Moonlight Relic, Ch 3: Family (Patreon)

Two green spheres of venom shot out from the wyverns’ jaws, flying down at the villagers and Aemilia as Sam raced across the snow. Most of the villagers were around Level 40, which wasn’t enough to defend well against a normal wyvern, much less a cursed one, and they had crafting classes. The monsters were Levels 72 and 66. Even without the curse, they would cut through the villagers like paper.

Crystal flame surged up from his hands as he shaped a Starfire in one hand and a Moonlight Edge in the other, pushing himself to move faster. His mother’s hands glowed with golden light as she summoned a spell shield above the group. Across the field, one of the hunters was sprinting for the group as well.

It was Raelia, the Ice Walker-Sky Mage. She was Level 109 now, and the youngest of the hunting team. She was closer than he was and arrived first. She slid to a halt as she slammed her staff into the ground. A shield unfurled like a banner from the top, giving rise to a sprawling field of frozen summer herbs and icy brambles that stabbed into the sky above the villagers.

The wyverns’ attack crashed into the shield with a violent hiss that was similar to the monsters’ screams, but the force of it was shredded by the brambles. The venom dissipated as it was scattered in every direction, leaving smoking holes on the slopes. Below the shield, Raelia’s expression was hard as she raised her staff again.

The shield began to twist as parts of it reformed into crystalline spikes and shot outward, heading for the monsters. They slammed into the wyverns’ scales, knocking them tumbling through the air before they could dodge. Scales broke off and fell to the ground like tainted leaves, but the wyverns caught their balance and began to circle again as new spheres of venom formed between their jaws. Their wings angled back as they began to dive.

The icy brambles grew thicker, spreading across the surface of Raelia's shield as their tips became glinting spears pointing skyward. She might not be able to harm the wyverns very much, but defending against them was well within her abilities. It didn't look like they would be getting through her shield quickly.

The spells Sam had thrown flew past the wyverns as they regrouped. As he got closer, he hurled two more toward them, aiming for where they were diving at the edge of Raelia's shield. The spells shot ahead in brilliant streaks of light, slicing through the air with crackling force as moonlight burned at the edges of the crystal flame.

A Moonlight Edge entangled the closest wyvern’s wings as it dove toward the shield. It cut through the monster in seconds and slammed into the one next to it, sending them both tumbling through the air as their dive began a plummet toward the ground. They released a piercing shriek as they thrashed, the sound piercing the air, until an instant later when the Starfire arrived. The sphere erupted between them with an earth shattering explosion of sapphire flame that swallowed both sound and scale.

Under the combined attack, chunks of wyvern burned through the sky like green meteors as they were torn apart. Below, Raelia’s shield hissed as it absorbed a torrent of blood. The cascade stained the blue brambles a bright green, as if an unnatural spring had come to a world of ice. With a flick of her staff, she redirected the blood to the side and away from the villagers, where it continued to bubble as it corroded the stones and grass.

Sam ignored the aftermath as he slid to a halt at his mother’s side. His hand went to his belt pouch and he pulled free a healing scroll as he checked her for injuries. He didn't see any, but he was already reaching to activate it, just in case, when her words interrupted him.

“I’m alright,” Aemilia said, giving him a small smile as drifting, golden flecks moved across her eyes. She was still scrying for ways to help. As she turned to look at the remaining monsters and back toward the village, however, the flecks swirled away, leaving a grimace behind. “Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for our house.”

Sam followed her gaze across the village just in time to see an explosion of wooden walls fly outward. The lone Hoarfrost Serpent that had made it into the village was thrashing in the middle of where their house had been. Its body was longer than any two of the walls placed end to end, and its head was higher than the roof when it reared back for another strike, its attention fixed on the illusions that had marked the walls for Altey's birthday.

It recoiled, its massive body writhing into a knot, and then it lunged forward again. Its massive head crashed into the living wood that had framed the house and exploded through the other side, knocking down the last remaining wall as scattered shards of frost-burned wood flew in every direction.

As if that weren't enough, as the serpent regained its balance, its tail slammed into the dining table where they’d been sitting minutes before. The gently curved wood shaped by sylvan craftsmen shattered into dust. Dishes and decorations went flying and the sparkle of illusions around it broke apart into icy stars, flickering away as a streak of dirty white hoarfrost spread across the area.

Two platters and a handful of bright silver streamers were all that escaped, tossed into the air like a fountain of dreams. The serpent’s tail came around again in a lightning fast crack and struck both of the dishes, sending shards of pottery and illusory snowflakes in a wild swirl.

“By the seven frozen heavens,” Raelia muttered from the side as she saw what was happening, and then she turned to Sam. “I’ll block it off, if you can kill it.”

Even as Raelia spoke, another field of icy brambles began to form between her hands. She turned, her steps so quick that she seemed to disappear. A moment later, she was between the serpent and the rest of the village, the shield spreading out around her.

Sam let out a low growl as his claws flexed. The attack had been an interruption to Altey’s birthday, which was bad enough, but seeing the serpent destroy their house brought a wellspring of something darker and more violent. He sent a quick glance around to make sure the area was clear and then he was off, sprinting toward it. The serpent had made it personal.

A layer of crystal flame sprang out of his skin and hardened. His talons lengthened into curved blades and his horns grew by half a foot, their tips made out of flame and moonlight that curled above his head. A thrilling, atavistic urge in his blood sprang to life, driving him to do something, to move, run, or kill. It roared in his heart and bones like a tide.

He covered the last steps in a streak as he slammed into the serpent’s side, slashing out in an arc that tore through white scales. The monster roared, its head rearing back as it rose ten feet into the air. Its fangs shot down toward him, its movement a whipping blur.

It was faster than he was, even with his aura, and its jaws crashed into him, shoving him backward half the length of the house as they scraped across his aura. His feet sought purchase on the frozen boards that had been their floor as he staggered back. With each step, the wood shattered into dust. He growled as a surge of strength ran down his arms, and then an Essence Shield sprang up between them, slamming the serpent’s head to the side. His talons came up in a slashing, crystalline arc.

White blood and scales flew out like the edge of a blade, splattering across the remains of the wooden walls as the serpent’s spine was severed. Its head crashed to the ground, sending up a cloud of shattered wood and pottery where their dining table had been. All around them, the remains of the house shivered, shaking as the bulk of the serpent fell to the earth. Then the remaining sections of the wall slowly crumbled away, falling to frozen dust.

By the time the serpent twitched its last, there was nothing left of the house except the foundation. The gentle breeze that always blew through the valley stirred the remains, sweeping patterns in the dust. He stood there, looking down at it all as his horns and talons shrank, returning to normal.

All around the village, he could feel the auras of the curseborn fading away as they were slain. They had a peculiar sense to them that carried across the distance and registered in Crystal Focus like tainted blood. When he turned to look, he saw Elsanar swooping down on the last loose one from above.

It took him a moment longer to pull his eyes away from the house. When he did, he let out a sigh. It was a mix of frustration and anger, along with a disconsolate feeling as if the world were falling apart. He shook his head as he pushed it away. Above, the light of Silvas, Caelus, and Amaris shone down, striking a subtle gleam of mana from the mountainside as it illuminated the final stage of the battle.

Nothing else needed his attention, so he settled on watching his father hammer away at the last Hoarfrost Serpent. He'd managed to pin it down and was letting the reverberating damage from his hammers break through its resistance. He looked more like a blacksmith than a warrior, systematically beating the monster into the desired shape. It took him a few more blows, but eventually he crushed the monster's skull and it slumped to the ground.

Across the field, his mother was surrounded in a swirl of mana as she searched the distance, looking for more trouble. Perhaps she or Krana would be able to pinpoint where these things had come from. Questions spun in Sam's mind as he pulled a flask of water from his pouch and headed for his father.

Jeric was coated in sweat, and as he turned around, he caught sight of the house. His hand froze on the flask, his grip tightening until the metal started to cave in. His eyes darkened as he looked for his wife and then to the house where Altey was hidden. When he found them, he took a deep breath and shook himself, forcing his shoulders to relax.

“I was hoping that'd be our home for a while,” he said with a low rumble. He sounded tired, but there was an underlying strength to his words that didn't hesitate to face reality. He took a long drink and handed the flask back, his voice becoming stronger again as he looked at Sam. “Looks like we’ll need another one.”

“We should move into the ruins,” Sam suggested as he put the flask away. “There are houses there that have old enchantments, and I might be able to get them working.”

If he could get his family to move to the first layer, near the control plateau, they’d be distant from all of this. There was a real chance he could get those defenses active in a week or two, at least enough to ward off monsters like these, and he could be nearby while he was repairing the relic.

“We’ll talk about it,” Jeric agreed slowly as he looked at the remains of their house again. “But it’s far from the city and other things we need. We need to start up the shop in town if we want to make a place here. Altey also needs to keep learning from the elder, and your mother is spending a lot of time doing the same with the hunting team and Krana.”

Jeric shook his head, letting out a low sigh that was half resigned and half a growl, as if he were gathering himself for an unpleasant task. Then, his gaze settled on Aemilia and he seemed to relax, his shoulders straightening.

“Either way, let’s go get your mother and sister.”

---

With the house gone, Jeric and Aemilia bent their heads together in a whispered conversation as they tried to figure out what to do next. They didn’t want to impose on the Ice Sylphs more than they already had, and with the ruins of the house behind them, the illusion of safety here was shattered. If they stayed, they would always be worried about another monster attack.

Sam’s ears picked out their conversation without any trouble, even as he looked at the mountainside outside the village, plotting the direction from where the monsters had come. Altey was next to him, practicing a mana exercise she had just learned. Of all of them, she seemed to be the least affected.

Staying here wasn’t as bad as his parents thought, since none of them had been injured, but he understood their view. They wanted a safe place for all of them. His view was a bit different. There was a thrill of expectation in his blood as he thought of battle, a tiny pulse of essence that sang. He found the idea of living here exciting, as if there were no veil between him and reality.

Still, he didn’t want that for Altey, so he wasn’t planning to interfere in whatever his parents decided. Hopefully they would move into the ruins with him and let him set up defenses, but probably not. It didn't appeal to them in the same way. Whatever they decided, he would support them.

While they discussed it, he continued to study the remains of the curseborn. Attacks didn’t happen for no reason and his instincts were telling him to find out the story behind this one. Preferably alone, so he could push himself as hard as possible. A few moments later, his parents' words pulled him from his thoughts.

“I think it’s time to head into the city,” Jeric said, his forehead touching his wife’s. “We’ve been planning to set up the shop there, and Sam wants to spend his time in the ruins anyway. We can make a second home somewhere between the two. We just didn’t plan to move this quickly.”

“Sam can’t live in the city yet, and the only thing between the city and the ruins are barren slopes. We’d be living in a cave.” Aemilia shook her head at her husband. “We were going to have Altey in school there when we originally made the plan for the city. Now, she’s learning from the Ice Sylphs. We can find an inn again, not too far from here but deeper into the valley, and build a home in one of the villages. Siwaha has already given us permission. She might know a place.”

“I know she is an old friend of yours, but do we need to stay so close?” Jeric frowned as he held onto his wife’s hand. These days, his shoulders were nearly three times as broad as hers and it gave the impression of a giant holding onto something delicate. “We need a place of our own and the monsters aren’t going to bother the city. I’d feel more comfortable if you and Altey were there. She could come back here for lessons.”

Sam looked down at Altey, who was holding a crystalline sphere of ice in her hand. She had just changed to a new exercise that had summoned it. The sphere glowed with a quiet, blue light at the center that refracted through the surface, illuminating her hand. He could sense the small flow of Ice mana that was maintaining it, and her expression was intent as she focused.

Slowly, the sphere brightened and then dimmed, sending ripples of hazy light all around her. She couldn’t receive skills yet, since the World Law wouldn’t acknowledge her until she turned 18, but from the looks of it, she was well on her way to understanding mana control, or perhaps Ice Manipulation.

“Did Siwaha teach you that?” he asked with curiosity and a sense of pride. “You’re advancing very quickly, even without a class.”

“Raelia did, yesterday,” Altey said seriously as she held the sphere up for him to see better. “She said that practicing it would help me shape spells and accustom my meridians to the flow of mana. I was going to show you tonight. I wan to cast spells like you, to be useful.”

Her voice had an underlying tension. The attack might not have upset her visibly, but perhaps she was just channeling all of it into her studies. One part of him was sure that wasn’t entirely healthy. A girl her age should be playing with her friends and not focusing all of her attention on mana control.

Another part of him fiercely approved. His sister was young, but she was making something of herself. This early practice would lay a foundation to make her stronger than others, and she would be safer in the future. If she had to fight, she would be ready for it.

Of course, if anything bothered her while he was around, it would be lucky to die with an intact corpse. His eyes flashed with a dark, sapphire gleam as a pulse of essence burned through him. He pushed the feeling aside, since there was nothing to fight at the moment, and focused on what his sister was doing.

With a moment’s concentration, a cool breeze wrapped around his hand and swiftly gathered into a similar icy sphere. Instead of a light glow, there was a shard of flame at the center of his that looked like a crystal spindle. The flame hung there, its energy diffusing outward as it melted and then froze the inner layer in a cycle as the intensity of the flame rose and fell.

When she saw that it was brighter than hers, Altey frowned, her lips pursing. She focused on her sphere, making it glow until it was just as intense as his. Sam grinned as he dimmed his sphere down to almost nothing, leaving just a flicker of light at the center. That got a little laugh from her, as well as competitive stamp of her foot. Then her sphere became dimmer too as she tried to reduce the mana flow without letting it go out.

They stood there, each with a sphere of ice in their hand like a lantern lighting up the night, as they competed to see who could make it change the fastest. The ice slowly brightened and dimmed like stars flickering in the night until their parents were finished with their discussion. From the sound of it, Aemilia had won. The only question was where they were going to stay tonight.

At that moment, Siwasir appeared. He was surrounded in a swirl of snow that slowly fell away from him, making it clear that he’d used some movement spell to arrive. He looked at Aemilia and Jeric, as well as the slightly anxious look in their eyes, and offered them a brief smile.

“Your decisions will always be respected here,” he said gently, making it clear that he understood what they were thinking. “But there is no need to leave the village so quickly. You have fought with us to defend our home and every sylph here will do the same for you. Will it be so easy to find another place where a hundred will come to your aid?”

The sylph turned slightly, raising his hand to indicate the village behind him. All along the line where they had faced the curseborn, and farther back where the weakest villagers had hidden, every one of the Ice Sylphs was looking in their direction. At the center of the village, Siwaha was standing in front of her house, a slight smile beneath her intense, blue eyes as her white hair fluttered. Her voice carried on the wind.

“Stay here, sun child.” She spoke directly to Aemilia, although there was a feeling of inclusiveness in it that pulled everyone together. “Don’t leave home so quickly. You are part of our people and we will not abandon you. Even if you live somewhere else, would you not come to our aid? We will do the same for you, and so there is no reason to go. It will only make the trip between more dangerous.” Siwaha looked toward Sam and Altey, and then she turned to look at the valley.

“Your friends have not yet arrived. What if you are caught alone, and we are not able to come to you in time? We are not your original family, but we will be your family for the future. You are no burden to us and cannot impose. We will not leave you, nor tell you to go.”

There was a welcoming quality to the elder’s words, a reminder that family did not abandon each other so quickly.

Aemilia’s expression had been worried, but as Siwaha spoke, the lines on her forehead smoothed out and her shoulders relaxed, and at that moment, Sam realized that much of his mother’s nervousness was due to her past. She had been cast out by her parents. She was nervous that the same thing would happen again, so she had been seeking independence, so she didn't need to rely on the Ice Sylphs too much. Siwaha’s words washed all of that away.

“Come with me,” Siwasir said before Aemilia could disagree. “There is one more house where you can stay, although it has not been used in a while.”

Jeric and Aemilia shared a look and then Aemilia nodded, pushing the decision of what to do off until later. With that decision made, it didn’t take long for Siwasir and a few of the other sylphs, including Raelia and her husband Danir, to help the family settle into another house. The new one wasn’t quite as large as the old one and it had clearly been a while since anyone stayed in it, but the bits of dust and curled leaves that marred the floor were quickly carried away by the winds of a few spells.

Within minutes, the house was swept, filled with blankets and beds, and a fire was burning warmly on the hearth. The sylphs didn’t stop there, almost as if they wanted to prove that the village was welcoming. With a few gestures from Raelia, the walls were covered in swirling, silver lines that mimicked both the enchantment of the ruins and snowflakes, and the ceiling was hung with magical lights that glowed in the corners.

When that was done, the sylphs faded away, disappearing back out into the snow as they returned to helping the village clean up in the aftermath of the battle. The Hasterns were left alone, looking at each other in front of the fire. A small table was in front of them, which would have to do until they could make a larger dining table. Sam looked around the room, smiling slightly as he saw Raelia’s handiwork. It wasn’t so far from the decorations that had been there for Altey’s birthday.

“At least most of our things were in dimensional bags,” Aemilia said, letting out a small sigh as she studied the new house. She turned to Altey with a regretful expression. “I’m sorry about your birthday decorations, sweetheart.”

Then, as if she had made a key decision, she started to speak with more confidence. Her face was silhouetted against the flames behind her that gave the room a cheerful air. “We’ll just have to make some more and celebrate anyway, and at least you still have the gifts.”

The white dimensional bag that they’d given to Altey was tied to her belt, where she’d stored everything earlier. As he looked at it, Sam remembered something he’d done on the spur of the moment, just before running out from the old house.

“Actually, not everything is lost,” he said suddenly as a smile started to curve across his features. He summoned a fountain of moonlight sparkles that filled the air, hiding his movements as he pulled something from his pouch. “There is one thing I managed to save from the house.”

When the sparkles faded, Altey’s birthday cake was in front of them, the delicate, three-tiered, frozen castle demanding their attention. There was a sudden silence as everyone looked at it. Then Altey laughed, her voice filling the room. It didn't take them long to slice it and pass it around, and for a moment, everything returned to the way it was supposed to be.

Sam smiled as he took a slice of cake and wished his sister a happy birthday, but at the same time he was still turning over the problem of the curseborn. They'd attacked his family and interrupted his sister's birthday. Whatever was behind it, he was going to find it and tear it into a thousand pieces.