Chapter 525: Interlude - Iona - Classing up_Beneath the Dragoneye Moons

Chapter 525: Interlude - Iona - ssing up

 Iona knelt in the chapel, her head bowed in prayer, her hands sped 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, exining 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 [Pdin] offerings. Dont read too much into them, she just wants augh.

 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 [Pdin] when she woke up from her ssing 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 ovepping 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 seeded. 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 ze of elderly glory, versus slowly declining into dementia and more and more problems. Sure, ine would do her best, but Iona didnt want to be an old dotteringdy who couldnt even feed herself. It felt wrong to her.

 They paused a moment, letting the tension rise. With onest st of light and noise, theyid down a sacred quest for their [Pdin].

 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.

 y LunKat.

 y 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 y the dragon - simply free the moons. There were other ways that could be aplished. Her first thought was an equally powerful Radiance sser 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 seeded by now.

 Other plots, other ns danced their way through the Valkyries head throughout the night as she continued praying. Shed need to talk with ine 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. ine could be sneaky when she wanted to be, and not everyone had overpowered perception skills like she did. Iona smiled and unsped her cloak, trying to wrap ine in it.

 She stirred, her eyes snapping open.

 Its time? She asked. Iona clicked her tongue - shed hoped ine would keep sleeping. Rest was important for everyone, and if she wasnt safe here, where was she safe? There was no point in arguing it.

 Its time. The Valkyrie confirmed. She debated not telling ine, but no. It was too important.

 She took a deep breath in.

 ine, Ive got something important to tell you. Something the goddesses just told me. Are you ready?

 ine shuddered, and patted the seat next to her. Iona took it.

 Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

 d Im already sitting down for this. She joked. Alright, hit me with the bad news.

 Iona exined everything. The Goddessess mission. LunKat. Her thoughts about it not mattering right now, but at the end of a long life.

 ine got very quiet as Iona finished, and the Valkyrie recognized the look. ine was thinking hard, working through everything Iona said, and all the implications she could figure out. It was one of the things Iona loved so dearly about ine, although she found it adorable how ine could utterly miss some things that were so obvious and clear to her.

 Finally she shook her head, and cracked a forced smile.

 Well, Ill just have toe with you, wont I? The funsized healer couldnt fully hide the tremor in her voice.

 You dont have to. Ionas heart was breaking a little bit. Her life was one thing, but her lovers as well?

 ine nodded, the stubborn set of her jaw showing she wouldnt be persuaded otherwise.

 Forever and always. She said.

 Forever and always. Iona echoed, then went to the most basic of ine strategies: Distracting her with something new.

 ssing up time!

 ine jumped up.

 Hang on! I need to finish my prep work! She shouted. Iona chuckled and walked slowly to their bedroom, giving ine a little more time. As Iona arrived, she saw ine moving so quickly shed be a blur to basically all mortals, rapidly throwing down a few dozen more wards around their bed, getting them all hooked up to the vis core.

 Iona took a few steps, quickly speeding up before doing a beautiful dive over theyers uponyers of ovepping wards, hitting the bed in full armor like a shot out of a trebuchet. ine winced as the boards creaked.

 We really need more reinforcement skills. She muttered before shooting off, putting down another ward.

 Iona made herself asfortable as possible while being in full armor, making sure her shield was over her body and her axe was in her hands. It was overkill, and they all knew it. At the same time, ssing up was a time of incredible vulnerability, and it was worth being prepared. Just in case.

 Love you! Cant wait to see what you get! Look around and tell me the other options offered! ine waved Iona off as she fell into the world of her soul.

 Iona opened her eyes in the grand temple, quickly picking herself up off the floor. Her guide was there, herself as a [Priestess], one of the potential futures Iona had once had.

 Third ss. Can you show me the [Pdin] options? Iona briefly thought of ines request. And one more?

 Priestess bowed.

 Follow me.

 They began to walk through a grand hallway, a dozen altars offering various sses tucked into nooks along the walls. Iona murmured a brief prayer to various gods and goddesses who were represented at the altars, politely paying her respects to the divinities in question.

 It cost her nothing to do, and was only polite and respectful.

 They arrived at a room with three altars, each one dedicated to the Moon Goddesses. Light grey cloths were on the central and left ones, while blue braziers burned on the center and right altars. The name of the ss was etched into the stone of the altar, and upon each one was a small prayer book that offered deeper insights into the ss in question. Iona stepped directly up to the central one, the burningmps and cloth clearly indicating that this was the natural upgrade to her [Pdin] ss.

 [The Relentless Pdin] spoke of valor, bravery, and never ever giving up. It was how Iona had been trained by Alruna, a fighting style that let her just keep on going and going and going. One of her skills, [Relentless Pursuit], was called out. It was the easy, obvious upgrade, the one Iona came into the ss up expecting to take. The stats were nice as well. +140 Strength, +140 Dexterity, +220 Vitality, +140 Speed, +120 Mana, +120 Mana Regeneration, +280 Magic Power, +280 Magic Control per level.

 Barring a literal miracle, it was the ss Iona was going to take. She took a brief look at her other two offerings, making sure she wasnt passing up something interesting.

 [Nymphomaniac Pdin - Ooze] was obviously the joke that Selene had been working on, and Iona barked augh at seeing it. She wasnt wrong. She spent a little bit of time flipping through the book, appreciating how there was a strong element to drawing involved. A custom-tailored ss for everything Iona enjoyed doing.

 The other offering was clearly due to Ionas request to see a little more, and she got the general gist of it to share with ine.

 [Champion of the Meek] revolved entirely around Ionas work in the Han Empire, protecting vigers and other innocents against the endless soldiers marching through thends. Feng featured prominently, her actions given praise in spite of her failure. Nina was also mentioned, but not as the yer of Feng, but as yet another member of the meek that Iona had protected, raised up, and championed.

 It was a strong ss for Iona, and reading it filled her heart with pride. She wanted to remember and keep the words for ine to write down, so she could read it back again. A little like her drawings.

 [Unyielding Zealot] would take Ionas devotion and fanaticism all the way to 11, making her entire life about the goddesses. They hadnt mentioned the ss to her, and it wasnt blue.

 Iona loved her goddesses, but there was more to life than religion. ine, for example, Fenrir and the Valkyries. Drawing and good meat. She didnt want to lose those parts of herself and her life.

 End of the day, her choice was easy and obvious. Iona became [The Relentless Pdin], and after joining Priestess in a short prayer of thanks to the Goddesses, moved directly onto her second ss up.

 There was a fine line to walk between pious and practical, and Iona had just spent the entire evening in prayer to the goddesses.

 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 ck with stars studded on them, indicating that every offering was Celestial, and thest one wasyered red-and-ck. Iona initially thought it was Lava, but on closer examination it was a Crucible offering.

 [Legendary Realtor] was easily the worst ss offered, although it was rted to the Valkyries. In short, it was about how the Order Valkyrie was now housed at Ionas home, andpletely changed how she operated from a warrior, to a keeper, administrator, and protector of the home. If she was a [Lady] of Rond, Vollomond, or just generally in charge of a castle, fort, or other fortification, the ss 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 asionally 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 ss stayed.

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

 [Fury of the Moons] was a second[Pdin] 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 justid upon her. She was already their [Pdin], 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 ss, 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 forst. A pair of burning purple braziers promised power, and it was another direct Valkyrie upgrade ss. Less so about being the hope zing forward, the ss 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 morefortable 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 ss. 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 ss! 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 ss Iona had picked had felt good. It had felt right. She was happy with it.

 Thest room was the mostplicated one. Iona had gone into the ss up with a strong idea of what shed wanted for her first and third ss, but the second was a little more up in the air.

 [Frozen Huntress] was a natural upgrade of [Traveling Archer], focusing on tracking downrge monsters and ying them. The sss 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 [Pdin] and [Valkyrie] ss 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 ss, where Iona would lean into her bow and archery a little harder than she had been.

 [Dragonyer 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 dragonyer sses again with a critical eye.

 [Wyvernrider Frosdy]was the Fenrir-rted ss, and the one that caught Ionas eye. Herpanion bond would move up into the ss, and it was all about fighting in tandem with her partner. It clearly distinguished the ss 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]

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

 [ss 2: [Wyvernrider Frosdy - Ice: Lv 820 ]]

 [ss 3: [The Relentless Pdin - Gravity: Lv 790 ]]

MillionNovel

Chapter 525: Interlude - Iona - Classing up