Battlefield Reclaimer, Ch 36: New Plans (Patreon)

Sam looked at his dad and nodded as he agreed to stay. The only option was to salvage what they could of this encounter.

“What about the guards?” he asked, as he turned to look towards them. Yeres and Lesat were a problem. Yeres glared back at him, as if daring him to come closer.

“They’re bound to secrecy by the mission contract,” Ayala spoke up suddenly. “As long as I ask them to keep it a secret, they won’t be able to tell anyone about the details of this mission. It’s a standard clause that costs a little extra, but I didn’t want my father finding out.”

“That will work. Guaranteed secrecy about Sam’s appearance will be part of the deal.” Jeric stepped in to negotiate the terms.

“You can say you met us, but nothing about Sam looking like a demon. As for your father and the church, Ayala, you have to do your best to protect Sam, and to not give them any reason to think of him as an Outsider or an enemy. Hopefully, we never have to deal with your father, but if we do..., that’s the price for helping you unlock your class. Also, we’ll only be able to escort you home once Sam has an illusion.”

Jeric looked between them as a thought occurred to him.

“On top of that, I need a way to contact my wife. Do either of you have a message scroll on you, or a way to get a message to them? We’re going to be delayed if we have to take you home.... We can’t do that unless I know my wife is alright.”

Message scrolls were common in the cities. They were single-use arcane scrolls that could record and deliver short speeches from one person to another. He was hoping the girls had one.

Aemilia and Altey were weighing on his mind. He desperately needed to get in touch with them and see how they were doing. At the very least, they needed to know he and Sam were still alive and on their way home.

Hopefully, they would be safe until he could get back....

Ayala hesitated for a moment, but then she pulled out a scroll from her pouch and held it up. “This is a standard message scroll, but it’s...probably too far away to work down here. It can only cover about a hundred miles.”

“I might be able to help extend the range,” Krana offered, as she looked at the scroll.

The scroll made Jeric relax a little as optimism about contacting Aemilia hit a sore spot in his heart. They had some friends in the village, so she should be safe enough for a while..., but their savings had never been much. Relying on the village for charity was a bad idea.

A wave of pain hit his heart as he thought about what his wife and daughter had to be going through. No matter how much his class had changed, it only mattered if he could get home and make their lives better.

He was stronger now..., enough to make a difference. As long as Sam could look human too, things were going to work out. He would fix it all when he got home.

The message scroll would help. Aemilia wouldn’t be able to reply, but he could at least tell her that they were alive and on their way. He didn’t want to think about how worried she had to be.

She probably thought that they’d been eaten by monsters or trapped in the ruins. If she’d gone to the ruins to look..., it must have looked like they died there. He doubted there was anything left of it after the formation self-destructed.

He shook his head as he forced himself to stop thinking about it and focus on the deal. He wanted to demand that Ayala help his family even more, and an idea to use the pool to trade for that passed through his mind..., but he felt like that would be asking for too much.

The agreement to protect Sam would be enough. It was a promise with wide-ranging effects, which meant that it was worth a huge amount, especially given the trouble Sam’s appearance could cause. With Krana’s offer to help with an illusion and to accompany Sam..., it felt like he was getting the better deal.

It took a little longer to go through various clauses, but the deal was made. It was the first time Jeric had used his new ability and as he finalized the bargain, he had all of them shake hands, even the guards.

Yeres did not look happy to be there, but Ayala demanded it. Assisting her was included under his original guild contract to complete this mission, so he didn’t have a choice.

A bright red-gold aura surrounded Jeric and flowed out across the group, giving rise to notifications. The terms of the deal resonated in everyone’s mind, and a notification appeared.

You have been offered a Sacred Trade.

The terms are listed on your status sheet under ‘Contracts.’

The penalty for breaking the contract is five General Levels.

Do you wish to accept or reject this offer?

Jeric read the terms, which were a simplified version of what they’d discussed, and accepted it. When everyone had done the same, Jeric heard a series of silvery chimes sound in his mind and a wave of experience hit him.

Congratulations, Earth Blessed. You have completed a Trade.

You gain 1200 General experience and 240 Class experience (20% contribution from Merchant).

You are now General Level 28.

Total Experience:  174,000 / 200,000

You are now a Level 28 Earthen Marauder.

Total Experience: 173,040 / 200,000.

You gain +1 Strength, +1 Constitution, and have two free status points to assign.

It was just enough experience to push him to Level 28. At the same time, his Merchant profession rose from Level 1 to Level 7. 

He assigned both of the free points to Charisma, raising it to 22. If it had been higher, he might have been able to make a better deal.

When that was settled, he nodded to Sam, indicating for him to lead the way. Deal or not, he was going to keep himself between his son and the guards.

---

Sam led the way back through the tunnels as he worked through the problems on his mind. The tunnels here were empty of monsters, which gave him a chance to think.

Krana had been helpful so far, Ayala was a disaster, and the two guards would probably try to kill him at some point, if they could get away with it.... He shook his head. At the same time as he considered what to do about that, he was focusing on more important things.

Namely enchanting.

Before they left the cavern, he’d borrowed the message scroll and studied the design on it, copying it into the book he’d taken from Ismela. He’d also asked Krana to sketch the design of the illusion amulet for him, which she had done with fast, deft hands.

The design was extremely complex and she didn’t know if there had been runes on the inside, but the sketch showed how adept dwarves were with crafting. It had only taken her a few minutes, but it was a beautiful, detailed model.

Currently, runes made of crystal blue flame floated in his imagination as he turned them around, creating or erasing the lines in vivid detail. He was studying the patterns to see how they connected and what he could do to make some amulets or message scrolls of his own.

He wanted to figure out a better way to contact his mother, or at least be able to make his own message scroll. Ayala’s version was Basic, so it should be within his capability to make one. 

He wished he’d known the pattern before. His father’s knowledge had all been about theoretical applications of runes, rather than the simple, everyday things. Ever since Ayala had pulled out the message scroll, he'd wanted to rummage through her bag and see what else she had in there.

Now and then, he asked Krana a question about the runes she remembered, trying to imagine how they would fit.

He fiddled with one of the acid worm amulets as he walked, turning it around in his hands. It was a very simple amulet, and it was actually quite helpful to him as a model. It gave him a place to begin.

At the same time, he pulled the design of the message scroll to the front of his mind. It was based around three distinct runes; one for distance, one for voice, and one for mana. The three were linked together into a triangle at the center of the pattern, surrounded by a support formation.

It worked by pouring mana into the scroll and focusing your voice through it. The triangular focus point and the support pattern were more complicated than what he’d been working with up to this point, but it wasn’t too difficult.

The main thing was using the triangular rune pattern at the center instead of a single focus rune. He hadn’t tried that, but apparently it would work. It raised the question of what other patterns might fit at the center of a scroll formation.

A square of runes, a hexagon, a nine-pointed star...? Sam glanced down towards the star on the back of his hand, wondering how the Guardian had created it. It was far beyond him, but it had to operate on some type of similar principle, right?

The worm amulet also focused on three linked runes at the center of the design, except they were cold, rock, and avoid. Instead of a triangle, they were linked in a spiral pattern and surrounded by a support circle.

Overall, it was a flimsy enchantment with very little aura left, and he doubted it would last for more than a couple of weeks...., but it did give him an idea.

If he had the right base, he might be able to put the message scroll onto a similar amulet, or make a copy of this one. He tapped his finger against the pendant and the clear ting of high-grade silver responded.

He frowned as he debated if they had enough silver coins to make another one, or if a rock would work instead, like the basalt he’d used to make his father’s hammers. Maybe he could use a gnomish dagger or a leftover spear and turn that into an amulet.

If he could figure out a way to make a message amulet instead, something that he could infuse more mana and aura into each time, then they could stay in touch with his mother.

If that didn’t work, he would try to make some scrolls of his own. They were almost up to where they had left the two salamanders in the tunnel. He planned to pick them up on the way.

---

Sam was dragging one of the salamanders behind him as they continued down the tunnel, and his father had the other one. They would be good for scroll materials and to eat.

His study of the acid worm amulets reminded him that there were six people now, but they only had five of the amulets. He was going to have to make another one of those too.

They would have to spend a little while near the mana pool after Ayala unlocked her class. There were several things he needed to do, starting with sending the message to his mother.

He had to make a new worm amulet, a message amulet or some scrolls, and also work on the much more complicated illusion amulet.

In some ways, the arrival of this group had solved the problem of getting through the Abyssinian Plains and might pave the way for a better future, but it was going to take a while to adjust.

As for this new requirement to escort Ayala home.... Once they got out of the tunnels, he fully intended to drop her off as far as possible from the city and run in the other direction. Hopefully, that would be enough to complete the contract and avoid her father and the church.

There was no such thing as a perfect secret and he wasn’t going to trust that everything would work out. He shook his head as he looked at the dwarf next to him. 

Instead of thinking about it anymore, he asked Krana a question that had been on his mind. One that he was dreading the answer to.

“Seers can tell if something is a monster that gives experience, right?” he looked down at her as he frowned. “Am I going to give people experience if they kill me?”

“No, you wouldn’t.” Krana shook her head adamantly in response as she glanced up towards him. “You are just like all the other civilized races here. You don’t have that monster glow about you. Unfortunately, you do look like one, and people may jump to conclusions.... That’s why the illusion will help. It only has to hide your appearance and race, and the rest will be fine.”

Sam heaved a sigh of relief as he heard the answer. He’d been worried about that, and dreading what would happen if the answer were yes. Every Seer around would have thought he was a monster in disguise.

It would have ruined any chance he had of visiting a city.

Since they were on the topic of experience now, there were a few other questions he wanted to ask.

“What’s the common level in Osera?” he asked Krana, trying to get a better idea of the area they might have to travel through.

“Oh.., around 40 or 50, I suppose,” Krana replied slowly. “It’s not hard to get to that point, but after that, there’s a lack of monsters to fight if you stay nearby, and most of the crafting classes take longer. If you want to get stronger, you really need a priest or healer to help.”

“Why is that?” he asked, frowning. He didn’t want anything to do with Priests right now.

“‘Priest’ is a subclass that comes with magical healing and wards, so most adventuring parties look for one to accompany them,” Krana explained. “That’s also why Priests get so strong. A lot of them have combat main classes, like Ayala’s father, and they are constantly fighting. That's also why the church is everywhere..., they have a duty to face monsters wherever they exist in the world.”

She looked off into the space down the tunnels for a moment, but since everything was quiet, she added a bit more.

“In Osera, the town guards are close to 100, the officers are in their First Evolution, and the really strong people are in their Second Evolution.... Every once in a while someone in their Third Evolution comes through, but the city isn't big enough for that to happen very often.

“In my own home city, Runekeld, it’s closer to Level 120 on average. Most adults reach their First Evolution eventually, since dwarves are long-lived and we accumulate levels over all that time. Our crafting professions are also racial subclasses that help to feed into primary class experience.”

Sam just stared at her. He wasn’t sure how to respond to that. It was a stark comment, one said without any particular emphasis, that drove home to him just how he rated compared to everyone else in the world.

The answer was depressing.

He was Level 29 now, but that wasn’t even average for where the two girls had come from. Since Evolutions were common and he had already gained a couple of dozen levels so quickly..., perhaps he shouldn’t have been surprised.

What was surprising was that the two girls had decided to go on a journey at such a low level themselves.

“Do you know what the Level 399 World Limit is all about?” he asked, following up on a question he’d had for a while. “Why can’t we gain more experience after that?”

It was a very distant goal, but it was strange that the World Law had specifically told him there was a limit. He wanted to know why.

“The church says that the level limit at 399 is when you become a Saint.” This time, it was Ayala who answered the question as she spoke up from behind him.

“All of the experience you gain at that point goes into maintaining the seal, so you are more holy than other people. The church asks all of their clergy to try and reach that level, ...that’s why almost all of the priests you encounter are near or past their First Evolution. You have to be at least Level 80 to be a full priest.”

“What?” Sam frowned, as he thought about the little church in their village. They definitely didn’t have a priest who was that powerful there. Maybe it didn’t even count as a church in her eyes?

If a priest had to be level 80, and the church was one of the biggest organizations around..., exactly how many people did they have at that level or higher? A building worry about the church was growing at the back of his mind as he put all of the information together. He did not want to get their attention.

Hopefully, the illusion would work.

---

“Here we are,” Jeric announced a few moments later as they arrived at the entrance to their cave. He turned behind him to look at the two guards, as he announced, “You two stay out here.”

“We’re guards for the girl, not you,” Yeres growled back, his temper flaring. He hadn’t wanted to go along with them, but guarding Ayala was part of his guild contract. Those were extremely strict and he didn’t want to lose dozens of levels by breaking it.

“How do we know the demon isn’t going to kill her inside? Maybe you’re helping him!”

“She will be fine,” Krana spoke up, as she put herself between the two of them. Her voice. “And this is why you’re staying out here. You haven’t accepted the truth yet and your bias against Sam is only going to cause trouble. I’ve told you that he’s not a demon, and until you believe that, you’re not welcome inside.”

The guard growled back, but neither Jeric nor Krana relented. In the end, the two of them stayed outside and Jeric took up a spot near the entrance to keep an eye on them.

Sam, Krana, and Ayala entered the old cavern. The familiar, silver-white glow of the mana pool radiated through the chamber with a shadowless light that filled everything in Sam’s eyes, and the sense of a familiar home returned to him. This place had been good to him.

Krana’s sudden gasp of shock brought him back to the present and he looked towards her, curious as to why she was so surprised.

“By the Mother...,” Krana’s low, whispered oath resonated through the cavern. “That...is...incredible.”

The dwarf’s hand touched her chest and then she raised her palm towards the pool. It had to be some kind of religious gesture.

Sam followed her gaze to the pool, which she was staring at with the widest eyes he’d ever seen. They were even wider than when she’d seen him for the first time.

“Weren’t you looking for it?” Sam asked, feeling confused. It was an impressive pool of mana that had been extremely useful to him, and his father had said it was sacred, but....

“You don’t understand?” Krana nearly whispered her response. She could barely drag her eyes away from it as she looked towards him. There was a silver-white glow that was reflected there, as if the pool had filled them.

“This is...in any dwarven kingdom, this would be a treasure that would echo through the generations. It would be offered up by the drop to only the best crafters in the entire world. This has to be the heart of at least ten thousand miles of Earth mana veins..., and there is so much of it. It must have lain here undisturbed for thousands of years.”

Sam’s eyebrows rose as he heard the fervent tone in them. The value of the mana pool flew upwards in his mind. He’d known it was rare, but based on Krana’s reaction, that still wasn’t enough to describe it.

“This type of mana can be used to bless almost any creation,” Krana continued, as she waved her hand toward the pool. “It’s a sacred gift of the Earth. The value of a single drop is worth more than a high-grade mana crystal and is many times more pure.”

Her words made him think of his enchantments and how the aura had consumed the mana to strengthen itself. Perhaps the purity was why it had worked so well for him. It made him want to make some more of the crystal spheres, but his pack was already full.

Unfortunately, the dimensional bags weren’t able to hold them, so that was off the table. He had tried putting one inside, but as soon as it got near the opening, there was a feeling of it being rejected, along with a building instability in the pouch’s enchantment.

Instead of focusing on that, he turned to Ayala.

“Go ahead,” he offered simply, as he gestured towards the mana pool. “Unlock your class.”