Dragon Mage 3 Chapter 13: Resolution (Patreon)

368 days until the Arkon Shield falls

You have uncovered a shadowlion’s Technique: predator’s cloak. Once a day, a shadowlion can turn invisible. It will remain invisible for two hours or until it sustains any damage.

You have uncovered a shadowlion’s Trait: Night Hunter. Shadowcats favor the night and do more damage when surrounded by darkness.

You have uncovered a shadowlion’s Feat: Unstoppable, rank 3. This creature is immune to all debuffs of rank 3 and below. 

I had just about finished my examination of the lair boss and was fishing out his champion core when the others came running up.

“What happened?” Lance asked, his expression crestfallen. “Did the spell fail?”

I rose to my feet. “No, it didn’t.” 

Lance frowned. “What do you mean it didn’t? The shadowlion is dead!”

Sighing, I explained to him what I’d learned from the lore note.

“Damn,” Lance cursed when I was done. “That isn’t at all how I expected it to work.”

I shrugged. “Me neither.”

“Well, it’s too bad about the lion,” Arneson said gruffly. “But at least we’re done with the lair.”

I blinked. “We are?”

“You haven’t checked your Trials messages, have you?” Tara asked, amused.

“Oh. Right.” Closing my eyes, I called up the half-forgotten alerts.

Your party has vanquished the lair’s occupants and the rival faction party. Find the lair core and claim ownership of Shadowdeep. 

Your party is the first to have cleared this lair. For this achievement, you have been awarded the Trait: Shadow Rider. 

Trait: Shadow Rider. Rank: 3, rare. When riding a shadow beast, you will derive the same benefits it does from its Techniques, Traits, and Feats.

Congratulations, Jamie Sinclair, you have cleared 2 lairs and completed 3 dungeon runs. Your Explorer Feat has advanced to rank 2, evolving your seekers sense Technique.

Seekers sense: You become aware of any lair or dungeon within 50 yards of your location.

You have gained in experience and are now a level 80 Trainee. 

Ash has gained in experience and is now a level 50 lesser elemental. Her attributes have increased, and she has acquired the trait Healing Flames. 

Trait: Healing Flames. Rank: 2, uncommon. Fire, in all its forms, now heals your familiar.

“Oh my,” I murmured after I’d scanned through the messages for a second time. “Those are some nice rewards.”

“Did you get the shadow rider trait too?” Daryl asked.

I glanced at him. 

“Everyone else in the party has,” he explained.

“I did,” I replied, making no mention of the other rewards I’d received nor of Ash’s gains. I turned to Arneson. “You know what this means, right?”

“We can ride those damn cats.” He smiled. “I, for one, can’t wait.”

I nodded. Once Shadowdeep was claimed, Sanctuary would have its very own cavalry force—and it would be a powerful one, too, if the shadowcats we faced were any indication. The nucleus of that force would, of course, be the soldiers from the lair party, all of whom would benefit from the invisibility granted by their mounts’ predator’s cloaks.

Tara held up an egg-shaped object with a luminous blue sheen. The lair core.

“Good, you’ve found it already,” I said. “Who is going to do the honors?”

Tara held out the core for Arneson, as I knew she would. “Here, you do it,” she said.

For the first time, the settlement leader appeared hesitant. “You sure? I know I rushed us into this whole venture, but I’ll be the first to admit that was a mistake. I’m not sure any of my people would have survived the lair run without your help. That core rightfully belongs to Sierra.”

Tara shook her head. “No, it doesn’t. You’re Forerunners as well now. And besides, Sierra is too far away for the lair to be of much practical use to us. Better for Sanctuary to claim Shadowdeep instead.”

Arneson still made no move to take the core. “Don’t you need to consult with your commander?” he persisted.

“No,” Tara repeated adamantly. “I do not. The old lady will tell you the same thing I am. I’m certain.”

“She would too,” I agreed.

Not demurring further, Arneson took the proffered item. “Thank you,” he said reverently and closed his eyes.

I waited patiently, as did the rest of the party. Arneson was interacting with the core, I knew. It won’t be long now.

The luminous egg-shaped artifact vanished.

Gasps and cries of dismay arose from behind me. I wasn’t worried, though. I’d witnessed the same thing happen in the brown spider warren. The core had returned to its place in the lair, and that could only mean…

“It’s done,” Arneson reported.

A heartbeat later, the Trials confirmed his pronouncement.

Flash alert: To all players in the vicinity of the settlement, Sanctuary. Sanctuary’s leader, Arneson Tomahawk, has claimed the Shadowdeep lair on behalf of the Forerunners faction. 

The faction has initiated a claim to the intervening territory between the settlement and the lair. Estimated time to claim completion: 2 days. To interrupt this claim, destroy or gain control of either Sanctuary or Shadowdeep’s core.

I smiled. Already, the future was looking a bit less grim.

“In two days, the lair will be secure,” Daryl pronounced, looking just as happy as I was. “No one will be able to take it from us then.”

“That’s not entirely true,” I cautioned.

He frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“The Trials will only stop the orcs from entering our territory,” I reminded him. “Don’t forget the mages. Human factions will have no trouble invading us—if they so wish.”

Arneson and Daryl exchanged glances. 

“We’ll need a permanent guard here,” Arneson observed.

“I’ll stay behind,” Daryl volunteered. He glanced at the Sanctuary soldiers waiting in the background. “With one squad?”

Arneson shook his head. “Take both. Have half the men stand guard at the entrance and use the rest to thoroughly map out the rest of the lair.”

Daryl nodded. “I’ll do that.”

“Once I get back, I’ll speak to Thursten as well,” Arneson went on. “Now that the shadowcats have been dealt with, the rest of the underground network should also be safe to explore.  We’ll send out more squads to do just that.”

“My people can help,” Tara offered.

“Thank you,” Arneson said, not at all begrudgingly. “I won’t deny we need all the help we can get.”

I held out the champion core. “Which reminds me. There is also this. It can help, too.”

Arneson glanced curiously at the small object in my hand. “How?”

“Cores like this one can be traded in at a temple for Marks,” I replied. “Or they can be used to create familiars and golems.” 

There were other potential uses for the champion cores, I knew, but I still didn’t know what they were, so I didn’t bother mentioning them.

“Familiars…” Arneson mused. “You mean like your pet?”

“Yes, like her,” I agreed, tossing him the core. “But only someone with the sorcery Discipline and Magic can bond with a familiar. What it takes to control a golem, I don’t know yet.”

He tossed the core back. “You keep it, then. You’re the only sorcerer in Sanctuary. And recycling the core for Marks seems shortsighted to me. Why waste such a valuable resource on something you’d gain in a few levels, anyway?”

 I reddened slightly. I’d done just that, of course, and not with one full champion core, but three. I had since come to realize, though, that I’d made a mistake. A familiar like Ash was many times more valuable than a few paltry Marks. 

“Anyway, it’s time we headed back,” Tara said, saving me from responding to Arneson. “Are we all set to leave?”

Arneson and I both nodded.

“Then, let’s go.”

✵ ✵ ✵

The trip back to Sanctuary was uneventful. 

This time around, we took the longer route, and while it added a few more hours to our journey, there was nothing arduous about our hike through the tunnels.

Making good use of the time, Lance and I spoke of everything from sorcery to magic and how to go about utilizing the spirit signature I’d acquired. Up ahead, Tara and Arneson were just as deeply involved in discussions about how to safeguard Sanctuary and fortify the valley. With Ash keeping watch and the majority—if not all—of the shadowcats dealt with, no one feared being ambushed.

As we entered the tunnel section immediately beneath Sanctuary, we found Thursten waiting to meet us. “Welcome back,” the silver-haired man said, stepping forward to greet us.

“Thanks,” Tara said, looking surprised. “But don’t tell me you’ve been waiting here the entire time?”

Thursten smiled. “No, the scouts informed me as soon as they spotted your approach.” He tapped the side of his head. “And besides, we all got the Trials alert too. I take it things went well?”

“You could say that,” Tara allowed. She gestured to the packs, which each of us was dragging behind us. “And we’ve brought loot too.”

The loot consisted solely of the mages’ equipment. Skinning all the dead shadowcats in the lair would take time, and Daryl and the men with him would see that done while they went about their explorations.

Thursten’s gaze jumped to the packs in question, and his eyes first widened, then narrowed as he recognized one of the objects peaking out. “That is a steel helmet—and human-sized, too.” He stared at Arneson. “You killed the party from the rival faction?”

“We did,” Arneson confirmed. He jerked his thumb in my direction. “Or rather, he did.”

I could see the questions gathering behind Thursten’s eyes, but before he could voice any of them, Arneson draped his arm around the other man. “Come, let’s go grab a beer, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Thursten let himself be led away, but after only a few steps, Arneson glanced over his shoulder. “You lot coming?”

I hesitated. 

But before I could demur, Tara tugged me forward. “We are.” Turning to me, she murmured. “Questioning Jhaven, spellcrafting, and whatever else you intend on doing can wait for later. We’ve all earned ourselves a spot of rest.”

“I agree,” Lance said, pulling on me from the other side. “Let’s go.”