Hidden Wishes Omnibus

by Tao Wong

  ***

  Outside Nora’s, lighter one spell component and a newly counted wad of cash stuffed in my pocket, I turned and started the walk back to my basement apartment. Lily fell in beside me, eyeing shops with interest and muttering about supper. It was no surprise I never saw the hand that reached out of the alleyway and yanked me in, dazed by the new hidden world and my newfound wealth.

  A large, green, and rough hand gripped me and dragged me deep into the alleyway, holding me by my jacket as I scrabbled at it, trying to make it release me. In the dark, my attacker slammed me into the wall once and then again, sending stars dancing in my eyes while a second hand pinned my right hand to the wall.

  “Give me what you bought, Wizard,” snarled the green, tusked face inches from mine. To punctuate his words, the orc squeezed my neck, making me choke.

  I slapped at his hand ineffectually with my left hand, stars still dancing in my eyes. The repeated blows and lack of oxygen made my eyes unfocus, and for a moment, I saw the hulking skinhead that he showed the rest of the world.

  “You know, he can’t answer you if he can’t breathe,” Lily said.

  The orc blinked, turning to stare at the jinn who was standing and watching us indifferently. Beside her, a pair of his associates floated in the air, their limbs failing to find purchase.

  “You’re a wizard too!” the orc growled, yellow eyes narrowing.

  He reached a hand backward but stopped when Lily tsked.

  “No, no. I’m not your target. He is,” Lily said, pointing to me. “Now, this is a decent random encounter but not level appropriate with all three of you, so I’m taking your friends out of the equation. You, Henry will have to deal with. Isn’t that right, Henry?”

  I didn’t get in fights as a matter of course. That being said, it didn’t mean I hadn’t been in fights before. One of the main rules: don’t get distracted, and if your opponent does, capitalize. A raggedly drawn breath gave me enough clarity to focus and cast my only offensive spell with my free hand. I swirled my hand, fingers dancing, before I jabbed it into his chest, the glowing ball of force smashing into my mugger’s short ribs.

  Force Bolt Cast

  Synchronicity 41%

  Force Bolt does 9 damage to Orc Mugger.

  The surprise attack cracked bone and forced the orc to exhale a surprisingly minty breath into my face, and he reflexively released my neck. Now on my knees, I tackled the orc even though he was clearly heavier than me, my shoulder striking his broken ribs and driving the monster back. Reflexive motion made him hunch over, which gave me the perfect setup for an elbow to his chin. I pushed away from him, giving myself space as I shook my arm out, elbow aching from the strike.

  “You know, you’re a mage now,” Lily said casually. “No experience for slugging it out.”

  I growled in response and then coughed, choking from the newly formed bruises on my neck. The orc stood up, rubbing his chin, a glimmer of respect in his eyes.

  “A wizard with some physical skill,” the orc said, his voice a low growl. He flicked a glance to Lily, who waved her hand for him to continue. “This might just be interesting.”

  “Yeah… no,” I said, my right hand darting and twisting as I formed another Force Bolt. Before I could finish, the orc charged me, which forced me to dance backward and interrupt the spell. I twisted and turned as my mugger refused to give me time to finish it. Again and again, I would start the spell before I found it interrupted.

  “You’re going to have to learn to cast under pressure,” Lily coached from the sidelines. A thrown knife from one of the other orcs hung suspended in midair, stopped the moment it had been released from his hand, its target Lily. “Don’t let his attacks distract you. The spell is the most important thing.”

  A fist glanced off my jaw and sent me sprawling to the ground. The orc dashed forward, but I raised my feet high, holding the creature off with my feet. As the monster tried to get to me, I started casting Force Bolt again even as my head throbbed. Two seconds was all the time I would need. Even as the orc finally pushed my legs aside, I finally completed the spell and sent it hammering into the monster.

  Force Bolt Cast

  Synchronicity 53%

  Force Bolt does 10 damage to Orc Mugger.

  On my back, feet up in the air, I formed the next spell, which the mugger dodged. Two more spells followed, cast from my back, only one of which hit. My head continued to throb. The pain grew, and I spared a glance upward to note that my mana was nearly gone. All those failed attempts had required mana even if I hadn’t completed them.

  The orc, arm clutched where it had taken the blunt of the last spell, growled at me. I had heard the crack of another broken bone, but he was still on his feet. Still, the mugger did not attempt to rush me anymore, and I slowly stood up, keeping a distance from it.

  “We done?” I asked, trying to keep my voice confident.

  “Wizard, I am disappointed. You have some skill. Why do you refuse to fight honorably?” The orc growled and eyed me warily.

  “Got to level up.”

  “You speak strangely even for a wizard.”

  “Yeah, yeah. We continuing this, or are we done?” I growled, my hand raised as I bluffed the monster.

  “We are done if you will have it so, Wizard.”

  “Go.”

  “I am Ulrik of the Yellow Eyes,” the orc said. “You shall not be as fortunate in our next encounter.”

  I waved Ulrik away, and Lily let the pair of orcs drop. The trio scrambled off as they eyed the jinn warily. In moments, Lily and I were alone in the alleyway.

  “Thanks for all the help,” I grumbled at her.

  “You need to level up. I made sure it was level appropriate,” Lily said unapologetically. “That technique was less than orthodox. Effective though.”

  “So, did I get experience for that, or did I need to kill him?” I asked as I leaned against the wall and held my hand to my throbbing head.

  “What did I say about experience? It’s about learning and growing your magical strength, not your ability to kill monsters. Look at your sheet.”

  Class: Mage

  Level 1 (48% Experience)

  Known Spells: Light Ball, Force Bolt, Warmth, Chill, Chime, Breeze

  “All that from one fight?” I said as I stared at the updated sheet.

  “No. You gained some experience while walking around with your arcane sight today. But a lot of it did come from the fight.”

  I slowly nodded, somewhat mollified. Although I was bruised, headache or not, the random encounter had been worth it. “Fine.”

  “So, I’ve got an important question,” Lily said, smiling as she walked forward. “Is that Ethiopian restaurant any good?”

  Chapter 4

  The answer to that important question was no. Very much no. That did not stop Lily from finishing it all while she hogged my computer. Funnily enough, I did not mind it as much as I spent my time poring over the spell book I had acquired. Most of it was unintelligible, series of arcane words and concepts that I had no basis of understanding, but some of it made sense. It was like reading a post-graduate textbook on physics and only having a grade-school education. Still, I persisted.

  As I sat reading, I realized my mana was recharging, albeit slowly. Too slowly for my liking. “Lily, is there a way to recharge mana faster?”

  “Of course. Certain tonics, foods, and alchemical potions are the most common. Staying in ley lines or nodes will help,” Lily said, not bothering to look up. “Meditating, of course.”

  I nodded slowly and closed the book. Well, okay then. We might not have given me any skills, but grade-school lessons on mindfulness might still help. As I crossed my legs on the bed, I slowed my breathing and tried to clear my mind. Not surprisingly, it was a lot harder than the last few times I had done this. The last days had been somewhat hectic—a jinn, magic, a hidden world, and an old friend not being who I’d thought she was. And
then, the first fight I’d been part of for years.

  In time, I found my thoughts slowing, relaxing. My eyes closed, my breathing slowed, and then darkness came.

  ***

  “Morning,” Lily greeted, along with the enticing smell of fried bacon, tomatoes, scrambled eggs, and the nectar of the gods—coffee. The jinn stood over the stove as she finished plating the meal. Hair left unbound, the raven-haired jinn was bent over in a pink blouse, a flowered vest, and a pair of tight blue jeans that looked uncannily familiar. Doing mundane tasks like this, I could almost think of the jinn as just another gorgeous woman and not a powerful supernatural creature.

  “Breakfast?” I swung my feet off the bed and wandered over to snag a plate from the counter. Used plates piled high reminded me that I really needed to do the dishes. “Are those clothes from El’s store?”

  “I copied some of them for use. Your wardrobe is less than fashionable,” Lily said, shaking her head. “Really? A dozen shirts about this Firefly thing?”

  “Don’t knock it till you’ve seen it,” I muttered around a mouthful of food. “So, what now? I wander around the city looking for trouble?”

  “No. I’ve got a quest for you.” Lily waved her fork at my desk. It took me a few minutes of searching through the scattered papers before I found the right one. On it, circled in red ink, was “Quest One.”

  “Rats?” I poked at the paper as I walked to get more coffee.

  “Rats. It’s tradition.”

  “You are kidding me,” I grumbled and sipped my coffee. “Also, what did you do to the coffee? It’s really smooth.”

  “Cold brew,” Lily said. “Your coffee maker is pitiful. And I’m not. Devil Rats should be perfect for your first quest. Level appropriate.”

  “How do you know these are Devil Rats though? The news report just talks of an increase in disappearances of pets in the neighborhood,” I said. “Might be coyotes.”

  Lily shook her head. “GM. I expanded a bit of my power to check our surroundings. Now, off you go to kill some rats. Though maybe a shower first?”

  I growled softly before I walked to the bathroom. Now, the real question was, what do you wear when you go hunting supernatural rats in the sewer?

  ***

  It took a bit of hunting, but I found a pair of rubber boots, wool socks, and workout pants along with one of my faded shirts. A simple polyester rain jacket to keep the cold and wet out and I was ready to go. Or as ready as I could be considering I had no idea what I was getting into.

  An underground train ride and a bus ride later, I found myself in the Devil Rat-plagued suburban neighborhood. I never understood how people could live out in these cookie-cutter houses with their carefully manicured lawns and nosy neighbors. Every time I came out here, I was reminded how stale and artificial it all felt, a residence made by design rather than need, a place to rest and hide away from the world.

  As I walked away from the bus stop, I eyed the ground, searching for a manhole cover. It was only when I found one in a deserted cul-de-sac and attempted to pull it open that I realized one flaw with my plan—my lack of upper-arm strength and leverage. A few minutes of futile gripping and straining later, I sat down beside the manhole cover and applied some brainpower to the problem. Perhaps…

  I held my hand over the manhole cover, focusing not on my hand but slightly past it. I focused deep within and cast the spell, altering the flows slightly so that instead of forming right at my hand and shooting outward, the spell would form beneath the cover. Three failed attempts later, the spell finally formed, and the Force Bolt crashed into the underside of the obstruction, tossing it into the air by a few inches.

  “Owwww,” I muttered as I carefully levered the manhole off my foot, which I had shoved into the opening. That was going to leave a bruise. Right. Crowbars. Definitely adding a crowbar to my adventuring kit.

  I left the manhole propped mostly open and climbed down to the sewers, finally ready to complete my quest. At least the hard part was over. How hard could rats be?

  ***

  “Force Bolt in your face, Mickey!” I snarled as my spell finished forming and smashed the Devil Rat aside. Crushed under the blue bolt of arcane energy, the splattered remains of my attacker left a red smear against the grey walls of the sewer tunnel. Above me, a floating light orb—that I had figured how to tether to my body—gave off fitful light, casting shadows all around. Thankfully, the sewer system that was connected to this suburban zone was actually part of the flood water preparations, so the sewer itself was tall and wide to accommodate a large amount of water. It meant that I could, for the most part, stand upright while hunting around.

  I slumped against the wall and dug into my backpack, searching for the bandages I had thoughtfully brought along. A dose of iodine later, I wrapped my injured calf tightly and hoped Devil Rats were not as plague-ridden as their mundane counterparts. Somehow, I had a feeling that was wishful thinking.

  “Good thing Lily isn’t here to see this,” I said to myself. I imagined the jinn smirking while I struggled to fight Devil Rats in the dark. In truth, I wasn’t sure what I had expected for this quest. She’d said this was level appropriate, and my previous life as a retail store worker and part-time bargain hunter had done little to ready me for monster hunting. I looked sideways, eyeing my mana bar, which stood a quarter full. Enough for one more fight.

  With quick motions, I put away my first aid kit and stood, testing my foot and finding it sound enough. That it had to be same foot I’d bruised earlier made walking even harder than before, but not impossible. As I rounded the next corner of the damp, noxious sewers, I made sure not to think about what I was walking in. Thankfully, years of babysitting for uncles and aunts for extra money had inured me to the concept of feces as a whole, even if wading through the sewers tested the limits of my attitude.

  Another mangled body greeted me as I stepped around a corner, a poodle with its innards scattered, and a Devil Rat poked its head out from within. The fellow in front of me was typical for the Devil Rats I had encountered—the size of a housecat with glowing red eyes and an aggressive temperament. As it arched its back in defense of its meal, I finished my spell and pointed my fingers at it, the bolt catching the monster in the center of its body and crushing its heart.

  Force Bolt Cast

  Synchronicity 67%

  Force Bolt does 11 damage to Devil Rat.

  Slumping down to the corpse, I exhaled in relief and tried to get the adrenaline spike under control again. Thankfully, this time, I’d been the one to catch the rat by surprise. The monsters had a tendency to attack from hiding, crawling from dark corners to set upon me. Still, with my mana bar nearly empty, the headache had returned, and so I settled in to wait and rest.

  This was not going to be easy.

  ***

  I stood up after a bit, meditating having slowly driven my mana bar to half full. I would have stayed longer, but there were limits to my ability to ignore how disgusting all this was even if my nose had long ago shut off. A low squeaking had taken me down a side corridor, and I was forced to hunch over as I scrabbled forward. A small worm of worry crawled along my guts, the noises before me growing louder and more numerous than I had heard before.

  “Oh, shit,” I muttered softly as my light finally illuminated the nest before me. Curled up in a pile of bones, rat droppings, and shed fur, a mother rat twice the size of any I’d seen before was nursing a group of Devil Rat pups, each the size of my fist. Crouched near them was another Devil Rat, gnawing on a pale bone. As my light drew their attention, the mischief of rats turned and regarded me with their hellish red eyes. Taking the better part of valor, I started to slowly back away as I readied a Force Bolt.

  At first, the rats just regarded my slow retreat without moving. As my light pulled away, the rats started squeaking louder and louder, the noise echoing through the cramped quarters. Mouth dry, I could sense the monsters getting ready to attack as I s
loshed backward. Fear clutched at my stomach, knowing I had insufficient mana to kill them all. I needed to make sure when they charged, I had time to do something.

  Inspiration struck as I stepped backward. I snapped and twisted my fingers, then pointed down, sending arcane energy into the water as I chilled it in front of me and backed away. Within seconds, a light crust of ice formed on the water, spreading faster and faster as the arcane energy drew heat from the already chilly water. As if my magic was the signal, there was a sudden silence as the rats barreled forward.

  I scrambled backward as I poured mana into the water, creating a slick surface that the first Devil Rat hit without warning. Front claws dug into the slick, wet ice, sending it spinning and twisting to slam into the wall. The rat shook its head to clear it while the pups, unsteady on their feet, skidded and scattered on my impromptu ice rink.

  As a spike of pain erupted in my head, I stopped the spell, unable to continue, and backed away as fast as I could. Once out of the small tunnel, I turned and ran, the sounds of the larger mother rat crashing into and crushing my ice echoing through the tunnel.

  I never looked back, running as fast as I could to the nearest ladder and climbing as quickly as possible. I hit the manhole cover with my shoulder, adrenaline and better leverage allowing me to push it upward. Outside, the feel of sunlight on my face and the smell of blooming flowers carried on the wind blew away some of my fear, some of the nightmare-inducing madness below. As I replaced the manhole cover, I flashed a smile at a child playing on the sidewalk, grateful to have survived my first quest.

  Chapter 5

  Extra clothing. That was what I’d forgotten to bring with me. That was clear as I sat in my own smelly sphere on the ride back. I kept my face down in embarrassment as other passengers threw disgusted looks at me, even those from the hidden world. By the time I made my way back, that lesson had been deeply ingrained into my soul. Always bring extra clothing.