Echoes of War, Ch 19: Spread the Word (Patreon)

By the time the conversation with the Bloodline Clan elders was sorted out and they were thoroughly convinced he was neither an Outsider or a corrupt spirit of some type, Sam dismissed them to find different lodgings for the evening. It was mainly the World Core’s Defiant trait that had done the job and shaken them awake, so he had to thank Asenya for the help. It would have been harder to break them out of their preconceptions otherwise.

Sam, Snake, and Garild were the only ones left in the remains of the mansion. He wasn’t bothered by being under the stars, but he had to admit it was a little odd to be sitting in the middle of a ruined mansion near the top of the city, with neighboring estates just a short distance away, separated by their carefully-tended lawns. A quarter of a mile away, a road ran past filled with late night city dwellers, but none of them came over to interrupt.

Now that it was just the three of them, he looked down at a collection of communication artifacts in his hand as he rubbed his chin. The elders’ dimensional bags had mostly survived his attack, since he hadn’t been targeting them, so they’d had a number of things left on hand, including these. He needed more political influence within the kingdom and the elders were a good place to start.

That was the price he’d demanded for attacking him: a direct line of communication and a promise to work as allies, as well as ongoing information from their clans about anything of interest to him. Now that they knew the valley was being attacked by the Flaws, rather than the other way around, they were amenable enough.

As he’d learned from dealing with their juniors years before, the clan members were generally honest to a fault. Perhaps not the sharpest tools in the shed, since they were prone to emotional outbursts and the tempers of their bloodlines, but they were forthright and willing to own up to their mistakes.

It made him worry about his father for a moment with his bloodline of Frozen Earth, but then he shook his head. His father’s bloodline was complete, unlike most of the clan members. He had no need to upgrade it or to deal with temperamental flaws from a partial integration. That concern could wait for the future.

When the elders heard his verdict and that all he wanted was their cooperation in facing a shared enemy, their personalities had taken a sudden swing to seeing him in a positive light. Hopefully, they would spread the word and things would be smoother with the clans in the future. Either way, it was a good way to establish his position and to mitigate the king’s influence over them.

What was more, the locations of the ruins they’d mentioned were now marked on a map he had stored in his cloak. He planned to visit them and find out their secrets.

“Now what are you going to do?” Uncle Snake asked from where he was sitting nearby. His old boisterous confidence had been toned down after the demonstration of Sam’s strength, but there was still the same sense of keen attention from the assassin. “I don’t think the clans will give you any more trouble for a while, not after this. They respect strength and now they’re mostly convinced you’re not evil. It might take a little while for that to trickle through their heads, but it’ll settle in eventually.”

Garild was nearby as well, drinking heavily as he stared into the empty space where his mansion had been. He looked dazed by everything that had happened tonight. Now that his position as governor was meaningless and his home destroyed, he had been cast adrift.

Sam felt a little bad for him, but he also believed the man was wasting his potential playing political games. A handful of levels was worth more than a random position as governor. If Garild could reach the Third Evolution, he would be one of the people he’d always fawned after.

“It’s time to take a few trips,” Sam said as he looked over at Snake. He’d taken the time to get the man mostly up to date on local happenings, since he could share that information with the rest of the clans. He was trustworthy enough and there was no longer any reason to hide what was happening at the relic. Its enemies were already targeting it. It was its allies who were being slow about protecting it.

“That dark gate,” he added as he looked up at the stars in the night, “these reactivating ruins...the king, and a dozen other things need to be dealt with. The relic is almost to a point where I can leave it for short trips, as long as I return to keep the repairs moving along. I plan to take advantage of that.”

“Do you want company on those trips?” Snake asked with a flash of dark eagerness in his eyes. “I’d be happy to come along. I was planning on investigating some of those ruins myself, once we left here.”

“There will be a time for us to fight together,” Sam replied with a smile. “For right now, my Silver Army and a few others will be enough, but if you’re willing, why don’t you stay here in the valley and act as a liaison between us and the Bloodline Clans? Surely the clans can spare you for that? It will give you a front-row seat to anything that comes up.”

“That might make things simpler,” Snake agreed as he considered the idea. The black lines down his face thinned with disappointment that he couldn’t go along immediately, but they quickly returned to normal as he thought about the idea. “Will there be that much to do here?”

“With the Dimensional Convergence happening, almost certainly,” Sam agreed with a chuckle. “You will have your fill of fighting, and you can gather some marks by targeting Flaws in the area, if you need them. It could be good for you.”

“That is tempting,” Snake said as he looked out across the city. Then he looked back at Sam, a slight suspicion forming on his brow. His words were friendly, but pointed. “I could probably convince the clans to allow that, since I’m usually an envoy for them anyway and this place has surged in importance, but I want to know what happened to you before I agree. Who are you, really...and how did you jump so many levels at once? You were barely at the Second Evolution when I saw you the last time! And where did all of those Silver Nagas come from?!”

“That’s easy enough to explain, but you’ll have to keep it to yourself for a bit,” Sam chuckled as he tucked away the communication artifacts and stood up. He’d actually been at the First Evolution when they met before, but his essence attributes had made it seem like more the Second to Snake. That was a secret he didn’t plan to share. “Where I went will draw even more attention here if it gets out, and I have other things to do than answer questions from the Boundless Alliance. You warned me about the Cabal once yourself, as I recall. So, will you stay?”

If the Alliance found out about it, he was sure they would rush here to question him and to try and force him to help them leave Aster Fall, and the time wasn’t right for that yet. The Cabal would probably try something even more direct. While he was confident in dealing with them, he didn’t want the distraction.

“If you can give me that answer, I’ll stay,” Snake agreed with a nod. “But I want a good answer.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Sam replied as he turned to look outward. “It will have to wait an hour or so, however, since right now, we have a few guests approaching.”

At the entrance to the road that led up to Garild’s non-existent front door, there was a man in a sleeveless white robe, accompanied by two of Sam’s old friends, Lenei and Lesat. Next to them, there were another two other people from Highfold that he’d met a long time ago here at Garild’s mansion. It was a strange thing to meet them again in these surroundings after so many things had changed.

The brawler in white was the Bishop of Highfold, called Artemius, and the other two were Jores and Patsek, respectively the head of the Adventurers’ Guild and the Wizards’ Guild. They were still dressed in the same chainmail and green robes as the last time he saw them, but their levels had jumped up by about twenty, putting them near the verge of the Second Evolution.

Unlike Garild, it looked like they’d been busy.

The bishop had broken through already and the mana field of the Second Evolution flowed around him with a nearly invisible swirling white light in Sam’s eyes, marking out the influence of the World Core’s power that it granted to its faithful. He was at Level 204. His classes had been Bishop of Law-Faithful Guard before, but now he was an Archbishop of Law-Guardian Pillar. In normal circumstances, he probably would be moving on from Highfold soon, but with the convergence happening, it was hard to say.

A few moments later, the group came to a stop in front of Sam.

“Come and sit, and I will answer your questions,” he said in greeting as he waved them to the seats that the elders had held not long before. He could see the frustration and wariness on Jores and Patsek’s features, but he didn’t pay it any attention. The key was the bishop, who looked relaxed.

At best guess, the fellow had already reined in the other two and told them not to cause trouble. There were few people more qualified than a church bishop to understand how much Sam meant to the World Core. There was no way he had all the details, but the core would have told him directly that Sam was on their side.

It was too bad the Bloodline Clans hadn’t consulted with the church before hatching their plan. It would have saved a lot of trouble and Garild might still have a house.

That lack suggested there was a political divide between the clans and the church that could be problematic in the future if it weren’t addressed. Right now, however, this was an excellent opportunity to deal with some of the other forces in Highfold and to set them on the right path. It would save time in the future if the church and the two guilds spread the word for him.

“Lenei, Lesat, thank you for bringing everyone,” Sam said as he inclined his head to his friends and everyone took the seats he had indicated. He hadn’t had a lot of time to meet with them since he came back, but he had managed to catch up on their latest news.

Like his parents, they were both near the Second Evolution now, putting them on par with the guild leaders in Highfold. He’d contacted them earlier and had them gather the main forces of Highfold here. It would make things more efficient. It looked like they’d been working with the church as well, which made sense given Lenei’s class as a Paladin.

Her First Evolution was technically a Paladin Avenger, which was a rare branch of that, while Lesat was a Runic Vanguard, a type of warrior who gained advantages to any enchanted equipment he used. It looked like both of them had been pushing hard while he was away.

They were also holding hands, which made him hide a smile. He wondered if they even thought about it. They had become a couple while he was away, and he couldn’t be happier for them. Lesat was down to earth and steadfast, while Lenei was more creative but no less dedicated to her work.

They were clearly good for each other. They made an excellent team that had been managing a lot of the relic’s outer affairs, from guiding new recruits up to Sun’s Rest to key discussions with the city. They were essential to its smooth functioning.

Their arrival now reminded him that it was time to hand out some of the equipment he’d made in the Void. There were sets for everyone, although they would only just be able to use them at the Second Evolution. He’d really designed the items for when they reached the Third Evolution, to be their top-end gear once they reached that point.

At the First Evolution, they already had some basically decent gear, but if they spent too long at it, he could tinker with their current items and make improvements. It shouldn’t take them too long to break through with all the Flaws around.

He was looking forward to what they would become.

“Lord Hunter,” Lesat greeted Sam with a brief bow, setting an example for the guild leaders beside him. “We’ve brought everyone as you asked.” His words were carefully chosen to reveal little about their history together, since it still wasn’t public knowledge who Sam was beyond his title.

Meanwhile, Lenei only nodded her head. Her Paladin’s Call ability was still directing her to follow Sam, but her loyalty was first and foremost to the church. If that call changed, he wondered what she and Lesat would do. But that was a concern for later, since it wasn’t likely to change any time soon.

“The church has been a big help while you were away,” Lenei volunteered as she nodded to the bishop beside her. “It would be good to forge stronger bonds with the bishop and the other church leaders, so I was happy to hear your message.”

“Indeed, my young friends are right,” Artemius replied with a calm smile as he took the opening that Lenei had created. Standing in the ruins of the mansion didn’t seem to faze him at all. He had always been confident and assured of himself, but there was a new stability about him at the Second Evolution that drew attention. It was probably some passive Charisma effect from his class.

“How can we assist you, Lord Hunter?” he asked. “You seem to have settled matters with the Bloodline Clans? They were definitely too hasty here. It is a flaw of their tempers. They should have sought my counsel. I would have advised them on a better course of action.”

Sam gave him a nod as they all settled into their seats. His eyes swept over the two guild leaders too, noting their nervousness when they looked at him. He’d dueled them all once, back before he’d broken into the Second Evolution, and he’d taken their measure then.

Jores was a hard but fair man, while Patsek was self-absorbed and placed his guild’s interests ahead of everything else, including common decency. He’d once tried to close down Sam’s family shop where they sold scrolls and small enchanted items, since it had been outside of his control, but that was long in the past and he hadn’t been successful anyway.

Despite that history, they were both competent and would follow the bishop’s lead, which meant things should be straightforward.

“You’ve been a strong supporter of the valley, bishop, as have the guild leaders here,” Sam said approvingly as he considered how best to arrange things. His fingers tapped on the arm of his couch. “As Lenei may have told you, I need you to reach out to other cities and the strongholds of the church. Tell them about the relic and the Flaws here. Things have changed with Highfold and the valley could use the church’s support. It’s time to tell you all the true purpose of the Moonlight Relic.”

Silence fell across the room as everyone gathered there heard the meaning in his words. Lenei and Lesat knew what he was about to say, but it would be new to the rest of them. From this point onward, there would be no more hiding his actions. That had already caused enough misunderstanding.

The ancient purpose of the relic would spread across the kingdom, telling everyone about the promise that it held in defending the Seal. It might call enemies as well, but that was nothing new. Right now, their enemies had more information than their allies.

That needed to change.

And once that message was heard, he would enlist the help of everyone he could reach to suppress the Dimensional Convergence and support the repairs, so that he could get the truly important things done himself.

He didn’t have time to deal with any more nonsense.

*****

A couple of hours later, the bishop and everyone else had departed with a new fire in their belly. Their eyes were wider than they’d been in years as they heard the true purpose of the relic as a dimensional anchor. Sam nodded as he watched them go. If saving their own lives couldn’t motivate them, there wasn’t much that would.

Everyone had departed except for Garild, who was sitting on one of the stone couches and staring morosely into the distance. It looked as if part of his soul had left him. The discussion with the bishop and the guilds had gone well enough, but he’d barely paid attention to it. It was a sign that he’d suffered a bigger blow than Sam had expected.

Sam looked at him thoughtfully, debating what to do about him. Perhaps blowing up his house had been too much for him to handle. Garild’s trappings of power had always meant a lot to him. After a moment, Sam came to a decision.

Garild’s situation was making him feel sympathetic. He’d never really liked Garild, but the man was useful and he seemed to have bad luck. Perhaps he should have found a different way to drive his point home. Fortunately, it was something he could fix.

“I’m sorry about your house, Garild,” he said as he looked down at the governor. His voice was low and reassuring, holding only a touch of starlight. “Don’t worry, I’ll have the Silver Army rebuild it for you. There are many of them with the ability to manipulate Earth and Water, as well as other elements, and they could use the practice building more complicated things. Your walls and fountains will appear again.”

Fixing the house was easy enough if it helped to make Garild productive again. Given that the nagas were building it, he might get more of a basement than he’d had before, probably complete with a dozen bedrooms safely ensconced in stone, but it shouldn’t be a problem to build something nice on top of it.

“Also, I saved the most important part for you,” Sam added with a hint of a smile. “Hopefully, it helps you feel a bit better.” At the wave of his hand, shelves full of books appeared all around the area, along with some chunks of the library walls that had once existed.

None of them had been harmed.

When he’d locked down the space of Garild’s library, he’d done it not just to keep the Bloodline Clan elders there, but for this too. It had felt wrong to blow them apart, so all of the books had been stored in his spatial bracelet at the instant he unleashed the Astral Strike.

Garild looked up, some of the life coming back to his eyes as he saw the books, and he let out a strangled chuckle.

“My mother would approve,” he said, his voice half-choked off by his emotions, “she always thought books held the answer to life’s questions. It was why the library was so large here, and why I always met people in it.”

He looked around for a minute before he continued, his words coming more easily. “I hoped it would help make conversations go more easily if the walls were filled with conversations from the past. At least, it worked for me. I suppose not everyone saw it that way.”

“Your mother had the right idea,” Sam said approvingly as he looked over the books and then the empty foundation. “If you want a bigger library, just tell the nagas who are on the way. The house can be whatever you like. A gift from me, as repayment for destroying this one. It will be a new beginning for you, something to mark your change from the old follower of the king. You made your choice when you decided to help the valley instead, and this is what it’s led to, so I will not let you suffer for it. Build the mansion back bigger, make it more ornate than before. But whatever you do with it, make it yours this time and not the king’s.” He studied Garild for a bit before he continued.

“Even if you’re not governor, you’re still well-known in the city and one of the strongest people here. Take advantage of that to make a new life, one where you stand on your own with allies that are better than the ones you trusted before. The Ice Sylphs, the dwarves of Highfold, me...all of us have seen who you are now. Be a merchant, a scholar, someone who helps orphans, a wandering adventurer who seeks out strong battles...whatever you’ve always wanted but never had the opportunity to be before.”

Garild froze as he heard Sam’s words, clearly struggling to put his past and present together. His position as governor had defined him, even when his actions placed him on the opposite side in defense of the valley. Now, he was struggling to find a new path.

“Maybe, but why do you care?” he said eventually as he let out a bitter laugh. “Tell me that first. You’re a mighty and distant Astral Titan...the Horned Hunter, a World Spirit maybe, despite that you refuse to accept the title. Why pay so much attention to this place, or to me? I’m nothing, just a random tax collector who no longer has any taxes to collect.”

He’d overheard enough of Sam’s explanations to know the term Astral Titan, and now he threw it as an accusation.

“You’re an ally, Garild,” Sam said quietly as he let the words pass. “In the beginning, you were untrustworthy, yes, and so I always kept you at a distance, but you’ve proven yourself time and again. I no longer have those old concerns. So, take the new house, make it whatever you want it to be, and find yourself again. I will be around if you need to find me.”

He paused for a moment as he studied the man, giving the words time to sink in. He could see they had some effect, and he hoped it would be enough. Garild had proven himself enough that he was worth the effort.

“But don’t forget about what’s really important,” he added in warning, his voice matter of fact. “That’s Aster Fall herself. You have to defend the world you live on. We all owe her that. As long as you stay true to that, you’ll be a friend of mine.”
Sam looked up at the night sky, where he saw a rank of Silver Nagas approaching. Garild wasn’t looking at him, but it didn’t matter. He’d said what he needed to. The rest was up to the man himself. He’d have to pick up the pieces of his life and rebuild them, just like everyone else that he’d looked down on in the past.

With a glimmer of silver stars, Sam disappeared from the ruins of the mansion. He wasn’t sure what Garild would become, but he was confident the man would find it eventually. There was something decent in there, at the bottom of it all.

Of that, he had no doubt.

When Sam reappeared, it was on the peak of Sun’s Rest and the moons were shining high in the heavens. His forge was radiant with triple-colored moonlight that had gathered along the pillars and the veins in the astral stone were humming with power, giving rise to streamers of silver, blue, green, and purple light that twined around them. It made the hall seem like a celestial forest that led to unknown lands, the beginning of a pathway to the stars.

He took in a deep breath as he looked up at the stars, calling out to them in greeting. A wave of silver light descended from the night like a thousand stars striking the stones, setting everything aflame. With a gesture of his hand, the forge flared to life with a brilliant force, bathing everything in an ethereal glow.

The night was half over, but there was just enough time to finish a couple of repairs for the relic, and then he would see about these new ruins.