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We searched the dead bandits. More fitting would be to say the two charcoal piles. I felt sorry for them. They were people. Then again, I remembered they would have killed me and the others without any mercy. It was us or them and it sure as hell wasn't going to be us on the ground. Not as long as I am here. The smell was horrible. Amy had to leave, she couldn't handle it. I don't blame her I almost had to leave too. The smell of burned carbon and flesh was worse than how they smelled before. I never imagined this spell would pack such a punch. The ground all around was burned and the trees were broken like matchsticks. I had to take my gloves off; I would be unable get this stink out of them if I didn't. We struck the jackpot when I found a pouch with gold pieces and gems. Yet no map or anything. I washed my hands in a nearby stream and cleaned that pouch. I also took a few gold pieces and put them in my pocket, because if I needed them it would be unwise to show how much we have. I sat a while on the big mossy boulder next to a pond and looked at my reflection. I got sad again. I would love to see this girl and have a drink with her, even invite her for dinner maybe. Well I mean before I met Jenn. This was me now. How the hell could I let this happen. Jenn saw me and sat next to me.

"Strange isn't it?"

"What is?" I asked looking at him.

"I can see how you looked at your reflection there. It is strange to look like that and see someone else. I can see it bothers you. It is the same with me." Jenn said as he also looked into the pond.

"Hey guys I think we can stay here for a while." I called out to the others.

"Excellent idea Luke. We could use a little break. If you want to head out, call us."

"What is it?" Asked Jenn.

"I just want to relax for a bit. My feet are killing me." I said, as I took off my boots which I put next to my gloves and talismans near the mossy boulder I was sitting on. It felt really good as I touched that velvety moss growing on the ground with my feet.

"It is good to see you relax." Jenn said as she looked into my eyes. I could see something else in Jenns eyes that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Your eyes they look like two pinkish red gems. I envy you. I would love to have a perfect complexion like this." He touched my cheek kneeling in front of me. I got embarrassed again by that.

"Jenn...?"

"It is just as I thought. No make-up here?" I rubbed my face with my hand to discover Jenn was right.

"You know I would kill for not having to wear make-up back home."

"You are pretty even without make-up Jenn." I said to Jenn as he held my hands.

"I don't want to lose you Luke. Please be more careful." Suddenly my feet slipped and I pulled Jenn down by accident. As luck would have it we landed face to face eyes front. Jenn let go of my hands not to hurt me as he fell.

"Sorry. I am clumsy. I am still not used to this body." I said looking Jenn straight in the eyes. It was quite an awkward moment.

"Don't worry. I hope I didn't hurt you." Jenn said with our eyes still locked. If I didn't say something to spoil the mood Jenn would kiss me and that wasn't an option for me right now.

"Not at all but you are heavy." I said blushing a bit. Jenn could see my embarrassment and rolled to the side.

"So?" Jenn asked.

"So what? I slipped on the moss. Big deal." I said confused and still blushing.

"If you say so." Jenn replied teasing me.

"What is that supposed to mean!" I asked, irritated, while leaning over Jenn. Before I could realize my mistake Jenn pulled me closer and kissed me. I tried to struggle a bit but I melted in Jenns arms.

"Well. That wasn't half bad." I said pulling away.

"I could get used to this." Jenn said smiling like a shark.

"Hey you two. Let's go. We need to get going." shouted Pete disrupting my line of thought and embarrassing me like hell. Luckily he and Amy were still far away.

"We need to talk about this. Later when we are alone." I said standing up and lending a hand to help Jenn up from the ground.

"Wait a moment!" I said as they passed us by. Quickly putting on my boots while holding onto Jenn not to fall. I grabbed the gloves and talismans, putting them on as I hurried to catch up with our friends, dragging Jenn behind me.

We then continued walking and taking photos along the way. We stopped for a little while near a small stream. We were all thirsty after the long day and the water was crystal clear. After that it was starting to get dark so we decided to find some place to set up camp. We found a small clearing with velvety moss on the ground. We set up a fireplace from small stones. Amy and Jenn decided to hit the sack soon after. Today's events had got to them. We ignited a few twigs and started the fire thanks to Peter's lighter. I looked through the gems and gold pieces, they shimmered in the light of fire. And the fire looked really nice and comforting.

"Luke I am sorry about that before." Said Peter. "Can you forgive me for making fun of you all that time. It was stupid of me and I don't know why I do it. If I do it again please ignore me."

"Thanks but I don't mind that much. You are my friend. That being said, I kind of understand why you do it."

"I will try to stop. I don't like being a jerk to my oldest friend. It is just that every time I see you like this I feel bad for you. Which makes me insecure and then I make jokes at your expense.

"I know it is weird to be like this. By the way, I thought you stopped smoking half a year ago. So how come you have the lighter?" I asked still looking at the gems.

"Well. I know where are you heading. I... I meant to tell you but never got around to it. I have developed severe asthma. Amy recommended this and it really helps. It is strange but it helps me." He showed me a small plastic bag with weed.

"I see. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid that after what happened..." He said saddened.

"You are my friend no matter what. You know I got an idea. Do you have papers too?"

"Yeah but I ain't smoking it. I use vape. Much cleaner."

"I was thinking of that spell I used before. I didn't know I could do it and yet I had a hunch I was capable of it. I was only able to do it when my life was hanging in the balance. Next time I might not be so lucky. I need to try your weed it might help me get to the knowledge I need in order to cast Lina's spells. I need to completely let go and relax. In my current state of mind I can't."

"I don't know.. it might be dangerous for you in this state. Who knows what could happen." He said pulling the vaporizer from his pocket.

"I have to take the risk and you know it. If it works maybe it could even work for the others It could help you unlock Ranma's martial arts."

"That would be cool. But I think you are grasping at straws here. No pun intended." Pete said.

"Maybe I am. I have to do this. Please! I feel so helpless. I got us into this. I have to help us out of it."

"For the hundredth time. It isn't your fault. I also know I can't talk you out of it so here just press this button."

"Thanks." I said as I waited for the device to heat up. We talked about old times. I still couldn't feel any effects of this. I guess I should have been more careful. After a moment it hit me like a bag of bricks. I just wanted to relax. Now the high was increasing every second. I felt sleepy and relaxed. Too relaxed.

"Are you alright?" He asked worried.

"I don't know. I feel sleepy."

"I said that you shouldn't take so much. It's too strong for you." Pete said worried.

"I think I should lie on the ground." I said. As soon as I laid down I was out cold. Pete saw this and with a worried expression, covered me with my cape. .

My eyes opened and I seemed to be in some kind of old library and a huge one at that. I was still in my "Lina" form. I saw a counter but there was no one there.

"Anyone here? What is this place? Where am I?" I shouted. No answer. Only my voice echoed thru this immense building. It kind of reminded me of New York library. It had large windows that let lots of light in. Polished marble floor with some very complex patterns. In front of the counter was an inlaid quote:

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." It seemed to glow when I stepped over the text, my cape flowing behind me. There was a bell at the counter so I rang it.

"Be right there." A familiar voice replied. It almost sounded like an echo.

Out of the door behind counter came a person who looked like Lina Inverse, but she had no cape or shoulder guards and was wearing glasses.

"Who the heck? Who are you?"

"The librarian you dumb ass." She snarked.

"I can kind of see that but why do you look like me? I mean Lina Inverse?" I had to correct myself. She just pointed at the inscription engraved to the floor.

"So there is no spoon." I mumbled.

"It is easy you are in an altered state of mind and you are accessing your subconscious. You wish to know something. Something about me therefore you are in my library. By the way next time just meditate. It is better than drugs." She said with a knowing smile.

"Since you seem to know why I am here could you show me what I need to know? Oh and why I am still like this? Shouldn't I be back to my real self when I am here?"

"No, it doesn't work that way. You can't learn magic in your old form. You would be unable to grasp it." She said and pulled like ten heavy books on top of the counter.

"Here is what you wanted, if you need anything I'll be in the back." She replied and pointed at the door behind the counter.

"Thanks I guess." I said

"I almost forgot. Take these." She handed me her glasses.

"I don't need those." I replied taking some of the books.

"Trust me! You will thank me latter. You have red eyes which are extremely sensitive to artificial light.

"Alright then." I said and took the books to a table in the hall.

The library was well-lit thanks to those big windows. It looked really old. It had an almost ghostlike presence to it. I laid the books on the table and sat on the chair next to it. Library shelves were towering over me like silent watchers who guarded this place. The cover of the first book was labeled: 1 Basics of magic and mana terminology - knowledge behind the myth. It was thick. Luckily I am a quick reader. It was really weird but I could understand what was written there even if it was impossible to be true. It spoke about what mana is, how it is used. How it is recharged and replenished. For an example if I was to drain myself totally out of mana my hair would go white as the result of an chemical reaction of mana residue that is left when user tries to tap an empty reserve. It also said that great sources of mana may be strong emotions and happy memories. There were whole chapters describing how to handle mana. How to shape it and control it so it doesn't backfire and go wild.

Number two was labeled Girl Just Face It.

"What the heck how did this get here." I put the book aside and continued with number 3 which I discovered was blank.

"Ok, ok I'll read it." I yelled.

When leafed thru it I encountered an interesting passage. "That time of the month." I knew this stuff well cause Jenn was always grumpy about it. It said that I can't use my magic at that time. There were whole sections dedicated to hair care etc. For example there was described how to comb your hair in the right way for it to be always shiny and strong. There was lots of stuff I had no clue about before.

Number 3 title was The Attire of a Sorceress. There were different things explained, for example the headband I was wearing protected me from mind altering and control spells. The dagger that I had was there for various reasons. Starting with that time of the month for self-defense, and ending with some incantations and rituals linked to blood and such. Gems were presented as reservoirs of mana and magic capacity extenders. An extra chapter was dedicated to demon blood talismans. I seemed to be missing number 4 so I took 1 to 3 back to the counter and returned with the rest of the books.

Number 4 was White healing magic. There I learned basic healing and restoration spells. I didn't care about it that much. I knew it would come in handy to know but it was really boring and mundane.

5 Shamanism and elemental magic. There was lots and lots of magic, from which I recognized Fireball that I had already used once. Accept that. I found Ra Tilt, Freeze Arrow, Levitation and Raywing which got me excited. These would be really useful to me. Dill Brand for earth magic and Digger Volt which was electric attack. I really liked fire spells like Blast Bomb or Fire Lance. There were lots of other useful spells.

6 Was inscribed with the title Black Arts. It held Lina's trademark spells: Dragon Slave, Ragna Blade and Giga Slave with lots of others. I made a mental mark to not use the Giga Slave ever. There were lots of less destructive and more precisely aimed spells in this category too. For example Dark Claw and Dynast Brass or Ferrous Bleed.

7 Talisman creation and location system. This volume explained how to find lost things or people. This might be really useful I thought. Could make some money with this.

8 Wards and protection spells.The book contained spells like Windy Shield or Vas Gluudo. When I dropped the books at the counter Lina the librarian was there.

"So did you find what you wanted?" She grinned.

"Yeah I think I found more than I hoped for. By the way will I see you again?"

"It is not entirely impossible if you need to you can meditate and reach me."

"Thank you then. I'll be going now." I turned and headed to the exit. I turned my head again to the counter as I stepped out of the door and saw white emptiness there. I woke up and heard the voices of my friends.

"Hey what d'you mean you gave her weed and she passed out? Amy questioned Pete.

"Hey look she's awake." Pete informed them

"You are not off the hook yet." Jenn quickly rushed to me. "Are you mad? You try anything like this again and I will kill you. I almost died with worrying about you."

"Hey take it easy Gourry my head hurts like it was stomped on by elephant. Anyway what time is it? Heck I am hungry!" I said and brushed hair off my face.

"Wait a minute! Did I just speak to Jenn as Gourry?" I can have a bit fun with that, I thought.

"Here Luke! We all already ate." Said Pete and handed me an apple.

"Luke? Who are you talking about. My name is Lina, and who are you anyway?" I took the apple and started eating. This was hilarious.

"I am your friend Peter remember? Here is Amy and Jenn." He pointed at them.

"I don't know what you talking about, I don't know you two and this is Gourry a self-sworn protector of mine."

"You think it is the weed or the magic?" Peter asked.

"Hard to say." Amy replied. Jenn looked shocked.

"Hey hey hey. Got you all." I exclaimed laughing.

Jenn jumped at me and pushed me to the ground by my shoulders.

"Don't do this to me you idiot I thought you lost it!" I still held apple in my teeth as he pinned me to the ground. I reached with my hand and grabbed the apple so I could speak.

"Want a bite?" I offered him the apple. We all laughed as Jenn lifted me up.

"You didnt need to be that rough, did you? By the way it worked I now have all the knowledge I need I just need to try it out. You should all be able to access this just by deep meditation." I told them as I finished the apple and brushed some dirt off myself.

"Hell I am sweaty I must have sweated like a pig thru the night." I was right, I hadn't noticed it before but I smelled kind of like Jenn after long run on the beach in the morning. Kind of a sweet smell. I remembered I liked it when Jenn smelled like this now I couldn't stand it.

"Hey Jenn how do I smell to you?"

"What a weird thing to say Luke." Said a smiling Pete. I shot a glare at him that could kill and he stopped instantly.

"Kind of nice actually, sweet and a bit sexy." Jenn replied sniffing at my neck.

"That is what I was afraid of. The change is messing with our heads." I stated while pulling away from Jenn.

"So you are ok then. You only switched roles." Amy mused.

"Ok is not the right way to put it. I am not exactly ok with the fact that my girlfriend slash boyfriend finds me sexy like this! I mean what comes next? I will look at guys? Anyway its about time we got moving. The sooner we get to a city, the sooner I can get a bath and decent food." I said determined.

"I'll be right back." I said and shouted "Levitation!" Surprised that it worked I darted up over the crowns of the trees. I rose higher and looked around. It was really nice feeling to float in the air, nothing restraining me, no harness or solid ground supporting me. I rose even higher, then I noticed a settlement near a river. I took out my camera and zoomed in. It looked like a medieval city. I took a picture and pulled out my phone which I turned on. The city was located on the south-west from my current location something like 15 miles away.. I turned off my phone again and slowly dropped back to the ground.

"Hey that is amazing. Could you teach us that?" Amy said jealously.

"Maybe. We can try it later. I saw a city southwest. And hold your pants. It is medieval kind of. We are not in our world anymore." I took out the camera and showed them the picture.

"I envy you Luke. It has to be wonderful to fly like that." Jenn pointed out.

"It is even better. You can feel the breeze and power going thru you. Kind of a thrill looking around."

"It's long time since I saw you this lively and carefree Luke. It is good to know you are still bit like that." Pete's nostalgia was showing.

"It is like I am totally different person learning the basics again. Speaking of which - Lords of Darkness of the Four worlds I call upon you." I started the activation sequence. I Could feel the raw power and my magic capacity increasing. It felt like I grew half a meter in size.

"What the hell!" Pete exclaimed.

"Grant me all the power that you possess!" As I finished the sequence All four talismans lighted up in sequence. This caused me to get a shark-like smile across my face.

"Lord of the Dreams that Terrify, Sword of Cold and Darkness, free yourself from the heavens' bonds." I got smacked to the head by Jenn which interrupted my concentration and the spell failed to be cast.

"Don't cast Ragna blade just for fun!" Jenn said, looking mad.

"I... I just wanted to see if I can do it. I wanted to find my limits." I looked disappointed at Jenn.

"What is Ragna Blade?" Asked confused Amy.

"A spell that summons a sword of darkness that can cut thru anything. One of the most power draining and dangerous spells after Giga Slave." Jenn informed the others.

"You overreacted Jenn, I could do it safely."

"You don't know that. You should know this spell comes with a price."

"What price Jenn?" Pete was almost afraid to ask.

"The person casting it must be a master sorcerer or sorceress. It requires great deal of concentration and willpower to control the blade. This spell also hurts its users if it is cast for longer periods of time or several times close together." Jenn informed the others.

"I know that," I said, "I would drop it instantly if I managed to cast it successfully."

"Please just try to control your powers. As they say with great powers comes great responsibility. It is here exactly for these situations. Do you want to draw too much attention from local authorities? People will start rumors that you are a killer bandit and enemy of all who live if you keep going like this." Jenn lectured me.

"I got the picture Jenn I will keep a low profile but I need to practice my skills or at least see what I can do."

"I understand this but you have to start small. Please Luke do it for me."

"Alright Jenn I will try. But don't expect me to stand back when someone attacks any of you. They will get no mercy, and there will be no regrets. Anyway, let's go I can't wait to get a proper meal." I headed in the direction of that city I saw from the air.

"You know we teased you at the con, but now I can clearly see that you are really a lot like her." Jenn smiled.

We were on our way to the city. As before we took a few pictures on our way. It was a long way but when we got to the outskirts of the city it was even clearer that this was not our world.