Lichtenberg Marks

Back in the Goblin camp:

Zarra was tending to Mackinzie's wounds, nervously glancing toward the mouth of the cave as she worked. When the screams started and several others in the cave rushed out, Zarra had to force herself to stay behind and continue treating the injured human girl. She knew that Adam would never forgive her for abandoning Mackinzie's treatment.

Eventually, the noises outside subsided. After removing the arrow and sealing the wound with her healing magic, Zarra began to make her way outside. Several of her tribemates quickly shuffled in, carrying Adam's motionless body with them.

With a rising sense of panic, Zarra pushed forward and sharply demanded, "What happened?" In the dimly lit chamber, the air was thick with tension and a slight whiff of the acrid smell of burned skin wafted through the cave, while the other goblins recounted what happened.

Examining Adam, Zarra was relieved to see that his chest was steadily rising and falling, signifying that he was still alive. However, faint, lightning-shaped patterns were etched into Adam's skin, the aftermath of an uncontrollable surge of energy that had coursed through his body. The burns were more severe at the points where the magic had entered and exited, creating gruesome, jagged lines of blackened flesh. His eyes, nose, and ears oozed dark crimson blood, which was quickly drying, caking his unusually pale, ashen cheeks.

Isabel was still sitting on Adam's chest, her fingertips tracing the edges of the charred skin, muttering incantations under her breath in an attempt to draw out any lingering magic that might still be affecting Adam. Sparks of residual energy crackled as she worked, illuminating the room with a pale, eerie light.

Despite the grim scene, Zarra and Isabel worked diligently, determined to save Adam from further harm. Their skills and knowledge of healing magic were put to the test as they carefully administered soothing spells to cool the burns and staunch the bleeding. The room was filled with a palpable sense of urgency as they fought to stabilize him, hoping that, through their efforts, Adam would survive the devastating consequences of channeling far too much magic.

---

Several hours passed, and Adam, having stabilized, was resting quietly next to Mackinzie. The other members of the tribe, reassured by Zarra that Adam should be fine and only needed rest, began to converse.

Isabel flew around, confused, as the goblins excitedly chatted among themselves in their own language. She couldn't comprehend what was happening when she noticed several goblins stealing glances at the sleeping human and blushing or excitedly recounting what they had seen to those around them. She couldn't help but wonder why they were so calm or even excited, considering the gruesome scene she had witnessed.

"What happened? How did he get hurt? Also, how did he do that to the attackers?" one of the goblins who had gone out to fight asked the goblins around the cave.

"I don't know, maybe he used magic. All I know is seeing him standing there overpowering the raiders got me kind of excited," another goblin replied with a slight blush coloring her green cheeks and pointed ears, as she rubbed her legs together.

Similar conversations were happening all around the cave. The non-goblinoids were unaware of the growing sentiment in the camp, and the goblins intentionally bred traits to serve the strong were going into overdrive.

---

The dark void where I had spoken with the goddess faded, and seemingly immediately after, I woke up. Unsure of how long I had been sleeping, I tried to quietly open my eyes and look around. However, the moment I tried to move, waves of an intense burning sensation coursed through my body in waves.

It was reminiscent of the feeling of having your leg fall asleep, but turned up to eleven. All I could do was clench my teeth to prevent screaming out in pain as I endured the burning. This continued for what felt like an eternity. Apparently noticing my pain, Isabel cautiously approached and hesitantly held out her hand before casting a spell.

Immediately, my pain began to fade, though a dull tingling remained in the back of my head. Trying to sit up, I was scolded by the fairy, who said, "I didn't actually heal you; I don't know what could, but I did suppress your pain by dulling your senses through illusions."

Heeding the fairy's warning, I sat up slowly. The cave was dark, with most of the goblins sleeping in piles around. Zarra was sleeping leaned against the nearby wall, seemingly exhausted, and Mackenzie was still calmly sleeping beside me. Remembering what had happened, I quickly turned to Isabel and in hushed tones, asked, "What happened after I passed out? Is Mackinzie okay?"

"You were scary; the mana covering your body was dripping with malice. I used a spell to put you to sleep. Zarra was busy treating Mackinzie. The other goblins carried you inside. Zarra and I spent a while drawing out the leftover mana and treating your wounds the best we could, but they resisted healing magic. That's about it. But why did you do that to the goblins that attacked?"

Hearing her and being reminded of the previous day's events, I felt my mana trying to rage again, seemingly just beneath the surface, pushing against my rational mind, desperate to be free again. Taking several deep breaths, I calmed down and managed to reply, "I got so angry seeing Mackinzie hurt that my mana went wild and started to influence my actions. I don't really know what happened; it's kind of fuzzy and detached, like I am watching someone, or something else, when I think back on what happened."

Isabel nodded, seemingly satisfied with my explanation, and turning to fly away, said, "You should rest; your body needs to heal and finish pushing out the last traces of the dark mana."

In pain and weakened, I decided to heed the fairy's warning and lay back down, falling into a fitful sleep.