone unnoticed by them. The energy, it seemed, was invisible to all but myself.
This was my Entropic Aura spell, and despite the impressive visual effects that only I could perceive, I felt no difference in myself. Like Holy Aura, this spell consumed two Mana to cast and decreased my maximum Mana by two points while channeling. Summoning my comrades, I verified that they had neither felt nor witnessed any alterations.
Elwin looked at me with a quizzical expression as I took out a piece of cheese to observe the possible effects of my aura spell upon it and waited for perhaps a minute or two.
The Rogue’s voice rang out nervously from a distance. "Are you alright, Gil? Thinking about getting into the dairy business by any chance?"
Kidu shot a sharp glance in Elwin's direction. "Hold your tongue, little man," he chided, his annoyance visible. "Gilgamesh is in the midst of some great magic."
"Fear not," I replied, my attention fixed on the scene unfolding before me. "I am merely confirming something…"
Expecting to see some sort of entropic effect on the small piece of hard cheese, I was disappointed to note that there was no change to its visible condition. Just as I was plucking up the courage to give the cheese a taste test, I caught sight of the grass around my feet. Here, I noticed that some of the leaves had begun to wilt slightly in places, their once lustrous greens a little dull and faded and browning at the edges.
Wishing to test further the conditions of the spell, I tore a small piece of cheese off. In my mind, I voiced that I wished to throw it away and that it was no longer my property. Perhaps the magic only affected things that were not mine? After all, if I was dealing with the entropic forces of the universe it would hardly do if my own weapons and equipment suffered. With all of this in mind, I dropped the small morsel at my feet.
Observing the torn-off piece of cheese, I noticed that it was slowly beginning to decay, discoloring and breaking up into smaller and smaller pieces as what I assumed was mold and bacteria assaulted it. It looked like the effects of time were being accelerated, like a time-lapse video, with what should have been days’ worth of rot hastening over the course of just a few minutes. The piece of cheese that I still held in my hand was showing no change, and I bit down on it to make sure it was still edible.
The cheese was, as I remembered, similar in flavor to a low-quality cheddar. Nothing special and no change. I quickly took a swig from my water flask to clean out the taste.