Skill: Basic Pneuma Manipulation [Passive]

“-Magic? Hmm...

-What? You still don’t know about it? Let me demonstrate...”

Tirsa, 269 B.G.E.

Effect: Enhances control over Pneuma and reduces expenditure while casting.

I checked the words before my eyes with satisfaction.

Three days.

That was all it had taken for my skill to evolve once again. Well that, and the couple dozen Ghordls that Grisella had gotten her hands on for me, back in the village, over the better part of a week. I wasn’t really willing to count them, though, since, even on my very first day, I had downed over thirty jackalopes during the afternoon, without pushing myself all that hard. Numbers only had gone up after that. Truly, I hadn’t initially been aware of it, but after getting a league or so away from the village, the damned critters were just about everywhere.

Granted, their dark hide wasn’t the easiest thing to spot among the dried grass and the several small covers offered by the steppe. That being said, there were so many of the damned things that I was fairly certain I could start shooting shrubs at random, and still manage to score a decent number of kills...

Despite the quick progress of my skill, though, nothing much had changed. The pain was still there, whenever I augmented my body. It might have grown slightly more tolerable, but the difference was so unnoticeable that it could easily be attributed to my brain just starting to get used to it. The augment’s magnitude hadn’t perceptibly changed, either.

Allegedly, both things were normal, though. At least according to Grisella. The only things that were supposed to have an actual impact on them were coercing Nodes into opening, and old-fashioned physical conditioning.

As for the rest of my ‘magic’, the number of shiny, useless balls I could summon had swiftly gone from six to nine, so my juggling had grown from party trick to full-blown circus act. There had unfortunately been little progress aside from that.

Regardless, I felt contented. Perhaps, I figured, it wouldn’t take much longer for me to open my first Node. Of course, I didn’t really know exactly how close -or far- I was from that. But just the prospect of becoming able to do some actual magic made me grin with enough giddiness that I might as well have been as young as my body suggested. Even if I still couldn’t cast anything, for the life of me, the witch had already revealed that every Node opened brought along with it a Gift. An exclusive, intrinsic spell -so to speak-, one that every Practitioner would instinctively and immediately know how to use...

A voice in my head quickly noted that all of that was fine, but that I didn’t really have the time to grow complacent just yet. After all, Grisella had only agreed to play chaperone for a week, and only heavens knew when my next opportunity to go out into the wilderness would come, after that. Magic or not, I doubted Lina or Munok were about to allow their small kid that kind of freedom any time soon. So, after allowing myself to bask in the feeling for a moment, I nodded my head and once again set into motion.

With renewed vigor, I scanned the surroundings for more prey. The flat, grassy fields around me somewhat reminded me of the Argentinian Pampa. On and on they went, as far as the eye could see, only marred by the occasional, isolated, squat tree and a few small patches of hardy woods. As my feet carried me forwards, I carelessly stepped past the carcass of the last jackalope I had downed. Which is when things started to go wrong.

In retrospect, I should have noticed the signs. Perhaps, my lizard brain should have warned me about how, during the last few minutes, everything had grown uncharacteristically silent. My mind should have pointed out how unusual it was for there to be not a single bird nor, for that matter, any other manner of creature, within sight. Sadly, I had been too preoccupied with daydreaming. Once the cogs in my head finally got up to speed, it was already too late.

The first thing I did notice was scalding agony, right as a row of jagged fangs bit into the flesh of my leg. In an instant, they sank deep enough to reach the bone beneath it, only to then just keep going. Before my brain even managed to register what was happening, my body started falling. I hit the ground without being able to brace myself, rattling my head hard enough against it hard enough that I blacked out for a moment.

It was hardly my first rodeo, though. Despite my confusion, as soon as I came to, I instinctively got my body to move the fuck away from there. That was probably what saved my life.

Even as I desperately rolled away, I felt the sharp whistling of wind being split, right where my neck had been. An instant later, from the corner of my eye, I caught sight of the jackalope. The dead jackalope. Its chest was still caved-in, courtesy of the stone I had previously slung at it. But the little shit no longer seemed to mind.

I crawled away, trying to put some distance between us. The abomination turned its neck in my direction. A part of my mind couldn’t help noticing how uncanny its movements were. Its head and limbs jerked around, as if pulled by invisible strings. Yet, the motions were as unsettling as they were fast. Blindingly so. My eyes had a hard time keeping track of them, even though the creature was just crouching down. The monster’s own eyes, by the way, were no longer red. Its predatory stare felt like being gazed at by the abyss. An insatiable, pitch black void.

“Fuck!”

I took a sharp breath, holding it in, readying myself for what was to come. Not even three steps away from me, the thing opened its maw. As if in defiance of my own scream, a terrifying screech left it. Then, antlers first, the monster charged.

Even as it started moving, I scrambled to my feet. Or tried to. Belatedly, my mind noticed that the intense pain I was feeling came from my right knee. And the lack of anything beneath it.

Fucking, fuck! Fuck!

In a split second, realizing that I wouldn’t be able to dodge in time, I went with the only option available. My arms shot to guard my torso and head, propelled forwards at an inhuman speed, fueled by both desperation and a rushed infusion of Pneuma.

Then came the real hurt.

The blow forced the breath out of my chest. I both felt and heard several things snapping within me, even as I mentally wrestled with what little Pneuma I had rushed to take a hold of. I clasped it in an iron grip, forcibly keeping some of the emanation trapped within my flesh.

Stunned by the impact, I was only vaguely aware of my body flying through the air, skipping along the ground several meters before coming to an abrupt stop. In the haze that ensued, a part of me, that pesky voice that is always ready to take a jab at myself, wondered how it was possible for me to still be alive... After regaining some lucidity, another, equally cynical part of me remarked that it didn’t matter; my life wouldn’t last, anyway, the damned rabbit was bound to soon finish its work.

Truly, despite the pain, I found myself almost wanting to laugh... Which probably means most of the other parts of myself are somewhat cynical too. I didn’t find it in me to blame them, though. I’d had my share of absurd deaths, but being steamrolled by a fucking rat was bound to take first place, hands down.

Sadly, self-mockery aside, there wasn’t much else I could do. While my will was still there, rather reticent to give up just yet, my body was obviously broken beyond repair. Never mind trying to move, as I gathered my wits, I found out I couldn’t even feel anything below my neck.

Ever the optimist, yet another part of myself -and, yes, I do ignore exactly how many parts of me there are- remarked that at least the latter meant I could no longer be in pain, which was definitely a plus. Not to mention, if the jackalope-zombie started feasting on my entrails, while I was still alive, or any other kind of messed-up crap, I wouldn’t be feeling that either. Small mercies.

Realistically, though, the best thing I could now pull off was to scathingly glare at my would-be killer as it did me dirty. If I could even manage to coax my eyes into opening before the end, that is. And, of course, petty as I will freely admit being, that task is exactly where I focused all of my efforts!

My weakening heartbeat sounded like a retreating army in my ears, but that didn’t stop me from yanking away what little Pneuma was left in its flesh, along with any other specks left in my body, only to send all of it rolling towards both my eyes and the muscles around them. I didn’t know exactly what was keeping me from opening my eyes, but I figured adding horsepower to the metaphorical engine wouldn’t hurt.

After that moment of internal focus, a small voice in my head -probably still the same little bastard that had developed an aggravating penchant for optimism- noted how strange it was for the finishing blow to not have shown its ugly mien up just yet...

At that exact same moment, several things happened at once. Surprisingly enough, my eyelids finally shooting wide open was the least important among them.