Dungeons & Dragons

Chapter 3

"Oh damn."

Without my say, my hands release their burdens. An overwhelming force builds in my chest. I ball my fists, and clench my body, trying to curb the feeling. Vibrations crawl over my body as my muscles strain against my hold on them. The sensation travels from my chest to my arms. When the force reaches my fingers, they break out of my fists. Fingers shooting out, I lose control.

My splayed hands shoot forwards toward the cart as its about to crash down. I scrunch up my face, eyes closed, not sure what to expect. A most curious feeling starts. You know that feeling when you try to take a sip of soda after pouring it out of the can? The little pops of fizzy carbon bubbles. The feeling is... strange. The ringing in my ears is more pronounced, in sync with my heartbeat, pounding away. A juxtaposition of sensations all over me.

You know, I have yet to hear the crash of the cart. You'd think that was something you'd expect to hear. Then again, I'm currently channeling...magic? I am a -bit- preoccupied to worry about the cart. The cart! I open my eyes hesitantly, only to be baffled.

There, in front of me, the cart hovers above the docks. Cart. Hovering. Above. The. Ground. How such a thing was possible, well I guess I do know. A soft purple light emits from my hands and arms, growing fainter the further up it goes. It glitters and pulses with energy. I've never seen anything like it before. Except for movies and such, places that don't exist in the first place. To be fair, I've never seen a floating cart either. Not one that for sure wasn't attached to any ropes or lifts. I can now see why people would believe in holy figures. If I even witnessed half of the feat I'm currently performing, I'm sure I would be fairly convinced of their powers. That, or I would think that I had finally lost marbles.

Cart. Right, what do I do now? I'm holding it. It's still on its side, but thankfully the items are currently being contained. Yeah, I guess I should say that the cart and its contents are also glowing purple. That might be good to know? Honestly, I'm not doing much. My body is doing this of its own accord, and my brain is just along for the joy ride right now. I'm not sure how long I've been holding this. I assume that at some point, my magic stamina will wear out.

Many footsteps slapping the wooden docks alert me that the people who were chasing the cart have made it down the steps and are looking quite winded. A few stare in awe at either me or the cart, take your pick, and the rest are trying to figure out what to do. It would be kind of me to set the cart upright, but I have know clue how to do that. You see, I'm not the one casting, my body is. I guess that might prove that this isn't my body. Though to the best of my knowledge, this body is eerily similar to my own. Either way, I'm not consciously doing this.

I should figure out how to set this down, one way or another. How does one control magic when one isn't from a world with magic? If it's anything like singing or other skills, I should probably relax first. I unclench my muscles, feeling them tremble in exhaustion. Ok, I can do this, just have to put my mind to it. How would magic work for real? Is it a muscle, or is it about will power? I think most Elder Scrolls lore refers to magic as a force of will. Only one way to find out. Mundus, if you're there, now would be a good time to help a dude out. I try to imagine what it would look like for the cart to start rotating to its natural position. Lo and behold, the cart starts rotating! Don't ask me how that worked, I'll never know.

Now that I know I can, at least currently, control this magic. Time to set this puppy down. When the rotation meets the right angle, I imagine the cart slowly descending the few remaining feet. As before, the cart follows where I will it to go.

"An impressive show of skill."

At this point, I'm sure all those jokes about me being a cat have been proven true. The tingly feeling and the glow of magic suddenly cuts off as I am again, for the millionth time, startled out of my wits. Eyes wide, my head snaps to the man standing right beside me. He isn't looking at me, rather he is looking at the cart. The cart groans as it settles onto the ground with a bit more force than might be good for it. Without a care in the world, the man continues on.