World Seal, Ch 33: Aster Fall Rises (Patreon)

“You will be the Army of Aster Fall.” Sam’s words rang out across the kneeling crowd, the astral energy in them mixing with the power of the World Core that was crackling through the hall.

Then his eyes settled on the black sword in Uncle Snake’s hand.

“Raise your blade,” he commanded, “or another weapon you use.”

Blades appeared across the hall as people pulled them from storage devices and sheaths. Some people summoned them instead, creating them from stone, fire, water, wind, or metal, as well as a dozen other elements, from lightning to shadow.

Besides blades of all sizes, there were staves, halberds, daggers, bows, gloves, and more.

Sam nodded, and then he raised his hand.

Silver stars appeared across the hall, burning within flames that spread in every direction. At the same time, a river of silver astral quintessence appeared in the air and began to curl through the hall.

His avatars had some quintessence left from the battle in the World Seal, and they were all sending it here.

It would be enough for this, even with nearly 15,000 weapons on display.

His other avatars that were available appeared around the hall, standing invisibly in the Void. Their attention was fixed on the enchantment he was crafting as they lent their power to the task.

The silver flames of his aura wrapped around the weapons and sank into them, refining them all in a massive wave of power. Even with his attributes, it was difficult to do so many at once, but he split the task up among his avatars, so that each one handled a section of the hall.

It didn’t take long to refine all of the weapons.

Most of them were already enchanted, but they were far from his standards, so he quickly remodeled them all. As he worked, Stellar Infusion filled his aura, mixing with the river of astral quintessence as he rebuilt the weapons from the ground up.

He added a core runic structure to every weapon that would allow them to gain power on their own and develop with their wielder.

For those that were summoned or spiritual weapons, he imprinted the enchantment on the ability of the wielder instead, fusing them together so that they would have the same effect.

Then he went back and created a soul bond for all the weapons, making it possible for them to repair themselves as long as the wielder wasn’t dead.

Astral quintessence followed his flames as each weapon was refined, flowing into the enchantments and leaving an array of tiny silver runes across the surface that shimmered in the night.

They shifted as the light fell on them, drawing the eye inward until it felt like they were opening onto a new and endless Void within.

With a nudge from Sam, the World Core’s voice announced the result, pressing down on the hall with a heavy authority.

A Legendary Blessing of Silver Stars has been imbued into your weapons.

They have been infused with the High Artificer’s law and will grow in power as you wield them against enemies of Aster Fall.

The oath you took will be known as the Oath to Aster Fall, and these weapons will be known as your Oathblades.

They are a gift of power from the High Artificer to you as a symbol of your loyalty. If you break your oath, your Oathblade will shatter.

Wield them well.

The words faded away with a final wave of thunder across the hall. When they disappeared, they took the lightning from the Oath with them, leaving the peak in silence.

Sam looked out at everyone, even as they stared at the artifacts in their hands. The blessing had taken a lot out of him, mostly from working on so many things, but he didn’t show it.

“The blessing is new,” he explained, “but your oathblades will develop into powerful artifacts over time, ones with their own unique abilities that complement your class. When you fight by my side, the blessing will grow even stronger, as will you.”

This was the first time he’d used Stellar Infusion, and it had given him a lot to think about.

It also let him familiarize himself with the ability.

Now he was confident in applying it more precisely to his constructs and other artifacts, including Silverguard itself.

His attention settled on Uncle Snake again, and he reached out a hand as he pulled him to his feet.

“Uncle Snake, you are the creator of this oath and have many times proven your loyalty to Aster Fall. You lead by example, and so you will be the general of this army,” he announced. “For that, you need a mark of your rank.”

He raised his hand and sent a swirl of silver runes around the assassin that sank into his clothing and the light leather armor he was wearing.

He poured a lot of attention into Uncle Snake’s armor, swiftly tearing apart its current enchantments and then rebuilding them in a better style.

It had only been Second Evolution work, which showed just how rare Third Evolution enchanters were on Aster Fall, as well as how much they charged. Letting his general wear something like that would be embarrassing.

When he was done, Uncle Snake’s armor shone with dark depths and a swirl of starlight flowed through the interior, shifting here and there into the form of powerful runes.

At a glance, the armor looked like ebony scattered with stardust.

After that, he placed a silver star that burned with endless astral light on each of Uncle Snake’s shoulders, fusing them into his armor and adding an enchantment to give Uncle Snake control of whether or not they were visible.

He was still an assassin.

He didn’t need to shine in the dark all the time.

Then he sent another wave of runes to the oathblade in Uncle Snake’s hand, upgrading it even further. Most of the weapons would take a while to come into their own, but even when they did, he made sure that this one would always outclass them.

It would have a sentient artifact spirit to act as Uncle Snake’s assistant in managing the army, one that would wake up shortly.

It would also have an innate connection to the World Core so that it could act as a conduit for key information for the army.

All of the oathblades had the innate ability to create formations and link together into a communication network, but this one would be in charge of them all.

The color of the blade deepened until it was like looking into the Void, and then he added another silver star on each side of the crossguard, giving Uncle Snake the same control over it.

He explained the changes briefly to Uncle Snake and then he turned to look over the crowd.

There were still thousands who hadn’t taken the oath and they looked embarrassed for a moment, but then their expressions hardened as they looked away. Some scoffed and others seemed indifferent.

He looked at them as he spoke.

“Those who wish to join the Army of Aster Fall in the future will be able to do so. You will have to take the same Oath to Aster Fall. I will set an enchantment on this peak to grant you an oathblade in the same way.”

Then he looked back to the newly-formed army.

“The people of Aster Fall have always been strong, but today I am especially proud of you. You have survived endless ages of war and been refined by battle. In the future, you will become even more.

“Now it is time to rise and seize the future you want to see, to make the world a place where all can live and flourish. For your families, for your children, and for yourself.”

He paused, letting all eyes fix on him.

“Aster Fall Rises.”

The words rolled out on a wave of power, crackling with silver fury.

“Aster Fall Rises!” The shout of agreement came from Uncle Snake, and it was followed by fifteen thousand more voices as they joined in.

The wave of sound swept over the peak and down through the valley, and then far out across the Western Reaches.

In the light of a new dawn, the mountains thundered.

When the sound eventually passed, the hall was silent as the crowd looked at each other, identifying who had joined the army and who had not.

They quickly assembled into two groups, a large one for the army and a smaller one that was about a third of the size for the auction.

A large number of the Cabal and Boundless Alliance were in the smaller group, but not all of them.

As the new army inspected their oathblades and began to crowd around Uncle Snake, Sam held a brief but silent discussion with the assassin and helped him to single out some individuals with respectable backgrounds to act as his commanders.

Then he returned to his seat on the dais and gestured for Aldric and Jesai to continue the auction.

The two of them had not stepped forward to join the army. He would have been surprised if they had.

While they slowly began to gather attention and sell off more slots to escape the World Limit, he turned his attention to the center of the hall and the enchantment he’d promised.

Shortly, a column of dark stone rose from the center of the hall. It swiftly turned into a gleaming table held up on two sides by stone pillars.

The surface of the table was dark black and nearly translucent, with swirling depths inside that pulled the viewer’s gaze like they were . It gleamed with lines of silver energy that crackled across the surface.

He analyzed it when it was complete.

Altar of Oaths.

[Forged by the High Artificer for the Army of Aster Fall, the Altar of Oaths witnesses a soldier’s oath to protect the world. When the oath is complete, it harnesses natural energy and creates an Oathblade for the new soldier.

The altar also has the ability to appoint ranks and commanders for the Army of Aster Fall, to create badges, and to establish communication links between the Oathblades or other artifacts. If no commander is available, it holds instructions on how to reform the army and can assist with the task.

The Altar of Oaths is innately linked to the three moons of Aster Fall. Weapons placed on the altar have a chance to receive a blessing of moonlight, especially if the moons are full.]

Sam studied the altar and then he nodded to Uncle Snake, who was speaking with his new commanders as they began planning an invasion of the World Seal.

A smile crossed his lips as he held a silent conversation with the new general, advising him on the areas inside the World Seal, the closest realms, and more.

For the first time in recorded history, the people of Aster Fall would take the war into the Seal, a place where only Outsiders had dwelled until now.

The army had surprised him, but only a little.

The people of Aster Fall were noble. They just needed to see the way.

Thanks to Uncle Snake, now they had.

The assassin was the best of them and now he had a position where he could focus on his desire to protect the world.

More than that, the army counted as his personal followers. As long as he sent an avatar along with them, they would benefit from his Blessing of Silver Stars and receive an enormous improvement in strength.

Regular allies would receive 20% of his Charisma, but personal followers would receive 30%, as well as the upgrade of one tier to all skills and abilities, and the joint attack and defense formations.

It would be enough to turn them into terrors on the battlefield.

The energy for the blessing was similar to a domain. The force of his Charisma drew on natural laws to make them stronger. That was why it was limited to his aura.

When Uncle Snake chose his initial commanders and organized everyone into ranks, he looked out across the army and spoke.

“We have always wanted to close the Flaws once and for all, and to stop the invasion of our world.” His words rang out across the hall, full of grim determination. “To fight the Outsiders and finish them once and for all!

“Now we have that opportunity!” he shouted. “With the High Artificer to guide us, we will enter the World Seal. We will take the war to them! And if we are successful, the war will end with us!”

A roar of approval came from the army, rising up in shouts of agreement. They were a grim lot, near the top of the world’s forces, old and weathered, but Uncle Snake’s words resonated with their hearts.

One and all, they had fought many wars before, but this time it was different.

They finally had an opportunity to do what they’d always wanted, to be active in the battle, rather than waiting for a Flaw to open.

Now there would be no retreat for the enemy, no escape into a Flaw that would close and hide them away, where they could skulk about and return another day. They would finally be able to fight to their heart’s content and tear through the enemy until nothing was left.

And if they had the chance to cross through the Nexus and fight on the other side, they would seize that too.

“Let the First War end with us,” Uncle Snake shouted. “Aster Fall will no longer suffer invasions and Breakings! Our children will no longer die to terrors in the night! We will forge this world anew and begin the rise of Aster Fall!”

The roar of the army grew even louder, shaking the mountain peak. Those who hadn’t joined looked disturbed, as well as a bit guilty, but they hid their expressions quickly as they backed away, making the gulf between the two sides even larger.

“If we repair the World Seal and free Asenya, then Aster Fall is sure to rise,” Sam said approvingly. “The World Core is a legendary artifact that helps with Evolutions up to the Sixth, something nearly impossible to find in the galaxy. The future will be long and promising.”

His words turned unyielding, shaking the hall with greater force than the shouts of the entire army had done, and at the same time carrying with them a sense of vast possibility.

“But first, we must get there, and that begins with destroying the forces inside the Seal and rescuing Asenya!”

The army raised their blades as they shouted in approval. Over and over again, their voices blended with his.

Silver stars burned across the sky as Sam grinned at them, his heart surging in his chest.

Aster Fall Rises.

The words were a whisper in his mind, one that sprang unbidden, full of promise and new potential.

From today, the world would change.

They would make it.