Moonlight Relic, Ch 9: The Price (Patreon)

His dreams were filled with sparkling streams of essence twisting through the void, bending around stars and drifting worlds. Figures floated through them, elementals traveling like comets as they crashed through the stars and shattered to pieces.

When it all faded away, the first thing he heard was his mother’s voice encouraging him to wake up and eat. She was on a stool beside the bed, where she’d been keeping watch. There was a tray of food on a small table next to her and her voice was tight with concern. The second thing was the Guardian Star giving him a new report on how long he’d been asleep. Four hours this time, which meant it was just past midday.

Then his attention was pulled away by the infusion of energy from the World Law that was still simmering in his veins. The undistributed attribute points were pressing on him like embers. Below that, there was a ravenous hunger that felt like the void as it tried to pull him back down. A moment later, the sensation changed to acid dissolving him from the inside as something else joined the hunger.He did his best to hide his reaction from his mother as he bit back a groan.

He didn’t know exactly what that feeling was, but he had a good idea where it came from. When he’d searched for the last vestiges of essence in his body, he’d torn something. This was the result. He forced himself to focus as he grabbed an apple from the tray beside the bed and tore into it with a giant bite.

He patted his mother’s hand to let her know he was alright, and then pulled the tray toward him. The apple was followed immediately by a chunk of bread and meat, and then wedges of hard cheese. In between bites, he did his best to reassure his mother that he was fine, but it was clear that she saw right through him. She was a Seer now, but even without that, she had a mother’s instinct to know when something wasn’t right. She had been relieved that he was in one piece, but her concern was deepening now.

He didn’t have a good answer for her, so he turned his attention inward and pulled up his status sheet. He needed to see what he’d done and to distribute the points. Perhaps it would balance out. It had been a while since he’d looked at everything in detail.

Sam Hastern

Level 94

Race: Outsider (Aster Fall)

Class: Battlefield Reclaimer, Level 94.

Subclass: The Scion of the Crystal Flame.

Essence Constellation (Third Layer): 8,366 / 15,000.

Title: Horned Hunter of the Moons

Health: 1170

Mana: 257

Aura: 252

STR: 64

CON: 115 (117 with Belt of Gentle Climes)

AGI: 40

WIS: 95

INT: 251 (257 with Starflame Bracer)

AUR: 246 (252 with Starflame Bracer)

CHA: 73

15 free attribute points.

Class Abilities:

• Reclaim Aura (Expert), Identify Aura (Advanced), Aura Storage (Expert: 1200 Aura Capacity), Imbue Aura (Epic), Intensify Aura (Advanced), Assume Aura (Basic), Shatter Aura (Elite), Transfer Aura (Elite).

Racial Class Ability:

• Aura of Crystal Flame (Epic)

Subclass Abilities:

• Crystal Focus (Advanced, 80ft radius), Flame Strike (Epic), Essence Shield (Advanced), Combust Aura (Advanced).

Professions:

• Enchanter, Level 48. (100% class contribution)
• Smith, Level 24. (100% class contribution)
• Essence Scribe, Level 37. (30% class contribution)

Racial Abilities:

• Enhanced Physique (+4 Str/Con, -4 Cha), Enhanced Vision (Special), Enhanced Senses (Advanced), Fire Affinity (Special), Essence, Elemental Manipulation (Expert), Battle Aura (Basic).

Innate Abilities:

• Essence Control (Expert), Moonlight Aura.

Class Spells:

• Crystal Flame Spiral, Crystal Flame Arrow, Crystal Flame Sphere, Essence Blade, Crystal Wave, Crystal Field, Starfire, Moonlight Edge.

General Spells:

• Aura Bolt

Skills:

• Spell Formation (Expert), Essence Refinement (Expert), Analyze (Advanced), Meditation (Advanced), Mana Transfer (Basic).

Traits:

• Guardian of Law: 6 Marks.
• Soul Echo II: +8 to all attributes.
• Dauntless V: +10 Constitution, +10 Charisma.
• Craftsman: +2 Wisdom, +2 Constitution.
• Mystical: +2 Intelligence, +2 Aura, +2 Wisdom.
• Initiate of Ice (Elemental Blessing).
• Bounty Hunter: +5 Wisdom.
• Dimensional Navigator: +5 Intelligence, +5 Wisdom.

Soul Mark: A crystal-blue eye with a rune for “aura-battle” as the pupil.

Contract Marks: The Guardian Star.

Proficiencies (Minimized).

The first thing he noticed was that he’d gained +4 Intelligence and Aura, +2 Constitution, and +1 Strength from those two Outsider hounds that had been guarding the portal. He’d missed that earlier. The new Dimensional Navigator trait from the World Law was also listed. The +5 Intelligence and Wisdom from it had become part of his attributes, leaving his essence slightly unbalanced. He would need to fix that.

His professions had been rising at lightning speed from the work on the Moonlight Relic, especially his Enchanting, and he felt a moment of satisfaction as he saw their levels. Essence Scribe was still three levels shy of Expert, but that hadn’t stopped him from making Expert-level healing scrolls.

After spending the last week working on the relic, there were a few other changes too, especially in his Skills and in Intensify Aura, which had reached Advanced. There was nothing to explain the hunger and disrupted feeling yet, but as he kept looking, he eventually found it in a notification that was floating just beyond the corner of his vision.

Detrimental Condition: Aura Rupture.

The flow of aura in your body has been fractured in multiple places. This is a progressive condition. If not corrected, it will lead to an unbalanced state of mind and potential madness.

There was no information on how to repair it, just the feeling of being burned from the inside. A sense of impending crisis filled his mind as he looked at the words, building up like a wave that threatened to roll over him, higher than anything he’d ever felt. There was something strange about the feeling that felt unnatural, as if it was slowly spinning. At that moment, however, the Guardian Star’s voice echoed in his mind, shattering the feeling into pieces with a rippling echo like starlight swimming in the ocean.

Do not be too concerned. There was a pause, as if the star was thinking, before it continued. Normally, you would need to seek out a shaman or another aura-based healer to correct the damage, but you have two options currently available.

First, you could seek assistance from Elder Siwaha. She has a shaman class and is an alchemist. Second, your class focuses on manipulating aura. With some meditation, you should be able to correct the damage yourself. Until you do, your emotions and spells may be more erratic. I will do what I can to stabilize any erratic energy.

You should heal yourself within the next day or your timeline for repairing the relic will be affected.

The words washed away some of his concern, but he could feel the wave gathering force at the back of his mind again. He shoved it down as he tried to keep his face clear. Then he spent a couple of minutes speaking with his mother before he turned his attention to the work he needed to do.

Transfer Aura was Elite now and his understanding of it had improved, which meant he might be able to repair the relic faster than before. Hopefully, that would be enough to balance out the time it took to heal. As for the attribute points, he chewed on his bottom lip as he looked at the options.

Charisma was 73, which was enough to handle essence up to 292, but he didn’t want to let it get that close. He still remembered the feeling of being crushed between two forces. That path led to madness even more assuredly than aura rupture. If there were a large battle with Outsiders, his essence might increase faster than Charisma, so he had to plan for that. That made things simple.

He assigned five points each to Wisdom, Aura, and Charisma, which brought him up to a flat 100 Wisdom, 251 Aura, and 78 Charisma. Hopefully, hitting 100 in Wisdom would have some effect. A moment later, he felt the hot weight of the energy rush through him as it fused into his spirit and blood. As his aura increased, he felt a small jolt run along his veins like lightning and the sense of disruption and hunger faded slightly.

Analyzing. The Guardian Star’s voice rang out. Increasing your Aura by five points has reduced approximately 1% of the damage. Adding an additional 495 points is a third option for healing yourself.

Sam stared at the ceiling for a moment as a sense of disbelief washed over him, and then annoyance at the Guardian Star’s analytical tone, and then he sent a guilty look at his mother, since he’d been ignoring her while dealing with his status. A moment later, he shook his head and shoved all of that away.

He wasn’t prone to flights of emotion, at least not ones like that. IIf the aura rupture was going to cause that, he’d have to keep an eye on it. Some silent testing confirmed that his meridians and essence constellation were still fully intact. They were humming steadily as he regained his strength.

The tray on his lap was empty and he pushed it to the side as he gathered himself. He was still hungry, but that wasn’t the most pressing concern on his mind. He needed to see if Siwasir and the others were alright. Whatever Siwasir had done with that crystal, and the way he’d spent his life force...whatever it cost, he had to try and heal him.

He groaned as he sat up all the way, pushing away from the thin pillow that was on the bed. As he did, he met his mother’s hand that was coming down to his forehead.

“Don’t move yet, Sam.” It was clear that she was struggling to keep her tone steady. “You’re not in as bad of shape as Siwasir and the others, but you scared me. Why did you leave without telling us?”

Her questions reminded him that he hadn’t explained enough, and a sense of guilt hit him again.

The Ice Sylphs were in no condition to speak when you arrived. All that was visible here was your arrival and a flicker of Silvas’s light. Speaking of which, there is a trace of Silvas’s presence left in your spirit that requires investigation.

Sam pushed the star’s words to the back of his mind as he looked at his mother. He jerked at the blanket over him as he sat up, tossing it out of the way. It took him two tries. His coordination was off and his muscles felt like they’d been pulled apart and strung back together with twine.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “The curseborn were a threat and they needed to be dealt with. I didn’t want to risk anyone else. I didn’t think it would be that dangerous.”

He tried to keep his voice calm, but he couldn’t help twitching as the hunger hit him again, more intensely now that he was moving. He wasn’t sure how it was associated with the aura rupture, but he didn’t feel full at all, even after eating enough for two people. His hand dropped to his pouch and returned with another apple, which he tore into as he continued to speak.

He added details of the fight in between bites as he prepared to stand up. If he did it too quickly, it felt like he would just fall over again. And that fall would be straight into the bottomless void of his stomach, just a blue flash receding into the dark.... The memory of the elemental flickered through his mind as he pulled his attention back to the present. When he was finished, Aemilia gave him a long look.

“Life has changed for all of us,” she said slowly. “But you, Altey, and your father are all I have. Please don’t risk yourself so quickly. Value your life as much as I do.”

Her tone was serious and slightly sad as she began assembling a new plate of food for him. Soon there was a second tray on his lap, filled with fresh bread, meat dripping with sauce, some baked purple roots that the sylphs liked, and half of a berry pie.

“Now, you said a Blood Elemental?” she asked. “Is that what hurt the others?”

“It should be dead or lost in the void, but it was dangerous,” Sam nodded as he wrapped up the story. “A remnant of an old war. It was buried and forgotten, but it wasn’t dead.”

By the time he had, this tray was empty as well, even though only a couple of minutes had passed. He pushed it to the side as he struggled out of the bed. It took an effort of will to lever himself to his feet, but the hunger was held at bay for now, pressed down by the weight of enough food for three people.

“Where’s Siwasir?” he asked. “Raelia and Danir too. I need to see them.” He should have spent more time with his mother, but he had an obligation to the sylphs too. They had fought with him, saved him, and he needed to do the same if could. The sylphs had their own ways of healing, but he didn’t know if it would be enough. Maybe some scrolls would make a difference. Aemilia gave him a long look, and then pushed more food into his hands.

“They are all at Siwaha’s. I’ll go with you.”

---

It took him a minute to find his balance as he stood up. The world was wobbling around him like it had lost its center. On the second rotation where it felt like the ground was in place of the sky, the Guardian Star’s presence washed through him again and a map of the world around him sprang into his mind, filtering through Crystal Focus.

It was like looking at himself in a painting and it left him with a strange, doubled view of the world, but it helped him to see that he was leaning to one side. He did his best to stand up straight until the image of him was in a better position. His steps were careful as he followed his mother out the door and to Siwaha’s house. Along the way, the star filled him in on some things he’d missed, wrapping up with an analysis of Silvas.

I compared Silvas’s signature to the Moonlight Relic’s memory banks and there is a significant difference compared to what was recorded, although the underlying sense is similar. When the relic was built, the moons were natural satellites that were chosen as power sources.

Now, it is something more. After the battle that shattered the relic, enchantments must have been added to them, possibly by the same designers. It seems likely that when the plan for the relic failed, they took an alternate approach.

Is that why it helped? Sam frowned as he kept most of his attention on walking in a straight line. Is it an artifact like the relic?

It seems likely, since they share a similar purpose. However, it is not an artifact. It is a warding seal, which is a type of self-aware enchantment. It must have been infused into the moon so it could use its energy directly. It is powerful and able to repair itself as long as the moon exists, but it is not as complex as the relic.

So, the builders chose it as a backup, you think? Why not just do that first?

The Moonlight Relic had many more options available to it, including the ability to work with inhabitants of Aster Fall directly, to guide them, and to be influenced by them. It was far more flexible and had potential for growth. Unfortunately, it was also more fragile.

Do we need to repair the relic then, if the moons are still working? He didn’t plan to give up his current focus, since he also planned to make the relic his home, but if the moons were going to help out, it would take some of the pressure off. The star, however, didn’t let him get too far down that line of thought.

Absolutely. The appearance of so many Flaws in the world shows you why the builders tried the relic first. The moons are too focused. Unless one of the three demons shows up, they aren’t able to act, and even if they do, their response will be limited to those three and the things touched by their essence.

The Blood Elemental must have carried a mark from the Demon of Blood, and your request for assistance triggered an automatic response, but its help does not extend any further.

Then the plan remains the same. Sam mulled over the star’s words as he approached Siwaha’s house.

There was a small crowd of sylphs gathered outside and garlands of wistful white and purple wildflowers had been woven around the door and over the roof. The mood was somber as the sylphs stood there quietly. It looked as if they’d been there for a while. As Sam approached, they silently moved aside, forming a path for him that led to the door.