Jeremy

  Jeremy dry-heaved harder than he ever had in his life. His entire amphibian body convulsed with each retch, his limbs twitching uncontrollably. His eyes, already bulging from his head, felt as though they were being squeezed from behind by invisible fingers. His stomach twisted violently, a churning knot of acid and mana that threatened to erupt from his throat. He clutched his abdomen, his webbed fingers trembling. Mucus beaded up on his skin instead of sweat, slicking his arms and chest in a glistening sheen that made him look like he’d just crawled out of a donut icing station.

  Being a frog is weird.

  Elionas felt helpless as he observed his companion. Those who have never teleported often got motion sickness on their first trip being unaccustomed to the rigors of magical travel. But Jeremy’s condition was worse than most. The effect of teleporting on top of the mana depletion had hit him like a sledgehammer.

  Jeremy sat up, choughed, and burped. “How far did we…mmp…go?”

  “About 100 strides,” Elionas said, kneeling beside him. “Not far, but enough to get us away from immediate danger. We must be ready for an attack soon.”

  “Melorien…mmp…” Jeremy couldn’t help the burps between words.

  “He is very smart and should hide using his stealth ability until we return. We must wait here until you recover some mana. It is highly advisable not to deplete your entire mana pool.”

  “Th…mmp…anks. I know…mmp…that now.”

  The nausea ebbed in waves, each one slightly less intense than the last, but it was finally passing. Jeremy lay back against a moss-covered stone, staring up at the canopy of leaves above.

  “I can hear the Hollowkin approaching. Have you recovered enough mana to attack it?” Elionas said.

  “I have enough to hit it with wind, I think.”

  “As long as you will not run out again, I would use your Gust spell noooooowwwww.”

  The warning came too late as the Hollowkin reached out from behind them and struck Elionas across the face, gouging his cheek clean open. He hit the ground writhing in pain. The injury had been cauterized on contact, a stony ash forming on the surface of Elionas’ skin.

  Jeremy pulled himself together, aimed, and let loose his Gust spell. A powerful burst of wind erupted from his palms, slamming into the Hollowkin and lifting it off its feet. The creature flew backward, crashing into a tree with a sickening thud. Its health bar dropped to a quarter.

  Jeremy cursed under his breath. He wouldn’t be able to use any more spells. To win this fight he could only use his fists and… his tongue. Never in his life did he think he would ever have to use his tongue in such a manner.

  The Hollowkin slowly got back on its feet pointing with a boney finger. Jeremy approached and struck out with his tongue. He tongue-punched the thing in the head tasting salt, ash, and a bit of decay. It fell from the force, but its health bar only dropped a smidge. It would take a lot of tongue-punching to beat this fiend to death.

  He scanned the area and spotted a stone, roughly the size of a cantaloupe, with jagged points on one side. The rock was big enough to do damage, but small enough to lift. He tongue-punched the Hollowkin again, then grabbed the rock and raised it above his head. With a roar, he charged toward the downed Hollowkind and brought it down hard on the creature’s skull. Jeremy heard bones crunch and saw blood spatter on the ground near the impact. He picked up the rock and, for good measure, brought it down on the Hollowkin’s head one more time. The Hollowkin twitched once, then lay still.

  Jeremy exhaled, his chest heaving. “Yes!”

  As Jeremy planned, he put 2 points into wisdom and intelligence, and then he viewed his stats. He had more work to do, but he was happy with his progress.

  Melorien reappeared on Jeremy’s shoulder, his tiny form shimmering from the teleport spell. [You must get stronger,] he said.

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  “You think?”

  Jeremy had almost forgotten that Elionas was injured in the battle. He went over to check on him, but he had already recovered.

  “Are you okay?” Jeremy saw there was a remnant of a wound and ashy residue on his cheek.

  “I drank a potion. The pain was intense; however, I will recover with only a minor scar. This will be a mark of blessing for my service, and I am honored to carry it. I have never felt an equivalent sensation. The Hollowkin’s finger barely touched me, yet it carved cleanly through my skin with ease. We should rest a short while and after we recover, we can sacrifice our mana to Nivalár so she can rebuild her shrine.”

  Huddled under the mossy remains of the statue of Nivalár, the trio rested until fully recovered. Jeremy dozed off, but he flinched at a small sound coming from the bushes. Though unharmed, the fight had drained him, and the lingering mana sickness added to his fatigue. This new life challenged him far more than any game he’d ever played, even in ‘legendary’ mode. The stakes were real. The pain was real. And the consequences… well, there weren’t respawns or save points.

  Feeling better, Elionas turned from sitting into a kneeling position. “Come and pray with me, Jeremy. Try to mimic the words to the best of your ability. Nivalár will understand.”

  He started chanting. Jeremy recognized the first part, but he had no idea what the second part meant. Elionas hadn’t led him astray yet, so he chanted.

  Niv’alára, silen véra,

  Lunéthé, maran’áya.

  Seyn’elara, dorá minel,

  Niv’alára, silen véra...

  Vey’mana, selorin’aya,

  Doréthé, vayn Niv’alára.

  Niv’alára, silen véra...

  They chanted the phrases several times until finally a light beam flashed down from the heavens. Jeremy felt the soothing warmth of the light as he had before as the air grew thick with energy. This time the interaction with Nivalár was slightly different as he could feel his mana being drained from him. The ritual nearly depleted his mana supply again, but then it stopped abruptly. His mana regenerated lightning fast only to be drained again. The cycle continued several more times as if Jeremy were a mana filter, his body the conduit through which energy flowed. He felt no pain, only warmth and a Godly purpose.

  Around them, the stones shifted and reshaped seemingly of their own accord. The statue of Nivalár reformed, its features more defined than before. The runes behind the statue were completely erased, leaving only flat gray stone. Once the slate was clean, the mana re-etched the runes with precision. These new carvings glowed briefly, then settled into permanence. Jeremy admired the handiwork of Nivalár in awe. The craftsmanship was divine. The statue looked realistic, and the carvings were immaculate.

  The light dissipated rapidly, leaving the two companions kneeling there at the shrine, exhausted with only a fraction of health, stamina, and mana remaining. Jeremy didn’t realize he was losing health and stamina until the process ended. They collapsed, feeling vulnerable and spent.

  Almost an hour later, Elionas handed Jeremy a red potion bottle. Jeremy pried the wax seal off the top and poured the contents down his throat. The health potion tasted like cherry-limeade from Sonic; sweet, tangy, and unexpectedly delightful. Jeremy could feel the potion working through his body. It felt similar to drinking whiskey, a subtle warmth and a shiver throughout. Jeremy’s health bar shot up to almost full. His stamina and mana bars were regenerating at a decent rate and should also be full soon.

  Jeremy smiled. He loved the new spell. He would have loved it more if he’d had it a few minutes earlier, but beggars couldn’t be choosers.

  Melorien shimmered with energy. He had leveled up too.

  “We should begin our return journey,” Elionas said, rising to his feet.

  “I agree. Hopefully, our trip back will be uneventful. I could use a day or two off.”

  “I feel the same. I have not been on an adventure in some time. Perhaps a few hours of fishing would interest you?”

  “Heck yeah!”