10 – Let Doubt Enter Their Hearts

  Despite an underlying feeling of dread, almost like he’d done something wrong, Victor’s return to Ruhn was uneventful and on schedule. In fact, it almost felt as though nobody noticed his absence. He supposed it helped that he’d prepared Bryn and Draj Haveshi, putting them in charge of his affairs. However, it still felt sort of anticlimactic when Tes’s magical artifact deposited them back in his chambers, and nothing was the matter. The palace was peaceful; there weren’t any panicked missives from Queen Kynna, and he still had a day and a half before he had to report for his duel.

  “We never got around to looking in on Lifedrinker or going over the equipment you pulled from that strangely generous dungeon, Victor,” Tes reminded him after he’d suggested they go down to meet with Trobban to review his progress on Arona’s new “vessel.”

  “Yeah, shit. I wonder how she’s done with that ore.” Victor pulled the vault and key from around his neck and set it in the space he’d cleared in the study. He twisted the key until the marble-sized vault began to vibrate and heat up, then put it on the floor and took a few steps back. “She must be done by now, don’t you think?”

  “I’m not sure. Generally, yes. As you’ve seen before, it usually only takes a few days or, at most, a couple of weeks for a conscious weapon to process a new metal or Energy source, but as I said, I fear you rushed things, giving her so much potent ore in such a short amount of time.”

  Victor nodded. He’d been nervous about Lifedrinker ever since Tes had first admonished him for feeding her two different ores back-to-back. He wondered if his “forgetting” to look in on her was because of the faint sense of dread that he’d done something that might harm the axe. “Denial,” he muttered, shaking his head. Tes looked at him sideways, a slight frown on her lips, but didn’t respond.

  Back when Lifedrinker had finished processing the silvanite ore, she’d seemed excited, eager to explore the new capabilities of the magical, silvery metal. Victor had noticed a different quality to her dark, depthless black sheen—an underlying luster that seemed to reflect light differently, but otherwise, she’d looked almost the same. He’d lifted her, and she’d definitely gained some heft from the new one, but otherwise, her shape had remained constant—an axe too enormous for a normal human to begin to pick up, let alone wield. That lack of change had prompted him to give her the incredibly dense ferrithium rather than explore its other uses.

  Before he could continue obsessing over his decision and how it had worried Tes and then, of course, him, that Lifedrinker was taking so long to process the second one, the vault finished expanding, and he couldn’t justify any further procrastination. Victor stepped forward and finished turning the key. The door opened with a hiss of escaping vapors, and when he pulled it wide, he felt a surge of relief and also confusion.

  When he’d last looked in on Lifedrinker, she’d had a thin vein of the red ferrithium running a few inches into her massive blade from the brick of ore. Now, however, the vein was gone, and the ore was still there, unchanged in size from when he’d first given it to her. Tes voiced a possible explanation, “I think she rejected it, Victor. It’s for the best, in my opinion. Ask her!”

  Victor nodded and stepped into the vault, still illuminated in the strange magenta glow of the dungeon Core that hovered at its center. He reached down to grasp ahold of Lifedrinker’s haft, smiling at the familiar feel of her. “Hey, chica. Sorry, it’s been a little while.”

  War-mate! I’ve dreamed away the hours, remembering our battles and imagining new ones. I yearn for the open air, the crunch of armor, and the taste of blood and Energy!

  “I know you do,” Victor chuckled. “I know. How are you, though? You didn’t like the metal I left with you?”

  I tried to like it, Battle-heart, but it won’t bend to my desires! It won’t follow the plan I have for myself. In truth, though it pains me to ask it of you, I dream of more of the last kind of metal you gave me—the one that shines like silver and molds like clay, dense with a primal desire to hold Energy.

  “The silvanite? I think it’s rare, but I’ll get you more if that’s what you want, beautiful.” Victor smiled as the axe vibrated faintly, and pulses of satisfaction and blatant adoration flowed out of her and into his hands. Chuckling, he hoisted her onto his shoulder and turned to Tes. He’d expected a little teasing, but she wasn’t even listening to his half of the conversation with the axe; she was standing in the doorway to his vault, her eyes trained on the satchel where he’d stowed the ivid royal jelly.

  He didn’t like the look in her eyes; he’d never seen the expression on her before—longing? Jealousy? Self-doubt? Something like that, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. “You good?”

  She shook her head and jerked her gaze toward him, licking her lips and visibly swallowing as she held up her hands. She turned and practically fled the vault. Victor followed her out, but not before whispering to Lifedrinker, “I’m going to put you into your container for now, okay?”

  Please, not for long, War-king!

  “No, not for long. We’ll fight again soon.” With that, Victor sent her into his high-quality ring, then stepped out to find Tes standing in the doorway to the study, arms folded over her chest, her pale blonde brows pulled together in a sharp V.

  “Please close that vault.”

  “Let me get the armor out of it first.”

  “Do so, then, but hurry.”

  Victor’s scowl deepened. Even though he thought he knew the answer, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Later. Get the equipment you want me to look at and close that vault!” Without awaiting a response, she turned and strode across his parlor to the sitting room. He watched as she pulled open the balcony doors and stepped outside. Sighing heavily, worried that he knew exactly what was bothering her, he went into the vault and began carrying out the equipment he’d won from the Crucible of Fire.

  The Aegis of Charyssor was the heaviest piece, but Victor was pleased to find it quite a lot easier to manage than when he’d stowed it there. He supposed gaining more than a hundred points of strength would make anything feel lighter. After he set it on the study floor, frowning as it split and bowed the hardwood planks, he retrieved the Crown of the Dark Colossus, the Terror-Scale Boots, and the Gauntlets of the Mountain’s Might.

  That done, he pushed the vault closed and twisted the key until it began to shrink down to its compact form. He hung the key over his head and then made his way out to the balcony. Tes was leaning against the railing, her gaze fixed on the distant, majestic slopes of Iron Mountain. “I guess you could feel the royal jelly.” Victor had, of course, told her about the gift from the ivid queen, but it was one thing to hear about it and another to witness it.

  “I’m very glad it was shrouded in something. I only felt the barest hint of its power, and still, I was almost driven to snatch it up and flee. Of course, I wouldn’t do that to you, Victor, but you must never let someone more powerful than yourself get wind of what you have there.”

  “It’s that good, huh?”

  “I could feel the promise of breakthroughs in the complexity of its Energy signature. It must be quite potent if it promises so much when so many natural treasures would be wasted on me. Even my bloodline hungered for it, and I thought I’d reached something of a pinnacle.” She shook her head, clicking her tongue. “That may not be true. Your System would call my bloodline ‘epic,’ and I know for certain there are ancient dragons who stand apart from those of us who’ve reached this stage.”

  “You said ‘even my bloodline,’ but is there something more?”

  “Oh yes. The Energy I tasted held all manner of promised breakthroughs and insights—to my Core, my understanding of magic, my innate abilities or, as you call them, ‘feats.’ I don’t think…” She trailed off and shifted her gaze to him, slowly shaking her head. “I don’t think it would be wise for you to consume that potent brew. Not yet. Perhaps when you’re a steel seeker, though, should you drink it before you construct your archetype?” Again, she shook her head, sighing. “You may have the shortest career as a steel seeker in the history of the System.”

  “Crystal, the, uh, ivid queen, warned me to wait until I was far sturdier. She also said she wasn’t sure it would be wise ever to consume it. I guess the ivid use it to make a normal larvae into a queen, and, yeah, there was a pretty damn big difference between Crystal and the other ivid.”

  “She feared it would change you too much?”

  “She didn’t say that, but that’s the feeling I got—change me too much or destroy me.” Victor chuckled, leaning on the banister and inhaling deeply. The air had a much different quality than that of Fanwath, at least near his home. There was no hint of the sea, and it was cooler, with more of a scent of pine and earth. He hadn’t realized it before, but he could feel the change in Energy density, too. It was thicker here, though Fanwath was certainly not deprived for such a relatively young world.

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  “I saw your Dungeon Core in there, too. What will you do with it?”

  Glad for the change in topic, Victor shrugged. “Any ideas?”

  Tes nodded, moving to stand closer to him. “I’d make a deal with it.”

  “With Du? What kind of deal?”

  “He’s a powerful Core, capable of providing challenges even to someone like yourself. He doesn’t have to do so, however. He can provide challenges up to and including his maximum level. I’d offer to give him a new home, but I’d make him promise to tailor the difficulty of his encounters to the entrants. It would prove invaluable for those with access. They wouldn’t have to seek out appropriately leveled dungeons. Of course, access would have to be managed, which would require dedicated personnel.” She looked at him, an eyebrow arched, and Victor had the feeling she was waiting for him to connect some dots. It wasn’t difficult.

  “You think I should bring it to Fanwath—to my land.”

  “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to give your people the means to advance in power right on their doorstep? In fact, I’d not advertise its whereabouts to any but those closest to you. Otherwise, it may become something people will fight over, and you can’t always be there to discourage aggressors.”

  Victor slowly nodded. He liked the idea until he started imagining Deyni or Cora in the dungeon, facing wave after wave of deadly monsters. Still, he couldn’t shelter them forever; they’d no doubt find their own danger further afield. “I’ll think it over. Maybe next time I visit, I’ll bring it up with Tellen and the others. Kethelket would have an opinion.”

  “Indeed. I’m sorry I didn’t meet him.”

  “Maybe next time.”

  Tes smiled, but Victor could see it wasn’t reflected in her eyes. Even so, she nodded. “Maybe so. Shall we look at that armor of yours?” She walked back inside, but Victor hesitated, ruminating on the fact that he was getting damn tired of nobody ever speaking plainly. He cared about Tes; he figured he probably loved her to some degree, but he hated how she acted like she couldn’t be straight with him. There were secrets on secrets brewing in her mind, and despite her insistence that he’d grown tremendously, he still felt like she regarded him in some respects as a child.

  The most frustrating thing about it was that he couldn’t argue. To a dragon who’d lived god-knows-how-long, how could he, a guy who might be twenty-one—Victor wasn’t sure—ever claim to be more? Naturally, he’d thought about it long and hard, and he tried to tell himself that there were other ways to show maturity besides age. He could prove himself with deeds. Hadn’t he already done more than most men could ever claim? He’d led armies; he’d fought armies—alone. He’d killed powerful, evil enemies and discovered things that would make even a dragon envious. His most recent conversation with Tes was evidence of that!

  The frustration was almost enough to counterbalance his infatuation with her, but not quite. Despite it all, he was smitten, and the unrequited nature of that attraction was beginning to wear on him. It would be one thing if Tes flatly said, “No. It’s not going to happen,” but she didn’t do that. It was clear that she was attracted to him, but there were things that held her back. And so, his frustration came full circle; once again, he was met with the wall of mysteries Tes kept between herself and him.

  “Are you coming?”

  Victor stared at Iron Mountain for another long couple of seconds, then turned and nodded. “Yeah. On my way.”

  “So,” she said, smiling, as he walked with her back to the study, “you’re reluctant to wear this new armor because you don’t want to be bereft of the scale armor I lovingly crafted you?”

  Victor clicked his tongue and sighed, nudging her with his elbow. “The thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t think I was strong enough for the new stuff anyway, at least the aegis.” He nodded to the ornate, lustrous armor—more than just a breastplate; it featured pauldrons and a high neck guard on the left side and hinged flaps that would cover his thighs. The material, apparently carved from the natural shell of a sea creature called “Charyssor,” was, overall, black, but a sheen of blue luster seemed to lurk just beneath the surface, ready to come forth when touched by direct light.

  “It’s beautiful, Victor!” Tes said softly, reaching down to lift the enormously heavy thing. Victor gawped at her, again reminded of how much power lurked in the delicate-seeming figure she seemed to favor. “Very dense, naturally capable of resizing, self-mending, and, if I’m not wrong, it will deflect incredible amounts of Energy. You should be wearing this.” She set it down and rested a soft, warm hand on his forearm. “Put the armor I made you somewhere safe and look upon it from time to time to remind you of when we first met.”

  “It’s so damn heavy, though—”

  “It won’t be so bad once you’ve put it on. Besides, these other pieces will add to your strength, will they not?” She leaned over to pick up the crown. “This for instance…” Her eyes narrowed as she turned the depthless black metal in her fingers, the black opals on each point winking in the glow-lamps. “This metal was tempered with dragon’s blood, and a piece of the dragon’s spirit lurks within. He’ll try to influence you, but it’s just an echo, easily silenced by someone with a formidable will. You’ll be fine.” She held it out to him. “Try it.”

  Victor took the heavy crown, frowning at the dark metal. “Really? I almost didn’t want to show you this one because I thought you might get angry.”

  “Because a dragon gave a piece of himself in its crafting? It’s ancient, Victor—I’ve no idea who that dragon was or whether he did so willingly or not. The echo of its spirit doesn’t make much sense to me.” She put her hands under his, nudging the crown upward. “Try it! You’ll see what I mean.”

  Victor tilted the crown left and right, watching the lamplight play in the beautiful black gemstones. Finally, he shrugged. He trusted Tes, didn’t he? He lifted the crown to his head, and the supple black leather lining cradled his skull like it was made for him. He felt Energy flow down from it, fortifying his spine, shoulders, and arms. It felt terrific—potent and invigorating. He was just about to call up his status page to see the effect when a sibilant hiss sounded in his left ear:

  Fetching lass, our horde’s delight, to taste her lips for only a night.

  “What the…”

  Silken flesh, spun gold hair, a fitting bride to grace our lair.

  Tes tilted her head to the side. “What’s he saying? He whispered to me about flying, a rusted portcullis, and cooking eggs of all things.”

  “It’s, um, I think he’s complimenting you?” Victor scratched the rough stubble on his jawline.

  Tes laughed and pulled his hand away from his face. “You do that when you’re nervous or unsure. Did you know that?”

  Touch electric; a heart beats wild. With haste! Get her with child!

  “Chingado!” Victor hissed, reaching up to take the crown off.

  “No!” Tes grabbed his wrist. “Use your will, Victor, silence him.”

  “How?”

  “Like you’d focus your aura on someone! Just put this ancient spirit fragment in his place.”

  Victor turned his gaze inward, looking at his Core space. He shifted his gaze outward with that “inner eye,” and sure enough, he saw the wisps of a foreign spirit lurking nearby, somehow vaguely “above” him. He gathered his will and reached out to where his aura hung, surrounding him like a fiery, furious wall of black shadows and flames. With a mighty surge of will, he gathered it up and drove it toward the fragmented spirit, pushing it down and into its vessel—the crown. “You will stay there and be silent unless I call on you!”

  Cruel master, heartless beast! A sad fate awaits you—a dragon’s feast!

  “Be still!” Victor growled and, to his relief, felt the presence recede, and no further rhymes were whispered in his ear.

  “Easily done, wasn’t it?” Tes clapped him on the shoulder.

  “Yeah.” Victor shrugged. “I guess so.”

  “How much stronger did it make you?”

  “Just a moment.” Victor pulled up his status page, focusing on his strength attribute:

  “Shit,” he muttered. “It's giving me a hundred strength!”

  “Truly? That’s a significant boon for anyone, Victor! It’s quite fetching, too. You look regal but not in a foppish princeling sort of way. It will serve as excellent armor, too. I imagine it will be difficult to pry from your head if you don’t want it off.”

  She reached down to pick up the impossibly heavy gauntlets, smiling as she weighed them in her hands. “Another strength boon, though not a direct boost; you won’t see this reflected on your System’s status sheet. These gauntlets will make it easier for you to lift, strike, and deflect. They’ll boost you beyond your natural means and would do so for anyone, though a person without a suitably robust skeletal structure would likely find themselves crippled by their power.”

  “But I’m good? I already put them on once, and it seemed fine, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to wear them instead of my Sojourn gauntlet.”

  “Oh yes. An epic-tier titan bloodline? You’ll be fine. As to your other concern, yes, these are far more potent than that lava whip of yours.” She handed the gauntlets to him, and Victor shrugged, stuffing his hands into them. As with the crown, he felt Energy infuse the bones of his hands and arms, flowing warmly through his shoulders and down his spine. The gauntlets hummed with power, the dark metal plates practically begging to be smashed into something.

  Grinning, flexing his hands into fists and relaxing them, he nodded. “The leather under the plates is damn comfortable.”

  “See how difficult it is to lift that aegis now!” Tes gestured to the heavy armor, and Victor obliged, reaching down to almost effortlessly hoist it up.

  “Hah!”

  “It has a seam in the back; it’s designed to be easy to equip. Put your arms through here.” She showed him how the armor could be pulled apart on invisible hinges, and when he slid his arms through and pushed it closed around his torso, the seams magically disappeared, and the armor made itself snug to him; it felt amazing.

  “I feel like a walking tank.”

  “A tank?” She narrowed her eyes.

  Victor tried to shrug, but the armor wouldn’t convey the gesture. “A heavy, armored piece of war equipment.”

  “And the boots?” Tes asked, reaching down to pick up the black-scaled footwear. “Oh!” she gasped softly. “That dungeon Core was trying to make a friend of you! These boots are designed for Spirit or Death Casters. You should have an easier time Spirit Walking with them. Victor, you may be able to travel between worlds like your mentor!”

  “Well, I’ll definitely give ’em a try, but I don’t think I want to risk getting lost right before my duel.” Victor was half-joking, but he had some serious concerns about trying to find his way between worlds, especially for the first time. He thought it might be wise to have Dar along until he properly understood how to find those pathways.

  “Even so, you should wear them. They’re excellent armor, and your Sojourn set is a bust now that you have these other pieces. Perhaps you could gift it to one of your comrades.”

  Victor nodded, taking the boots and walking through his chambers to his bedroom, where he could look into a full-length mirror. “You think I should wear this armor in my upcoming duel?” Staring at himself, he had to admit the set was badass. Everything was primarily black with different sorts of highlights, and the crown and aegis made him look more formidable, and…solid was maybe the right word. He looked like he could shrug off an avalanche.

  The various enchantments did more than make him look tough, too. He felt the potential and strength buzzing through his bones and muscles. If he were a heavyweight before, he’d suddenly become a juggernaut. Tes hadn’t answered him right away, but she nodded as she came to stand beside him, looking into the mirror with him. “I would wear this armor in your future duels. It’s time to stop hiding what you are. It's time to give the champions of the great houses something to think about. Let doubt enter their hearts and fester there.”