Aster Fall, Ch 25: Legend of Three Moons (Patreon)

Lenei’s words echoed in Sam’s ears as he looked down at the shield. He’d never heard the Cycle of Ages, and no bard had ever come to Cliff’s End, but the names of the demons resonated.

The three demons he’d seen in his dream had auras that fit that story.

He was pretty sure what he’d seen in that dream had been the very first time the demons and the Astrals met, not the most recent Breaking.

First Contact.

Had those same three demons returned, like harbingers of destruction, for every Breaking of the world after that?

How many had there been?

He shook his head as he continued examining the shield’s enchantment. He didn’t have that answer.

He’d had some other dreams since that one about First Contact, most of them in fragments of images from the past.

“The moons are said to be the guardians against those three demons,” Lenei added. She was watching him from across the table as she spoke, as if she were still testing his reaction. “Silvas to guard life, Caelus to guard the elements, and Amaris to guard our hearts.”

“Wait, what?” Sam said suddenly, looking up in surprise as Lenei’s words rang out, distracting him from his study of the shield.

“Supposedly, the moons were not always here,” Lenei said after she looked at him for a moment. When it was clear that he didn't know what she was talking about, she continued.

“They were added by the gods as the three guardians of the world. Each of them is designed to block the influence of one of the demons and to stabilize the World Seal.”

Sam let the shield fall back to the table. Without saying anything, he stood up and walked to the window, looking out across the distance toward Highfold.

Beyond that, his gaze traveled to the ruins above the city.

He knew Lenei was bringing up this story for a reason. There was an idea she was suggesting, or some connection.

“The Festival of Three Crowns is in less than a month,” he said slowly. “The moons will align with the ruins there, waking up the enchantments on them.”

Lenei turned to watch him, saying nothing else as she waited for him to put it together.

“You’re suggesting that it’s no coincidence an Outsider and a Flaw would be located near those ruins, aren’t you?”

His thoughts raced as he put the ideas together, as he looked upward to where Caelus was beginning his climb across the sky. It wasn’t long past dawn right now.

“The church has wondered for a long time if there’s a connection between Highfold’s ruins and the Seal,” Lenei agreed. “It’s a topic that comes up every time the festival nears, so...every seven years.”

“What would happen if an Outsider managed to disrupt the ruins then?” Sam asked. “You think it will affect the Seal?”

“One of the theories is that the ruins are part of an ancient formation laid down by the gods, which aligns with the triple moons. That’s why no one can understand the symbols on them.” Lenei’s voice was hesitant as she added another idea.

“Some even suggest that the moons’ alignment is a power source for the ruins or a balancing of the energy within the Seal.”

Sam’s expression turned harder as he listened.

“The problem is, although everyone knows about it, only a few people really believe that theory. There are a lot of legends about the Seal, and this is just one of them.

"If you listened to all of the stories, every rock and abandoned pillar in the world would be part of the Seal. Most people just think they’re old ruins and that anything else is the result of an overactive imagination.”

“Do you believe it?” Sam asked, turning around suddenly to look at Lenei.

“I think that if your story is true, and there’s an Outsider in those ruins...” Lenei said slowly, holding his gaze. “Then we can’t take the risk of letting it stay there. We have to close that Flaw before the moons align.”

Sam frowned again as he recalled the strange feeling of essence in the snow, the bandits’ excessive number of supplies, the controlled wyvern, and the way the Flaw was concealed.

The supplies suggested a bigger force was expected, somewhere, and that was not good news.

It also had to be difficult to conceal a Flaw, which meant resources and intelligence had been devoted to it.

What would an Outsider be capable of with time to plan?

This one had already been here for over a year, keeping a low profile as they took control of the area.

“The ruins are connected to the moons,” he said slowly, as he put it all together. “If they’re also connected to the Seal, then that Flaw is much more dangerous than we thought...and much more strategic.”

“It may not be true,” Lenei replied, her words hesitant. “I could be jumping to conclusions by suggesting it. All of this is just legends from a song and theories.”

“Is that what your heart tells you?” he asked, shaking his head. “You brought it up for a reason. Even if it’s not true, we can’t take that risk, now that we know about the possibility.”

He looked down at the Guardian Star on his hand and thought about how Lenei had arrived here, following her Call.

The Guardian had said the star would provide information.

Perhaps this time...Lenei was the information he’d sent.

He didn’t know how easy it was for the Guardian to contact him, or if he had to work through the World Law, but if anyone could alter a paladin’s Call and send them at the right time, it would be the Guardian.

He turned back to the window as he looked toward the ruins and then to Caelus in the sky above.

He’d been planning on slowly working his way up through more levels before heading to the ruins, but it looked like they weren’t going to have that luxury.

They needed to know what was going on.

“I think you need to head into Highfold and warn the church,” he said at last. “I’ve been trying to avoid them, but this isn’t the type of problem to keep to ourselves. Even if they don’t listen, at least give them a warning about the Flaw and request reinforcements.”

“We have no evidence to show them,” Lenei warned, although she didn’t disagree. “They may just say I’m an idealistic young paladin, with my heart in the right place and my mind in the clouds, dreaming of being a hero. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve heard that.”

Sam’s eyes pierced the distance as he looked toward the ruins, searching for the Flaw that he knew was there.

Streams of silver-purple mana hung densely around the peaks of the Three Crowns, the energy in them highlighted by the rising sun in a wash of pink and orange.

Stimulated by the sunlight, a river of mana poured down the slopes of the largest mountain, running straight through the ruins to the valley below.

Why had the ruins been built here, near where mana gathered at the top of the world?

And why were they connected to the moons?

If Lenei’s suggestion was true, then the ruins here were not just a remnant of an old civilization.

He didn’t know what would happen when the moons aligned during the Festival, but there was no way that he would allow an Outsider to take control of them.

Even with his concern, Lenei’s warning of being ignored rang heavily in his mind. He had the feeling that she was right.

The problem with any large institution like the church was that they couldn’t afford flights of fancy, and without evidence, they wouldn’t move.

He would contact his father and Krana, to see what sort of success they’d had so far in warning the city guard. Perhaps if they tried from every angle, it would get the right reaction.

“Even if they don’t listen, then we will at least have tried.”

---

A couple of hours later, Lenei headed toward Highfold while Sam returned to his crafting.

Her shield had some unfamiliar runes on it that he’d memorized, which were related to Agility and Constitution, but beyond those, it had been relatively simple to repair.

The core runes on it hadn’t been damaged, so he’d reinscribed the support structure and infused it with a bit of mana to restart the repair process.

Lenei had been able to take over from there.

He’d also taken the opportunity to study the runes on the rest of her armor, which had given him some new options for attributes.

Her armor was enchanted with +5 to Strength and Constitution and her shield was +5 to Agility and Constitution.

She had other pieces as well: her bracers had +5 to Charisma, her leg greaves were +5 to Wisdom, and her belt was +5 to Intelligence.

The only attribute she didn’t have boosted by her equipment was Aura.

It reinforced the idea that Aura was rare, and apparently not part of the standard equipment issued to Paladins.

Hopefully, she would be able to contact the church and get some support for investigating the ruins, but if not, they were no worse off than they were now.

At the same time, his father and Krana were delayed in Highfold, and it might be another day or longer until they returned.

From the sound of their messages, they were getting the run-around from the city guard. They were too used to ignoring the valley, and showed no interest in what a wyvern was doing here.

“They said it’s the Ice Sylphs' job to protect the valley, not theirs,” his father’s words rang out in his mind as he recalled their brief conversation. “We’re still looking for word on Siwaha. We might have a lead. I’ll fill you in when we return.”

That gave him a day or so to prepare as many healing scrolls as possible and to work on his other project.

Once everyone was back, they would head for the ruins.

The only problem was where his mother and sister should stay, since it wasn’t advisable for them to go along.

If it came down to it, the city was on the way to the ruins and they could rent a room at an inn there. They would be safe enough behind the city walls.

With another look out the window toward the Three Crowns, where liquid clouds of mana were gathering like an ocean in the sky, Sam turned his attention back to his work.

---

It took Jeric and Krana almost three days to return from Highfold, and it was close to evening by the time they got back.

Meanwhile, Lenei had not returned yet. Whatever she was doing, it was taking her a while. Hopefully, she would be able to convince the church to send some support.

The only advantage to the delay was that Sam had filled it with crafting and had a pile of scrolls ready.

Most of them were for healing, but he’d made some battle scrolls and a few message scrolls. If Lenei didn’t show up in another day or so, he’d use one to contact her.

After hugging his wife and daughter, Jeric grumbled as he dropped into a chair beside the table where everyone was seated.

The guards had not been cooperative, and he was still irritated by it.

They’d already explained about Lenei over the amulets, so as soon as they arrived, Sam turned the topic to their mission.

“Did you have any success with the guards?” Sam asked as he looked between his father and Krana.

“Stubborn bugg...” Jeric cut himself off as he looked toward Altey and changed what he was going to say. “I mean, there’s good news and bad news.”

Lesat poured a mug of golden ale from the keg Henar had left and slid it across the table to him.

Jeric took it with a grateful nod and took a sip, letting himself relax.

A moment later, his expression turned into a smile as he looked toward Aemilia and Altey. He’d only been away for a few days, but he hadn’t liked it.

He was already starting to relax now that he was back with his family.

“We tried to tell them,” Krana said with a frown, taking over the account. “After the initial failure, we pushed a bit and met with one of their captains, but he wasn’t interested. In the end, the best we could get was a promise to pass it on. Hopefully the word reaches the right person.

“The guards seem to be more interested in the flow of travelers for the festival. All of their attention is on security within the city.”

She looked around the table for a moment, gathering everyone’s attention before she continued.

“We did manage to meet my relatives, however, and that’s the good news. They’ve promised to pass the word about the wyvern and the Outsider on to their contact on the city council.

“It doesn’t look like we can expect any help from that direction right now, but maybe they’ll come through later, if things get serious.”

“In other good news, we managed to get this.” Krana reached into her dimensional vest and pulled out a folded parchment, smoothing it out as she placed it on the table.

When it was open, it was clear that the parchment was a detailed map of the valley. The peaks were outlined in white and blue and the valley itself was a diamond-shaped wedge in the center that took up most of the space.

The detail was much denser on the valley itself, with various villages and farms labeled, and more sparse on the peaks, which only had a few names and landmarks. Curling names in an old-fashioned script labeled each notable point.

Whoever had made the map, they hadn’t left the valley much.

“This is a fairly standard valley map, although one of the more expensive ones,” Krana announced as she traced her finger across the valley, landing on a point to the northwest. “My uncle knows the location of a few Ice Sylphs, or at least where they sometimes are, and he suggested that we head here to look for one.”

Sam leaned forward as he looked over the map, turning his attention to what they had managed to get.

“We asked about Siwaha,” Jeric added, his finger coming down to touch near Krana’s on the map. He was indicating a spot slightly closer to the edge of the valley, at the base of the mountains where there was no village marked.

“This was the best location they could give us. They don’t know anyone by that name, but there’s supposed to be an Herbalist around here, if we can find them, living in the wilderness.

“We’ve acquired some of the traditional gifts for the Ice Sylphs: fruits and grains, ice wine...but it’s hard to say what we’ll find there or if they’ll be willing to let us stay.”

“We can head there tomorrow morning,” Aemilia said, looking up with determination in her eyes. “We need to ask for permission to stay and, if we’re lucky, perhaps we’ll find Siwaha. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen her. It would be lovely to know how she’s doing.”

Her gaze turned toward the window as she looked out into the approaching dusk.

Sam looked at his parents and his sister as he thought about the Outsider and the monsters around the valley.

He couldn’t avoid going after the Flaw, but the same wasn’t true for them. It felt like a mountain was pressing down on his shoulders at the idea of putting them in danger.

“Once we find the Ice Sylphs, if we get their permission to stay...” he suggested slowly, “why don’t I go look for the Outsider alone? Lenei and maybe Lesat can come with me...that should be enough.”

It would set his mind more at ease if his family stayed out of it completely. How could he explain it to his mother if his father ended up hurt again?

That wyvern had been a wake-up call.

If they’d had a few less healing scrolls....

“Absolutely not!” his father responded immediately, his expression tightening as he looked toward Sam. His hands balled into fists as he sat up at the table.

“No!” Aemilia chimed in at the same time, shaking her head emphatically as her eyes widened. “We are not letting you go by yourself!”

“I promised that I wouldn’t let you do this job alone,” Jeric growled, speaking before Sam could say anything else.

He pounded his fist on the table, creating a loud thump that shook the legs.

“You may be an adult now, but you’re still my son. Your problems are my problems. I’m not going to let you go into a battle without me.

“If that means finding a Flaw and getting rid of it, and of any Outsiders in the way, then that’s what we’ll do.”

His mother and father both looked across the table at him. Their eyes were blazing as they held him in their sight, as if he would run off at any moment if they didn’t keep an eye on him.

Sam looked around the table, including at Krana and Lesat, but the seer only shook her head at him.

“Definitely not,” she said. “I’ll be going with you.”

She’d promised to keep him company and make sure he fulfilled her prophecy, preventing the Flaws from destroying the world. She wasn’t going to change her mind now.

As for Lesat, he was also silent as he raised one eyebrow and took a drink from his mug. As far as he was concerned, that was the end of the matter.

“We’re all in it together, and all we can do is face what’s in front of us,” Jeric said, his tone suggesting the discussion was over. “Right now, that’s making sure we’re all safe, and that includes keeping you safe, even if you’re fighting.”

“Altey and I will stay behind,” Aemilia suggested. “We’re no use in a fight, but we can watch over you. If you get into trouble, I’ll call for the city guard. Hopefully, they’ll help.”

A troubled expression drew lines across Jeric’s forehead at that and he frowned, but he said nothing else.

It was clear he didn’t plan to rely on the guards.

“Alright.... I have something for everyone,” Sam said, changing the topic as he pulled out the items he’d finished crafting over the last couple of days and set them on the table.

There were several stacks of healing scrolls, as many as he’d been able to make in the time available.

Next to the scrolls, there were six small mithril rings, each of them shining with a crystal blue light as the small cores embedded in them swirled with energy.

His family deserved a simple, easy life where they could just be happy, one where no bandits or monsters were going to attack them. He couldn’t make that happen, so these six rings were the next best thing.

After he’d completed his bracer, they had been the major focus of his attention.

He pushed the rings and the stacks of scrolls across the table.

There were six healing scrolls for everyone, even Altey, plus a few extra. Making all of them had used up an entire wing from the wyvern.

The rings had used up the rest of the mithril he’d gained from the bandits and half a dozen ice-aligned cores, along with some more of the Earth mana.

Making all of it had brought him up to Level 25 as an Essence Scribe and Level 32 as an Enchanter.

“These are...” Jeric looked down at the ring with puzzlement as he picked one up and examined it.

“Protective artifacts,” Sam said. “It should be enough to block any strike at the Expert tier, at least.”

He looked around the room as he caught everyone’s gaze, and then down at the rings.

Ring of Crystal Shield (Advanced)

[Enchantments: Lifelink, Crystal Shield.

This enchantment is designed to activate when the bearer’s life is in danger, if no other shielding spell is available. It creates a one-time shield of crystalline energy surrounding the wearer that will apply its full charge to resisting the attack.

It has been created with a small amount of sacred Earth mana, an Ice-aligned core, and purified mithril, ensuring that the charge does not degrade over time.

Once activated, the core in the ring will crumble to dust. The mithril is durable enough that there is a chance it could be reused.

Material: Purified Mithril.

Charge: 200/200.

Duration: Single Use.]

“I hope they’re never needed, but please, put them on.”

One by one, everyone slid their ring onto a finger and dripped a bit of blood on it to bind it, including him.

A moment later, the light in the rings dimmed, fading away until they looked like unremarkable mithril jewelry, or at least as unremarkable as mithril ever looked.

The metal still had that unique rainbow reflection on top of the blue-silver base.

Sam looked around, taking in the matching rings and amulets that everyone was wearing, and he let out a slow breath.

He might not have the resources of the church, but with every passing day, he was a better Enchanter than he’d been before.

He couldn’t keep his family out of danger, but he would make sure they survived it.