It was dark and I could read no more. I was hungry, we all were. There was no food and all I could see were miles of hills with wolves at the bottom and small groups of people at the top. I wondered if my mom and dad were on one. Were my brother and sisters on one? I knew none of these people, and I didn’t care to. I had to get food.

It started to rain. I could climb down the hill to the wolves and hopefully, put them to sleep, and then what? The book would still get soggy and wet if I didn’t do something. The pages would stick together, but I had nothing to put the book into. I ran to the ring that I pulled to get the book and sack and I opened it. I stashed the book and closed the door.

The rain dropped cold and made me miserable. I couldn’t descend the hill but there was the magic tunnel. I walked to where the beginning of the magic tunnel was and tried to find the entrance. I could not. I tried stomping the ground but nothing. I heard laughter and saw the Leader pointing at me and everyone was laughing. I blocked them out.

I got an idea. I cast the Detect Magic spell to find the exact spot where the tunnel began and I stood on it. Suddenly the hill and the people vanished. Darkness. I was in a dark tunnel. There was magic all around me. I was scared. My body trembled. I listened and heard movement. I became still. I became still and silent. What if that thing could see me and I couldn’t see it.

My Detect Magic was long gone so I couldn’t detect Life Energy. I moved a hundred steps to my left. I was so hungry. I listened for the sounds of movement. They seemed to move away from me. I moved a hundred more steps to the left. I kept going to the left for several minutes until I came to a wall. I felt all around the wall until I found a knob. Was there a door to someplace? I twisted and pulled, then pushed and there was light.

There was a room that I entered to find three small green-skinned humanoid creatures covered with boils. When they saw me saliva dripped from their smiling teeth full mouths. They lifted butcher knives from a table that was behind them. They charged at me.

I released my sleep spell and they all fell into an enchanted slumber. I searched around the room to find only a door for each wall in the room. They had no food and I was so very hungry. I summoned my spellbook, and then, using one of the butcher knives I decapitated the three monsters.

I read the next spell Mystic Armor. I studied it till I understood it. It would last until taking a certain amount of damage in terms of life energy. When I had finished studying it, I memorized the spell, burning its mystical power onto my core and linking it to my mind. I then cast the spell and looked down to find I was no longer naked but clad in glowing golden armor. It contrasted well against my skin. The glowing armor warmed me also.

I looked around my room, the only thing marring it was the three monster bodies. I then took a few hours to memorize Sleep, Detect Magic, and Mystic Armor. I then crawled under the table that I moved against the wall and went to sleep.

I woke up hungry, but I woke up so that was a plus. I opened my book and studied. I sought first to understand then to burn the knowledge into my mind, my soul. It was the spell Force Slave, a general-purpose spell that summoned a very powerful force creature that obeyed my commands. It was a blob of force that could almost shapeshift into any form I commanded it to. It would take a lot of damage based on my will stat. My will determined how much life force I could exert. I cast Force Slave and then memorized it again. It would last until it was destroyed. I then focused on the next spell.

I cast it and memorized the spell again. I checked my status;

PHYSICAL

MENTAL

WILL

LUCK

7

8

90

60

SCIENCE

MATHEMATICS

SLEEP

DETECT MAGIC

MYSTIC ARMOR

FORCE SLAVE

NIGHTVISION

I was thirsty. It is tough to study when you are hungry and thirsty as well, but I managed. I mastered 5 spells. I paused for a moment and thought. If I could really summon a genie, it would be able to get me food. According to all the legends of the genie or also known as djinn, they could create banquets. I also heard about the Akashic Records, you could find any information in them, they were like an infinite library. Time Stop would be invaluable. I decided to master the spells that I had first. I would then summon a djinn to get food and help me to get to my family.

The best-laid plans of mice and men … go astray. Then suddenly there was the sound of many footsteps and voices. They sounded like they didn’t have a care in the world. I hid under the table after pulling the chairs up to that table. The door opened and dozens of those green-skinned creatures poured into the room to find decapitated bodies and the white glowing amorphous Force Slave. They immediately attacked it, it stood still. I mentally commanded it to fight back, it did nothing.

“Destroy all of them,” I screamed, and it began to kill. Unfortunately for me several of them heard me and turned to kill me. They tried in vain to pull the chairs from the table while I held onto the chairs for dear life. Claws of force dripped blood as the Force Slave cut arms and legs and heads from the creatures. There was blood everywhere.

Meanwhile several of these creatures with axes chopped up the chairs and began to come after me. They began to hack into my Mystic Armor when several of them fell into an enchanted sleep. I could feel my armor drop to a quarter of its strength when I cast the sleep spell. I rolled out from under the table onto my feet. If I was going to die, I would die like a man.

But I wasn’t dead yet. I punched one in the stomach, grabbed its head, and twisted. At the same time, the last of my Mystic Armor gave way to the knives, swords, and axes of those around me.

I grunted in pain as I felt a blade sink into my flesh. Suddenly my Force Slave was next to me, guarding me, standing between me and my killers. It was on the last of its legs when dozens more of these creatures piled into the room.

One of these creatures called out in their language and the battle stopped. The creatures backed away from me. The one that spoke took out a scroll and opened it and read. It then turned to me and said,

“Human, that’s what you call yourselves right?”

“Yes,” I was uncertain.

“You will do. You will do perfectly.”

“I will do what perfectly?” I asked. It laughed. It gestured, the way I did when casting a spell, and there was darkness as I lost consciousness.