I frowned down at my leg. The flesh around the wound was swollen and starting to turn red. The muscles felt tender to the touch. I thought I’d avoided an infection, but apparently being in the glen only slowed it down, not fought it off completely.

Conditions Infection (1)

I grimaced and hobbled outside The first blush of dawn peaked over the trees. The cold mist clung to me as I circled around the pool. “Ikfael Glen, are you here? Hello? Hello?”

Ikfael didn’t respond. She was nowhere to be found. That worried me, as she’d already been missing for a couple of days.

Would she tell me if she were going on a trip? Maybe, maybe not. It’s not like we were family. At best, we were friends. At worst? A landlord and tenant? Whatever the relationship, Ikfael’s been kind to me, and I hoped she was all right. Her Blessing was active, so she was at least alive and well.

I could certainly use a visit from Dr. Otter though. I stood there, worried, long enough for the glen to brighten with the dawn.

“What are you doing, Ollie. The day won’t start itself.”

Shaking my head, I cleaned the wound but left it open to the air. Now that there were signs of infection, wrapping it with a bandage would only make things cozier for the bacteria inside. I dumped ten points of nature mana and qi into the wound. Hopefully, the enhanced healing would help.

I took care of the morning needfuls, started a fire, and heated up some tea. Well, I called it tea, but it was really a tisane--hot water infused with herbs, in this case slivers of fennel root.

What I really wanted was a plate of bacon and eggs. Bacon, eggs, and country potatoes slathered with gravy. With salt on everything! To heck with my cholesterol and blood pressure! Not that either was an issue in this eight-year old body.

I sighed, drank my tea, and ate some leftover steak.

My morning routine was cancelled thanks to the injury. I also skipped over the pile of cedar bark waiting to be turned into cordage. Instead, I brought out my stilettos and the Antler of Icy Breath.

To be clear, I was worried about my leg, very worried, but something more important drew me. Like iron to a magnet. Like a Trekkie to Leonard Nimoy. It was time to cast my first real spell.

First, I reviewed what I learned last night.

Nature Magic 0 > 1

The key to unlocking the increase was realizing that magic was a two-stage process. The first stage converted mana into a useable form via a rune, and the second stage used a different rune to create a magical effect with the converted mana.

In addition, the symbol with three wavy lines turned out to be the rune for Aeromancy.

Aeromancy 1 Without air, the world would be forever still. Its winds are fickle, but they are harbingers of change. This Skill is the origin of magical arts related to air.

Learning the new rune proved tricky. I had to visualize it exactly to imprint it into my memory like the others. There couldn’t be any deviation in its lines or angles. Only once I was able to hold the image in my mind perfectly was I rewarded with the Aeromancy Skill.

Where I failed was in my attempts to cast the spells without using the Antler or a stiletto I thought I knew why though. Mana. More specifically: not enough mana.

My suspicion was that the spells required more mana when cast without the objects. That’s what I planned to prove after having recovered to full mana overnight, and why I didn’t use all my mana on enhanced healing this morning.

Before continuing, I noticed two other changes in my Skills.

Spear Arts 0 > 1 Stealth 1 > 2

Interestingly, both Spear Arts and Stealth were unchanged when I went to sleep. The increases must’ve happened overnight.

Hmm… I remembered reading an article in Scientific American about memory encoding during sleep. Supposedly, the lack of sensory input made it easier for the sleeping brain to stabilize and consolidate memory. Which, when I thought about it, was what the System did--preserving memory in amber, forever within reach.

Funny how the article came to mind just when I needed it. Or was that Biology 5 at work? Maybe. Possibly. Probably. Even though it felt just like a normal memory.

“Focus, Ollie. This isn’t the time to get distracted.”

Right. Focus. I picked up a stiletto to enchant it with a point of qi and mana. I studied the runes inside to refresh my memory. There were a couple of spots that were hazy, but I didn’t hurry. I took my time and committed them to memory.

I closed my eyes to remove any visual distractions. The feelings in my body swung between worry and anticipation, and it took a while to calm the oscillations, to steady my mind. When I felt ready, I built the mental image of the Nature and Anesthetic runes.

My mana poured into the combined runes. Something flashed through me, filling me like a balloon. My mind overflowed, and the magic spilled out of my grip, directionless. I licked my lips. Not panicking. Moving fast, but not rushing. I willed the magic toward my leg, and it broke like a wave to flow toward it.

The throbbing eased. The pain went away completely. Actually, I couldn’t feel my leg at all. It was as numb as a rock.

The rest of me felt… jubilant, elated, exalted...none of the words fit. I was excited just to bend water, but this… this was a proper spell. My childhood dreams realized. It filled a need I thought I’d laid to rest long ago.

In 1961, my mother’s parents were in a car accident, and my family moved from Mexico City to Sherwood, Oregon, so that she could take care of them while they recovered. It was already a thing to be a mixed kid in Mexico City, but in little Sherwood, I was a freak and an outsider.

I did my best to assimilate. I learned to dress like the other kids, to talk like them, and cuss like them. I learned to play football and basketball. I even gave up on speaking Spanish. But none of that mattered. I was a halfbreed born to a traitor woman.

Then, when I found science fiction and fantasy, that just sealed the deal. I was a freak and a geek. No one wanted anything to do with me. I was taunted, bullied, and even beat up. (But only once.)

Anyway, the stories gave me refuge, as did the woods out behind the family house. If it wasn’t for them and for my abuelito and abuelita, I don’t know that I would’ve made it. And now, here I was, making magic. Real magic.

I smiled so wide. There were tears too. I thought I’d be jumping for joy, but the feeling of satisfaction ran through me deeper than I expected. I was moved, down in my bedrock, like my whole existence was validated.

“You’re a wizard, Ollie.”

What would those kids at Sherwood Middle School say now? If they were here, I’d Anesthetize them all and stand them on their heads. I’d...

I took a deep breath. They were old memories, not worth the effort of dredging up. There was still work to be done; magic to be explored.

Mana 0/15 Qi 0/11 Conditions Infected (I), Anesthetized (Local, IV)

After a minute, the numbness faded. As I thought, the spell was more expensive when cast without the rune inside the stiletto.

Nature Magic 1 > 2

The Nature Magic Skill increased, but I didn’t see a spell or rune list added to my Status. Hopefully, that’d come with practice. It’d suck to have to memorize every rune. My memory was good, but not that good. Maybe that was why System-Eight pushed for the Intelligence increase? I’d have to ask the next time he could talk.

So, my first spell. “I dub thee Anesthetic.” Or would Anesthetize be better? Noun or verb? They both sounded cool. And speaking of cool...

I began to meditate. There was another spell to cast, but it needed mana. I tried to clear my mind, but rills of happy-excited joy wouldn’t stop running through me. I didn’t giggle, but almost.

“Come on, Ollie. Focus.”

Right. Focus. Eventually, I found a stable mental platform and circulated my energies. It was a long sit, three hours, but by the end, I had six mana and qi to play with. A peek at my leg didn’t show any changes; not better, not worse. I mentally cleared myself to go ahead.

I visualized the Icy Breath rune and felt its magic fill me up. This time, though, I was ready to direct it. The mist from the waterfall crystallized and tinkled to the ground, like tiny bits of hail.

I’m not ashamed to say that I did giggle then. “I dub thee Deep Freeze. No, Ice Flash. Flash Frost? Cold Snap?” Ooh, that last one would make for a good superhero name.

Mana 2/15 Qi 2/11

Another four mana gone. A pattern was emerging. The costs doubled depending on the situation. My tools cost one mana to enchant, but weapons and armor were two. Magical objects took as little as one mana to create an effect, but proper spells were at least four.

Was it because the rune was already formed? It’d be an interesting experiment to inscribe the runes into other objects. And by interesting, I meant, “Oh my god, that would be amazing.”

Aeromancy 1 > 2

Nice! Another Skill gain. I was tempted to meditate for another ice spell--whose name was yet to be determined--but the worry about my leg refused to be put off any longer. It wriggled its way through the warm glow of happiness to spoil the party. Like it was saying, Yes, yes, the magic was wonderful, but you’re still nowhere near a healing spell, not without the relevant rune.

I couldn’t ask Ikfael about it, and, while she was away, Infection (I) could easily become Infection (II), (III), and oops, we’ve got to cut off your leg. Dr. Otter performing an amputation with her magic dagger was not something I ever wanted to see.

I set aside the impulse to continue playing with magic. The day had already given me such a gift, it was okay to turn my attention to keeping myself healthy. I was reluctant--feeling like a kid giving up their binky for the first time--but I forced myself to consider my options.

One, I could continue to enchant my leg with nature mana for enhanced healing. Two, wait for Ikfael’s return. Or three, strike out for the farms to the east and look for help there.

Enhanced healing was of marginal help. With meditation, I could recover from zero to full mana in six and a half hours. That’d be a full hour of enhanced healing for every a twenty-six hour period. Not great, but not bad either.

Last time, Ikfael was gone for three days. It’d already been two, but I shook my head--there was no way to know when she’d return. It could be longer than three days.

If I wanted help from the farms to the east, then I needed to leave while I could still travel. They were--what? Three or four miles away? That was an hour and a half hike, depending on the terrain. Double, if mildly injured? That sounded right.

The big risk was that it’d be pointless. I didn’t worry about them mistaking me for a Little Horror--all I had to do was bleed to show them that sap didn’t run through my veins. No, the problem was whether they’d help me, even after they knew I was human. I wasn’t part of their community. I did have the coins from the dead soldier though. Maybe I could buy my way in?

Did farmers even have a solution for infection? I didn’t know how common healing magic was on this world. Worse, while I was away, Ikfael may return to the glen and leave again. I might miss her. If only there was a way to send a message or find out where she went… Doh!

I made a ball of spirit mana. There was something beautiful about the pale, ethereal energy. Maybe because it reminded me of the spirit journey where I reunited with my wife and grandparents. A smile flickered past the worry. That was a good memory.

When I played with spirit mana the other night, it was drawn to Ikfael. Hopefully, that was still true. I held my breath, as I let the ball go. It floated toward the pool and sank beneath the surface. About a yard from the bottom, the ball disappeared. Was that a shimmer I saw before it winked out?

I lost track of the second spirit ball well before it reached the bottom.

“Third time’s the charm.” I snorted. Apparently, I was back to making aphorisms.

It worked though. I saw a mana shimmer at the bottom of the pool. Clenching my fists, I wondered if it was the same passage Ikfael and I used to go on the spirit journey. If I went through again, would I end up in the Oregon woods with Helen? Except I was spirit then. What would happen if I went down there now with my body? What would happen if I submerged the wound on my leg?

I took a deep breath to get my emotions under control. What this situation required was sensible risks. I was out of mana again, but I’d meditate to recharge. Then I’d use the mana to try and contact Ikfael Glen. If she didn’t respond by the late afternoon, I’d head to the farms.

So, a plan, magic, and another day alive (and sometimes thriving) on another world.