Vorthyrn’s violet eyes narrowed, frost swirling around her body like a living aura. Her voice rumbled through the chamber, low and threatening. “Why should I entertain your words, pitiful human? You, who have killed my son? You, who have ransacked my home? You, who would rob me of my treasures? Why should I not destroy you where you stand? You stand before Vorthyrn the Frostbound. I'm of the eldest line of drakes birthed by the union of Ulthara and Elea, before even the foundations of Eyrth were laid by the Creator and the Six. My magic is the same as theirs, unfettered, unbridled. Speak, since you have begged me for this honor!"

Justin held his ground, though his heart hammered in his chest. He kept his tone even. “As for your son, Rimefang, I had no choice. He attacked us, and if there had been any other way, I would have taken it. If it’s any consolation, he fought bravely and nearly bested us in the end."

The drake’s wings flared slightly, sending a gust of icy air across the chamber. “You expect me to believe that after trespassing into my domain and taking what was mine? And you think you can bargain with me on equal terms! It was not your actions that sealed Rimefang's doom, but that of Alden Starfire. Even if you, or one of your companions, wield his lance, its power will not avail you. I will smite you where you stand!”

Justin knew it wasn't going to be easy, but he had to try. “I don’t expect you to believe me, but hear me out. A deal with me is for your good as much as ours. We didn’t come here to fight you, and I don’t want to fight you now. I'm a Gentleman, with access to a Mythic Boon called Upon my Word as a Gentleman. Whatever deal you strike with me is guaranteed by the Creator himself. But the Baron and his men? They’re tearing through your den as we speak, killing your brood. He's the true enemy and he's not to be underestimated."

Vorthyrn hissed, her frost veil surging. Her tail lashed the ground, spraying chips of ice in their direction. Only a hastily conjured Ward of Aegis on Kargan's part saved them. “You think I'm ignorant of them, pitiful mortal? They are no different from any other invader. They seek what is mine, and they will die for it. Just like you."

“Not if you’re overwhelmed.” Justin spread his arms, his voice rising. “If you let us leave, we won’t join forces with him and will leave you all your treasures untouched. We can't bring the dead back to life, but we can stop the damage. But if you kill us, don't think he isn't capable of doing the same to you. At any moment, he will be here. Our combined powers would be more than your match, because there is still something you don't know. Something that could tip the balance entirely, beyond your reckoning. The faster you let us leave, the faster you can go after Valdrik before he kills every one of your children."

Vorthyrn tilted her head slightly, her sharp gaze flicking between Justin and his companions. She let the silence linger, her cold scrutiny pressing down on them like a weight.

“It is your nature to bargain,” she said finally. “I sense your core, that which was gifted to you by Zephyron, God of Charisma. Your words are charming, and you speak as if you know my nature." Vorthryn stretched her neck forward, and Justin was reminded greatly of a cobra about to strike. "But do you, really? Do you understand what it means to be a drake? Do you know why I'm here rather than protecting my beloved brood?"

Justin hesitated, unsure of her intent. “I can't be sure of that. Like you said, I don't know your nature. All I want is for us to get out of here alive. I would think you want the same, too."

Vorthyrn’s screech, what Justin took for a draconic laugh, echoed through the chamber. “You think my children compare to my hoard? Foolish creature! Maybe if it weren't for the Sapphire Star, the Ascendant Artifact of Eyrth! It is everything. The greater my treasure, the stronger my power, the more my bloodline thrives. This is the way of all drakes. I would sooner see my brood destroyed than lose the Sapphire Star. Do you take me for a fool?" Vorthyrn’s wings lowered slightly. Her frost veil pulsed. “This is the balance. To abandon the Sapphire Star for the lives of mere drakelings, even one such as Rimefang? It is impossible.”

Justin clenched his fists. “If that’s true, then why not take the easy path? Let us leave. If you’re the Vault’s master, you can end this now. Allow us to leave, and the Baron will be forced into a battle he cannot win. You keep the Sapphire Star and rebuild. It may take centuries, but the alternative is losing the very thing your heart desires most."

The drake’s tail lashed again, her gaze locking onto Justin. “And why would I do that? Do you esteem my power so little?”

Justin turned and nodded at Lila. She raised her right hand, summoning Starlance. The spear of pure fire materialized with a flash, casting brilliant rays that pierced the frost-laden gloom of the chamber. Vorthyrn, despite herself, shirked back and let out a low hiss.

“I think you know this weapon,” Lila said. “It's Starlance. Wielded by Alden Starfire himself. In it is all his wrath to take back what once belonged to Elara, whom you robbed. That we even give you this opportunity to make a deal is a mercy. You know your shield cannot stand against it."

The drake's frost veil rippled violently. “A relic of Starfire,” she growled. “You think that will save you? Alden has faded from this realm, fallen to my son. A worthy sacrifice. Starlance is weak without one of his line to wield it."

Justin held back the information about Lila's lineage. They had decided that Vorthryn wouldn't believe it, and if it came to blows, the information would only make Lila a target. And Lila could not be made a target for the plan to work.

Justin stepped forward. "Whatever the case, with Valdrik and his men, plus Starlance, your odds don’t look so good. Why take the risk?"

Vorthyrn tilted her head again, considering. For a moment, Justin thought she might relent.

But then he fell to the ground, stumbling a bit. The tail of Justin's coat stopped flapping, a sign that his Dazzling Display had ended.

Vorthyrn blinked, surprised, before her amethyst eyes narrowed in anger, her frost veil surging again. “You have made a grave mistake. I see no Valdrik here. You are alone, and I tire of this useless prattle. Time for you to die."

"Prepare yourselves," Eldrin said. "This isn't over yet!"

Vorthyrn leaped off the edge of the plateau, going in for the attack. As Kargan deployed a Ward of Aegis, Justin switched Affinities.

[Affinity chosen: Vorthak's Flame.]

"Plan B!" he shouted.

"I thought we were on Plan C now," Lila said.

The warm flames wrapped him in their familiar embrace. They would at least protect him from freezing, and hopefully stave off some of the damage caused by Vorthyrn's frost breath.

Now, it was a not so simple game of staying alive.

But that was when something happened that Justin didn't expect. A rumble echoed through the chamber like distant thunder. From Vorthyrn's hesitation and her slight turning, Justin knew she wasn't the source.

There was a moment's pause, as if time itself stood still, before all was chaos. From hidden holes in the shadows of the cavern, drakelings poured into the chamber. Their high screeches split the air. First, there were just a few, but then there were dozens.

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"That's it," Kargan said despondently. "Let's make it a battle for the ages."

Justin watched the drakelings closely. Their movements were wrong—stiff, jerky. Many had open wounds, burn marks, and even tattered wings. Tendrils of dark violet magic wrapped around their forms, their eyes glowing an eerie, lifeless white.

Vorthyrn screamed, her roar shaking the cavern. Frost exploded outward from her body as her brood swarmed her. They flew in suicidal attacks, pummeling her sides, landing hits, biting deep into her scales. They fell by the dozens as Vorthyrn shrugged them off, blasted them with her ice magic, stopping them dead and causing them to crash to the floor. One after another, their frozen bodies crashed and split into thousands of glittering shards.

Justin's eyes were drawn high above, where on a ledge not too far from their own, stood Valdrik and his crew. Rothian was already slinging fireballs, while Ryak was casting ice shields to form something of a barrier. The Baron's eyes were closed, uttering incantations and controlling his undead thralls with his staff raised high.

Justin almost turned his attention from them—at best, they would be a distraction. But two members of his party were missing: Gareth and Wolfram.

Vorthyrn reared back, her wings flapping furiously as she continued to lash out at the undead drakelings. Her frost breath surged forward, freezing some of them mid-flight. But others kept coming, their violet tendrils twisting unnaturally. About half of them were dealt with, so there wasn't much time.

Lila’s voice was sharp. “Eldrin, why are we still standing here? Is the plan still on?"

Rather than answer, Eldrin raised closed his eyes.

Justin squinted his eyes toward the roof of the cavern, where the entrance lay open to the air.

And there, he saw him. Shadowflight.

He dove from above, letting out a high shriek that pierced the din of battle. For all the speed of drakes, they had nothing on the black falcon, moving so quickly with talons extended that Justin could hardly believe it.

But the bird was not diving for Vorthyrn, who was now mopping up the last of the drakelings. It was moving for something else entirely.

Several things happened at once. Two figures appeared on the plateau, apparently coming out of hiding: Gareth the Shadowblade, who had been invisible near a boulder, and Wolfram, who had similarly melted into his surroundings.

Justin knew why they were there. They had the same idea as them: distract the drake, grab the Star of Elara.

And both of them realized what the falcon was doing.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The falcon fell toward its target, a perfect picture of predatory majesty; Gareth sprinted forward, curved blade unsheathed, as quick as a shifting shadow; Wolfram launched one of his bladed discs to bring down the bird.

Justin wanted to scream, though nothing came out. Would all their well-laid plans be foiled so easily?

But Justin had underestimated Shadowflight. Its wings widened as it easily snatched the amulet with a screech. Wolfram's disc flew directly under the bird, while Gareth's blade went wide. The Shadowblade whirled, throwing out a pale hand and casting some sort of slowing spell. It was a direct hit. Shadowflight's wings began flapping in slow motion, but he managed to stay aloft. The Star hung precariously from his talons.

Vorthyrn began ignoring the drakelings attacking her and instead focused on Shadowflight. The Baron, too, stopped bidding his minions to attack teh drake, instead sending them after the bird.

Eldrin was firing arrows as fast as he could. Every single one met a drakeling that got too close to his falcon. Wolfram by now was launching disc after disc at the slowed bird, which was flying a zigzag pattern through a chaotic air battle. One of the discs seemed to strike a wing, a near miss that sent a few black feathers spinning wildly. A plume of frost breath, courtesy of Vorthryn, blasted toward the bird. Shadowflight entered a quick dive, an intentional dodge, barely missing the attack. Shadowflight was close enough for Justin to see frost forming on his black feathers.

Thankfully, Gareth's slowing spell petered out and Shadowflight flapped furiously to make up ground. None of his assailants could hope to keep up.

"Come on!" Justin said.

This entire time, Vorthyrn had been shooting frost from her maw. She swiveled her neck toward Shadowflight, who was raced against the column of deadly frost magic.

The column that was also heading directly toward them.

"Prepare for impact!" Kargan shouted.

Just twenty feet from reaching them, the wave of frost blasted Shadowflight with a squawk that sent him tumbling. The Star came loose, and Justin could see it falling just as the frost breath blasted against Kargan's ward.

Such was the power that it sent Justin flying. His Vorthak's Flame kept him warm, but he couldn't be sure of the others' fates. Visibility was nothing, as if he were in the throes of a blizzard mixed with a hurricane. It reminded him of that fateful day months ago when he had been swept up in that twister.

He had been so sure he would die then, just as he was sure he was about to die now.

What seemed like an eternity later, Justin landed hard, the impact sending a jolt of white-hot pain through his side. His ribs screamed in protest, and he could taste copper in his mouth—blood. His left arm throbbed with a sharp, searing ache. Likely fractured. His right knee protested fiercely as he tried to push himself up. For a moment, all he could do was lie there, gasping, his breath fogging in the cold air.

That was when a flash of yellow light pulsed from his left hand. Instantly, a sharp coolness spread throughout his body. His arm immediately went numb, then mended. His ribcage convulsed, while his knee buckled. It was as if an invisible hand had twisted various bones and joints from the inside out.

But once all was said and done, he could more or less move with only a residual ache left behind.

He had known, deep down, his new ring would save his life.

He rolled onto his stomach, surveying his surroundings. He was on a frost-coated ledge: narrow, jagged, and precariously high above the cavern floor. Rocks dislodged by his landing tumbled, the echoes of their descent swallowed by the chaos of battle.

The Star. He needed to find the Star. Nothing else mattered.

Justin’s eyes darted frantically. His heart sank when he saw Shadowflight lying about thirty feet away on a separate ledge that would be quite the jump to reach. The falcon’s black feathers were matted with blood and frost, his breaths shallow. His sharp eyes remained open, glinting with fierce determination as he fixed his gaze on him.

And there it was. Just beyond the bird, the Star of Elara rested on the precipice of the ledge, dangerously close to falling. Its sapphire light pulsed faintly, casting an otherworldly glow across the rocks.

Justin dragged himself forward, his body screaming in protest. Despite the healing of the Ring of Regeneration, everything still hurt. He could hear the Baron’s shouts and Vorthyrn’s enraged roars. They were both fighting each other, but he knew it wouldn’t last. Soon, one of them, or both, would come for the Star—and for him.

With a strength he didn’t know he had, Justin forced himself onto his knees, then to his feet. Every step was agony, but he pushed forward. He was tempted to switch to Lathalon's Grace for extra healing, but he knew he was dead if Vorthyrn unleashed her fury upon him again. Shadowflight let out a weak, high-pitched cry—an encouragement, a command to keep going.

Justin clenched his teeth, ignoring the pain. His friends depended on him. He had to believe they were alive, holding their own against the chaos. He had to trust them.

“It’s not over,” Justin muttered to himself. “Not until I say it is.”

Before he could doubt himself, he ran and leaped the chasm between the two ledges. He landed hard, within feet of Shadowflight. He stumbled once, his heart lurching as he almost fell, but he caught himself and pressed on.

Ahead, the Star of Elara gleamed like a beacon. Its sapphire surface shimmered with inner light, the edges fracturing into streaks of blue that danced across the icy walls. The closer he got, the more its beauty became clear. The craftsmanship was beyond mortal comprehension. It was as if a divine hand had carved it from the heart of a glacier. And within it, he could see every color of the rainbow, almost as if it were a Prismatic Core.

As Justin reached for it, his eyes caught movement in its reflection. Vorthyrn was hurtling toward him, her violet eyes locked onto the Star. Behind her, Valdrik was levitating, his staff blazing with violet light as he closed in.

It occurred to him that it was an amulet. He was already wearing an amulet, one that he couldn't remove, so the System shouldn't allow him to wield the Star.

But he didn't let the realization stop him. He had to try, even if it wasn't possible. Even if it wasn't part of the plan.

Lila was supposed to use the Star, not him. She was the one with Starlance, the only one who could bring down the drake's frost veil, the only one with the ability to summon Alden to help, if necessary.

No one knew what the Star of Elara did, only that it had unbelievable defensive properties.

Whatever the case, it was their only chance to survive.

It has to be me, Justin thought.

Vorthyrn’s roar was deafening, her frost breath already beginning to swirl and blast him. His Vorthak's Flame flared brighter, absorbing the attack. He had been right not to switch to Lathalon's Grace. The knockback effect of the previous attack had been a result of Kargan's ward breaking, not the breath itself.

Justin’s hand clenched around the Star, his heart pounding as the System prompt flared in his vision.

[Warning: Binding this the Sapphire Star of Eyrth will permanently alter your core. Proceed?]

Justin closed his eyes, his voice steady despite the chaos bearing down on him.

“Yes.”