Battlefield Reclaimer, Ch 26: Trader of the Earth (Patreon)

Jeric headed towards the silver-white glow of the Earth mana pool as his idea for how to get the Merchant subclass ran through his mind.

His idea to trade it for the hammer should work, but you couldn't always predict how things would go.

One of the most basic ways to get the Merchant profession was to complete a high-value transaction. Additionally, he also had to try and be a good merchant if he wanted to get it, which meant trying his best to be persuasive....

The more he could use the skills associated with the class, the better his success would be.

Assess Item, Persuade, and Sacred Trade....

He nodded as he put it all together and the plan solidified. As soon as it was offered as a profession, he would set it as his subclass.

It should work.

Even if he felt like a bear in a spice shop when it came to being persuasive.

With his new build, it was more likely that he’d intimidate customers into buying things..., but perhaps that was a form of persuasion too.

He stopped next to the mana pool and looked down into it, his thoughts tumbling over what this mana pool really meant as he tried to get himself into the right frame of mind.

What was its value to him?

In many ways, it was the source of his new class....

It had been this liquid energy from the Earth itself that had infused his body and made it possible for him to step into this new life.

It was a liquid of change, of hope...

He sank into a trance as he stared at it, communing with the source of the power that had transformed his body.

What was the pool to the Earth...?

Was it a grace it offered to the world?

He felt his thoughts changing as the silver-white aura of the Earth mana radiated around him.

A sense of peace and silent weight came over him.

He knelt down by the side of the pool, slowly scooping up a handful of the brilliant liquid, letting it roll around in his palm.

He had no fear of this mana any more. It was part of the Earth and it had changed him. It wouldn’t harm him.

As an Earthen Marauder, the Earth was his mother.

Or at least a goddess who had blessed him.

The mana was hot and intense in his hand, but also relaxing, its energy seeping into him like a sun-warmed rock.

Light, silvery wisps rose off its surface, radiating away into the world as a tiny fraction of the power contained in it evaporated.

As the mana burned there in his hand, he was overcome by a sense of something holy....

The mana was...liquid hope, power that rose from the deep earth and rolled through the world as it gathered strength, rising into the crushing force of the mountains and falling again into the silent depths, something offered to the people of the world, if they could only find it....

Why would the Earth offer it to the world, if not to help?

This pool was sacred.

It was the concentrated blessing of the Earth itself.

He had intended to only imagine the mana as valuable, but now that he was holding it..., he realized that he had vastly underestimated the meaning of this pool.

It was far beyond what he had thought. The bit of meditation he had just done on it...had helped him to see that.

His new class had changed him, as well as his perception of the world. Was this his Sense Earth ability bringing him into touch with the Earth's mana...?

Jeric shook his head in wonder as he slowly stood up, cradling the mana in his palm as he carried it towards his son.

He wanted to get the subclass, which meant that he had to trade the mana, but he was almost reluctant to part with it now. It was a pleasant existence against his hand.

Was this mana even rarer than he had thought?

It felt incredibly precious to him.

The idea of a trade had been a game at first, but now it felt as if he were actually trading away a part of the Earth itself, as if it were something to be protected....

To be respected, and never something to joke about.

His face became calmer, and much more serious, as he looked towards the hammer Sam was holding out and tried to assess its value.

First, its base. It was a dark basalt hammer, made of strong stone. That was also part of the Earth.

It was a solid material, and one of value to him personally, which added intrinsic worth. The hammer would help him bring out the best of his class.

Then there was the enchantment that Sam had just added.

The pattern he had inlaid was a beautiful piece of work, both to look at and to use. Runic bands swirled across the face of the hammer and down the handle. Any imperfections in the material had been purified as Sam worked on it, reshaping the basalt until it was the best of what it could be.

That enchantment added an incredible value on top of the base, especially when they needed to fight their way out of here.

He needed a good weapon. This hammer was the perfect item to acquire.

The added effect of the Song of Seven Earths on it made it even better..., like it was designed specifically for him.

In terms of the value of the trade, now.... The hammer had been crafted with pure Earth mana like what was in his hand, as well as the aura of a monster aligned with the Earth, the one who had this class before him.

Jeric slowly nodded as he confirmed the value. He could almost feel information on the hammer flickering into his mind as he continued the assessment.

It was a good trade.

In fact, he was getting the better of the deal.

“Son,” he asked slowly, his words solemn. “Would you like to trade me that hammer you just made for this liquid mana, a part of the Earth herself?”

He did his best to be persuasive as his attention was split between the hammer on the table and the sacred mana in his hand.

“It is a good trade,” he added, as he nodded to Sam, trying to push his will outwards to convince him, to Persuade him.

“It will help you advance your class and make more items, and the hammer will be very useful to me. Do you accept this as a Sacred Trade, one watched over by Aster Fall herself?”

“Yes,” Sam agreed as he held out the hammer to his father. His eyes were wide. “I accept the Sacred Trade.”

In Sam’s other hand, a sphere of crystal blue flames converged, creating an Essence Shield that could hold the mana.

Jeric looked towards the flaming sphere and nodded. As he poured the mana into it, his hand tingled. He felt a bit of regret.

“Then it’s a trade,” Jeric agreed, his words formal. “Our sacred transaction is complete.”

Jeric accepted the hammer from Sam, wrapping his other hand tight around it as he felt how well it suited him.

As soon as the trade was complete, a silver chime that sounded like the earth humming vibrated in Jeric’s ears.

A notification appeared, far more ornate than he’d expected.

Congratulations, Earthen Marauder. You have a new Profession and Subclass available.

Jeric smiled as he looked at the notification. It was strange that it was so ornate, but it was there!

There was a strange feeling of solemnity still floating through him, and his gaze moved from the mana in Sam’s sphere to the mana pool, and then down to the hammer in his hand.

It felt as if....

Had something gone wrong?

Why did it feel so strange?

There was an odd energy surging all around his body. He opened the notification to see what was going on.

It unfurled like an ancient parchment, as deep-throated trumpets resonated and the humming of the Earth turning in her path filled his mind. A deep, low gong sang to him.

Congratulations, Merchant. You have completed your first Trade.

You have done so in a unique way, which has changed the nature of the profession you gain.

The very first item you ever traded was blessed mana from the Earth herself, which you offered in exchange for an item that you hoped would save your life.

You made the trade with respect, acknowledging the sacred value of the Earth at the same time as the intrinsic worth of the item you received.

Additionally, your primary Class is Earth-aligned, which creates synergy with your action. You have shown gratitude for the Earth’s grace that helped to shape you.

By doing this, you have shown how greatly you value the Earth herself, at the same time as you proved your dedication to your Profession.

In return, Aster Fall blesses you with a unique variant of Merchant for your Subclass.

Blessed Trader of the Earth

Do you wish to accept this Subclass?

As he read the notification, Jeric’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

He had...not expected that this would happen. He hadn’t even known such a thing was possible.

His eyes were drawn to the mana pool and then towards Sam, before he returned to staring at the notification.

The mana pool was...not what he had thought.

It was far, far more valuable.

Sacred mana from the Earth? What...had they been doing with it up to now?

Jeric looked down at the hammer in his hands and slowly raised it up, his eyes scanning across it.

Wooooshhh.

He let out a deep breath as he realized they hadn’t....exactly...wasted a single drop of the mana.

Everything they had used it for had been to save their lives, to craft weapons for survival, and to recreate his new body.

That was...acceptable.

His hand trembled as he slowly reached out and accepted the subclass. The voice of the World Law resounded comfortably in his ears.

Congratulations, Earth Blessed.

You are now The Blessed Trader of the Earth.

Earth Alignment: You have an Earth-aligned primary class. This subclass works in tandem with it. Your Sense Earth ability has blended with this class, giving you the specialized sub-ability Prospect Earth.

You Gain the Following Class Abilities: Prospect Earth, Assess Item, Sacred Trade, Persuade, Blessing of the Earth.

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.

You have gained the Trait: Earth Blessed.

Regardless of whether or not you keep this Subclass in the future, the trait will remain. You will never be directly harmed by the Earth.

This does not render you immune to spells, but lava, Earth mana, and other natural forces of Aster Fall will not hurt you.

The whirlwind of the world’s force gathered all around Jeric as his subclass began to settle into his mind and body.

At the same time, a thread of silver-white mana from the Earth pool rose upwards of its own accord, curling around him as it infused itself into his body and the Subclass.

He had shown a sacred respect for the Earth.

And the Earth blessed him.

---

A moment earlier.

Sam watched his father’s face change as he stared at the mana pool, but he wasn’t quite sure what was going on.

The hammer was done and he was just waiting for his dad to come back over and get it. Hopefully, he could get the Merchant class he wanted too. It would be a big help to their family.

Sam was looking forward to making things that his dad could sell.

If that didn’t work, maybe he could take Merchant as a profession? He frowned, since he wasn’t sure how well that would work with his new appearance.

It was probably better to let his dad do it.

Jeric seemed oddly solemn as he carried the handful of shining mana back over to Sam and held it out to him.

His words about the transaction resonated in Sam’s ears, with a hum like the hammer that was still singing on the work table.

He had thought his dad would joke around with this subclass and then get it, but it looked as if he were serious.

Whatever was happening, it felt like something he shouldn't interrupt, or it might mess everything up.

After they agreed on the trade, Sam wrapped up the mana in a sphere of crystal flames and handed the hammer to Jeric.

As soon as he took it, Jeric’s face suddenly went distant.

“Did you get the subclass?” Sam asked, but his dad didn’t hear him.

All around the cave, there was a building hummmmm as the stone began to vibrate.

The sound increased, and it seemed to be coming from the mana pool itself.

Sam’s eyes widened as he looked towards it, at the same time as the entire cave began to sing.

ThrummmmMMMmmmMmm

HraaAAAmmmmmAAmmmmm.

SssuuuuUUUhhhmmmMMM.

It was a lot like the Song of Seven Earths from his hammer, but much greater.

It was a thousand different notes all singing and reverberating at once.

It felt like it was shaking the entire world, but it didn’t damage the walls or collapse their cave on top of them.

All of that sound swept towards Jeric and swirled around him, at the same time as a stream of silver-white mana rose from the pool and wrapped around his dad’s body.

There was a moment where the mana hung there, singing as it flowed around his dad.

It slowly sank into him and Jeric's skin took on a silvery-white gleam.

Then the light and the sound subsided and everything returned to normal, including his dad's appearance.

The Song of the Earth faded away and the vibrations settled down, returning the cavern to a peaceful state again.

A few of the rocks in their blockade tumbled to the ground, rolling away from the pile.

Jeric blinked his eyes as he opened them again, but then he just stared at nothing.

“Dad...,” Sam asked as he looked around the cave, consternation written onto every line of his face. “What...was that?”

Jeric shook his head as he refocused, looking at Sam.

“I got a unique subclass,” he said, looking shocked. His voice was quiet as he filled Sam in on what had happened.

“What?!” Sam gave his dad a huge grin as he heard what had just happened. He couldn't help letting out a happy laugh.

He was even more excited about his dad’s subclass than his own. He would have felt terrible if after all of these years, his dad hadn’t gotten something really good to make up for it.

"Congratulations!" he cheered as he stood up and gave him a hug.

His dad's new class and subclass were fantastic...! What was even better..., the Guardian hadn’t had anything to do with this.

That meant it didn’t come with any strings attached.

This was all his dad.

Sam looked up at him, proudly, as he got the chance to ask the same question his dad had asked him a little while ago.

“What do your new abilities do?”

Jeric laughed, his eyes still a bit wild, as he scanned through the information he’d received. One by one, he listed them for Sam.

“Assess Item is an identification ability. It will work on Basic things right now, but not as well on Advanced ones until I get it up.

“Persuade is a Charisma-based ability..., it lets me convince people to trade things or to believe what I’m saying. The higher the tier, the more convincing I become. It can only influence people to make a decision. It can’t completely change their minds.

“Sacred Trade is what I told you about before, but it’s also only at a Basic tier, so the level of contracts I can oversee with it is limited. All three of those are very common skills for merchants.”

Jeric paused as he considered the last two abilities, while Sam waited expectantly.

“But those other two...,” he said slowly. “Prospect Earth is a sub-ability of Sense Earth. It will let me sense valuable materials in the earth around me, like metals, minerals, or gemstones. I believe Miners and Prospectors get an ability like that. It means I might take a similar profession for those in the future, but I don’t know yet. It could be a way to find materials for you to Smith or Enchant, or just to sell.

“As for the last one..., Blessing of the Earth is very special. It’s a recognition of how I was offered this subclass. Basically, it only works when I’m trading items that come from the Earth, like metals or even this sacred mana pool....

“The higher the value of the item I trade, the more my Persuade ability increases. If the total value of the trade is high enough, it can boost my Persuade ability up by three tiers. It's a way of protecting the value of the items, really...to make sure they are sold for what they're worth.”

Jeric shook his head again as he thought about the subclass he’d just earned.

It was far more than he’d dared to hope for.

With these abilities..., he could get a job as a Miner or Prospector, or just as a Merchant dealing specifically with Earth-based items....

It was like seeing a future filled with gold and gemstones.

Maybe this was how a dwarf felt in a mine.

He laughed as he thought about it, still in disbelief.

Then he shook his head again and set it all aside for another day. Things were looking promising, but they still had to get out of here.

“Alright,” he said, as he patted Sam on the shoulder and shifted the conversation to a different point.

“We have our subclasses and we’re all healed, so let’s break down that blockade and go see what those gnomes are up to. Maybe we can get you some more levels and Charisma.”