Dragon Mage 085 - New Companions (Patreon)
Content
375 days until the Arkon Shield falls
High Shaman,
You will be delighted to hear that my men have captured a group of humans with information on the whereabouts of a hidden dungeon. Iâm sending them north for further questioning.
âChief Zel Foghorn.
While Thornton and Cass stood back, I released the four prisoners. Jain, Liyanda, Pierre, and Cedric scrambled out of the cage as soon as I yanked open the door, almost as if they were afraid I would change my mind. The four had had a discussion of their own and appeared to have reconciled with their leaderâs decision.
From a few yards away, the scouts faced off with the strangers while I stood in between. Thornton and Cass kept their hands on their weapon, making no effort to disguise their animosity. I held dragonfire ready in my mind but showed no outward sign of wariness. Undeniably, the former prisoners had knowledge worth learning, but that didnât mean I was going to throw caution to the wind, and besides, I wasnât sure I believed their tale of a hidden dungeon yet.
I gestured to the four piles of belongings. âGo on,â I said to Jain. âTake them.â
The group re-equipped themselves quickly. I eyed the death magic scrolls enviously as they disappeared into Cedricâs voluminous robes. More than anything else, I had been tempted to keep one for myself, but Iâd restrained myself. If I was going to travel with the group, it was best I did not antagonize them further.
When the four were done, Jain turned to me. âNow what?â he asked.
I shrugged, glancing up at the sky. Dawn was still far off. âWe rest tonight. Then at first light, we set out.â I nodded to Thornton. âWe will use one of the refuge scrolls to secure the camp.â
Jain and Pierre exchanged glances. âNo need,â the rogue said. âPierre knows the Technique already. He can activate it without wasting a scroll.â
I blinked. âThen why were you carrying the scrolls?â
âBackup,â Jain said succinctly.
In case something happened to Pierre? I wondered. âWell, in that case, go ahead.â
The scouts and I watched intently as Pierre walked a slow circuit about the former orc camp, pulling down bushes to disguise the boundary and brushing away revealing tracks. His actions werenât purely physical, though.
In my magesight, I saw strands of spirit unravel in the hazel-eyed manâs wake. I pursed my lips. So the ability had elements of sorcery in it, too? I stepped up to Cedricâs side. âPierreâs Technique uses spirit?â
The death mage, still busy rearranging his pockets, glanced sideways at me. âMany Techniques do, but the spirit is woven blindly.â He gestured to the archer pacing the camp. âIf you asked Pierre how he did that, he wouldnât know. Even being told he was using sorcery would astonish him.â
I nodded slowly.
Pierre finished with his task and returned to join us in the center of the camp. âItâs done,â he said.
âLetâs turn in, then,â Jain said.
âWe will stand watch,â Thornton said.
Pierre looked at him in surprise. âThere is no need for that.â
Thorntonâs lips tightened. âNevertheless, we will.â
Jain stared at the mistrustful scout but didnât object. Thornton nodded to Cass, and the pair disappeared into the trees to watch for threats from outsideâand within. Effecting a nonchalance I didnât quite feel, I joined Jainâs party at the campfireâstill burning all this time.
Liyanda eyed the dead orcs piled together close by. âWhat about them?â
âLeave them,â Cedric said. âComing morning, I have a use for at least one.â His companions eyed him queasily but said nothing.
Pierre observed me as I lowered myself to the ground beside the group. âWhat happened to your foot?â he asked bluntly.
âInjured it in an accident years ago,â I responded in a tone that didnât invite further discussion.
In the midst of shoving a fistful of food into her mouth, Liyanda paused. âThen you chose to enter Overworld like that?â
She clearly hadnât gotten or taken the hint. Before I could respond, Jain shook his head, âDonât you recognize him, Li?â
The fighter looked at him blankly.
âHeâs the crazy bastard who killed the squad of orcs back on Earth,â Jain continued.
Cedricâs head whipped around to stare at the partyâs leader. âYouâre sure?â
Jain nodded, âI thought I recognized him earlier. The limp was the final confirmation.â
Pierre cursed. âGoddamnit, Jain. If you knew, why did you let him join us? Weâve all seen the bloody notices,â the archer continued. âThe orcs are turning the Dominion inside out searching for this idiotâs hide. Why the hell did you put us in their crosshairs by letting him travel with us?â
So, there it was: final confirmation that the orcs were hunting me, and desperately if Pierre was to be believed. I found the notion both comforting and scary. I said nothing, though, as the group turned their stares my way. I was slightly miffed by the four discussing me as if I was not there, but their remarks were proving enlightening.
Keeping my face impassive, I waited to listen to Jainâs response. Admittedly, I was curious to hear his reasoning, too.
âWe made a deal, and we will keep it,â Jain said mildly. âWeâve all seen our rescuerâs magic. Despite his⌠notoriety, he will be an asset in the dungeon.â The groupâs leader caught and held my gaze. âFor now, that is all that matters.â
I inclined my head in acknowledgment, not missing the underlying warning. Jain was willing to let me tag along, but only so long as I proved useful.
Pierre grunted, still unhappy. âHow did you do it?â he asked me. âHow did you manage to kill those orcs when everyone couldnât so much as scratch them?â
âGrenades,â I replied, declining to explain further.
Liyanda barked out a laugh. âThat mustâve been some fight. Iâm sorry I missed seeing it.â
I smiled tightly, unamused by her delight in what had been a dark moment in my own life.
âWhat magic do you have?â Cedric asked in an abrupt change of topic.
I held out my palms, letting flames bathe them. âFire magic, obviously.â I paused, considering how much of my abilities to reveal. âLife magic too,â I added a moment later, summoning a blue glow to replace the flames. âAnd death magic,â I finished.
The chubby majorâs eyes widened. âYouâve invested in three different schools of magic?â
I nodded.
âWhat possessed you to do something as daft as that!â Cedric exclaimed, snorting in disgust. âThat doesnât leave you nearly enough Tokens to invest in anything else.â
He didnât know I received double the standard amount of Tokens, and I saw no reason to enlighten him. I gestured at my foot, âGiven my deformities, magic was the only way I was going to survive this world.â
âThatâs the most foolishââ Cedric began.
Jain cut him off. âWhat spell did you use on the orc? Iâve never seen a Trainee mage do so much damage, much less to a Seasoned player.â
âItâs one of my own making,â I replied.
Cedric eyed me askance. âYou canât be suggesting you spellcrafted it?â
My lips curved upwards. âThatâs exactly what I did.â
Disbelief warred with curiosity on the death mageâs face. âHow did you do it?â he asked, leaning forward.
âSorry, I donât trust you enough to tell you that,â I said bluntly.
Disappointed by my response, Cedric sat back, and the conversation waned.
A little later, it was revived by Liyanda. The large woman had been shooting me glances, her gaze jumping from my hobbled foot to my face. Assuming she was simply curious about my crippled leg, Iâd been ignoring her. âWhy havenât you healed it?â she asked abruptly.
I knew what she meant, but I wasnât going to make this easy on her. As it was, her questions already grated. âWhat?â I asked brusquely.
âYour leg,â Liyanda explained, ignoring my tone. âYou have life magic, so why havenât you done something about it.â
I stared at the dark-haired fighter. She wasnât going to leave it alone, I realized. âThe injury is permanent, fixed in place by a Trait,â I said at last. âItâs a consequence of me entering Overworld in my âoldâ body. The Trials wonât let me heal it.â Iâd seen hints of spells that could overcome a Traitâs effects, but I dared not even hope for attaining such. They were still too far out of my reach.
Liyandaâs face fell. âAh, thatâs too bad.â
I turned away, not wanting her pity. Silence fell around the fire, and for a moment, no one said anything.
A hand was shoved under my nose.
Turning my gaze downwards, I saw it was Liyandaâs. The fighter had removed her vambrace and rolled up her sleeve. From the elbow down to her wrist, her arm was red and puffy. I winced in sympathy.
âCan you heal it?â she asked neutrally, but despite the studied nonchalance she affected, I sensed the strain of anxiety beneath her request.
âIâll try,â I replied. Touching the swollen appendage with the tip of my fingers, I closed my eyes and sent soothing ripples of life magic into her, mending the splintered bones and torn muscles I sensed beneath.
A moment later, I opened my eyes to see Liyanda staring at her hand. âItâs fixed,â she said in awe. Her eyes darted back to me. âThank you.â
I inclined my head.
âI guess weâll have to take you along after all,â Pierre said, sighing theatrically. âNo way, Li is going to let you go after that.â
The fighter laughed. âOh, definitely not.â All traces of the animosity sheâd borne me had vanished. âI think Jamie and I are going to be the best of friends.â
â˝â˝â˝
The five of us turned in soon after that. I was exhausted after the long day and night of traveling and fell asleep quickly.
At first light, I jerked awake to the sound of angry hissing. Rubbing eyes red from lack of sleep, I looked about. My new companions had risen, and the two scouts had dropped down from the trees to join Jainâs party as well. All six were looking towards the left end of the camp.
Following their gazes, I saw it was the two great lizards that were responsible for the ruckus. I rose to my feet and joined the others. âWhatâs going on?â
Jain looked at me. âTheyâve woken up,â he said, jerking his head towards the angry-looking reptilians.
âWhat are they?â I asked. I had paid scant attention to the creatures last night, and now I wondered if that had been a mistake.
âNo idea,â Jain said with a shrug. âNeither I nor the others encountered their like before the orcs. â
I looked at him in surprise. For some reason, Iâd not expected the knowledgeable adventurers to be ignorant of the beasts. It served as a timely reminder that my new companions were newcomers to Overworld, too.
âWhile we were prisoners, only one of the orcs ever approached the beasts,â Liyanda said. âHeâs dead now,â she added unnecessarily.
Cedric rolled his eyes.
âThey wonât let anyone approach,â Pierre complained. âThe brute on the right is particularly belligerent. He nearly bit off my finger when I tried to pet him.â
Liyanda laughed. âServes you right. Why would you do a fool thing like that?â
Pierre scowled but didnât respond.
âEnough gawking,â Jain said. âLeave the beasts be. We have a long day ahead of us, and itâs time for breakfast.â
The group moved back to the campfire, but Thornton, Cass, and I stayed put.
âWhat do you want us to do?â Thornton asked in a low tone that didnât carry far.
I didnât answer immediately. Iâd been hoping the scouts could escort the wagon and great lizards back to Sierra. Both would be invaluable to the village, but doing that wouldnât be wise if the beasts were unruly. âLeave the creatures tethered,â I said finally. âCass, when you get to Sierra, have the commander send a squad to retrieve them.â I shrugged. âIf the beasts are still here when the soldiers get here, well and good.â
Cass and Thornton nodded.
âYou two better get going,â I said. âIâm sure youâre both tired, and itâs a long journey back. Best to make an early start.â
The pair showed no inclination to move, and I could see a protest growing on Cassâ face. I knew the scouts didnât want to leave, and truthfully I didnât want them to either, but making sure word got back to Sierra was too important. âGo on,â I added. âIâll be fine.â
Stepping forward, I clamped a hand to Thorntonâs shoulder and squeezed Cassâ arm. Reluctantly, the two returned my farewells and headed into the forest.