Battlefield reclaimer, p.21
Battlefield Reclaimer, page 21
The woman scoffed, as her hands also sped up and flicked new runes into the formation, helping to bring the sphere under control.
"What can the World Core do to us here? We're already inside its prison."
"It's true that the Astral Guardians can't come here," the man agreed, "but it's unfortunate that we were noticed so quickly.... I wonder how that happened."
"There are Outsider ruins all over Aster Fall by this point. You know how many times we've tried to establish a base there. Maybe one of them caught its attention and it scanned itself."
"It's possible, but..." The man frowned. He didn't find that reason to be particularly compelling. "Let me check something."
His hands flickered again, and the sphere changed shape, flattening until was similar to a mirror. Runes flared on the surface, as his slit-pupiled eyes stared into it.
"...Ahh." The man was silent for a moment before he spoke. "I was able to access some of its recent activity. It seems our tampering has caused the World Core to give out inaccurate classes, with Evolution paths that are not standard for Aster Fall.... Very few of them are even possible to train there."
"Why does that matter?" The woman waved her hand through the air. She was focused on the sphere and on her intent to escape. These minor issues didn't interest her at all. "Does it have something to do with us?"
The man waved his hand and the sphere returned to its shape, before he looked across it and into her eyes. There was an unaccustomed emotion on his face that she couldn't pinpoint.
"A World Forger has been born." His voice was solemn as he answered. "It's not to that Evolution yet, but it has stepped onto a possible path."
"What...!" The woman's shock spoke volumes as he finally got her attention. "That's the class that created the Seal. How could it have been born on Aster Fall?"
The man was silent again, his hands folding back into his sleeves as he stared at the sphere and then towards her. Finally, he spoke.
"Because we created it."
Battlefield Reclaimer 20: A Threat to the Seal
Hours lost their meaning and days were an obscure cloud in his memory. Sam tried to look around, but he couldn't move. Or perhaps...there was nothing to move. He couldn't tell where he was.
...
Where was his dad?
Was he alright?
...
How long had he been here?
...
His questions floated around him, spreading outward in the midst of nothing...the single sign that he was still alive. He couldn't tell if he had been here for an instant or an entire lifetime.
His thoughts began to run together, one after the other, as they became tangled. There were no references for him to use, nothing to stop the confusion that was spinning through his mind.
Then, at some point, it began to change. Reality turned flat and distorted, cracking at the edges as starlight poured in.
It was a strange light, beautiful and serene, but deadly at the same time as if it existed in a universe that was so perfect it would cut you like a blade.
There was no more tunnel, no more dead marauder on the ground. There were only the stars stretching in front of him. He felt the weight of a gaze on him that seemed to see through his secrets, riffling through his memories, hopes, and dreams.
It saw his father and the threat that he had made. Had that been just now or a long time ago?
Then there was a light sigh. The weight of attention lifted off of him, becoming something that allowed him to breathe.
He hadn't realized until it did that he had been frozen under the force of that gaze, his existence...compressed until even his thoughts were unable to move. The presence seemed to weigh something, evaluating him, before it spoke.
"You're in quite a bit of trouble, Sam Hastern."
It wasn’t clear if it was a man or a woman, or something else entirely. The voice had the sound of stars humming in their spheres, the musical cadence of the universe chiming in tune with it.
"Thank you for the compliment, but it’s just a filter to keep your mind from disintegrating. The power difference is too great for you to comprehend what I really am. I can't stay here for long or it will disrupt the seal, so let's move on to more important things.
"I know you don't understand all of what's going on, so I will make it simple. I’m going to explain something and offer you a choice.
"And you can speak. I’ll hear you."
"What do you mean by a choice?" Sam asked automatically as his thoughts stuck back together and his mind started working again. "Can you help my father?"
He had no idea what was going on. Had the World Law started speaking to him? What was the...guardian...it had mentioned?
He was going to a prison? Why...for being angry at the World Law? He pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he focused on the only thing that he wanted.
Where was his father? The tunnel was gone. Where was he standing and why did it look like stars?
It reminded him of the trip he'd taken out past the edge of Aster Fall's world barrier when the ruins had tried to teleport him.
Were Outsiders here again?
"Please stop that," the starry voice said, with the sound of suns humming as they spun. "You will have to gather your thoughts and be more precise. While I can read your mind, your thoughts are scattered and you are making it difficult.
"As for your father, he is the same as how you left him. Time is frozen here. More specifically, we are speaking much faster than the flow of time in Aster Fall. I wouldn't be able to visit here without that.... spending too much time here would disrupt the seal. As it is, I am acting through several filters and with the assistance of the World Core.
"...Let me try again. Reading your thoughts is making me almost as chaotic as you.
"I'll put it this way.... You, Sam Hastern, are in a unique position to cause trouble. So, I will give you a choice, but I need to tell you a little bit of what's going on first, so that you can make an informed decision.
"If you can stop time...can you also help my dad?" Sam focused on a narrow thread of hope as he asked again. He heard what the voice was saying, but there were parts he didn't understand.
What was this about a seal? It sounded like it was much too big to be related to him.
The voice sighed.
"Sam, listen to me. You have been classified as a threat to Aster Fall. Your unique race and that...class...you have, are a flaw in the seal. In your words, just think of that as the entire world of Aster Fall.
"The World Law noticed the threat from you at the same time as it recorded activity from somewhere else. I can't trace what that activity is yet, but something is tampering with the seal. That tampering is why you have a class that didn't work...until now.
"Your race is not what it is supposed to be. You're not really an Outsider, but you're also not human any more. You have gained some of their ability to manipulate essence directly, which has merged with your class to create a problem for Aster Fall.
"A threat like that is a very bad thing for our star system, and it's why the artifact spirit, the World Law, is paying attention to you. It couldn't handle that on its own, so it called me. Doing so took more resources than you could imagine in your wildest dreams. That's how important this is.
"Do you understand so far?"
"Not really," Sam admitted honestly. He was in shock from the quick shift away from the tunnels and wasn't processing everything. All he really understood was that he’d gotten in trouble for yelling at the World Law and now some...part of it...was talking to him.
The time when he'd been stuck in nothing was already fading from his mind. So, he focused on what mattered the most.
This...voice said that his father was still in the same shape...and when he'd left, his dad was still alive.
But if the World Law wanted to talk to him and if it was offering him a chance to help his father, then he would definitely listen to it.
"I can see you won't pay attention to anything else, so let's talk about that first. It is possible that I can help your father, but I can't heal him directly. If you make the right choice, I'll do what I can, okay?"
"Okay," Sam agreed instantly, as hope blossomed in his heart. "What choice do I have to make then? Just tell me what it is and I'll take care of it."
A sense of relief surged through him at the idea that it was possible to heal his dad. He hadn't messed up too badly. He missed part of what the voice was saying until it called him back to the present.
"Listen closely, Sam. I came here to fight you and then to put you in a very nasty prison. A threat to the seal is not something that I can allow.
"The only reason I am speaking to you is because I was curious how someone as weak as you could have disturbed the seal, so I read your memories. I understand your situation better than you do."
"Just tell me what you need me to do." Whatever the price was, he would pay it.
He couldn't imagine a world without his father in it. It wouldn't be Aster Fall anymore. He should have listened to him and stayed in the cave.
"I cannot tell you what to choose. It has to be of your own free will. Now, listen, you are at a crux in your life, which can go in two directions.
"In one direction, you stay on your current path and become a threat to Aster Fall. Your power grows and you eventually break the seal. That is the future I cannot allow.
"However, imprisoning you in the seal is the same as executing you, so I’ll offer you another choice...a temporary stay of your execution.
"You are born of Aster Fall and are part of the seal. Your existence does not disturb its equilibrium. At the same time, you are a flaw in the system.
"You should not have access to the class or the abilities that you do. Together, they represent a significant threat to Aster Fall if you use them incorrectly. If you use them correctly, however, you could be a great help.
"That is why you are in a unique position and why I am speaking with you.
"What are the choices?" Sam asked, as a frown ran across his face. He had no idea what was being asked of him.
How could he possibly be a threat to the world?
The World Law...a seal...Aster Fall.... He understood some of those things, but this was more complicated than he was ready to deal with. He really just wanted the voice to hurry up and heal his father.
"I'm almost out of time. Here are your choices, as simply as I can lay them out. My apologies for being blunt, but...work for me or you will die."
It was said in such a way that he felt no animosity from the Guardian. It was just something that was going to happen.
"I'll work for you then," Sam agreed. It wasn't much of a choice. "And you'll heal my dad?"
"I'll definitely do what I can," the voice agreed. "There are a few final things you need to know.
"By choosing to live, you will give up some of your freedom. In return, I will allow you to stay on Aster Fall. You will dedicate your life to protecting the seal here and preventing Outsider intrusion. You will be...my servant, basically, doing what I can't."
That sounded almost too good to be true. Sam didn’t mind if he had to work for this voice, or if he had to give up some freedom. As long as it could help heal his father, it was a fair price.
"I agree."
"Let me finish.... Choosing to live means putting aside all your defiance and hatred for the World Law and becoming its protector. Aster Fall is an incredibly important and delicate world. Maybe one day you will understand just how much. I cannot allow it to be harmed.
"The catch is that doing this will change nothing about your Defiant trait, it won’t change how Authorities of the Law see you, and it won’t change your race back to human. I don't have the ability to reverse what the World Law has done with you. Basically, you will be taking on a thankless job, guarding a world that still won’t like you.
"You need to grow much, much stronger, if you want to live up to the task. If you fail in that, you will inevitably end up in the prison. If you fail in an even worse way and the seal is breached, your father and everyone else on this world will die.
"Wait...how?" He was getting confused now. How could the whole world be destroyed? He didn't really understand what the seal was all about yet. It was...part of Aster Fall?
"Sam...we're out of time. I'll engrave all of this into a contract and bind it to you. It will not force you to do anything. It will only relay information. You'll have plenty of time to study it later. Remember this: just as you have the potential to break the seal, you also have the potential to repair it.
"If the seal breaks, the world will go with it. That is what I need you to do. Work on Aster Fall to repair problems in the seal from within. Now, do you understand?"
"I agree."
If he had to protect the world, that was fine. His family was on it and his father would be alive. He wasn't going to let anything touch them.
If he couldn't blame the World Law, well...wasn't the World Law sort of helping him right now? After that part about throwing him in prison, at least. He had just said he would do anything.... He would protect it if he had to.
"Very well. Let’s set our contract."
A portion of the starry area around Sam seemed to rotate, pressing down onto him like a vast weight. A thousand colors flowed together and concentrated into a brilliant, sparkling point.
The symbol of a nine-pointed star took shape in the air, before it settled onto the back of Sam's right hand.
"That is the symbol of the contract. You will find the conditions listed when you touch it. It will notify you of problems to fix from inside the seal, like the alert the World Law put out when it noticed you. If you ignore it, you will place your family and the entire world in danger.
"Now, for my side of the bargain.... A choice for your father and a sub-class for you. You will need it to protect yourself and carry out your task. You proved it in battle just now, and it's something else you were willing to break the World Law over, so I'll include it as part of your...
"Reformation, let's call it, why don't we?"
The stars swept away, crossing in front of Sam’s vision in a blur, as the world changed, returning him to the tunnels.
---
"I wanted...to make sure...you...got home." Jeric’s hand rested on top of his son’s shoulder, as he felt a crushing pain in his chest that made it difficult to say anything else. He heard his son calling to him, but the world was fading out.
Then time began to flow strangely, like a thread stretching into the distance...farther and farther as it pulled toward the edge of the universe.
Sometime, in the midst of that flow, a thread of starlight touched his head, and a voice spoke. It echoed strangely.
"Jeric Hastern, do you swear to protect Aster Fall from outside forces, even if you are never recognized for your work? If so, I will help you."
"Can you help...my son...get home?" Jeric mumbled in response. Somehow, despite the pain in his chest, his mind was clear again. He forced out the words past a bubble of blood.
"No. But you will become stronger and can protect him. The price is that you will have to give up much of who you are."
"I accept," Jeric said at once, his agreement clear. If he could keep going and protect Sam, he would. The rest of it wasn't important, as long as they got home. "Do it!"
"Very well. Brace yourself. You are about to lose all of your accumulated experience, skills, and professions. Your class will be removed and replaced with another."
Time hung still for an instant.
A surge of boiling pain hit Jeric like a star had been born in his stomach, flaring through his body as it spread down his meridians, through his arms and legs, into his eyes, and out to every corner of his existence.
He had enough accumulated experience that he could have made it to level 32 if he’d ever been able to unlock his class. He also had many professions and proficiencies that he’d gathered over the last fifty years.
All of that strength was suddenly ripped out of him in a surge of pain that was greater than anything he’d ever felt. A large part of his existence, the value of all those years, was burned away, converting to pure energy as it flowed out of him.
He felt his stats and levels falling away, as if he’d never had his Class Day. A wave of extreme weakness flowed through him, so intense that he couldn't even speak.
As the energy boiled away, he could feel a little bit of it being used to seal the wounds in his body, stopping the bleeding and reinflating his lung, but it didn’t fully heal him.
"I need you to touch that corpse next to you."
Jeric’s hand somehow fumbled out, falling against the marauder corpse that was lying in the middle of the tunnel. A notification chimed into his awareness.
Congratulations, Defiant! You have unlocked a rare class!
Henceforth, you are an Earthen Marauder!
Initial Class Quest: Consume 100 points of Earth mana to empower your body and class abilities.
"Take the experience from the corpse too," the voice advised. "It will partially make up for what you lost, but at best it will be a quarter of what you had."
Just before the voice faded, there was a quiet phrase, although neither Jeric nor Sam heard it.
"...Like father, like son."
Battlefield Reclaimer 21: Not Dead Yet
When the world reformed around Sam, he was still kneeling in front of his father. He blinked as his eyes refocused. His father’s hand was still on his shoulder. Jeric’s other hand had fallen on the gnome marauder to the side.
"Dad!" he called out, as he leaned forward, inspecting his father for wounds. Sam didn’t know if the voice he’d just heard was real or not, but it had said it would heal his father. Well, that it would do what it could.
He didn't know what the threat to the seal was all about or how he could possibly be one, but the Guardian's words hung in his mind. What was going on and how could his class be such a problem?
He was still confused by it all. He'd gotten in trouble for threatening the World Law, but it seemed like it had worked out. What had the Guardian meant when it said someone was tampering with the World Law? He shook the questions out of his mind as he focused on his father.
"What can the World Core do to us here? We're already inside its prison."
"It's true that the Astral Guardians can't come here," the man agreed, "but it's unfortunate that we were noticed so quickly.... I wonder how that happened."
"There are Outsider ruins all over Aster Fall by this point. You know how many times we've tried to establish a base there. Maybe one of them caught its attention and it scanned itself."
"It's possible, but..." The man frowned. He didn't find that reason to be particularly compelling. "Let me check something."
His hands flickered again, and the sphere changed shape, flattening until was similar to a mirror. Runes flared on the surface, as his slit-pupiled eyes stared into it.
"...Ahh." The man was silent for a moment before he spoke. "I was able to access some of its recent activity. It seems our tampering has caused the World Core to give out inaccurate classes, with Evolution paths that are not standard for Aster Fall.... Very few of them are even possible to train there."
"Why does that matter?" The woman waved her hand through the air. She was focused on the sphere and on her intent to escape. These minor issues didn't interest her at all. "Does it have something to do with us?"
The man waved his hand and the sphere returned to its shape, before he looked across it and into her eyes. There was an unaccustomed emotion on his face that she couldn't pinpoint.
"A World Forger has been born." His voice was solemn as he answered. "It's not to that Evolution yet, but it has stepped onto a possible path."
"What...!" The woman's shock spoke volumes as he finally got her attention. "That's the class that created the Seal. How could it have been born on Aster Fall?"
The man was silent again, his hands folding back into his sleeves as he stared at the sphere and then towards her. Finally, he spoke.
"Because we created it."
Battlefield Reclaimer 20: A Threat to the Seal
Hours lost their meaning and days were an obscure cloud in his memory. Sam tried to look around, but he couldn't move. Or perhaps...there was nothing to move. He couldn't tell where he was.
...
Where was his dad?
Was he alright?
...
How long had he been here?
...
His questions floated around him, spreading outward in the midst of nothing...the single sign that he was still alive. He couldn't tell if he had been here for an instant or an entire lifetime.
His thoughts began to run together, one after the other, as they became tangled. There were no references for him to use, nothing to stop the confusion that was spinning through his mind.
Then, at some point, it began to change. Reality turned flat and distorted, cracking at the edges as starlight poured in.
It was a strange light, beautiful and serene, but deadly at the same time as if it existed in a universe that was so perfect it would cut you like a blade.
There was no more tunnel, no more dead marauder on the ground. There were only the stars stretching in front of him. He felt the weight of a gaze on him that seemed to see through his secrets, riffling through his memories, hopes, and dreams.
It saw his father and the threat that he had made. Had that been just now or a long time ago?
Then there was a light sigh. The weight of attention lifted off of him, becoming something that allowed him to breathe.
He hadn't realized until it did that he had been frozen under the force of that gaze, his existence...compressed until even his thoughts were unable to move. The presence seemed to weigh something, evaluating him, before it spoke.
"You're in quite a bit of trouble, Sam Hastern."
It wasn’t clear if it was a man or a woman, or something else entirely. The voice had the sound of stars humming in their spheres, the musical cadence of the universe chiming in tune with it.
"Thank you for the compliment, but it’s just a filter to keep your mind from disintegrating. The power difference is too great for you to comprehend what I really am. I can't stay here for long or it will disrupt the seal, so let's move on to more important things.
"I know you don't understand all of what's going on, so I will make it simple. I’m going to explain something and offer you a choice.
"And you can speak. I’ll hear you."
"What do you mean by a choice?" Sam asked automatically as his thoughts stuck back together and his mind started working again. "Can you help my father?"
He had no idea what was going on. Had the World Law started speaking to him? What was the...guardian...it had mentioned?
He was going to a prison? Why...for being angry at the World Law? He pushed those thoughts out of his mind as he focused on the only thing that he wanted.
Where was his father? The tunnel was gone. Where was he standing and why did it look like stars?
It reminded him of the trip he'd taken out past the edge of Aster Fall's world barrier when the ruins had tried to teleport him.
Were Outsiders here again?
"Please stop that," the starry voice said, with the sound of suns humming as they spun. "You will have to gather your thoughts and be more precise. While I can read your mind, your thoughts are scattered and you are making it difficult.
"As for your father, he is the same as how you left him. Time is frozen here. More specifically, we are speaking much faster than the flow of time in Aster Fall. I wouldn't be able to visit here without that.... spending too much time here would disrupt the seal. As it is, I am acting through several filters and with the assistance of the World Core.
"...Let me try again. Reading your thoughts is making me almost as chaotic as you.
"I'll put it this way.... You, Sam Hastern, are in a unique position to cause trouble. So, I will give you a choice, but I need to tell you a little bit of what's going on first, so that you can make an informed decision.
"If you can stop time...can you also help my dad?" Sam focused on a narrow thread of hope as he asked again. He heard what the voice was saying, but there were parts he didn't understand.
What was this about a seal? It sounded like it was much too big to be related to him.
The voice sighed.
"Sam, listen to me. You have been classified as a threat to Aster Fall. Your unique race and that...class...you have, are a flaw in the seal. In your words, just think of that as the entire world of Aster Fall.
"The World Law noticed the threat from you at the same time as it recorded activity from somewhere else. I can't trace what that activity is yet, but something is tampering with the seal. That tampering is why you have a class that didn't work...until now.
"Your race is not what it is supposed to be. You're not really an Outsider, but you're also not human any more. You have gained some of their ability to manipulate essence directly, which has merged with your class to create a problem for Aster Fall.
"A threat like that is a very bad thing for our star system, and it's why the artifact spirit, the World Law, is paying attention to you. It couldn't handle that on its own, so it called me. Doing so took more resources than you could imagine in your wildest dreams. That's how important this is.
"Do you understand so far?"
"Not really," Sam admitted honestly. He was in shock from the quick shift away from the tunnels and wasn't processing everything. All he really understood was that he’d gotten in trouble for yelling at the World Law and now some...part of it...was talking to him.
The time when he'd been stuck in nothing was already fading from his mind. So, he focused on what mattered the most.
This...voice said that his father was still in the same shape...and when he'd left, his dad was still alive.
But if the World Law wanted to talk to him and if it was offering him a chance to help his father, then he would definitely listen to it.
"I can see you won't pay attention to anything else, so let's talk about that first. It is possible that I can help your father, but I can't heal him directly. If you make the right choice, I'll do what I can, okay?"
"Okay," Sam agreed instantly, as hope blossomed in his heart. "What choice do I have to make then? Just tell me what it is and I'll take care of it."
A sense of relief surged through him at the idea that it was possible to heal his dad. He hadn't messed up too badly. He missed part of what the voice was saying until it called him back to the present.
"Listen closely, Sam. I came here to fight you and then to put you in a very nasty prison. A threat to the seal is not something that I can allow.
"The only reason I am speaking to you is because I was curious how someone as weak as you could have disturbed the seal, so I read your memories. I understand your situation better than you do."
"Just tell me what you need me to do." Whatever the price was, he would pay it.
He couldn't imagine a world without his father in it. It wouldn't be Aster Fall anymore. He should have listened to him and stayed in the cave.
"I cannot tell you what to choose. It has to be of your own free will. Now, listen, you are at a crux in your life, which can go in two directions.
"In one direction, you stay on your current path and become a threat to Aster Fall. Your power grows and you eventually break the seal. That is the future I cannot allow.
"However, imprisoning you in the seal is the same as executing you, so I’ll offer you another choice...a temporary stay of your execution.
"You are born of Aster Fall and are part of the seal. Your existence does not disturb its equilibrium. At the same time, you are a flaw in the system.
"You should not have access to the class or the abilities that you do. Together, they represent a significant threat to Aster Fall if you use them incorrectly. If you use them correctly, however, you could be a great help.
"That is why you are in a unique position and why I am speaking with you.
"What are the choices?" Sam asked, as a frown ran across his face. He had no idea what was being asked of him.
How could he possibly be a threat to the world?
The World Law...a seal...Aster Fall.... He understood some of those things, but this was more complicated than he was ready to deal with. He really just wanted the voice to hurry up and heal his father.
"I'm almost out of time. Here are your choices, as simply as I can lay them out. My apologies for being blunt, but...work for me or you will die."
It was said in such a way that he felt no animosity from the Guardian. It was just something that was going to happen.
"I'll work for you then," Sam agreed. It wasn't much of a choice. "And you'll heal my dad?"
"I'll definitely do what I can," the voice agreed. "There are a few final things you need to know.
"By choosing to live, you will give up some of your freedom. In return, I will allow you to stay on Aster Fall. You will dedicate your life to protecting the seal here and preventing Outsider intrusion. You will be...my servant, basically, doing what I can't."
That sounded almost too good to be true. Sam didn’t mind if he had to work for this voice, or if he had to give up some freedom. As long as it could help heal his father, it was a fair price.
"I agree."
"Let me finish.... Choosing to live means putting aside all your defiance and hatred for the World Law and becoming its protector. Aster Fall is an incredibly important and delicate world. Maybe one day you will understand just how much. I cannot allow it to be harmed.
"The catch is that doing this will change nothing about your Defiant trait, it won’t change how Authorities of the Law see you, and it won’t change your race back to human. I don't have the ability to reverse what the World Law has done with you. Basically, you will be taking on a thankless job, guarding a world that still won’t like you.
"You need to grow much, much stronger, if you want to live up to the task. If you fail in that, you will inevitably end up in the prison. If you fail in an even worse way and the seal is breached, your father and everyone else on this world will die.
"Wait...how?" He was getting confused now. How could the whole world be destroyed? He didn't really understand what the seal was all about yet. It was...part of Aster Fall?
"Sam...we're out of time. I'll engrave all of this into a contract and bind it to you. It will not force you to do anything. It will only relay information. You'll have plenty of time to study it later. Remember this: just as you have the potential to break the seal, you also have the potential to repair it.
"If the seal breaks, the world will go with it. That is what I need you to do. Work on Aster Fall to repair problems in the seal from within. Now, do you understand?"
"I agree."
If he had to protect the world, that was fine. His family was on it and his father would be alive. He wasn't going to let anything touch them.
If he couldn't blame the World Law, well...wasn't the World Law sort of helping him right now? After that part about throwing him in prison, at least. He had just said he would do anything.... He would protect it if he had to.
"Very well. Let’s set our contract."
A portion of the starry area around Sam seemed to rotate, pressing down onto him like a vast weight. A thousand colors flowed together and concentrated into a brilliant, sparkling point.
The symbol of a nine-pointed star took shape in the air, before it settled onto the back of Sam's right hand.
"That is the symbol of the contract. You will find the conditions listed when you touch it. It will notify you of problems to fix from inside the seal, like the alert the World Law put out when it noticed you. If you ignore it, you will place your family and the entire world in danger.
"Now, for my side of the bargain.... A choice for your father and a sub-class for you. You will need it to protect yourself and carry out your task. You proved it in battle just now, and it's something else you were willing to break the World Law over, so I'll include it as part of your...
"Reformation, let's call it, why don't we?"
The stars swept away, crossing in front of Sam’s vision in a blur, as the world changed, returning him to the tunnels.
---
"I wanted...to make sure...you...got home." Jeric’s hand rested on top of his son’s shoulder, as he felt a crushing pain in his chest that made it difficult to say anything else. He heard his son calling to him, but the world was fading out.
Then time began to flow strangely, like a thread stretching into the distance...farther and farther as it pulled toward the edge of the universe.
Sometime, in the midst of that flow, a thread of starlight touched his head, and a voice spoke. It echoed strangely.
"Jeric Hastern, do you swear to protect Aster Fall from outside forces, even if you are never recognized for your work? If so, I will help you."
"Can you help...my son...get home?" Jeric mumbled in response. Somehow, despite the pain in his chest, his mind was clear again. He forced out the words past a bubble of blood.
"No. But you will become stronger and can protect him. The price is that you will have to give up much of who you are."
"I accept," Jeric said at once, his agreement clear. If he could keep going and protect Sam, he would. The rest of it wasn't important, as long as they got home. "Do it!"
"Very well. Brace yourself. You are about to lose all of your accumulated experience, skills, and professions. Your class will be removed and replaced with another."
Time hung still for an instant.
A surge of boiling pain hit Jeric like a star had been born in his stomach, flaring through his body as it spread down his meridians, through his arms and legs, into his eyes, and out to every corner of his existence.
He had enough accumulated experience that he could have made it to level 32 if he’d ever been able to unlock his class. He also had many professions and proficiencies that he’d gathered over the last fifty years.
All of that strength was suddenly ripped out of him in a surge of pain that was greater than anything he’d ever felt. A large part of his existence, the value of all those years, was burned away, converting to pure energy as it flowed out of him.
He felt his stats and levels falling away, as if he’d never had his Class Day. A wave of extreme weakness flowed through him, so intense that he couldn't even speak.
As the energy boiled away, he could feel a little bit of it being used to seal the wounds in his body, stopping the bleeding and reinflating his lung, but it didn’t fully heal him.
"I need you to touch that corpse next to you."
Jeric’s hand somehow fumbled out, falling against the marauder corpse that was lying in the middle of the tunnel. A notification chimed into his awareness.
Congratulations, Defiant! You have unlocked a rare class!
Henceforth, you are an Earthen Marauder!
Initial Class Quest: Consume 100 points of Earth mana to empower your body and class abilities.
"Take the experience from the corpse too," the voice advised. "It will partially make up for what you lost, but at best it will be a quarter of what you had."
Just before the voice faded, there was a quiet phrase, although neither Jeric nor Sam heard it.
"...Like father, like son."
Battlefield Reclaimer 21: Not Dead Yet
When the world reformed around Sam, he was still kneeling in front of his father. He blinked as his eyes refocused. His father’s hand was still on his shoulder. Jeric’s other hand had fallen on the gnome marauder to the side.
"Dad!" he called out, as he leaned forward, inspecting his father for wounds. Sam didn’t know if the voice he’d just heard was real or not, but it had said it would heal his father. Well, that it would do what it could.
He didn't know what the threat to the seal was all about or how he could possibly be one, but the Guardian's words hung in his mind. What was going on and how could his class be such a problem?
He was still confused by it all. He'd gotten in trouble for threatening the World Law, but it seemed like it had worked out. What had the Guardian meant when it said someone was tampering with the World Law? He shook the questions out of his mind as he focused on his father.
