Dragon Sorcerer 1- Chapter 13 (Patreon)

Chapter 13- Not Running

I looked around and got my bearings. This forest was tiny as such things were considered, but it was still very different from what I had known in the desert. Yet, here I was about to go looking for two bear cubs.

I didn't know why I would do something so wasteful. It wasn't like the cubs could do anything to help me. Oh sure they might be decent servants in the future if I had intended to set up a domain here, but they just a drain now.

Except, I actually did know why I was doing this. Cami had asked. Why the request of my human servant should mean so much was beyond me. The past two days had already been confusing and the dragon dream wasn't helping.

The connection between Cami and me was not shaping up the way that it should at all. I had thought she might be a useful servant, but I'd already made an oath to protect her. We were bonded in some strange way. She had already proven useful by showing me a combat spell. I would need it while I was stuck in this fragile, squishy form.

Yet as much as I tried to convince myself it was only about how useful Cami could be to me, I knew it was more than that. I wanted to help her, to make her happy.

I sighed. I was either going mad or I had accepted her as a part of my hoard or maybe part of my clutch. Maybe that was it. Maybe she was the replacement for Sheraleigh. That made sense, although dragons were hardly known for their tender affections with clutch mates. Either way, I now found myself running through the forest to help the bear cubs who in all likelihood had already wandered off.

I ran through the forest, following Cami's directions. As I moved, I could sense the ancient magic this place held. It was old and powerful, and it was calling out to me. I wanted to explore it more, to unravel the secrets it held, but I had to focus on the task at hand.

Maybe it was because I had spent more time here but I was starting to feel the nuances of the power here. It was dark and twisted. No, that wasn't quite right. There was mana everywhere in the world, even the desert had its own flavor. But the something older than the forest had woken here.

I had to run much more slowly than I normally would so Cami could keep up with me. It was a good reminder of how fragile she was. She was little more than a child and even if she shared magic with me now, she would need protecting.

We reached the spot where we'd left the bears the night before but neither of the cubs were there. I didn't smell any blood although this human nose was almost worthless when it came to such things. Nor did I see any signs of fighting.

Cami looked concerned.

"Don't worry. They are big enough to start taking care of themselves." I really had no idea why I said something like that. It was factually true enough but I had reacted to Cami's emotional state rather than any need to share information. I was not likely this uncertainty that I felt.

Then from behind us, I heard a stick break. I whirled around with the magic of Force Darts gathering between my hands which were covered in a bluish-white glow.

As I spun Modessa asked, "Who's big enough?"

It was Galbrecht who'd broken the stick, while the rogue was actually much closer to me. The words of the question died on her lips as she saw the glow around my hands.

"That isn't illusion magic." Her dagger was already out of her sheath and for the second time in as many days it was up against my throat. The habit was starting to piss me off.

I felt a chill go through me. It was a fascinating experience because as a dragon, I was naturally cold blooded, but this human body was so sensitive. Emotion seemed to play a part in regulating my temperature.

"I'm only going to tell you this once. If you ever put your claw against me again, only one of us is going to walk away." I spoke slowly and deliberately to hide the anxiety that I felt. It wouldn't do for these murderous adventurers to know how uncertain I was about the outcome of such a fight.

Galbrecht said, "Modessa, why do we keep talking about this?"

I refused to let the magic of my spell go but held it gathered in my hands. A notification popped up asking me if I wanted to spend my DKP to gain the magical skill: Energize Spell. I ignored it for now. This Tier 1 spell wasn't going to defeat a high level rogue, but I also wasn't going to back down.

Galbrecht stepped closer. "Modessa."

Finally, she stepped back from me. She held her blade up still, but at least it wasn't against my throat. Knowing enough about power struggles, I made the next gesture and released the half-formed spell.

Her next question caught me off guard. "What'd you call my dagger?"

I'd expected a question about the spell, but no. I thought back through what I'd said in my anger and then ground my flat human teeth together. How could I have been so stupid?

Cami stepped in for me. "He called it your blade."

The rogue shook her head. "No, I don't think he did."

Galbrecht said, "What are you going on about? Modessa, we just need to get them to the university. You know what the emperor's decree is. Even you aren't so flippant as to disregard his commands."

She stepped further away from me but never took her eyes off of me and only stopped when she could see all three of us at the same time.

"He called my dagger a claw. I want to know what he is."

Galbrecht sighed. "We were going to wait for Serius to test them but I don't think that's an issue any longer. At least not for Nico. He clearly has magical ability."

"Fine so he's a wild mage. All the more reason to kill him, but who calls a dagger a claw?"

Cami moved to stand between me and the rogue. "You're imagining things. You've hated Nico from the beginning. What's your problem with him?"

Before Modessa could answer, the paladin stepped forward too. "The girl does have a point. I know your history..."

Modessa hissed. "Shut your mouth. Not a word about that."

Galbrecht sighed. "Fine, but I know you. Generally, I trust your instincts but I can't see what has you all worked up about Nico."

"I don't know either. According to my skills he is what he says he is, but I trust my gut and my gut tells me something is off about him."

"We can question him more later but we can't fight amongst ourselves out here. You saw those monsters. You know what their presence means." Galbrecht's tone was solemn.

"But what if he's with them?"

Cami spoke over top of the two of them. "I don't know."

Both the rogue and paladin focused on the farmer's daughter for a moment. She blushed but quickly added, "I don't know what those monsters means. Can someone explain it to me. This is my home after-all."

Modessa frowned but Galbrecht's expression softened. "She does have a right to know."

Almost like she was spitting Modessa said, "Fine you tell her, but I'm keeping my eyes on him."

Galbrecht seemed to focus on Cami and his voice took on the tone my mother used to have when she would explain simple things like how to tell if meat was rotten or safe to eat.

"What did you notice about the monsters, Modessa was fighting earlier?"

"They looked like rabbits but not really. They were too big and had wings and talons like birds."

He nodded. "Right and that's sorta like the ones that Nico described encountering last night, right?"

"Yeah except those were part monkey and part mosquito."

"Both are examples of what are known as the mutated. They can come in all shapes and sizes. They are always the combination of at least two different natural animals and sometimes more than two."

"Okay, but where do they come from?" Cami asked.

"Horrors."

I heard the word as Galbrecht spoke it and it tinkled my memory. Specifically, the dream about my ancestor and the orc riding on her back, Tra'vis. They had been fighting giants, but the word horrors meant something to her. Maybe it was only because that memory was so fresh, but I felt more in touch with that ancestor than any other at the moment.

Modessa cut back in, her voice hard. "Horrors are creatures from the underworld that have escaped from their prisons. They have corrupted the land and changed the animals into those things you saw."

Cami's face paled and she looked a bit sick at the thought. Galbrecht continued, "That is just a rumor. We don't know that they are actually tied to the god of death."

Modessa's voice came in again, "Fine we don't know, but do you have a better explanation."

Galbrecht sighed, "Regardless, this is why it is important to take all of the precautions we can, which is why we all need to stay together. It is safer that way."

I had tried to stay quiet so as to defuse Modessa's mood but I finally realized what I could say to help the situation. The trick was that with a paladin, I had to make sure everything I said was technically true.

"My ancestors fought horrors in the past. Some even died fighting horrors." The last part had just popped out. I didn't have a specific recollection from the dragon dream of that, but the dream was always the most confusing around emotionally charged moments like the death of a dragon. Still, I was sure that it was true, even if I didn't know how.

Modessa stopped looking at me long enough to glance at Galbrecht. The paladin quickly nodded his head. I might not be very adept at reading human expressions, but even I knew he had just confirmed for her that I was speaking the truth.

The rogue sheathed her dagger. An odd expression was on her face like she had just tasted something bitter. I kept quiet watching her till she said. "Fine, I suppose you can't help it if you suddenly developed magic. It isn't like you caused the horrors. Maybe their presence here is what led to both of you developing magic. I still don't trust you, but as long as you don't use any magic without permission, I'll make sure you reach the university."

"And normally, that would be the most important thing, but we have to at least gather information about where the horror came from and where it might be going," Galbrecht said.

Modessa laughed. "Oh great, now that I'm agreeing to take them to the university you want to stay."

"You know we can't leave a horror running free. Power comes with responsibility."

"Maybe for you. There's a reason I didn't join any guilds or churches. Besides, as strong as we are, fighting some mutated is one thing, fighting a horror is something entirely different."

I weighed the situation in my head and pondered if I should tell them I had seen what I believed was the horror. So far, I had only talked about the mutated monkey monsters I'd fought the night before. Only Cami knew about the other. Even thinking about that thing made me feel uncomfortable as though its mind was still reaching out crawl into mine.

Galbrecht sighed, "Fine, we'll leave for now. We can wait until Serius and the others arrive. But we all need to keep our eyes open in the meantime." Then he looked at Cami, "Do you know who the mayor is? We should probably warn someone here about this."

She nodded.

Galbrecht started to turn back to the town but then paused. “Actually, we still need to find the spot that Nico first saw the mutated. How about this. You take Cami back to town and fill the mayor in. Nico can show me what he found last night and then at least we’ll have a full picture for when the rest of the team arrives.”

Modessa looked at the paladin. “If you weren’t a goodie goodie, I’d think you were up to something. Fine, I could use a bath anyway. It’s not even noon and I’ve got monster guts all over me. Worst part, they weren’t even strong enough to give us any XP.”

With that we parted ways. Galbrecht and I turned to walk further into the woods while the two women headed back to town. Oddly, enough, I was more worried about Cami with the rogue than I was about what awaited in the woods. Something was definitely wrong with me.