Two days later, the sun was high in a cloudless spring sky and a warm wind blew from the south carrying the scent of the sea as Vera and I strode along the wide dirt road. As we walked, Vera was attempting to coach me through getting a grasp of the mana within to start exploring what magics I would be able to access, with little success.

  I grimaced, focusing as much as possible while still putting one foot in front of the other. Vera calmly continued to talk me through the exercise “Breathe, and feel the flow of mana through your meridians. It will be only a trickle, but you should feel the ebbing as it circulates through you and your binding.”

  I inhaled slowly, closing my eyes and trusting that I wouldn’t trip. After a moment I let the breath out, trying to ‘see’ the mana within myself with senses that didn’t quite seem to work. After a few more frustrating minutes, I huffed a sigh and opened my eyes. “Nothing. I don’t get it, I don’t feel any sort of flow at all. Just… myself. I just feel like me, I guess?”

  “Hmmm,” Vera clutched her chin, considering deeply before replying, “Mana and magic is different for everyone, I know that much. I’m sorry I’m not more help, it's different for ogres, we’re born with access to magic, so it’s more instinct. I’m just repeating what an old party member told me, and they weren’t any sort of archmage or scholar.”

  I cocked my head at her. “Really? I figured you’d been trained in one of the academies, you seem so familiar with… all of this. And you’re certainly a good fighter.”

  She laughed my compliment off. “Nah, those academies are full of tossers. They all think they’re so high and mighty, and if you ever meet a guilder trained at one, they’ll certainly let you know. No, for my people there isn’t much to learn about how our magic works, just time and practice. But I will admit to being trained in how to fight, by the best warrior in the Clans,” she said with a wink, before adding “Enough about me though, I’m sure it will come to you in time. And after you feel it once, it will be all the easier to find again. Then we’ll be a right force to be reckoned with!” She finished with a grin and raised eyebrows.

  I rolled my eyes, but returned a small smile. “Sure, I’d just rather figure it out before we’re in a fight where I need more than just a bloody hammer,” I tapped the broad head of the hammer hanging at my waist in time with our steps. In many ways, it was the perfect weapon for me, matching my skill to my knowledge. I had swung a sword a few times, but I was hardly skilled in fighting with one, and while I’d had some early schooling to learn to read and basic arithmetic, I’d gained nearly all of my adventuring knowledge by reading the guild bestiary in my downtime, and spending much of my extra coin on the leaflets sold by some of the traders that came through town every now and again. Many guilders and most of the well read would tune up their noses at the hay-copper stories, but I lived for the adventures held within, even if they were mostly fabricated. I couldn’t deny though, that her words did help. Her description of meridians and the flow of mana hadn’t resonated at all with me, but I felt confident I’d figure something out. Choosing the hammer earlier had me convinced that I’d tapped into… something. I just needed to chase that feeling, and I was certain I’d find the strength to become the kind of adventurer I’d always dreamt of.

  Returning my mind to the present, we walked late into the day as I fiddled with the hammer head, hoping that touching it would allow me to trace that feeling back to its source. Vera was mostly content to walk in silence, only occasionally broaching the quiet of the open road with a comment on the rolling hills of hip high grasses surrounding them, or quizzing me on what to expect when we reached our destination. I had little to offer there, my home town was… well it was boring to be perfectly forthright. There just wasn’t much to tell about the small village nestled into a small protected cove on the coast. Everyone just fished or farmed, and that's all they cared about. It was the main reason I’d left as soon as I could, there just wasn’t anything exciting for a young man yearning for adventure.

  As the sun began to dip below the horizon, we stopped at a small copse of scraggly trees growing near the roadside, clearly a regular stop for travelers, as a ring of stones surrounded the remains of numerous cookfires. Slipping our packs off, we took a moment to stretch and luxuriate in the sensation of lightness after so long on the road before separating to gather kindling and deadwood for a fire. Once it was assembled, I took about the flint and steel I always kept handy, but Vera only grinned and shooed me back from the bundle of kindling.

  “Nah, watch this!” The skin of her hands shifted from the dull reddish cast to the dark grey of iron, before she crossed her forearms, drawing one across the other quickly, sending sparks showering down on the prospective fire. In only a few moments, it was lit and adding a merry crackle to the quiet evening.

  I sat back, thoroughly impressed. “That’s a handy trick! Must be nice to be nigh indestructible,” I mused wistfully.

  Vera sat back on her haunches with a smug grin. “You bet your backside it is. Although it’s not free, you know. All power comes with a price.” With that her face took on a wistful cast as I leaned forward, the gentle breeze from the sea still coaxing our fire to further life. “Ogres have access to our magic from the moment we can walk. It’s easy for us. But we’re limited. We can only access our true skin and a handful of basic cantrips. We have less mana capacity than almost any race, save for the dwarves of course. All of our meridians are aligned to making us tougher, stronger. So there’s nothin’ left to cast a mighty fireball or some such. That’s the domain of others.” She looked at me with a shrewd eye. “What I’m saying is there are always ups and downs to power. Whatever powers you’ve got, you’ll find the best way to use em. Don’t worry about it so much, it’ll come. And in my eyes, you’re already a damn good adventurer. Not just anybody could have survived.”

  I flushed, rubbing the back of my head. “You’re right, I just… I’ve always wanted to be some great and powerful adventuring mage. And now I’ve supposedly got what I wanted, and I can’t even figure out the basics!”

  Vera nodded, “I get it. But it’s there, I can tell. The mana in the air around you… it moves strangely. I can’t see it, mind you, but I can feel it… moving a bit. Once you get a handle on it, it’ll be no time at all before you’re condensing your second layer. From what I understand, that’s usually when you fleshies get some real oomph.”

  I grinned, shaking my head. “Fleshies,” I chuckled. “You’re not wrong, but the 3rd binding is a much bigger leap. Which is relevant, because I think the blondie might have reached the threshold.” I looked at Vera with an eyebrow raised meaningfully.

  “Hmmm.” Was all she said at first, before adding, “Clearly he’s focusing on lightning. Which is… not ideal, obviously.” She gestured to herself broadly. “I’m pretty much an ideal candidate for getting zapped. But we’ll just have to figure something out, I ‘spose. I may be unable to transform if it comes down to a fight with him.”

  I frowned, nodding. “Worse than that though, is the other parts of fighting someone like him. You can be sure if we have to, he won’t be alone, and it will be someplace that favors him. Not to mention, killing him is pretty much off the table. His father would have us strung up for certain. And who knows what else,” I finished darkly.

  Vera nodded somberly, seeming lost in thought as we lapsed into silence, watching the fire. Eventually we warmed a simple dinner by warming some dried meat and cheese on one of the surrounding stones, eating silently. The breeze gradually died out, and I leaned back against a log, staring up at the silver slice of the waxing moon above, taking a deep breath of the night air.

  I froze.

  Something smelled… off, setting off alarm bells in my mind. Sitting up quietly, I took in another deep breath, nostrils flaring as something flashed a warning to my senses. The scent - a tang of iron, mixed with the flatness of dust and a darker, deeper scent completely foreign to me was undercut by a hint of a heady scent, so familiar and yet I could not place it. Vera noticed my sudden stillness, pulling her gaze up from where she’d been poking around the fire. I held up a hand for silence, smelling again and turning to the dark trees around us, the light from the fire turning the hollows between them into flickering voids. I stood slowly, speaking at the barest whisper “Something is here. Get ready.”

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Staring at the nearest patch of impenetrable darkness, I began to inch towards my bag, and the hammer that rested atop it. I narrowed my eyes, trying to see into the shadows, before I stopped abruptly. My eyes darted to the side, noting the clarity and distance I could see out over the fields of tall grasses across the road, before latching back onto the strangely impenetrable darkness, realization dawning even as the darkness shivered, undulating as it stretched upward higher even than Vera, resolving into the shape of a great black bird-like creature of terrible proportions.

  I blanched as a splinter of fear lodged itself in my mind, before I croaked out “Shade strider!” I leapt to the side as the serrated beak snapped forward, missing me by mere inches. Vera rushed forward, heavy footfalls churning the dirt up as she moved to meet the sudden ambush with iron fury. Swinging a massive right hook at the creature, the strider whipped its head back and let loose a terrible screech, the sound burrowing into both our minds as Vera faltered, stumbling. I covered my ears as I regained my feet, stumbling toward my hammer. I needed to reach it, and fast, shade striders were deadly foes, but what made them so dangerous wasn’t their incredible stealth or powerful call -

  A dark form burst from the undergrowth, slamming into Vera’s hunched form, bearing her to the dirt and raining savage bites and kicks down. Shade striders always hunted in packs. I lunged for the hammer, spinning in one movement to catch the rushing strider a glancing blow and driving it off for an all too brief moment. The massive bird turned and rushed forward, and silver light flashed as it struck at my chest with its razor sharp beak. It was so fast, I had no hope of countering this creature. My heart hammered in my chest, telling me to run, hide, to get away from those cruel talons. I leapt backward in a panic, watching as its beak reached my chest.

  As I stumbled backward, I gaped down at my unblemished chest, the strider doing the same with a confused squawk. It didn’t hesitate long, lunging forward to deliver a brutal kick, its leg glowing silver. I spun to the side, bracing for the blow I was sure would come. Nothing. The strider stomped in frustration as my mind reeled, trying to make sense of what was happening. My thoughts ran faster than I could keep up as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. As it wound up for another charge, I focused on it’s movements. My eyes widened when a spike of fear trilled, instincts I didn’t know I had flashing in my mind that I was going to die if I didn’t twist and fall back. I dodged easily this time, watching the strider follow its silver limned phantom form, and it clicked into place.

  I moved to dodge another attack, but I stumbled, foot catching on a knobbled root. One of its massive talons raked along my thigh, slicing clean through the light armor and opening a line of red hot pain down my leg. I screamed, collapsing to one knee, the creature stumbling down before scrambling to its feet, beak snapping in fury. I tried to rise, but cried out when my leg couldn’t take the weight. My pulse pounded in my ears and wetness ran down my leg. Bracing myself on the upright handle of the hammer, I lunged to my feet, holding all my weight on my one good leg, and raising the hammer to swing, as the strider retracted its head, jaws open in a shriek that caused me to falter just as it rushed forward, leaping as its talons reached out in a deadly embrace.

  Time stretched out before me, and for a moment, it was like I existed everywhere at once. Calm settled over me like a warm breeze, and silver light bloomed in my vision as I saw further. Vera wrestled with the other strider, talons sparking off of her skin in shallow grooves sliced by the incredible strength of the beast, her wide swings similarly unable to catch the lightning quick bird in a decisive strike. I saw myself, eyes half lidded as I tried to resist the disorienting call of the creatures, the strider’s beak wide, talons spread as it flew in a high arc, destined to crash atop me. My vision narrowed, the world falling away as silver light blossomed to frame everything in a shimmering aurora. Possibilities flitted through my mind, as I watched the strider move forward at a snail's pace within my expanded perception. A deep warmth suffused my mind and body as my eyes hardened, the light of my path crystalizing into truth, and I moved to fulfill it.

  I dropped my hammer, the head striking the ground with a dull thump, raising both hands above me. The strider fell atop me like a meteor, but I twisted as it did, talons scraping against the steel banding in my armor, slicing my upraised arm superficially, as I heaved, grasping the dark, oily feathers and using the creatures own momentum and my buckling leg to slam it into the dirt behind me. The strider let out a squawk of pain, flailing in the dirt with a wet snapping of bone. I let my legs collapse fully as I fell upon the creature, grasping its flailing neck with both hands, and squeezed, inching my grip up to the base of its head even as it tried weakly to kick me off, snapping its beak viciously.

  I growled, rage incandescent, urging me to fight, to struggle, to kill this impudent creature. I flexed my abdomen, raising the strider's head closer, before slamming it back into the ground with all the strength I could muster, stunning it. I could feel it weakening below me, the fall must have broken something important, but the creature yet lived. I screamed at it, voice coming out in a hoarse roar that seemed to spark panic in its eyes as the creature realized its predicament. But it was far too late for fleeing, as I bore down on its neck, slamming its head into the ground over and over, anger flowing through me like fire in my veins, as I switched my grip on the long, flexible neck, the strider only offering a token resistance. Raising it high, I twisted and pulled with all my might, before a sharp crack split the air, the strider going limp beneath me.

  I surged to my feet, injured leg all but forgotten as I turned to Vera, who yet struggled as the other strider danced out of her grip again and again, having regained her footing at some point during the fight. Another growl ripped free of my throat as I stalked closer, before lunging into the beast's legs in a low tackle. Taking the opportunity, Vera surged forward and stomped down with finality, crushing the massive bird’s skull beneath her iron tread.

  I stood from beneath the creature, breath heaving as I looked to Vera, wide eyes taking in everything, and letting out a low growl, hands opening and closing slowly. She narrowed her eyes, crossing broad arms across her chest. “You alright there buddy? Fight’s over, they’re dead. And that leg needs looked at.” She nodded her head down to the bloody remains of the armor dangling around my thigh. I blinked slowly, shaking my head.

  “Yeah, of course. I… couldn’t focus there for a minute. Sorry, that was just- a lot.” I let out a long, shaky breath, wobbling on my feet as a cramp roiled through my gut. I wiped at the warmth on my lip, coming away with a drop of blood. Oh.

  Vera placed a steadying hand on my shoulder. I hadn’t even noticed her approach. “Hey, are you sure you’re okay? And I’m serious, sit. I need to look at that leg.”

  I nodded, letting myself be helped to a sitting position. Vera kneeled before me, peeling back the blood soaked armor. I leaned back, staring up at the sky, trying to ignore the sudden surge of hunger in my stomach.

  “Hmmm.”

  I looked back down at Vera, who straightened up from looking down at the wound with a frown. “What’s that about? I didn’t think it was that bad…” I said with a frown, worry creeping into my voice.

  “That’s just it… it’s not bad at all. It’s scabbed over already.”

  I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “Oh good. That’s great… I thought you were about to tell me I was going to lose a leg.” I finished with a chuckle that dried up as I looked at Vera’s serious face.

  “Bram, actually think about it. How in the hells is a wound that bled this much, that cut straight through armor, scabbed over in just a few minutes?”

  I frowned, looking down at my leg. I ran a hand over the long scab, running from my hip nearly all the way to my knee. As Vera had said, the blood had scabbed over, and as I pressed at the flesh, I winced but mostly by reflex. It was hardly tender, though it should have been excruciating. “Magic…” I breathed, eyes wide.

  Vera huffed a short laugh. “Magic? That’s what you want to say? Bram, this is way beyond some healing spell. I’ve seen powerful fifth binding healers struggle to heal something like this, much less in minutes. And you didn’t even know you were doing it!”

  My eyes widened further, amazed. “By all the planes… this is incredible! What does it mean? I mean-“ I suddenly doubled over, a pang of hunger ripping through me, much more insistently as my stomach gurgled audibly. Vera caught my shoulder, looking down at me with concern.

  “What’s wrong? Bram what’s happening?”

  I put up a hand to forestall any more questions, before heaving a breath. “Just… hungry. Really, really hungry.” My eyes swiveled, landing on the corpse of the shade strider lying nearby. I sniffed, and realized what had been so familiar about the scent before. They smelled delicious. My stomach gurgled again, louder. I pulled myself to my knees and hovered over the body. I swallowed loudly. I reached out an ever so slightly trembling hand, before a shank of dried venison was presented before my face.

  Snatching it from Vera’s outstretched hand, I greedily devoured it. She chuckled quietly above. “Why don’t you work through the rest of that, and I’ll get some of this on the fire. Probably taste better than just digging in raw, eh?”

  I nodded, too absorbed in the food to be embarrassed.

  *****

  Half an hour later, the smells of cooking meat were nearly too much to bear, as I leaned forward, swallowing hard. There’d been no more talk since the fight, and I had polished off the last of the venison quickly, only picking at the hard tack and cheese before deciding my time would be better spent helping to butcher the shade striders.

  I had eyes only for the roasting haunch dripping over the fire. Vera had worked quickly, creating a spit with practiced movements, but still I was impatient, though I made sure to not voice such thoughts, the naked desire was clear on my face. Finally, Vera took mercy on me, pulling the still steaming meat off the fire with one iron hand, placing it on the stone before me.

  “Now, I know you’re hungry, but let it sit a moment, it’s hot and I don’t know how-“ her voice dwindled to naught as I raised the haunch to my face and tore into it ravenously, uncaring of the heat that scalded my tongue. Vera watched me for a moment longer, eyebrows raised.

  “There’s always a cost,” she murmured, before turning away and placing another cut of meat above the flame.