Moonlight Relic, Ch 18: A Change of Stars (Patreon)

Garild Morlan shuddered as the echo of a roar washed over him. It was an unearthly sound, far more commanding than the jaguar he’d just fought. Then he steeled his spine and turned toward it. He could hear the similarity to the voice of the Horned Hunter that had echoed out two weeks before, but this time it sounded deeper and more dangerous. It was also much closer.

The jaguar had been a difficult opponent, nearly too fast for him to catch. His Aether Mage abilities gave him some long-ranged attacks, but most of them were focused on vision and distance, as well as minor manipulation of the weather for concealment and travel. His Storm Knight class could channel lightning, but he wasn’t able to summon it well here in the ruins. The old enchantments blocked him from calling it. The most he could do was empower his fists and some short-range bolts.

Even if he had been able to call it, the cat was quick and had a preternatural sense for incoming attacks. He’d had to chase it around for a while before he managed to pin it down. He’d ended up with several long slashes across his body for the effort, but the damage was minor. He threw a healing pill into his mouth as he studied where the shout had come from.

He’d spent the last couple of days searching the mountain as he circled around the peak, and the cat had been the biggest monster here so far. He’d killed it more out of obligation than interest, since he was aware of the number of Highfold citizens in the ruins. The minor damage from the fight was no surprise. Nothing at the First Evolution was safe to deal with. Everything specialized in killing, one way or another.

The moons had risen and he spent a moment staring at the power that filled the ruins. A sense of astonishment was creeping across his soul, even as he tried his best to ignore it. Being surprised was beneath him. The moons were almost full and the ruins had come to life.

His gaze traveled to the neighboring peaks, where the Crowns were visible for the first time in seven years. He’d studied the history of the ruins, but nothing was known about them, at least not that he’d been able to uncover. No one had ever identified the origin of the Crowns, except the evidence that they responded to the moons.

He’d visited the top layer of the ruins, but there wasn't anything there except a few adventurers that he’d ignored them. As for the true peak, he’d tried to climb the cliff without success. There were no handholds in the stone that covered it and all of his attempts to create them had ended in failure. Levitating hadn’t worked either. Some force knocked him down every time he crossed more than twenty feet.

Messages were flickering through his communication amulet, but he ignored them. He didn't have the answers they wanted and saying that would make him look weak. Instead, flickers of lightning covered his body as he began to run toward the peak. He couldn’t teleport here, but he could still make it there before long.

Perhaps finding this Horned Hunter would reveal some clues as to the nature of the ruins and what that green light was. If he actually met him...well, it would be something to remember. He’d never been this close to a World Spirit before.

---

In Highfold, Jeric growled to himself as he flexed his arms and looked toward the peak of Sun’s Rest. He had run out of the shop a moment ago, looking toward the mountain as he heard the shout.

Fireworks were exploding in the sky and the moons were hanging close above, looming over the world. The ruins had come to life and with them, the mountains were filled with streamers of light, as if an enormous world had suddenly illuminated itself above the city, but none of that mattered to him. He recognized that shout. His son was up there.

“Sam...” he growled, his temper and a deep worry flaring at the same time. The damned enchanters here had been bothering him so much that he hadn’t had time to leave the shop, but now it didn’t matter. He was going to get up there and make sure Sam was alright.

His hands slammed together with a crack as he hammered a fist into his palm. He didn’t know what had happened, but that shout had sounded angry and hurt. He pulled the door closed and slapped the magical seal that locked it, and then he began to run. The golden gleam of stamina radiated from his muscles as he threw himself forward, his steps blurring into a full-out sprint.

He dodged around a pack of festival-goers whose necks and wrists were draped in colorful streamers that matched the moons. Many of them were wearing masks for different World Spirits or fantastical monsters. The streets were filled with them as they watched the fireworks and danced under the light of the moons.

As he ran, he grabbed the amulet around his neck, searching for Sam’s presence. Usually, he could find him in the ruins, but this time his presence was blurred. He could feel him near the peak, but not the exact location. Instead, he sought out his wife. His words were carried along the connection in an instant. She was a Seer and so was Krana. They would know what was going on.

“Aemilia, where is he?”

---

The snow buffered Sam’s fall, sinking beneath his weight as it dispersed most of the impact, but it melted away like fog from the heat radiating from his body. The flames and moonlight were still billowing around him in waves, pulsing in time with his heart. If anyone was watching, he was hardly inconspicuous.

Fortunately, the snow here was thick and his hands sank into it as he struggled to sit up. His nerves were alive with pain, but also a strange energy. He felt stronger than ever before, and the arm that he used to push off of the snow was visibly corded with muscle, more than he’d had before.

He growled to himself as he pushed to his feet and summoned a plane of ice in front of him. With a flicker of essence, he tinted the surface to silver and made it into a mirror. He was silent as he stared at the result.

Before, he’d been six feet tall and well-built, but still relatively lean. His horns had been about six inches above his forehead, giving him some additional height, but nothing that stood out too much in a crowd as long as he kept his hood up. Now, he looked completely different.

His shoulders were nearly half again as broad, and his visible skin was a light gold with red undertones that gave it a charismatic depth. His movements made it ripple like hammered gold. His horns were twice as big as before, curling powerfully back from his forehead until they ended in curved points, and his overall bone structure had developed. The planes of his face, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and even the joints of his fingers were all more developed than before, broader and more defined. His biceps were as wide as most people’s legs and his forearms were corded with muscle.

The most defining characteristic however, were his eyes. They were still crystal blue with vertical pupils, but now it looked as if a star had been born inside them. They glowed with an intense, otherworldly light. It was similar to the moonlight, but brighter, as if the essence of it had been distilled in them. He pulled his attention away from them as he studied the rest of his body.

He flexed his hands as he examined them. His fingers were still nimble, but they were bigger as well, and his talons glittered with a dark light as the moons reflected from them. They were still the same length as before, but they looked far more dangerous now.

As far as he could tell, the rest of his body followed suit. His movements sizzled with leftover pain, but it was already starting to feel like a memory and there was no hindrance as he stretched and curled his hands. He was moving easily and every gesture felt graceful and full of power.

The only thing that felt different was a rumbling power that felt like it came from his stomach. It was a growling hunger and impatience. It made him want to move and tear things to pieces if they opposed him.

What happened? He growled at the Guardian Star. His usual calm tone was absent, although that could have been due to falling off a mountain. Did that surge damage my aura again? Why do I look different?

Analyzing. The star was silent for a moment, its points flickering. Your aura has improved slightly from the drumbeats, but it is still unstable. You are 41% recovered. However, there has been a significant change to your physique.

Your race appears to have Evolved.

What do you mean Evolved? Like a Class? Sam growled again as he flexed his talons, feeling the different sense of strength in them. He checked his status quickly, but he was still Level 98. I must be a foot taller than before and twice the width. If I hadn’t enchanted my clothing, it would have been torn apart. As it was, it was still splitting at the seams. Will my family even recognize me now?

It is unexpected, the star agreed. Racial Evolutions are recorded in the relic’s memory, but they are more common among beasts than civilized races. There is nothing that matches yours. It might have happened with your Class Evolution, but it could also be a separate process.

Your race seems to Evolve when you absorb sufficient aura or other energy. It should normally take many years, but the relic empowered your body the same way it would an enchantment.

I’m an enchantment? Sam grumbled back at the star as he focused on the comparison. What do you mean?

Your body is closer to a mana form or an elemental than it is to human flesh and blood. I had my suspicions before, but your Evolution has confirmed it. You have many similar characteristics on the outside, but the underlying properties are different.

What else has changed? Sam couldn’t stop himself from growling again. It felt like his face was broader and he could feel the muscles moving as he gritted his teeth.

Your physical characteristics have improved, including the density of your skin and your defense. Your features have become more refined, and your talons, eyesight, and other senses are sharper.

As the star spoke, flashing golden notifications filled Sam’s vision. The style was archaic again, with ornate, scroll-worked borders. As soon as he saw them, he commanded them to open.

Congratulations, Guardian. You have met the requirements to Evolve your Race.

Your current Race has been Identified: “Voidborn.”

Due to your interaction with the moons of Aster Fall and your Titles, your Racial Evolution path has been determined.

As a Guardian of Aster Fall, the available selection has been maximized for you and the most powerful option selected.

Prerequisites have been bypassed. Four Marks of Acknowledgement have been spent.

Racial Evolution Path Assigned: Astral Titan.

Current Racial Evolution: Stage 2.

Your Race has Evolved to “Astral Hunter.”

Your Attributes Have Adapted:

Strength +10.

Constitution +20.

Agility +5.

Charisma +10.

Racial Ability: Battle Aura has advanced to Elite.

Your Trait “Bounty Hunter” has been influenced by your Race. You are now able to identify and track interdimensional beings within a 100mi radius, as long as they have an active bounty issued by the World Core.

The notification faded away, and at the same time Sam felt his eyesight and something in his awareness sharpening. Suddenly, there was an awareness of space around him that hadn’t been there before. To his great irritation, he was keenly aware that four bounties were present within his territory.

Apparently, they had escaped from the World Seal, like the basilisk before, and he hadn’t been aware of them until now. With that, he was also aware that the World Core’s effort to change his race was hardly for free. It was pushing him to work for it again.

Given the advantages it offered, it wasn’t really a problem, since it was leaving the choice to him. He would have hunted the monsters down anyway. Now, he just knew exactly where they were.

He growled again as he looked at himself in the ice, and then he waved it away, letting it dissolve into snowflakes. It looked like his talons were still capable of drawing runes and the upgrade was an improvement. In its own way, the relic had helped him, rather than cooking him with its aura, which was what could have happened during that surge.

The major benefit was also that his race was no longer listed as “Outsider.” Whatever an Astral Hunter was, if anyone were able to Analyze him, at least that was less of a problem. He would just have to hope that his family still recognized him.

He looked up at the moons. They hovered there like three worlds descending to the earth, and his eyes glowed in response. The flames and moonlight around him began to recede, falling back to normal, but he didn't let them completely disappear. They filled the world around him with energy, and it felt like it would be too desolate to get rid of it. His control over both was natural as ever.

What is an Astral Titan? he asked finally, wondering if the star knew, and why did my Charisma increase this time? I would have expected it to go down. He turned to look into the distance, studying the position of the bounties as he waited for the answer.

I have no data on Astral Titans, but it seems to have been a rare path amongst the ones available. The Light of Silvas counted among your Titles and had some influence. They may have been the builders of the Moonlight Relic, or at least one of the races. Many helped, but information on them is beyond my access. As for whether they are Outsiders or something else, it is hard to say. You are a unique hybrid and the possibilities are vast.

The Charisma boost and your glowing eyes are part of your Evolution. Charisma suppresses the madness of essence, so most Outsider Evolutions should grant it. Your Voidborn race would probably have changed to Elder Voidborn or Void Hunter, and received a similar advancement, if the World Core hadn't pushed you onto another path.

Sam frowned as the star reminded him of the name. He’d never heard the term “Voidborn” before, not in any of his conversations with the star, the histories of the church, or the dreams of the Nexus. Perhaps it was the name the demons called themselves, but it could have been something else.

He had been “born” in the void, in a certain way. The Outsider outpost had teleported him beyond the reaches of Aster Fall and into the emptiness beyond, which was where he had run into the life essence from an Outsider and been remade. In that way, he had indeed been born in the void. It didn’t explain what the race was, but it was enough for now.

What about Marks? They were spent somehow for this?

You earned the Marks by solving problems for the World Core. Apparently, they can be redeemed. I suspect they will play a role in your Class Evolution as well. You should endeavor to collect as many as possible.

I am also certain that four Marks for this Racial Evolution was an incredible discount.

Sam nodded, and then he pushed the question out of his mind for later. He had work to do. The moons were out, which meant the aura in the relic was going to be too difficult to control until morning, and he was too wide awake to sleep. He would continue with the repairs at dawn, but until then he might as well go find one of the bounties that were annoyingly present in his awareness.

The basilisk had given him an Elite tier upgrade. If these did the same, it might be a shortcut to maximizing his abilities, as well as getting the last two levels to 100. It would also let him test out his new capabilities. Their locations were marked, but there was no other information, which meant it would be a surprise for both of them when he found them.

He was turning to face the closest one when Lenei and Lesat came running toward him, their presence springing into his mind as they crossed into his range. His amulet would have told them they were coming, but he hadn’t been paying attention to it.

“Sam! Is that you?”

“We saw you fall! Are you injured?”

Their voices blended together. The wind was blowing and the snowflakes were falling densely to replace the snow that he’d melted, so they couldn’t see him well. He silently waited for them to approach, feeling more disconnected from them than he ever had before. Then he frowned as he dismissed the thought. They were clearly concerned.

“Over here,” he called out. His voice was deeper than before, a low rumble that broke through the wind and snow, or perhaps the elements simply parted for it. There was a thread of aura in it like a distant flame that carried a sense of warmth.