HBWnovel Chapter 3: The Magics of Two Lands
Chapter 3: The Magics of Two Lands
Toren Daen
Sunlight and pain woke me up quickly. I weakly picked myself up from my position on the ground, wincing at the pain in my shoulder and the tears in my forearm. Where was I?
Looking about sobered me quickly, bringing me back to the land of the living. The coppery smell of blood was thick in the air, and flies already buzzed around the bodies of the mana beasts. The sight made my stomach churn, but I held back the need to vomit.
Right. I was in another world that shouldn’t exist. And nearly died last night. Again.
The pain was notably less, however, from what it was yesterday. Sparing a look at the torn flesh of my forearm, I noticed a significant buildup of mana around the wound. I felt like it was healing me, but at a faster rate than was natural.
My mana sense was a strange thing. The more I felt, the more I remembered, for lack of a better term. I could recognize the ebbs and flows within my body with more clarity and certainty as I adapted to my new body.
But I had more glaring concerns right now. I was very, very thirsty. And as far as I could tell, there was no water in sight.
But I needed to move. The smell of blood would undoubtedly draw more predators. I was lucky enough to last the night without any.
Before I left, however, I ripped a strip of cloth from my already ragged shirt. It was far from clean; covered in grass stains, blood, and dirt. But it was better than letting my arm continue to bleed. I gingerly wrapped my eviscerated forearm in the cloth, wincing every time it touched the raw flesh. I didn’t think I had ever been hurt this badly in my life. In either life.
Red spots immediately began to soak through the thin cotton-ish material, along with renewed bouts of pain. I ignored them as best I could, finally setting out from my first battlefield. I couldn’t stay near the corpses.
I walked along the wall of earth, taking my time now that the sun was up. The danger of mana beasts was still absurdly high, but in the daytime, I would have more time to react to any perceived threat.
But one thing was for sure: I wouldn’t be able to survive for very long with my weaker body. I didn’t know how much more forest I needed to cross, but I wasn’t holding my breath. I didn’t have the endurance or strength to face mana beasts for long, and I wasn’t a prodigy in the sword like Arthur to fight unenhanced. I barely escaped my first fight alive.
Once I put some distance between me and the site of my previous battle, I tiredly sat down in the dirt and leaned my back against the wall. It provided a modicum of cool shade, distracting me from the throbbing in my arms.
“Lady Dawn?” I asked aloud tiredly, closing my eyes. “I need advice. Please.”
My voice was scratchy and worn to my own ears. I was dehydrated and barely past a near-death experience, after all.
When I pried my eyes open a few seconds later, my vision was once more clouded in darkness. The sound of leaves rustling in the wind and morning birdsong once dulled as if I was underwater. Eddies of mist swirled about the ground, and my perception narrowed.
Lady Dawn stood before me, looking down at me with the same stern face. Her orange dress, inferno eyes, and feather-red hair hadn’t changed in the slightest. Despite her neutral expression, I could almost feel the disappointment radiating off her.
“What need have you of me, lesser?” she asked.
I groaned at her calling me ‘lesser’ once more but shelved it away. “I won’t survive this forest without some sort of way to defend my body,” I said tiredly. “And I might need your help with that.”
Lady Dawn cocked her head. “You wish for me to defend you?” she asked, something in her tone that made me shiver. “Unfortunately, in this… diminished form I have, I cannot. You are on your own.”
I shook my head. “No, not that.” I took a deep breath. “Dicathian magic and Alacryan spellforms are not incompatible, as far as I know. The Alacryan runes just tend to be more efficient, so they neglected to train in mana arts the same way mages across the continent do.”
Lady Dawn narrowed her blazing eyes. “That is true.”
I was quickly learning this phoenix was a bird of few words. “So I could theoretically strengthen my body and create a protective layer of mana, just as augmenters do across the ocean?” I asked hopefully. If I had that kind of protection, I might just survive this forest.
Lady Dawn hummed thoughtfully. “You could. It would be unprecedented, however. I have heard nothing of a fusion of these two magics.” The phoenix was looking at me with renewed interest now that made my spine tingle.
I took a deep breath, leaning my head back against the rock face. “I’m going to try it. Any help you could lend would be very appreciated,” I said.
Lady Dawn said nothing, continuing to observe.
I closed my eyes, looking internally at my mana core. It was a solid orange color, and unsurprisingly full. That was to be expected: telekinesis didn’t use much mana. Floating within was a red feather. It was doing something to my core, and it felt positive. With a bit of heightened concentration, I could identify the connection between my core and the spellform on my back.
I found my next target with surprising ease. My mana veins, the semi-spiritual conduits that allowed me to absorb mana from the outside world, were noticeably more developed than my mana channels. Mana channels, I knew, were what allowed mana to spread across the body and strengthen it. It seemed this body was fitter for conjuring, but even Dicathian conjurers could lightly strengthen their bodies.
With an effort of will, I pulled mana from my core. I tried to filter it through my mana channels, which I knew would strengthen my muscles, but I faced some strange sort of resistance.
I tugged again, confused. The resistance wasn’t natural, I was sure. I felt like I should be able to do this, but something held me back. As I tried to force my mana to follow the natural pathways of my body, so too did the resistance build. But that made the source more noticeable.
My crest? I realized with a bit of incredulity. It seemed like my crest was actively preventing me from spreading my own mana across my body, causing it to somehow fight against the action. I grit my teeth and pushed harder, straining against the force. If I just broke through…
Mana flooded from my core in increasing waves, trying and failing to break the barrier to strengthening my body. I felt myself sweat, my breathing picking up. I started to flag, losing force as my willpower began to wane.
Support the author by
The creek I found flowed northwest to southeast, likely towards a larger body of water. It was a slow, meandering thing, but it gurgled to me invitingly. I stood in the treeline still, cautious to approach. This was likely a common source of water for the mana beasts around.
I searched the tree line and the banks of the creek, keeping an enhanced eye peeled for any mana beasts that might try and ambush me. The coast was clear.
I approached the creek, cupped my hand within the flow to withdraw a bit of water, and drank greedily. The water was cool and crisp as it trailed down my throat. Some of it splashed onto my shirt in my haste, but I didn’t care. It was the most heavenly drink I had ever had.
I had to slow down once I began to cough from drinking too fast. But damn, did it feel refreshing. Once I had my fill, I did another perimeter check with enhanced eyesight. Feeling secure once more, I splashed water on my face, the cool liquid scrubbing away just a bit of the dirt and grime on my face. My hair was next, and the sheer amount of red that tainted the water as I washed my scalp spoke to how much blood had caked it. I washed my arms, too, and took special care to avoid my wound.
I had been hasty when I wrapped it before. I just needed to stop the bleeding, but I knew that infection was a terrible possibility. Theoretically, the mana in my body strengthened my immune system as well, but bacteria hopped up on mana could exist here as well. It was better to be safe than sorry, so I didn’t dunk my arm into the water.
A rustle of nearby branches had me immediately perk up from my crouch by the water. Across the creek, a few familiar-looking beady eyes watched me.
A jolt of fear coursed through my body as the monster stalked forward, followed by two others. They were about twenty feet away, and I knew from experience what those glistening talons and serrated teeth could do. I felt my heart rate skyrocket, and I knew that if I hadn’t just washed my face I would be able to feel beads of sweat.
But there was another emotion in my gut this time, too. Anger. I was utterly terrified of the mana beasts as they slowly stalked toward me, but a fury grew to match it, burning like Lady Dawn’s eyes. These creatures had nearly killed me once before. They had killed me before, technically. And I hated the fear they instilled in me.
I slowly stood to my feet, withdrawing a few rocks from my pouch once more. It was time for a rematch.