Happy birthday.
I've realized that the orc calendar is good for seasonal planting, but not great for keeping track of annual events. So I adopted the Kingdom calendar, used by both the elves and the humans. It's going to help me track dates and times much better. The Kingdom calendar splits each season into three parts: Early, Mid, and Late. Each part is split into thirty days.
This is Late Summer of the year 2717, day 17. And because I can't be sure, but I want to celebrate anyway, I've declared this to be my birthday.
I'm not really celebrating my natural birth, although it may have been around this time of year if Shaman remembers rightly. I'm celebrating my rebirth, or at least my mental rebirth.
My name is Sorch Stonebender, and I'm a very smart orc.
With the help of my friend Shaman, I've developed a new spell. I call it Augmented Intelligence. The amount of intelligence that is gained is greater than the old spell, and the amount taken back by the curse is far less by comparison. The augmentation lasts longer as well. Eventually, Shaman and I figured out how to make it work as part of my daily routine.
It took several days of tinkering with my sleep patterns, using the old Enhance Intelligence spell to get me to the point where I could understand and cast the new spell, and figuring out how my amulet attuned to a spell for the day. But eventually we did it. I was able to keep enough brain power overnight, so that the first spell I cast in the morning was Augmented Intelligence. The amulet imprinted to it, and any additional castings of it were far more potent.
That was the key. With the new spell imprinted to the amulet every day, I just had to cast it once more at night to keep the cycle going. Even without imprinting, casting the old spell over and over again to feed the Voodoo Engine was helping as well. All of those tiny intellect gains add up.
I end up needing a lot of rest. A full night's sleep, my normal mid-day rest period when I'm working, and another rest period in the Shaman's hut before I study the spell book. We're all eating a little better due to Shaman's keen bargaining skills, and contacts that he's maintained in certain non-orc communities. He deals with one orc sea captain in particular, because he cheats us less than anyone else. The treasure that we shared from the Silverfish's lair has been put to good use. The healthy resting patterns and better diet have really helped me to progress.
There was a wonderful side effect of this healthy living: The Bashers stopped coming around the Voodoo Engine. There were no more beatings. I had supposed that because we were healthy and well fed, and because Shaman was helping to provide for the tribe's needs now, the smart orcs had less of a reason to be targets for angry warriors. But after thinking about it a while, I suspected that the real reason was my new confidence. I would look them in the eye when they passed. They knew that I wasn't afraid. Perhaps they suspected that my confidence was because I was more dangerous. Either way, the smart orcs worked free of bruising and terror, and the Voodoo Engine was humming along better than ever.
But was I really more dangerous? I think so. I've done the calculations. I can cast three non-intelligence spells without risking the new routine, or five spells if I'm willing to fall back to the old intellect enhancement for at least a couple of days. Any more than that would be a permanent drain.
To be honest, that isn't much of a problem right now. Because I have to dedicate mental energy to an Augmentation every night, I can only realistically prepare a couple of the basic spells, and a couple of the new advanced spells. It isn't a question of intelligence, it's simply a matter of rote memorization and experience. I'll need to master new techniques and find new mentors in order to do more than that.
But now, the good news: I've come to understand three new spells from Shaman's book. Again, I didn't bother with any spells with material components that I had no access to.
The new Levitation spell didn't require any materials at all. I couldn't fly around like Lizzy, but she was fascinated as I was able to slowly drift around the tent, easily able to reach the top of the central support pole.
Spider's Web, sometimes just called Web in the notes, required a little bit of natural webbing from a spider. It produced a field of strong, sticky strands that could slow or stop even a strong orc for some time.
Acid Bolt was quite an eye opener. You needed the innards of a beetle, but the effect was potent. The bolt of acid it shot out ate through wood almost instantly. It was shockingly destructive. Without a doubt, this was the most potent offensive spell in my collection.
I now keep two sets of notes. One set is still in very simple terms, just in case I can't keep up this new routine and I need to start over. But the other set of notes is required to grasp the more complex thoughts and rituals that need to be understood to take on advanced magical spells. I copied all of my spells and all of the simple and advanced notes into a new book gifted to me by Shaman. This one was bound with fresh lizard hide, waterproofed, and made rugged for travel. He said that he would keep my simple notes so that he could teach others if he could, but he didn't want to hold me back. I was grateful for the book, and for the chance to re-organize my thoughts. I told him that I would maintain both books for the moment. My writing had become faster, more precise. It took me less time to keep two sets of notes than it had just one set when I was only working with the copper version of the Enhancement spell.
Shaman was excited when I demonstrated my new powers and new knowledge to him. But every word I spoke seemed to make him sadder and sadder. For days, I was worried. Was I disappointing him? Was the result of our experiment not what he expected? Then I realized: I didn't sound like an orc anymore. I was sounding more like the humans that I met in the hills. He might feel like he's losing his friend.
So the next time we met, I made a conscious effort to talk like we would in the old days. I walked into Shaman's tent after finishing work.
Shaman said, "Oi, you gots ta finish simple note, then plan next thing."
I replied, "No worry, me get done."
Shaman's eyes narrowed. He asks, sharply, "You screw up smartness spell? You miss morning?"
I shook my head quickly, "No, no, I did all."
The older orc practically snarled. "Stop. You no do dat. No act dumb."
Lizzy quietly flapped her way out into the night air. She wanted no part of this argument.
I stammered, "Thought that y-you be more comfortable if-"
My old friend cut me off. "Thought wrong. You talk dumb, mean you think me dumb. Maybe not get every word out of smart-mouth, but follow good enough."
I hung my head. "But whenever I talk... it seems to make you sad. You were never sad when we used to talk. I don't want to lose our friendship."
All of the anger drained from Shaman's face. He took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. "No, no. Not you make sad. Well, not smartness make sad. Sit, sit. Me explain."
I sat down, quietly.
Shaman started pacing at the side of my writing desk. "All dis. New book for you, extra shinies for you. More train for you. All dis because me know what come next."
I looked up at Shaman, confused. "Well I hope that my new magic will help on the hunts. I can help feed the village and stuff and things."
The older orc shook his head. "No. Bones been cast. Kenvunk agree. You gotta go."
Those simple words shocked me. I stood up so fast, my chair fell over. "Go? Go where?!"
Shaman's voice remained calm, if a bit sad. "Away. Me know, Kenvunk know, even Lizzy know. You always last to know, 'cause you got big heart. Wanna help all. You smart, but trust too much. That dumb."
"I don't understand, Shaman. Why would I leave? We did all this, we risked our lives, and now you're saying that I can't help around here anymore!"
Shaman pointed his rattle at me. "Dat what I say. You no get it. Bruisers talk. Say you dangerous, cause you no afraid no more. Chief listen, he watch. He see threat in you. He not know all thing, but he no have to. You stay, they kill you in sleep. Maybe not dis season, but next. Or next after."
A chill went up my spine. I hadn't even considered that. "Just because they sense that I might be more powerful, they would kill me rather than let me help the village?"
My old friend nodded. "Yeah. Cause you get too strong, chief afraid you challenge. And if find out you have stuff and things, kill you to take stuff and give things to Bashers. Chief not good guy, not like us."
I was stunned into silence. Of course I knew that the warriors were willing to hurt me, but the threat of death was just now sinking in.
Shaman continued, "So all dis so you can go. Dat why you keep silver, and some fancy coin, and new book. Me keep old book and notes, and we see if any new smart orcs do what you do. I keep eye out for more amulet. But you go."
I must have sounded miserable when I asked, "Where can I possibly go?"
Shaman rolled his eyes. "Anywhere wit' more magic. Anywhere wit' smart folk. You go, you learn. You free now. What you call job? Feed Engine? That not job. Dat being slave. Not for you no more. Kenvunk say go, I say go. Lizzy no care."
My shoulders were shaking. I didn't realize that I was crying until Shaman reached out to rub at my tears with a calloused gray-green thumb.
"Dare, dare. You dunno how proud me is. Chest gonna burst, dat's how proud. Best student ever. Know you no worship Kenvunk, not really. But he proud too, he say you got good chance. He say he sorry for what he say to elf-girl, you go tell her dat for him."
I rubbed my face. "OK." I took a deep breath to stop the tears. "OK. When do I go?"
Shaman shrugged. "Tonight, me guess. Now me tell you, you terrible liar. No hide this from Bashers for long. You sleep, I pack yer stuff. Got copper from human. Got silver from Fish. I pack dat and other stuff and things you need. Burned wood, guts, webs, all we gather. New book, I keep old. Food and water. Pouches and sacks. Big cloak to hide ugly face. Soft gloves to hide ugly hands. And Rock."
I nodded. "Thank you, old friend." I laid down to rest. It was dreamless sleep.
And so it was that in Late Summer of the year 2717, on day 17, I was to be reborn. I said my goodbyes to Shaman and to Lizzy. I hoisted my pack and just before midnight, I set out into the hills, alone. I drew the hood of my cloak up over my ugly face and did my best to become one with the night.
Happy birthday, Sorch Stonebender.