Chapter 176: Run!

  The earth drake yielded a major earth essence while Maveith watched the corridor. Maveith helped me drag the drake’s long neck around to face away from the corridor, making it look as if the drake was sleeping in case someone came by. The reward chest was much smaller this time, so I was not expeg another spear i rattled with s as I picked it up and carried it behind the drake.

  I shattered the stone chest, using the drake’s body to shield my as. Inside were a few dozen silver s and a pair of thick brown bracers. The soft, flexible leather covered from wrist to elbow, with ces to tighten them. I let Maveith try them on, but his forearms were te for them. If these bracers were an artifact, they would her resize nor absorb aether from me. I sent the bracers to my dimensional ste to figure them out ter.

  With our work in the room plete, Maveith asked, “Are we going to desd and attack the bain?”

  I had sidered going by myself, but I shook my head. “No. We’ll just wait until it’s time to leave the dungeon. Linus or Benito will fet us when it’s time.” I slid down the wall to rex in the corridor with Maveith.

  Maveith smiled brightly. “Do you want to py checkers?” I nodded absently as he set up the board between us. “When will you release Raelia?” he asked after winning the third straight game.

  I hesitated before answering. “When it’s safe. It might be some time before I get away from the pany.” I reset my pieces on the board, and we tio pass the time.

  Hours ter, the pounding of boots and the rattle of legion armor echoed down the corridor. Benito was running full tilt at us, using the wall to slow himself. “The summoner otted across the owlbear room! We’re leaving now!” He turned and sprinted back the way he came without waiting for a response.

  Maveith was trying to put the checkers set in the bag. “Leave it, Maveith!” I pulled him up, aarted running back to the safe room. Of course, we were the furthest arobably the st to be warned. Benito, the little rabbit, was already gone as we raced down the corridor after shouldering our packs.

  Thoughts raced through my mind. How much would the owlbear slow down the summoner? Would the summure out that we had exited the dungeon? I gnced down the right corridor toward the harpy room. Seeing and hearing no one, I assumed they had already retreated, and we were the st ones left. Moments ter, I saw the small safe room and the legionnaires preparing to ehe exit portal.

  A pierg screech echoed down the corridor. Castile’s voice cut through the h an order, “Into the gate! Runic ons lead! The summoner has trolled the owlbear! It’s ing!” king red-armored men scrambled forward into the exit portal ahead of us. Almost everyone was through when we emerged into the safe room.

  A hulking, bipedal owl burst into the room from the opposite corridor. Its over-muscled body was ingruent with its massive owl head. The beak alone was as rge as a man’s head, and when it screeched again, sharp, jagged teeth lihe impressive beak. Castile’s aetheric shadow s swarmed over the creature, trying to tain it, but they snapped like spider threads.

  Castile, Adrian, and Kolm were the only legionnaires left in the room. “Get through the portal!” I yelled, not for any heroic reason but so I could use my abilities without being seen.

  Castile nodded, uanding my i. “Move! Eryk will occupy it with his air shields and follow us momentarily.”

  Maveith roared his own challenge, and the creature looked fused as Castile, Kolm, and Adrian disappeared into the portal. I stepped within range of the owlbear, and it spun toward me. A fn intelligence burned in its red eyes—the summorying to trol the feral beast. I removed a good portion of its chest cavity, my power overwhelming its resistance.

  The beast belched a spray of blood at me and charged on all fours. Fuck, I must have missed something vital. Maveith stepped in front of me, l his hammer. The owlbear’s powerful beak cmped down just as Maveith’s hammer ected. A portion of Maveith’s stomach, leather armor, and abdomeorn away. I pressed my bde into the creature’s shoulder as it chewed its reward. Maveith stumbled back, leaking blood and bile from a gaping stomach wound.

  “Drink your potions!” I yelled as I twisted my bde and ya free. The paihe creature’s attention to me while Maveith fumbled for his potions.

  The owlbear, frothy blood dripping from its beak, stumbled toward me. It was close to death, but I must have hit the lungs instead of the heart. I reached under my armor for the aether potion. I only needed a sip to recover all my aether. The owlbear clumsily luoward me in slow motion, giving me plenty of time to sidestep.

  It was its final act, as the massive creature colpsed. I took a swig of the potion, capped it, a it to my dimensional space as my aether core was replenished. I kneeled o Maveith while sing the corridor. A rge splotch of pink skied his injury, which was slowly turning gray to match the rest of his body.

  “Did you take all your healing potions?” I asked, iing the wound. A deep dent in his abdomen showed where the owlbear had taken a bite.

  Maveith nodded painfully. I produced my st greater healing potion and ha to him. The aether from the previous potions hadn’t been enough to repair the extensive damage. Maveith rasped, “It’s ing.” He pointed painfully down the corridor.

  I spun around to see a creature bounding toward us. It must have been the summoner’s ice drake. The scales shimmered, appearing like unduting ice as it rushed closer. I wasn’t ed, as I had enough aether to deal with it. “Maveith, get into the portal ahe pany with the specters.”

  Maveith groaned as he stood unsteadily. He seemed to be missing some muscuture, as he had difficulty moving. Hopefully, the greater healing potion would restore the soft tissue.

  The ice drake skidded to a stop at the entras crystalline eyes showing intelligence as it assessed the situation. Seeing only one legionnaire and a struggling goliath, the drake paused. I backed up toward the portal, making sure Maveith made it through. The serpentine neck of the drake slowly locked eyes with me, its gaze intense. I wondered if the summoner was trolling or viewing through it. The bck, oily surfaveloped Maveith, sending him to the others in the ruins.

  The ice drake took a tentative step into the room, eyes locked on mine. If it had a ranged breath attack, I would retreat. If it got within fiftee, I would end it. The room was only thirty feet across, but the drake paused, puffing frosted air in annoya me. The sound of soft footfalls behind the drake had me shift my focus to the corridor. The summoner was ing.

  The slow, dramatic pace of his walk made time seem to stretch. The tall, aged elf ehe room, standing behind his drake. He rested a hand on its , stroking it. I pulled the aether potion bato my free hand, rexing my grip on the bck bde, letting it point at the ground to appear uening. The High Mage Summoner surveyed the room, his eyes lingering on the dead owlbear before looking up at me. “Did you kill the dire owlbear, legionnaire?”

  I was a little shocked. Did he nnize me? Should I be insulted? I thought he would remember me from when he looked through the wyvern’s eyes. He had sworn to kill me. “Maybe,” I replied evenly.

  His eyes brightened as he studied me, and a fsh nition appeared on his face. “The void mage,” his voice hardened. “Do not e any closer.” He studied my dipidated and mangled legion armor, a delighted smile f. “It looks like you have had a rough time in the dungeon.”

  I was trying to decide what to do. I could argue that I was not a void mage. I could drop Raelia in his p and hope she vinced him not to attack. Or I could escape by taking oep bad joining the pany. Instead, I asked, “Why did you follow us into the dungeon?”

  The summoner smiled maliciously. “Ynorant of the goings-on in the world. I was running out of time for my revenge, as I was ordered to return. Your Empire thinks it hoard the secrets of the aitans. We ot let them have it, as it would tip the bance of power too much.”

  I figured I might be able to draw out more information if I kept the versation going. “So, they found Atntium?”

  Traeliorn raised an eyebrow at my knowledge. “You are no ordinary legionnaire. A Praetoria, then? For whom? I will be sure to let them know you will not be returning to their service.”

  His dark humor attempted to mimie. I chuckled as he dug for information. “No, I serve no one. I am a script, forced to join. Being a legionnaire was not by choice.”

  “You lie, legionhe mage’s voice suddenly turned angry. Damn, the summoner was a Truthseeker as well—this time, I felt the spell-like spiders crawling over my skin. My sensitivity to aether had increased in the dungeon.

  I eborated with the truth. “After I was victed of a crime aenced, I was given the choice of hard bor or the army. I chose the army.”

  The elf nodded slowly, accepting my answer. He sidered and shrugged. “It matters not. You killed Vaeril. My pursuit of vengeance has e much, but the knowledge and rewards of this fasating dungeon have made up for it. And now you are trapped.” A devilish smile formed on his face.

  A cold realization spread through me. I reached behind, expeg the dungeo’s embrace, but I felt only a smooth, solid surface. I quickly looked back. The oily wall was still there, but something akin to my air shield blocked my exit. I was actually impressed that the mage had mao cast the spell at such a distanearly thirty feet. He had more tricks than just summoning creatures.

  “Perhaps we bargain? Would you let me go in exge for the griffin rider? The elf who was guarding Vaeril?” My bargaining position was not strong. If I could elimihe ice drake, I might be able to race to the earth drake room and use the exit at the bottom of the stairs.

  “Raelia is a prisoner? I will inform her brother when I return. He un expedition if he wishes,” the mage said, uned with the young elf’s fate.

  It felt like the mage was toying with me, sav his victory. I slowly raised my dark bde into a defensive posture. The ice drake immediately tensed, sensing a battle was ing. “Kylma, rex. This one is mine.”

  Seven are missiles formed over his shoulder and shot toward me. I hastily erected air shields in front of me. The two shields shattered uhe force, and the seventh missile burned a hole through my severely damaged armor. My flesh burned where the missile struck, and the smell of burnt flesh reminded me I was fag a powerful mage.

  “Are we not full of surprises!” Traeliorn excimed, genuinely shocked. “What other secrets are you hiding?” His unfriendly smile returned.

  “Too many to t,” I retorted reflexively. “If you have a few hours, perhaps we discuss them.”

  The mage sighed. “Unfortunately, I do not have time for banter. I o elimihe rest of your pany and front your Emperor.”

  It was time to go. I dashed to the right, aiming for the corridor. The ice drake exhaled a cloud of frost, but it wasn’t nearly as powerful as the ice samander’s attack—it merely washed over me. I left an air shield behind, blog the corridor. A torrent of lightning crashed into it, superheating the shield until it exploded, throwiumbling down the corridor. My ears rang, and I thought to myself that this most definitely was not a fair fight.

  I activated my healing spell form and coughed in pain. I stumbled to my feet as the mage’s muted shistered, “No, Kylma!” I gnced back to see the mage had warhe drake against pursuing me, but the beast’s hunting instinct had taken over. It saw me beaten and sprawled on the floor, and it rushed toward me, eager to finish me off.

  The headless ice drake’s body skidded into me. My head felt stuffed with y ears throbbed, and I stumbled to my feet and ran.

  ? Chted 2024 by AlwaysRollsAOne

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