I spent most of the afternoon lifting Gurnil’s furniture and hoisting it back into place: bookcases, shelves, desks, and tables. If anything had been damaged beyond repair, I got rid of it in the same way I’d disposed of the golem. After I repositioned the last of the cabinets, Gurnil floated into the room holding a thin beige book.

“Before I give you your first spellbook, a word of warning. If you attempt to cast a spell too far beyond your ability, the results can be disastrous. Deafness, blindness, even insanity. Understand?”

I nodded, and Gurnil handed me the book, whose name was scrawled on the cover. A Primer on Light Magic. Then she beckoned me to a chair adjoining a small desk.

“The book consists of diagrams that illustrate how spells are cast. To learn a spell, you need to concentrate on its illustration until you fully grasp the routine. For beginning spells, you only need to learn words and gestures. Later spells require words, gestures, and components. Does that make sense?”

I’d hoped learning magic was going to be easy, but this was going to be real work. I took a deep breath. If I could learn tightrope walking, I could learn how to cast spells.

“That makes sense.”

“Good. The first spell in the book is Light, which is also the simplest.”

I opened to the first page and saw a confusion of multicolored lines and shapes. It reminded me of a Picasso painting.

“It’s just a mess of scribbling.”

“It’s far more than just scribbling. You need to concentrate. If spellcasting was easy, everyone would be doing it.”

I sat and stared at the page, cradling my head in my hands. Instead of trying to make sense of the whole picture, I followed individual lines. But some seemed to go on forever, swirling and breaking at odd angles.

I looked at the page for over ten minutes without making any progress. After half an hour, I considered giving up. After all, I had other quests to complete.

But if I gave up, I wouldn’t have the courage to attempt spellcasting again. So I focused on the illustration again. As I relaxed my mind, I saw how it used perspective to display a three-dimensional image in two dimensions. Slowly, I made out a scene involving a hand, a mouth, and a radiant source of light. After another minute, I closed the spellbook.

“I got it… I think.”

Gurnil raised her eyebrows. “Show me.”

I started uttering the incantation and marveled at the smoke that emerged from my mouth. I arched my right hand and waggled my index finger. A moment later, the room glowed brightly as though we’d been transported to a summer day.

For the first time, my mana bar dropped from its maximum. I now had 11 of 15 mana points.

“Well done,” Gurnil said. “While I tidy up, you’ll have enough time to learn the rest of the introductory spells.”

Gurnil floated out of the study, leaving me to grapple with A Primer on Light Magic and its bizarre illustrations. I learned the Blur spell next, which obscured the caster’s body, making it harder for enemies to see and hit. After that, I learned Flash, which produced a burst of light that blinded nearby enemies for one to two seconds. The next spell was See Hidden, which illuminated hidden creatures and secret doors.

The last spell was Remove Curse, which was what Gurnil had cast to remove Nalkak’s ring from my finger. Now that I could cast it myself, I could put on Nalkak’s ring when I needed strength and remove it when I didn’t.

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By the time I’d finished learning all the first-level spells in the primer, I was exhausted. I didn’t have the energy to find a proper place to rest, so I curled up on the floor and passed out.

⚔

The next morning, Gurnil offered me a bowl of something that looked and smelled like oatmeal, but tasted like wet cardboard.

“Now that you can cast Light Magic,” Gurnil said, “what are going to do? Head back to Raven’s Rest?”

“I have errands to run in the Baildril. Do you have any advice on surviving in the swamp?”

Gurnil shook her head. “I’ve lived near the Baildril for years, but I’ve never dared to step foot in it. Too dangerous! Giant lampreys, aboleths, green hags, mosquitos the size of bats, and bats the size of vultures. From what I hear, there’s even a tribe of nagas.”

“More than a tribe. The nagas live in a city called Nagak-Thurn. The King’s Guard wants me to find out if they’re preparing for war.”

Gurnil made a sour face. “A war with the nagas won’t be pleasant. I’ve met their wizards, and they’re among the best anywhere.”

I considered this. If the naga wizards were at Gurnil’s level, they were much stronger than I'd anticipated.

“Do you know a ranger named Palomir?”

“I haven’t met him, but I’ve heard countless tales about his heroic deeds. He founded a temple for Theris in the Baildril. The priests heal the sick and provide rest for travelers.”

I checked my map, and smiled to see a new marker labeled Palomir’s Temple. Unfortunately, it was in the northwestern corner of the swamp.

“Have you heard of Darnok or the Medallion of Darnok?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know anything about either.”

I sighed. I was already several days into the game, and I'd made no progress on the main quest.

⚔

I set out from Gurnil’s house just before noon. My plan was simple: head toward Palomir’s temple and leave the swamp creatures alone. I’d ask Palomir about Nagak-Thurn, and once I learned where the nagas were, I’d find out why they’d attacked the lizardfolk. If everything worked out, I’d clear the quest without having to kill anybody.

The trees in the swamp were taller and denser than those in the forest, and after only a few minutes of walking, the blue sky vanished. As I headed northwest, I reached a turbulent stream flowing north. It was nearly nine feet wide, and I considered trying to swim across. Then I remembered Gurnil’s mention of giant lampreys.

The water at the stream’s edge looked clean, so I started to fill my flasks with water. But after I filled the fifth flask, a scaled, rope-like tentacle flew out and took hold of my left arm, just above the elbow, and tried to pull me into the stream. I didn’t have time to unsheathe Ebonclaw, so I took a bolt from my bandolier and cut the tentacle, which flew back into the water.

A roar sounded from below, and I stepped back as a creature emerged from the water’s surface. It was as tall as I was, and shaped like a tree. But it had ebony flesh instead of bark, and in place of branches, it had writhing, rope-like tentacles.

I watched, unable to breathe, as seven eyes of different shapes and colors fluttered open, each fixed on me with obvious fury. Below the eyes, a mouth opened to reveal rows of black teeth. The monster moved toward the edge of the stream and its tentacles reached out toward me.

I’d encountered aboleths in fantasy games, and while none had been as terrifying as this, they were all powerful sea creatures—much too powerful for a sixth-level rogue. I cast Flash, and the burst of light caused the eyes to press themselves shut. The blinding effect would only last for two seconds, but I only needed one second to grab my pack and run. After eight paces, I turned and saw the monster sink back into the water.

If the aboleth’s presence was any indication, the creatures of the Baildril were much more powerful than those in the forest. I decided to keep to the high ground, moving as silently as my Stealth skill would allow.

I traveled north, keeping at least ten feet away from the stream. The ground rose upward, and I found myself in a small field covered with exotic plants. I leafed through The Elements of Alchemy, curious to see which flowers would prove useful. By the time I reached the stream’s mouth, I’d made four Potions of Lesser Healing, a Potion of Cure Poison, and a Potion of Water Breathing. Judging by the map, I’d reached the northern end of the Baildril, so I headed west toward Palomir’s temple.

A rocky hill rose before me. As I ascended, I heard shouting and the clanging of metal striking metal. I was too far away to understand the voices, so I ran up to see what was going on.