370 days until the Arkon Shield falls

Esteemed guildmaster,

The Order team we dispatched to the Champions’ Arena has returned. They successfully completed the dungeon run, but that is not the most surprising aspect of their report.

The dungeon party was assisted by a representative from one of the independent human factions. From what I’ve pieced together, the player who helped the Order team possessed strange and powerful magics. He is definitely a person of interest. As is his faction, which has had multiple run-ins with the orcs. We have rough coordinates for the independent’s settlement and will be investigating further.

—Senior Surveyor Wysterl.

“Well, come on then. Don’t keep us in suspense,” Thursten said. “How do we get the orcs to enter the village?”

I smiled. “I happen to have something they want.”

“What?” Arenson asked impatiently.

My smile widened. “Me.”

Arenson and Thursten’s brows drew down. Both were clearly puzzled by my response. Tara rubbed at her temples. “Jamie, are you sure about this?”

I nodded. “Did John give you those letters?” I asked, suspecting that he had.

“Yes,” she admitted.

“Show them to the others,” I said.

Tara held my gaze for a moment, then sighed. “All right.” Pulling out the sheaf of papers, she passed them around the table. The others, including Giselle and Lance, studied them curiously.

Thursten whistled appreciatively when he was done. “This is about you?” he asked, his eyes darting down to my leg.

“It is,” I confirmed. The orcs had described me meticulously for Gorkin’s benefit.

“What did you do?” Arneson asked, admiration peeking through his gaze.

“I’ll tell you later,” I said. “The important thing right now is that the orc high shaman, Orgtul, wants me badly. If we dangle the opportunity to capture me before Jhaven, I’m sure he will not be able to resist, even if it means he must enter the village to get at me,” I said confidently.

“And just how do you propose ‘dangling’ yourself?” Giselle asked. “It’s not like you can just enter the orc camp and run away, hoping he will follow.”

“Ah,” I breathed. This was the weakest part of my plan.

“Oh God, please don’t tell me that is what you’re suggesting,” Giselle said, burying her head in her hands.

“Not exactly,” I said.

“You are not entering the orc camp,” Tara growled. “Even if I must tie you to a post to keep you safe in the village.”

“I wasn’t planning to,” I said, offended.

“Then what is your plan?” Lance asked curiously.

“Someone else must enter the orc camp,” I admitted.

A painful silence followed.

“Why?” Lance asked.

“To carry word to Jhaven of my capture by Gorkin’s gang,” I answered.

“But—” Giselle began before stopping short.

For a moment, neither she nor the others said anything.

“It is not as mad as it sounds,” Thursten said appreciatively into the silence.

“It could work,” Arneson agreed.

“But we can’t use an actual gang member to carry the message, and surely Jhaven will sense an imposter,” Lance protested.

Thursten shook his head. “Not necessarily.”

Tara glanced at him. “Explain.”

“Most of the thugs are not residents of Sanctuary,” Thursten said, “and the orcs cannot tell if they are their allies or not.”

Lance frowned. “How can that be?”

Arneson chuckled. “Didn’t we tell you Gorkin doesn’t—I mean didn’t—have control over the council? He couldn’t make his followers Sanctuary residents.”

“But weren’t they already members of the village?” Giselle asked.

Thursten shook his head. “No. While Gorkin himself was a resident, most of his gang weren’t. He recruited many of them from elsewhere—with the orcs’ aid—to support his bid for the village.”

“All that aside,” Tara said, “it still leaves us the problem of whom to send.”

“Whoever goes may not come back,” Giselle said softly.

“I’ll go myself,” Arneson said, “but some of the orcs may recognize me.”

I stayed silent, feeling guilty for putting the others in this position. It would be a dangerous mission for whoever went, and if the ploy failed, they would be dead—or worse.

“I’ll go,” Tara said at last.

My head whipped in her direction. “No! You can’t!”

“I can, and I will,” she said firmly. She rose to her feet. “But all of this is moot unless we gain control of the village first. We still have a few hours before dawn. Let’s make sure the village is ours before then.”

✽✽✽

Our planning session ended shortly after that. Arneson, Thursten, and the other rebel leaders had already created an exhaustive list of every location the gang occupied, including barracks, storerooms, prisons, guard posts, and of course, the dragon temple. All that was left for us to do was decide the order in which to hit them.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

Of the many ambushes Tara and the others planned to execute that night, the biggest and riskiest was the assault against the temple, and both Lance and I joined them for it. By the time we assembled for the attack, Petrov’s reinforcements had arrived, and we had the weight of numbers on our side: a mixed force of one hundred and fifty rebels and Sierra scouts against fifty thugs.

It was a massacre.

Contrary to my expectations, neither Lance nor I was called on to do much. Lance healed the occasional injury while I kept watch through Ash from above and made sure the thugs didn’t escape.

None did.

An hour later, the cordon the gang had maintained around the temple was destroyed, and Thursten and Tara slipped into the building where Lance and I waited with the other reserves.

“It’s done?” Lance asked.

Tara nodded. “The temple is ours. Thursten’s people are going through now.” Her gaze darted sideways to me before returning to Lance. “You two should visit the temple too. Giselle, John, and I have already been.”

I planned on doing just that at some point but didn’t bother responding. “What’s next?” I asked brusquely.

Thursten answered. “The greater part of our job is done,” he said, “and three-quarters of the gang is dead. The rest of our task is mopping up.” He grimaced. “And rooting out the scum from whatever hidey-holes they’ve hidden in.”

I recalled my familiar to hand and glanced at Tara. “Do you need me for any of that?”

“No, go to the temple while you can,” she said, face expressionless despite my rudeness. “You have maybe three hours. Will that be enough?”

“It will have to be,” I replied. With a nod of farewell to Thursten and Lance, I hurried out.

Outside the building, I took a calming breath. I would have to apologize to Tara later, but I was still upset with her decision to volunteer for the mission to the orc camp. I sighed. Though, if I was being honest, it was not Tara I was angry at, but myself.

It was my own foolish plan that would put her in danger, and most frustrating of all, there was no way I could take her place. I exhaled softly. I couldn’t let anything happen to her.

“We will just have to make sure she returns safely,” I murmured to Ash.

The familiar pulsed once in response. Head bowed, I limped to the temple.

✽✽✽

You have exited Sanctuary.

Wyrm Isle looked identical to the last time I’d been here. For whatever reason, I’d expected it to be different.

While I surveyed the island, Aurora popped into existence in front of me. “You’re back,” she said.

“I’m back,” I agreed. Deciding not to risk her ire as I had on my recent visits, I wasted no time in describing how I wanted to spend my Marks and Tokens.

“So noted. You have five Tokens and no Marks remaining,” Aurora said when I was done. “Now, what else can I help you with?”

I eyed the purple woman, taken aback by her words. She was displaying none of her usual impatience, and while I would not go so far as to say her attitude was welcoming, there was a distinct lack of hostility in her this time. “Is everything okay?” I asked carefully.

“Of course,” she replied. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. You seem… different today.”

Aurora arched one eyebrow. “Really, how?”

You’re almost being nice, I wanted to say, but didn’t voice the thought. That would be putting my foot in it. I sighed. Best not to set her off again. “Nevermind,” I said and withdrew Ash from my pocket. “I need your help with her.”

Fluttering her wings, Aurora floated forward to examine the familiar in my hands. Ash, I sensed, was curious too. Pulsing brightly, she levitated herself until she was at eye level with the temple guide.

Purple woman and golden seed inspected each other.

Aurora’s eyes narrowed. “Interesting,” she remarked.

“What is?”

Her gaze flickered to me. “Ash is full of dragonfire. Your dragonfire.”

I frowned. I hadn’t told her my familiar’s name. “She is. Why is that interesting?”

The purple woman spun about. “Oh, no reason,” she said and flew away.

I glared at the retreating temple guide. Now, why did I ever think she was being nice?

Aurora didn’t fly far. Stopping three yards from me, she hovered motionless in the air and waved her arms, and a rectangular slab of stone appeared beneath her feet without fanfare. “Place her on the altar,” the purple woman instructed.

Limping forward, I eyed the polished obsidian structure. It looked to be cut from the same stone as the dungeon obelisks, and like them, it was covered in runes—silver ones.

“Why?” I asked suspiciously.

“You brought your familiar to advance her rank, didn’t you?” Aurora asked patiently.

I nodded.

“Then you must place her on the altar. In order to progress, Ash must undergo a metamorphosis. The altar will initiate and control the process.”

The Trials had said something similar when Ash had fused herself to the fragment she’d absorbed, but I still wasn’t sure what the process entailed or even why it was necessary. Before I could question Aurora further though, Ash took the decision out of my hands. Of her own accord, she whizzed forward.

At the sight of her small form zipping past me, my head spun around. “No! Ash!” I exclaimed. “Wait!”

It was too late.

The elemental seed had already alighted onto the altar. Worry spiked in me. In response, a welter of emotions flowed down the spirit bond from Ash, full of reassurance and comfort. She wanted this—whatever this was. Stopping my dash to the altar, I sighed and settled myself to wait.

Silver strands of energy slipped out of the black stone and leashed Ash into place.

Commencing metamorphosis…

The runes on the altar spun into motion. Gathering together on the obsidian surface, they formed a slow-spinning vortex around the tiny orb before lifting off to encircle the familiar in a silver sphere.

Then, one by one, the runes seeped into Ash.

I swallowed, recalling my own experience with runes from the Trials entering my body. How would they affect my familiar?

The last rune disappeared, and the bindings about Ash vanished. For a heartbeat, she lay still and unmoving. Then Ash flared, hard and bright.

I retreated, pushed back by the palpable heat radiating from the elemental, my concern for her mounting. But a moment later, the flames died, and Ash regained her usual dull golden glow.

Metamorphosis completed. An elemental seed has been transformed into a lesser elemental.

New Technique gained: manifest.

Etched spell limit increased to 4.

New Traits gained: none.

New rank: lesser elemental, rank 2.

Ash has gained in experience and is now a level 10 lesser elemental. Ash’s elemental resistance has increased to level 3.

Your familiar has learned a new Technique: manifest. This ability allows an elemental spirit to assume corporeal form. The manifested spirit is restricted in the distance it can travel from its crystal home, and if its lifeforce is drained, it will be banished back to its physical shell.

Before the spirit can manifest again, it must recover from the damage inflicted upon it.

“Ah,” I breathed, excited and pleased by the changes to my familiar. From Ash’s emotions, I could tell she herself was ecstatic by her transformation.

The familiar floated away from the altar. Her physical form was no different, but in my magesight, her spirit had expanded, which I took to be a result of her metamorphosis into a lesser elemental.

“It is done,” Aurora said.

I glanced from my familiar to the purple woman. “Thank you,” I said gravely.

“You’re welcome,” she said. “Take good care of her.” She hesitated, then added, “If you are to survive what’s coming, you will need Ash’s help.”

“What’s coming?” I frowned. “You mean the orcs?”

Aurora shook her head. “I’m constrained from saying more. And perhaps, I’ve said too much already. Take care, human.”

Not waiting for my response, she vanished.

Perplexed, I stared at the spot the purple woman had just occupied. What had Aurora been going on about? I turned to my familiar. “I swear she grows stranger by the day.”

Ash pulsed happily but alas, not in response to my words. My familiar’s focus was turned inwards, inspecting the changes to herself, and she was paying me little heed.

I smiled and shook my head ruefully. Today, it seemed, I was destined to be slighted, snubbed, or outright ignored.

But whatever was going on with Aurora, the mystery would have to wait. Time was passing, and Ash and I still had a battle to prepare for.