I'm finally able to stand and I look around, seeing a cabin nearby. It must have been hers. I still need to try out my new spell too but I just don't feel like in the middle of the forest is the best place to test out a fire spell. Not when there are no enemies nearby. I start hobbling to the cabin, doing my best to avoid obstacles that would involve putting too much strain on my wound.

What a simple home. Basic wooden structure, the door barely fitting on the hinges and no proper handle so it just swings open revealing a place in shambles. There are things strewn about and furniture pushed into weird positions. There are materials laying on one of the tables; feathers, toadstools, butterfly and dragonfly wings, dead fish, some other type of mushroom that almost seemed to glow, claws, a dead bee, and even something or someones heart. I made a face but picked up the materials, aside from the heart, and found a pouch near the table to put the materials in before putting it in my own bag.

Now what else is around here, sometimes in these huts there is lore to be found. I search hungrily through all the belongings in the house, looking under and in anything, I find a few potions and poisons on a table in the kitchen area which I snag. Finally I come across a bookshelf tucked away in the back of the house and grin to myself.

There has to be at least one good thing on that shelf. I start looking over the bindings at the titles and two stick out to me, this history of dragons in Allasia, this must be our country or province or something, and then a spell book for flames. I put the history book in my bag and open the spell book, it disappears like the last one and that warming sensation fills me again.

I open my menu to take a look at my spells, Fireball costs 50 to cast and Flames only costs 10. I only have 10 mana. Well I guess Fireball is going to have to wait. I'll be able to use Flames though. Once until my Mana recharges. I still plan on focusing on my health. I have a nagging feeling that if I die here then that's it.

I finally leave the cabin and start again on my journey. There's no way there isn't a major town nearby right? Possibly, I don't have a map, I don't know how this world is set up. I could be out in the middle of nowhere but based on things I've witnessed so far I doubt it.

I go back to the fallen carriage and see that the person driving had been transporting food, which I take a good amount of and put in my bag, I'm not sure how much more space I have. I might need an upgrade. I want to learn more about the mechanics and how much I can do. I also feel like it would be better to figure it out as I go.

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My mind is racing with all the new information that I didn't even notice when I started getting close to a cave. I began hearing growling nearby though and grabbed my mace just in time for a pack of three wolves to jump out and attack me. I grin as I realize this is the perfect time to use my newest spell. I raise my hand and a menu pops up above it with my two spells, but how do I use it? I move my fingers and turns out that I control which spell I use based on which finger I put down.

I put down my second finger, select the spell and soon fire is spurting out of my hand, burning the wolf. It doesn't kill it like my mace would but its only hanging by a point or two. I finish it off and kill the other two as well. I feel alive as I use the fire spell. It's like a buzz and I jump around a second. I'm very happy. I see my exp bar and I was a sliver away from a level up.

I eye the cave with interest, there's bound to be a few enemies in there. Enough exp to level up. Maybe some other goodies too. I hear footsteps coming up the path though and turn to face it with my weapon ready. A man wearing some pieces of armor, only arm and leg pieces, a short sword attached to his hip and a great sword attached to his back. I look up just above his head, he's level 5. Two levels higher than me so I shouldn't risk fighting him. But his health bar is also green not red. Friendly.

He catches my eye and seems a bit surprised to see me. "Oh! Are you here to explore the cave as well?" He asks.

"Uh, I suppose so. I just kinda found it." I shrug as I attach my mace back to my hip.

"How about we team up to explore it then? My name is Matt." He suggests. Oddly normal name. I wonder what will happen if I accept.

"Sure. My name is Artemis." I say with a smile. I get a notification, Matt joined your party. Interesting. I'll look into that later. Wouldn't want to break the stride now.

We head into the cave together and it's very dark, Matt pulls out a torch though and it illuminates a good portion of the area. I couldn't help feel a little disgusted as I saw all the heavy webs in the corners and cracks of the rocky walls. Grass tried to spring from the cracks in the floor but fizzled out the further we went. Glowing moss covered portions of the walls as we dove deeper and soon we hear the tapping of thin legs crawling around.

"Spiders." Matt says quietly as he looks around. We both pull out a weapon and soon a giant spider approaches us quickly, firing something from its mouth at us. We dodge out of the way quickly, Matt drops his torch but it doesn't go out, and now we were in battle. A few smaller spiders joined the fray as well. I cast fire again at one of them and it did more damage to the smaller spider than it did the wolf from earlier.

Matt swings his sword and easily cuts through a small spider and I quickly race to join him as we attack the bigger spider. The giant spider attacks with its front legs and fangs, managing to bite me and smack him but a few more hits from us and the spider finally falls. Matt and I are left breathing heavily.

Level Up!