Chapter 319 - The Solstice

Chris

Clearing the area took time. Prepping it for the Formations did as well. The undertaking wasn't small and I wasn't alone in setting it up.

I was far from the only one who could create Formations and a few from the City came up to help. It was odd working with others, but not all that bad. It took some getting used to, and understanding how they went about things, but it cut down on the time it took to get right.

Many hands make light work and all that.

There were some Formations that I would handle personally, those that were going to protect and defend the Seed, but the ones used to gather and contain mana weren't required to be kept secret.

It helped that the season turned as we worked, making our work easier. The Ice mana gathered didn't need to be purified as much and the other affinities that needed to be converted weren't as present.

Altogether, it took a few months to get everything ready. It was similar to the Formations I set up to Ignite my Mana Heart.

Mana was sucked in and gathered all into one area while also being converted and purified. The cost to accomplish such a feat wasn't small, but it was worth it. This took top priority for our crystal supply, even above growing the Dungeons.

With everything set up and ready, our Faction Treasure was ready.

It was almost poetic that we finished the work on the eve of the Solstice. There was enough time to place it down and get back to Frostheim in time for the festivities.

There were a few unfortunate souls who had to stay behind and guard it, but that was life. Elliot was nice enough to volunteer and I felt comfortable leaving him behind to watch over the Seed.

There was a festival of grand proportions for the first time in a long time in Frostheim, and I didn't want to miss it. The previous Solstice, we had just arrived from rushing home, capping off our months-long journey back. It wasn't exactly the best time for such celebrations, especially after sending so many people off.

Now, though, everything was lining up to make a great celebration. Abigail organized a feast, with actual beer! Meads and some kind of elderberry wine were broken out as well.

There was even a moonshine cask that someone had made in their basement.

Not quite sure why they did such a thing, but it got the blood flowing in everyone present.

A massively long table dominated the inner courtyard and everyone who meant anything to the family was present. There were hundreds stuffed on benches seated next to each other.

Sarah and her young brother, all the Order and their families, and all of the Family were here, minus Rachel.

It turned out to be a lot more people than first thought.

It was... sobering to look out over a table filled to the brim with food while everyone turned to you to begin. To be looked upon by hundreds while seated at the head of the table... felt a certain way.

It was with pride that I kicked the feast off.

"Eat, drink, and be merry!" I shouted with a smile.

I couldn't help but think back on the day before the Change. When the table was shorter and the faces around it were different. When my Grandfather and Father were here with us, along with the rest of those we had lost.

The table was longer and the faces were different, but I couldn't help but feel it was similar. It had been a long, long time since I'd felt so... content.

It was... fun to let go. The year hadn't been a bad one. Not like some of the others had been. Demons and Orcs stayed away and we managed to make it another revolution around the sun without going to War with another Faction.

It was worthy of celebrating.

Enough so that I felt a buzz building in my head! Austin had taken it upon himself to get me drunk. His self-proclaimed mission of the night and it felt like I never had an empty tankard.

It took a lot to even begin feeling it, but feel it I did. The beer was a basic Ale that didn't have the best in terms of flavor profile, but it was a sight for sore eyes having been without for so long.

Cask after cask went down even before the feasting started.

Hal went out and got a massive Elk for the occasion and it was cooked to perfection. As the drinks were flowing, he ended up telling the story of how he took it down, mistakes and all.

It reminded me of my own fight with a Moose. They were deceptively strong animals and they didn't get frightened by us at all.

Hal's cheeks were rosy and I could tell he was feeling it too. "Next year, I'll get a bear for the occasion!"

Austin and I only laughed at his optimism.

The good mood was infectious and everyone took the chance to unwind. Anna and Josh ran around with all the other young children and it was nice to see her having fun.

So much of our time together had gone from me being the fun Uncle messing about, to a harsh trainer trying to prepare her. It was nice to revert back to how it felt before, if only for a day.

In Austin's attempts to get me drunk, he had a few too many himself. My Endurance and Fortitude were above his which made his attempts to keep pace hilariously funny.

Halfway through the night, he started a drunken light show to the delight of everyone present. He created little birds of fire in the air and played with the light they gave off.

A trick he pulled off by bending the light so various colors appeared. Even occasionally switching to different animals as well. The children were ecstatic and it was an impressive feat, considering the state he was in.

The rowdiness increased as the night went on and more drinks were had, but it was all in good fun.

Somehow, I found myself atop the Inner Wall just watching over all of it. The fires lit up and warmed the area while everyone celebrated around them. Stories were loudly told to boisterous laughter.

Kids tried and failed to stay awake and parents carried them off to bed, only to come back with more drinks from somewhere.

My buzz had turned into something deeper while I nursed a drink of my own while I watched over it all.

"It's not like you to disappear like this." A voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned to see my Mother sitting down on the Wall next to me. Her feet matched my own in swaying over the edge. It was over a forty-foot drop to the ground below, but neither of us were worried about the fall.

"I'm practicing my Irish goodbyes," I joked, "It seems like I'm out of practice."

She laughed and nudged my shoulder.

"It's a good view," she said. "For a second, I thought I'd have to drag you back from something else."

I knew what she was talking about but didn't want to admit it.

"Not tonight." I said, "I just wanted to watch from above. Look down on what we've accomplished."

She let the moment drag before sparking it back up again, "I've noticed that you haven't been spending as much time in the forge of late."

"Keeping tabs on me, eh?"

"You're my son. Of course I'm keeping tabs on you. It wasn't that hard to notice that your requests for materials were slowing down." She said.

I didn't answer.

"You're capped, aren't you." She said.

I didn't rush to answer and we both sat in a comfortable silence while her question hung in the air.

"How did you know?" I finally said.

My mother smiled, "It's obvious to those who look. I'm sure Abigail has noticed as well but hasn't said anything. Austin, for all his blundering and charades, has as well if I were to guess. He's always been an observant one."

"How come you haven't told anyone?" She asked. "It would have been easy to slip it in before the feast."

I wasn't sure why I hadn't. I'd reached level 100 while I was at the Bay and just... hadn't said anything about it. I'd looked at what was offered to me and was... disappointed.

She must have seen my face as I thought back on what was offered, "That bad, huh? So terrible that you are ashamed to tell anyone?"

I shook my head, "No, not bad, just not..."

"Not perfect?" She guessed, "Not the insane jump you wanted?"

I nodded.

"Legendary?" She asked.

I nodded.

Her laughter rang out over the Wall at my answer. "Only you would hope for Mythic. Your sister, somewhere in her library, has a few books on why that was a dumb idea."

I'd read them and knew what they said. Mythic was more than just a step above Legendary. It was for perfection and required a feat above what I had done. It was reaching Tier 3 Laws while in E-rank kind of thing.

It was for going above and beyond. It was the peak.

Seeing my options lacking it was... disappointing.

"I understand," she said, "You jumped to Uncommon right away then rose to Rare during your second evolution. After that, you jumped all the way to Legendary. This is the first time you won't make a large leap ahead."

"It's my Profession that I'm more upset about. I was pushing for Epic, yet didn't do enough." I said.

"Ah, I see," She said, "It's the stagnation that's eating at you. Staying the same for both feels like a disappointment compared to before."

I looked back over the courtyard full of Family and friends. Of the people that I would have to protect if it came down to it.

"It puts me on the same level as Austin." I said, "His Class and Profession both being Epic puts me on the same field as him, even though one of mine is Legendary. Abigail too, as I know she made strides ahead, even if she's trying to hide it."

"And is that such a bad thing?" She asked, "Austin is a powerful Warrior the same as you. You shouldn't look at him and feel bad about it. Abigail too, for that matter."

"But is it enough?"

"Ah, there it is. The root of your problems." She said. "This isn't like you. Where did the boy who mocked his sister for her endless worries go? The one who took what life gave him and went with it."

"He died in the tutorial."

"A lot of things did." She said sadly.

"You know what's coming just as I do. I wouldn't be surprised if War starts sometime in the coming year. If not that, then future tests. If not that, then aliens from elsewhere." I said.

"I know, son, but worrying about the future won't help you. Use it as motivation, use it to push forward, but don't let it weigh you down. Don't let it crush you under its mass. There's a time to look ahead and plan, and there's a time to put it aside."

"It's hard to put it aside when it feels like if I look away, everything will crumble around me."

"You're not alone, though. You have everyone down there to help you." She pointed out at the multiple fires, "Austin and Abigail, Hal and Elliot, Jonathan and Gabriel. Rachel and all the rest of them. Even your fancy Orders, too. They grow every day with more willing to defend this place. It isn't all on your shoulders."

I turned my gaze outward and felt the burden on my shoulders get a little lighter. The weight of all my worries pressed down on me diminishing slightly. When I saw the options ahead of me, I couldn't help but feel like I hadn't done enough, but that was stupid.

Seeing that both my Class and Profession would stay the same, it felt like I hadn't done anything, but that wasn't the truth at all.

I was just getting into my own head. A plan solidified. One I had been toying with but couldn't pull the trigger on. For every day I sat at the cap, it was a day I could have used to grow further. It felt like a waste, even though that wasn't the case at all.

It felt like I couldn't afford to wait, even though that was my own worries clouding my vision.

"Thanks, mom."

"It's what I'm here for."