He was still getting use to the odd sensations he was receiving from being more in tune with the Earth Ley Line, cracks, crevasses and variations in the earth and stone stood out more starkly to his senses. He had a sensation overhead and far to his right that when he focused on, he was certain was some sort of rodent burrowing through the earth. He hoped as he became more accustomed to the sensations it would become more background noise instead of drawing his attention as much as it did. It could be very distracting otherwise. All three of the companions felt a deep relief when they finally entered into the rotunda that marked the entrance to the deeps. There was a presence there that was different than before. While the chamber had seemed more vibrant after waking the Life and Death Ley Lines now it felt more… solid as well. Cracks and broken stones seemed to have vanished during their foray into the Deeps this time and the room seemed more intact than before. It made Xavier wonder what other changes would happen as they unlocked more floors and lines deeper down in the darkness.
The small party made their way up the stairs leading to the mosaic chamber, the room had become an ersatz meeting place while the crafters worked on town buildings and halls above ground, so it was not uncommon for there to be any number of individuals meeting and discussing plans. As it was, there was a good number of people in the chamber when the trio emerged from the archway that led to the Deeps, not as many as when they brought Emily back but still enough to form a large greeting party. It was thus there was a large number of witnesses to the waking of the mosaic’s earth section.
As before power surged when Xavier’s foot first struck the tiles of the mosaic. His very presence magnified the energy in the room and the semi-dormant Earth Ley Line responded with a force that shook and rattled the very foundations of the chamber. The ground beneath his feet groaned and shuddered reminding the trio of the enormous stone guardian awakening from its long slumber. The once-stagnant stone beneath the mosaic began to pulse, and the very air filling the chamber seemed to grow heavier, more robust, as if the earth itself was stretching and drawing in a deep breath.
The tiles of the Earth section the mosaic, which similar to the rest of the dormant mosaic had been quiet and unyielding, now vibrated with life. The previously muted colors now radiated with deep greens and earthy browns, their shades growing vibrant and rich, and swirling into new patterns that evoked the images of roots breaking through stone. Cracks took shape along the edges of the Earth section, and from those fissures, moss and small saplings burst forth, their leaves glowing with a soft golden hue. The symbol of the Earth Ley Line, a sturdy tree with roots began to glow with a deep, emerald green light, radiating strength and resilience, and the mosaic’s tiles shifted slightly the very stone beneath the section realigning, setting into place, and reconnecting with the ley lines below.
From beneath the floor, a low, rumbling sound began to resonate, like the growl of the earth itself. The walls seemed to pulse with a deep, resonating hum that made the stone of the chamber seem alive. As the sound continued to build, a deep tremor reverberating through the chamber, cracks began to spider across the floor and shot outward from the nexus. The air grew even more dense with the scent of damp earth, the rich smell of freshly turned soil mixing with the faint trace of minerals. The atmosphere became increasingly dense, creating an intense sensation that grounded the witnesses and heightened their awareness of their position in the world.
As the changes culminated the room was filled with a new, ancient energy, one that was both deeply rooted, yet full of potential. The vibrations in the stone traveled up into Xavier’s body, and he could feel the power of the Earth Ley Line awakening, stretching its influence outward, filling the space with its quiet, solid strength. His connection to the ground beneath him deepened, and he could feel an innate pull toward the Earth’s core, as if the ley line is guiding his very essence into the heart of the world. For the Syr’Vailen, the Earth was alive again, and Xavier was its catalyst.
Xavier closed his eyes becoming accustomed to the new sensations as the room slowly descended back to normal stability. The three sections shone with the radiance of their awakened state drawing an even greater stark contrast to the still dormant sections. When Xavier opened his eyes to gaze upon the tilework those sections seemed almost accusing to him, challenging him to restore their glory as well. Normal sound returned to the chamber and the witnesses erupted into discussion over what had just taken place. Many of those present had been present for the waking of the previous lines as well so they were, though amazed, not overly surprised this time around. The newcomers, several of those who had joined the village with the refugees, were awestruck however, Xavier could hear the talk about how the earth felt more real to several of them, or how they felt more stable. One or two also mentioned a greater awareness of changes in the earth around them, details of the stone and ground more vivid.
Xavier’s notifications indicator was flashing once again, the nature of the moment having caused them to auto minimize so Xavier could react to things as they happened. Now that some normalcy had returned Xavier smiled to the crowd and motioned for them to continue what they had been doing. He would talk with them later to make plans for his departure but for now he wanted food and rest. Leading Ella and Lianna up and out of the warrens he noticed Frostclaw and Valkra take off into the woods for hunting of their own. The trio headed towards the heavenly aroma of fresh cooked food and were soon rewarded with plates heaped with still steaming meat and roasted vegetables. While they sat and ate Xavier opened and reviewed his newest notifications.
The first several were unsurprisingly quest updates and new quest prompts. Xavier was still mystified by the change in detail from when he originally arrived on the world.
-
Strengthens Rynthavael’s ley network, stabilizing magic throughout the settlement.
-
Earth-aligned energy bolsters natural fortifications, making structures more resilient.
- Access to enchanted stone, ley-infused minerals, and earthen essence
- Living Forest Labyrinth
- Further expansion into the Deeps and mastery of elemental ley energy.
- The land of Rynthavael now thrums with ley energy, enhancing magical potential.
- The renewal of the ley lines attracts greater natural harmony, drawing in new creatures and flora.
-
The ley’s restoration opens new paths, unlocking hidden locations and magical anomalies.
-
Strengthened connection between Rynthavael and its ley network.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
- The deeper the nexus awakens, the more volatile the magic becomes. Uncontrolled surges may trigger unexpected effects.
- As multiple ley lines are restored, their interactions may create unforeseen magical anomalies or attract powerful entities.
- The uncharted depths bring new threats—creatures and forces drawn to the ley’s awakening.
-
The nexus continues to expand, strengthening magical capabilities.
- The ley’s influence begins shaping the land, potentially altering the terrain or drawing rare wildlife.
Bigger quests led to bigger rewards, on top of the experience and items they found in the Deeps from the various monsters they had to overcome, Xavier was rewarded with another several thousand experience from completing the quests themselves. He grinned broadly as he opened the next notification and was rewarded with the now Pavlovian sound and text as the radiant symphony of chimes reverberated through his head, accompanied by the familiar booming voice reading the notification:
6 attribute points4 points
by the Blessings of the Gods (Danu).3 days20% skill allocation
Xavier closed the notification and opened his stats interface. His eyebrows rose as he saw he was only 8% away from level 17 as well. He briefly considered putting off heading towards Arenvalis until he saw that 8% was still over ten thousand experience points. The large numbers coming from the monsters and quests they were completing were nice, but it was clear that to continue growing they would have to face even harder challenges.
He took a moment to assign his attribute points, he did not want something to happen during their trip that would cause him to forget, and the points be assigned randomly. Thinking about their recent trials and what likely would be ahead he placed 4 points each in strength, constitution, agility, and dexterity. He knew this was keeping him more balanced overall but the fact that he was often in the thick of the fight with his swords drove home the need to be able to take a hit while dishing out damage. The points in agility and dexterity lent to his ability to dodge and strike successfully. That left him with 8 points to assign. He looked over his scores for several long moments. His lowest scores were intelligence and endurance both sitting at 14. These were followed by Strength, Wisdom and Charisma at 16 points each. Luck, in turn, sat at 18 and then Constitution at 26 points with Agility and Dexterity rounding the scores out at 28 points. He wasn’t disappointed by any of the scores, especially considering how well he had been able to hold up. When it came down to it though he knew harder fights were coming and though the recent ones were short if there were more enemies, he would not have the energy to last. With a sigh he put six points into endurance and the last two into luck. Satisfied with his new attributes he mentally selected ok and applied the changes.
When he turned his attention back to his food, he was surprised to find his plate was empty. He felt full and sated but couldn’t remember the taste of the meal. Something that slightly disappointed him because the meals that he had enjoyed before in the village were always a treat. Pursing his lips slightly at the annoyance he resolved to pay more attention to the present when provided a treat of similar nature. Shrugging slightly, he decided to turn his attention to the new settlement spell. He was excited about it because it was the first new settlement spell, he had learned since getting the mark. The tab for spells came into view and he saw the spell for summoning the forest golems that had been instrumental in preparing and clearing the ruins and forests surrounding Rynthavael so far. Nothing had changed about it, however one of the greyed out and jumbled spells that was directly beneath it was clear and readable now. As the quest had stated its name was Living Forest Labyrinth. The name conjured images of trees making vast mazes surrounding the village complete with great bovine protectors wielding enormous axes. It turns out that it wasn’t quite like that but much more effective. It didn’t conjure walls of trees or stone, it didn’t make walls or barriers at all. It was something much deeper and ancient, the very forest responded to the power of the Earth Ley Line.
The spell had an initial cost of 1000 mana and required a daily upkeep of 250 mana. Something that could be done with the village mana pool though it would require a period of not summoning the golems initially. Xavier took a quick look at the villages mana and was surprised to see that it was actually sitting nearly full at 1386 of 1500 mana. It seemed with the influx of villagers they had not been asking Aelriva to summon as many of the constructs as before. He would make sure that changed, they would need all the labor they could get to continue building the village up in his absence. Though it did mean that he would be able to cast the spell immediately.
Returning to the spell’s description he read it over in detail to make sure he understood what was actually going to happen.
Settlement Spell: Living Forest Labyrinth
The spell was amazing. In essence, it put an everchanging forest barrier around his lands. It not only would help keep the village hidden but would effectively shift and confuse any unwelcome visitors. He looked further down the spell description and found where he could add and remove individuals, groups, and even whole settlements from the effects of the spell. He could also delegate such capabilities to others as well. With a mental effort soon all of the villagers including the new refugees were given immunity and he made his guard captain, Braegor, and Ella administrators. After a short while he added Lianna to the administrator role as well. She was his companion and was his primary contact for the Verdantspire Animari. Chuckling softly, he added the Verdantspire Wardens to the immune section of the tab. Belatedly he had remembered that some were going to be helping patrol the woods around Rynthavael and did not want to hinder them unduly.
Looking to the two women he grinned. “Want to see what this new spell can do?” He motioned towards where the construction was going on for Hearthstead Hall, though incomplete it still offered multiple floors and he assumed they would be able to get a better view from the top of it.
The trio moved at a walk to where Xavier had indicated. When they reached the balcony surrounding the mostly intact third floor they looked out over the woods. The view was amazing but nothing out of the ordinary. Xavier quickly pulled up the interface again, confirming that he still had the mana to apply the spell. Selecting yes when he was prompted to confirm his attention, he felt a thrum of energy rush up from the Syr’Vailen. The wave of invisible energy rushed out through the village and into the surrounding forest. For several long moments nothing happened.
“Was there supposed to be something noticeable happening?” Lianna queried slowly. Her already impressive Animari senses straining to notice any change.
Scowling in disappointment Xavier nodded. “It says the forest is supposed to become a labyrinth for any not welcome to the village. I thought something would happen to show…” He cut off suddenly as Ella gasped and pointed.
In the distance he could see the trees visibly swelling, seeming to stand taller, denser, and their limbs layering into one and other. Glancing towards one of the regular hunting paths Lianna almost laughed watching it shift slightly, its recognizable path twisting back on itself opposite of what it originally had been. The very mass of the forest had answered to his spell and was now adjusting itself in odd intervals. The oddest part was where they could see hints of one of the villages hunting parties moving through the wood. As the small group made their way the forest shifted back to what it was leaving them with a known path back home.
Xavier slapped his hands on the banister in happiness. The delay of waking the Earth Ley Line was more than worth the loss of time. He paused and glanced down at the banister; it had felt more solid beneath his hands than it had just a few days ago. Pulling up the building interface he grinned even more. All of the buildings hit points, and resilience had increased by about 15%. He sighed in relief. The village was more secure than he had hoped for. Looking off towards the north, the direction that he knew the wildlands were in, he took a deep steadying breath. Soon they would have to depart and answer the quest of the elders. He only hoped they would be ready for what they would find there.