Astral Threads, Ch 4: Garild's Guests (Patreon)

The walls of the governor’s mansion rose twenty meters into the air as Sam appeared near the business district of Highfold in a swirl of crystal flame. It wasn’t the center of the city, but it was close. All around, similar mansions decorated a wide open plaza amid green, flowering gardens and water fountains. If there was one thing Highfold didn’t lack, it was a wealthy elite that wanted to display their means.

The only taller feature in the city was the Ice Palace itself, which towered into the air in the center of everything, standing tall on a steep hill that gave it a commanding view of the surroundings. Dozens of thin white and blue spires soared into the air like fantastical arrows or frozen stalagmites, dominating the surroundings.

Tonight, however, there was a dark cloud gathering around the tallest spires. The cloud flickered with bolts of actinic blue and white lightning as it gave off a threatening aura that pressed down on the surroundings.

A moment later, Sam disappeared again, teleporting through the governor’s walls and into the inner palace. There were wards on the walls to prevent trespassing, but they didn’t stop him. It was difficult for an enchantment to block all forms of teleportation, since some were based on the elements and others on spatial distortion. Whatever laws of space or fire Crystal Passage used, it was beyond the governor’s protections.

When he reappeared, he was in front of the governor’s main lounge, where Garild usually greeted guests. Two doormen stood off to the sides, their eyes wide as they took in his appearance. He’d met a few of the governor’s servants, but he didn’t recognize them.

His broad frame and eight-foot height when you added his horns clearly made an impression, but fortunately, the governor’s mansion had been built with tall hallways as a demonstration of wealth and there was no trouble fitting inside. Who he was should be clear enough, so there was no need to announce himself. Instead, he simply gave them a nod.

“The governor is inside?” His voice came out in his customary low rumble as it echoed across the walls. There was the same sense of stellar heat in his voice that had been there since his racial Evolution, although he forgot about it until moments like this one, when the guards’ startled reaction reminded him.

“Horned Hunter...” one of the doormen mumbled before he hid his shock in a bow. He swept his arm to the side as he pulled the arched door wide without rising. “Yes, please go in.”

The archway opened onto a hall that was a hundred feet across and almost twice that in depth. The walls were worked in a polished white stone that shone with opalescent highlights and it was lit by a series of magical flames in blue and white that were set into crystal spheres embedded along the sides and on the ceiling. The floor was a golden stone of some type that soaked up the light and released it with a faint luster that gave the chamber a feeling of warmth and luxury.

One wall was entirely composed of inset bookshelves that held hundreds of volumes with gilded spines and a series of low couches and elegant tables were scattered across the remainder of the room, arranged in small clusters and circles where guests could entertain themselves.

Garild and three people that Sam had never seen before were sitting around a table in the center of the room. There was a silver tray with wine and delicate cakes on the table beside them, as well as two foot servants nearby who were waiting for instructions. The servants were dressed in white and blue livery that almost blended into the walls and their expressions were carefully blank.

“My lord and most honored guests...the Horned Hunter of the Moons.” The doorman announced Sam’s presence as he walked into the chamber. His words held a grave formality that rolled across the chamber.

“Hunter!” Garild looked over immediately at the announcement, pulling his attention from the other three people. There were strained lines around his eyes and his expression was hard, as if he’d been grinding his teeth. His tone sounded almost relieved, as if he’d been waiting for Sam to arrive.

The three guests near him turned as well and as soon as Sam saw them, he formed an immediate dislike. There was one woman and two men and they were all fairly young, perhaps in their twenties, or at least they looked younger than Garild’s thirty-some years. The impression they gave off was cold and arrogant, as if everything here was beneath them. A belief in their own superiority oozed from them.

Each of them had a unique style of clothing, showing that they came from different regions or families, but their clothes weren’t their most distinguishing features. That point went to unique racial marks that showed they weren’t entirely human.

The woman had a small scattering of ruby-hued scales like flames across her forehead that went up into her raven-hued hair and disappeared. The rest of her skin was a pale alabaster, almost as white as stone, and her irises were a brilliant, ruby red that matched the scales. It almost looked like small flames were licking across the surface. She was wearing a sparkling red dress that was slit up the side, which revealed a flash of her legs that she had partly curled under herself as she reclined on a couch.

The two men were seated to either side of her and each of them had their own personal traits. One of them had a bulky, muscular build and dark grey skin with runic patterns swirling across it like tattoos. His skin was darkest on his forearms, where the runes were also the most evident, and his shirt was pushed back as if he was trying to display the designs. The rest of his body was a slightly lighter color, more of an ashen grey than charcoal, and his irises were topaz yellow. Overall, he looked like a brawler.

The other man was practically the inverse of that. He was so pale that he looked like a ghost and he accentuated it by wearing a bright white tunic and breeches that were only relieved by black accents at the edges and the belt. The back of each of his hands had a dark rune on it that seemed to waver in the light, as if it were dancing, and there was a longsword sheathed on his back. His eyes were a blank white from one side to the other that was only relieved by a thin black line that cut vertically through the center. The effect made him look blind, but his attention locked onto Sam the moment he entered, making it obvious that it was only an illusion.

Despite their features, which normally would have made him curious, Sam’s initial impression of all three of them was very poor. They looked like spoiled dilettantes from rich families and their behavior as he entered only confirmed it.

“What’s this? A Cyclops?” The man in white mused, interrupting the conversation that had been ongoing as he looked toward Sam. He tilted his head as he studied him and his voice oozed with self-assured arrogance. “No, it has two eyes...so perhaps a half Giant? But that doesn’t explain the horns. A crossbreed with a demon maybe? The horns have some similarity...how novel.”

The ripples of Analyze abilities swept over Sam’s skin as he felt the attention of the other two turn toward him as well. The woman pursed her lips as she studied him and the grey-skinned man punched a hand into his palm as his muscles rippled, making it look like he wanted to challenge him to find out who was stronger.

“I can’t Analyze him,” the woman muttered. Her voice was a soft susurration like crackling flames. “Strange, since I can feel his aura. He’s strong, but it doesn’t feel like he’s at the Second Evolution. It shouldn’t be possible for him to block it. Perhaps an artifact?”

“I can’t either,” the grey man growled back as he punched his hand again and started to stand up. “I’ve never seen his race before, but he’s big. I’ve heard rumors of this Horned Hunter in the city. I want to see how strong he is for myself.”

Sam glanced at the three of them, tossing aside politeness as he Analyzed them in return.

Ruby Desert Nomad. Ruby Clan Witch-Flame Sorceress. Level 145.

Ash Clan. Ashen Brawler-Tattooed Champion. Level 161.

Fade Spirit. Pale Walker-Black Thread Swordsman. Level 154.

All of them looked like some variants of humans, but their races told a more complex story. There were strange aura fluctuations around them that he wasn’t familiar with, almost like they’d absorbed some auras from the world or from monsters, but it didn’t feel as wrong as it did on a monster. Instead, it felt natural.

Their races appear to be based on a human template, but they’ve been infused with unknown auras, which have turned into something like a bloodline. The Guardian Star’s words were thoughtful as it analyzed the impression from them. Perhaps their races were an experiment of the World Core as it looked for ways to solve the problem of monster auras.

Along with the star’s words, there came a burst of information with a far more detailed analysis of the aura signature from them, making it clear that their meridians, mana, and nearly a quarter of their human elements had been replaced by a different structure. From the look of it, it was designed to absorb a certain type of aura and break it down, converting part of it to their personal energy and sending the rest back to the world.

It looked like the World Core had created its own way to reclaim some of the auras that Outsiders stole. Normally, it recycled them into monsters, slowly grinding them down as monsters were slain and reborn, and then slain again. With each cycle of birth and death, the monsters became closer to natural beasts and less like Outsiders.

With the help of these half-humans, however, the auras could be reclaimed more directly. It looked like the woman was a Fire-based aura race, while the first man was ash or stone, and the other one was some sort of ghost or wraith alignment. Most likely, they grew stronger by hunting monsters of the same type, or perhaps even related types.

Despite his curiosity as to how their abilities worked, Sam ignored them as he turned to Garild. Since they had no manners, he didn’t feel like dealing with them. He was only here to see what the governor knew about the Harbinger and any trouble that might be coming to the valley.

Over the last few months, Garild had been hard at work to spread Aemilia’s books across the city and beyond, as part of a plan to draw new talent to the relic. As a result, Highfold was also beginning to benefit from the attention as more adventurers filled her walls. Perhaps these three had also come because of that, but it didn’t look like they were anyone he wanted to recruit.

“Garild,” he rumbled in greeting as he nodded to the governor. His face was expressionless. “What information do you have?”

Before coming here, he’d stopped in the village and asked Siwaha about the bell, but she hadn’t known much. Her words had been enigmatic as she looked at the peaks around the valley. “It is too soon to tell what will be, but the wind that has blown over the mountains for generations is changing.”

“Is he ignoring me?” The Ashen Brawler looked confused as the woman’s hand on his arm held him back. When no answer came from Sam, he began to get angry, flexing his muscles as he looked from the woman’s hand to Sam and back again. He turned to her with an aggrieved expression as he complained. “No one ever ignores me! I am the Ashen Prince and third in line for my family’s seat! How dare he!”

“Try to control yourself, you oaf,” the pale man interjected. His voice was rich with mockery at everything around him, sharing it equally between Sam and his compatriots. “We came here to find out about the lights in the ruins and why this alignment was out of the ordinary, as well as to see if those new stories about the ruins being a great city were true. If you smash his head, we won’t get an answer. So you can’t smash him yet.” The vertical line that seemed to serve as his pupils widened slightly as he turned back to Sam.

“Horned Hunter of the Moons is it...” he murmured as he raised a wine glass to his lips and took a sip. “The governor says you’re in charge of the peak, up at the top of the ruins. So, tell me, what is going on up there? Is it true that you’ve banished all the adventurers and seized it as your own? Was it really an ancient fortress? If so, you must have found some interesting things.”

“Honored Hunter,” Garild interrupted the questions as he bowed respectfully. His voice was calm, but there were new lines at the edge of his eyes that betrayed a sense of worry, or perhaps stress from having to deal with these three guests. “I appreciate that you received my message and came. The information is critical.” He turned as he indicated the three guests, inclining his head to them slightly as he continued.

“Allow me to introduce Salara of the Ruby Desert, Ashomar of the Ash Clan, and Eranis of the Pale Family. These three young nobles belong to important families in the kingdom and were adventuring nearby when they heard rumors of the Alignment and your presence here, so they have come to expand their horizons. They have also brought critical information about new Flaws appearing across a wide swath of land, as well as strange eruptions of conflict in some cities across the kingdom. Combined with the warning of the Harbinger today, it appears that something grave is about to happen.”

“How many Flaws have been detected and where?” Sam asked as his frown deepened. He ignored most of what Garild was saying about the three visitors, except for the information that they’d brought. He didn’t care about nobles in the kingdom or their arrogance as long as they didn’t cause trouble. Far more important things were on his mind. “Also, what do you know about the Harbinger? I heard that it has been 2,000 years since it last rang.”

“Yes, the last time it rang, the valley was under siege by the gathered armies of three Grand Flaws, all of them within three hundred miles of the valleys. They grew in secret until they suddenly merged together into a war array and erupted with unprecedented force. The records say it was a terrible war that nearly broke the kingdom’s foundation.” Garild shook his head. “I don’t know what the bell is warning of this time, but it won’t be good. That war apparently lasted for more than thirty years before the Flaws were closed.”

“Prophecies like that are always vague,” the woman waved her hand languidly. “You shouldn’t trust them. They cause more trouble than it’s worth and who knows if it’s even going to happen soon. It could be a decade away. What’s important right now is dealing with all of the new Flaws in the kingdom, not some little bell, but it’s possible it’s related to the eruption near the Crimson Forest.”

“The Crimson Forest?” Sam’s attention turned to the woman, who was the most relaxed of the trio. He’d heard of that area within the kingdom, but all he knew was that it was east of the mountains and south of the capital. “What happened there?”

“From the report my family sent, about two days ago half the forest was destroyed in a massive fire.” The Ruby Clan Witch shrugged, as if she couldn’t care less about the information, but she continued to explain. “The trees are normally flame aligned, but they still burned. It was a green-blue wave of fire that spread like liquid. Most people think a large Flaw was born at the center of the forest that connects to some Fire-aligned elemental area. It sent out shock waves that broke through the wards in nearby cities and set off all sorts of warnings.”

“Perhaps,” Sam rumbled as he considered the idea, but after a moment, he shook his head. “Whatever happened at the Crimson Forest, it doesn’t sound like it’s directly related to Highfold. The Harbinger is probably warning about something else.”

“You dare to contradict Lady Salara?!” The Ashen Brawler growled as he took a step forward, his voice belligerent. “There are rumors that you are a World Spirit. If I defeat you, you will have to grant me a share of your power! Come and fight!”

“Ashomar, stop causing trouble.” Salara sighed as she summoned a flaming red hand in the air and smacked him on the back of the head. The man winced as he reached backward to rub his head and frowned, but he held still. “He’s clearly not a World Spirit. He’s too physically present for that. He’s just some race we haven’t seen before.”

“Perhaps your old ruins have some treasures or enchantments we can use,” Eranis interrupted, his eyes contracting into a nearly invisible black band. “If so, we might be able to grow strong enough to turn the tide of battle ourselves. So, what have you found there? Is it interesting? There must be some reason you claimed the peak.

“What happened during the alignment?” Salara asked, tilting her head at Sam as she exposed a long white neck. “The people in the town say you were up there.”

“We heard there was an enormous pillar of green light and then a silver web across the peak,” Eranis added with a thin smile. “It sounds like you found some treasure that reacted with the ruins or with the moons. Tell us about it and I can forget about your rude manners.”

Sam glanced at the three and their endless list of demands before he shook his head in disbelief. He’d thought for a moment that they’d come to help build up the relic, but the more they spoke, the more it was obvious they were only here to seize whatever they could for themselves.

He let their questions pass him by as he turned back to Garild. He didn’t know where these three had come from, but he didn’t have time to deal with them. He certainly wasn’t going to reveal critical information about the relic. On top of that, they were conceited and clearly not willing to work with others. Bringing anyone like that into the relic’s inner circle would be a disaster.

“There’s other news,” Garild added as he shot a cautious look at his guests. It wasn’t clear if he wanted to warn them to behave or apologize for the way Sam was ignoring them. In the end, he turned to Sam as he continued to explain. “There have been nearly thirty Flaws across the western edge of the kingdom in the last two months, and reports of more than a dozen bounty targets identified by the World Law. Some of them are only a few hundred miles from here. The eruption at the Crimson Forest and all of the Flaws may be signs of something larger happening.” Garild shook his head. His forehead was deeply furrowed with concern.

“I don’t know what the Harbinger portends, but if it’s related to that, we might see a new wave of Flaws nearby or something even worse, like a monster tide.”

“Rumors say that the Seal is shaking,” Eranis raised one hand in the air and tilted it from side to side. “Back and forth, like a pendulum. Each swing may take centuries, but with each one, the force increases....until finally, it all falls down.” He dropped his hand into his lap, like a rock crashing dramatically into a white lake. The black edges of his clothes rippled slightly from the breeze. “All just theories, of course.”

“That’s five times as many Flaws as normal,” Garild clarified as he grimaced. “I’d heard they were increasing in recent years, but nothing like this. A wave like this usually presages a new war zone, and that is not good for anything living nearby. The kingdom’s legions will be called in, as well as anyone strong enough to respond, and everything nearby will be torn apart by the battle lines.

“Even if that doesn’t happen, there could be hidden Flaws that build up in secret and then wash across the area like a tide. Highfold only has about ten thousand guards, and if something like that comes here, it will be hard on the people. Perhaps that is why the Harbinger rang.”

Sam flexed his hands as he listened. When Garild was finished, he let out a low growl that rumbled across the chamber with a flare of heat. He wasn’t the only force in the area to deal with Flaws, but with that many, the kingdom and the church would surely be stretched thin.

“What about the other reports of chaos you mentioned?” He asked slowly as he considered the information. “What’s happening?”

“Those are less severe, but odd. In a few villages and cities across the kingdom, people seem to be losing their minds and attacking anyone close to them,” Garild explained. “It’s just a few reports here and there, but there’s a startling similarity in how it happens.”

“Their eyes or sometimes their entire bodies are covered by swirling lights,” Salara said, interrupting the governor as she took over again. “Then they start screaming and attack anyone nearby, whether it’s their family or just people on the street. There are rumors that it’s the Demon of Demented Passion, but there have been no other signs of something like that. If they survive, they aren’t the same people anymore. It’s like something in their mind has cracked. They stare at nothing, talk to shadows, and have fits of laughter or rage. Some cities are also beginning to argue with each other and there have been clashes between their armies, as if they are trying to start a war. They are turning their attention away from the Flaws to create arguments.”

“That shouldn’t be possible with Amaris still in the heavens,” Sam muttered as he considered the idea. “It must be something else, unless the ward is failing. The question is whether any of that is related to the Harbinger or if it’s something else entirely.”

“You believe that old story about the moons blocking the three ancient demons?” The woman laughed as she swirled her wine glass. “Well, you aren’t the only one, but the proof is in the events. The kingdom is suppressing events in the cities for now, but it’s still happening.”

“Rumors aside, let’s get back to the whole reason we came to this tiny mountain city,” the pale man said, his voice as smooth as brandy as he locked his attention onto Sam. “The events of the alignment and what happened here. Unfortunately for you, it doesn’t look like you want to be sensible about it and just hand over what you know.” A sense of pressure began to rise from him as he released a pale white aura that was shot through with darker streaks. “I suppose that leaves us with the second option, but that one is my favorite anyway.

“I don’t know what race you are, but you clearly don’t have the qualifications to be in charge of the ruins. The governor may not have the strength to properly reel you in, but I don’t have that problem. To me, you’re just some half-breed who decided to invade the territory of the kingdom and took something that wasn’t his.” His vertical eyes narrowed until they practically disappeared and he reached up to the hilt of the sword across his back. “If you want to resist, I don’t mind showing you how the kingdom deals with trash.”

Eranis took a step forward, his body fading out to half transparency as the world around him paled into a blank white, making the area look like a sheet of blank paper. It was some type of illusion that hid his actions, but the outline of his body was still clearly apparent to Sam’s vision and Crystal Focus as the adventurer shifted around to the side. He was trying to flank him while hiding.

“Finally!” The Ashen Brawler roared as he flexed his muscles and began to grow taller. A layer of dense stone that was inlaid with the same runes as the ones on his skin appeared across his body like armor. A moment later, he was nearly ten feet tall as he stepped forward. “I want to see if this Hunter of the Moons is a coward or not! He’ll tell us what we want once we beat it out of him!”

Only the woman stayed seated. She rolled her eyes with a sigh as she looked away, but a sphere of ruby-gold flame appeared in her hand, which she began to play with.

“What are you doing?!” Garild shouted in panic. His eyes were wide as he jumped in front of where Eranis had been, blocking his path as he stared at the wrong spot. “Put your sword away! You don’t know who he is!”

Lightning began to surround Garild as he summoned a shield, trying to separate everyone, but as soon as his mana began to cycle he let out a strangled sound as his face turned purple and red.

“Acgkk!” Garild let out a strangled sound as he grabbed at his throat. He convulsed in the air before he fell over and began to thrash on the floor. The lightning shield he was summoning dissipated into tiny motes of light.

“I knew you wouldn’t approve,” the Fade Spirit’s voice came from where he was circling around the room, but the sound echoed from the walls. If Sam hadn’t been able to see him, it would have been hard to tell where he was. “Even if our families are allies, you’re too weak for this type of business. But don’t worry, the mana venom poison will wear off in a little bit. He can only blame himself for being weak and not able to hold onto what he found.”

Sam’s eyebrows rose slightly as he glanced around the room and then he just shook his head in disbelief. From talking one moment to trying to kill him the next, he wasn’t sure where these three had been raised, but clearly it wasn’t anywhere sane.

“With all the other troubles in the world...instead of facing Flaws or Outsiders, this is what you choose to do?” he growled as crystal flame began to curl down his arms. "The ruins are mine by right of blood and bond. Your actions threaten the Seal itself."

His battle aura flowed outward, boosting his height until he was a foot taller than even the Ashen Brawler. Rippling cords of muscle stood out along his shoulders as he cracked his knuckles and he tilted his neck from side to side as he adjusted to the new height of his horns. Then he slammed his hands together in front of him with an explosive crack.

“I suppose it’s time we finished our introductions.”