Ruger lay on his side on his shabby little bed. The faint light of the Blood Sun spilled through the window onto his face, bringing an unspoken sense of comfort and relaxation as he quietly enjoyed the peace of the night. His mind, massaged by a bout of wandering thoughts, finally settled into that same ease. Before the sky grew bright, his breathing steadied, and he drifted off to sleep without realizing it.
However shabby this little bed was, it was still softer than the enormous bed in his old cave, where he could roll around all he liked without falling off.
Ruger rolled over and got up.
He first looked at the dazzling Blood Sun outside the window, then at the furry doll in his hand.
Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep playing with the doll. Fortunately, there was no one here to laugh at him.
Besides, even if someone saw him sleeping with a doll, he did not think they would laugh. This was no ordinary doll. It was a Blood Curse Doll. Anyone who laughed simply did not know what they were looking at. This thing could kill, even if Spirit Fur Nourishment had made the furry little thing wonderfully smooth and pleasant to touch.
Ruger sat on the edge of the bed, giving his brain another waking massage with a fresh round of wandering thoughts.
He stared at the furry doll in his hand and pressed a finger against its core.
Buried there were the traces of blood and the Arcane Imprint left when he made the dog-fur doll. Recalling the descriptions in his notes, he began powering the spell model for Kafei's Impatience Spell.
He took out the dead egg he had found in a tree hollow and kept all this time. He had