I waited for perhaps two hours or so, relieving myself in a bucket, halfway through my watch. Feeling that the time was ripe, I cast Identify again on the girl. Thankfully, the spell did not stir her from her slumber. Looking over her Status again, I saw that she had recovered another two points of mana and three points of Stamina. She had stopped sniffling, and her breathing sounded shallow and even. Sure that she was in the tightest embrace of sleep, I cast Drain on the unsuspecting girl. The threads of the spell, like Decay, intertwined with my Entropic Aura in a concert of sinister energy.
The magic of the spell enthralled me for a few long moments. Too alluring and seductive it was, its call a siren’s song demanding more than I was willing to give. A fragment of my mind rang alarm bells, crying out a reminder that I needed the girl child alive to fulfill the quest. Shocked at myself, I began to reel in my powers, cutting off Drain and the sweet energy it brought to me. Next, I brought Entropic Aura to heel, the spell whining in my head with its displeasure
Panting with almost feral lust, I could feel the life energies flowing within me. Remembering my purpose, I quickly scanned Larynda with an Identify.
Larynda - Chaos Mage [Human/Elf lvl.5]
Health: 26/32
Stamina: 11/22
Mana: 5/19
My mana was now just one point shy of full, and I could see that, as expected, hers had dropped by a few points. My spell, however, did not perfectly transfer the stolen energy to me. Despite me being at full Health, the girl had lost some of hers. I guessed that the energy was just wasted, lost to the ether. To Entropy.
A scared part of me wondered at how long I had been seduced by my own spell’s influence? It could have been minutes or seconds. The use of the magic had warped my sense of time. More importantly, I had missed the opportunity to measure the rate at which I could drain Mana and Health.
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What happened if I continued to use Drain when my Mana was at full? I could only assume that the energy would be lost. There was only one way to find out. As I was thinking these very thoughts, I could have sworn I heard the sibilant voices chittering with glee.
I was playing with these thoughts until guilt gnawed at me, for I realized that I had probably crossed a line. Fearful that someone might have witnessed my act, I looked around and noticed that one of the shutters was open. I edged closer to it, taking care to not wake my companions. Looking outside, I saw nothing, and convinced myself that no one had seen what I had done. Gratefully, Kidu was still asleep, and Larynda's chest was continuing to rise and fall in a regular pattern.
Softly, I closed the heavy shutters of the wagon, thankful that the hinges were well-oiled and did not produce a screech. Wishing to repair the possible harm I caused, and to assuage my guilty feelings, I readied myself to use one of my most expensive spells, in an apology.
An angelic choir started to sing, wanting to trumpet out their voices. I denied them, merely allowing their refrain to echo in the halls of my mind as I forced the divine energies to take shape with my Silent Casting skill. Though the musical symphony of Greater Heal could be denied, its holy light could not, and a golden light filled the wagon. It was this bright light that finally woke our bleary-eyed Hunter, who clutched his spear in surprise. The lights played around us, filling the wagon with a surge of healing.
Finally, when the spell was over, I felt mentally exhausted. Drained of Mana, but washed clean of my sins. I looked at Kidu, who looked positively alert in the dimming golden light, the shadow of tiredness and constant stress having fled from his body, thanks to the power of the spell.
“It is a good thing that you have done. This journey will be tough for us who have seen more winters, but tougher for the girl. This will keep us in the best of conditions, of this I am sure. Do not strain yourself too much… I will take up the watch now,” he insisted, gruff voice commanding.
“I will have to take you up on your offer,” I returned gratefully. I took off my helm and crumpled into a soft corner of carpet. At least someone appreciates me, I thought to myself.
You have gained 1 Wisdom.
Smiling weakly at the Hunter, I saw him nodding to me as I began to close my eyes, trusting in his vigilance and thankful that he had completely misunderstood my motives. Sleep came easily to me that night as, finally, I had made some progress.