Chapter 6

Secrets of Magic

-Lisa-

My hand froze above Oliver, purple hue fading slowly as I let go of the Doze spell. I watched as the fur-glider nestled close to him, showing obvious affection. Each time Oliver held out his little hand, the fur-glider would chatter quietly and adjust itself so that it was touching as much of Oliver as possible. Tension faded from my chest and arms as it became more and more obvious that the small creature was becoming attached to Ollie.

“Is it reacting because of the way you lulled it to sleep, babe?” Aaron asked.

“I’m not entirely sure. What I do know is that if it meant Oliver harm we’d know by now. We can’t just chuck it out Aaron, so don’t bother arguing about it. If you scare it now it could still call out to its buddies nearby.”

“You’re right.” He sighed. “But you can’t expect me to be ok with one of those things near our son.”

“I don’t expect anything, anymore. I simply want us to watch it cautiously; If it seems like this fur-glider is getting aggressive we will deal with it. Worst case scenario, I put it to sleep and you kill it.”

“Agreed. I’ll keep an eye on them.”

The fur-glider crawled up Oliver’s arm and wrapped itself around his little neck like a scarf, content. I shifted Oliver in my lap to get a better view of his face, still expecting the fur-glider to begin choking him. I mentally pulled up my inventory and scrounged through it, keeping most of my focus on the developing friendship between Oliver and the fur-glider. My eyes moved to the stave and I frowned, dissatisfied. I had never been in a real fight before and my first experience was not comforting. I had hoped that some sort of instinct associated with the game would overtake me and I would inherently know how to use my equipment, but it did not. I needed to become stronger through training and experience and it terrified me. Spells, on the other hand, were a different matter entirely. I felt a sense of ownership over my magic and I couldn’t explain it. The use of the magic in my spell book did come to me inherently.

“I thought our experience with magic would be a lot more like mashing a button and waiting for a cool down, like it was when we played games together. It’s not though, is it? I could feel the magic and my ability to control it without thinking.” I said.

“What do you mean?” Aaron look up from Oliver and the fur-glider in my lap. “It sort of is like button mashing to me. I think of the spell I have in my book and of the application I want, nothing more.”

“Not me, babe. I could feel the magic reacting to what I wanted the moment I thought about it. I didn’t think of a specific spell; hell, I even forgot what the spell was called until you mentioned it. It’s almost as if the spell book is useless in a way.”

I sat, thinking of any possible way to demonstrate my point to Aaron. I focused on Aaron’s chest and willed it to strengthen, using magic as a guide. His chest tightened with corded muscle, growing slightly. I expanded my focus to the rest of his body and diverted my flow of magic along with my focus. His body quickly became more refined with each muscle as it pulled taut, growing with a pulsating magic and providing a surge of raw strength. My body began to glow a deep red hue, magic circulating through me like the current of a river. I felt as if I could go further, increasing the current of magic flowing through me and into Aaron, yet an overwhelming feeling of caution stopped me. I knew I could push my limits, but was keenly aware that if I pushed too much I could become lost in the current of mana flowing around me. I could sense a dam within my body, holding the magic back and releasing it in quantities that would not harm me.

Aaron’s eyebrows raised as he sat up straighter, shoulders pulling back with newfound muscle forcing his posture straight.

“What in the name of Schwarzenegger is this?!” Aaron exclaimed.

I allowed the magic to slow to a halt within Aaron, releasing the spell and opening my eyes to view the effects. Aaron sat straight as an arrow, corded muscle bulging. His shirt and pants were pulled to their limits, showing hints of veins and raw power beneath the now thin fabric. Rock-hard flesh protruded from his shirt, giving him the appearance of a man who had treated weightlifting like breathing his entire life.

“I feel like I could crush a rock with my bare hands!”

Aaron looked around in the area where he sat for a rock large enough to grab. Dissatisfied, he looked up to the crude sconce attach to the wall. He jumped up excitedly, grabbing the sconce with one hand and the unlit torch with his other. With a slight yank, he pull it from the wall, leaving a trail of dirt and bits of rock falling from the holes where the sconce was once mounted. He dropped the wooden torch to the ground and grabbed the mount with both hands, grunting with effort. The metal gave way slightly, bending inward with the force of his strength. Satisfied, he lifted the bent metal for mine and Oliver’s viewing pleasure. I clapped my hands slowly.

“Congratulations, you bent a torch holder.” I sighed.

“I feel – “ Aaron was cut off as he winced.

Aaron’s muscles visibly reduced at a rapid rate, leaving the now stretched cotton of his shirt hanging loosely over his frame. Aaron sat down slowly, breathing as if he had just ran a marathon.

“I take it the spell doesn’t last long. That had to be your strengthen spell.” Aaron said, panting.

“It was, though I didn’t bother looking at my spell book to see if I had the spell.”

“What are you talking about? I had to actively think about my minor healing spell in my spell book and how I wanted to heal myself before it worked.” Aaron said, breathlessly.

“Did you now? I felt as if I could make you stronger, so I did. It was as simple as that.”

“Is it that easy for you because you’re an enchanter? Casting magic should be the same for both of us.”

“Who knows? I felt like it was an option for me, so I made the magic do what I wanted. Didn’t you feel like you needed to be healed, so you just healed yourself?”

“No, not at all. I mean, I definitely felt like I needed to be healed, but I thought about the minor healing in my book over and over until I was done healing.”

“Maybe there are other ways of activating your magic? I didn’t think of it as magic like when you and I were playing games together until you mentioned how different it was for you to cast a spell.”

“It’s worth trying. Give me a minute.” Aaron said, still recovering from the loss of strength.

He closed his eyes and I waited, silently watching as his breathing slowed. Aaron placed both hands on the ground, getting up slowly. Eyes still closed, he balled both of his hands into fists and tensed his muscles. I felt a stir around me as the flow of mana shifted, becoming stagnant, then flowing towards Aaron as he began glowing with a light green hue. I closed my eyes, sensing the mana swirling around me flowing towards him, absorbing quickly into his body as he became tense, like a wall made of solid stone. I sensed his form becoming unmovable and unyielding. Aaron opened his eyes slowly, opening his hands and breathing steadily with determination.

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“This has to be the ‘Stand Your Ground’ spell.” He said, amazed. “You were right! I felt like I had the inherent ability to become unmovable and I could sense the mana in and around me ready to respond. I focused on my ability to become a wall of force and the mana reacted. You are amazing!”

“Everything about this feels natural, babe. I feel like I have the potential to do so much more.” Lisa stated.

We paused as Oliver looked up at me, stomach growling noticeably.

“We haven’t eaten since we got here. We need to eat something and soon or Oliver is going to have a melt-down” I said.

“You’re right. If I had the opportunity to grab some of those squirrels, I would’ve done so. I will head out and look for something for us to cook. It’s been a long while since we found this cave.”

I nodded slowly, eyes drifting back to Oliver and the fur-glider wrapped gently around his neck, snoozing. Aaron turned toward the entrance and began walking, pausing after a few steps.

“Yell at me if something approaches the entrance. I’m only going to check the immediate area outside of the cave.”

“Go ahead, babe. I’m getting the hang of this. Be careful out there.”

“I will, hun.”

“Oh, and Aaron? Lisa added. “Leave the squirrels alone.”

Aaron laughed nervously as he exited the cave. I sighed and turned my attention back to Oliver.

“Hey bubba, are you thirsty?” I asked

“Yaaaaaah!” Oliver replied, excitedly.

I closed my eyes and extended my focus around me, sensing the mana around me instead of inside of me. Mana flowed throughout the cave, extending beyond my senses and out into the open air in front of the entrance.

** You have gained a new ability: Mana Sense! **

I ignored the message and continued focusing on the surrounding mana. I imagined every detail of what I thought a water elemental should look like, focusing first on how I thought it should appear. Mana swelled within and around me, surging a few feet in front of us. I manipulated moisture from the air as water began to form a foot above the ground, pooling into a loose blob of liquid. I forced the mana upwards slowly, imagining a fluid body with arms, a torso and a face with soft features. Mana continuously flowed around us causing a trepid formation of water at first, then rapidly condensing into a flowing form of water with large arms and torso. I could feel the face of the water elemental forming in my imagination as I forced more mana into the floating blob of water, forming the head.

I opened my eyes slowly, gasping softly as I gazed upon a fluid form of water floating just off the ground with grace. I looked my elemental up and down, appreciating the soft features I imagined only moments ago. I silently willed the elemental to advance, and it moved slowly towards the three of us. I felt the elemental adapting to my will and I commanded it to raise its hand carefully, trickling a small stream of water towards me and Oliver. The fur-glider opened its eyes and chattered softly, cocking its head to the side.

“Drink up, sweetheart.” I said.

Oliver reached out with both hands and an open mouth towards the slow stream of water. He giggled loudly as water splashed onto his face and outreached arms, stopping only to gulp down what he could. The fur-glider unraveled itself from Oliver’s neck and climbed down his outstretched arm, craning its neck towards the droplets of water racing down his arm. I smiled as I cupped my hands and willed the elemental’s water into them. It tasted like fresh rainwater pooled into a clean basin. We lapped up the water quietly, happily rejuvenated. I smiled as the smell of untainted water filled my nostrils, reminding me of a rainy day. I gulped my fill of water, pausing as the smell slowly turned to the faint smell of body odor and grime. Frowning, I stopped drinking and opened my eyes, looking up from the stream of water flowing towards my mouth.

A trio of goblins approached the mouth of the cave noisily; two carrying a small boar tied upside down to a short, thick branch. The third goblin strode confidently in front of the other two, hands resting on the hilts of his daggers. My mind raced, recalling the recent encounter with the last trio of goblin scouts. I dropped my hands and balled my fists in frustration, realizing that we were taking refuge in their cave as they steadily approached the entrance.

“Haaah! The other grunts will bring only mice! Sha’rok will bless us when this hog feeds whole clan!” The goblin holding one end of the boar up announced.

“Fool! Gnac won’t let those troll dung win!” The other boar-holding goblin said, smacking his chest with a fist.

Fear and panic filled me as my heart skipped a beat and my limbs grew cold.

“Quiet yourselves! Drop the pig and I’ll stick you!” The lead goblin shouted.

I quickly placed my hands under Oliver’s armpits, lifting him out of my lap and placing him next to me. Fear drove me to my feet as my mind raced, thinking of everything that would happen to him. The fur-glider began to chatter rapidly and raced up and down Oliver’s still outstretched arm.

“What is that wretched stench?!” One of the goblins holding the boar squawked, taking one hand away from the stick and pinching his nose.

“It smells like human fiiiilth!” The other stated, matter-of-factly.

The lead goblin stopped in his track and held a smell clenched fist in the air as we made eye contact.

“It is human filth! Ooooh, look! It thinks it’s a water mage.”

“Aar-“ My voice caught in my throat as the lead goblin unsheathed both daggers. I sensed danger emanating from all three goblins, bringing about a choking timidness within me.

“Ohohooo! Look, boys! There’s a tiny one with it! Small humans taste best!” The goblin holding the right side of the boar called.

“Looks like even the other troll shite will feast tonight!” The lead goblin grinned, licking the flat of his dagger and approaching.

Anger welled within me, like a boiling furnace. The timid feelings I felt before washed away in a heat of anger. The mention of Oliver unleashed a flurry of pent-up frustration and my body responded with a torrent of magic.

“I’ll choke you with your own intestines, you filth!” I yelled.

My water elemental turned from Oliver to face the goblins, opening its face in a scream of anger that sounded like the roaring of a waterfall. A deafening roar filled the air, amplified by the acoustics of the cave and causing all three goblins to wince. Mana swirled around me, forcing the lead goblin to fall on his backside. The two goblin scouts holding the boar dropped their stick ends and grabbed the bows resting on their backs, reaching for arrows. I raised my right fist, shaking with anger as I felt a stream of magic flow outward, grasping onto one of the goblin archers. The goblin fumbled with the string of his bow as his strength was sapped, leaving him visibly weak. My other hand spread outwards towards the other archer as another wave of mana shoved its way down his open mouth and down his throat, constricting the air.

The goblin sputtered, taking one hand from his bow and clawing at his throat as the muscles around his trachea constricted dangerously. The lead goblin jumped to his feet and rushed forward, hissing. It leapt with surprising agility and bared down with both daggers pointed towards me. The water elemental responded by flowing forward towards the goblin. I sidestepped as the goblin landed inside of the water elemental and the duo was forced past me. I moved towards the weakened goblin, still fumbling with his bow. My staff appeared in my hand as I willed it from my inventory and continued my advance.

“He gets nowhere near Oliver.” I said over my shoulder to the water Elemental.

The water elemental replied by turning itself into a twisting vortex of swirling water, cutting off any free movement from the goblin and causing it to turn in rapid circles. My left hand curled upwards and an unseen hand left fingermarks around the choking goblin’s throat. The other goblin scout gave up fumbling with its bowstring and gave a weak snarl as it slid a jagged dagger from its sheath, stumbling towards me. I raised the staff over my left shoulder as the goblin neared and swung as hard as I could, catching it square on the jaw. The goblin twirled in a full circle before landing on the ground with its arms splayed. I lifted my staff in the air and slammed it down on the goblin’s skull, crushing it. Blood splattered the dirt as the goblin twitched violently

I turned my gaze towards the choking archer and twisted my hand. The goblin’s eyes widened as it dropped to its knees, grabbing its throat. I raised my staff once more, striking it in the neck with a cracking force. A sudden drain filled me as the choking spell dissipated from the lifeless corpse.

Congratulations! You have leveled up!

Level 4 Enchanter

“Shit…” I said breathlessly as I fell forward.

I heard a splashing sound and became aware of the water elemental falling apart behind me. My hands reached out to meet the ground as I crumpled. The goblin previously caught in the water elemental’s embrace coughed violently as it recovered.

“I’ll spit you over a firepit myself!” It screamed.

I felt the available magic within me dwindling. A thick murky fog gripped my mind and I couldn’t think clearly. I reached out, willing mana to flow back through me, begging the unforeseen force back into me.

You have learned a new spell: Mana Flow

My face met soft, wet dirt as I finished slumping to the floor. Mana trickled back into me at an alarmingly slow rate. I began to panic once more as I heard foot steps approaching from behind. A small, strong foot planted on my back, forcing the air from my lungs. The goblin snarled as it raised its dagger, plunging it into the middle of my back. An icy cold pain shot through my upper body and I gasped and coughed as the shock of it tore through my body. The goblin ripped its dagger from my back and stabbed down once more. My vision blurred with tears and slowly began to fade as my body went numb.

I could hear screaming behind us as Oliver yelled, “Maaaaaaaaaaaa!”

I grunted softly, not comprehending the smell of burnt, putrid flesh. A small body slumped forward, lifeless on top of me as my mind began to go blank.