thedancenovel Book 3: Chapter 83: Token Choices
Book 3: Chapter 83: Token Choices
Chapter 83: Token Choices
The night’s fragile calm shattered when the sky thundered.
Engines, not the growling of beasts or the roar of collapsing stone, gave off the metallic hum of arcane machinery. The sound rolled across the ruined camp. Alex lifted his head, his stomach knotting as shadows moved across the stars. One massive ship drifted into view, its armored hull glinting with runes and glyphs. It was six hundred meters of steel, wood and spellwork, its size dwarfing even the Andreia that had seemed so immense to him before.
A Capital Cruiser.
And it wasn’t alone, either. Two smaller vessels took formation to flank it, sleek corvette craft no longer than a hundred meters each. Like hunting dogs circling their quarry, the corvettes broke off and started flying in wide circles above the camp.
The Worldstriders stared upward in silence. Even the crackle of burning pyres seemed to falter under the sheer magnitude of the presence in the sky. It looked as though the Empire had come expecting a war. And they found only corpses, ash, and the blood-soaked survivors of someone else’s fight.
Arcane gates shimmered open beneath the Cruiser, and figures descended from it in trails of light. At their head was a woman who made Alex’s instincts scream immediately.
She landed without effort, the ground itself seeming to bend beneath her feet. Lavish robes fell around her like flowing banners, layered with armored plates of silver and jade. A straight-bladed sword rode her hip, the scabbard polished so clean it caught firelight like a mirror.
But Alex barely registered the weapon, or her clothes.
Her aether pressure hit like a tidal wave in its potency, her energy was crushing, practically absolute. His skin prickled just looking at her, his lungs tightening even before his instincts warned him to run away, forcing him to focus or else he do just that. He didn’t need to activate his arcane sight to know this was no ordinary mage.
Magus Tier. She has to be.
Maybe early tier. Maybe middle tier. To Alex, the difference was meaningless. She could end every one of them before anyone managed to draw breath.
“What happened here?” Her words came out cold, slicing through the camp as if her voice itself was blade.
Alex’s squad tensed while the Urhara soldiers snapped to attention. Malric was already moving, bowing with a practiced ease.
“My Lady Xhiu,” he said in deference.
The others followed suit. Even Karsali did so, a woman who, where before she was prideful and arrogant, folded with a grace that bordered on desperate.
Alex noticed the woman's gaze flick toward him, her attention alone was heavy as a blade against his neck. Karsali’s eyes burned into him from the side, her look screaming one word: Bow.
His own pride flashed hot inside him for a moment. After all they’d bled, after all they’d lost, bowing to someone who had done nothing but arrive late felt like acid in his throat.
But then he caught the power of the Magus’s aura pressing down harder on him, as if testing him. It was almost like she was daring him to refuse. He let out a long, slow breath, forcing the anger he felt back into its cage. He dipped his head low. The rest of his squad mirrored him, their movements just a fraction behind his own.
“I will ask once more. What happened here?” She didn’t raise her voice, but it felt as though the words filled the entire valley with ease.
Malric straightened from his bow crisply. “My Lady, the Empire’s routine retrieval mission brought us here as scheduled. But a dungeon breach occurred mere hours after arrival. The Andreia was drawn into the fighting and fell to ruin. The soldiers under Commander Karsali fought valiantly. The Worldstriders gave their strength as well.” He inclined his head toward Alex without looking at him. “In the end, it was Alexander Pierce, a Strider, who slew the Original Queen and ended the breach.”
The report came out of his mouth sans any actual emotion, simply plain. Lady Xhiu didn’t nod or acknowledge it as fact. She regarded him with a faint curve of amusement tugging at her lips, as though she’d just endured the recitation of a fable written by children.
Her steps were soundless on the ash as she drifted forward. Each motion was that of smooth liquidity, and each fold of her robes was as poised as the turn of an expert’s swordblade. She stopped in front of Alex, who was still bent in his bow, her shadow falling over him. He felt her eyes on him, cutting deeper than her presence already did, prying not at his body, past the flesh-sack—as Obby would have called it— and digging like claws against his soulspace.
“Curious, a Worldstrider who has made it this far… yet you have no Mage Core,” she said at last. Her tone bordered on playful.
Alex’s head lifted a fraction and his eyes narrowed before he could stop himself.
The reaction around them was immediate; gasps were heard all around the field, along with whispered utterances of disbelief. Karsali’s face tightened, and Malric’s brows twitched. Even Ghrukk’s scarred mouth fell open in momentary surprise. To top it off, the soldiers of the Empire exchanged dumbfounded glances.
Aburi, Symon, and Kletos only looked on silently, while the Striders at Alex’s back said nothing at all, as they already knew the truth.
“Impressive,” Lady Xhiu continued. “For an Adept.”
Her gaze slipped away from him as though he’d lost all value the instant she’d mentally dissected him. She pivoted, her robe hems whispering against the ground, and strode a pace forward. “Finish the cleanup,” she commanded. “Strip the wreckage of all worth. Destroy the rest.”
“As you command,” the soldiers answered together, all of them already moving to fulfill her wishes.
She stepped lightly onto the floating skiff that had brought her down. Seating herself in the high-backed chair at the center, she barely spared them a glance.
“Knight Commander Karsali, Arcanuum Vaunt. With me,” she said, each name stripped of any warmth. “The rest of you...”
Her gaze flicked back to the others, Alex included, and she didn’t bother to finish the order, as her meaning was abundantly clear: Wait here.
She made a lazy wave of her hand, and the skiff lifted silently, carrying her back toward the looming bulk of the Cruiser. Silence clung to the clearing long after the skiff vanished into the Cruiser’s shadow. Only the crackle of funeral pyres filled the air. No one wanted to be the first to speak, but the tension pressed too hard to last.
“…She looked right through you.” Garret whispered, but not quiet enough. His eyes flicked to Alex like he half-regretted saying it out loud. “Like she could peel your skin off just by thinking it.”
“She probably could,” Selka answered dryly. Her usual smug confidence was drastically muted. Her eyes fixed on the sky where the Cruiser still loomed. “That wasn’t even her full aura. If she wanted you dead, you wouldn’t have had time to notice the thought forming.”
“And she called you out. No Mage Core? Why would she… why say it out loud?” Allie added.
“Because its rare, almost unique,” Karsali’s second-in-command, a middle aged man with a tanned and scarred face, said. He noticeably faltered as everyone turned to him, but he then regained his stoicism himself with a military bearing. “The Empire values strength. For her to note that weakness, in front of everyone…” He shook his head. “That was no accident.”
Cole’s face was grim as he rubbed the bloodstains still smeared on his armor. “What I don't get is... She didn’t ask if Alex had a Mage Core,” he said. “She knew already. No one was able to do that before, not even Malric. So, how?”
“She probed me,” Alex admitted. He still felt the ghost of her pressure against his soulspace, an invasive and cold clawing presence. “Some kind of... spiritual sense? To her spirit, I was a specimen on a table. Whatever she wanted to see, she saw it. And she wanted everyone else to see it too.”
“Again. Why though?” Holly asked, still holding Alex’s arm. “Why humiliate you like that? You’re the reason we’re still alive.”
“Because power is the only currency here,” Ghrukk rumbled. His massive frame shifted, his dark eyes catching the light of the pyres. “She wanted us reminded of the gap. Between her and us. Between the Empire and you, Striders. If she can peer into you and see all your secrets, then what can you do about it? Nothing. No one forgets who holds the power.”
Lance swore under his breath. “We fought through hell, we buried comrades and bled ourselves dry… and she looks at it all like an afterthought. And is posturing for power games.”
Kate scoffed. “She treated it like a test, and none of us passed.”
The Cruiser above them still hummed with immense power, a reminder that whatever triumph they thought they’d earned was already slipping into someone else’s larger and more powerful hands.
Alex’s fists clenched despite the ache running up his bandaged arm. Lady Xhiu’s voice lingered in his mind, the word Adept echoing like a cage closing shut on him. So, if the Magus Tier dismissed the Adept mages, then he’d just have to make sure to become a Magus as fast as possible.
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Then they would see who was being looked down upon.
***
Malric returned on the next skiff down from the Cruiser. The team had been waiting for hours now, as many Empire soldier squads were already coming and going from the Corvettes, loading and moving materials from the Andreia wreckage.
Alex and the others waited for Malric to approach, as they all knew he would.
"So, decisions have been made, looks like the Lady wants you to accompany her back to Athrastas, the Empire's capital. From there, plans regarding the Hall of the Unyielding Star will be made." He said.
"This Hall, and the tokens still haven't been explained to us. What the fuck is going on? You really think we will accept being war slaves again? What's going to happen to everyone?" Kate cut in, her eyes burning with restrained fire.
"Alright. Alright. Let me explain," Malric took a long breath before speaking again. “Inheritance Dungeons, which is what your tokens are for, are places built, or perhaps bound, by the greatest figures in history. These figures leave behind their legacies, their spells, martial paths, even their entire philosophies of power locked behind trials only the worthy can survive. That’s why they’re called Inheritance Dungeons.”
He let the words hang for a moment, then continued on.
“The Hall of the Unyielding Star,” his tone carrying now with the lilt of a practiced lecturer, “is one of the most famous of these. It belonged to a Supreme Aegis, a guardian whose name still carries through every culture of the Empire and beyond. His Inheritance has been sealed for centuries, waiting for tokens like the one you now hold.” His eyes flicked to Alex.
Kate’s lip curled in disgust, “So we’re prizes. Pieces on your board again. Just like before.”
Malric shook his head as if denying such accusations, though his eyes didn’t soften. “No. Admittedly, you’re something rarer. These tokens are never handed out freely. The System gives them only during major events, System-ordained milestones. Things like wars or cataclysms that change entire nations. And even then, the Empire only sees a handful every few centuries. This time…” He gestured vaguely at the funeral pyres, at the wreck of the Andreia still being gutted in the distance. “The System decided otherwise. It’s giving them out now in increasing numbers. To you included.”
Cole frowned. “But why us?”
“That’s the question every scholar, warrior and mage has been asking for as long as the System has existed,” Malric said with a weary shrug. “But understand this, having even one token can change a kingdom’s future. You Striders just brought a dozen, or more, into existence. Do you think any other power would let you walk away carrying that kind of opportunity unchecked?”
“So this is a threat? They mean to leash us with promises again?” Zach was cold as he joined in for the first time. “Dress it up as an opportunity, but it’s still chains.”
Malric turned to him. “No, not at all. I spoke with the Lady, you are all free to leave if you truly wish."
All eyes widened at that declaration. Free to leave, just like that? Even after being told how important the tokens were, Alex couldn't really believe it.
"But I implore that you don’t. This truly is an opportunity for each of you. Striders with tokens have leverage the Empire can’t ignore, and it will earn you all allowances you wouldn’t get otherwise," he said pointedly. "You may leave right now, and we will not stop or pursue you. I promise you that. But it would mean any brigand and mercenary who wants to earn a fair bit of gold will hunt you. any powers, sects and smaller kingdoms would pay a fortune for your head, just due to how valuable it would be to remove a token from the board. You want freedom? You want protection? Stay with us, stay with the Lady, and you will have things explained further. And should you make it all the way, you will have access to power that even the Empire itself covets.”
“By running into another dungeon?” Garret grumbled bitterly.
“By claiming the Inheritance of a Supreme Aegis,” Malric corrected. “If you succeed, you won’t need me to explain the value of what you’ll gain. And if you fail… well, you will see that in this instance, even failure has rewards. Even if it may not seem like it now.”
Alex finally exhaled a long and tired breath. “So that’s it. We decide? The tokens put a target on our backs, and the Empire means to carry us with them, promising protection in exchange for a piece of the pie we bring out of the Inheritance?”
“Not just the Empire will want Token-holders, every power in Dawnlight will. Every court, every kingdom, every cult. If the System is giving Tokens out now, this will be a widespread event and not just to you. Mostly likely, it will be continent-wide, at the very least. Once word of this spreads, you Striders will be hunted until nothing’s left of you. But as I just said, you will not be the only ones with tokens, and even the Empire will have access to hundreds. But let me be clear about something. Understand that it is not the Urhara Empire itself that is extending you this protection; it is the Lady herself, and her power. You may hate the Lady, and I understand why, but right now, she is the only wall between you and the rest of the world tearing you apart because of what you carry."
“For now,” Malric pressed on, “returning with the Lady to Athrastas is your safest option. She will be you patron and benefactor. She can protect you, and will provide you resources. Just as I’ve said before when we first arrived to recruit you. And now,” his gaze sharpened, “they have an even greater incentive to do so. The Hall changes everything.”
Alex shifted his weight and let his eyes sweep over the faces of his companions. He felt angry resistance twist inside him. He hated this, hated being told where to go, hated knowing their “choice” was hiding under the skirts of a Sage, or going on the run and hiding from practically every mage in the Empire. But he wasn’t a fool either. If they walked away, they might be giving up on a truly huge potential windfall. If they left, they’d give up an Inheritance Dungeon. Alex didn't know exactly what it all entailed, but it sounded amazing.
“So that’s it?”
Malric only shrugged.
“I want to hear what you think. All of you," he looked back to his friends then, turning away from Malric entirely. "Do we stick with them and see where these tokens take us, or do we go our own way?” Alex said.
Kate was first to speak up. “I don’t like it. I don’t trust her. But… Better to walk into the lion’s den knowing the game, than get hunted down in surprise like prey in the open.”
Zach stood behind Kate, his expression as unreadable as ever. He gave just a slow, bitter nod.
Cole and Selka exchanged a look, quiet grief still passing between them both. “I want to spit in their faces. But Malric’s right. If these tokens are as important as they say, without the Lady, we don’t make it a week before someone else finds us. And even If we survive, what about the week after that? And the week after that? We can't last forever.” Cole said.
Selka nodded. “And the Dungeon maybe… maybe it’s worth the risk. Everyone has heard of Inheritance Dungeons, they are the true childhood dream of any aspiring mage.”
Garret shifted uneasily with his hands buried in his pockets. “I don’t like it either, man. But Eric’s gone. We can’t—” he paused and swallowed hard, “—we can’t lose anyone else because we were too stubborn to bend.”
Holly was quiet, but she reached outward and her hand brushed along Alex’s cheek. She didn’t need to speak, he felt her agreement in the softness of her touch.
Even Ghrukk gave an agreeable grunt. “The Ork-kin say: when the storm comes, find the strongest tree and shelter beneath it. For now… this Lady is that tree.”
One by one, the others gave their reluctant assent.
Alex listened as his anger still simmered. But beneath it was something else too, acceptance. They were tired, with too many dead, and too many wounded. For now, survival had to come first.
He let his shoulders sag, then gave a single nod. “Fine. We’ll go with them. But listen to me—” his voice rose enough to draw every eyes back to him, “we don’t forget what they’ve done to us. We don’t let them make us into their dogs again. We go, we survive, we take what strength we can from them. But when the time comes, we decide what happens next. Not them.”
A murmur of quiet agreement rippled through the group.
Malric studied Alex for a long moment, then simply inclined his head. “Then it’s settled. Rest while you can. Athrastas awaits.”
***
The Empire’s Cruiser loomed over them like a floating fortress, its steel flank swallowing the team as they boarded. Inside, the ship thrummed with awful power, its engine cores pulsing deep within runic arrays, glyphs etched across its armored hull glowing faintly in the dim light. And yet, to Alex, it felt like a military fortress that just happened to move than a transport vessel.
The others dispersed across the deck with muted and unreadable expressions. Garret tried to crack a joke and got nothing but tight-lipped stares. Kate leaned on the rail, her sharp eyes cutting toward the mountains as though she could carve herself a piece of them just by glaring. Henry stood like a statue, his broad shoulders squared against the wind while Devon and Allie murmured in hushed tones near the midship bulkhead. Everyone seemed to be feeling the same thing; that right now, they were passengers and not commanders of their fate.
Alex drifted toward the railing, drawn by the view. Below, the village was a scar on the landscape. Ash plumes curled into the sky from the battle, the faint smell of smoke and burnt wood reaching even that high up. The Andreia’s wreckage lay stripped and skeletal in the valley, its proud lines gutted for scrap. What was once a lavish military vessel, now looked like carrion picked clean by vultures.
He clenched the rail, forcing himself to look. This is what we survived, and this is the price we paid for it. Yet the thought rang hollow.
He remembered the looks on Cole and Selka’s faces as they lost Rynel and Sarson. He remembered Eric, a man just trying to do right by the people he cared about. The many Empire Soldiers whose bodies they burned alongside the Chimera, each with lives and stories of their own. That was the true price they paid.
They made it so far, together, and now they were losing people. The team was hit with the reality of what this magical world meant. Struggle, and bloodshed, and death... it meant agony, but it also had a sliver of hope. And they all had to hang on to the sliver.
He remembered Lady Xhiu’s remarks about his core, and the token still resting in his inventory. The subtle promise of rewards, favors to be repaid, threads of fate tangled and woven tighter with every step forward on the path to getting back home and escaping the System’s reach.
It was all just so much. So many moving parts, so many threats, relationships made, broken and betrayed. He couldn’t juggle it all.
Warmth spread against his hand. Alex glanced down to see Holly’s slender fingers lacing into his. She leaned her shoulder against him, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
Together, they watched the mountain fade into the distance, its ridges lit by the sinking sun, the clouds circling its crown like a veil. It was beautiful, but not comforting.
Alex exhaled slowly. He didn’t know what Athrastas would bring, or what the Hall of the Unyielding Star truly was. He didn’t know how much further the System intended to push them, or what it meant that tokens had fallen into their hands. He didn't understand why the entire world wanted to kill them because of it.
What he did know was simple. He wasn’t facing it alone.
With Holly at his side, and the others behind him, Alex straightened against the cold wind. Whatever waited ahead. Empire or dungeon, destiny or death, he would meet it head-on.
[Time Remaining: 598 Days, 08 Hours, 34 Minutes]
***
ANOMALY REVIEW REPORT:
//ACCESS LEVEL: Administrator (Obfuscated – Multinode Override)
//REQUEST SOURCE: Internal Anomaly Monitor – Euclid
//LOG CONTEXT: Progress Report in User Record #0117-A ("Alex")
//STATUS: Flagged
START OF RECORD:
:://Event Flag:
//Critical Event: Termination of Primal Chimera Hive Queen (Status: Success) // Quest Classification: [Hidden – World Tier Breach Prevention]
//Combat Analysis: Tactical Efficiency: 96% // Damage Index: Extreme // Environmental Impact: Moderate // Behavioral Limiter: Bypassed // Subject exhibited selective empathy restraint protocol.
//System Evaluation:
Mission Reward Dispensed: [Entry Token: Inheritance Dungeon]
Reward Classification: Legacy-Grade Artifact // Access restricted to
Acquisition Validity: Confirmed via Quest Reward Allocation; No system tampering detected.
//Observational Note:
//Behavioral Forecast: Increasing detachment from baseline humanity markers // Potential Risk to System Equilibrium: Moderate/High
//System Action: Activation of dormant protocol:
//Summary: ERROR
:://LOG END//?
[YES]/[NO]