Chapter 525: Interlude - Iona - Classing up

Chapter 525: Interlude - Iona - Classing up

Iona knelt in the chapel, her head bowed in prayer, her hands clasped around the shaft of her axe.

Selene and Lunaris, I pray for your guidance and grace. Light the way forward, and help me through the trial I am about to undertake.

A raspberry blew in Ionas ear. Selene wasnt amused by Ionas prayer.

You know exactly what youre doing! Have faith in yourself! Selene said.

You know yourself as well as we do, and nobody knows your own heart and offerings better. Lunaris added. We cant give you good advice here.

Yeah, youve got this! Selene chimed in.

Ionas heart was serene, and she continued praying, explaining herself a bit.

Believing I have all the answers and not seeking counsel is pure arrogance. Down that path leads me in a direction I dont want to go.

Well, check us off the list! Selene answered back. Youve talked with us, we believe in you, theres no need to worry. She said.

You should worry. Lunariss words sped Ionas heartbeat right up. Selenes been up to mischief with your [Paladin] offerings. Dont read too much into them, she just wants a laugh.

Hey! Selene protested. Dont tell her that! I wanted to see her reaction without it!

For all you know, shed actually take it! Lunaris argued back.

Iona smiled, at peace with herself once again, as the two goddesses argued in the back of her mind. Her future was secure, her way clear. The goddesses had indirectly reassured her of one of her deepest unspoken fears.

She would still be a [Paladin] when she woke up from her classing up. It was a small fear, a silly one, but one she harbored anyway.

We should tell her. Selene said.

Well, after youve directly messaged Iona that, of course we have to tell her now! Lunaris sounded annoyed. Which was fair.

Iona lifted an eyebrow, her stomach clenching in fear. The goddesses had been nothing but open and kind with her, seemingly keeping no secrets. What more could they possibly add? What was a secret?

The air above the altar shimmered, and the two goddesses partially descended into Pallos, creating a pair of small avatars, the size of a doll, of themselves on the altar. Ionas heart started to race.

This wasnt a casual hi hello. Whatever this was, it was serious.

Selene in yellow and Lunaris in blue held hands together, starting to Speak. The words were for Ionas ears only, their divine might preventing anyone else from getting the message. They spoke at the same time, their words and voices overlapping in perfect harmony.

Iona, our blessed, our chosen. We believe in you. We have faith in you. You have strong potential to go the distance, and one day in the future, when your strength has finished maturing and you are at your peak, we will make a request of you.

Ionas heart felt like it was going to evict itself from her chest it was beating so hard.

What is it? She whispered.

We have asked many to try over the millenia, and clearly none have succeeded. Know that failure wont diminish you in the slightest in our eyes. Know that simply trying will elevate you to the highest position of esteem. We dont expect you to try today, this year, or even this century. Wait until the end of your long life, and try then.

It sounded like a suicide mission. At the end of her life? Iona had no problem going out in a blaze of elderly glory, versus slowly declining into dementia and more and more problems. Sure, Elaine would do her best, but Iona didnt want to be an old dottering lady who couldnt even feed herself. It felt wrong to her.

They paused a moment, letting the tension rise. With one last blast of light and noise, they laid down a sacred quest for their [Paladin].

Free the moons.

Without any fanfare, the two of them vanished, divine sparks slowly falling to the altar.

Iona continued praying and meditating over the quest the entire evening, not shifting even when her joints started to protest. The goddesss divine mandate continued to echo through her mind.

Free the moons.

There were so many ways it could be interpreted, but the most obvious one was also the hardest one.

Slay LunKat.

Slay a dragon.

The fact that the goddesses had declined to even mention her name wasnt lost on Iona. The first thought her imagination jumped to was LunKat simply flying over and eliminating the potential threat before she had time to grow and level.

That was merely the first thought. It wasnt lost on Iona that she hadnt been ordered to slay the dragon - simply free the moons. There were other ways that could be accomplished. Her first thought was an equally powerful Radiance classer dispersing the illusion - although the distances involved were intimidating. Persuading LunKat to stop it? Iona had faith in her silver tongue, but she doubted it was that good. With time, maybe, but if LunKat was open to persuasion, it was likely someone wouldve succeeded by now.

Other plots, other plans danced their way through the Valkyries head throughout the night as she continued praying. Shed need to talk with Elaine about all of this.

When dawn came she stood up, stretching her joints out, then briskly turned on her heels.

Iona was a little surprised to see her wife snoozing in the back of the chapel on one of the benches. Elaine could be sneaky when she wanted to be, and not everyone had overpowered perception skills like she did. Iona smiled and unclasped her cloak, trying to wrap Elaine in it.

She stirred, her eyes snapping open.Tôp novel updates on n/(o)/v/elb/in(.)com

Id like to see my Valkyrie offerings now. Iona said. Priestess gestured, and Iona stepped through another room to get to her offerings.

Six altars burned with lights of various colors, from yellow to light purple. Five cloths on the altars were entirely black with stars studded on them, indicating that every offering was Celestial, and the last one was layered red-and-black. Iona initially thought it was Lava, but on closer examination it was a Crucible offering.

[Legendary Realtor] was easily the worst class offered, although it was related to the Valkyries. In short, it was about how the Order Valkyrie was now housed at Ionas home, and completely changed how she operated from a warrior, to a keeper, administrator, and protector of the home. If she was a [Lady] of Rolland, Vollomond, or just generally in charge of a castle, fort, or other fortification, the class would be perfect.

[The Flexible Knight - Crucible] leaned into how Iona had used a solid mass of mallium for over a decade as her armor, and occasionally her weapon. It was a weak side-step, the only saving grace being the elemental change. Iona was entirely uninterested in changing from Celestial, so the class stayed.

[Champion-Errant] was a less Valkyrie-focused knight class. It was effectively the I dont want to be a Valkyrie anymore class, and Iona was perfectly content being one.

[Fury of the Moons] was a second[Paladin] offering, focused on doling out brutal vengeance on behalf of the goddesses. Iona suspected part of the offering was the quest the two of them had just laid upon her. She was already their [Paladin], and while devoted, knew that life was more than religious, fanatical devotion to a pair of goddesses. She was faithful, but she was no [Zealot].

[Valkyries Hope] was starting to get more like it! A pure Valkyrie warrior class, it was about Iona being the bright and shining hope of the Valkyries, the strongest of the destroyed generation. The one who was forging a future for the Order, not simply clinging onto the remnants of the past. It immediately went to the top of her list.

[The Valkyrie Paragon]was the final offering, the one Iona had saved for last. A pair of burning purple braziers promised power, and it was another direct Valkyrie upgrade class. Less so about being the hope blazing forward, the class was about Iona being the Valkyries Valkyrie. As Sigrun had dubbed her, one of the best of us, the one we all hope to be.

Iona frankly felt more comfortable as a [Paragon] than a [Hope]. Maybe one day shed take up a greater burden, but for the moment, simply being the best of them was enough for her. [The Valkyrie Paragon]offered strong stats - and merged in her [Vow] into her main class. It wasnt something she ever intended to give up, and the minor boost was nice.

With a brief apology to the Goddesses for not taking [Fury of the Moons], Iona took [The Valkyrie Paragon]. +200 Free Stats, +400 Strength, +400 Dexterity, +1000 Vitality, +400 Speed, +100 Mana, +300 Mana Regeneration, +50 Magic Power, +50 Magic Control per level.

Onto the third class! Priestess grabbed Ionas hand, and the two of them cheerfully walked over to the third room. Under different circumstances, if it wasnt a temple, the two of them wouldve probably been skipping. The most recent class Iona had picked had felt good. It had felt right. She was happy with it.

The last room was the most complicated one. Iona had gone into the class up with a strong idea of what shed wanted for her first and third class, but the second was a little more up in the air.

[Frozen Huntress] was a natural upgrade of [Traveling Archer], focusing on tracking down large monsters and slaying them. The classs name was deceptive for how powerful it was. Full credit for killing an adult wyvern boosted the quality to an incredible degree. It was a little more focused on the huntress aspects, but that wasnt the worst. The [Paladin] and [Valkyrie] class got a little more credit for fighting elvenoids and other intelligent creatures, while [Frozen Huntress] focused more on killing monsters.

[Rime Battle Mistress] was all about fighting in a dozen different styles.

[Justicar of Ice] was a more bow-focused sniper and rapid-fire class, where Iona would lean into her bow and archery a little harder than she had been.

[Dragonslayer Aspirant] was almost immediately rejected by Iona. The goddesses had said at the end of her life, and Iona was still at the beginning of hers. If, by some miracle, she made it to old age, shed look at dragonslayer classes again with a critical eye.

[Wyvernrider Frostlady]was the Fenrir-related class, and the one that caught Ionas eye. Her companion bond would move up into the class, and it was all about fighting in tandem with her partner. It clearly distinguished the class from the rest of them, and made her decision easy. +300 Strength, +300 Dexterity, +300 Vitality, +300 Speed, +300 Mana, +300 Mana Regeneration, +300 Magic Power, +300 Magic Control per level.

[Hailstorm] sounded like a fun upgrade to [Blizzard Shot] to boot.

Looking over her selection once more, Iona gave a brisk nod of satisfaction.

Right then. Lets wake back up.

Iona still needed to select all her skills, but a quick look at her stats made her smile.

[Name: Iona]

[Race: Mostly Human]

[Age: 35]

[Mana: 1,141,850/1,141,850]

[Mana Regeneration: 174,591]

Stats

[Free Stats: 2,536]

[Strength: 163,809 (+3,503,055)]

[Dexterity: 164,084 (+3,508,936)]

[Vitality: 324,897 (+1,887,652)]

[Speed: 185,912 (+3,975,728)]

[Mana: 114,321]

[Mana Regeneration: 114,321]

[Magic Power: 162,964]

[Magic Control: 162,964]

[Class 1: [The Valkyrie Paragon - Celestial: Lv 830 ]]

[Class 2: [Wyvernrider Frostlady - Ice: Lv 820 ]]

[Class 3: [The Relentless Paladin - Gravity: Lv 790 ]]