Valka was almost giddy when he opened his notifications to see what loot the goblins had dropped. What he saw almost made him drop his digested breakfast straight into his breeches.

  “87 Silver…Hauberk of Resist Piercing…Dagger of Sonic Wounding?”

  With each reward Valka named his voice rose higher and higher. Davros took a step back when Valka turned his bulging eyes upon him.

  “Marry me.”

  “Valka!”

  “No! I mean…no. I have a sister in Bludgard. She would make you a good wife once she got past your face!”

  “Valka!” Anya repeated.

  I wasn’t sure what to make of Valka’s statement save that I was likely being mocked again. Other than the silver that had dropped, everything else only sounded impressive, but that was an assumption I based upon Valka, Anya and even Igvild’s shocked expressions as they listened to the list of loot drops.

  “Let’s open the chest.” Valka ordered Igvild and they both eagerly jogged over to the Hexblighter’s tent. Anya chuckled.

  “I’ve never seen Valka this excited before. It’s a side of him I’ve never witnessed.”

  “What is he usually like?” I asked after they disappeared into the tent. I had a thought that maybe Lieutenant Valka was a bit like Madame Fevre. Perhaps deep down, he really did care about others and didn’t know how to show it?

  “Honestly? When he’s not drinking with the men, training, or complaining to Captain Yentz about every little thing Lieutenant Smeeve does he is usually sitting by himself at his campfire.”

  “At the Orphanage, alliances were always temporary,” I picked up a stick and started poking at the embers of the goblin campfire, teasing it back to life. “It was hard trusting others, because you always knew that if it came down to a choice between friendship or a bit of extra food or dodging a work duty that the alliance was over.”

  “It sounds like you had a tough childhood,” Anya said, staring into the growing flames Davros had raised. I shrugged, the flames mesmerizing me as well.

  “It was all I knew. All I knew how to do.” I paused. “Would you tell me about your childhood, Lieutenant Anya?”

  “I was born on a trade ship at dock in Bludgard,” Anya began, her voice adopting a more sedate tone. Her eyes continued to stare into the flames without blinking. “My father was a Czak merchant, my mother an elf slave from…somewhere.” Anya’s face went slack, the pupils of her eyes dilated. “He brought us both to Bludgard because Elves, even Half-Elves, have a higher chance of Awakening than most.”

  I continued to slowly stir the coals, the flames seeming to flicker and dance between Anya and I. A veil of heat and smoke. Notifications were vying for my attention once more, but Anya’s forthrightness had drawn me into what I could tell was a very personal story.

  “When I didn’t Awaken, he was so disappointed. He had hoped to use me to gain more status amongst the Czak nobility. Get command of his own fleet of ships. It’s all Czaks ever think about. Advancement. Power. Status.”

  “Lieutenant Anya…”

  “He told me he should have sold my Mother and left me with my Mother’s people, because they would have made it quick when they ended me. He said a Czak noble might want an exotic mistress when I grew up if I was lucky. I showed him. I worked for over two decades to become Forged. I…”

  “Lieutenant!” The stick in my hands caught fire and I tossed it into the flames which had continued to grow and grow as if connected to Lieutenant Anya’s long smoldering emotions. Anya blinked and came back to herself. The flames retreated.

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  “What was I saying?” She shook her head and rubbed her temples. “That fight took more out of me than I thought.” She looked at me from across the campfire, eyes blurry. “I’d say we should camp here, but it’s dangerous to sleep in an area of a Dungeon that isn’t a designated Safe Zone. Dungeons have a way of punishing you for taking it lightly.”

  I nodded mutely as Anya stood up, still wincing and rubbing her forehead in confusion. “I’ll go see how Igvild is coming along with that chest.”

  I watched her walk away and when she was out of earshot I let out a breath I had been holding.

  What was that?

  The notification opened to answer my question and I could scarcely believe what I was seeing.

  Withered Lands First!

  Achievement: Blink and You’ll miss it!

  You are the first [Pyromancer] to discover the spell Hypnotic Flame!

  Hypnotic Flame Auto-Set to ACTIVE!

  You receive 100 Experience points.

  Will +1

  Focus +1

  ERROR! Reward for {Focus} advancement is temporarily unavailable due to [Curse of Ashgar]. FOCUS is debuffed to minimum/maximum of 1.

  I discovered a spell? All I did was try to get the fire going again and I wanted to know more about Lieutenant Anya and then….”

  A world of Ash and Flame…A tall, obsidian obelisk alive with runes of fire…a new rune, red with fire, etches itself upon the obelisk and attaches itself to the Flame rune…a pulse of energy and then…

  I blink my eyes and return to myself. I have accomplished something incredible that I know instinctively only an Awakened could do.

  “I hypnotized her with a spell I just discovered?” I felt my breath catch in my throat. I knew that my bond with flame was deepening as my Born of Fire Trait continued to grow. A new Rune, Hypnotic Flame, had etched itself into my mana core. Excited, I examined the spell’s description.

  Hypnotic Flame

  Mana Cost: 20% of Mana.

  Duration: Based upon FOCUS attribute: Current time is 15 seconds.

  Description: The caster forms a three way bond between themselves, the flame and the target. Using the flame as a focus, the Caster is able to temporarily lower Target’s WILL in order to glean information or influence Target’s thoughts. Higher Target WILL attribute will lower chances of success by Caster’s WILL/Target’s WILL = % Success.

  Discovering the spell had been an accident and I felt guilty over what I had done to Lieutenant Anya. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have any idea what I had done to her. Likely for the best, I thought. I didn’t want her to go back to being the cold, distant person I had first met. I doubted Lieutenant Valka would appreciate it either. Most likely, I would end up with another Manastop bracelet slapped on my wrist and I didn’t want that.

  Hypnotic Flame had automatically been added to my Active spells, but I decided to remove it to Inactive. Until I figured out a way to increase my Focus, I was stuck with being able to equip only three active spells. I didn’t feel that Hypnotic Flame was necessary for clearing this Dungeon and I didn’t want to accidentally use it on any of my friends again. Better safe than sorry.

  Hypnotic Flame [Inactive]

  Using the spell had drained some of my Mana, so I sipped some water from my waterskin and sat quietly by the fire. With everyone in the Hexblighter’s tent I had a moment or two alone. Looking around, I wondered what time of day it was. Surrounded by thorn patches that obscured much of the sky, it felt to me as if this dungeon were stuck in a perpetual early evening. There was light, just not a lot of it.

  As I watched my Mana tick back up to full, I ran a hand over my disfigured jaw and near my low hanging eye. I was feeling more self conscious of them both lately. At the Orphanage, one got used to the occasional taunts, mostly from Corlo and the other lackeys, but even those had eventually become nothing more than background noise. I had accepted that I was different. Ugly. Nobody important. That had all changed when I had Awakened.

  I’m somebody now. These Goblins are no match for me. I bet that Goblin Boss Valka mentioned will burn just as easily as the others did. Yes!

  A slow smile spread across my lips, my jutting lower lip curling up and over my top lip in a way it never had before. If any of the others had seen Davros’s face just then, they may have been disturbed by what they saw.

  I’m powerful! I’m somebody! When the Graf sees all the loot, he will be pleased with me! Lieutenant Anya will realize just how special I am. Maybe…maybe she’ll even…

  A heat built inside my chest. I felt the flame within me surge around my Mana Core. It wasn’t an entirely pleasant sensation, but my mind was fixated on dreams of power and glory. I would be honored. I would be praised. I would be worshiped.

  I’ll burn this whole dungeon down. I’ll fight the Boss myself! I’ll make these Goblins kneel before me and…

  WARNING! Corruption level increased by 1!

  I gasped and clutched my chest. For the first time the flame hurt! Gone was the warmth, the Mana now erratic and searing my soul. I groaned and rolled onto my side, breathing hard with tears spilling down my cheeks. When the tears hit the ground they instantly evaporated into steam.

  “Help. Please,” I gasped.

  Corruption set to Level 1. Your spells and abilities now come at an increased cost, but with additional effects. Learn to balance Corruption with Soothe or be consumed!

  He heard voices yelling, but the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears drowned out what they were saying. His eyes were shut tight, the tears in his eyes were burning! He thought he heard Lieutenant Valka yell something then Lieutenant Anya say something in response. Someone was propping up his head and then a cooling relief spread throughout his body. The Mana in his Core calmed significantly from a raging typhoon to a brisk wind. The flame that orbited his Core no longer a tornado, but a simmering burn once more.

  The last thing he heard before he passed out was Lieutenant Valka directing an angry question at Igvild.

  “What did you do with that damned bracelet, dwarf?”