Echoes of War, Ch 14: Forge on the Peak (Patreon)

The peak of Sun’s Rest was drenched in sunlight as Sam appeared on the command plateau. Clouds were absent from the sky today, making the light so intense it felt like he was standing next to the sun above Aster Fall. It was almost like the Void. It was just missing the ever-present flow of the chaos winds.

He rubbed his chin as he considered whether he’d rather put his forge among the stars above the world, perhaps on one of the moons, but then he shook his head. Although he could travel between the two, it was better to have a forge here in the relic. He also wanted to use the presence of the Vos’Rekan bones in Aster Fall’s foundations to hide his activities from outside eyes.

With the decision made, he began to prepare a message spell, creating runes that swirled around him like clouds. There were some other things that needed to be done and he knew just who to send to keep them out of trouble.

“Sleset,” he ordered as he spoke into the spell, “divide the Silver Army into teams and target the Flaws at the locations I’m sending you.”

His old Bounty Hunter trait to detect extraplanar beings was synergizing with his senses as an Astral Titan, making it very obvious where all of them were. A few moments later, he’d infused the message spell with a complex illusion of the surrounding area and marked the locations of all the active ones.

Of the 39 total Flaws in the area, there were 21 that needed to be dealt with right now. The others were still forming, so unless he got the dimensional anchor working, he’d have to wait to close them.

Even if Sleset targeted all of them at the same time, a handful of Silver Nagas would be more than enough to eradicate them. None of the Flaws was over Level 200. That meant it wasn’t worth Sam’s time to go and close them personally. The only gain would be in Marks and he no longer had much use for them. His title as High Artificer did much more.

It was better to give the nagas the opportunity to earn some marks and get them on the good side of the World Core. It could be useful to them one day and they might get some unique traits and abilities out of it. After the spell was sent, a quick confirmation came back from Sleset.

Then Sam began to study the plateau as he considered how to integrate his forge. There were other areas in the relic that were larger than this half-mile area, but this was closest to the Void and where he’d always crafted when he was home. The intense flows of mana where earth and sky met and the open view that stretched to the horizon spoke to him.

He was a Titan, not a Dwarf, so his forge would be on a mountain top. When his hammer struck metal, lightning would rain down on the land. A smile quirked at his lips as he acknowledged the truth of it. If he channeled enough essence, he probably would change the weather patterns. Lightning wasn’t that hard to summon. Perhaps it was a good thing that the Gate of Winter was nearby to keep the weather stable. Either way, depending on how he built his hall, it would be very obvious that he was up here.

He could have pulled stone from the mountain, but it was inappropriate, so instead he took the harder route as he reached out to the flows of Earth mana that gathered around the mountain slopes. A whirlwind of pebbles and dust began to rotate around him, quickly growing larger as the pebbles increased in size with each rotation.

As the potential of the elemental power built, he examined the plateau again and began to arrange the design of the forge on it. The command pillar was at the center of the plateau and he wanted to keep that nearby without interfering, so he decided on a large footprint for the building, one with multiple areas.

One section of the hall would be next to the command pillar, allowing him to set up even more personal defenses if the relic’s shields fell, while the majority of his forge would be just beyond it, sprawling across the back half of the plateau away from the valley. That way, the light from his forge would shine over the mountains, but it wouldn’t act like a glaring sun to the villagers when they were trying to sleep. If needed, he could also set up an enchantment to contain stray energies.

This layout would give him a view over the unbroken mountains stretching into the distance and the light of the setting sun. It would be picturesque. And since that was the case, he might as well make sure the building fit.

With a few quick gestures, a silver-white illusion began to form on the plateau, outlining soaring pillars and an arching portico around the outside that left a massive interior courtyard open to the sky. Each of the pillars was two hundred feet high, while the rest of the building took up the available space on half of the plateau, roughly half a mile wide and a quarter of a mile from front to back.

The front of the building was near the control pillar, presenting a rectangular hall that stretched away across the plateau, but the far side was semi-circular as it stretched to almost the edge of the plateau. The arching portico left the interior open to air and light. At the center of the courtyard, he set out an area for his forge.

The control pillar was in an open square just in front of the hall. There was easy access to it in case his parents or a later generation needed to reach it, but it was also close at hand. As decoration and defense, he arranged six giant defensive golems on either side of the control pillar, just in front of the entrance into the hall, bracketing it with an armored honor guard.

“That should do,” he said to himself as he studied the result and continued to gather Earth mana. “Now for the enchantments.”

It was going to take an enormous amount of stone to create the hall, so while he waited and let the intensity build, he began manipulating a handful of stone, blending it with other elements to simulate the greenstone he’d been studying. Titans had different abilities, but since one of his was Elemental Mastery, it wasn’t hard for him to recreate what the enchantment in the Chamber of Silvas could do.

Instead of relying on Silvas’s aura, this time, he let pure astral energy flow through the mixture. The material crackled as Wood and then Ice mixed into the stone to create the base, and then as the astral energy entered, the entire structure took on a silvery crystalline matrix. It glowed like a miniature star as looping currents of elemental material spun through the translucent center. He finished the process as he let it harden and it turned into an angular spire of translucent silver crystal.

“Interesting,” he mused as he ran his senses through it, testing it in different ways as he attacked it with various elements and then rebuilt it to do it again. “It’s stronger than greenstone to direct strikes, but it doesn’t have the same regenerative properties. Enchantment potential is just as high, or perhaps higher.” The elemental balance was different as well, with more Ice and Fire in it than greenstone had.

After a little while, he broke the material down to its component parts and then built a new version, this one using Fire as the main supporting element instead of Ice. The result was a luminous red stone that was lighter than he’d expected, and it quickly hardened to something almost like ruby. Nearly invisible flames ran through the interior, especially when winds blew across the surface.

One after the other, he tested out more elements, and eventually he decided that the enchantment matrix for greenstone was a widely varied one. It was also flexible, making it feel like there was a history to the material that was larger than the relic. Perhaps it was a common substance the Titans had used elsewhere, since there was a clear utility to the different types of stone. Every combination relied on astral energy, but just by altering the component parts, he could create materials aligned to a unique elemental purpose.

Wind and Lightning were interesting, especially when he mixed them together. Wind alone resulted in a clear green and translucent stone that almost floated on its own; while lightning was a jagged silver stone with white bolts running through it, continually crackling with energy. When he mixed them, it gave him a translucent green and white stone that gathered energy from the wind blowing past it and occasionally released a current of stored lightning.

Eventually, he set the materials aside as he looked at the outline of his hall. He’d gathered enough elemental energy to start building it. He wasn’t going to wildly toss all of those different materials into the hall, but he could certainly build it out of greenstone if he wanted to, or something a little different. After a bit of thought, he settled on the pure astral stone he’d created first. It would result in a building that was translucent silver-white and the enchantment potential would be even higher than greenstone. The only downside was that it wouldn’t repair itself as quickly, but that wasn’t something he needed to worry about.

If it broke, he’d fix it himself.

The idea of a silver-white forge shining on top of the mountain in the night like a star was too tempting to resist. The astral stone would absorb starlight and radiate it back out, giving the entire building an ethereal glow to remind him of the Void.

With that settled, he altered the flow of elemental energy as runes flickered from his hands, flooding into an enchantment structure. Since he was building the stone from the ground up, he planned to create the enchantments organically with the matrix of the stone, so that they would run through the entire building. It was more effective than carving them on the surface, and if one part was damaged, it wouldn’t hinder the enchantment as much. It was the same process that the relic used.

Runes spun around him as he wove them into a flow of silver-white stone that appeared in the air. Slowly, as he directed the flow of stone outward, the pillars of the hall grew, first fusing themselves into the stone of the plateau and then extending upward.

A hurricane of Earth element mana mixed with Ice and astral energy, creating a storm above the plateau that was visible for miles. It occasionally crackled with a bolt of silver-white lightning and released the howl of stone crashing on stone.

*****

Hours later, a message arrived, hanging in the air with a familiar green aura that pulled Sam’s attention from his work on the forge. The pillars were about three-quarters complete, but the elemental mana he’d gathered was getting thin, so it was as good a time as any to stop. As he let the storm die down, he activated the message with a flick of his will.

“It is done, my lord,” Sleset’s voice hissed cheerfully. “All 21 Flaws have been closed and your nest is secure. The Outsider corpses are being brought back now, as you requested.”

Sam nodded as he waved the message away, letting the runes disintegrate into the air. He should be able to gather a little bit of essence from the Outsiders, and perhaps some materials. If he’d gone along, he could have gathered some auras or experience, but it wasn’t a good use of his time. If he wanted to hunt for those, the deep wild of the Void around Aster Fall was a much better place. It was also far more dangerous and he’d have to be careful about attracting attention.

As he studied the partially-finished hall in front of him, the sight of the towering silver-white pillars was relaxing. They were majestic as they towered into the sky and they weren’t done yet. They would still grow higher before he created the roof over the outer portico. This combination of soaring architecture and starlight was his personal preference for buildings now, since it was almost like walking in the Void.

He wondered what visitors would think of it if they saw it. The question was a moot point, however, since he didn’t plan to let anyone up onto the peak except his family. A few quick runes stabilized the enchantment, and then he turned away, heading toward the control pillar to check on the relic’s status. Finishing his hall would have to wait until tomorrow.

After he checked on the relic, he teleported away from the peak. When he reappeared, it was on the lower slope of Winter’s Peak, just outside the Ice Sylph village. A thread of welcoming Ice magic was in the air, bright with the essence of Spring that brought it to life. The element of Spring had always been part of the Ice Sylphs’ magic, but it was combined now in a new way. The flowers and alpine grasses in the meadow were flourishing, their stalks growing stronger by the hour. If it continued like this, the herbs from the mountain would be more potent than ever.

He took in the changes with a smile and then began to walk, heading toward the center of the village. He had an old promise to keep. It had been a long time since he was here, but the layout was the same. Here and there, Ice Sylphs waved and called out greetings, but when they saw where he was headed, they held back from approaching him.

A minute later, he was outside of Siwaha’s small house with its roof that nearly touched the ground. It blended into the land, radiating a sense of peaceful harmony. A faint current of Earth mana was present as well, one that he’d helped to create.

A swirl of snow beside the snow resolved into Siwaha, who looked at him with bright eyes. She was once again in her ageless guise, looking like a woman of perhaps thirty years, but lines along her eyes suggested a much greater age. On her, they only added depth.

“I came to see Siwasir,” Sam said as he inclined his head to her. “I owe him an old debt for saving my life. I might be able to heal him now.”

Siwasir was the head of the Ice Sylph hunting team and Siwaha’s son. He was also a good friend. Years ago, he was the one who had named Sam as the Horned Hunter of the Moons, half as a joke. He’d been injured saving their lives from a Blood Elemental that was locked away in an ancient dimensional trap. He’d used an Ice Sylph artifact called a Tear of the Mother to do it, but it left him comatose and his aura badly damaged.

When Sam had left Aster Fall, he had barely learned Aura Regeneration and hadn’t trusted his ability to use it on Siwasir. Now, it was different. He was confident in being able to heal him.

“I thought you would come,” Siwaha said quietly as she opened the door and led him inside. “He’s still asleep. The spirit-healing flowers and the Earth mana you provided have helped, but the Tear of the Mother was difficult for him to absorb. It would have been hard even at the Third Evolution and he was only at the First. Now that the Gate of Winter is open, it will channel even more power to him. I don’t know all the powers you have as a Titan, but he could use your help in adjusting to it.”

“I’ll do everything I can,” Sam agreed as he saw Siwasir lying on the cot near the fireplace.

Meadow flowers grew from the ground, wrapping around his bed as they covered him in blue blossoms that gave off a pleasant scent. It smelled like winter roses and alpine winds, clearing Sam’s mind with a touch and calming his spirit.

Siwasir’s aura was stronger than in the past, but it had a chaotic strength to it, like an ice storm raging at the northern poles. The vitality of his spirit was weak beneath it, like a field scorched by a freezing wind. The same sense of spring that was in the Ice Sylph’s magic was there, but it was weak, unable to support the full integration of the tear.

Sam placed his hand on Siwasir’s chest as he let his senses flow through the sylph’s aura, studying it in more depth. After a moment, he nodded and turned his head to Siwaha. “Can you channel that sense of Spring here, to fill the room? Or something similar.”

He could try to regenerate Siwasir’s aura directly, but it would be even better to restore him with the Ice Sylph’s own magic. The main problem was that Siwasir’s aura was completely out of balance. There was too much Ice in it and not enough Spring. The view of the Gate of Winter in the sky showed what it was supposed to be like.

Siwaha didn’t ask any questions. She only raised one hand that shone with a light green aura and a gentle wind swept through the house, bringing with it the scent of young grasses growing on the mountainside. It filled the room with sparkling life.

Sam reached out and gathered the aura, concentrating it and infusing it with Aura Regeneration before he channeled it to Siwasir. A glowing green web spread across his old friend’s chest that surrounded the Tear of the Mother as his spirit soaked up the energy. Sam kept the process slow, gradually adjusting it as needed.

Slowly, Siwasir’s skin took on a healthier glow as the aura of spring spread, his spirit drinking in the energy like water on parched earth. The green web surrounding the tear became brighter and brighter until the tear itself began to melt, like ice in the winter turning to flowing rivulets. Tiny crystalline droplets ran down into Siwasir’s chest and flowed through his body in a stream of powerful Ice aura, gradually merging with his skin and bones.

Siwaha continued to fill the room with the energy of spring and time passed as Sam augmented it and channeled it to Siwasir. Moment by moment, Siwasir’s aura grew stronger. As it did, Sam studied the interaction of the Spring and Ice, his understanding of their mysteries growing more profound.

Ice was the more violent element, but it relied on Spring for restoration and flexibility. Without both, there was no life. An hour passed as the tear was slowly absorbed into Siwasir’s body, until there was no mark left on his chest, but the demand for Spring continued.

Incredible changes were taking place in Siwasir’s bones and meridians as the power of Ice and Spring together remodeled them, infusing what was there before with a much stronger base, one that was more like the Third Evolution or even the Fourth. It was impressive to watch, and Sam’s understanding of the Tear of the Mother grew along with it. It must have been a gift from their goddess to grant them power and strengthen their bodies.

Eventually, Siwasir’s aura stabilized and his spirit grew stronger, generating enough Spring aura on its own to balance the Ice he’d absorbed. It was like a frozen mountain that was flourishing again. His eyes flickered as he began to wake up.

“Thank you, Sam Hastern,” Siwaha said gratefully as she looked at her son. Her hand touched Sam’s shoulder. “He will need some time to adjust to the power of the Tear, but it will no longer harm him. Perhaps this experience will benefit him in the future.”

“Tell him we should catch up soon,” Sam said with a grin as he pulled a bottle of brandy from the Wild Spirits’ world out of his cloak and placed it on the table. “I think he might like this. I’ll check back in a bit.” With a wave to Siwaha, he disappeared from the room in a wave of silver light.

He wanted to give Siwasir some time to wake up peacefully and adjust to his new strength. If his guess was right, Siwasir’s attributes had probably leapt up an incredible amount and his physique was completely rebuilt. He would just need to get some experience and Evolutions to truly come into his own. When he did, there would be another great guardian for the valley.

And perhaps someone to joke with, to remind Sam that he couldn’t be serious all the time.

As Sam reappeared on the command plateau of the relic, he looked up at the moons that were beginning to show in the evening sky. Silvas was just crossing the horizon, its green aura a soothing presence in the sky that spoke of forest leaves and loam.

It was time to take a little trip.