Was she real? Enduring another of Alenia's lectures on magical safety—tinged with rather more annoyance and disgust than usual—Eric could easily believe it. Not that he could fault her tirade. It couldn't have been easy, watching him explode like that.
Fresh crimson splatters decorated her dark leather armor, and he didn't dare mention the specks of blood on her braided hair and her pointed ears. His blood, not hers, thank whatever gods this place had.
Well, whatever gods weren't assholes. Eric gritted his teeth and archived the three Telepathy spells he'd scrounged so hard for. "Not like that chieftan left me much choice."
"You meant to blow yourself up?"
"You got away, didn't you?"
Her eyes narrowed, but the tension in her shoulders lessened. "What was the price this time?"
"Telepathy magic."
She said nothing. She didn't need to.
"I know, I know." He wiped the sweat from his brow. Damned desert. "At least my leg's healed. Come on, let's get the hell out of here."
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She stared at him for several long seconds. "Hell?"
"It's…" He shrugged. What was the point? They felt real, all of them did, until you tried to talking to them about anything outside this world. "Forget it."
"Very well," Alenia said. She drew her bow, nocked an arrow, and took point.
Eric followed. He kept an eye out, but if there were any threats, she'd see or hear them long before he did. Still, he needed the Perception experience, if he was ever going to get enough Discern Magic levels to make the most of his Intelligence.
Trudging through the desert for hours on end gave him time to think. Too much time. What if she was conscious? What if they all were?
The Prisoner's words rang in his head: This world is dying. It needs you, Hero.
He couldn't afford to fail, not at this. He had to fix the world. Then, and only then, he could go home. Back to Jennifer.
Back to Ted.
Guttural screams filled the air, yanking him back into the sweltering heat. A dozen orcs poured over the crest of the dune a hundred yards to the south, their swords and axes glinting in the evening sun.
Eric drew his sword in one hand and weaved a Protection/Aegis/Armor spell with the other.
The wave of orcs charged towards them. Alenia fired off arrows. One, two, three arrows landed in the lead orc's chest, dropping him. The other orcs flowed around him, utterly undeterred.
"Armatus!" Eric cast Armor. Teal magic flushed across his skin.
Magical Armor status effect gained! Armor increased by 286!
Alenia loosed another arrow straight into an orc's eye. A critical hit.
Two down, ten to go, and not a mage in sight. Not bad odds. Eric gripped his sword tight and readied a firebolt.
Whatever it took, he'd get the job done.