Battlefield Reclaimer, Ch 35: A Walking Catastrophe (Patreon)

After the explanation of the church’s stance on Outsiders and demons, Sam felt a dawning realization of what he was up against with his new appearance. It wasn't comforting.

Looking like this would end up with him being attacked on sight.

He shook his head as he tried to think of a way to fix it or to hide his appearance. He needed to at least hide his horns, eyes, and talons.... Unless he could come up with some way to create an illusion, he wasn’t sure what would work.

The Seer in front of him was a good example of the problem with that route. The class was well known for piercing illusions and discovering the truth. That was also why a hat, gloves, or other simple disguise, wouldn’t work. Too many people could assess a person’s race or class.

Some, like Krana here, were even better at it.

“We can’t be fighting one another here,” Krana said, as she looked around the circle at them. Her voice was determined. “I propose a truce. My vision said Sam is important, so I’m going to do what I can to help. I also have to help Ayala first, though. Why don’t we all work together?”

Sam frowned as he looked between the dwarf and the church princess, shaking his head. Krana had been reasonable so far..., but he was still angry with Ayala for thinking of him as a demon and it was clear she didn’t trust him either.

Fortunately, no one was attacking him anymore.

The two guards were still muttering. The main problem was with the one called Yeres. The other one, Lesat, was more willing to listen. He seemed to be keeping his silence, making sure that Yeres didn’t do anything too sudden, even as his gaze traveled to where Ismela had died and back again.

From time to time, Sam felt their eyes on him, as if they were weighing something. It was a reminder that they were dangerous and of how the world would treat him now.

There also wasn’t going to be a dwarven Seer shouting “Stop” every time he walked into a new area....

He shook his head again. They needed to leave here and travel alone. No matter what Krana’s vision said, it was her problem. The Guardian hadn’t told him to work with everyone else.

He just needed them all to stay silent about him..., including the guards. That was the real sticking point. If he just left now, they might tell Ayala’s father about him, or the local church authorities, and then...who knew what type of trouble would come from that.

His family needed to leave the village at some point...and perhaps now was the time. When they got home, they could pack everything and go. They could make a living with enchanting, hunting monsters, or mining and smithing. 

Their new classes would help them survive.

He looked towards his dad as he sighed. It would be a little difficult, and not fair to his family at all, but he knew that they would do it for him.

He was just about to suggest leaving immediately when he saw Krana watching him, as if she knew what he was thinking. The dwarf had refused to let him out of her sight so far.

“Don’t go yet,” Krana said simply, confirming it. “I think I can help you with your problem.”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked. Surprise made his eyebrows rise as he turned towards her. What exactly were the abilities of a Seer class anyway? Could she really read his mind?

He doubted it, but her perception was...ridiculous. Wasn’t Seer a Wisdom-based class? He frowned as he considered what that attribute did at higher levels.

“You need to hide your appearance, right?” Krana asked, as she looked from Sam to Ayala and back again. She also included Jeric in the look, silently asking him to help her. 

“What you need is an illusion amulet. My father is a high-level diplomat in Osera. I’ve seen one that he uses. They’re common among ambassadors to hide class, race, and other details from Seers and inspections. They can also be used for cosmetic alterations..., like if you didn’t do your hair that morning.”

“What?!” Sam’s eyebrows shot up to the sky. The idea was an enormous hook grabbing his attention. If he had something like that.... 

He turned to look towards his dad, frowning. Then maybe his family wouldn’t have to leave the village. A moment later, however, Krana brought him back down to reality.

“The real thing is probably going to take a Second Evolution Enchanter to make..., unfortunately,” she continued, but there was a light in her eyes that said she wasn’t done yet. 

“But I’ve seen the pattern on it and I remember some of the runes..., maybe enough to be useful. I used to play with it as a child. You’re an Enchanter, so maybe you can figure something out that would work for a little while, until you can find a real one. I’ll help you with it if you help us.”

“What do you need help with?” Jeric asked suddenly, as his attention was also locked on Krana’s offer. It sounded like exactly what they needed to get Sam home and smooth things out.

These guards here would still be a problem, and they’d have to hope that Krana and Ayala didn’t say anything about them, but...it was a much better idea than just trying to walk home and see what happened.

The group looked across the circle at each other, as they began to open up a little more.

“I’m here to unlock my class,” Ayala offered, returning to the idea that she’d mentioned a few minutes before. This time, she decided to explain in detail.

“It’s Earthwalker Mage..., it’s unique and I need to find a special mana pool to unlock it. Technically, the quest is this: ‘Locate an Earth mana pool and absorb 100 points of Earth mana in order to unlock your class and empower your initial abilities.’”

Sam frowned at the familiar words, which were almost the same as for his father’s class. It was clear why she had come here. 

It wasn’t a big surprise that the class condition was similar, since unlocking a class was not supposed to be difficult. Most combat classes simply had to kill something.

His dad leaned forward, as if he were just about to say something, but before he could, Sam bent down and whispered an idea into his ear. Then he turned towards the two girls.

“What if we show you where the pool is and you agree to show me what you know about the illusion amulet and then not say anything about us?” Sam asked, frowning at them. 

It was a fair trade, so hopefully they would take it. 

His father could seal the deal with a Sacred Trade. That was the idea he’d just whispered in his ear. If they could make a deal to keep them silent..., maybe it would all work.

An illusion would definitely make it easier to go home. Even without it, Krana had given him good information, since now he knew such a thing was possible.

“What?! You know about the mana pool?” Ayala stared in disbelief. She was truly surprised for the first time.

“Yes, we’ve visited it,” Sam said, refusing to add any other details. “But I won’t help you get there unless we make a deal, and you won’t be able to do it as easily alone.”

His new Charisma helped him to make the bluff more convincing. They hadn’t been there, so they shouldn’t know that it was fairly easy to find. If they pushed on anyway, he might just sneak back and collapse the deadfall that was still there, and make sure to bury the entire pool too. 

The Seer had stopped her party from attacking him, but he didn’t owe her for that. They had also been the ones to attack him, so it was even.

Krana gave him a long look, before she turned to Ayala and nodded, encouraging her to accept. After that, she turned back towards Sam and his father, her eyes shading slightly to silver as she looked at them.

It almost seemed as if she could tell what they were thinking.

“That would make things easier,” Krana suggested. “The pool is extremely valuable. However, you shouldn’t part ways with us that easily. It’s very dangerous outside, especially if you travel alone.”

Krana turned towards Sam, her expression entreating him to agree with her, as she continued.

“For a deal, how about this. You lead us to the pool and do your best to help us unlock Ayala’s class. After that, you help me escort Ayala home again afterwards. At the same time, I’ll do my best to teach you how to make an illusion enchantment, at least as much of it as I can..., and then once Ayala is home, I’ll travel with you as a companion on the road, doing my best to protect you. Having a Seer with you will be a big help.”

Sam frowned as he looked between Krana and Ayala, and then back to his father. He didn’t want anything to do with Ayala, but Krana’s offer.... It might solve a lot of his difficulties.

Having a dwarven Seer around was also a good way to keep people from attacking him. In fact, if possible, he should always travel with a group of respected, civilized races...to deflect attention. Maybe that, plus an illusion, would be enough.

Showing her to the pool was easy, but if he had to escort Ayala too..., that would delay their return. Spending more time around her also meant being closer to the church. If her father or any of the higher-level officials showed up to look for her and found him here....

Well, it was obvious what they would do.

To him, the description of the church's doctrine, their power, and their agenda to defend the world by slaying monsters and Outsiders, all led in only one direction. There was only one thing they were going to do as soon as they saw a 'demon.'

Kill him on sight.

Not even Charisma would help with that. He’d just be a handsome, dead demon.

Nonetheless, he hesitated over Krana’s offer. On the one hand, staying with Ayala was likely to get him killed. On the other hand, traveling home without an illusion might be just as bad.

An illusion could solve his biggest problem, at least if there were time to make an amulet and get it to work. In the long run..., was it worth spending a little more time with them?

The offer was hard to pass up, especially when it might come with other methods to advance his skills... and make it easier for his mother and the village to accept him.

He looked towards his dad to see what he thought about all of this.

When Jeric saw him looking, he also frowned. An illusion was extremely tempting, since it would help his son blend in. They might even be able to return to a normal life in the village, but...it would delay them.

He also doubted it would be that easy to make an illusion amulet. Who knew if Krana would remember the inscriptions correctly or if Sam would have the right skills..., but it was a chance. 

Before that, however, there was a question that had been bothering Jeric ever since he’d seen the girls.

“Before we get into a trade..., there’s something I want to know,” he said, as he looked from the two girls to the guards, and then towards where Ismela had died.

“Why in the world did your father send you here with such a weak group of guards...? That seems unwise, especially if he is so well-known. Your family’s status doesn’t fit with a group like this.”

Jeric shook his head, frowning. He was a father himself, and he never would have allowed this. Especially for two girls from such high-level families....

Ayala just sighed, as she glanced towards the guards across the cavern and then towards Krana. She had deflected the conversation away from this point once already, after mentioning that she needed to unlock her class.

Now, she was hesitating again. One of her hands twisted around the other, squeezing until her knuckles went pale. Whatever was going on, she didn’t want to tell them.

Everyone was looking at her, even Krana.  There was a slight frown building on the dwarf’s face as she looked at her friend.

“What is wrong, Ayala?” Krana asked, her voice becoming firm. “Didn’t you say that your father sent you here as a test to see if you could do it yourself, with just a standard team to help and with me to lead the way?”

“I’m sorry, Krana....” Ayala sighed, her hands twisting tighter. Now, there was something in her expression that said she was about to come clean.

Finally, the words came out.

“I misled you.... I hired the guards myself, using my father’s name. He doesn’t even know about it. I just wanted to unlock my class and he wasn’t listening to me.” Ayala looked toward her friend sadly, her eyes glistening.

Krana froze as she looked at her friend, her eyebrows raised in disbelief. Then, she slowly closed them. To escort the daughter of a World Knight was one thing..., but to help her sneak away was something else entirely.

Her own family was going to be very angry with her. Their relationship with Ayala's father might not survive this.

“That..., does he even know where you are?” Krana asked finally, as she let out a slow breath and forced herself to focus on practical matters.

She had been friends with Ayala for a long time, and she understood her. She also knew they were going to be in a huge amount of trouble when they got back. The only thing that would make it better would be to get Ayala home as quickly as possible, hopefully before her father found out.

And with an unlocked class.

“No..., he’s off on another mission.” Ayala sighed as her head dropped. Her expression was conflicted and tears started to run down her cheeks. “He’s never home much, you know.”

A few things became clear to Sam at that moment, including why the girl's guards were so weak..., but there was an even bigger worry that started to fill his mind. He groaned as his head nearly fell into his hands.

He’d thought she was just a rich girl out adventuring, but no, it was much worse than that....  Her father was bad enough in the background. After all, what sort of power was a Second Evolution World Knight?

But by getting Sam involved in her illicit escape at the same time, Ayala might have just signed his death sentence. If her father or anyone from the church came looking for her, and they found Sam near her..., would they ask questions first or just try to kill him on sight?

On top of that, he and his father both had the Defiant trait, which would make officials of Law doubt them..., and Ayala’s father was definitely in that category.

He could already see the thoughts that would run through her father’s head if he discovered him anywhere near her right now. An evil Outsider had abducted his little girl and led her astray....

What more of an excuse did he need? Her father would attack him without even thinking about it.

Ayala misunderstood Sam's reaction and her head dropped lower, but he ignored her as he focused on his own issues. One thought was resoundingly clear in his mind.

He needed to get as far away from Ayala as possible.

This girl was a walking catastrophe.

---

Instead of dealing with Ayala any more, Sam got up and walked over to the warlord’s corpse, where it was still stuck in the crater. He wanted a bit of time to himself to think things through and there was something he’d forgotten to do.

It didn’t take him too long to find the warlord’s head and torso. When he located them, he searched through the two parts to see if there was a monster core inside.

The warlord’s rocky chest was shattered by large cracks, which made it a bit easier, and his senses sank into the monster’s hide, searching through the interior. After a minute, he located what he was looking for and dug it out.

It was a small, dark grey sphere about the size of a coin and slightly bigger than the ones he’d found in the wizardess’s gear.

There was a thread of energy running through it that felt familiar, almost the same as the Aura of Basalt. He’d never had a fresh one to study before and his new thoughts about monsters and aura made him examine it closely.

As he studied it, a prompt appeared.

You have encountered the fragment of a known aura.

There was nothing else, and he frowned, switching it out for one of the brown ones. A prompt appeared again.

You have encountered the fragment of an unfamiliar aura.

Do you wish to identify it?

There was no option to reclaim the aura, just to identify it. He tapped his finger on the core as he studied the prompt again and then dismissed it.

Identifying an aura usually destroyed it, and if there was an aura left in this core that he could study or use later..., he didn't want to destroy it so quickly.

Cores were new to him, but it was clear that the aura didn’t dissipate as quickly from them as it did from the monster’s corpse. On top of that, it was a fragment and not the complete thing.

The strange thing was that there was anything left at all. He hadn’t expected that, but it fit with his theory on permanent enchantments.

Maybe this was why they required a monster core to function.

Somehow, a core could maintain the aura that was originally infused into the enchantment. Maybe they kept it from being lost or helped it to regenerate. He looked at the cores one more time before he shook his head and slipped them into his pouch.

Perhaps he could figure out a way to use them. It would be good if he could make the enchantment on his father’s hammers permanent.

Crafting was much simpler than dealing with those two girls and the church.

He sighed as he headed back towards the group, his thoughts still tumbling over themselves as he tried to decide what to do.

---

As soon as he returned, Ayala looked towards him and sighed. It seemed like Krana and his father had been explaining things to her.

“I’m sorry,” she said, sadly, “I’ve made things worse for you. I don’t understand what this is all about, but I trust Krana. If you are really that important to the world, I’m sure my father would help you.”

It was the first time she’d actually apologized to him and, for a moment, Sam was stunned. He just looked at her, wondering what was going through her mind.

“That’s not going to happen,” Jeric interrupted with a frown. “Your father is likely to attack Sam on sight, the same way you almost did. You said he hates Outsiders. There won’t even be time to explain it to him.”

Sam shook his head as well. He definitely wasn’t going to show up and ask Ayala’s father for help. That sounded like a quick way to get killed.

Maybe if there were some way to trust him..., but he wasn’t comfortable placing his fate in the hands of a church Paladin.

Even with Krana's help, his story hadn't convinced the guards. It was too big a shift of perspective for them. The same thing would probably happen with a lot of the people he met.

He frowned as he looked around the group and tried to simplify everything. There were really only two options right now...to leave or to stay.

If he left, the guards and Ayala would probably talk, and Krana might try to follow him at some point. That was a route that left everything uncontrolled. The Church would probably find out about him and at some point they might come to look for him.

Ayala could possibly talk to her father on his behalf, but why would she do that if he’d never helped her?

That route led to potential disaster.

If he stayed, he could learn what Krana knew about illusion amulets and possibly make a better connection that would influence things his way. If it all worked out, it might help him blend into the world better and keep the Church off his back. He’d also have Krana’s help.

When he put it like that, it really wasn’t much of a choice.