I inspect the [Minor Ring of Mana], rolling it along my palm, back and forth. A thin band, unadorned. It shrank to my size when Poliven gave it to me. I sit alone at the edge of my hayloft, legs dangling. Nox has already settled in for the night, hiding somewhere in the hay.

  The ring resists being inspected, but persistence breaks through.

  Equipment: [Minor Ring of Mana]

  Increases mana regeneration by two points per second.

  It doesn’t appear to be cursed, so I slip it on my index finger. The effect is immediate. The ring grows warm and sparks of blue lightning flash up the length of my arm. My mana, which I had drained with [Detect Decay] in search of new rot, fills much faster.

  I will enjoy this new tool.

  ~~~

  The next morning, I hold the hog-hide book in outstretched hands. Raimi stands before me, staring at its cover.

  “How…” She leaves her mouth open but doesn’t say another word.

  “Poliven said you might like it,” I offer.

  She swallows, then reaches out and accepts the heavy tome. Her face reddens and she tries to speak again, but all I hear is a whisper. “...thank you.”

  Then she runs away. Nox clicks from under my shirt, his sense of confusion matches my own.

  Taren returns the following day with a pack full of venison.

  “How was the festival?” he asks, setting down his load.

  I glance at Raimi and Denet. Raimi grows red in the face again and Denet looks grumpy. He asked me later why I hadn’t got him a festival gift.

  “That bad?” Taren smiles. “I heard you filled half the granary with your donation.”

  “Next year I’m joining you on the hunt.”

  “Next year we’ll both enjoy the festival. You won’t get out of it that easily, Sevorn.”

  As the weeks pass, the first snow blankets the village, and I accept an invitation from Denet to join him and Raimi in the Haven, where the creek is now iced over.

  I trudge through the cold, trailing behind Denet, who seems unaffected. He leaps forward, kicking snow into the air. Raimi laughs and follows him.

  Now that I wear my new mana ring, I have the urge to use my [Skills] so I can feel the regen cycle through, but with the winter comes a lack of plant life. Ice and snow cover dormant grasses, and trees with no leaves are too fragile for [Leech Grip]. So I leave [Detect Decay] active throughout the day.

  With the frost comes less vitality and less decay. Everything slows down.

  A snowball slaps my face. I blink in surprise, then barely dodge another. Denet and Raimi surprise me with more.

  The simple pleasure of competition fills me as we race around, until Raimi runs into a tree and snow lodged among the branches dumps down on her. She shivers and trembles after we dig her out. The game is over.

  As we walk, I covertly [Leech Grip] the bushes I loathe. May they shrivel and never return. Denet spends the entire trek back to the village talking.

  “You should think about fire, Raimi. It’ll help you feel warm.”

  She rubs her arms and face, ignoring him.

  “Oh, I know,” Denet says. “Jump up and down. Or run.”

  Raimi rolls her eyes.

  Denet starts explaining how to dig a snow pit to sleep in when Raimi stops. I stop short of plowing her over.

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  “You can’t stay warm standing still,” Denet complains, but Raimi simply points.

  We all turn and see a sheepdog, far from the village, running with six howlers chasing after it, each of their jaws unhinged and dragging through the snow.

  Twilight Howler - Level 3

  “Get Taren,” I say, then dash after the creatures.

  I stamina burn and skim the surface of powder and ice. The rush of freezing air hurts my face. Ahead of me, the dog jerks one way, then the next, trying to keep the howlers confused, but it’s surrounded. It barks at them as it spins around in the snow, then dashes through an opening.

  The howlers growl as I cross into their path. I only have a knife, so I brandish it and dive at one.

  The howler snaps its jaws on my legs as we collide. My knife sinks into its side and my other hand grabs its face. [Leech Grip] rips vitality away. The howler releases its jaws and my legs heal instantly. The monster breaks away, but is left weakened.

  Another howler darts in from behind. I spin and my hand ends up in the beast’s mouth as its jaws snap closed. Pain flares as long teeth tear through my arm up to my elbow. [Leech Grip] pulses from my hand inside its mouth and the howler releases me. Then I slash it across the face as it retreats.

  Mana still roils within me and continues to refill as I search for the dog. Only three howlers harass me, two of which are injured and keep their distance. The others still chase the dog. There is blood on its fur.

  My stamina hasn’t recovered enough to dash after it.

  I lunge at a weakened howler in my path and it flinches away, giving me space. I break from the fight and push through the snow. It’s not deep, but still hinders me.

  One howler chasing the dog sees me and pivots, its unhinged jaws gaping wide.

  I dodge to one side as the howler leaps. My hand grazes it, sapping vitality as I jump towards the dog. I need to heal it. Nox senses my feelings and bursts from my shirt. He flies between howlers and latches onto the dog.

  I turn my attention to the howler who leapt for me. It circles, cautious. The two injured howlers from before break around and head for the dog. I cannot move fast enough. My mana is still half full, I’m full of vitality, but my stamina is almost empty.

  Three howlers attack at once from different directions. I catch one with my knife, cutting across its throat and throwing it to the ground. Another catches my leg. I [Leech Grip] that one with my off-hand. My fingers squeeze its head until it tries to pull away. But I am not prepared for the third. Instead of teeth, the mass of fur plows me over.

  I land face first in the snow.

  Two sets of jaws snap onto my flesh, trapping one arm and my torso.

  My only free hand drops the knife. I blindly cast my fingers up and catch the throat of a howler. [Leech Grip] drains the beast as it struggles. Pain and relief cycle on repeat as I turn the monster into dust.

  My hand snaps to the howler that has my other arm. [Leech Grip] scares it and it breaks away. Then I launch myself from the snow and land atop the third howler, the one that trounced me before. Both hands leech life until the howler crumbles away beneath me.

  A pinch alerts me, but it doesn’t come from my body.

  Nox soars through the air with a broken wing and crashes into me, pushing distress to my mind.

  The dog.

  The other howlers are upon it, tearing at its flesh.

  I tremble, a sensation bubbling up inside me I cannot recognize. I feel sick, though my vitality is bursting.

  Skill Acquired: [Chilling Presence]

  Induce fear into surrounding life of lower levels. Range and terror strength increase with level. 5 mana per second active. Additional mana invested increases terror by 10% per 2 mana spent.

  I activate it at once and the Twilight Howlers freeze where they stand, some with blood dripping from their long jaws. The dog does not move.

  I rage with [Chilling Presence] and the howlers cower, ears down, whimpering as they back away from me and the dog. Once they retreat far enough, they turn tail and flee into the woods—their whimpers sound like pain as they run.

  When they are far and gone, I stumble over to the dog. My mana builds as I kneel by the creature. It is dead. No amount of vitality will bring it back.

  I remain next to the dead dog until I hear others coming. I turn my head and see a dozen people arrive, carrying weapons, shovels, and other tools.

  It’s too late.

  The owner of the dog, Ferlon, bows his head as one of his kids starts to cry the dog’s name. Taren reaches me and grips my shoulder, urging me to stand.

  My knees are half frostbitten, but I don’t heal them until night. The burning pain racks me, distracting me from the echoes of Ferlon’s children, but I cannot get their shrill voices out of my head.

  There’s a knock at the door and Taren enters the shed. He doesn’t look up at me. Instead, he steps forward and leans against one wall.

  “You did well,” he says.

  I don’t respond. He knows I don’t agree.

  “Fighting six howlers by yourself. No one of your level would have ran into a fight like that.” He chuckles. “Honep might even hesitate before a pack that size.”

  “Why does it matter?” I say. “The dog is dead, Taren.”

  “Then get over it. It won’t be the first time you fail to save something…or someone.”

  He still doesn’t look at me. “Was there someone—”

  “This isn’t about me, Sevorn.” His eyes reach me then. Compassion fills them. “If you let yourself fall apart every time something goes wrong, you won’t be ready when you’re most needed.”

  I open my mouth, but he shakes his head.

  “Get some sleep. You and I are off hunting tomorrow morning, early. And I don’t want to hear a single word of this incident, or you’ll walk back alone.”

  With that, he turns and marches out the door.

  I spend the night with [Detect Decay] active. The pulses overpower the children’s cries in my head until I can fall asleep.