371 days until the Arkon Shield falls

Supreme,

I note your words and hear your message. I will not fail your or our people. The time to act is now. Do I have your permission to activate the thralls?

—Archmage Cxal.

For a moment, I held still, studying the water anew. There was no change, nothing that heralded the approach of an angry, hostile serpent. They aren’t here, I assured myself. Pushing into the moat, I swam strongly, my every sense extended and alert for the slightest sign that I was wrong.

I made it safely to the other end.

None the worse, except for a thorough dunking, I heaved myself out of the moat and wrung out excess water from dripping clothes. “Come on,” I called. “It’s safe.”

The others followed, if somewhat gingerly. It was apparent now that the moat, like the rest of the Keep’s exterior, was empty. After the others made it across, I limped into the rain-swept bailey, my magesight open.

Halfway through, I stopped short halfway.

Beyond the open Keep doors, I spied two chaotic weaves of spirit. Holding up my hand to halt the others, I reached out and analyzed one. Behind me, I sensed Lance doing the same.

The target is a level 55 lesser wind elemental.

“Air elementals,” the other mage breathed.

I nodded. The creatures’ levels and Potentials differed slightly from the first pair I’d encountered, but for all that, they were lesser wind elementals, and there were only two.

It was the final confirmation I needed that any encounters we faced in the dungeon would be identical—or nearly so—to my previous ones.

I ran my gaze over the others. “You all know what to do?”

They nodded. Closing my eyes, I touched each in turn.

You have forged life magic conduits to the players, Tara, Giselle, Lance, John, and the brown spider queen, Bunny.

Finally, I recalled my familiar from the sky and sent her to float above the spider queen. I met the gaze of each party member in turn. They were all grim-faced and hard-eyed, but their hands on their weapons were steady. They were ready.

“Take care of Ash,” I quipped. “Now go get them,” I said and waved the party forward.

I made no move to advance myself, having decided to let the others tackle as many encounters as they could on their own, both to increase their experience gains and to conserve my mana. Given that nearly the whole party wielded enchanted weapons, I didn’t foresee any difficulties, but just in case, I remained on standby.

Moving past me in a single file, the group dashed into the Keep. Bunny led the way, and as expected, the wind elementals teleported forward to engage her. Spreading out, Giselle, John, and Tara attacked from the flanks while Lance hung back and healed the spider.

I clutched my staff as I watched the battle play out, but after the first few exchanges, I relaxed. The others were executing the plan flawlessly, and there was no need for me to intervene.

Time to see how my familiar fares.

Reaching out to Ash, I directed her to begin her attack.

A creature of spirit herself, the elemental seed had no trouble seeing our nearly invisible foes. Ascending sharply, Ash placed herself above the wind elemental hanging midair and throwing lightning bolts at the party from afar. Once in position, she flared.

Flames roared down and bathed her foe. The wind elemental swirled in sudden agitation and fled, teleporting away.

I smiled. My familiar’s attack had been neatly executed. Ash had blindsided the enemy, and just as importantly, she’d kept her fires contained, not endangering any of the party. It made for a stark contrast to Pierre’s undead pets. My familiar, I realized, required little direction from me in combat.

Excellent work, Ash. Now let’s see you do that again.

✽✽✽

The battle ended shortly after that.

“Wow!” John exclaimed in the aftermath. “I’ve advanced two levels!” I smiled as the others echoed the spearman’s sentiment.

The entire party, excluding me, had gained in levels. Ash, especially, had grown.

Ash has gained in experience and is now a level 5 elemental seed. Ash’s vigor and channeling have increased to level 5.

It was likely my familiar’s low level that had accounted for her significant growth. She’d gained four levels and eight Attributes too. All in all, our first encounter in the dungeon had been a resounding success.

Searching the cleared entry hall, I found the wind elemental’s remains and the items I was looking for: two pieces of translucent crystals. I analyzed one out of curiosity.

The target is an elemental fragment of air. Current state: dormant. No enchantments are contained in this crystal. This stone may be etched with the spiritform of rank 1 spells from the Discipline of air. The spirit within this stone is gifted with Magic, has no Might, meager Resilience, and no Craft.

“Are those the enchantment crystals you mentioned?” Lance asked, approaching me from behind.

I swung around. He was peering in fascination at the objects in my hands. “They are,” I said and handed one over for his inspection.

“Give me your weapon,” I said while he studied the crystal.

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Wordlessly, Lance handed me his two-handed warhammer. It was heavy and had a rose-colored tint to it. It had been forged using a zelium steel alloy, I guessed. “Anton made this?” I asked.

Lance nodded.

“Mind if I enchant it?” I asked.

Lance’s head jerked up. “What? Now?”

I shrugged. “It won’t take long. Should I?”

He bobbed his head vigorously. “Of course, go ahead.”

Sitting down cross-legged while the others gathered around me to watch, I began enchanting. I pressed the fragment of air into the head of the hammer and fused the two together, then dribbled mana into the crystal at a slow controlled pace.

You have created an enchanted warhammer of air. This weapon is made from a zelium alloy, is anchored with an elemental fragment, and has been etched with the spiritform of shocking touch.

“Done,” I said, handing the weapon back to Lance.

“It’s beautiful,” Lance whispered, studying my creation in awe.

I smiled. “Glad you like it.” I eyed the others’ weapons. They all bore enchanted weapons now. John wielded an ice battleaxe, Giselle, a fire warhammer, and Tara, a poison shortsword.

The green-eyed captain also had a second unenchanted blade sheathed at her hip. “Hand it over,” I said to her and began the process anew on her second shortsword.

✽✽✽

We moved on quickly after that. The long narrow corridor exiting from the entry hall was empty, just like it had been the last time I’d been here. Opening my magesight, I inspected the gilded doors leading to the throne room.

A new door ward was in place.

“Damn,” I muttered.

“Something wrong?” Tara asked.

I shook my head. “No, I was hoping we wouldn’t have to go upstairs to retrieve the ward key.”

Giselle’s gaze flitted towards the stairs leading up. “Do I send Bunny up?”

“No, definitely don’t do that,” I said hastily, shuddering at the thought of facing a mind-controlled spider queen. “Let me send Ash to explore first.” Calling the elemental seed to hand, I cast gift of sight on her first, then sent her on her way.

At first glance, the second floor was empty. Still, I kept Ash roving its maze of corridors and rooms for another ten minutes, poking into every nook and cranny I could find before I was satisfied.

“Well, that’s surprising,” I murmured.

The others looked at me inquiringly.

“There are no mindworms,” I said. “Like the outside of the Keep, the second floor is empty.” I rubbed my jaw thoughtfully. “Given the evidence, I suspect that only the first floor has respawned.”

“So what now?” John asked.

“Let’s go get the key and check the basement,” I replied.

✽✽✽

You have acquired a ward key.

The ward key was sitting unattended on the table in the second floor’s final room, and I claimed it before leading the others downwards to the basement.

It, too, was in the same state as I’d left it. “Well, at least, the crafters will be pleased,” John remarked after the others got over their revulsion at the room’s décor. “There must be a few tons of zelium here.”

Tara nodded. “We’ll collect it after we’ve wrapped up the dungeon.” She turned to me. “Where to next, Jamie?”

“The kitchen,” I replied. And hopefully, a meeting with two fire elementals.

✽✽✽

Back on the ground floor, we slipped through the side room and into the kitchen. Giselle and John were leading the way, doing their best to remain stealthy. I peered over John’s broad shoulders, and to my delight, saw that both fire elementals had respawned.

The two soldiers turned back to me, waiting on my instructions, but before I could wave them forward, I felt Ash stir in my pocket. The little elemental slipped through our link to look through my eyes. I paused, startled by the sensation.

A string of emotions emanated from the familiar: fear, eagerness, thirst, and others too complex for me to decipher fully. Before I could decide what to make of Ash’s odd behavior, she shot out of my pocket and into the kitchen.

The two fire elementals swung in Ash’s direction with eerie precision, their flaming forms flickering in tandem as they darted towards her. I stifled a groan. This was not the plan.

Come back, Ash, I thought, willing my familiar back.

She ignored me.

The three fire elementals converged on one another with startling quickness.

“Jamie,” Tara whispered, “what’s going on?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I said, my eyes not leaving my familiar.

As the three forms—one fiery orb and two flaming humanoids—collided, flames engulfed the trio.

A level 56 fire elemental is attempting to assimilate Ash. A level 58 fire elemental is attempting to assimilate Ash. Ash is attempting to assimilate a level 56 fire elemental.

Warning: Your familiar’s spirit is endangered.

My eyes widened at the Trials messages. I wasn’t sure what was happening, but one thing was certain: Ash was in trouble.

“Kill those elementals now!” I snapped, advancing myself.

The others dashed into the room, not questioning the naked urgency in my voice as they charged past me. But the fire elementals did not react to the party’s presence.

They were focused too intently on Ash.

John, Tara, and Lance split to flank the elementals while Giselle and Bunny, without the means to hurt our foes, hung back. I joined the fray too, my staff wreathed in crackling ice.

Frost and lightning bit into the two elementals. Unexpectedly, they did not turn to face us. If anything, they only burned brighter. Whatever the elementals desired from Ash, they were willing to risk death to get it.

Once more, I tried to recall my familiar, but she was closed off to me, her emotions opaque and our spirit bond maddeningly silent.

“It’s too hot!” Lance shouted, staggering back from the roaring flames surrounding the battling elementals.

Tearing my eyes away from Ash, I saw the blond mage was right. John, Tara, and Lance were drenched in sweat and struggling to combat the fiery waves of heat the three elementals were emitting. I was less affected, but I needed to help them.

“Hang on,” I said and began casting freezing sphere. “Direct your attacks, and make sure not to hit Ash!”

Seconds later, a sphere of ice rippled outwards from me to encompass the melee. Frost met flames, and the fires receded, smothered by crushing waves of cold before being extinguished entirely.

The skirmish slowed to a crawl.

The hostile elementals froze in momentary shock, but even in the grip of the frigid cold—anathema to creatures of fire—they did not turn or attempt to flee. No, damnit, I cursed, grinding my teeth in frustration.

Ash was dying, a victim of both my cold and the hostile elementals. I couldn’t let up on my spell, though. It was slowing whatever the other two were doing to Ash, and if I retracted its effect, she would only die quicker.

Second by second, the strands of her spirit, the very essence of her being, vanished into nothingness. No, not into nothingness. Into one of her foes.

They were consuming her.

And the pair did not seem intent on stopping, even after being threatened by ice. I’d hardly gotten a chance to know the little fire spirit, but already it seemed I was going to lose her.

Silken threads shot across the room.

The spiderwebs hit the rim of my freezing sphere and sagged. Assailed by arctic cold, the delicate strands began to fray and die. My eyes widened, realizing what was happening. Bunny and Giselle were trying to save Ash.

I dropped my spell.

The remaining silk threads accelerated forward and, before any of the elementals could reignite their flames, Bunny latched onto Ash’s weakly pulsing crystal-form and yanked her out of harm’s way.

Elemental absorption interrupted.

A wide grin broke out across my face. Ash was saved. With renewed gusto, I set about attacking the still-recovering fire elementals.