Chapter 19: Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Healer
Despite the cold, dry winter weather, the building was warm and cozy. The fireplace was large enough to keep the entire room warm. It was a more pleasant place to stay compared to the cold barn. The slave women were far from content, but they had to make do with they have.
Most of the women could barely move, except for one, Sun's mother. While the others had to rely on the goblins for help to move around, she could crawl to the place she desires. She was independent, but not free. She was confined inside the building with no hope of leaving. The caretakers not only care for them, but they watch their every movement. There was no privacy. All she could do was move far away from them, hiding in the corner of the room.
There she observed the goblins and the slaves. She took note of their working schedule and the materials they would bring in. Maybe she could sneak away when no one is looking, she thought. But where would she go? She was in the middle of the Desolate Forest. She could try and hide in one of the abandoned cities if she could even get to them.
She pushed these thoughts behind her mind. There was nothing she can do about her situation. The only hope she has was that goblin spawn she had. She could barely remember his, but she remembers the incredible feats he has done. He managed to wrestle against a larger spawnling, and fight an adult goblin. He was her only hope of getting out of here alive.
She also wondered if her spawnling would come with her to the outside world. Although goblin slaves are not unheard of, she could still get in trouble if they were in countries that prohibited slaves. The dwarf kingdom of Loreyn, for example, is the nearest kingdom from here, located in the mountains east of the forest. It doesn't allow slavery in its borders, which makes it challenging to bring her spawnling.
While she was busy thinking in the corner, a goblin was walking in her direction, carrying a box. The goblin went to the shelf next to her, climbed to the very top, and placed the box. There the goblin stumbled upon a book. "Oh, food for fire." The goblin said. When she climbed back down, a hand tugged at her pants. She looked at the woman, grabbing her. "What want slave?" She asked.
She pointed at the book the goblin was holding. "You want?" The goblin looked at the book. It wasn't anything special, it was just fuel for the fire, and it's not like they needed more. "Ok." The goblin tossed the book to the slave and went on her merry way.
The book contained illustrations of various plants and animals native to the continent. But the text was in an alien language. The only language used in this world was Titan, the language the Queen of Slaves, Titania, blessed the different races in the world. The only times one can encounter different languages were from slab artifacts from long ago or aliens visiting from other worlds. Since these goblins appeared alongside these abandoned cities, many scholars hypothesized that those cities, towns, and the goblins were not native to our world. But if that's the case. How does this book contain diagrams of native fauna and flora?
Since she can't escape and the goblins lost interest in raping them due to winter, this was the perfect time to uncover the secrets of goblins. Her curiosity was at the level of a scholar. If not for her family being serfs, she could have entered academies studying arts and sciences. She carried the book closed to her chest and crawled to the other side of the room where there were empty shelves and cabinets she could use to make a secluded area for her.
Flute saw her moving the furniture around. She walked up to her to ask what she was doing only to remember she can't speak due to the medicine. Flute decides to help her instead. Flute sees this slave as an integral part of Sun's growth. Not once did she witness a halfling experience such a level of growth, not just physically but mentally and socially as well. Blasphemous as it may sound, but Flute believes that Sun has the potential of becoming chief, with his ability to rally his fellow halflings and ability to fight. After helping Sun's mother, she returned to her duties.
The mother isolated herself in her hiding place. She took some of the purple mush and wrote on the walls the symbols she found behind the spawnling's head. The symbols looked like the letters in the book. This wasn't enough to satisfy her questions, though. There should be more books in the town, probably hiding in plain sight.
Suddenly she heard a noise outside her makeshift room. She hid her book behind instinctively. When she realized it just her spawnling, her body relaxes in relief. "Hey, mom. How are you doing?" She responded by nodding her head. "That's good. Oh. Mom, look what I found at the house we were staying." He pulled out a book, and that took her by surprise. She crawled closer, staring at the book. It's written in the same alien language as the book she has.
"Dear diary. Today daddy bought me you at the farmer's market. I was so excited that once I got home, I took my pencil and start," While he was reading, the symbols started to morph in place. They began to transform into letters and then words. She snatched the book off his hand and began to flip over the pages. The alien language was translating into Titan. She looked up at the inscription she wrote on the wall. It did not change. That means only one thing. Those letters were not from an alien language; it was some world level illusion spell that turns Titan writing into indecipherable code and symbols.
"Sorry, mom. I just. Are you ok?" The spawling asked. She assured him that she was okay. Eventually, the spawnlings left the room for their hunt.
She spent the rest of her day reading the books. The one her spawnling brought with him was a diary of a little girl. It must have been the former residents of this town before those Drons attacked it. Whether or not those Drons were goblins were irrelevant. She has enough questions to deal with. Why use a world level illusionary spell to change the perceived appearance of a universal language? How come that spawling bypassed the illusion and read it in Titan? And how did the spawnling know how to read Titan? So many questions with no signs of an answer.
The second book was about medicinal herbs and spells. It contains various information about plants and their effects on a person's body. There were also instructions on basic healing spells. Although she did not have an in-depth understanding of magic, she at least knows that she has enough mana to cast the healing spells found in the book. Mana can be found in every being. To increase one's mana, they have to undergo rigorous training or to just be a serf forced to work in the field every day of your life. It's quite easy to increase mana; the problem is using it. Only those who can afford scholars and experienced warriors can learn how to use mana.
But she needs neither of those things. She has a book with detailed instructions on how to perform the spells, its functions, and her former life as a serf has given her plenty of hardships to increase her mana. She spent the rest of her day practicing the healing spells on herself. After trying out all of them, she started reading a chapter titled, The Anatomy of the Races. It featured detailed illustrations of human, orc, and many other races' physical characteristics. One race, in particular, stood out to her. An unknown race, possibly the former inhabitants of the cities and towns found in the forest.
Before she could study the anatomy of this race, the door of the building was kicked opened. She could hear goblins looking for Flute. She peeked out her secluded room and saw the halflings panicking. Lying on the floor was her spawnling.
Flute kneeled next to Sun and ordered the goblins around. She washed the body with warm water. A goblin came back with some purple liquid. It was the potion mixed in with the mush. The woman thought that the medicine would only harm her spawnling. She wanted to step in and heal him, but that could endanger her. Flute begins to panic as well. Sun stopped breathing, and none of the goblins knew how to respond. Flute tries to resuscitate him to no avail. They were about to give up.
She couldn't let him die. He promised her freedom. If he dies, then her hope for that escape dies with it. But, exposing herself could also ruin her chances of escaping. She faces a dilemma. Then she heard the silent voice, a faint whisper blown by the wind. "Mama, I'm sorry,"
She took a deep breath and crawled out of her secluded place. She got on one knee, and slowly she stood up. The goblins noticed her standing tall over them. She walked to Sun's body, the goblins moving out of the way. She kneeled next to him, rubbed her hands together, then placed them on top of Sun's chest, and start to pumping. At the same time, her hands glowed bright yellow. Sun's heart began to beat once more. She then raised her hand, and out of it came small gold specks of dust. The raining dust covered most of Sun's body.
His wounds slowly healed, and his skin has regained its life once more. Her hands dropped by her waist, and her body was covered in sweat. The goblins in the room began to cheer, the slaves glared at her, and the goblin spawns were stuck in place, speechless. "You strong slave. Me care good. Hahaha." One of the goblin laughed. It was the one in charge of caring for her son, the one that tormented her during her pregnancy and child-rearing, and the one she despised the most. She glared back at her. "I have a name. The name is Mari."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
KJ_The_Cat
KJ_The_Cat OOWEEE
Stellar Manuscript:
There are three forms of Illusion spells. Concealed Marks, is the most common form of illusion spell. It manipulates objects/ideas/writings to appear as something else to targeted individuals or individuals that lacks the authority to bypass the illusion. Second, Dancing Marks is an illusion spell that can change the perception of one's senses. And finally Night Mark, the rarest. Night Marks manipulates dreams, with the targeted victim through physical contact.
Weekly Power Status
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