In the realm of the known, where men and monsters csh and a multitude of races struggle for their pce in the sun, the human soul endures as a rare and enigmatic jewel. A singur force that, amidst the cacophony of life and strife, continues to defy the boundaries of reason and convention, seeking soce and strength in the tenderest of origins.

  For it is said that the eternal disposition of the human psyche, that elusive force that governs the heart and mind, is born of a singur truth - that we, above all other creatures, linger longest in the embrace of our maternal guardian. In our infancy, we are fragile, unprepared to navigate the treacherous byrinth that is existence. This vulnerability forms the bedrock of the human spirit.

  - The Human Question by Gideon de Savia 378 AC.

  There was a chittering, and it was not from the dark creatures of the void, those beings that haunted me in my sleep. There were intruders in my sanctuary, my pce of rest. Shouting in surprise, I reached for the dagger at my waist and prepared to do battle with the intruders.

  Eyes now adjusting to the general gloom, I still could not see my enemies, save for small movements at the corner of my eyes. Damnations, I need to see, I thought to myself. Reaching for the bag at my waist, I grabbed a chunk of glowing Zajasite from its depths. Holding it in one hand in front of me, the stone immediately illuminated the interior of the wagon with its soft azure light.

  Furry fluffballs were running amok in my wagon! Kidu and Elwin had already found their feet, and had begun stamping on what I could see were cute rodents. Yet, despite the pair’s wild struggles against these invaders, the animals evaded them, for the most part, and were getting everywhere, as more of their number came in.

  “Stop!” I cried, and the pair looked at me, “No need to panic over such mighty foes.” I was disgusted with my earlier reaction. The great Gilgamesh reacting like a maiden before her first blood was truly an embarrassment.

  These foul creatures would pay for their temerity.

  I reached into my pack for a piece of jerky, before kneeling down and offering it to one of the balls of fluff. The animal knew no fear and, with great gall, sniffed it once before trying to take off with it. For its hubris, it would be punished as my other hand shot out and grasped it around its neck.

  It squealed in surprise, and the other creatures echoed its cry of desperation. I brought it up closer to my eye, inspecting the absolutely adorable animal, and used a spell that served me well.

  Whispermews - (Rodent lvl.1)

  Health: 6/6

  Stamina: 12/12

  Mana: 1/1

  My Identify spell revealed to me that it was a weak little thing, barely worth killing. The tiny rascal beast had truly adorable beady eyes and soft fur. It looked like a cross between a ground squirrel and a lemming.

  Looking at my companions, I asked them in an irritated voice, “What in heavens is a Whispermews?”

  “Ah, these things. I thought they were rats. Hate those things. These cute little ones are Whispermews, they live under the grass here. Harmless. The rain probably flushed them all out of their burrows and they are here looking for shelter on the high ground. They are worth quite a bit; some of the noble dy folk like their fur for the insides of their clothes. Smooth, it is,” expined Elwin.

  Suddenly, Kidu gave out a roar and smashed his hand against the side of the wagon, causing our temporary home to shake. “Harmless, you say, Elwin of Tucker. This one bit me!” growled the wildman, pointing at a crushed thing that once was a Whispermews.

  Just as I was considering letting the cute creature in my hand go, Kidu’s shout caused it to relieve itself and I could feel liquid running down between the seams of my gauntlet.

  I ended its life without a second thought, crushing it in my armored gauntlet and I unleashed a jubint Entropic Aura to help deal with its cousins. If they were not worth the experience, at the very least they might be worth a few coins.

  The other Whispermews were suicidally bold, and the death of two of their number whipped up the remainder of the animals into an ineffectual frenzy. They ignored the dark aura of my spell and threw themselves at us. Stab, stab went the Rogue’s knives as they thunked against wood after piercing through furred flesh, and his bdes punched out a rhythm of a crazed metronome. Kidu needed no such weapons, and his ham-size hands made bloody work of the adorable rodents.

  Though the creatures were ignoring my spell, my magic certainly was not ignoring them. They were slowed by the dark magic and their movements sluggish, a testament to what it was to go against the ravages of time. I added my own knife and armored fist to the savagery. An anger and irritation that had been building up within me found its vent. Satisfying crunches and sharp squeals filled my ears, as I smashed or sliced the rodents apart with vicious abandon. We were probably doing nature’s work by removing them from the gene pool, I reflected.

  As the few creatures that remained finally scurried away with frantic squeals, I reined in my aura spell, forcing it back by the dent of my will and my growing mastery. During this encounter, for I dared not call it a fight, I learned some things. Several times during the fight I received notifications that I received zero experience for a kill.

  However, after sying a few of the creatures, my experience had risen by a whole point, which led me to the conclusion that my interface simply did not dispy fractions or decimals of numbers of the experience I was actually earning.

  Another was that my Entropic Aura could kill, albeit very slowly. My memory, greatly improved by my Intelligence attribute, allowed me to recollect that one of the creatures had simply expired under the effects of the spell. The animal’s movements had begun to get slower and slower, as if it was trying to run through thick treacle before it gave up on life. The rodent toppled over and simply died, giving me a fraction of an experience point. The spell too, sensing that I wished no harm on the Whispermew corpses, did not cause their bodies to rot or spoil. A bonus, for if Elwin’s words were true, then these things could be turned into a pretty penny.

  We began to tidy ourselves up before I found a survivor. This one was smarter than its cousins, having chosen to cower in the corner. Perhaps, I could be merciful. I reached forward and channeled a Heal, wasting precious Mana and filling the creature with my holy light which restored some of the damage caused by my Entropic Aura. For some reason, it simply felt like the right thing to do.

  “Perhaps the little half-elf would like a pet. It will help to teach her responsibility, the caring of another life. These things do make for good pets, yes?” I asked, and my companions simply nodded dumbly. At times, I truly surprised myself with my magnanimity.

  My piece said, I left my companions to do the annoying work of skinning the creatures and tidying up the insides of the wagon. Truly, I needed a breath of retively fresh air, and a moment to myself. Nose curling, I decided my hands and gauntlets could probably do with a wash, too.