The forest terrain was perfect for a predator. The density of trees gave only short sight lines, and the deep needles dampened footsteps—well, all but mine. I had never been a hunter, yet once again, I found myself the hunted.

My heart thudded. My palms grew damp. I resisted the urge to wipe them against my clothes. I couldn't afford any distractions.

More seconds passed. I swiveled my head to the right at the sound of rustling leaves. Nothing. A crack of a branch, and my head snapped back to center. I swallowed, eyes darting back and forth. A faint prickle joined the beads of sweat running down my neck. Another rustle to my right, but now with a pressure on my mind.

A shadow stalker?

Instinct took over. I triggered [Quicken Thoughts]. As the world around slowed to a crawl, my world contracted inward.

No, not a shadow stalker.

The external pressure had already abated, but it left a lingering presence—one that differed too much from the monstrosity from the deep. Something else stalked us. Something to my—

"Our left," I screamed, as I dropped [Quicken Thoughts].

Esper was already in position to deal with the threat by the time I had turned in the direction of my warning. The pressure around us shifted as Esper flared her aura. In front of her, the air rippled as a green and violet blur appeared out of nothing.

Red light seeped through her clothes; her forehead flared cerulean. She stepped in front of the enemy. Her knife blurred, leaving a crimson afterimage. The blur roared. Blood splattered. It did nothing to slow the attacker's momentum.

It crashed into Esper, driving her back. With a grunt and flash of her Marks, Esper deflected it away from us, but the predator left its own mark.

Her wounds were out of sight, but [Sense Injury] told me all I needed to know. The beast's claws slashed deep, all the way to the bone. Deep-red blood would soon spill from the cut.

I reached for a potion. "Your arm."

That gash should have been mine. She had stepped in front, stopping an attack that would have left my chest torn to shreds.

She gave no sign of hearing my exclamation or my guilt. Her focus was on one thing and one thing only—just like mine should be.

She was already rushing toward the wounded beast that rolled and righted itself. I got my first good look at our mysterious attacker as it staggered from the long wound on its flank and leg. The attacker was a raptor, not all that different from the one I saw when I first arrived in this forsaken place. Crouched, shoulder-high, and green-violet-feathered, it eyed me for a heartbeat before its slit pupils snapped toward the undeniable threat—Esper. It deepened its crouch, its long, curled talons digging into the ground. I could no longer miss the markings on each talon, not when they glowed violet. Markings along the heavily muscled legs followed as they bulged, readying a pounce.

It jumped, and Esper dashed forward. She dropped into a slide that threw pine needles into the air. She had an opening, but Esper didn't bring up her blade. Instead, she unleashed some kind of power as it sailed over her, its razor-sharp talons within inches of her body.

The dinosaur hit the ground in a smooth pivot. Its talons emanated violet, granting it traction as they carved grooves into the soft ground. Then, its graceful landing fell apart. [Sense Injury] flared again, though this time, not from Esper. The raptor let out a pained scream as its wounded leg buckled. Its markings alight, it tried in vain to prevent the fall, but the leg, which had withstood a landing and rapid turn, collapsed, sending it rolling far too close to me.

How?

My forehead cooled; my thoughts snapped into overdrive, catching the dinosaur mid-roll. A visual inspection provided the how but not the why. Somehow, the fresh laceration had become a fulminant infection. Its margins had gone violaceous to black, a stark contrast to the deep reds and yellows of edematous, infected flesh. The feathers had sloughed away in patches, leaving weeping gray flesh marked by bullae and angry red streaks radiating from the wound. The sight alone invoked memories of a putrid-sweet reek that would drive back all but the most seasoned professional.

That shouldn't have happened…

A wound like that needed to go untreated for days, if not weeks. Yet, this had happened in a matter of seconds. It shouldn't be possible, but [Sense Injury] confirmed it. Something had pushed the biology into overdrive.

Esper is a [Healer], right?

The start of a headache warned that I had ruminated for too long. I couldn't get lost in thought, especially not when a clear threat lingered before us. Esper could probably get to it before it got up, but I was closer.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I moved toward the fallen dinosaur, infusing my body with as much Energy as I could. My Marks did little for me in this regard, but every little bit helped. Dead needles and chunks of moss flew into the air as the raptor continued its tumble. I covered the distance to the predator-turned-prey in two strides.

My knife glowed crimson. I had a perfect line of sight on my target. With [Quicken Thoughts], I could adjust my approach to correct for the raptor's movement as my blade closed on its long neck. It also gave me time to catch its eyes widening and question what the hell I was doing.

I'm a healer, not a hunter…

Yet, I was using my skill to kill an animal that I had only seen in history books. Of course, that fact didn't stop me from pouring more Energy into the knife as it pierced its feathered coat. Nor did it stop me from twisting the blade after I buried it in the beast's neck. It sure as hell didn't stop me from feeling a small pang of guilt, and that…cost me.

It screamed as I severed the equivalent of its carotid artery and jugular vein. But it still had a good leg, and I had lingered a second too long after twisting the knife. Unpleasant prickles exploded under my skin, and I moved without hesitating. By the time my conscious mind caught up to my subconscious, I had shifted my weight backward to dive out of the way.

All that work with Esper had paid off. I had detected Energy usage, confirmed by a burst of violet spreading across the dinosaur's body. Enough blood still made it to the dying raptor's brain for it to retaliate, and unfortunately, we hadn't trained agility.

Glowing purple talons sliced through the air, leaving a violet arc that ended with my right arm. Lightning engulfed my arm as the strike cut straight through my white coat. A talon dug deep, and my jump turned into a tumble as the strength of the slash sent me spinning. I crashed onto the soft, moss-covered ground, rolling to a stop on my left side, my right arm hanging limp.

A deep-red stain spread outward from the gash in my white coat. I braced and triggered [Quicken Thoughts]. The white-hot fire that engulfed my arm magnified into an inferno. It swept over me, nearly ending the skill. However, I held on. I gritted my metaphorical teeth and pushed through.

Damn, Esper, for being right.

Pain couldn't limit me. Not out here. Not where monsters roamed. I needed to function through pain if I had any hopes of finding a safe place far, far away from the Wilds. Of course, just because she was right didn't mean I had to like it.

I latched onto that anger, using it to hone my will. I would get through this.

The wound was a mess. The talon had cut straight through the flesh of my arm like a hot knife through butter. Only my bone had stopped it, and even then, just barely. A deep groove went through the outer edge of my humerus. The slash's path crossed my brachial artery and the median and ulnar nerves, severing them all in a single perfect cut. The latter two explained why my right hand was useless—useless, but still attached.

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I could have lost the arm. I had only kept it because of the glancing nature of the blow. I'd have to wait for another day to learn if [Healers] could reattach or regenerate lost limbs.

Focus. A single hesitation had caused this, and I couldn't afford more. I had one option only: a healing potion. I didn't have time to wait, not with the blood loss and not with an ongoing danger within feet of me. Before activating the skill, I had caught Esper sprinting to finish the job. She probably didn't need my help, but I couldn't risk it. I needed to be functional, ASAP.

Topical would be the fastest and most effective, but…old habits died hard. Back on Earth, I would have spilled over three-quarters of that potion trying to pour it with my left hand. My tremor had improved—maybe even resolved?—but could I trust that? Pain caused enhanced physiological tremors. My white coat might pull in the potion that missed the target, but…it wasn't worth it.

A roar and the soft thuds of running feet hit me as I snapped back into normal time. Pine tinged with earth and a metallic tang filled my nose as I rolled onto my back. I spit out dead needles that had found their way past my lips. I reached with my left hand and pulled out a vial from my inner coat pocket. I popped the cork with my teeth, not bothering to stop what spilled into my mouth. Some of the precious liquid ran down my cheek, but most made it into my mouth.

I started to swallow, but I hesitated. I couldn't swing topical application, but sublingual? The potion had shown high percutaneous absorption.

I held the liquid in my mouth, and the dense Aether drove a surge in Energy. As Energy flowed through my channels, a pleasant heat morphed into a deep chill. My cheeks and tongue grew heavy, a dullness permeating through the exposed mucosa. Sparks fired through my cheek. I tried to swallow, but if any liquid did move down my throat, I couldn't tell.

Black dots crept across my vision. My heart thudded, and with each beat of my heart, a pick struck my forehead right in the center of my Marks. I grasped [Enhance Medicinal]; my vision fuzzed to static. However, I didn't lose control of the skill.

Sublingual worked—if you could stomach it.

The highly vascular mucosa had improved the absorption rate, but my sluggish mind struggled to keep up. Bruises, nicks, and scrapes healed even as my arm hemorrhaged.

Sloppy.

I resisted the urge to drop back into [Quicken Thoughts]. Something told me it would only worsen my situation. Instead, I worked to wield [Enhance Medicinal] like a scalpel, not a hammer.

In my mind's eye, the damage faded. The potion's magic worked to undo the injuries in a coordinated symphony. Arterial stumps stopped spasming and anastomosed. Veins reknit. Muscles regrew into thick strands. Nerves fused with seamless connections.

Throughout this, I was, at most, a subtle presence keeping the beat. The true conductor was what Esper said existed in all living things—the Spark. It infused into my channels, and it pushed and guided my cells to rebuild at an unfathomable rate. I only intervened when the potion stumbled, not a common event. By further empowering [Enhance Medicinal], I could have taken over, completing the process in a handful of seconds, but that would have left me completely oblivious to my surroundings. Instead, I kept only half my attention on the magic that erased the dinosaur's revenge.

I turned my head, finding Esper had finished the deed. I let out a breath, closed my eyes, and allowed myself to turn inward. Nerves and, especially, channels took far longer than muscle and vasculature to heal, but they also needed far fewer corrections. Coincidence?

I think not. Marks. Channels. These things—what they contain—are the key to this world's magic, and I am going to figure them out.

A promise for later. When I opened my eyes, Esper was staring down at me. I searched her for injuries, but the only blood was what dripped off her long wooden knife. She shook her head at me. "Reckless."

I let my head roll to the side. The raptor lay still, its chest unmoving. Subtle twitches rippled through its muscles, but the torrent at its neck had dwindled to a trickle. Dead.

I tried for a crooked smile. "I saw you taking care of it. Thought I could steal a few seconds to watch the potion work." I raised my hand and wiggled my fingers. "And see? Almost all better."

The cold numbness in my dead fingers had given way to hot needles. My fingers didn't move with their usual dexterity, but I could grip things. In a few more seconds, I would be able to hold something as small as a potion vial.

Esper scowled. "That was not what I was referring to."

I let out a laugh, suppressing a groan as bolts of pain moved up my arm. "I thought it would be more dangerous if it got back up."

"You are not a [Hunter]."

"I know, but I had an opportunity and took it."

She clicked her tongue. "Reckless." However, this time a frown didn't accompany her admonishment. "Do you have any potion left?"

"Yeah, but let me check how much." Suppressing a groan, I carefully sat up and peered into the vial. "About three-quarters left."

"For a wound that size? Respectable." She pointed to the ground. "Hurry and grab the lid. You may need more of it."

"Are there more?"

"What do you think?"

"Of course, there are more," I grumbled.

"Even if they are not, you should always assume the worst case. Now get up. That wound is not that bad."

I sighed, capping the open vial with my left thumb, before reaching for the cap with my right. I had regained enough dexterity that I could trust myself not to spill when recapping the vial. However, the whole exercise pointed to one thing: this method of healing really wasn't suited for close combat. A single stumble or jostle could waste the entire amount.

It put me in a bind. The Ættir respected strength and resilience. Holding the line had some significant importance in the Ættarsk culture, but I wasn't a fighter. As for healing? I couldn't act like a [Spearweaver] at the front, and I couldn't project well enough to heal from the back. My skills didn't mesh with their tactics. In any position, I'd be useless at best and a liability at worst. I had only found a place because my company lacked its traditional [Healers]. Remove these extenuating circumstances…

I'll need another way to prove my worth.

I slipped the closed vial back into my white coat and stood up. I spared a glance at my white coat's right sleeve. Just as with the prior damage, my white coat had consumed the blood and mended much of the damage. I didn't have time to examine it further because Esper motioned me to follow. In short order, we stood with our backs to a massive tree.

"Here." She held out my knife—the one I had left in the dinosaur's neck. The one I hadn't even missed. I reached out and grabbed it. Though she didn't pull it away, she didn't let go immediately. "Try to keep a better hold of that in the future."

My face grew warm. "I'll do better."

She nodded. Point made, she started scanning the trees, though she explained our situation in a whisper as she did so. "That was likely a scout. Typically, the pack does not travel in the same direction, but they must have heard the fight and the scout's death cries. If we are lucky, its death will dissuade them from investigating, but the beasts have become more reckless, especially when a Fel Wind is approaching."

"Are we due for another?"

"It would be early, but the frequency has been increasing. I have already signaled the [Pathfinders]. They will decide if it is safe to go on. For now, we watch and wait."

When she didn't elaborate further, I just did what she asked. I watched, but with more than my eyes. I opened myself up to the world as best I could. I was still trying to get a handle on this extrasensory perception. Aether came naturally; Energy, less so. Auras fell in the middle. But how do you detect a mental intrusion that hasn't yet happened?

I tried to cast out my perception and got nowhere. Sure, the Energy flows in Esper lit up like a Christmas tree, as did the massive currents in the tree at our backs. Still, beyond a few feet, I got nothing. I could filter and parse, but actively detecting was beyond me—at least without a skill.

Skills cheated. At baseline, [Sense Injury] could pick up injuries from across a cavern in the mine. Empowered, details snapped into focus. Reduce the distance, and I could hit cellular-level resolution when empowered. It came at a cost—tunneling of my attention and, of course, a cognitive load—but that was a tradeoff I would take any day of the week. Except, it was useless now.

I breathed and cast out [Sense Injury] once more. Nothing. No injuries meant nothing to detect.

Esper suddenly straightened up from her crouch beside me. "By the Mother…"

I turned in the direction of a frantic bird call, but similar calls, each from a different direction, followed. "What is going on?"

"Multiple monsters have moved past the perimeter. The [Pathfinders] signaled to make sure everyone heard."

"Do we run?"

"No." Her eyes darted between the trees. "We have no chance of climbing to safety, and fleeing will leave us ripe for a strike. We will just have to stay here and hope nothing senses us."

I motioned to the dead dinosaur. The fresh corpse already reeked of infection, days-old, minutes after death. "Don't you think that will make it hard?"

"Unfortunately, yes. But we have no other choice. Get behind me. I will hold the line while you play [Spearweaver]."

"Uh, you do remember I can't project, right?"

"A joke."

"Oh, so you have a sense of humor."

She shot me a dirty look. "Better to laugh in the face of death than cower."

"Better not to face death at all," I muttered.

She snorted. "That is not the Mother's way. Just keep back. You have been reckless enough for one day. Pray to the Mother that we may hide from the creatures' senses. If not that, then ask that she bless the [Pathfinders'] path so that they will arrive before the creatures." Then, as if an afterthought, she added, "Somehow, you picked up a death-claw raptor while stealthed. If you sense anything strange at all, tap on my shoulder in the direction of the source."

"Okay."

There wasn't more to be said. This was a terrible plan, but we didn't have another option. So I ignored the slight tremor in my hands and my bone-dry mouth and went back to scanning the terrain, looking and sensing for any abnormalities. I ignored the slowly developing headache. If Esper was right—and I had no reason to doubt—something would find us soon. We could only hope it was friend, not foe.

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