A massive fireball sped toward Lorian. He jumped away, knowing that no shield he could conjure would be able to stop it. He felt blazing heat as the ball exploded in the place he had been, leaving a small crater in its place.
"You will suffer for your insolence! All of you!"
More fireballs. Lorian needed cover. He increased his speed, darting around the tiny room as the fireballs crashed into the building, setting it ablaze.
Dragon fire—one of the purest forms of fire. It seemed indiscriminate in choosing its targets, but Lorian could swear the dragon held a grudge against him more than the others.
"What's a dragon doing here?" Lorian asked aloud as he stopped behind a large pillar for cover.
"That seems to be its egg that we saw flying into the room. Or, more correctly, the egg of its mate. This one, as you can see, is male."
Lorian heard talk of some egg that caused this entire guild war, but no one mentioned it was a dragon egg.
Another explosion. Lorian knelt to avoid the fire. He looked around and saw that almost everyone had run for cover.
"Why doesn't he take his egg and leave?"
"You don't know anything about dragons, do you?" laughed Orcus. "It's going to burn this building—everyone and everything in it—to a charred heap and take the egg from the ashes."
Lorian looked around. Several of the surviving thieves had already taken cover. Gale had just pushed Illazehra out of the way of some stray fire.
"You can't escape," said Orcus.
"What?"
"It thinks you're a demon spawn. Why do you think it aimed for you first? Of all the creatures on this plane, their sense of smell is the strongest," continued Orcus. "Once they catch a scent, they never lose it. Especially not that of demons."
Lorian remembered Irith'arcana's reaction to the two lesser Azhurai. And that was a dead dragon. A living one would be far more likely to live up to its ideals.
Looked like the night had just taken a very different turn.
Lorian saw several spires of lightning striking the floating man. Red lightning from Dahl. It seemed Dahl had chosen to abandon their battle and fight the dragon.
"Any weaknesses?" asked Lorian, addressing Orcus.
"It doesn't seem as strong as real dragon in that form."
Lorian agreed. The other Summoner with Dahl had shifted his focus to the dragon. With them distracting it, Lorian could take the time to prepare his stronger spells.
Putting his hands together, Lorian gathered all the elemental power he could. He hadn't done this since back in Amadeus's castle, when he had been beset by hundreds of enemies. The skin on his hands began smoking and burning as the fire overflowed from his body.
Back in the castle, he hadn't been sure how much elemental fire he could pull into his body, but he had noticed on Thellis that Mog'rath's essence had also increased his physical constitution. Ignoring the pain and letting his hands burn, Lorian let in more energy.
The pain, Lorian had learned, was what caused his fireballs to become laced with hellfire. The more it hurt, the more potent the hellfire present in it would be. It came to a point where his eyes began to start burning. He held his breath as the air began burning his throat and lungs.
Aiming for the dragon, Lorian held both his hands forward and released the massive fireball. He gasped for breath as the ball hurtled toward the man in the air. Mog'rath's essence caused the elemental fire to continue pouring in at a rapid pace. He released two more fireballs trailing the first one.
The first fireball struck the floating man with a massive explosion, creating a bright flash that lit up the entire exposed guild-hall. He saw the fire envelop the man and then the two lesser fireballs hit him, causing him to stumble in the air.
Lorian had expected the man to scream.
What he heard instead was a roar. Deafeningly loud. If the man's voice had caused the walls to vibrate, the dragon's roar literally caused a small quake.
More cracks appeared in the floor, exposing the level below it. Lorian summoned his wings and lifted himself a few feet off the ground to avoid losing his balance. He looked up and saw the effect of his fireball. He saw embers as hellfire burnt the air itself. The man's clothes had been burned away. Parts of his body were burning as well.
The Summoners didn't hold back. Both of them continued releasing their demonic spells against the wounded man. The man buckled as each spell hit him. Illazehra joined in casting more spells at the man.
"What the hell are you waiting for, idiot? You think you've won? Keep casting!" shouted Orcus.
The hamster was right. This was a dragon they were up against. As if to confirm his thoughts, the man spread his arms and roared with a voice that couldn't possibly his. His hands struck the next burning star that raced at him, sending it flying off into the sky. He brought his hands and knees together, curling into a ball, as the spells struck him.
And he began to transform right before Lorian's eyes.
In the span of a few seconds, Lorian could see the reptilian tail, snout and horns of a red dragon. He seemed to be growing in size. Rapidly. Lorian brought his hands together readying another spell. Illazehra seemed to be resorting to elemental ice against the dragon.
"Is ice more effective?" he asked.
"A novice mistake. If anything, it's less effective due to the heat around its body. It's the strength of the spell that counts," replied Orcus.
Not the type of spell, thought Lorian, agreeing. Lorian released more fireballs against the dragon. He could see the wings now. It was still curled into a ball, but it looked very much like a dragon floating in the sky.
Smaller than Irith'arcana, but a dragon still.
It only had to flap its wings twice to send a gale of wind into the guild-hall, sweeping some of the people contained in it off their feet and to the ground.
Lorian withdrew his fire completely. It could have been instinct, but Lorian could sense something.
"Take cover!" yelled a voice. Gale. He was pulling Illazehra into one of the corridors.
Lorian immediately focused all his energy into forming a barrier around himself. He felt it was too much energy wasted, but at the same time something told him it wouldn't be enough as he saw the dragon's maw open wide.
The dragon released a jet of red flame into the guild-hall.
Red, and only red. Lorian could see nothing else. He felt his shield burn away while absorbing the endless stream of fire.
He needed to cast another. No. It wouldn't be enough. The dragon fire only seemed to intensify in strength. Lorian decided to try anyway. The only other choice was teleporting. And it would waste far more energy than a second shield spell.
The flame abruptly stopped.
Lorian's legs shook as his shield dissipated. He looked around the room.
Everything was charred black. Several of the thieves had been burned into lumps of flesh. The embers glowed red, fanned by the dragon's wings.
It seemed to be circling around. Orcus was right. The dragon would burn everything to the ground. Lorian froze as he felt a tug on his shoulder. He thought it might be Ceívar, his designated guardian, but he felt a chill as he saw Dahl's face.
"Listen to me! We don't have much time. The dragon—"
"Coran?" asked Lorian looking at the familiar face standing next to Dahl. "What the hell are you doing here?"
His former fellow apprentice smiled weakly. More importantly, what the hell was he doing with Dahl? Had he left the Shadow Spire and thrown in his lot with the Summoners?
"Save your curiosity for later!" yelled Dahl. The roar of the dragon punctuated his words, as if making his point.
"The dragon's appearance changes everything. If we are to live, we need to fight against it together. Your answer! Now!"
Fight with the Summoners? Right, thought Lorian, still surprised to see Coran here. Standing behind Coran was another Summoner. These men had just been trying to kill him, and now they wanted to ally with him?
"
Speak quickly, fool!"
"You need their help," whispered Orcus, hiding inside Lorian's robes.
"Fine," replied Lorian.
He was still suspicious. He always heard that every single Summoner was insane.
If anything, he would have thought your average Summoner would be like the woman he had fought. Mad and impulsive. And weak. Master Thaugmir had told them that only those desperate for power and those with too weak a connection to the elemental planes chose summoning.
Yet Dahl seemed a rational man. For him to even suggest a beneficial alliance in the face of danger suggested some stability.
The dragon came into view. Its mouth opened immediately. Lorian was about to bring up his shields when he saw a red shimmering cloak cover all of them.
Dahl? No, even the second Summoner had his hands raised. There was something wrong here. He felt threads attached to his body connecting to the red cloak. A first he thought the essence drain had started again, but this felt different. It was as if snakes were wrapped around his body and biting into him.
"Try not to resist!" yelled Dahl as the torrent of fire washed over them.
The biting didn't stop. It only intensified, but the shimmering shield held its own against the dragon's breath.
Lorian had understood what had happened. The Summoners had just cast a shield spell, but it was strengthened with Lorian's demonic essence. Or rather Mog'rath's. The cloak didn't as much as move when the dragon fire raged against it. What was more, two Summoners had cast it together.
"What did you just do?" asked Lorian. For a second, he was in awe of Dahl. He knew it was his essence, but his shield spell had barely held against it, while this shield stood sturdy.
"In good time," said Dahl calmly. "Your essence is strong, but there is too little of it that we can use."
How were they even able to use his essence? The fire stopped as the dragon went out of view. Through the ripped-open side of the guild-hall, Lorian could see that several of the neighboring buildings had caught fire. People were yelling and screaming.
"Fortunately, when we set out on our expedition, we planned for this—to battle a dragon. We have the requisite spells to immobilize it, but only for the briefest moment. Your elemental spells are strong, but they cannot kill the dragon. Our spells can't damage it either. Perhaps strengthened with your essence they would be able to, but you are still not in a position to willingly bestow your essence."
"But you just—"
"Traces of it surround you because of your nature. I do not have the time to explain everything. My men and I can disable the dragon. We can immobilize it. But once we do, the only person who can truly hurt it is you. Your hellfire. It is weak in comparison to a true demon's, but if you are close enough to the dragon when you cast it, you will be able to wound it."
"Very well then," said Lorian agreeing too quickly.
There was much about this situation he did not agree with. For one, both Coran and the second Summoner were looking at him with intense hatred. Yet Dahl seemed confident that the plan would work.
"Good. Edwin! Fetch Nazer. We need his help. You as well," he said, looking at Coran.
"Both of you need to distract the dragon while we get ready," Dahl said, addressing Lorian and Coran.
"Distract it? Are you out of your damned mind?" yelled Coran.
"Got it," said Lorian. Summoning his wings, he shot across the floor.
Anything to get away from Coran. He didn't want him at his back.
He turned around trying to fly facing the sky. He could see the dragon coming around. The force of its wings beating nearly sent him crashing into the ground.
He put one hand on the burning-hot ground and pushed himself back up, cursing as the skin on his palm burned.
Distract it? How would he even begin to do that? Now that he looked at it, it seemed the dragon truly was fast. His wings would keep him mobile, but it would have no trouble hitting him. Its flame just spread too far and too wide. Still thinking of a plan, Lorian flew toward the dragon.
Distract it, he said...
Chapter 77
Perhaps calling the dragon was bit too much, thought Riven as he tiptoed along the floor.
It seemed the prison cells were not on the third level. They had to be on the second level, with so many rooms there. He had already ruled out the basement and the first level.
Not too much, insisted the voice, referring to the dragon. They deserve it! They deserve worse! They dared hurt you! Hurt Toskk.
Riven grimaced as he thought about Toskk.
He had been so focused on his plan and his need for revenge that he put his concern for Toskk below it. It hurt him whenever he thought about Toskk, but the pain was replaced by sheer pleasure as he thought about the havoc that he had wreaked upon this guild-hall. Upon the Black Ravens. The so-called authority of Archon.
Throwing the egg into the room at the Summoner had been perfect. He barely retreated back into the corridor before he felt the earthquake. And just moments ago he had seen the dragon from one of the windows. It was roaring every now and then, but it was mostly just burning things.
"A dragon! A fucking dragon!"
Riven stopped as he heard the voices. The building shook once more, sending debris to the floor. He hid under a small table as he heard footsteps.
"Fuck Darius! And fuck the Black Ravens! I didn't sign up for dragon slaying!"
"Those crazy mages are still fighting it up there..."
"Not just them! I heard Renal and a couple of the others were still up there, as well."
"Still up there? Fools all. Summoners are bad enough. But a dragon?"
The footsteps receded.
Stupid thieves. They should be glad to have seen a dragon.
When Riven saw the dragon, he wasn't filled with fear or dread. He felt sheer wonder at its beauty. The grace of its reptilian form as it soared through the sky. The more he thought about it, the more he wished he kept the dragon egg. Maybe if he learned more about dragon eggs, he could have figured out how to make it hatch.
Shaking his head, he cleared those thoughts. It was too late for that now. He needed to find Toskk.
Besides, manipulating the dragon to do his bidding was as good as having it as a pet. If he had his own dragon, his wish would be for it to burn down this guild-hall anyway.
He checked two of the doors. Both of them were storerooms. Why the hell did the Ravens need so many storerooms? Riven thought he should check some of the crates just to see what the hell they were storing in them. He froze as he heard some strange scraping noises. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on the sound
He cursed as the building suddenly rumbled. And the dragon roared.
If it were his pet, he would smack it across the face if it kept roaring like that. There was a time for roaring, and it was definitely not when Riven was trying so hard to listen. Closing his eyes, Riven focused. Usually he did this when he needed to pick a voice from a crowd. But there was simply too much noise here. Sifting through the sounds, Riven calmly took his time.
He heard it again. It was unmistakable. Groaning. There was also talking.
He snapped out of his trance. He knew where it was coming from!
He scrambled across the floor, tripping as the building shook yet another time. Dragging himself back up, Riven ran.
The door at the end. It was locked from the outside. Riven had come prepared for this. He had gotten hold of one of Toskk's lock picking kits earlier in the day and got in some good practice with it. It was simply a matter of getting a feel for moving the pins. With his voice to guide him and make corrections, Riven was sure he would be able to accomplish the task.
The metal was warm to the touch. The entire guild-hall had turned into an oven thanks to the dragon. Inserting the pick, Riven worked quietly, focusing to feel the tiny clicks as he tested each pin.
He cursed as the building shook, undoing his work.
He needed to work fast. Every time the stupid d
ragon roared or breathed fire, the building shook and the pins fell back into place. He had to work quickly. As soon as the roar was done, he started picking the lock. He felt it click into place the instant the dragon roared again. Riven quickly twisted the pick, opening the lock. He frantically undid the bolt and opened the door.
It was extremely dark. And it smelled.
He heard groans again. And crying. It smelled like some parts of the sewers here. Suddenly he felt a hand reach out from the darkness and grab his leg.
Kill! shouted the voice.
Riven's hand dropped to his blade, but he restrained himself. A man crawled out and started picking at his feet. Thin and emaciated. He had no hair. He looked up and Riven saw that he was old.
Far too old to be Toskk. He had only some of his clothes on.
And Riven found the source of the smell. The man had soiled himself.
The man gave a lewd smile and Riven could see his teeth. He had very few remaining.
This wasn't Toskk. It was some stupid old man whom the Ravens had also captured. The man lunged for Riven's throat, his teeth bared. Riven planted a kick in the man's chest.
"Stay away!" he screamed, fighting back tears.
This wasn't Toskk. Why wasn't the voice telling him this? Why wasn't it saying anything? Talk!
"You're not getting my rat! Go find your own! No more rats here!"
Accustomed to the dark, Riven saw the man huddle into the corner. Next to him was a pile of what looked to be dead rats.
The man appeared to be eating them.
This wasn't possible. Toskk was still somewhere in the guild. He had to keep searching. Still fighting back tears, Riven made to walk out before he heard the man's voice again.
"Riv? Is that you?"
His heart fell into his stomach. He dropped the blade, standing still. He couldn't hold back his tears anymore.
"Riv... why did you come here?"
The man crawled out of the darkness again. Riven turned around to look at the broken man that his brother had become. He still looked like an old man, and his teeth were still broken. He had wounds all over his body. Most looked self inflicted. And he now looked forlorn. Riven restrained himself as the man touched him.
Apprentice Page 66