Jeremy

  The path wound through a wilderness alive with strange, docile creatures uncannily similar to earth animals. A dog?sized beast with a rabbit’s face and ears bounded past. Deer with pig?like snouts grazed beside wild, woolly sheep. Even the horses looked wrong: too thin, too sharp, like sketches of animals half?finished. Familiar shapes, but twisted just enough to remind Jeremy he wasn’t home.

  “We are approaching our destination, Jeremy,” Elionas said. “It should be just up that hill. We made very good time, but I suggest we camp. Many creatures prefer hunting in darkness.”

  Jeremy shivered. “Okay, I’m freezing anyway. I could use a fire and something to eat.”

  “Another bug, good sir?” Elionas teased.

  “Oh!” Jeremy exclaimed. “You got jokes!”

  They both laughed. It felt good. Medicine after too much seriousness. He wanted to laugh more, to keep the heaviness at bay.

  Elionas coaxed a small fire to life. Jeremy pressed close, his amphibian body too quick to chill.

  “Apologies,” Elionas said. “I cannot make the fire much larger. Some creatures we cannot defeat, and bright flames would draw them.”

  “It’s okay. I just need to get used to the new body.” Jeremy rubbed his arms.

  “I will cook the meat. If we heat stones near the fire, they may keep you warm through the night.”

  “Great idea! Totally different way of getting stoned!” Jeremy laughed, but Elionas just stared. “Nevermind.”

  The meat was tough, his small teeth useless. He tore it into tiny pieces and swallowed them whole. Bland, but filling. His belly heavy, Jeremy drifted into sleep, dreams swirling with monsters, heroes, explosions of magic, and death.

  “Wake up! Wake up, Jeremy!”

  Jeremy’s eyes popped open. Elionas’s voice sounded urgent.

  “Wha…what’s happening?”

  “Quick! Call lightning on that feral owl!” Elionas yelled.

  Jeremy scanned the area, disoriented. He finally saw the banner of the creature hunting them.

  It dove fast, wings tucked tight, then flared wide at the last instant, claws outstretched. The owl was enormous, its feathers painted to match the night sky. Not cloaking like Jeremy had seen in movies like Predator or Star Trek. Just superb camouflage. Even its wings bore tiny white specks, imitating stars. For a heartbeat Jeremy admired the beauty, then the talons angled for his eyes.

  He jerked aside, saving his vision but earning deep gouges in his arm.

  Jeremy scanned the sky. The owl vanished against the stars, but a flicker betrayed it near a branch. He focused, summoned lightning. The bolt cracked down, stunning the bird and dropping its health by a third. The owl fell to the earth and right before it hit the ground, it snapped awake, spreading wide to land with eerie grace. Still hurt, but not beaten. Jeremy struck again, lightning hammering its skull, stunning it a second time.

  The owl shook off the blow, eyes burning with contempt. It folded its wings back until they nearly touched, then whipped them forward with a screech. A gust slammed into Jeremy and Elionas.

  Jeremy had felt hurricanes in Louisiana, but this wind was sharper, slicing through him like knives. A laceration ripped across his chest. His health bar plunged 30 HP. Critical hit.

  Elionas’s healing circle flared to life, stitching the wounds together. “Ignore the pain! Attack!”

  Elionas’ healing was already working, but Jeremy struggled to breathe. The owl folded its wings again, preparing another blast. Jeremy braced. No shield, no armor. Another hit like that could end him.

  If Jeremy had a shield…That’s right!

  “Use your shield, Elionas!” Jeremy shouted.

  “I cannot. You should be able to defeat it with one more strike.”

  He called lightning, but the strike glanced off, barely scratching it. The owl unleashed its gust again. This time when the wind hit them, it overextended, dispersing quickly. It was painful, but survivable. Jeremy lashed his tongue, stretching farther than ever.

  He missed. The strain burned. He wouldn’t try that again.

  The owl soared upward, wings beating, lining up another dive. Jeremy clenched his fists, summoned everything he had. Lightning ripped down, frying the beast mid?air. It shrieked, then plummeted, lifeless, into the dirt.

  Jeremy excitedly said, “Yes!”

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  He dropped two points into wisdom, two into intelligence. Magic was his path so he needed mana, regeneration, knowledge. Constitution, dexterity, charisma could wait. Next level up, maybe strength and intelligence.

  Jeremy almost leapt for joy at learning a new ability. He didn’t know if learning spells was going to be this easy every time, but abilities unlocked without spellbooks, without grinding. Just earned. He almost danced.

  “Should I try to loot, or you?” he asked Elionas.

  “You most definitely should use your ability. It is the only way to level it up.” Elionas said, ‘level it up’ with a bit of pride, adopting Jeremy’s slang.

  Jeremy approached the massive owl, hand trembling. “Okay. Let’s do this.” He focused, willing the items free. The body shimmered, then sank into the soil.

  “One out of two ain’t bad.” He held up a feather.

  “What did you retrieve?” Elionas asked.

  “Just the one feather.”

  “As you progress, you will loot more. Be encouraged.”

  “Just say, ‘Chin up,” Jeremy chuckled. “Sounds better than ‘Be encouraged.”

  “Chin up,” Elionas mimed putting his chin in the air. “I don’t understand—”

  “Not that high.” Jeremy laughed, demonstrating. “It means don’t be discouraged. Like this.” He slumped in mock sadness, then raised his chin in mock confidence.

  Elionas tilted his head. “Also, you do not really have a chin.”

  Jeremy gawked, then grinned. “Aw, man. That’s messed up.” He caught the faintest twitch of Elionas’s lips. “Wait—that was a joke? That was a joke!”

  The two strangers, emissary and healer, laughed together, the firelight flickering between them. For the first time since arriving in this world, Jeremy felt less alone