(Path of the Dragon Mage: Nomad). 26. Talent of Earth 2 of 2 (Patreon)

Corvus allowed Perry to lead him down the hall to the grand palace’s library. As usual, he was bursting with questions. Why had Perry's quest to bring Corvus here? What had he been doing the decades since Larissa had last seen him? What secrets of the Path system did he know? He worked for governor Karol, so did that mean Karol was aware of the Path system? Was Perry a friend or a foe?

Finally, Corvus settled on an open-ended comment that might lead to more information than an outright question. "I’m surprised you revealed your knowledge of the Paths so willingly."

Perry shrugged, making several jewels jingle. "It has long been a personal quest to find other Path walkers, and I’ve found you get more by being open-handed than by being clandestine."

“Does the Governor know?”

The man smiled, showing an eye tooth that had been replaced by a glittering red gem. It should have given him a fierce appearance. Instead, it made him look cheesy and overblown. “Karol calls me his hedge-witch. It’s a close description, but not accurate. One of the first steps along my path was to become a hedge-witch. Since then, I’ve… evolved.”

Corvus stopped dead in his tracks in surprise. “My first step was hedge-witch, too.”

“I thought so. It’s a common starting point for those who are interested in magic. I sense you’ve just started walking the Paths, but you’ll find the first few steps build a foundation that you’ll refer back to later.” Perry gestured and they continued walking. “And now you’re on a witch doctor step? Forgive me, but that’s an interesting choice for a Prince.”

Corvus sensed the unasked questions and sidestepped them. “You seem to know much about me. Did your quest give you this information?” The quests he received could be sparing on the details, and he would be rather put out if Perry’s revealed more.

Perry chuckled. "No, only that I was to bring you to the library. This beauty is what told me what you were." He tugged off one of his gaudy rings which had a large, square blue stone inset on it. "Try it on."

Curious, Corvus took the ring. The slight buzz of magic tingled at his senses, though it disappeared when he slipped it over his finger. Nor did he receive an item description from it. Interesting.

"Now, shake my hand," Perry said, turning to offer his hand. 

Corvus did.

Name: Perry Tuolumne

Race: Human

Age: 49

Path: Path of the Blacksmith

(14th step – Class: Master Runic Gem Artist)

Level: 55

Alliance: Meadow City Government

These were bare-bone details. Corvus could have seen more from including the man in a party and asking to view his sheet, but to glean all this from a simple touch was an extraordinary piece of magic. Corvus took off the ring and looked at it. It was hard to tell, even with his rune sight helping him along, but he thought there were inscriptions embedded within the crystal. 

"Amazing. Does this work for non-Path Walkers?"

"Oh, yes. I don’t receive their levels, of course. But seeing their secret alliances and affiliations has paid off more than once.” Perry flashed another glittering grin. “What's amazing is finding out that a prince is one of us. It is quite an exclusive club. And that your alliance is with the Horse Folk.”

Corvus would have rather kept that a secret and didn’t thank Perry for drawing it out in the open. “We have been friends for some time.”

“Forgive me for being blunt, but since we are alone… are you a prince? There has been some question within the governor’s circles… No one quite knows what to think of you."

Corvus opened his mouth to say that it was complicated… But was it?

Legally, no. He was no longer considered Cipherus’s son and therefore not a prince. But that was a matter of politics. In his heart, by his dragon, and in his blood… Yes, he was a prince.

Perhaps reclaiming his birthright started in small steps. "Yes, I am,” he said and decided that he would continue to say it until he believed it again.

He felt Charm’s pleased rumble through their mental connection.

Perry gave a short nod as if he approved. "And how is Larissa? Still the Long-Eyes for that tiny village?" At Corvus's confused look, he deliberately glanced down at Corvus’s belt which held several sharp throwing knives. "Those were her favorite weapons. She'll teach them to anybody given half a chance."

"… Yes.” Corvus resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck. “She is healthy and well… Still very opinionated. I saw her last a few years ago, and she was at level seventy-two.”

"Level Seventy-Two, and still in that little village?” Perry shook his head. "What is the use of levels if you don't do anything with them? Ah, here we are."

It was at that point that Perry turned the next corner. At the end of the hall sat two large wooden doors, darkened with age. "Here is the library. I was promised quite the reward, so for whatever the reason I brought you here, it must be important."

Naturally, that brought up another question. "How does the quest system know where to send us? Can it see the future?"

Perry stopped just before pushing open the doors. He turned to Corvus. "I sincerely hope not. There is a woman — one of us Walkers — who thought there was an ancient all-seeing eye who directs the quests and issues rewards. I like to think that we play a part in the system, too. You know of self-directed quests?"

At Corvus’s nod, he continued. “The fact that we can assign our own quests, and are paid well for them, gives me hope for self-determination. Also, it's not impossible to think that we are connected through the entwining Path system in some form – your Path crosses mine in the cobweb of life. As we drew closer, a mutually beneficial quest was generated. These are only guesses, but I find it much easier than a fate I must follow."

With that, Perry turned and pushed open the door.

The library was large — though not as extensive as the Palace’s up at the capitol which was an entire three-story-tall complex all of its own. Every shelf was packed with books and scrolls. But what caught Corvus’s attention was the impressive display of ancient weapons along the far wall.

But the wooden shelves were impressive as were the weapons display along one wall.

Corvus’s rune sight lit up one in particular.

A suit of armor stood mounted up, the metal polished to a gleam. And, inscribed all over the surface including the cuirass, were runes.

"Interesting, isn't it?" Perry said, joining him as he examined the armor. "This was said to be worn by an ancient paladin — a sort of warrior for the monarchy of the time. They usually came from noble families."

Corvus’s eyes skimmed greedily over the armor. There were several versions of Stay inscribed in different places — he assumed to strengthen the armor or redistribute blows rained upon it from other warriors. There were also linked Cancel and basic heating runes. He assumed this armor had fire-proof abilities, too. More runes were inscribed on the visor — not ones he recognized, but he saw versions of the glyph for sight. Some sort of visual enhancement?

What caught his eye was one cluster of runes in particular which was repeated several times along each of the interlocking joints, and where the cuirass met the arms and neck guards.

They were inverted Stay runes, linked together with two others in a short chain. An X for Cancel and an open circle glyph. The open circle had two more lines that extended out of the barrier runes, like pipes. He had never seen anything like it.

"What are these?"

Perry squinted. "It's a utility feature to keep the pieces together while the paladin wore them. The attraction runes are bracketed by an 'on' and 'off' rune. That way the paladin could take off the armor after the battle."

Corvus gaped at the simple explanation for something he'd been searching for years. He fumbled out a short notepad out of his pocket and swiftly began to sketch the runes.

He had teased Roan about his death hammer, but if he could turn runes on and off... well, the idea became much more feasible.

"How strong is the attraction from one object to another?" Corvus asked as he drew. "If I etched one on a sheath, the other on a throwing knife—"

"I see where you’re going and it won't be strong enough," Perry said, "For that amount of recall, you need an Entanglement Rune Collection."

Corvus wasn't ready to give up yet. "What if I attached a mana reservoir to both ends, with a fuse-linked detonator? The moment the fuse breaks, the attraction rune is triggered."

Perry cocked his head. He had gone from amused and slightly condescending to interested. "I haven't come across fuse-linked runes before. I think, you and I will have a lot of knowledge to trade."

Corvus grinned. He wasn't sure if he liked this odd, glittering man at first. Now he was certain that he did. "I agree. We're going to need it, for what's to come."

"And what do you think that is exactly?"

It was hard to make himself turn away from the runes, but this was important. "Did the Governor not tell you about ratkin threat?"

"Yes," Perry said, "Karol’s been sitting in those abominable meetings for days. It's been causing quite the stir—ah, but your alliance is with the Horse Clan." He gave Corvus a penetrating look. "I assume the reports haven't been exaggerated?"

"I've seen the mega-swarm myself and received the quest. Destruction of the city is one of the failure points."

Perry stared. "By ratkin?"

"You've never seen this many ratkin," Corvus said. "Or the dragon which leads them."

Perry closed his eyes, pained, as if several things had clicked into place. "Of course, you’re a dragon mage," he muttered. When he opened his eyes again, they were clear. "Well, perhaps it is no coincidence that two hedge-witch Path Walkers met at this point. Though, it doesn't explain the quest update I just received—"

He stopped as a rapid pair of footsteps sounded across the nearly empty hallway.

Turning, Corvus saw a servant boy no older than eleven years old in the uniform of a paige. He looked nervous in a way that servants usually did when they had bad news to deliver.

Stopping before them, the boy executed a hasty bow. "Sirs, I beg your pardon for the interruption, but I was sent to find you right away. The Princess is in distress."

Perry looked surprised. "What's happened?"

But Corvus didn't care to question the boy. "Show me where she is."

"This way, sirs." The paige quickly led him out.

They moved through a half jog through several twisting hallways and corridors. Along the way, they nearly ran into a second group converging on the same area: Governor Karol and several men dressed in such fine clothing that they must be the city's high nobles. In the back, standing out both by his plain clothing and bemused expression, stood Kale. Apparently, the governor's meeting had been interrupted.

Seeing them, Karol scowled. "Sir Perry, Prince Corvus. Do either of you know what this is about?"

"I do not," Perry said easily, though he spun one of the many rings on his finger with his thumb. It seemed to be a nervous gesture.

Corvus merely shook his head.

Scowling, the governor swept past them and hurried forward down the hallway to what looked like individual rooms.

The group broke into a run at the faint sounds of screaming.

Several women and men in servant's uniforms were clustered outside one heavy door. Her muffled screams came from beyond.

"Oh sirs!" one of the servants exclaimed upon seeing the governor. "The door's locked, sir. We cannot get through!"

Karol turned to Perry. "Open the door, witch."

Without a word, Perry swept forward, removing one of his rings as he did so. Holding it between his fingers, he slammed the ring, gem first, against the door.

The gem shattered and a wave of force split open the door as if it had been hit with a battering ram. The splinters were thrown unnaturally up and down, not out. That had been a well-controlled blast.

Forgoing decorum, Corvus pushed his way through the nobles and into the room, Karol and Perry on his heels.

Starella didn't seem to notice their entrance at all. She sat in the middle of a large bed, one hand on the dragon egg in her lap, the other clutching her head as she wailed.

The egg, Corvus thought, without quite knowing why.

As the governor and the others stood staring in surprise, Corvus swept forward and snatched the dragon egg out of her grasp.

It twitched in his fingers.

The moment the physical connection was cut from the egg, Starella sagged and then gasped. She looked up at Corvus, eyes wide. Her free hand shot out and gripped his arm with a shocking amount of strength. In a raspy voice, she said, "They're here! They're underground! You have to stop them! Corvus, you have to do something!"