Moonlight Relic, Ch 21: Terror's Bane (Patreon)

Sam’s skin crackled with moonlight and his muscles swelled as he sank his talons into the joint of the moth’s wing and tore it from its body with a massive wrench. The wing fluttered to the ground like a gossamer sail as he turned back and seized the next one. The moth’s thin, long torso was immobilized in searing bands of crystal flame as he held it with his other hand. His muscles strained again as he snapped the bones and began to pull. The moth let out a futile shriek as its second wing joined the first.

The firestorm had helped him to capture it, but it was durable and he’d had to get physical. Fortunately, his Evolved body was up to the task. With its wings ripped off, the moth was a struggling worm that thrashed in his grip. Gill-like vents along its body tried to draw in the miasma its dust left in its wake, which seemed to be how it fed. With a snap, he slammed his hands together, cracking its spine across his knee, and then he tore the body into two pieces before he let it fall.

He tossed it to the ground as he began to float down. He’d been hovering in the air on a current of wind, held aloft by the energy of the moons. As he descended, his body shrank back to his new normal, losing a foot or two of height as he released his battle aura. Whatever an Astral Titan was, the name wasn’t just for show.

He had no trouble handling energy from the moons now. As long as they were up, he had plenty of it, but there was also a sizzling ache that told him he’d pushed it too much. There was a limit to how much he could channel while his aura was recovering. He turned and hacked out a mouthful of black tar, spitting it to the side. It was a combination of the moth’s dust and scorched blood from where it had tried to corrode his lungs. Being so close to the thing, it had been unavoidable.

“Cursed moth,” he growled as he landed next to the moth’s broken corpse. Its main body was only ten feet tall and it looked far less dangerous in death. The wings that were lying nearby were twice as tall and far wider, made of a yellow and grey substance that undulated in the night, contrary to the direction of wind. Streaks of burnt flesh wrapped across them where its dust had been incinerated, but despite its thin frame, the creature was highly resistant to energy. Fortunately, its body was frail.

He turned his attention away from the thing and looked at the girls who had survived. The three were wearing matching robes from an academy with a symbol that he didn’t recognize. He hadn’t expected to see students, but at least not everyone here had died. They must have come with a group, but there was no telling who was still alive. He studied the flow of aura through their bodies, checking for remnants of the dust, but it was unnecessary. They were just unconscious. Breaking the aura should have rendered the rest of the dust harmless anyway.

As he pulled his attention away from them, the voice of the World Law echoed in his mind, more pleasantly than ever before. It brought with it the heavy weight of notifications and experience. A crackling sensation spread through his body as experience began pouring in.

Congratulations, Guardian. You have slain a Terror of the Night.

For eliminating it, you are highly Acknowledged. You gain three Marks.

Experience for the battle has been split with your party.

You gain 20,425,000 Class experience.

You are now a Level 99 Battlefield Reclaimer.

Class Experience: 231,772,980 / 250,000,000.

You are now General Level 99.

General Experience: 231,949,527 / 250,000,000

You gain +1 Intelligence, +1 Aura and have three free attribute points to assign.

You gain the Trait: Terror’s Bane.

[After facing a Terror of the Night, your mental fortitude has increased. You gain improved resistance to fear-based effects and anything that affects the mind. Within a short range, you may extend your confidence to your allies. +10 Wisdom. +10 Charisma.]

You gain the Trait: Purity.

[You gain improved resistance to disease, both magical and mundane. You also gain the Ability: Purify to remove these traits from yourself and others. Its effectiveness is limited by your Wisdom attribute. +5 Wisdom.]

There was a pause as a massive whirlwind of silver light gathered around Sam, formed of the Traits waiting to fuse into him, and then came the announcement that he’d been hoping for.

You have earned an Epic Tier Reward. You may choose one Ability to upgrade to Epic. Make your choice now.

This time, he already knew what he was going to choose. He could upgrade Transfer Aura or Assume Aura to Epic, but that wouldn’t help him maximize all of his abilities, and if the repairs continued at the current pace, he didn’t need more speed. What he needed was the foundation of his class, especially since other abilities were linked to it.

Without any more hesitation, he chose Reclaim Aura.

The whirlwind grew stronger as energy was drawn into it from the world and then it descended with a crushing pressure. It was stronger than he’d ever felt before and he could feel it crashing down against a dense resistance in his body. Now he understood why it was important to upgrade abilities before Evolving. It was far easier to make improvements to a weaker body than it was to a stronger one, and the more improvements before you Evolved, the better the result would be.

At the same time, the ocean of experience slammed into him, shuddering through his blood in an explosion of swirling silver points that hammered away until they created miniscule cracks. Then they drove inward, sending spikes of power through his meridians and muscles as they forced them to expand. This close to his Class Evolution, there was barely any room for more.

The Third Cliff at Level 99 was about efficiency loss. Most of the experience he was earning was being siphoned away, converted into the overwhelming force necessary for him to absorb the rest. His chest expanded as he raised his arms and took a breath, letting out a low rumble of air. He could feel the improvements burning in his blood as hot as molten steel.

He turned toward the moth, his eyes hardening. He’d shattered its aura, but given the monster’s level, it should still have something. As he searched for it, he assigned the free attribute points to Wisdom. It brought that up to 118 with the bonuses from the new Traits. His Charisma had jumped to an even 100, and his Intelligence and Aura were 256.

It only took him a moment to seize the thread of aura in the moth’s corpse. It was a wispy, corrosive thing, like miasma drifting across the sky above a field of crumbling bone. Below it, there was only bubbling spores and molten death, a field of rotten mushrooms swelling as they grew amongst the skeletons until one day they exploded upward, their contents darkening the sky. He chose to Identify it and a moment later, the miasma crumbled away, turning to ash as it burned to nothing. The notification in his mind was expected.

Identify has reached the Expert tier.

Your chance to instantly Identify an unknown aura has increased to 20%.

He let out a low rumble of satisfaction as he turned away. That wasn’t an aura he wanted. With Reclaim at Epic, it shouldn’t take much longer for him to upgrade Identify now. He’d just have to destroy a few high-tier auras to get it there. As for Aura Storage, it would expand on its own when he put a higher-tier aura in it.

When that was finished, he reached out and tore the essence out of the Terror, pulling it into himself. It flew out of the moth in a wave of yellow-grey sparks that turned a brilliant blue as they sank into his limbs. Altogether, there were nearly 4,000 of them. The stars merged into his essence constellation, pushing the third layer closer to completion.

Essence Constellation (Third Layer): 12,168 / 15,000.

Your Strength has increased by 7.

Constitution has increased by 9.

Agility has increased by 2.

Intelligence has increased by 8.

Aura has increased by 8.

The energy from the stars tore through him with their familiar sense of blood and battle, sinking into the constellation like arrows. It didn't take long for him to adjust to the new energy, and when it settled in, he glanced around to see how everyone was doing. The glow of experience was around all of them, and it looked like they’d just finished absorbing it.

A quick Analyze told him that his father and Lenei had both reached Level 77 and Lesat was 76. They’d probably gained a trait or two as well, but he’d have to ask later. The three of them were heading over to check on the girls and Garild was standing off to the side watching everything, especially Sam. The governor had gained a level as well, and his eyes were wide as stared between Sam and the moth.

Sam ignored him as he closed his eyes. Now that the Terror was dead, there was something he needed to do while the moons were up. He focused on the moonlight and sank into the flow of energy through the relic as a map of the ruins appeared in his mind. The core enchantment spun as he brought up an overlay of the relic’s enchantments and major conduits. It was the first time he’d seen the relic this energized, and it was an irreplaceable glimpse into its proper function.

Vibrant beams of moonlight burned through layers of greenstone that stretched out for two hundred miles from the peak, extending under Highfold and through the entire valley, as well as over Sky’s Descent and Winter’s Peak to the north and south. The three crowns shone above it all, burning with energy at the peaks. With the moons above, the connection was clear, and he studied them silently.

The crowns were absorbing a torrent of energy from the moons. Silvas was above Winter’s Peak, Caelus above Sun’s Rest, and Amaris above Sky’s Descent. The runes that were hanging in the sky connected them together, turning three into one. From above, he was sure that the peaks formed a narrow triangle within a circle of runes, creating a complex binding.

Below that, he could sense the wards that were built into the relic, some of which still functioned. He wasn’t familiar enough with the core enchantment to know what all of them did, but he could sense their general purpose. There were wards for dimensional stability, communications, defensive shields, blocking teleportation, weather, channeling mana, and more.

Throughout it all, there was a series of massive cracks where runes were dark and the fragments misaligned. Deep pits marred the greenstone throughout the layers and pillars that should have towered into the heavens like stars lay tumbled on the slopes. It was only around the peak that he could see a nearly complete set of runes. The repairs he’d done burned brightly in molten silver lines across the surface.

He continued to study the sight until he’d committed it all to memory and then he let it go, pulling his attention back to his body. The view helped him to understand the core enchantment a bit more, as well as the design of the layers. It also let him identify other problems throughout the relic, including the locations of the remaining bounties. The areas where they were located were more damaged than this one.

He could also see the location of the adventurers and monsters, and it made him shake his head in disbelief. Almost as many adventurers were fighting with each as they were with the monsters. That was something he would never understand.

Pretend not to recognize me, he warned his father through the amulet as he saw Jeric heading toward him. I’ll explain later. The governor there could be a problem, but I have an idea to put him to use.

“You...what?” Jeric muttered. He hadn’t looked too closely during the battle, when everything had been covered in flames, but now that Sam was right in front of him, it was hard to miss the difference. Sam was even taller and more muscular than he was. “What happened now?!” The thought was slightly strangled.

“My Race Evolved,” Sam sent back. “It happened right before you arrived or I would have told you.” His father’s complaints made him smile as he added a few more details to explain, including why the governor was following him.

“You’re the size of a cliff!” Jeric grumbled. His son’s earlier transformation had been much more shocking, so his reaction wasn’t as severe, but he still frowned as he crossed his arms. “At least you look better. You’re not as pale and there’s something about you that seems more stable...but you get to explain it to your mother this time.”

Sam let out a rumbling laugh as he turned toward the students on the ground. Lenei was with them now, focusing on healing their minor injuries, and Garild was approaching from the side.

“Honored Hunter of the Moons, I did not expect to see a Terror slain tonight,” the governor began. His tone was unsettled. “Your strength is incredible. The World Law chose well in summoning you to hunt its enemies. These allies of yours...have you granted them your blessing to make them stronger?”

“Governor, this is Jeric Hastern,” Sam growled, cutting off the man’s nonsense by waving to Jeric. “He is one of my allies. He has a shop in town that may prove useful to me and I have plans to visit it soon, as well as other enchanting shops that might exist. It would be in the interest of your town guard to be aware of my arrival.”

“I will warn them when I return,” Garild said immediately as he looked between Sam and Jeric, “as well as the enchanters in town, so that they can expect you. But what sort of shop could interest one such as you? Is it something that will help you rebuild these ruins?”

“That is not your concern,” Sam growled, declining to provide specifics. “Just warn your people to stay out of the top three layers of the ruins, and let them know that I will be watching the rest.” He’d already told the governor it was his home, and he didn’t feel like adding any more.

“If you wish to find me, wait at the entrance to the third layer at dusk and send up a light in the color of the moons, but do not expect my protection. I am not here for such minor things.”

With that, he turned back toward the moth, flexing his talons as he studied it for crafting materials.

---

A couple of hours later, Sam sat on the peak, looking up at the moons as he bathed in their light. Now and then, a drumbeat shivered through the air, shaking his aura, but he didn’t jump as much as before. Below, he could make out the distant fireworks of Highfold as the celebration continued. This was the night they called Moonrise, and it marked the beginning of the Festival of the Three Crowns.

Although he wanted to push on and find another bounty, he needed to rest. The energy of the moons was everywhere, but controlling it was like balancing a heavy bar stretched out with both arms. Drawing on more right now could destabilize his aura. The others also needed to sleep. He’d spent a while discussing his new race with them, and then his father had joined Lesat and Lenei back in the camp.

The governor had spent a while fishing for information, but eventually Sam had managed to get rid of him by arranging a meeting in two days and sending him off to escort the three girls home, which gave him the chance to look like a hero. That had been enough to convince him to go.

Before Garild left, he’d confirmed that he would warn the town guard about Sam’s arrival, so that passing through the gates wouldn’t be as troublesome. Hopefully that was true, but either way, dealing with the man was a headache. The desire for power radiated from him like a voice shouting in the night.

Solitude wasn’t the only reason he was up here. Being in the moonlight was helping to stabilize his aura even more quickly than the Earth mana enchantment. The light was filling him with energy like a relaxing bath. It also gave him a chance to consider the Terror and the bigger picture around it.

“Why are there so many bounties escaping from the World Seal?” he asked aloud as he thought about the problem. Counting the basilisk, he’d killed two, but there were still three left nearby. The number seemed excessive.

The Grand Flaw fractured the dimensional barrier here, allowing some prisoners to escape. The Guardian Star’s answer was calm. The same thing is possible near any large Flaw.

“Do you think it has to do with the church’s method for sealing them?” Sam frowned as he asked the question aloud. There was no one up here to hear him, so it didn’t matter. “Lenei said they’re the ones who banish most of them.”

Based on what Lenei told you earlier, the church uses sealing enchantments and some Banishment abilities that are granted by the World Law. The quality of those methods is highly variable and dependent on their strength. If a weak Priestess banishes something, it will not be sent very far into the World Seal.

“So, if a Flaw appears near the area where it was sealed away, it will be drawn in. And after so many years, who’s to say that the world isn’t covered with seals, like patches holding things just below the surface. Then, when a Flaw appears, they spring up like mushrooms.”

The stronger Banishment abilities should push things deeper, but there is also the resistance of the World Seal itself. It will not allow too much access.

“Is it actually a prison?” Sam frowned as he considered the question. “The Guardian said that it was, but if it breaks so easily, that doesn’t make sense.”

The origin of things and their current purpose are not the same. The World Seal was designed to separate dimensions. It is not clear if it was ever meant to be a prison. I have been working to analyze the relic’s memories, as well as what I have gathered from your dreams and encounters. Evidence suggests that the world is not what you think.

“What do you mean?” Sam asked with a frown. “I know it’s been broken and remade before. What have you discovered?” It sounded like the Guardian Star had finally finished analyzing some of the data.

I will summarize it for you, the star suggested. At the center of Aster Fall, there is the Nexus. Where it came from is a mystery, but it appears to have formed nearly 200,000 years ago. It is a single point of such condensed energy that it bends dimensions around it, tearing apart the barriers between them. At times, it allows travel between the two major dimensions on either side. This is what led the Outsiders and the Astrals to encounter one another.

Just above the Nexus is the World Core, which regulates the energy there and attempts to keep the dimensions stable. It is a massive crystal sphere, perhaps as large as one of the moons. Without it, Aster Fall would be torn apart by dimensional rifts and nothing would live here.

“If everything is based on the World Core, then what do you mean about the world?” Sam grimaced as he looked around, taking in the solemn peaks of the Western Reaches that pierced the sky. Beyond them, the night stretched out vast and majestic, filled with the light of the moons and the stars. The thought that everything was resting on top of the Nexus was difficult to believe.

The world that you know surrounds the World Core, layering it over with mountains, trees, and life. The vitality of these things is in a virtuous cycle with the Core, helping it to regulate the flow of energy. Everything that lives here, except for Outsiders, is connected to it, and some forms of energy, like monsters, become part of it.

“Then what is the World Seal?” Sam frowned. He’d been thinking of it as a wall, but that didn’t quite make sense with the star’s description.

The World Seal is tied into the World Core. It is not a wall so much as a sphere that emanates throughout the Nexus and the nearby dimensions, preventing travel in both directions.

“Then what part of it is a prison?” Sam came back to his first question. “If the Banishment that the church uses is so weak that it breaks all the time, it can’t be part of the original design.”

I do not have the answer to that, but it is possible that one or more of the minor dimensions connected to the Nexus has been converted to that purpose and that some of the original forces of the First War are locked away there.

“Does the relic know the full timeline of Aster Fall then?” he asked. “When was the First War?” That was a question that had been bothering him for a while, and it sounded like the star might have enough information to answer it now. His hopes were sustained a moment later when the star began to explain.

The Nexus formed approximately 200,000 years ago. The First War began around 160,000 years ago, near the time the relic was built. For the years after that, I have few details, since the relic was inactive for much of it, but it appears that the World Seal was constructed around 120,000 years ago, bringing an end to the First War.

“The First War lasted for tens of thousands of years?” Sam was stunned as he considered the timeline involved.

At least for 40,000 years before the World Seal was created, the Guardian Star agreed. Now you understand why it was so important. The seal was created by someone known as the World Forger, but there is no other information on that person. They seem to have gone missing at the same time.

For the years following the construction of the seal, I have little information. The moons must have been converted to their current state sometime in that era or earlier during the First War.

60,000 years ago, however, there was another Breaking and a war that took place near this area. The Ice Sylphs were created in its aftermath. At that time, someone attempted to repair the relic, but they lacked the necessary command access and the core enchantment. They did, however, succeed in rousing the relic’s core awareness.

Since then, the relic has been attempting to draw energy from the moons every seven years to repair itself, giving rise to the Festival of the Three Crowns. For more than 8,000 cycles, it has failed. Even for an artifact like it, the years have been long.

“The Seal must be in a terrible state to allow so many Flaws to appear.” Sam was silent for a while as he watched the moons and put the information together.

Affirmative. The repeated cycle of Breaking and patching it, along with dimensional rotation and invasion efforts, appears to have nearly destroyed it. I estimate that over 90% of it has degraded. Every Outsider that enters Aster Fall accelerates the damage.

“And if the relic is repaired?” The question came with a frown.

It will help to reinforce the Seal, and the sooner, the better, but this relic alone will not be enough.

Sam looked into the distance as the night began to brighten toward dawn, studying the crystal pillars on the other peaks that marched in a line across the Western Reaches. Those were the markers where other relics would have been, linked together in a defensive line to stabilize Aster Fall. Now, each of them was a question that repeated itself as they receded into the horizon, like Altey asking him ‘why’ when she was small.

Did he have to build them all?