(Path of the Dragon Mage: Exiled) 54. Moon Breath (Patreon)

A/N: This is a little crunchy but we're going to cover some important stuff.

“Can I ask you a question?” Corvus said.

He and Gwen were sitting together in a cleared space among the brush. The sun was lowering towards the afternoon. Soon it would be night, the village gates would close, and they could work on a way to contact Larissa under the cover of darkness.

Though they were at rest, neither was relaxed. While they traveled away from what was left of Solt’s estate, NightShade had picked up the sounds of other people among the brush. He couldn’t tell if they were searching soldiers, and neither he nor Gwen dared to get close enough to look.

They kept their distance, hiding in the thickest patches of the unending brush until NightShade communicated all was clear.

The horse on the other side of the small glade, his ears pricked and alert.

Charm had woken after her nap and was currently crawling around, sniffing at the spiky tops of the grass. A beetle caught her attention, and she stalked it with the focus of a predator.

“Wasn’t that a question?” Gwen asked.

At his consternated look, she laughed. “Haven’t you heard that one before?”

“No.” He scratched the side of his neck and thought. “Um, can I ask you two more questions?”

“Go ahead.”

“Can I see your pendant? I want to take another look at the runes.”

With a nod, she removed the pendant over her head to drop it in his hand.

ITEM: See-Me-Not Pendent

DESCRIPTION: A magical artifact used to bend light around its wearer. Warning: Requires daylight or strong moonlight for maximum effect.

DURABILITY: 41/100

“Hmm. The durability is down,” he commented, absently.

“Yeah, I’ve had to use it a lot. Is there anything you can do?” she asked eagerly.

He shook his head. In his new rune sight, the two linked runes glowed an ominous ruby red, and he knew why.

There was an ownership stamp from the hedge witch who made the charm in the middle link. He would have to break through the stamp to recharge the rune. Judging by the warning red hue, he did not have the available mana pool. At least, not without using Second Wind. And that was still on cool down.

“No, but I’ll see what I can do once I hit the next level. I’m close, and every time I advance, my mana well grows larger.

Gwen nodded. Over the last couple of hours, he had outlined the basics of the Path system. He warned her that she ought to speak to Larissa, though. She was the real Path expert.

He turned his attention to the See-Me-Not pendant. He couldn’t charge it without endangering himself, but if he could re-create one just like it…

The first rune was the one he already knew: Bend Light.

The second was… odd. There were waves on the top, like simple depictions of the sea. The bottom was a scattered series of dashes as if an invisible quill had erased segments between the waves. No wonder he hadn’t remembered the exact pattern.

Still, he bent and copied it exactly into the dust before he activated it.

A dark blob appeared over the rune. It was darker than a moonless night — So dark that it was like his eyes wanted to fall into it.

Ding!

You have added Scatter Light to the rune dictionary.

Charm, who had been successful with her beetle hunt, wandered up to the rune with a leg and a wing sticking out of the corner of her mouth. She peered at the darkness, confused.

Gwen did, too. “Did you… do it wrong?”

“I don’t think so—Charm, no!”

The little dragon had promptly stuck her head into the darkness.

He grabbed her around the middle and yanked her free.

“Is she okay?” Gwen asked, half standing in alarm.

She was perfectly whole and struggled to turn herself around in Corvus’s grasp.

I see out, not in, Charm said, chirping happily.

Not seeming to notice that she had given Corvus a miniature heart attack, she crawled up to his shoulder and set about crunching the rest of her beetle near his ear.

“She’s fine,” he said.

“It looks like you to share the same common sense,” Gwen grumbled.

He turned to the dragon. “What do you mean, you were able to see out?”

I see out, not in, she confirmed which didn’t explain anything.

“Because the light was scattered?” he wondered, frowning down at the blob. If the first rune bent light, the second ensured whoever was in within the sphere of the charm would still need to see out, even if the light was bent around him…

… He was quickly getting a headache.

Corvus nudged a toe through the barrier circle to break the charm then reflexively went to his Rune Dictionary to check out the description. That might help confirm his theory.

When he pulled up the first menu, however, became sidetracked. There were several changes.

A second miniaturized portrait now sat next to his own. This one of a beautiful little dragon with an elegant swooping neck and small arrow-shaped head.

“What is it?” Gwen asked, seeing the strained look on his face. “Do you hear someone coming?”

“No. I just realized Charm has a profile sheet, as well.”

“Oh,” Gwen said. “NightShade does too. Is that weird?”

You could’ve told me, he thought grumpily, but the truth was he should have looked. It felt like this was the first time he had been able to catch his breath.

“I don’t know,” he said. “He didn’t occur to me that animals would.”

She sniffed. “NightShade’s more than some animal, and so is Charm.”

“You’re right…” He shook his head and rested his hand on top of Charm’s back in silent apology. “And I should have checked before.”

Eagerly, he pulled up her now.

Name: Charm

Gender: Female

Path: Bonded Companion

Level: 1

1/100 XP

99 XP to next level

“How did you already get a point—”

A crunching sound stopped him. Using his shoulder as an anchor, she had reached over to the nearest brushy branch and snatched a twig-like bug in her claws. The bug had been so well camouflaged that Corvus hadn’t realized it had been there at all.

After Charm crunched into the bug, she gained another point.

Well, eating bugs was easier power-leveling than fighting ratkin.

It seemed as if the experience points he gained from reaching level 10 had not followed after she hatched. Though he was grateful the points had helped her recover her strength when she had been in the egg. Besides, it would have been weird for her to hatch immediately as a level 5 dragon.

He returned his attention to the sheet.

Special attributes:

Dragon

As a dragon, you will command respect and authority throughout the mortal kingdoms. +5 to natural Strength and Charisma. + 5% bonus to all skills related to flying, hunting, and magic.

Bonded Companion

You are not alone in this world. As your bonded partner grows, so shall you. You shall share non-species-specific special attributes. In addition, your partner’s growth in any general skill will reflect directly on to you at a 25% initial rate, 10% after.

Bonded Partner sub-skills:

Night Vision

Charm had received his Night Vision, but not his Royal Blood or Ambidextrous special abilities.

While he was glad his combat penalty wouldn’t hinder her, the boost to her charisma and rune magic by his Royal Blood skill would have been useful.

Attributes

Strength: 15

(10 + 5 Dragon)

Speed: 12

Stamina: 10

Dexterity: 8

Charisma: 15

(10 +5 Dragon)

Intelligence: 14

Wisdom: 9

Her starting attributes were better than his own had been. Strength, especially. He assumed her strength was proportional to her size, and being a dragon, would grow as she did.

Skills:

Hunter - Beginner 1

Rune Magic - Beginner 4

Literacy - Beginner 2

Deception - Beginner 1

Dual Wield - Beginner 1

His lip quirked. “You have Dual Wield, too. Think we can find a pair of swords large enough when you grow up?”

Charm had finished her stick bug and was currently scanning the bushes for more.

Dragons breathe fire, she told him absently.

He batted her back. There was still one more aspect to her sheet… and this differed greatly from his own.

Current Essence:

Moon

0/1 Spells

Sun

0/1 Spells

Curious, he focused, and a second submenu appeared before his eyes.

Please choose from the following essence spells for “Charm” (Dragon bonded companion).

Moon:

• Breath of Silver Moon
• Silver Moon Illusion
• Moon Claw (Silver)

Sun:

• Solar Breath
• Sol Surface
• Radiance of The Sun

… What was this?

“Gwen?” Corvus said. “Does NightShade have an essence section on his profile?”

She frowned. Her gaze darted through the air as she checked for herself. “Yeah? I told you we gave him a Companion Essence when he was born. I thought this weird profile stuff meant something like that.”

“Focus on it. Does it give you an option for a spell?”

“A… spell?” Her voice trailed off as she read whatever it was her profile was showing her. Suddenly, she turned to her stallion. “Come here, NightShade. I think this thing is going to give you magic.”

Corvus grinned and reached up to Charm’s back to get her fleeting attention. “Can you see what I see?” he asked. “Can you see the spells?”

She chirped in answer, although he got the impression that the delicious bug hunt was much more interesting at the moment.

“I gave you some essences while you are in the egg,” he told her. “Which one do you like the most?”

Breath of The Moon: The ability to breathe a destructive beam of moonlight. Available at night or in low-light conditions only. Level of power is dependent on the current phase of the moon.

Moon Illusion: The ability to create basic illusions out of moonlight. Detail and duration of illusions based on the current phase of the moon.

Moon Claw: Imparts the silver strength of the moon within the claws and teeth. Available at night or in low-level light conditions only. Level of power is dependent on the phases of the moon.

Charm cocked her head. Will any make me breathe fire?

“Not quite.” Though his mind’s eye flashed a visual of her breathing a beam of moonlight. It wasn’t quite fire, but it was close.

She leaped upon it immediately. That one!

“Are you certain?” If he had his choice, he would’ve picked an illusion-based spell. “You might need to hide. You’re a dragon, but a little one –”

I want the moon fire!

“It’s not moon —”

Moon fire!

“Okay.” Giving in, he selected the Breath of The Moon and then the confirmation.

Charm shivered from nose to the tip of her tail, then rubbed the side of her head against his cheek in thanks. Her scales felt unusually cold, like she had been bathed in pure moonlight.

He turned to the next selections.

“Let’s do the sun.”

Solar Breath: Breathe a destructive beam of sunlight. Availability during the day only, power dependent on the currently available amount of sunlight —

That one!

She practically danced from foot to foot on his shoulder.

“What about the other two?” he said, and quickly summed them up. “Sol Surface: Allows you to heat your claws and scales. Radiance of The Sun creates a flash of blinding light—”

I breathe sun fire! she crowed, happily.

There was no dissuading her.

Amused, he marked that one.

Again, Charm shivered. Once it was done, she immediately leaped from his shoulders, her pearlescent wings spreading out to glide to the ground.

Something… very odd happened to her scales.

The threads of gold interwoven through her scales seemed to shift and coalesce into drips of gold which formed up into a pattern—no, a rune—on her back.

The rune flashed pure gold. She opened her mouth, lungs expanding majestically to breathe out a shaft of golden sunlight… and immediately set a tuft glass grass on fire.

NightShade snorted his disdain. Corvus swooped in to scoop the dragonet up and stomp the fire out. The rune had faded from her scales as soon as it had flashed into being.

Did you see that, Corvus? Did you see? She squeaked, looking extremely proud of herself.

“I did. Good job.” He put her back on his shoulder where she rubbed her little head against his cheek before turning to preen her glistening scales.

Corvus looked at Gwen who stood watching with NightShade. “What did you guys choose?”

“Deep companion communication,” she said. “I can hear NightShade clearer in my head. It was pictures mostly before, but now… I can almost hear his voice.” She frowned. “But I don’t understand, it says he needs nine more companion essences to reach Intermediate?”

Then he re-pulled up Charm’s sheet

Current Essences:

Moon

Current spell

Breath of the Silver Moon

5/10 essences until intermediate

Sun

Current spell

Solar Breath

7/10 until intermediate

“Charm’s Breath of the Moon and Sun are at five and seven. I think it’s because I gave her those when she was in the egg. These essences must level our companions as our experience does for skills… With beginning skills you have to get ten levels which move you to intermediate…” He trailed off and then grinned. “Larissa has those moon essences, remember? I bet I could get Charm up to intermediate immediately. Level one intermediate dragon,” he finished with a grin.

Charm perked up. More moon breath?

“A lot more moon breath,” he confirmed then held up Gwen’s pendant, having forgotten that the chain had been twisted in his fingers while he had been managing his exuberant hatchling dragon.

“Why should we wait until nighttime to go to the village? Let’s go now.”

“Are you sure?” Gwen asked.

“Better Larissa only have to sneak us out rather than in and out.”

Gwen looked hesitant.

He sweetened the pot a little. “If Larissa lets me have those moon essences, I’ll share some with NightShade.”

“You are not setting tufts of grass on fire with moon breath,” Gwen told the horse immediately, but when she turned back to Corvus, she was grinning. For the first time, she seemed truly excited about the aspects of the Path system. “It’s a deal. Let’s go.”