Echoes of War, Ch 42: Advancements (Patreon)

As the tempest of the World Core’s energy faded away, Sam could feel a new quality to his Aura of Astral Flame that made the silver flames around him seem to leap with a life of their own. It felt like his energy was alive and burning on its own, constantly drawing in strength from the Void and emitting it.

Just like a star.

The change to the racial aura was on a higher level, something that he didn’t quite understand even now that it was working, but the connection to the Void told him that this was one of the routes that he could study to understand a Law of the Void.

He could tell that his use of essence and astral energy had changed, becoming far more subtle and efficient. The boost directly to Heroic had pushed him into a level that he wouldn’t have reached on his own for a long time. If he had to define it, there was probably a 20% increase to his overall efficiency.

The World Core was showing its advantages again. It had originally been designed to maintain the Nexus and assist with Evolutions. Its memory held the knowledge of countless races and abilities that the Titans had given it.

As soon as he was able to pull his attention away from the improvement to his aura, he studied the change in Avatar of the Stars. That ability had leapt from Basic to Heroic in a single movement. A moment later, he had a full grasp of the differences.

Each regular tier of the ability increased his number of avatars by one: with three at Basic, four at Advanced, five at Expert, six at Elite, and seven at Epic, but it was still limited by his overall Intelligence.

The Heroic tier removed that limit.

Right now, with 36,445 Intelligence after the level increase, his maximum number of mental divisions was seven, so he could have his main body and six avatars, but that wasn’t all. Heroic was a tier that brought a different quality to an ability, and in this case it did several things..

First, it directly raised the quality of an avatar from the normal maximum of 50% of his attributes to 60%. He could feel the new strength in this avatar as the attributes of his main body exerted a stronger influence on it.

Second, it decreased the time it took to create one from an hour to five minutes.

And third, it made the link between his avatars and his main body attuned to one of the transcendent laws of the Void, a presence that made it feel like everything came from the same origin. He’d thought the connection was able to ignore distance before, but that wasn’t completely true. There had been limits that he hadn’t had time to find.

Now, for most intents and purposes, it was perfect.

The connection had been upgraded to use the Void itself like a sub-dimension, which allowed him to ignore shifts in time and twisted space. He could even transport small objects between his avatars and his main body, as long as he could afford the cost.

It was expensive in terms of essence, and the expenditure increased based on the total energy of the object he wanted to transfer, rather than the size, so the more powerful something was, the more expensive it would be, but it was possible. A grin spread across his face as he thought about the possibilities.

With a flicker of thought and a rather large expenditure of about 2,000 essence, a small chunk of rock from the Void appeared in his hand. It was outlined in a flare of silver light as tiny stars covered the surface like a sheen of power that slowly faded away. A moment before, it had been sitting in the hand of his main body, which was still healing at Silverguard.

He looked down at it and then he studied the area around him for any disruptions to the Seal or Aster Fall’s dimensional energy, but there were none.

He wasn’t sure what he would use this part of the ability for yet, but he had the feeling it would come in very handy. The only thing it couldn’t do was transfer auras or a person. The structure of an aura was special and it would fall apart. At the same time, without him protecting them from the depths of the Void, it was unlikely for a person to survive the transfer.

The connection between his avatars and main body should be good now as long as he stayed within the same Void. He was pretty sure that it would break if he tried to jump into the Nexus or go to a place where the Void was too different.

In the Void where his main body was sitting, he raised his hand and began to create a new avatar. A little while later, there were three more of them, and with a quick nod, they all disappeared in a flash of silver light as they headed to Aster Fall.

There were already two avatars and the nagas working on Silverguard, so these three new ones would return to the relic and speed up the repairs. The sooner it was working, the better.

Once his intelligence increased, he could create more avatars, but his progress would depend on how quickly he could hunt in the Void. Even as he considered the idea, he began to study the area around Silverguard, searching for a good place to begin.

Depending on the strength of the Void beasts nearby, he could begin hunting as soon as he fused all the Vos’Rekan stone into a giant block. He’d already finished gathering it up. It was difficult to manipulate it with Earth abilities due to the Vos’Rekan’s innate resistances that persisted even now, but it was still a type of stone, so it worked. It was just a little slow.

That would make it a better fortress in the end, since enemies wouldn’t be able to manipulate it either.

With a stretch, he returned his attention to his avatar on Aster Fall and turned around on the peak, looking down into the valley again. A layer of sparkling blue-white snow was falling on the higher slopes, but nothing touched the valley of green and golden fields.

It was a contrast that defined the Ice Sylphs with their magic that was both for Life and Winter.

As if that thought had summoned it, at that moment a river of crystalline mana appeared in the air above the valley, near the enchantment of the Gate of Winter. It twisted around the location where the rune for Winter was still faintly visible in his eyes.

Ever since Siwaha had opened it, the elemental gate had been at the center of their massive fortification and currents of Ice gathered around it all of the time. That was its nature as the intersection of twelve Ice-element ley lines. The gate was an enchantment that could harness the power of that intersection, and the strength it had as a result of all that natural mana was incredible.

He’d often looked at it since it opened, studying the elemental nature of Ice that was present around it, and he was familiar with its presence. Whatever it was doing now was different than usual.

The currents of Ice were forming natural runes on their own as the intensity increased, weaving an enchantment around the rune as mana continued to gather. It was slow, just the beginning of something that might take a few days to fully appear, but it held the unmistakable signature of a portal opening.

It was called the Gate of Winter, but he’d thought that was due to its ability to open and close the flow of mana from the ley lines. It looked like it had a more direct meaning as well. He rubbed his chin as he recorded the natural runes in his memory, and then he disappeared in a flicker of silver light.

He could ask Siwaha what was going on, but it would also reveal itself soon enough. Anything to do with the gate was under her control, so there was no need to worry.

Right now, it was time to have dinner with his parents and old friends. It was the first time since he’d come back from the fight with the Vos’Rekan that they were all able to get together. There was also another reason for the dinner tonight, one that had been a long time coming.

It was time to celebrate their Second Evolution.

*****

Everyone was gathered together at the dinner and the celebration. His parents, Altey, Lenei, Lesat, Krana, Ayala, Siwaha, Siwasir, as well as the dwarven Cavernmaster Belanos from Highfold. Even Uncle Snake and Garild were there, although Garild still looked a bit lost without his position as mayor.

Ayala’s father Helimar was also there, standing beside his daughter. His back was straight and his hands were placed gravely behind him. He was looking healthier, but there was a lingering pallor on his cheeks that hadn’t faded and he seemed uncomfortable, despite the relaxed atmosphere.

They had all come to bear witness to the advancement, bringing gifts and small magics to make the dinner festive. The event was made grand by spells more than servants, with both Ice and other magics carrying dishes along the long table. The air was full of sparkling motes and illusions, some of which Garild had brought up from Highfold.

Formally, this dinner was also being used as an acknowledgement of Altey’s 13th birthday, so there was a collection of presents for her from the guests, but the family had celebrated on their own earlier in the day with a smaller and more private gathering.

As the daughter of the rulers of the Moonlight Relic, her birthdays could have become political, but neither she nor their parents wanted that, so the word was limited to only those who had gathered here.

This time, Sam had given her a bracelet that was a large spatial artifact, something that was practical and useful for her. He hadn’t added too many surprises to it, only a few enchantments to make it durable and to allow it to change its appearance in small ways to blend into whatever she was wearing.

Even now, with the relic becoming a central presence in the Western Reaches, there were not many servants around his parents’ house. That would probably change, but for now it was still a small party, more a gathering of friends than a formal event, and the mood was relaxed.

It was a good opportunity to catch up on everything that was happening in their lives and in the flow of the world. Sam looked around as he held a flute of chilled and sparkling ice wine in his hand, thinking about how much had changed over the last few years.

His parents were expecting a new child soon and their joy at being able to live the life they’d always wanted was like a golden light spreading out around them.

Their new classes sprang into Sam’s awareness as he looked at them with delight. The Marks they’d earned from closing Flaws and their Heroic abilities had served them in good stead.

Jeric Hastern. General of the Frozen Peak-Blessed Lord of the Moonlight Relic. Level 200.

His father hadn’t experienced any major divergence on his path. His classes were still Legendary and qualitative upgrades to the ones he’d had before, following the same route toward his unique desire. His Commander of the Frozen Peak class that was linked to the mountain had upgraded to General and his Blessed Statesman class that was linked to the relic had followed a similar route, taking on a type of Lord class.

It was a more specific Lord class than Sam’s and rooted in this location, but with the Blessing of the Earth and the Moonlight Relic behind it, it was unique and powerful. He’d gained more abilities to influence the terrain here, to grant some quests related to the location, and to grant titles, positions, and more.

Everything that a local lord needed to be capable of, he could do.

His mana field merged with his bloodline energy, filling the room with the relaxing coolness of Ice and the solid reassurance of the Earth, showing off the connection between him and the land.

To Jeric’s left, Aemilia’s aura shone with moonlight like a blessing of the night. Ripples of moonlight flowed around her movements like the wind at the edge of a serene sky, promising mystery and magic. The intensity of her presence was much stronger than before and her mana field was like the moons appearing in a dark night, in peaceful harmony with the world.

Aemilia Hastern. Grand Archivist of the Moons-Heavenly Seer of Moonlight. Level 200.

Her class had upgraded qualitatively and was still a Historian, but she had an even stronger link to the moons now, which was most notable in her subclass. Her Heroic Ability for Heaven’s Sight had pushed her in that direction.

If she continued on the same path, he had no doubt that one day her powers would encompass the domain of the moons, similar to how he had the stars imbued in his. Right now, it was still a Seer class that used moonlight as a key concept, but the future was broad.

When they saw him looking at them, they sent him smiles, and he raised his glass in a toast as he grinned back at them. Their bodies were shining with a subtle energy of experience and their new Evolution, giving them a magnetic quality.

The changes in them made a sense of warmth fill his heart. He’d always seen them as great pillars of the world, and now the world was seeing them that way too. It was reassuring too, since the stronger they were, the safer they would be, even with the relic on their side.

His parents weren’t the only ones who had advanced. Over the past few days, nearly everyone else in the room had as well. It came from hunting the Flaws together. They’d shared the bonus experience around evenly, even with Garild, who had taken a new interest in hunting the Flaws after the king’s army was driven away.

This party was for all of them.

Sam’s attention turned to Lenei and Lesat, who were holding hands on one side of the room. Lesat’s class jumped into his awareness first. He’d been a Runic Vanguard-Arcane Leatherworker before. Now, he had changed a bit.

Lesat of Osera. Steadfast Shield of Ice-Runic Armorer. Level 200.

He’d always been following a Guard path, but now his primary class had developed into a more comprehensive shielding class, one that was designed to protect his companions. He’d also integrated the Blessing of Ice from Siwaha more completely and made it a part of himself, which could be seen in his class’s focus on Ice.

That would pay off in the long run.

His subclass had likewise grown into a more complex form. He’d moved on from the narrow Leatherworker path to a more comprehensive Armorer class, one that still took advantage of the runic enchantments he’d been using. The synergy between the two was good, letting him infuse his own armor and that of his companions with extra defenses and shifting enchantments.

His one Heroic ability focused on exactly that, allowing him to take advantage of powerful Ice enchantments for defense and area shields. With the class combination, he would always be at the strongest when using his own enchantments and armor with his main abilities.

He was finally developing into a powerful figure, but he still had the same humility and easy manner as before.

By his side, Lenei looked more content than usual with her life, and her class showed why. She’d been unhappy with the battle focus of her last Evolution as a Paladin Avenger-Blade of Life, since a Paladin Avenger was usually doomed to die in battle. She’d also loved being a pure healer, since it was a balm for her from her duties as a Paladin, one where she was able to get in touch with the people of any village or city without trouble.

This Evolution had corrected the problem.

Lenei Orison. High Paladin of the Reach-Hand of Life. Level 200.

She’d taken a class that was similar to his father’s and related to the land here, or rather to this area of the Western Reaches, but it was less limited. It was a recognition that she was a high level and well known Paladin in the area who had done a lot to defend it.

It came with bonuses for fighting here and even if she evolved to a new class in the future, it would stay as a title for her and keep that bonus.

It was also a form of acknowledgement from the World Law that she wasn’t going to be given a Paladin’s Call to go off somewhere else. This was the place she’d chosen and the class was a guarantee of that.

In another way, it seemed like she was promising Lesat that she would stick around.

Her previous subclass as a Blade of Life had been best as a self-healing and single-target combat healer, with bonuses based on damage that had been dealt recently, but the new one returned to being a pure healing focus, while still keeping a strong presence in battle healing. It was more group oriented and included significant regeneration spells that affected her team over time. It gained bonuses when stacking healing spells of different types.

Sam raised his glass in a silent salute to the two of them as he wished them well. Their relationship looked like it was advancing well. Perhaps there would be a marriage in the future.

Lesat had come from humble origins, which might be a problem for Lenei’s family, but being at the Second Evolution instantly placed him in the upper tier of the kingdom. With the Moonlight Relic behind him, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

On the other side of the room, Krana and Ayala were near Helimar. Their class changes were also significant.

Krana had been an Earthen Prophet of War-Dwarven Smith, which was a subclass that formed a basis for her future crafting focus. Her Second Evolution was the moment of decision for her to specialize, and it looked like she’d made her choice.

Krana of the Silver Hammer. Oracle of Stone-Dwarven Armorsmith of the Earth. Level 200.

Her main class was a holistic upgrade to her Seer abilities, but her subclass was something else entirely. She had used some of that Earth mana she’d taken from the pool in the Abyssinian Plains so long ago to get her own sort of blessing and infuse her class choice.

Now, her Earth affinity had completely merged with her subclass, giving her the ability to craft Earth elements directly into her work. With practice, she would have exceptional skill, and every artifact would be more durable than usual and infused with natural Earth mana. The better ones could become artifacts.

Ayala was also made her class choice, and he nodded in recognition. It had taken her some work, but with all of the bonus experience from Flaws around here, she had caught up with the rest to make Level 200.

She had been an Earthweave Sorceress and Priestess of Law. She’d continued on a similar track, but all of her life experiences had added some fire to her Earth affinity.

Ayala Lirian. Sorceress of Molten Stone-Prioress of Law. Level 200.

Her class combined Earth and Fire now, clearly heading in the direction of a Lava affinity. She still had the same ability to summon golems and to send her spirit out in a golem form, but now they were lava golems.

Her attack spells were also more explosive and contained molten stone and eruptions like a volcano. She’d been a little soft before, but that had been polished away to reveal a new layer, one that came with a temper. She wasn’t planning to be pushed around again, nor to allow anyone to experiment on her father a second time.

It would serve her well if she ever had to deal with the Cabal in the future.

Her father was standing near her, and although he was subdued most of the time, there was a shine of pride in his eyes when he looked at her.

Everyone was advancing quickly.

The number of Flaws they were destroying was at least good for that. One day soon, if things continued on this route, they would reach the World Limit. Perhaps by then things would be different on Aster Fall.

As for the others in the room, Garild had also finally reached the Second Evolution. He’d been 184 when they all came to Highfold, and in that time Sam’s parents had gained around 150 levels compared to his 16.

He hadn’t closed as many Flaws, so he’d had fewer Marks to use during his Evolution, but he’d still advanced. His former class as an Aether Mage-Storm Knight had transformed.

Garild Morlan. High Mage of Aether-Storm Commander. Level 200.

He’d also decided to officially take up the position that Sam had suggested to him as the trade consultant between Highfold and the Kingdom of Aethra, overseeing the creation of new treaties and tariffs, now that the agreements that had been active for the last few hundred years had failed.

As this was the Ice Sylph’s territory, that placed him under Siwaha’s supervision, which was probably not what she wanted, but as always, the ancient shaman’s sense of duty would keep her from getting rid of him. He’d just have to expect an icy whack on the head if he got on her nerves.

That aside, he would probably be good at the job. He’d always been more interested in accumulating money and political favors than personal power. It was a strange way to gather influence when increasing his own strength would have done the same thing more quickly, but it would be useful if they all reached Level 399 one day.

“Everyone has earned high honors while I was asleep. I feel like I’ve neglected things.” As Sam pulled his attention away from all of the new changes, a humorous voice at his brought his attention back to an old friend, one he’d been spending much of the evening talking to as they caught up again.

He glanced at the Ice Sylph’s main class, which was different from the ones the rest of his people had.

Siwasir. Son of Living Ice-Grand Ranger of the Valley. Level 212.

“You’ve cleared a dozen Flaws on your own since you woke up,” Sam said as he shook his head, “and one of them was a Grand Flaw. You’re pushing yourself hard.”

Siwasir’s strength was far beyond what it had been before. His level was increasing by the day now that he was awake and he’d broken through to the Second Evolution even before Sam’s parents.

“I have to show that I am still the head of the hunting team,” Siwasir said with a quick grin that said he was pleased with his work. “Although I suppose it’s more like the Sylvan Scout Corps at this point. Our people are changing with the return of Winter, returning to what we once were, and our little village is growing quickly. I’ve let them down for too long by not being there.”

“They don’t think that way,” Sam said as he shook his head. He spoke with the hunting team whenever he was passing by and none of them blamed Siwasir for being injured. “You saved their lives and mine when you used the Tear. No one has forgotten, nor did anyone try to take your place.”

The two of them continued to chat about things that had happened over the past two years, as well as their plans for the future. As they spoke, Sam considered the changes that Siwasir had undergone.

Siwasir had given him good advice when he was younger and he’d been the one to name him the Horned Hunter of the Moons. His recovery from the battle with the blood elemental and his use of the Tear had taken almost two years, but thanks to the power of that artifact, it hadn’t taken him long to catch back up.

His old class had been as an Ice Spirit with a Ranger subclass. That had changed after he used the Tear of the Mother. Now, he was a Son of Living Ice. The class was a powerful one with a mix of Ice magic, combat spells, and widespread elemental magic that could affect the area.

He was capable of calling an ice storm to cover an entire region, as well as banishing the cold to bring warmer weather that was hospitable to growing things. In some ways, his class was like a miniature version of the Ice Sylphs’ valley.

His class was infused with the concepts of Life and Ice that had been in the Tear, while his subclass had evolved into a stronger Ranger version that was unique to the valley.

What he would be in time was unclear, but it would be powerful. Surviving the change had been the hardest part for him, since he used the Tear at too low of a level, but there was a silver lining to it, since it gave him a much stronger base than before.

His Evolutions would benefit from that, with each of them able to reach for a higher goal.

The Tear of the Mother was not a normal artifact. It had been crafted by someone beyond Aster Fall’s current World Limit who was probably at the Fifth Evolution or even the Sixth.

One day, Sam planned to find out exactly who the Ice Sylphs’ mother goddess was. It would answer one of the more important questions he had about the world’s history. She had played a large role in one of the Breakings, but outside of the Ice Sylphs’ history, he’d never heard anything about her.

He had asked the World Core about it, but to no result. The core recorded all the information related to Aster Fall by default, but some sections of it had been damaged during attacks. The scar on its surface wasn’t for show. Whatever information it had once held about the Ice Sylphs’ goddess, it was only scattered bits now.

That did suggest she wasn’t a regular presence on Aster Fall, but rather someone who had only visited once or twice. Otherwise, information on her would have been woven into more of the world’s history.

“Speaking of changes, what is happening with the Gate of Winter?” Sam asked as the memory of the gate’s movement earlier in the evening came back to him. “It seems to be opening.”

“You can sense it?” Siwasir’s expression turned grave, but it was a seriousness that came from a sense of tradition rather than danger. “I should leave it to my mother to explain in more detail, since she is the voice of our history, but I will tell you what I know. All I am sure of is that our ancestors are awakening. I do not know who has slept through the ages or what will come through the gate, but it will open soon, perhaps within a day or two. The gate is calling them home.”

“Let Winter come,” Sam murmured as he fell into deep thought. Those were Siwaha’s words when she opened the gate and now they returned to him. She’d said that any remaining outposts across the Ice Sylph’s territory would awaken, as would anyone still sleeping in them.

When the sylvan army had been known as the Legions of Ice, they had covered a large expanse of land that included the current Kingdom of Aethra as well as many nearby domains. Now that the core mana of their enchantments was flowing again and linking their territory together, the changes would come quickly.

It looked like new allies might arrive soon.

There was a faint sense of ancient snow drifting in the air above the valley even now. He could feel it swirling around the peak of Sun’s Rest and brushing against the edges of the relic’s magic. It felt old and fierce, like jagged ice that had been shaken free.

The memory of the Winter transformation that Siwaha had brought to his parents and all the Ice Sylphs while defending the valley was a remnant of the Legions, a magic they’d used for battle. To those who were coming through the gate, that magic would be as natural to them as breathing.

Perhaps they would be here in time for the conclave. With his current abilities and Siwaha to look after them, he was only a little concerned about the damage they might cause unintentionally, but he couldn’t dismiss a certain doubt.

On a more personal level, he was looking forward to seeing the Ice Sylphs’ past come to life. The valley could always do with more defenders and their fierceness would be needed. He raised his drink to clink it against Siwasir’s in a silent salute.

The rest of the evening turned into a friendly burble of conversation and drinks, and for the first time in many years, Sam felt himself relaxing into the flow of a good party.