My hypothesis proved correct. The wisps changed trajectory a finger’s width from the water and took to the sky again. They swirled before dispersing as a trio of green snakes. The lights dove once more but didn’t enter the pen again.

  Just as my breath started running out, a hand reached into the water and grabbed me. It pulled, and my struggling lungs didn’t let me resist. Much to my surprise, it was Hruk. The little hobgoblin grinned at me. He kept a hold on my arm, running toward the pen’s far edge. The green moats took to the sky again and came at us. Neither of us slowed.

  Hruk raised his left arm. It housed a bracer similar to the one that came with Mage Hand. Unlike it, the leather-and-Aetherite construction contained three equally sized cores. The mana within mostly appeared gray, but wisps of orange and yellow floated around within. “Hold your breath,” Hruk whispered before flicking his wrist. Black smoke exploded from the bracer. The cloud expanded violently, consuming Hruk and me. On top of holding my breath, I closed my eyes too.

  My lungs screamed, begging for air, but I didn’t give in. Hruk got me to the stack of hay bales used for feeding the goats and pulled me within. When I opened my eyes, I found the smoke pouring from the bracer had ceased. So, I eagerly breathed in, looking behind us. Thick smoke filled the goat pen, leaving only patches of light. Golden and amber wisps floating around with them, creating spheres of visibility in the darkness.

  “I made it from a wyvern’s core,” Hruk said, removing the bracer and slapping it on my wrist.

  Leather Bracer of Draconic Smoke

  Wyverns and their draconic cousins use Creation magic to produce smoke and birth embers in their throat. The pressurized sacs in their chest force the flammable fluid over the embers, setting them on fire.

  The smoke clouds vision and chokes anyone who inhales it. Meanwhile, the wisps pulse mana signatures, providing disruption and interference against all mana-sensing abilities, spells, and tools.

  The wielder is immune to the bracer’s effects and can see through the smoke without issue.

  A shiver ran down my spine when Hruk finished fastening the bracer to my left forearm. I could see through the smoke. It didn’t disappear altogether, but the gray faded, growing almost translucent. Only the black, sooty strands flying in the air remained. They helped me see where the smoke was thickest and where it ended. It felt like looking through the gap between the top of a flame and the smoke in between, where the image beyond appeared to distort.

  “Can you see, Hruk?” I asked.

  He nodded, holding up a medallion. “I made three of these. They make the wearer immune to the bracer’s effects.” He glanced up at the swirling emerald wisps above. “What’s the plan, Perry? How do we kill Kraine? He’s mad. We need to put him down quickly.”

  “No. We need to drag this out and make him angrier. Look at all the mistakes he’s making. We need to make the most of it. Gurk came through for us—”

  “The longer we delay, the higher the chance of him pulling out bigger and badder spells.”

  “That’s precisely what we need, Hruk. The big spells will give us the necessary opening to win this. We don’t have the time to go into details right now. You’ve just got to trust me, alright?”

  “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t trust you, Perry.”

  “Alright, do you have any tools or spells that can hurt Kraine?”

  “My only spells that can cause injury are touch ranged,” he answered. “Which is why I use them for powering tools. If I can get him close, a tap should be enough to stun him. And I’ve got this.” Hruk pulled up his left sleeve, displaying a forearm-sized device made of metal and Aetherite. My Mana Sense detected a chilling aura coming from it and sensed something live within too. “It’s got an Aether core from a frost wyvern’s chest and an ice elemental. Don’t ask me how I got them.”

  When Hruk flicked his wrist, a marble-sized sphere of ice popped out of the device and rolled into his hand. A chilling blue wisp sat within. From his right sleeve, he conjured a slingshot.

  Frostfire Baublemaker

  Sometimes attuned Aether cores and rune scripts aren’t enough. Sometimes, a living element is necessary for artificers to create the more complicated tools.

  Cores born in an ice wyvern’s chest burn with frost fire. Only attunements with a focus in ice may tame and control such energies. A minor ice elemental is perfect for such a purpose. It compresses the frostfire and contains it within an enchanted sphere of ice. Break the baubles with care, or an ice wyvern’s essence can be hazardous to health.

  Analyze has progressed to Novice Rank 6!

  Loreseeker has progressed to Novice Rank 3!

  “You came prepared,” I commented.

  “Weeks of trading and tireless work.” Hruk grinned. “This beauty might be my masterpiece.”

  “Great! Let’s go piss off Kraine and have him summon his giant spirit friends!”

  Hruk nodded, and we rushed into the smoke together.

  thirty-eight

  We were still navigating through the smoke when loud chirping filled the air. It sent a shiver down my spine as I guessed what was to come. Both Hruk and I glanced up toward the sky to see silver masses replace the green from before. Unlike the green, they weren’t uniform. Instead, countless little wings fluttered, making the silver clouds appear fluid.

  “Damn it!” I swore. “Why won’t he use his big fucking spells?”

  The many tiny sparrows rose into the air before dive-bombing the clouds, sending them rushing outward. Green wisps floated near the borders of the goat pen but didn’t come for us. Then I noticed the bits of smoke clinging to our bodies. The gold and orange embers still whizzed around, providing the necessary interference.

  “How does Covenant magic work?” I asked Hruk as we slipped into a new hiding place. For good measure, I used the Bone Wand of Shaping, creating a stone crate around us. It wouldn’t conceal us for long, but it was better than nothing.

  “What do you mean?” Hruk asked. “He makes covenants with spirits, and they lend him strength as manifestations or let him harness their power.”

  “That means each spirit only has one function, right? The bats and sparrows seek and dive at their foes. While the tree spirits provide brambles for defense or grasping?”

  Hruk nodded. “And the water serpents slice whatever gets in their way.”

  “So, he’s got all four spirits that his followers use and the mountain spirit too.”

  “He gives out a minor version of that to his followers too, but they mostly use it for shaping weapons or defenses,” Hruk replied. “Don’t forget the Tree of Life. It’s his mass healing spell. Gurk is among the few acolytes who managed to harness a part of her power.”

  “Does he have any other big spirits?” I asked.

  “I don’t think so. It’s worth noting that the water summon is the Blacknail River’s spirit. It’s just as potent as the mountain.”

  “Alright, then. We need to force Kraine to whip out the mountain or river spirit then. I had hoped Doctor Whoo would help us with that, but we’ll need to figure something else out.” Hruk looked at Flint with his brows furrowed. “Doctor Whoo is my little shrike. She’s somewhere in the city distracting spirit callers Kraine sent after me this morning.”

  The chirping got louder, and countless tiny pecks and scratches surrounded us. “The sparrows found us,” Hruk commented.

  “Run as soon as I dissolve the stone,” I said, getting a nod from Hruk. Then when I pressed the wand’s tip to the stone, he grinned.

  “I’m going to create a distraction for you, Perry,” he told me. “Don’t you worry.”

  Before I could protest, he raised his slingshot and nocked a frostfire-filled bauble. It shot through the stone gap forming in the dissolving box and exploded on reaching the mass of silver sparrows above our head. I had to cover my ears as hundreds of sparrows shattered simultaneously in an explosion of blue fire. The temperature dropped rapidly as emerald embers showered around me. I didn’t wait for the chill to get into my bones.

  Instead, I had the wand shape a pillar under my feet. It launched me at a sixty-degree angle, helping me exit the pen and land behind a half-broken wall. In the meantime, Hruk had fired another frostfire bauble, gaining the sparrow’s attention. The green motes raced toward him but avoided me since my new bracer continued to leak black smoke. They didn’t leave a trail but clung to my body. A quick scan of the device showed that one of the three little crystals on it had already depleted its energy. Now, a second was rapidly burning through its stores.

  Sneaking has progressed to Apprentice Rank 5!

  Hruk hadn’t gotten around to giving me a demonstration, but Mana Sense highlighted the relevant runes keeping the device active. I ran my fingers along them and the device stopped leaking smoke. Much to my surprise, the mana well somewhere around my solar plexus swirled. It felt as if the little pool had something to say. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to figure out the message. Now that the conjured smoke was rapidly leaving me, Kraine would soon discover my position.

  Before sneaking toward the shaman, I activated the Mage Hand. It remained attached to my belt, but I loosened the loop that kept it attached. If necessary, I wanted the device to detach and jump into action at a moment’s notice. Hearing the commotion behind me get louder, I climbed atop a pillar and scanned for Kraine.

  The tribe’s shaman appeared overcome by rage. It didn’t look as if he had realized that his opponent was now Hruk. Instead of conjuring more silver sparrows, Kraine waved his arms. The silver clouds copied their movements, diving at Hruk and swiping at him. Sweat covered both green-skinned men, and I worried my friend would fall before my enemy. I needed to figure out a solution, quick.

  My mana well tried getting my attention again. It felt as if the energy within was dragging me toward Kraine. It made no sense. I glanced at the crowd, looking for outside influence, but people were too busy cheering at the frostfire explosions. While fleeing from Kraine earlier, I had given them the impression that I was a mage. They’d likely fell for the lie and assumed the blue flames were my doing. Since the goat pen sat close to ten feet below the plateau’s ground, neither the audience nor Kraine had an unobstructed view of Hruk.

  So, I used the distraction to give into my mana well’s demands and snuck toward Kraine. As I got closer the tug weakened, but the energy swirled more violently in my core. It felt as if the energy was excited. At first, no matter how much I wracked my brain, I couldn’t find a solution. Then I turned a corner, getting a direct look at Kraine from his right, and I understood the disturbance’s source.

  Little Doctor Whoo had found her way into the arena. She sat behind several bales of hay, preening singed feathers off her lower right arm. A third of my mana lived within her. I couldn’t confirm my hypothesis, but I guessed that while escaping the spirit callers, she had wandered further from me than ever before. My well had stayed in its shrunken state for too long and wanted the mana returned. So, I obliged.

  The crowd’s cheering fell silent when a juvenile shrike suddenly appeared in the arena. In the distance, I saw Grog and several spirit callers jump out of their seats, weapons at the ready. Then Gor raised his arms, waving at them and shaking their head. The goblin chieftain and his soldiers relaxed almost straight away, but the face-painted spirit callers appeared alarmed. Most of them remained in their seat, but one of them glanced between Grog and the shrike frantically. Finally, he jumped out of his seat and yelled.

  “Look out, master!” A couple of soldiers lunged at him, and he thrust his staff forward, conjuring vines to hold them back. “Behind yo—”

  I didn’t get to see who silenced the goblin, but the damage was done. Kraine spun around, and his mouth fell open. The sparrows ceased their attack on Hruk and raced back to their summoner. He thrust his hands at Doctor Whoo, directing them. She already had experience with the sparrows and hopped out of their way. Kraine raised his staff high above his head and slammed it into the ground. Then when Doctor Whoo resumed her charge, countless vines sprouted from the ground and tangled her. She snipped herself free of a couple of them, but there were too many. They trapped my beautiful shrike, putting a halt to my plan.

  “What is this?” Kraine yelled, glancing at Grog over his shoulder. “Do you see this? The halfling was behind the shrike all along.”

  “No, I wasn’t,” I stated, popping out of my hiding place. “After witnessing your callous responses yesterday, I thought I’d fulfil the task you failed, Kraine. Following your only remaining—and competent—acolyte’s teachings regarding the beast, I went out looking for the shrike. I didn’t have emerald wisps like you, but I succeeded where you failed, Kraine. My powerful magic tamed the monster. Now she fights by my side. That’s how I and Hruk served the tribe. What have you done for them recently?”

  “You’re a liar!” Kraine roared, pointing his staff at me. The crystal atop it glowed crimson, but before fiery bats could manifest, frostfire exploded to his right, making him scream. I hoped the sapphire flames would freeze him into a statue, but a black mass spread from the bone staff and surrounded Kraine. Then the blue lights got too bright, blinding me. It took several seconds of blinking before my vision returned. When I finally returned my attention to where Kraine had stood moments ago, I saw nothing. The goblin shaman had disappeared into thin air.

  “Ah, nuts,” I mumbled, recalling the video from the trucking company’s office. Kraine’s staff had absorbed the felin Champion’s shadow cape. The bastard likely had Sneaking abilities too.

  “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” I cursed myself, staying low as I rushed toward Doctor Whoo. While investigating Kraine’s methods and magic, I had completely forgotten about the relic upgrades he gained from defeating other Champions. Gurk had mentioned how many Kraine had defeated, but I struggled to recall the number. It was either three or four, but the number didn’t matter. The crux of the matter was he had at least four powerful tools to use against me, one of them being his relic’s core ability.

  So far, I had seen two of them in action: bone lances—they didn’t match the rest of his magic—and the shadow mantle. Given the fact that he hadn’t speared me yet, I assumed he could only use one of these abilities at a time. Invisibility on a summoner can be a scary thing though. I worried he had slunk off somewhere to prepare more summons and would jump out at any moment to shower us with fiery bats or silver sparrows.

  The ideal move would involve running and hiding. However, I couldn’t just let Doctor Whoo remain in her vulnerable position and get killed. We hadn’t spent enough time together to bond deeply—on my end, at least. However, she saw me as a parental figure after I fixed her leg. She had saved my life twice now and been instrumental in ending Kraine’s endless sparrow barrage. Besides needing her for survival, I felt responsible for her too. It didn’t feel like having a pet, but a young, intelligent companion that needed to master their communication skills.

  As I got closer, I breathed a sigh of relief. Kraine’s vines appeared to have absorbed the brunt of the frostfire. They had frozen solid and were cracking as Doctor Whoo wrestled with them. I scanned our surroundings one last time before rushing to her aid. None of the shadows around the shrike—except her own—appeared large enough to conceal Kraine. If I recalled correctly, the shadow cape didn’t make the wearer truly invisible, only made them harder to spot when in the dark.

  Mana Sense failed to highlight any surges. So, after taking a moment to scan my surroundings, I rushed to Doctor Whoo’s side and attacked the vines. My measly two units of Strength did little of course. So, I turned to the Bone Wand of Shaping once again. Instead of rapidly growing a shape, I had a pillar extend slowly out of the ground where the vines were the most frozen. The stone struggled for a moment, but then the pressure sent cracks through the hardened flora. Once it took out a large chunk, Doctor Whoo found the strength to break free.

  Her muscles bulged and the normally matted fur stood on its end. “Go on, girl,” I whispered, tugging ineffectively. “Flex those gams.” A loud half-roar-half-squawk escaped her as she broke free, and a cheer sounded from the crowd.

  “The halfling tamed a shrike!”

  “Someone make him shaman.”

  “He can’t be a shaman, you dolt. Only green-bloods can get the title.”

  “Actually, any spirit caller can do it.”

  I turned to the crowd, raising my voice. “Your best bet is Gurk, if you’re looking for a new shaman. He’s not as impotent as Kraine and gets the job done.” I hoped my words would taunt Kraine out of hiding, but they didn’t. “It’s up to your esteemed chieftain, of course. I’m an outsider and have no say over what happens in the tribe.”

  “He’s such a good lad.”

  Suddenly, the crowd quietened. A quick scan suggested their focus had moved on from Doctor Whoo and me. Alarmed, I spun around, expecting to see Kraine launching a grand spell. Instead, I found all the goblins staring at Hruk with their mouths hanging agape. He sprinted at me, slingshot at the ready. I couldn’t tell whether he had detected movement or wanted to show off, but Hruk pointed his weapon off to the side before firing off a pellet. It exploded in a blaze of frostfire and the crowd went wild, cheering.

  “That was our little Hruk?”

  “Did the pipsqueak just summon frost wyvern breath?”

  Hruk didn’t appear as pleased with the crowd’s amazed adoration as me. I guessed he’d been burned by them long enough for him not to value their amazement. He likely wanted to see them burn. I hoped helping me defeat Kraine and perhaps winning his freedom would help Hruk win the peace of mind he desired.