Chapter Twenty-One

Autumn Conclave

What bodies should we make this conclave? Wraith asked.

“I think mostly the same as last time, a few improvements with your new patterns but other than that there isn’t much to be done. If you change your body every conclave you’ll just be labeled an attention grabber,” Ember said.

Perhaps, but I want something a little different, I wonder If I could replicate a wind elemental and mix that with my pattern? Wraith reasoned aloud and began pouring his mana into a pattern in the air.

“What!?” Ember asked alarmed. “Don’t try….”

There was an explosion and Wraith screamed as a magical backlash struck him and a crack ran along his core. Pain radiated through him and images began rushing through his head. A tall man with thick black hair and pale skin hugging a woman with chestnut hair; the images flew by showing small home two children, a band of adventures, a journey battles with goblins and spiders and then a blade protruding from the man’s chest. The images came so fast Wraith barely had a chance to view them before his core was wracked with pain. He quickly shrunk his core which had grown over the past few months. The shrinkage closed the crack and he infused it with mana fixing the gap.

“What were you thinking an unfinished pattern is one of the most dangerous things you can ever experiment with. Patterns carry mana in a loop until it materializes into matter and if you don’t have that you just release wild magic into your body and it automatically goes right back to its source, you.” Ember said hovering over Wraith’s core.

I understand, fine we’ll do regular bodies this conclave, but I’m done with this experiment, Wraith promised.

“Fine, what changes are you making to the bodies?” Ember asked.

Wraith mentally focused and created Embers body. The white scaled humanoid form grew again with a crown of black demon horns growing around his head. A mithril chain-shirt and black silk shirt and black leather boots. Wraith began to make his own body but the ache in his core distracted him and when he was done he found himself looking at the face of the pale skinned human with black hair. He wore a set of black leather armor and a black silk cape.

“Quiet a change from last time,” Ember commented. “What inspired this change?”

Wraith was silent for a moment as he processed this statement. It just sort of came to me, he whispered confused at emotions that had appeared in his core.

Blackened Fortress: Dungeon Conclave

Wraith and Ember arrived at dungeon conclave each riding a large black scaled drake. They dismounted and entered the black iron gates of the ruins of the orcish fortress. An orc in iron plate armor escorted them to a door that led into the dungeon of the fortress; Wraith stepped into a golden circle and swore that he had upheld and not broken any of laws of the conclave. He entered a massive cavern with black marble floor with gilded pillars and ruby walls. Humanoid figures milled about conversing the chaotic storm of sounds rising up to the spiraling staircase.

He descended the staircases and some dungeons came up to greet him shaking his hand or offering drinks. Wraith tugged the white silk sleeves of his buttoned shirt that poked out of his black leather armor. He shook hands and smiled promising to speak with them later and discuss trading deals. He truly smiled when Devouring Crags came up to him followed by his feathered Lord Spark and she bowed to Ember and Wraith.

“Wraith, how wonderful to see you,” Devouring said shaking Wraith’s hand and pulling him into an embrace. “I see you took our advice and made a body you could taste and feel in, a wise decision. Come let me introduce you to our host and one of the allies of our organization.”

Devouring led Wraith through the crowd to a humanoid seven-foot-tall with onyx skin and white tusks and blood red eyes. “Blackened good to see you, let me introduce you to Wraith. I’m sure you saw him at last year’s conclave.”

“Ah yes, the latest member to the circle good to see some sensible young blood getting rid of those uppity ‘new ideas’ dungeons. I myself was on the circle many years ago but I stepped down to fulfill other duties for our organization.” Blackened said shaking Wraith’s hand.

“Blackened is in charge of making sure mortal settlements don’t overtake our regions of the world. We can’t have a never-ending swarm of people trying to be adventures constantly trying to raid our dungeons now can we!” Devouring laughed. “Its part of our movement against the Old Ones, there order has dissolved into semantics and foolishness; did you know that there are some among them that believe we should allow humans to build settlements over our dungeons and allow then to enter us every day? It is heresy and such ideas would ultimately reveal our existence and lead to our destruction!”

“I can see how that would be a problem, is there anything I might do to put a stop to such foolishness?” Wraith asked.

“Well for starters you can defend your position on the circle I hear that Dryads Domain has been working on something to discredit you. I hope you’ve got something planned to keep your position,” Blackened said his voice low so as to prevent them from being overheard.

“I’m not like Screaming Peak, I have been preparing to defend my position on the circle,” Wraith replied.

“Good, I’m glad to hear young dungeons taking control of their destiny,” Devouring said. “When you finish defending your position make sure to remind all the other dungeons out there that we are the superior race and our prosperity relies on the exploitation of the lesser races and that it is imperative that we not give into compassion for the other races.”

“if you’ll excuse me I need to speak with some other members of our order,” Blackened apologized and gave a bow of his head before disappearing into the crowd.

“Wraith I will see you at the trial in an hour,” Devouring said.

Wraith stood on the stage overlooking the crowd his arms folded behind his back in a relaxed position. Dungeons gathered around their voices low as the other members of the circle came onto the stage their hoods covering their faces. Wraith left his own hood down staring intently at individual members of the crowd until they looked away. Wraith than watched as the crowd parted and a tall woman with green leather armor fashioned like leaves her hair done up in an intricate pile of brown curls with long pointed ears that curved like crescent moons. Behind her followed a female with chestnut brown skin covered stag horns sprouting from her forehead with a cloak of wolfskin and sharp wolf canines.

“Greetings honored assembly,” Dryads Domain said interrupting the tradition of members of the circle stating their achievements first before anyone else spoke. “I have behind me what I believe will be a legend. This is a dungeon that has broken the record for killing not just a first or second ranked adventure but a fifth ranked adventure in less than a year in fact less than five months. Allow me to present Ferocious Glade!” she said with a dramatic flourish stepping to the side and Ferocious Glade stepped forward a smile on her face.

“Does anyone dispute my claim and right my place on the circle? Do you members of the circle have some achievement that surpasses my own?” Ferocious us asked raising one of her long thin eyebrows and looking pointedly at Wraith.

Wraith smiled and moved a step forward. “I am glad to hear you are working so hard to better yourself and by extension the greatest race on this or any plane. I myself have achieved much since my last conclave, I have defeated demons from the ninth and eight levels of Hell, I have defeated four fifth ranked adventurers, but all these are paltry any dungeon can defeat one of the lesser races. I have progressed in understanding of magic and my experiments have shown me something that will revolutionize the way we grow and evolve our dungeons. I have done the unthinkable and experimented with portal magic opening and stabilizing a portal into the World Below and not only that, but I have harnessed the energy of that portal and even now pure unadulterated mana flows into my dungeon strengthening my core. This experiment eliminates the need to for me to every have to bother with adventurers again…” Wraith said and paused as the crowd held their breath. “But I will not stop, for as I said we are the superior race and it is good for us to subjugate the lesser races. They benefit from our civilizing influence, we let them gather treasure and riches while at the same time fulfilling the much-needed task of limiting them from overrunning and destroying all the land. We are the secret rulers it is our manifest destiny to control the overspread of the humans and other lesser races without us there would be global destruction and anarchy, it is our sacred duty to do controlled destruction of humanoid settlements that encroach to close to our boarders.”

Dryad Domain stepped forward hurriedly and tried to take control of the situation. “As impressive as that is I don’t know if that counts as an achievement worthy of being on the circle….” She began but Wraith cut her off his voice soaked with condescension and scorn.

“Have any other dungeons of my age here successfully experimented with portal magic? In fact have any of you done so in your long life times, have you yourself? My achievement is beyond approach as I am sure the entire conclave will agree as it is their privilege to determine who succeeds or fails,” Wraith said throwing down a verbal gauntlet.

Dryad bristled in rage, but the conclave erupted in applause and cheering, and Wraith bowed low his hood falling down over his head and when he rose only the paper white skin was visible stretched in a slight smile. Devouring stepped up to Wraith and clapped him on the back.

“Excellently done,” Devouring congratulated.

“My pleasure,” Wraith replied and stepped off the stage and began shaking hands and promising to speak with others later.

Dryad stepped up to Wraith shook his hand and pulled him close and whispered in his ear. “You may have one this battle but remember this no one crosses me. I will reduce you to a lump of coal rotting in a cave,” she hissed and then stepped back disappearing in the throng of bodies.

“We’ll see about that,” Wraith muttered his countenance darkening.