This single act of kindness and forgiveness, not to mention the interesting things within the rundown store, drew her to visit Hamsa’s shop time and time again. Helping about the store, the Alchemist noticed that she had a sharp and inquisitive mind. Soon enough, the old man began instructing her in the basics of alchemy. It also helped that he would always give her food served on chipped and worn crockery, filling and wholesome nonetheless.

  They grew closer together as time passed, and she spent a few happy and loving years under Hamsa’s care as his ‘apprentice.’ That was until, of course, the Alchemist had caught word that there was a group looking for a young half-elven girl of her description.

  Hard as my heart had grown, I could not deny that I felt a little sympathy for her situation. However, there was now the shadow of a group that was actively hunting for our new charge. Did I really need yet another bunch of people chasing after me? I had to weigh the utility of a magic user on the team against the increased level of threat. It was certainly food for thought.

  I ruminated over her little tale as I let my stomach settle. Rising, I gave the girl some clichéd words of encouragement, and as a group we walked back to our wagon. We gave the girl some privacy and the time to see to her bedtime preparations. We then made our own preparations for the night as well. Kidu, predictably, was soon asleep, his snores quickly filling up the space of the wagon. Annoyed, I took the first watch, waiting for Larynda to go to sleep. In between the animal snores, I thought I could hear the occasional sad sniffle before, finally exhausted, the girl found sleep.

  Kidu's rasping snores began to grate, forcing me to leave the wagon, back into the cool of the night. The stars had come in their full regalia, but the miserly moon shone only with a fraction of her light. Looking across the camp, I could see the torches of sentries as they moved around the perimeter, stopping here and there as they guarded against whatever was out there on the pins. With nothing to do and time on my hands, I stepped out into the night. I walked around, taking care to stay within the ring of the guarding light.

  A sentry passed me by, and even in the poor light, I could see he was well-equipped. He had a fine chain mail coat and stout kettle helm, with a flowing aventail running down the sides of his neck. A mean-looking curved bde, probably a scimitar, was at his hip. He nodded deferentially to me as he passed, the sounds of his armor a mild cnk in the night - a picture of professionalism.

  It was time to meditate and practice, to explore the inner halls of my potential. Sitting cross-legged on the grass, I began to review what knowledge I had been able to gather from the damaged book the traitorous Elwin had bestowed upon me. My mind pondered on the meaning of the arcane symbols, trying to find some of their meaning. I felt that they represented some sort of higher form of mathematics, but their true meaning eluded me. Larynda’s seals had been interesting, but again, without a teacher or frame of reference, I could not even begin to decipher them. Suffering from the ck of the basic fundamental principles of magical theory, I could only grind my teeth in annoyance.

  Without any further recourse, until at least I got my hands on more instructional material, I had to make do with more practical application and practice. I let go of the energy that was waiting for my command, letting it loose in a torrent of bck joy.

  Entropic Aura burst from me, and the sibint voices that accompanied it exulted in delight as the waves of malignant raw energy pulsed from me. With Mana to spare, I wondered what other spells I could unleash. There I found it, bounding to the forefront of my mind—the dark spell of Decay. Pointing a finger at a patch of ground, I drove the spell towards it. I could feel that there was resistance from the living grass at first. It was but a trifling thing, weak, like it was holding up an umbrel against my storm. Soon enough, Decay’s energy intertwined with the pulses of Entropic Aura, the bck tentacles of rot combining with the waves of raw entropic energy caused the grass to wither and die. I knew then, on an instinctual level, that my Entropic Aura empowered my other spells. This sudden understanding caused the sibint voices in my mind to jump with glee in affirmation.

  I needed to test another spell from my dark repertoire. No, I needed to stop thinking of my gifts in such a way. There were tools to be used, neither good nor evil. Not light and not dark. They were simply a source of my power.

  However, my Mana had dropped considerably between the two spells, and I felt that it was time to replenish my reserves. With this mind, I returned to our wagon, opened the door and stepped in as quietly as I could. Metal armor is not conducive to stealth, but thankfully the pair within did not notice me.

  Scanning the darkness, I heard, more than saw, the presence of Kidu, who had fallen into a deep sleep. The sounds of his slumber were like a blunt saw cutting at a stubborn tree. Once my eyes had adjusted to the gloom, I could see that the half-elf’s small chest was gently rising and falling, and she was sniffling miserably, even in her sleep. I cast Identify on the girl to determine if she had recovered from the rigors of the day.

  Larynda - Chaos Mage [Human/Elf lvl.5]

  Health: 32/32

  Stamina: 14/22

  Mana: 7/19

  I theorized that the girl must have some sort of Mana Regeneration skill and Rest skill simir to my own, which would expin the fast recovery of her Mana. I would wait a little longer before my next experiment, as a way to gauge just how fast her Mana recuperated.

  I waited for perhaps two hours or so, relieving myself in a bucket, halfway through my watch. Feeling that the time was ripe, I cast Identify again on the girl. Thankfully, the spell did not stir her from her slumber. Looking over her Status again, I saw that she had recovered another two points of mana and three points of Stamina. She had stopped sniffling, and her breathing sounded shallow and even. Sure that she was in the tightest embrace of sleep, I cast Drain on the unsuspecting girl. The threads of the spell, like Decay, intertwined with my Entropic Aura in a concert of sinister energy.

  The magic of the spell enthralled me for a few long moments. Too alluring and seductive it was, its call a siren’s song demanding more than I was willing to give. A fragment of my mind rang arm bells, crying out a reminder that I needed the girl child alive to fulfill the quest. Shocked at myself, I began to reel in my powers, cutting off Drain and the sweet energy it brought to me. Next, I brought Entropic Aura to heel, the spell whining in my head with its displeasure

  Panting with almost feral lust, I could feel the life energies flowing within me. Remembering my purpose, I quickly scanned Larynda with an Identify.

  Larynda - Chaos Mage [Human/Elf lvl.5]

  Health: 26/32

  Stamina: 11/22

  Mana: 5/19

  My mana was now just one point shy of full, and I could see that, as expected, hers had dropped by a few points. My spell, however, did perfectly transfer the stolen energy to me. Despite me being at full Health, the girl had lost some of hers. I guessed that the energy was just wasted, lost to the ether. To Entropy.

  A scared part of me wondered at how long I had been seduced by my own spell’s influence? It could have been minutes or seconds. The use of the magic had warped my sense of time. More importantly, I had missed the opportunity to measure the rate at which I could drain Mana and Health.

  What happened if I continued to use Drain when my Mana was at full? I could only assume that the energy would be lost. There was only one way to find out. As I was thinking these very thoughts, I could have sworn I heard the sibint voices chittering with glee.

  I was pying with these thoughts until guilt gnawed at me, for I realized that I had probably crossed a line. Fearful that someone might have witnessed my act, I looked around and noticed that one of the shutters was open. I edged closer to it, taking care to not wake my companions. Looking outside, I saw nothing, and convinced myself that no one had seen what I had done. Gratefully, Kidu was still asleep, and Larynda's chest was continuing to rise and fall in a regur pattern.

  Softly, I closed the heavy shutters of the wagon, thankful that the hinges were well-oiled and did not produce a screech. Wishing to repair the possible harm I caused, and to assuage my guilty feelings, I readied myself to use one of my most expensive spells, in an apology.

  An angelic choir started to sing, wanting to trumpet out their voices. I denied them, merely allowing their refrain to echo in the halls of my mind as I forced the divine energies to take shape with my Silent Casting skill. Though the musical symphony of Greater Heal could be denied, its holy light could not, and a golden light filled the wagon. It was this bright light that finally woke our bleary-eyed Hunter, who clutched his spear in surprise. The lights pyed around us, filling the wagon with a surge of healing.

  Finally, when the spell was over, I felt mentally exhausted. Drained of Mana, but washed clean of my sins. I looked at Kidu, who looked positively alert in the dimming golden light, the shadow of tiredness and constant stress having fled from his body, thanks to the power of the spell.

  “It is a good thing that you have done. This journey will be tough for us who have seen more winters, but tougher for the girl. This will keep us in the best of conditions, of this I am sure. Do not strain yourself too much… I will take up the watch now,” he insisted, gruff voice commanding.

  “I will have to take you up on your offer,” I returned gratefully. I took off my helm and crumpled into a soft corner of carpet. At least someone appreciates me, I thought to myself.

  You have gained 1 Wisdom.

  Smiling weakly at the Hunter, I saw him nodding to me as I began to close my eyes, trusting in his vigince and thankful that he had completely misunderstood my motives. Sleep came easily to me that night as, finally, I had made some progress.