Moonlight Relic, Ch 27: Final Upgrades (Patreon)

Micas glanced down at the tracking disk in his hand, which had Jeric’s aura imprinted in it. He’d managed to lock it onto him while they’d been talking and now it glowed with a soft yellow light, letting him know that his quarry was within range. He’d planned to use it when he found a trace of the girl, but this was even better.

He’d only been told about the girl and her mother. Obviously, his information had been wrong. Jeric wasn’t dead, but without Analyze, he wouldn’t have even recognized him, which was probably how the confusion had started. Supposedly, there had been a son as well, who was also dead, but he hadn’t seen any sign of him. Maybe he really was.

More importantly, Jeric had managed to change his class. It was no surprise that they’d run away from their little village. That would have got far too much attention. The strange thing was that it wasn't a human class at all.

An Earthen Marauder.

He’d seen those in the undercity below Tower Reach, since that area often had basalt gnomes in it, but he had no idea how Jeric had done it. Perhaps there was a way to absorb a class or transfer it...or maybe there was some way to make a pact with monsters and receive their class.

If so, the answer to that question would change the world.

He would capture Jeric and take him back with him. Maybe some time dangling in a dimensional rift would convince him to share. If his mind broke, no one would mind. He wasn’t even at the First Evolution and he had nearly no connection to the rest of the Hasterns. That secret was worth more than entire cities, and perhaps more than the kingdom. It was definitely worth more than one useless cousin. He’d have to see what he could get for it when he handed him over.

His great aunt might not be the best for that. She’d warned him not to harm the girl when he found her and was sometimes prone to fits of compassion. His granduncle would be better. The patriarch could make stone look sympathetic. It should be worth an artifact at the Third Evolution, at least, and perhaps more than one. He’d been after one for a while, but they were extremely rare.

Unfortunately, it looked like Jeric had found a powerful ally in the Hunter, which would complicate things. That might even be how he had changed his class. Micas hadn’t been able to Analyze the tall golden figure, but he had measured the strength of the spells he used. The mana density in the storm had been at the early Second Evolution and the level of the concepts in it was deeply unsettling.

Concepts, or natural laws as they were called, weren’t required for Evolutions, and they were rare. Some knowledge was granted by the World Law with a class, like manipulation of Air and Space for Dimensional Mages, but it was limited. If you wanted to truly explore that concept, you had to do it on your own. It was one way to distinguish a master from a novice.

A lot of people only understood the minimum required, but if you studied the concepts and were lucky, it would significantly multiply your strength and could lead to better Evolutions. The better academies focused on it. They couldn’t teach the concepts directly, but they could show you examples and create an environment that helped you study.

It was possible the Hunter was a Champion, but he definitely wasn’t a World Spirit. Those had an unmistakable aura about them halfway between reality and possibility that gave rise to manifestations. They were also all at the Third Evolution and the weight of their presence was enough to crush most people. The Hunter had been powerful, but not that powerful.

A Champion was someone appointed by the World Law to deal with a specific problem. If so, the light on the peak could be something he was handling, which was why he wanted to keep people away from it. Perhaps the enchantments in the ruins were causing trouble. He was also an unknown race that bore a resemblance to Outsiders, but without their hostility. If he’d actually been an Outsider, there was no way a Paladin of the church would have been just standing there.

Despite that, Micas had ways around him. Even killing a World Spirit was possible, much less whatever the Hunter was, and in a straight fight, he was confident in winning. That was what Dimensional Mages were the best at. It was difficult to threaten someone who could bend space and redirect spells, and even skip through the void if you gave them enough time. As for his Tower Magus subclass, there was a reason the Hasterns were famous for it. It gave him a significant ability to bolster the use of artifacts, scrolls, and enchantments, as well as enhancements for his attack and defense. If he had time to set up a battle, it would go his way, and if not, he could still escape. He’d take care of the Hunter if he had to.

Overall, this trip was working out much better than he’d expected. Finding Jeric was a lucky break. It meant half of his job was done, since he just had to follow him until he found the girl. Then, he would get two for the price of one. The girl would come along whether she liked it or not, and one day she would realize that the Hasterns could offer her far more than her parents ever could. At the end of the day, she would learn that it all came down to power.

As for the mother, he’d originally planned to bring her along to make sure the girl cooperated, but now he didn’t care. It would be better to use her to make Jeric talk. A little bit of pressure in the right place could convince people to do all sorts of things, and he’d spent a long time practicing exactly how to apply it.

Now he just needed to wait.

---

“Are you alright?” Sam’s voice resonated across the distance to his mother and sister as he tested the connection. This time, he could feel it snap into place. He’d reached out as soon as they got to a level where the amulets worked, after checking first to make sure that there was no one in sight.

Now that he knew it was possible to eavesdrop, he was going to have to craft a better ward against it. These amulets should have been secure, but their tier still wasn’t high enough.

“Aemilia, has anything happened?” A moment later, his father’s voice was there as well and he let his dad take over the conversation. The only response from Aemilia was confusion, as well as reassurances that nothing strange had happened.

“One of my old Hastern cousins showed up,” Jeric explained. “It looks like trouble. His name is Micas. I remember him from when we were children together. He was a weasel back then and it looks like he still is. I don’t know what he’s here for, but I don’t like it. He’s also recognized me now, and that could be a problem.”

It didn’t take too long for Jeric to explain the details, including what Micas looked like, and Aemilia’s concern radiated back across the distance.

“The village was fine a few hours ago, but we’re not there right now. Altey wanted to see the festival in the city, so we came here with Aylin and Erilar from the hunting team. They’re helping to keep her mana under control, but they’re getting a lot of attention as Ice Sylphs. Should we head back?”

“That’s...” Jeric let out a long sigh, his emotions running across his face. “No, let her have fun at the festival. Micas shouldn’t know who you are and the hunting team will keep you safe. Just be careful and don’t stay too long.” It was the first time Altey had been out of the village since they arrived, and he clearly wanted her to enjoy it. He let his hand drop from the amulet as he turned toward Sam.

“Micas is the type to grab at everything,” he added with a grimace. “I doubt he’ll leave it alone now that he’s seen me. We’ll need to be ready if he comes back.”

“We’ll be here with you,” Lenei promised. “Whatever information he wants, we won’t let him have it.”

“Fellows like that need a swift kick,” Lesat grumbled in agreement. “Preferably into something’s stomach. Being related doesn’t seem to count for much from his side, so there’s no reason you should play nice.”

Sam clenched his hands into a fist and forced them to relax as he scanned the area. If Micas came anywhere near his mother or sister, the tiny bit of tolerance he had would evaporate. He’d rip his arms off and incinerate them in front of him. If he tried anything else...not just him but the ones behind him would answer for it.

Above them, he could sense the adventurers and the monsters clashing on the peak and now and then a monster’s scream or the echo of a large spell rolled down the slope. The area below the self-repair enchantment had turned into a bloodbath. It had been a good idea to leave, but it was irritating that things were fighting in the area he’d claimed as his own.

Once Micas was dealt with, he’d go back up there and sort it out, and whatever was left would answer to him. So far, nothing had damaged the area. The star had been right.

“What if Micas sees them in the city?” Lenei shook her head. “He can Analyze them and get their names, and then who knows what ideas he will have. I don’t trust that fellow. Let me send word to some of the church forces there. I’ll let them know that he was causing trouble on the mountain and is dangerous, and maybe I can get a couple people to help guard Aemilia and Altey.”

“His family name will be enough to make even the church nervous.” Lesat shook his head. “I’ve seen it too many times as a guard. They’ll nod and then ignore whatever he does like it never happened. His level only makes it worse.”

“You may have a point, but don’t underestimate the church,” Lenei disagreed. “They are far more powerful than Micas and their influence extends through every major city. Dealing with high-level troublemakers is nothing unusual.”

“I don’t think it will help.” Sam frowned as he shook his head. “There are too many politics involved and so far, he hasn’t done anything. We’d also need to explain what he wants from my father and that’s not going to happen. They might end up helping Micas.

“We need to move quickly,” he added as he scanned the area. The bounties were glaring presences in his mind that left him on edge. “One bounty is about fifteen miles from here on the fifth layer. The other one is sixty miles away on the far slope. I can’t tell what they are until we see them. If we’re quick, we might be able to get them both tonight. There are some monsters on the route for more materials.”

“After that, we should move to the village and improve its defenses,” Jeric said firmly. “If Aemilia and Altey are still in the city, we can get them on the way.”

Sam growled again in agreement as he looked toward Highfold. They were being pulled in both directions. If he had to face Micas during the day, it didn’t make much difference whether he was here or in the village, and at least there they would be able to keep an eye on everyone. The distant celebration was visible as fireworks exploded above the city walls.  It was a strange contrast to the pressure he felt.

---

A couple of hours later, Sam and the others descended to the fifth level, where they ran into a pack of Icescale Crevasse Spiders. There were twenty six of them altogether. A handful were at Level 80 to 90, and the rest were lower. They’d eliminated a few other monsters on the way down, which had given him some practice with Identify Aura and materials, but this was the biggest group so far.

This type of spider was rare on the slopes, but they were dangerous for anyone who encountered them unprepared and alone. They had a habit of sleeping beneath the ice for months and then erupting as a pack to find food. They were silent, blended into the snow, and were as large as a dog. When they traveled, it looked like a wave of snow that was moving on its own. Many adventurers and other monsters had met their end from an envenomed bite.

Clearing them out of the ruins was good housekeeping, but the main reason he was interested in this pack was that it might be enough for him to level Identify. He’d burned through a dozen Epic auras from monsters on the way down and collected a handful of Elites, but it hadn’t done the job yet.

Unfortunately for the spiders, they hadn’t expected to be the prey tonight. As his father and the others chased down the few remaining ones, Sam used an Essence Shield to pick up the last two near him and smashed them together. Their chitin shattered as their pale, ice-covered legs stabbed into each other and he tossed the broken corpses to the side, where they joined a scattered expanse of others.

His father finished off the final spider with a tossed hammer that exploded through its body, and then there was nothing left on the field except an opportunity to gather more auras. It wasn’t too much longer, as he was sorting through the corpses and identifying them, that the notification he was hoping for appeared.

It followed the taste of shattering ice and deep sleep beneath a glacial shelf as the spider’s aura burned away in his hand, and it rang through his mind with a pleasant silver chime.

Congratulations, Battlefield Reclaimer.

You have Identified an Epic Aura.

Aura of Paralyzing Ice.

Your Ability: Identify Aura has reached the Epic Tier.

[You have a 50% Chance to instantly Identify an unknown aura.]

There was a feeling of burning heat as the ability changed, as if his bones were cracking and reforming around a core of molten steel, but it was less than when he directly upgraded something. Doing it this way made it gradual, and it hurt less. He let out a slow breath as he glanced toward his status page.

Now that he understood the concept of a core ability, he was kicking himself a bit for not realizing it sooner. He’d discussed the idea with Lenei, who was more familiar with it. It didn’t work for every class, but sometimes a class had an ability that was the foundation for the others, like Reclaim Aura. If it was leveled first, the other abilities would find it easier to rise as well.

Your level also played a role. It was easier to level something up if you were a higher tier and practiced against stronger opponents. He’d done it all a bit backward, although it didn’t matter too much, since the majority of his upgrades had come from battle rewards.

Now, the only thing he needed to upgrade to Epic was Aura Storage, and there were still two Icescale Crevasse Spiders nearby at Level 81 and 83. If it worked, they would be the first Epic auras he’d gathered. The sense of the aura sprang into his mind as he touched the first one.

It was far clearer now that he’d Identified it, coming to him with a sense of piercing pain followed by a slow, spreading coldness that sank into his limbs, drawing him downward through deep blue ice to a narrow cave barely a few feet high. Tumbled limbs and icy spikes slept there, barely moving as they waited for hunger to wake them.

The aura pulled away from the corpse, forming into a swirling, pale blue sphere with white wisps drifting across the surface. It was half again larger than a Basic aura, and it had a sense of depth to it that drew his eyes as it hovered above his hand, as if it were the opening to another world. As he reclaimed it, he felt something in his consciousness snap into place, as if he finally understood part of the world, but he couldn’t put a finger on exactly what had happened.

As the aura flowed into his storage, the space around it warped and expanded. A moment later, the notification appeared.

Aura Storage has reached the Epic tier.

[Storage maximum capacity has increased to 2,000 auras.]

As if in confirmation, a notification with the appearance of an archaic scroll appeared right after it. A woman’s voice that Sam had only heard once before echoed in his mind. It came with a faint accent this time, as if she were from somewhere very distant, and the words had a sense of shifting natural auras as they flowed through his mind, a combination of ice, earth, and metal. There was also a touch of fire and something else.

Congratulations, Descendant. All of the core abilities for your Battlefield Reclaimer class have reached the Epic tier. The Path to Evolution has been prepared.

She sounded pleased, and her voice faded away as the upgrade burned through him. This time, he staggered slightly. It felt like his balance was shifting for a moment and the world was realigning around him. The auras in her voice flowed through his essence like a spring breeze across a field. A few moments later, it was gone and a feeling of stability spread through him as he straightened.

He wasn’t sure what had just happened, but clearly he’d met some requirement. That voice had been the creator of his class and this time she had called him “Descendant.” It felt like she’d just granted him a blessing of some type, although he couldn’t tell what it was.

He let out a breath as he looked around. The final Epic upgrades had come just in time, since the next bounty they found should be enough to push him to Evolve. He had no idea what the future of his class held, but he was looking forward to finding out.