Battlefield Reclaimer, Ch 25: Scion of the Crystal Flame (Patreon)

“Scion of the Crystal Flame,” Sam murmured to himself as he thought about the subclass the Guardian had left for him. It had been on his mind constantly, in between working on the hammers. His father was standing by his shoulder, waiting for him to accept it.

There was a sense of building excitement as he thought about the subclass and what it could be. The name was a hint, of course, but...

What exactly had the Guardian created?

Taking a subclass was a serious decision, but there didn’t seem to be a better one available to him right now.

It wasn't like he wanted to be a Guard.

He could subclass as a Wizard, but the basic abilities for a Wizard were worse than what he already had. It wouldn't give him any new spells to use in battle, just basic class abilities for mana use and meditation.

Meditation as an ability could be useful, but the skill for it was nearly the same and he already had that.

Only a more specialized Wizard class would have worked as a subclass, and he didn't have access to one.

Sam shook his head.

Did he have the qualifications to question the Guardian's choice for his subclass anyway?

Now that his dad approved, the last bit of hesitation in Sam’s mind disappeared.

He glanced toward the nine-pointed star on his hand. Then he focused on the notification that was still waiting for him.

It appeared again, an ornate notification with silver stars burning at the corners.

He had never seen a notification like it.

As for how the Guardian was able to influence the World Law and create a notification..., he didn’t know, but the two were definitely connected.

There were a lot of things he still needed to figure out, including why his class was so important to the Guardian. The Guardian had said it wasn’t the World Law’s fault that his class was broken before this..., that it had something to do with Outsiders interfering with it.

Sam frowned as he recalled that detail.

Perhaps the Guardian had wanted him to forgive the World Law, but he didn’t have enough information to change his mind so quickly.

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind as the notification floated in front of him. Then he did what he had wanted to do ever since it popped up.

He accepted it.

The starry notification transformed, rippling in a cascade of celestial light. That strange whirlwind of the World Law’s force appeared again.

It was the same vast energy that had infused Sam when he accepted his class, but this time he could feel it better, as if he were more in tune with it.

An enormous amount of energy gathered as it began to swirl around his body. It was half there and half illusory, and he could feel traces of both mana and aura in it, as well as something else.

It was almost like essence, but much more refined.

Was this the World Law’s energy, the power that infused all of Aster Fall?

The whirlwind gathered more intensely, focusing on him as its speed increased. At the same time, the notification demanded his attention.

A pure, crystal chime rang out, like the peal of a star being born. The energy wrapped around him, hugging him tight.

Congratulations, Defiant. You have discovered a Unique Subclass.

You are now The Scion of the Crystal Flame.

This Subclass grants you the following Abilities: Crystal Focus, Flame Strike, Essence Shield, Combust Aura.

As a Subclass, The Scion of the Crystal Flame grants no additional experience or status points, nor does it have a level of its own.

All experience earned from the subclass will be directed to your Class or General experience, as appropriate.

You may select one Subclass Ability to advance at each Tier of your primary Class (Levels 20, 40, 60, 80, and 100).

Your Subclass cannot be altered until your First Evolution. At that time, it may be replaced with another.

Unique Bonus: As this is a Unique Subclass, you may choose to Evolve it at the same time as your primary Class, if you meet all the necessary requirements.

And then the notification faded away, replaced by the swelling power of the World Law as it intensified. The force increased until it felt strong enough to obliterate him.

Inside the energy, he could sense the World Law’s intent, including a thread of that distant awareness that had spoken to him before.

This time, however, it was helping him.

He could feel it scanning his body and soul. It was almost as if the World Law were sensing what he was and making a plan for how to alter him.

It hung there for a moment, wrapping him in layer after layer of energy. The energy began to intensify, the layers turning liquid under the pressure.

ThrummmmmMMM....

ShHHuuuuUUUuusSHHHH.

The World Law commanded and all of that energy suddenly swept into Sam’s body.

He felt like he was at the bottom of a whirlpool as a massive amount of energy poured into him, changing him from the inside out.

The world’s force infused into every part of his body, wrapping around the Outsider transformation and...

TooooOOOnnnnNNgg....

There was a clear, bright noise, like a gong ringing in his mind as the sound rippled through him.

He hadn’t been sure what the subclass would do, but as that sound rang out, he suddenly felt...as if the world were a slightly better place.

It was a hopeful sound.

The world’s energy combined with the Outsider transformation that had infused him, ...and completed it.

The two strands wrapped together to make something unique.

Then all of those thoughts were driven out of his mind as the energy swirled into parts again and fused into him, incorporating the unique signatures of new abilities.

He could feel knowledge and capabilities entering his mind, all of them centered around his Aura of Crystal Flame.

The flames throughout his body had been easy to control ever since he'd accepted that Racial Class Ability. They were an innate talent. But, suddenly, he knew how to use them better than before, as if his understanding had advanced by an immeasurable amount.

Jeric, who was watching closely, had to step back and shield his eyes as the cave around Sam exploded into crystal blue flames.

Waves of flame surged toward the roof of the cavern and then outwards, crashing against the walls. Somehow, it avoided burning anything, but at the same time it was everywhere.

ShuuUUUUshhhhShh...

ShuuuSHHSHSHHHhhhh.

There was only flame. Sam’s eyes were a radiant, crystal blue at the center, but nothing else was visible.

The ocean of crystal flames roared through the cave and swirled with a hurricane’s force before they all suddenly gathered together and poured back into Sam’s body, revealing him again.

All around them, ...the cavern returned to peaceful silence.

Sam let out a deep breath, exhaling a stream of blue flame that faded away into the world.

---

“That...,” Jeric mumbled as he pulled his arm away from his face and stared at his son, “was not a normal subclass.”

Sam looked down at himself, checking to see if anything was different, but as far as he could tell, he looked exactly the same.

Not even his clothes were burned.

In his mind, there were four new abilities. This time, there was a little information for each of them, which was more than he usually received from his class.

He stood there for quite a while, his eyes unfocused as he looked inward, until his dad came over.

“So, what did you get?” Jeric asked, with some concern in his voice, as he patted him on the shoulder. “Something helpful?”

Thankfully, all of the flames had gone out, and Sam’s skin was only radiating the low heat that it always did now.

His dad sounded curious and worried, as if something strange had happened, but Sam wasn’t sure why.

Inside his mind, there were four distinct blue flames now. As he touched them, information entered his mind.

“Crystal Focus..., Flame Strike..., Essence Shield..., and Combust Aura,” he murmured in response, as he tried to wrap his mind around what the subclass was all about.

“Are they useful?” Jeric prompted, waiting for Sam to fill in more details. At the same time, he let out a deep breath, since it seemed Sam was alright.

“That sounds something like a specialized battle wizard might have, but half of it is strange. Hopefully it’ll help us deal with those gnomes.”

“It’s...a consolidation of what I was starting to do with the Aura of Crystal Flame, but better,” Sam answered. “The Guardian must have taken that idea and built the whole subclass around it.”

Two of the abilities were very similar to what he’d tried against the gnomes, but more refined.

“Like that flame attack you used?” Jeric asked, pushing for more information as he studied Sam.

“Yes, Flame Strike and Essence Shield are similar to the attack and crystal flame shield I used before...,” Sam agreed slowly as he finished looking through the abilities.

“But these are much more complete,” he added, as a grin started to spread across his face. “They’re also more efficient on mana and aura.”

His aura was able to use either energy, but it would be better if he used them together. That was how essence worked.

“Crystal Focus is...a lot like your Earth Sense, I think,” Sam explained as he turned his attention to the third ability. “It enhances my awareness within a certain radius. I think it’s about twenty feet around me right now.”

Jeric nodded in approval. He was already benefiting quite a bit from his Earth Sense. It had been helping him out as he rebuilt the deadfall and scanned for enemies outside.

He could sense if anything was moving on the opposite side.

“Good!” Jeric said. “Sensory abilities are important, and they can be useful for crafting too.”

Sam nodded. He had already been using his flames to sense things inside the hammers as he enchanted them.

“I think I might be able to upgrade it later to increase the range,” he added thoughtfully.

Sam turned his attention to the last ability, Combust Aura.

His ears perked up as he studied it, and he grinned, feeling like a little kid who had just gotten into a candy bowl.

The Guardian had improved his strike and shield, making them official..., but this one was the best.

Sam rubbed his hands together and his short talons clicked as they struck little flames from each other in passing. With his transformation, his grin this time was definitely shading a bit more towards evil.

“The last one lets me burn an aura I’ve collected and convert it into either mana or aura.”

“Good!” Jeric laughed as he patted Sam on the shoulder. “It sounds like the Guardian turned the Aura of Crystal Flames into a proper combat class. That is exactly what you needed.”

Jeric pushed the strange scenario with the flames out of his mind, since he didn’t know what was going on with them. He was just happy that the subclass had worked out.

Sam was fine, and that was enough.

Sam looked up with a grin of his own, as he pulled himself together. There was an idea running through his mind as he studied the abilities, but it was both troublesome and promising.

If he’d had this subclass earlier, these abilities would have been helpful against the marauder. His dad wouldn’t have been injured so badly.

On the one hand, maybe working for the Guardian wouldn’t be so bad? On the other hand, by giving him a combat class....

Well, how much fighting did he expect him to do, exactly?

“Alright, let’s get back to work.” Jeric was cheerful as he patted Sam on the shoulder again. “We can see about those gnomes once we finish up here.”

Sam nodded in agreement, as the new abilities floated through his mind. They were definitely going to be useful.

The Guardian hadn’t harmed him with the subclass, which made him feel better disposed towards him, but what did he want him to do to fix the seal, exactly?

That question would have to wait until the star notified him.

Sam gave the abilities a last look before he returned to his work table. The second hammer was waiting for him.

As he leaned forward, crystal flames burned softly around him, sometimes moving in intricate swirls, like a phoenix flying through the air.

One that had just been born.

---

It took Sam the better part of the day to finish the second hammer. He infused it with as much aura as possible from the second Aura of Basalt and then finished the runic lines with mana from the Earth pool.

This one was an almost exact copy of the first.

Only the color was slightly darker.

When he finally connected the last runic line, it snapped into place with a soft click.

The energy in the runes surged as the Aura of Basalt began to consume the mana around it. Sam watched intently, tracing the progress of the aura, as he looked for insight.

The more he could understand this process, the more it would help him in the future, especially when he didn’t have the mana pool around.

Liquified mana was not common in the world. He wasn't sure exactly how rare it was, but he knew that much. He wasn’t sure what he would be able to use to replace this once they got back to the village.

He might have to spend a lot longer infusing enchantments with his own mana, until the runes were at a similar level.

The misty grey light of the aura swelled as it consumed the mana. It entered the first Earth focus rune, and then the next....

ThrummMMmmMmm.

HhmmUUUmmMMMm.

Just like the first one, the hammer began to sing, its notes low and vibrant as if it were rejoicing to be born.

An instant later, Seven Earth runes sang in harmony, and a prompt appeared in his mind.

Hammer of Seven Earths (Basic).

Enchantment of Seven Earths: Adds Aura-Based Elemental Damage (Earth, Basic) to Attacks. Adds +2 Con and +2 Str to Wielder. Estimated Duration: 4.5 Months.

Added Effect: Song of Seven Earths. Repeated blows of this hammer against a hard surface will add increasing resonance as the hammer sings, stacking minor sonic damage over time.

The hammer glowed with the force of the enchantment, its hum subsiding as the runes powered back down.

He hadn’t been sure if it would work the same as the first one. Fortunately, it did.

It also proved that the enchantment pattern was stable and could be placed on other items. Or at least on other stone hammers.

He wasn’t sure if it would function the same way if he put it on a steel sword.

The spears had been his first enchantments, but in a very important way, he felt more connected to these hammers, as if they were the first real creations he had ever made.

This enchantment was unique and it was his.

A silver chime of experience rang in his mind as a thousand joyful bubbles of delight hit his spirit, swirling through him with an effect that did a lot to boost his mood.

Congratulations, Defiant. You have crafted an Enchanted Item with an Added Effect.

You gain 500 Class experience.

...

You have gained a Level.

You are now Level 10.

Experience to Next: 2,000.

You have two free status points to assign.

At the same time, Battlefield Reclaimer jumped upwards, very close to Level 9. He only needed another 500 experience to get it there.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have another aura to make a third hammer.

He was also starting to get restless thinking about the gnomes.

The two free status points were important to their upcoming battle, so he only thought about it for a moment. He put them into Aura and Intelligence, keeping his essence balanced. It brought him up to 24 in each.

He was an Enchanter and a battle wizard of sorts now, so he needed to make sure he had the energy to use his skills. Combust Aura was going to be a big help in the future, but he didn’t have any stored auras left.

As he looked up from the worktable, he noticed his father was heading his way.

It reminded him that he would need to help his dad relearn Mana Control.

Melee classes used Stamina most of the time, which was a force that arose from their combined Strength and Constitution, but for enchanted items, they still needed mana.

“Dad, your other hammer’s ready!” he called out with a grin.

He liked the sense of progress from creating things and showing them to his dad.

As he thought about the hammer and the future, he decided to voice a question that had been on his mind.

Sam had a subclass now, but his dad still needed one. Jeric had told him about his idea to take Merchant, and it seemed like a good idea, but he didn't know much about it.

He knew they focused on persuasion and buying and selling things, but he wasn't clear on the exact abilities.

“Dad, what abilities does a Merchant subclass get?”

---

“Hmm,” Jeric hummed thoughtfully as he walked over to Sam and looked down at the second hammer. This hammer looked even more refined than the last.

His son was becoming more mysterious with his enchantments and Jeric wasn't sure where it was all coming from.

Was Sam teaching himself these new patterns?

“The basic abilities are usually Assess Item, Persuade, and Sacred Trade,” Jeric answered the question as he considered his subclass choices. He had to choose soon and he hadn’t come up with anything better yet.

“Sometimes there’s another ability or two as well. Merchant is a common class, but it has a lot of variants,” he added. “When we say ‘Merchant’, we’re actually referring to the entire group at once. Some of the variants are Trader, Shop Owner, Negotiator, Factor....”

“Sacred Trade?” Sam asked, interrupting the list. His eyes were fixed on Jeric. He didn’t seem to realize it, but there was an aura of crystal flame swirling all around his body, looping here and there.

Fortunately, it wasn’t burning anything.

“It’s a contract watched over by the World Law,” Jeric answered as he ignored the flames. He was getting used to doing that.

“If you break it, the World Law judges what you’ve done and penalizes you by taking some of your experience away. It’s one of the only ways to lose experience in the world, and it’s a very well-known skill. Nearly every important deal is made with it.”

Jeric rubbed his beard as he thought about the subclass again.

He was feeling a lot of pressure to just take it.

Their battle against the gnomes was coming up and if he hit 20 during it, it would be a huge waste to not have a subclass.

Merchant was also the best bet for helping their family out...at least that he could come up with here. Sam could make the items and he could sell them.

Now that he had a class that actually worked...risk and reward in the world came hand in hand, and let out a soft sigh of admiration.

It was something he'd never had before and had always wanted.

Before, it had only been risk. He’d never had the ability to grow stronger by leveling his class, nor to get the abilities associated with a class.

Now that the barrier was removed, he felt an incredible sense of drive pushing him forward.

He was going to make a better life for all of them.

The Merchant subclass would help with that, and it might also help with protecting Sam and shielding him from negative attention....

Merchants had persuasive abilities, and no matter where you were, money always talked.

He nodded to himself as he decided to go for it.

“Wait right there for a moment, Sam,” he said as he turned back towards the mana pool. "I'll be back for the hammer."

He knew a few basic ways to get a Merchant profession. At the same time as he was offered the profession, he could set it as a subclass.

One of the easiest ways to get it was to complete a high-value transaction.

He’d told Sam the mana pool here was like liquid gold....

Would it work to try and trade some of it for the hammer?