The night in the Ash Pit brings no respite. The sky remains a dark red, illuminated by the dancing glows of the lava lake. The heat is suffocating. It is in this infernal atmosphere that I prepare.
I do not eat. Hunger sharpens my senses. I coat my skin and armor with an ashen mud to mask my scent and dull the few reflections from my blade. I am a creature of this scorched earth, a ghost of ash.
Lyanna approaches as I give my equipment a final check. She says nothing at first, merely watching me.
"This is madness," she finally says, her voice a whisper.
"It's the only plan we have."
"There's a difference between courage and recklessness." She pulls a small vial from her belt. It contains a silvery liquid that swirls slowly. "It's a Potion of Minor Invisibility. It will only last for thirty seconds, but it might give you the edge you need at the crucial moment. Use it wisely."
I take the vial. The glass is cold. It is an unexpected asset, a thirty-second life insurance policy. "Why?"
"Because I don't like to lose my investments," she replies with a faint smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "And because... if you die, I'll have to find another annoying, overconfident scout. That would be tedious."
Her attempt at levity doesn't hide her concern. This strange bond that is forming between us, made of mutual respect and a shared curiosity for power, continues to grow.
"I'll be back," I promise her.
I leave the camp, alone. I melt into the ashen landscape. The path to the caldera is now familiar to me. I avoid the patrols with unnerving ease. My Level 2 Camouflage, enhanced by the lingering bonus from the Shapeshifter, makes me almost undetectable in this scenery of shadows and glows.
I reach my observation post, the crevice overlooking the lava lake. The scene is the same. Hundreds of Saurians, the menacing fortress, and the King, motionless on his throne.
I spot the shaman, Sh'raz. She is still in her secluded cove, performing her ritual. She seems to never sleep. Her duty is her entire existence. I understand that devotion. It is the same as the Skeletal Guardian's.
I cannot go straight down into the cove. I would be in the open. I must find another way. I follow the edge of the caldera, looking for a path that will take me closer to the water level unseen. I find an extinct volcanic chimney, a vertical tunnel that descends into the mountain's bowels. The air inside is suffocating, but it seems to lead in the right direction.
The descent is perilous. I rappel down, using the rough edges of the rock. The tunnel finally opens out behind a rock wall, just a few meters from the shaman's cove. I am separated from her by a thin curtain of lava that flows from the wall and disappears into a crevice. The heat is intense.
I peek through the curtain of liquid fire. Sh'raz is there, her back to me. She is in a deep trance, her clawed hands tracing fiery runes in the air above the royal egg. The egg, resting on a small stone altar, pulses with a bright orange light.
It is now or never.
I drink the Potion of Invisibility. The liquid tastes of ozone and cold. My body tingles, then the sensation of becoming transparent washes over me. I look at my hands. They are blurry outlines, almost invisible.
Thirty seconds.
I step through the curtain of lava. The heat is so intense it threatens to melt my armor. I endure it, grimacing in pain.
HP: 65/65 → 60/65
I am on the other side. Invisible. Silent. I approach the altar. The shaman does not react. She is too absorbed in her ritual.
I am next to the egg. It is warm, almost hot. It vibrates under my hand. I gently pick it up and slip it into my satchel, which I have padded with rags.
Fifteen seconds.
I turn and pass back through the lava curtain, the pain even sharper this time.
HP: 60/65 → 55/65
I am back in the chimney. My invisibility wears off just as I am out of sight.
I have succeeded. I have the egg.
But behind me, I hear a shriek. A shriek not of rage, but of pure anguish. The cry of a mother who has lost her child.
Sh'raz has discovered the theft.
Instantly, a psychic alarm seems to spread through the entire caldera. The hundreds of Saurians turn as one toward the shaman's cove. The Saurian King himself rises from his throne, a slow, menacing movement.
I do not wait. I climb up the chimney as fast as I can. Fleeing is my only option.
When I reach the surface, chaos reigns below. Groups of Saurians are running in all directions, searching for the intruder. Sh'raz is at the center of the commotion, pointing her claw in every direction, screaming orders.
I have started a civil war.
I start running toward the Iron Claw camp, the precious egg weighing heavily in my bag. I know that I am now the most wanted target in the entire Ash Pit.
As I run, a new notification appears, one I was not expecting.
Artifact detected nearby. Attempting to bond.
[Saurian King's Egg] is attempting to establish a telepathic link with you.
Accept? (Y/N)
A telepathic link? The egg is conscious? The Codex taught me that some powerful artifacts have a will of their own. What if this egg is one of them? To accept is a huge risk. To refuse is to ignore a potential source of power.
My curiosity wins out over my caution.
I accept.
A voice, neither male nor female, young yet infinitely ancient, resonates in my mind. It does not speak with words, but with emotions, with images.
This is not a malevolent entity. It is a child. An unborn, powerful, and terrified child, torn from the warmth of its nest. It senses my presence, but it does not perceive me as an enemy. It perceives me as the only stable thing in its new world of cold and fear.
A bond is formed. I am no longer just the thief of the egg. I have become its protector by default.
This unexpected connection has an immediate and incredible side effect.
A bond has been established with [Saurian King's Egg].
You have gained the temporary buff [Draconic Affinity (Minor)]: Your presence is less likely to be perceived as hostile by draconic or reptilian creatures of low intelligence.
The Saurians searching for me... they will have a harder time detecting me. The egg itself is protecting me, masking my aura.
I continue my run, a smile forming on my lips. I came to steal an object. I may have found an ally.
I reach the Iron Claw camp just before dawn. The palisade is on high alert. Kaelen and Lyanna are waiting for me at the gate.
When they see me, a bag on my back, alive and in one piece, their relief is visible.
I place the satchel on the ground and gently open it. The royal egg pulses with a soft orange glow, illuminating their stunned faces.
"The lever," I say, out of breath. "Chaos has been sown. Prepare your ambush. The King will come for his child."
Kaelen looks at me, then at the egg, then back at me. The glint of respect in his icy eyes has turned into undisguised admiration.
"By the Chasm, kid..." he murmurs. "You actually did it."
I have completed the first part of the mission. But as I look at the egg, feeling the fearful, powerful presence within, I realize that things have just become infinitely more complicated.
I am no longer just a thief. I am the guardian of a future king. And his father is coming.