Echoes of War, Ch 23: Osera (Patreon)

Osera came into view with the sparkling beauty of sunset mixing with the glacial slopes of the mountains behind it. It was a sprawling, circular city of white marble and fountains that stretched across the foothills and down into the plains, rising in tiers from the base, each of the sections separated by their own defensive wall.

Sam’s attention ranged ahead of the ship, sweeping across the city long before they arrived. It allowed him to study its layout and defenses, and to make sure nothing strange was present. He also started searching for Helimar, although he wasn’t sure if the man was still in the city at all.

Ayala and Krana’s old home was a large city of a few million people, their lives supported by great city enchantments that kept the city clean, its walls sturdy, and water flowing. For any city of this size, food was a problem, but the location at the base of the mountains and close to the Storm Plains meant that it was surrounded by monsters and local beasts, as well as natural resources for ores, timber, herbs, and more.

Meat from beasts, their hides and bones, and other products flowed through the city in great amounts, giving rise to a river of trade that made Osera a central focus of the northern edge of the kingdom. It was a major hub connecting the wild Western Province to the central trade routes on the other side of the mountains.

At the top of the city, a large white marble fortress marked out the top of the city, its walls engraved with softly glowing enchantments for light and defense. As the Ice Drake approached, Ayala came up to the prow and looked at it, her hands gripping the rail for support.

“The Ivory Fortress,” she said quietly. “The great bastion of the church in the north. It has the strongest defensive wall outside of the capital at Veritan. Its enchantments are not as complex as those on the Alabaster Palace in Tower Reach, but Tower Reach is an older city.”

Sam nodded as his mind swept over the fortress, studying the arrangement. The wards on the walls were dense and powerful ones at the Third Evolution. He could break them, but without doing that, they blocked many of the areas inside from his sight. He rubbed his chin as he studied the arrangement. Then he returned to scanning the rest of the city.

There was a low sense of danger from the fortress, but it wasn’t enough to threaten him. Since it was built by the church, there shouldn’t be any issues with it.

As the Ice Drake swept toward the walls, he kept his attention on the city’s response. He could already sense movement as their long-range scout reports sent word back to guards. Enchantments on the walls were stirring.

“What do you think the Cabal is up to with my father?” Ayala asked as she stayed at the railing beside him. Her voice was nervous and tight. “He would never have been their ally. He was...is loyal to the World Core. Shouldn’t that have protected him?”

“It’s hard to say,” Sam said, looking over at her. “You’ve heard about the Cabal’s desire to escape from Aster Fall, so it should be related to that.”

He was at his typical height of about seven feet, which he’d become accustomed to using around people, and she was barely chest high. He’d been gone long enough that their conversation had started off rocky, but they’d been speaking along the way, which helped the conversation to flow more naturally now.

“If I had to guess,” he added, “they probably tried to change his bloodline so the World Core wouldn’t recognize him as a citizen and keep him here. But it could be something else, like an experimental route to power. There are several methods I’ve seen so far that try to surpass the World Limit. This could be another.”

The Bloodline Clan elders had used some of those methods, and he suspected that the Cabal had quite a few more of their own.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Krana said reassuringly from where she stood on the far side of Ayala. “If your father is still here, I’m sure someone will know where to find him. We should start with your home. If he’s left, surely one of the servants there will have an idea.”

The seer had been keeping her friend company on the way home, but she was eager in her own way to see Osera again. Her family was from Runekeld, but her father was a diplomat who was heavily involved in the local trade agreements. She’d grown up here with Ayala.

“When I left, he was...not treating the servants well,” Ayala said with some discomfort. “I hope they’re still alright.”

While the two of them tossed ideas back and forth about where to look first, Sam’s attention remained on the city. The Ice Drake’s arrival had definitely been noticed by seers or detection wards and as they came within five miles, he saw a delegation of individuals fly out from the wall to meet them. There were ten of them and most were at the Second Evolution.

“They seem determined to block your path, my lord,” Sleset announced as he looked toward the approaching force. A fierce smile bared his fangs to the air. “Shall we clear the way?”

“No, they’re only trying to defend their city,” Sam said with a shake of his head. “Be polite. Bring the ship to a halt and announce that we’ve come to meet an old acquaintance.”

A handful of Second Evolution fighters wasn’t a concern, but it wouldn’t do to sweep into the city and act like a tyrant. Not only would it give him and the relic a bad reputation, it would make it harder to gather information.

“Yes, my lord,” Sleset announced as he signaled to the helmsman. A moment later, the Ice Drake slowed to a stop and then began to hover, its wings stretched out to the sides as snowflakes formed beneath them and drifted away. His voice carried across the distance as he magically enhanced it.

“Hail, Osera, City of the Ivory Fortress, Shield of the North!” Sleset called out, his voice booming. “The Lord of Silver Stars, Horned Hunter of the Moons and Golden Titan, High Councilor of the Moonlight Relic, Starflame Forger, High Artificer and Guardian of Aster Fall greets you!”

The nagas on the ship hissed with delight, their voices rising like a noisy susurration that supported Sleset’s shout and carried across the distance. There was no mistaking their intent, especially as their Third Evolution auras filled the sky.

They were showing off.

Sam hid a sigh as he kept his face straight, but he raised his hand in greeting and released a wave of silver energy through the air that hummed with the warmth of a star. He always forgot how much the nagas loved ceremony and prided themselves on their status. They were eager to demonstrate it at every opportunity. He didn’t even know where Sleset had learned those titles for the city. He must have asked Krana.

As he waited for the welcoming party to arrive, he glanced at the two girls beside him, who were fidgeting with impatience. They didn’t seem to mind the display, at least. A quick analysis of Krana and Ayala let him compare their progress to the standard in Osera. The standard level here was 40 or so for the common citizen, but they were both far beyond that.

Krana of the Silver Hammer. Earthen Prophet of War-Dwarven Smith. Level 188.

Ayala Lirian. Earthweave Sorceress-Priestess of Law. Level 142.

They had both improved a lot over the last year and more. Krana’s class as an Earthen Prophet of War was an evolution of Earth Seer that came from her vision of a Breaking and her intent to prevent it. She still had the Earth alignment of her original class, but her Foretelling ability was much stronger. It was thanks to her scrying efforts that they’d found so many of the Flaws around Highfold before he came home.

As for her subclass, she’d been training her crafting abilities at the relic. The rare materials and properties there were a blessing to a smith. Even with quick leveling, she hadn’t fallen behind in her racial smithing skills. That advantage was one of the reason the dwarves in Highfold and Runekeld had agreed to support the relic too.

A quick smile flashed across Sam’s face as he noticed that one of the people flying toward them as Krana’s father, Tolbrek of the Silver Hammer Clan of Runekeld. It looked like the message Krana sent earlier had reached him. That would make things easier. Like the majority of those approaching, he was solidly in the Second Evolution.

Ayala’s class was even more interesting than Krana’s. It was the only other Unique class that Sam had encountered besides his own. She’d started out as an Earthwalker Mage with the ability to summon stone golems and make Earth attacks, as well as some forms of Earthen awareness and other magic.

The class’s Earth affinity had made the initial unlocking quest difficult for her, which was how they’d all met beneath the Abyssinian Plains to the west. She’d been in search of an Earth mana pool, which Sam and his father happened to be occupying.

Her latest Evolution to Earthweave Sorceress meant that she’d accomplished some significant things while he was gone and had made the class truly her own. Sorcerer-type classes were rare and generally powerful. They relied on an innate connection to an element or another source of power for their strength. It was a slight departure from the mage-type summoning class she’d had before, one more focused on direct offense and battle.

She must have been fighting in close quarters a lot.

It probably wouldn’t be long until she was offered a Earth-based bloodline by the World Core, if she kept going on that path. Sorcerer classes tended to be heavily linked to bloodlines. It probably wouldn’t happen until she gained some form of innate elemental power, however, like the Blessing of Ice. He didn’t sense that from her, but Siwaha might offer it to her one day.

Her subclass was a more traditional one, a standard upgrade to her old Priestess class. She must have been busy healing people recently, as well as fighting around Highfold. Its abilities built on her old ones, granting her more area of effect spells and stronger healing.

Sam turned his attention back to the group from Osera as they finished closing the distance and analyzed them as well. One of the advantages of having Analyze at Heroic meant that the ability was undetectable by anyone with a lower tier, so there was no reason not to use it. It also blocked Analyze from being used on him in turn unless someone had it at the same tier and could break through his Wisdom defense. Now that he was able to use Strength in place of Wisdom from his racial ability, that wasn’t likely to happen on Aster Fall.

Heroic-tier skills were extremely rare, but even if one of the people from Osera had Analyze at that level, he wasn’t concerned. They still wouldn’t be able to see his information. The Titan Star and World Core both blocked it at an even deeper level. That protection wasn’t as important as it used to be, but it was still helpful.

Nonetheless, he allowed the approaching forces to see a few things, including his titles and his connection to the World Law. He had a prominent trait as a Guardian of Law that was linked to the Marks he’d gained, as well as his other actions that supported the World Core. It should help to convince the priests to cooperate with him.

As the Ice Drake remained hovering in the air, the delegation stopped a hundred feet in front of the prow, on the same level as the deck. The figurehead of a massive ice drake was just in front of them. Whispers broke out among their ranks that carried easily to Sam’s ears.

“What is that?!” one of the priests asked the fellow beside him. “I’ve never seen a ship like that before. Is it actually an ice drake?”

“Haven’t you heard about the Horned Hunter of the Moons?” the other priest whispered back. “I didn’t think we’d be seeing him so soon, but how did you miss the rumors?! Someone like that isn’t going to fly on a normal ship.”

“What are those Third Evolution fighters behind him?” a priestess murmured. “They’re as tall as buildings! Is that who shouted just now?”

Sam chuckled as he walked forward to meet them, followed by Ayala and Krana, with Sleset and the nagas just behind. He had to admit that the nagas were impressive at their 20-plus foot height, but his own true height would probably terrify these fellows into next week.

“Horned Hunter of the Moons!” one of the delegates called out with forced cheer. “Welcome to Osera!”

His tone was polite but slightly strained, making it clear that he wasn’t sure what they wanted. He was wearing a long white robe that was similar in some ways to Ayala’s, but more ornate. It marked him out as a bishop of the church, similar to Artemius in Highfold.

There was good reason for him to be afraid, since the force that Sam had brought was enough to destroy his welcoming force several times over. The king’s attack on the valley was well known, and from their perspective, Osera might be the first city he destroyed on his way to the capital for revenge. Even with only six nagas here, if Sam let them attack, the city would be forced to rely on its enchantments for defense. If he attacked himself, its walls wouldn’t stand for long.

Their nervousness reinforced that he wouldn’t be able to travel around quietly any longer unless he made a concerted effort to conceal himself.

“Rest easy,” Sam said reassuringly as he got straight to the point. He raised a hand to indicate Ayala at his side. “I’ve only come to find Ayala’s father, Helimar Lirian. She is worried about his health. Once that is settled, if you wish to discuss trade with Highfold or the Moonlight Relic, we can do so. As for the matter with the king and his attack on my home, I’ll deal with him later.”

A look of relief swept over the bishop’s face, but before he could respond, Krana’s father let out a boisterous laugh as he stepped forward, drawing all of the attention.

“Daughter! You’re back and you’ve become even stronger!” Tolbrek shouted approvingly as he looked Krana up and down. “You’ve honored the clan traditions by improving yourself in battle and in smithing! You’re a true daughter of the Silver Hammers!”

His familiar words broke the sense of formality in the meeting, and the bishop stepped back to let him be the center of attention. A few moments later, half of the officials were crowding around, greeting Krana and Ayala, while Sam spoke with the more focused ones off to the side, reassuring them simply that he hadn’t come to fight the city.

As everyone got caught up, he began to ask about Helimar’s whereabouts, but the responses were more hesitant than he’d expected. Helimar was a well-known figure in the city and one of its most powerful defenders, so asking about him shouldn’t have caused such consternation if things were going well. Eventually, the bishop stepped forward and spoke quietly, his words only loud enough for Sam to hear.

“The World Knight is not well,” he whispered. “It’s not public knowledge, but I don’t suppose I’ll be able to hide it from you, so you may as well know. A year ago, he...changed. Somehow.”

“What happened?” Sam’s attention was fixed on the bishop as he summoned a sphere of wind and astral energy to quietly encircle the group, preventing scrying and eavesdropping. “I’ve heard some of it from Ayala, but not everything. I’ve come to help him if I can.

“Perhaps you will be able to do that where we failed,” the bishop muttered as he glanced toward the Ivory Fortress in the distance. “We had no choice but to try and conceal his actions from the public. He turned into something barely human...half covered in scales, his eyes completely red with bloodlust. He slaughtered his servants and was rampaging through the city. He lost all rationality and couldn’t even speak, but his strength was much greater than before, around the Third Evolution.”

More of the story came out as Sam prompted the bishop to continue. He listened to it closely as ideas flitted through his mind. From the description, the first couple of months after the Cabal visited Helimar, he was mostly normal. His attitude had become colder and he was more secretive, just like Ayala said, but the church wrote it off as a change from his near-death experience, since that’s what they wanted to believe.

It was only after she had run away that he’d begun to truly change. When his allies in the church came to visit, they’d discovered servants were missing from the house and Helimar’s attitude was like a serpent as he watched them, cold and calculating. It had sent shivers of fear down their spines.

The problem came out on full display when he was sent to assist with a Flaw a few days’ journey from Osera, one where a type of demon called Woodghasts were destroying the area. Three support staff from the church went with him, all of them with message spells and artifacts to stay in close contact.

Within a day, they’d all gone silent.

The bishop had contacted the village closest to the Flaw and sent an observer, who managed to send word back, but what he’d seen left the man panicked and shouting for help. Helimar had reached the Flaw, but instead of closing it, he’d slaughtered the leader of the Woodghasts, drunk its blood, and taken over as their commander. The first order he’d given was to spread outward and bring every living thing to him as food.

As the struggling captives came in, he tore them apart, drank their blood, and ate their hearts. He’d also begun constructing a throne made of bones. By the time the church arrived in force and managed to take control of the area, dozens of locals had died.

The Woodghasts hadn’t suffered much better. Half of their number had been killed by Helimar and their blood drained. Their wooden bodies were piled around his throne, mixed with the bones of the villagers.

“It took two commanders at the Third Evolution to suppress him,” the bishop said fervently. “His strength is well beyond what it should be. We’ve loaded him down with prison enchantments and have him in one of the most secure cells in the Ivory Fortress, but he’s still on the verge of breaking out every day. If you can take him off our hands, we’d be very grateful. But please, try not to kill him.

“I don’t know what happened to him, but he was a great pillar of the church once...and a good friend of mine. He helped many people. Otherwise, we would have ended his suffering. We’re still searching for a solution.”

“There is that complication, sir,” one of the bishop’s assistants spoke up from the side. “The message from those researchers arrived last week. They know about him somehow and want to study him. We’ve been ignoring their requests so far, but they have significant backing. It could be a problem. We were waiting for a stronger troop from the capital to arrive to reinforce us before dealing with them.”

“Those academy mages?” The bishop frowned as he looked at his aide. “How did they find out about him?”

“We don’t know, sir,” the aide replied. “Their message said they want to take him away. It might cause trouble if the Honored Hunter does it instead. They have a lot of political backing.”

“Ignore them,” the bishop said sharply as he cut his hand through the air. “No one dictates to the church what to do. We might be at our wits’ end with him ourselves, but I’d much rather entrust Helimar to his daughter and the Horned Hunter to take care of rather than to that greedy bunch. I can feel the strong aura of the World Law from them both. I trust that far more than those researchers who are probably up to no good. They have no respect for the past or what Helimar has done for the world, at least before his latest problem.”

“Yes, sir,” the aide replied with a short bow. “I’ll alert the guards to prepare for our arrival, and to refuse the researchers if they try to contact them as well.”

Sam watched the exchange with curiosity, but since the bishop was willing to cooperate, there was no need to interfere. As for the mages that wanted to take Helimar, it seemed that he’d arrived just in time to prevent that. Since they seemed to know about him, it was possible they were connected to the Cabal and they wanted to check on the experiment.

He had no intention of allowing that to happen.

Helimar’s problem was something he would deal with himself. If he couldn’t, he still wasn’t going to allow Ayala’s father to become a research project for the Cabal. There were areas in the relic where they could confine him if needed, places where he couldn’t cause much trouble.

While the bishop’s men sorted themselves out, he kept up some small talk about trade and the history of the relic, diverting questions here and there about his own background. To his left, Krana and Ayala were catching up with Tolbrek and a few other officials that Tolbrek dragged into the discussion. The main focus seemed to be how quickly the girls were growing up.

As he let the politics wash around him, Sam let the bishop and Tolbrek take the lead in arranging matters. His attention was already turned to Helimar’s condition as he considered the possibilities. Before long, the delegation was on board the Ice Drake as the naga at the helm sent it forward again, heading toward the city.

The powerful mana field from the ship spread through the sky as the delegation insisted on a ceremonial circle of the city. Trails of icy snowflakes and shimmering blue crystals followed in its wake, settling on the city walls and the cleared fields below, where they melted away into the breeze and left a trace of frigid cold behind.

Citizens inside the walls stared upwards at the ship, their eyes wide as they saw the crystalline wings extended and the trail of mana behind them. The ship made a wide arc, taking almost an hour to circle the city as the bishop and delegates waved heartily to the crowds below. It was an interesting form of diplomacy, showing off the strength of allies to instill pride in the citizens.

The nagas loved it, of course.

“Honor to the Silver Lord!”

“All hail the Lord of Silver Stars!”

Their delighted hisses and grins widened in response to the crowds below, their four arms working overtime to wave to everyone as they called out their lord’s titles in response to cheers, their voices booming across the air to tell the citizens exactly who they were waving at.

“We should have brought the rest of the army, my lord!” Sleset announced cheerfully. “With a single show of force, we could persuade the entire city to follow you! A lord should have multiple cities beneath his name!”

“We are not invading Osera,” Sam said dryly as he shook his head at Sleset. His words sent a sigh of relief across the bishop’s lips, who had been about to protest. “They already have their own lords here.”

“But none are Oathlords, my lord,” Sleset announced faithfully. “They do not count. This world doesn’t yet know the glory that could away them in your service.”

“Not everyone is so eager to find an Oathlord,” Sam said as he shook his head, “but if we find an enemy city, you can conquer that one.”

“I look forward to it, my lord,” Sleset said with a pleased hiss as he looked around the area. “Is there one nearby?”

“I’ll let you know.” Sam’s eyes turned distant as he briefly entertained the idea of unleashing the nagas on the capital of Veritan. It wasn’t an entirely unlikely outcome, depending on how the king behaved, but he would have to tell the nagas to leave the regular citizens alone.

As he looked at Sleset’s eager expression, however, he suddenly changed his mind. There was no telling what the fellow would get up to.

By the time they finished the circuit, everyone in the city who was looking at the sky knew that the Horned Hunter had come to visit. Shouts of “Blessed by the World Law” and “Guardian of the Church!” were being thrown about, both by the bishop’s men on the ship and some of the people below.

It was an enormous change from how Sam had once been seen by the church. The aura of the World Law that was radiating from him now, supported by his High Artificer title and subclass, as well as the marks he'd earned. That made all the difference.

The bishop’s wide smile marked some sort of achievement for the man, perhaps a way that he was solidifying his own reputation here, but it wasn’t important. If he wanted to treat it as an official visit by the Horned Hunter of the Moons to honor the city, Sam was willing to let him as long as it didn’t conflict with his goals. He looked ahead as the Ice Drake flew gracefully toward the Ivory Fortress.

As the ship settled onto the stones of an open plaza outside, a flood of priests and officials came outside to meet them. The bishop’s men rushed forward to join them with orders flying in every direction. There were comments about welcoming feasts and speeches and other things, but Sam let it all pass him by as he began to study the enchantments on the fortress.

Their style was interesting, with a clear blockiness to their construction that spoke of joining runes separately rather than seeing them as a whole, but there were elements of more natural magic, concepts that flowed with a sense of holy energy that was from the World Core. He’d rarely had a chance to study the church’s wards before, so he took full advantage of it now that he was close to these.

The World Core’s energy and the spells that it granted to its followers, like priestesses and paladins, was called holy magic, but based on his understanding of the Void, such a thing didn’t really exist. These wards, especially the more powerful sections that must have come from the World Core, were based on a type of dimensional magic.

The enchantment was a mix of healing and banishment concepts. If something was related to it, it would be healed and supported by the ward. If it didn’t have the right signature, it would be harmed as the spell tried to force it out of this dimension. That pressure would materialize as a type of flame that burned it.

Sam rubbed his chin as he studied it. It was an elegant concept, highly refined in how it worked, but there was nothing holy about it. It was just a spell structure the World Core had designed to protect this side of the Seal. The priests’ Banishment spells that locked prisoners away in the Seal had to be a version of the same thing, perhaps one that transported the target instead of damaging it directly.

He’d never believed in the World Core as a god, but his thoughts were not something he planned to share with the church. They didn’t need to have their faith in the World Law shaken. The ancient artifact was still doing its best to take care of them.

Now that he was closer, it was easier to see through the wards to what they were protecting, but there were still some concealed areas where the magic was denser. Most of them were below ground, but several towers and the inner keep were likewise protected. He scanned them one after the other as he committed the locations to memory.

Helimar had to be in one of them.

Krana and Ayala were still happily talking to Tolbrek, who was apparently like an uncle to Ayala, and the bishop’s men were circling around, projecting formality and good cheer as they started to direct everyone inside for another welcoming ceremony.

At that moment, however, a group of five mages dressed in blue and gray robes walked imperiously through a gate that led onto the plaza. An aura of refined mana surrounded them, betraying the presence of powerful enchantments woven into their clothing and artifacts around their bodies. As soon as they saw Sam and the nagas beside the Ice Drake, their heads swung on a pivot like they’d found their target and they marched forward.

The bishop’s men raced toward the mages with strained expressions, apparently planning to head them off, but the mages brushed them out of the way with a flick of their mana fields, sending them staggering to the sides. It displayed the disparity in strength. Two of the mages were at the Third Evolution and the other three were at the Second. The bishop’s men were only at the First. Sam turned toward them with a frown as he analyzed them for more details.

Tarin Hastern. Dimensional Warden-Alchemist of the Tower. Level 334.

Osela Hastern. Dimensional Savant-Flame of the Five Towers. Level 322.

Haster Leanen. Mage of Silence-Summoner of the Sixth Circle. Level 281.

Jemen Osalric. Alchemical Researcher-Tower Enchanter. Level 274.

Trena Balos. Alchemist of Venom-Weaver of Glass. Level 266.

The names of the first two sent a shock across Sam’s chest like he’d been hit with a club, even as the group stopped directly in front of him. They’d already shoved all of the priests out of their way with the exception of the bishop himself, who was hurrying to step in front of them. They ignored him, however, their attention fixed on Sam.

They had to crane their heads to look into Sam’s eyes, but they gave it their best shot. Their mana fields were blazing brightly in his vision, surrounding them in multicolored fields of power like undulating clouds. It was a particularly arrogant gesture, even if they didn’t know he could see them. It also displayed their level of control over their mana, which was decent, but not exceptional.

He ignored their silent demand for attention as he looked down at them, his gaze steady as he collected himself. From the outside, there was no change in his expression. His Charisma was far too high to reveal anything to them.

It had been a long time since he’d seen any Hasterns around.

His distant family was centered around Tower Reach, which was a long way from here. As soon as he saw them, however, he put their presence together with the alchemist researchers that the bishop’s assistant had mentioned, the ones who wanted to take away Ayala’s father to study.

It seemed it was a small world after all.