The gorgeous contours of my cheeks, the masculine and well-built jawline, those sexy and wild pair of eyes, and that, uh, nice nose? I did have a bit of a hooked nose. Anyway, what a beautiful and moving piece of artwork. It certainly motivated me to move out of Skaljorn at the earliest I could.

I ripped one of the notices down and left the little river hamlet community. It was certainly a bummer, because the countryside air and picturesqueness of the stream and meadows were rather soothing. I really needed a break, but it appeared that there really was no rest for the weary. I had a proper look at my dashing portrait they so lovingly drew.

Hmm, wanted alive? I had a sigh of relief at that, but the fact that I was wanted alive meant that any bounty hunters gunning after me would make insane amounts of preparation. After all, attacking with your all and killing your target was much easier than subjugation. Ugh, I groaned and wiped the persistent orbs of skin-juice forming on my beautiful face, why’s it so damn hot today? My eyes went back to admiring my portrait. I paused.

Fifty fucking gold?! What the fuck?! I was flabbergasted. There were black quests that didn’t pay as much. Hell, the gold coins I looted from those haughty nobles weren’t much more than fifty gold coins anyway! All sorts of unruly thoughts paraded through my mind, including some of the dumbest and hardly important things. For example: how do bounties even work? Who pays the money? The government? But that’s a lot for some small nobles, right? The family itself? Does that mean they had more money somewhere else in the house? I bonked myself for not searching thoroughly. Wait, maybe they have a banking system or something? I stamped my foot down in vexation.

Okay, okay, Deidre, important stuff. This is a lot of money. I knew someone would want that gold, so I had to start moving like a fugitive and erasing my tracks as much as I could. I rued not having Camouflage, or at least Conceal.

I checked my MP after weeks of grinding and repetition. For perhaps two to three weeks, my days were simple, yet difficult. Exercise and practice using skills all over my body so I could be flexible for whatever situation may arise, then hunt breakfast. I’d then meditate to restore my mana. Once it was at least at 75% I’d set out and travel, which lasted most of the day. During those travels I’d steer clear of roads and civilization and hunt monsters like my life depended on it. I had dozens of kills under my belt every day, and that meant dozens of creatures that Shadowsiphon could take mana from.

At night, I would practice magic as much as I could, but I wouldn’t dare attempt using a spell I didn’t have the mana for. The last time that happened, I semi-died and got the Shadowsiphon dagger, which was great, but it also put me to sleep for quite some time and I couldn’t risk that in the wilderness. The important thing about it though, was that the process allowed me to advance to a novice wizard, so I was sure it was my key to becoming an apprentice wizard.

I scanned my status a million times, still having a hard time believing the disparity. My HP went up to 230/230, which was great. But my MP, that beast was now 2550/2550. Yes, yes, I knew I should’ve been happy about it, but I couldn’t help looking at myself like a balloon and looking at my mana like air. Won’t I explode at some point? The grimoire insisted I’d be fine every time I asked, so I continued using Shadowsiphon, but I still worried a bit.

Well, on the bright side, I was allowed to totally change my playstyle to that of a wizard. With my HP, it was the wiser move, but enemies that came close would still be subject to my skills. As long as Lila and her party kept their traps shut, my use of skills and spells could be a nice surprise for any bounty hunter who wanted to capture me.

The sun was setting on me, so I figured I’d camp out. I always chose odd places for safety’s sake, and this time I had a nice view of a lake. The amber reflections of sunset spread a wave of tranquility about the pine forest. Salivating aromas from the juicy venison I roasted made my stomach roar in anticipation. Sometimes I wondered if I’d ever have a proper meal besides random fruits and roasted meat. Oh, sweet alcohol, how I’ve missed you. I promise we’ll be best friends once I can use Synthesis again.

I gave the spit a turn and began my process of training with spells. Due to my limitations as a novice wizard, but my big MP capacity, I took the time to learn as many novice spells from my grimoire as I could. I tried to have one for every situation, but still needed time to learn them. Wind Kiss would generate a blast of wind strong enough to make an adult fall or at least lose their balance. It wasn’t as conspicuous as Ignite, which would literally set your target on fire for a few seconds, so it was great for nighttime practice.

Winds kept whooshing about, shaking the trees and scaring away the critters that got too close. Earth Wall blocked certain paths that led to me so the bigger beasts and monsters would have a harder time ruining my nights. It was a simple spell, but casting so many made me aware that I could basically setup a properly reinforced miniature fortress.

After I had enough, I went to sleep, only to have a pretty weird dream. There’d be this great banquet with all the foods I could imagine in the middle of nowhere. A little girl, who looked strikingly similar to me as a kid, would run up to me and happily offer me something from her plate. Every single time I’d reach for it, the dream would cut off and I’d wake up.

For weeks down the road, I had this same dream almost every night. I learned to setup better and more subtle Earth Walls to protect myself, so I’d sleep heavier each night, and every time I had that dream, I’d get closer and closer to taking a bite of that juicy drumstick. But I never quite got there, and I’d wake up drooling every time. It frustrated me to no end.

I spent so much goddamn time travelling that my beard grew out like crazy, my armpit hair was as bushy as ever, and my muscles felt like they were growing tougher and tougher. Has it been two months since I left Pinetop? I grunted, cast Clean on myself, then went to bed after yet another day of fun activities and staying out of sight. Hmm, five thousand MP, huh? Not too bad. I stared up at the starlit skies until I fell asleep.

Again, the dream came back, but this time I didn’t accept what the little girl offered me. Instead, I bypassed her and went straight to the table, stuffing my face like I’d been starved for days. I kept eating, drinking, tearing the flesh from the bone and even devouring the bone and marrow like a rabid animal.

Suddenly, the girl aside me began wailing, a rather unnatural and strange sound for a little girl. It irked me, because she wouldn’t stop. She kept going, incessantly like my morning alarm, and my dream state started shifting until I opened my eyes and woke up.

My beard was soaked, my hands were wet, and my mind was having a heart attack, if that was possible. What the fuck?!