Silence enveloped the dungeon as Clover and I absorbed the weight of the new information. Part of me wanted to dismiss it, to continue as if nothing had changed. After all, whoever the spirit was, they had been the only one to answer my call. If they hadn't, my family and I would have died at the claws of the dragon. They needed me to take the throne and ‘restore balance,’ but they didn't have to save us. That had to count for something, right?

Nerves knotted in my stomach, and I ran a hand through my hair. “I'm not sure what to do with this information. It's important, I know it is, but trying to figure out why a spirit who's been missing for so long would suddenly reappear to take a paladin…it's giving me a headache.”

Clover nodded, absentmindedly twisting her mace. “You're right, it's important. My only guess is that the Mad King finally wreaked enough havoc to draw the attention of the Old Ones. The other spirits are powerful in their own rights, but nothing compares to the Primordials.”

That made sense. “It was only a matter of time before one of them got involved, right?”

“Yeah. Let's just…tuck this away for now. There's nothing we can do about it. You're pacted to an Old One, that's just a fact. We'll move on and continue what we came here to do.”

She offered a smile that was only partially forced. “Let's focus on your new spells and abilities instead.”

Desperate for a change in topic, I nodded and grabbed the mirror from my pack. Staring at my dirty and tired reflection, I focused until the menu popped up.

Quests

Reputation

Skills

Spells

Stats

I slid down the list to Spells, and a much larger list appeared.

Bolster. Level Two Spell

Casts a shield over you or a target of your choosing. The barrier holds until the spell is released or a significant amount of damage is done.

Mana Cost: 5

Chosen's Blessing. Level Three Spell

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Cloaks a weapon or object in the power of your pacted spirit. Lasts until the spell is released.

Mana Cost: 10

Radiant Bastian. Level Five Spell

Surround yourself in an impenetrable shield that can take significant amounts of damage. The upgraded version of Bolster. The spell releases once you move after casting.

Mana Cost: 70

Retribution, Level Ten Spell

Strikes foe with a celestial-infused weapon attack, does massive damage, but when cast at lower levels, it harms the caster. Charges per day depend on wielder level

When I read how much mana Radiant Bastian required, I nearly choked. “No wonder I feel awful. I threw myself into mana exhaustion!”

I'd never had any spells before, so it hadn't crossed my mind as a possibility.

Clover snorted. “Yeah, try looking at your status. You'll see why I decided to make camp for tonight.”

A kernel of wariness dropped into my stomach. I hadn't even looked at my status. What could it possibly say to warrant her reaction?

One way to find out. I closed the Spells menu and backed out to my status.

Frederick

Level 3

Hit Points: 50/50

Mana: -20/50

Status: Heavily Exhausted, Mana Exhaustion, Fatigue

Ouch. It was definitely better to rest until those went away. Having one type of Exhaustion guaranteed slower movements and reaction times, but two types? I'd be useless on a battlefield.

On the bright side, unlike Hit Points, Mana recovered instantly overnight. I hated holding us up, but Clover needed to rest too. I focused back on her and nodded. “I appreciate it. Hopefully, the Exhaustion will go away by tomorrow. We can't afford for me to be out of it longer than that.”

Right now, I felt like I could sleep for days without even trying. I'd been Exhausted in the past, but never to this degree. Before, it went away overnight. There was no guarantee this would be the same.

To further back up my unease, Clover grimaced. “I've dealt with Mana Exhaustion and from experience, I can say it takes a bit to recover. The lingering effects are why I'm so cautious about avoiding it.”

Dread doubled down in my stomach. “So I'm definitely going to put us behind?”

It couldn't be helped, I knew that. Neither of us noticed the last spider until it was too late. That didn't mean I had to like the fallout.

Clover patted my arm. “Don't beat yourself up over this, alright? We both underestimated the monsters, and if that thing had landed on me, I'd be in your shoes now. Besides,” she dug into her pack and offered a glowing purple potion, “you won't be slowing us down once you drink this.”

I took it gingerly, turning the smooth and cool-to-the-touch vial slowly. “What is it?”

She took it long enough to uncork it, then handed it back. “A Rejuvenation Potion. Drink it down, and by tomorrow, you'll be fully recovered.”

I hesitated, watching the swirling purple liquid. “Are you sure?” Dawncrest didn't have an Apothecary, so potions were rare and thus, expensive.

She nodded and pressed it into my chest. “With our new plan, I won't be expending as much Mana, so I shouldn't need it. It's more important that you're back to fighting fit.”

Taking the hint, I downed it in one go. The taste was…honestly not as bad as I'd expected. There was a light mint to it and maybe some kind of berry, nothing like the bitterness I'd thought it would have.

I handed back the vial, and she put it away with a nod. “Alright, now we should be set for tomorrow. Which reminds me, let's eat!”

I'd been so distracted by the whole ‘I made a pact with an Old One’ that I'd completely forgotten she'd been cooking dinner. My stomach growled loudly enough to echo ominously along the dungeon walls, and Clover laughed.

“I'm glad you're hungry, because I made plenty.”

Then she pressed a charred Rock Snake on a stick into my hands, and dread replaced my hunger.

This…was a complication.