Wild Era 4, Ch 8: Progress

Kelin found a good spot a few miles away from Highmist, where the ground was stony and the earth essence was strong.

A slab of stone made a hill on the golden plains here. Its base was surrounded by a low mist from the river, giving it an idyllic appearance, but it was the thrum of the earth all around that made it important.

There was a lot of earth essence here. 

It would work.

He called Gaius out and then pulled the bag of rare ores from his belt. He turned it over, dumping out a massive pile of material.

There were shards of runic silverflame ore, ironblood ore, goldstar ore, mana-infused iron, blueflame copper, moonwater silver, sunwater gold, and more, dozens of different types of rare and powerful ores.

It was enough to fill an enchanter’s workshop for years if they were used as inlays.

Those pieces were the tip of the pile. The prices for them were steep, so he’d only been able to buy a bit of each. 

The majority of the growing mountain of ore was fireblood iron, a type of simple iron ore that was infused with fiery elemental essence. It was popular among fire-aligned adventurers for their gear and one of the easiest materials to find and forge.

It barely counted as a rare ore, since its essence was thin, but there were at least ten thousand pounds of it.

Combined with the bits of more expensive material, it was enough.

After Gaius absorbed all the rare metals from the cult’s dungeon, he’d been 94% complete in his evolution.

For success, he needed to absorb 400 pounds of runic silverflame. An ounce cost about 1,000 gold, so if Kelin had tried to buy it for him outright, it would have been over six million gold.

The guild might have been able to supply it, but there probably would have been a significant wait.

With 6% to go, he needed 24 pounds of silverflame ore, which would have been 384,000 gold. That was more than Kelin had left and the guild only had a few three-ounce bars in stock anyway. 

Fortunately, Gaius was able to convert the essence of other rare ores into the one he needed, at a rate of two hundred to one, so Kelin had made up the difference with other things.

As soon as the pile was out, Gaius rose out of the earth and flowed over it like a landslide, absorbing it all. 

Almost instantly, an intense wave of elemental essence radiated around him. 

New flecks of runic silverflame ore appeared across his body, joining the ones that were already there, and his internal mana structure began to change.

A wave of silver light appeared from the air and wrapped around him, blocking him from sight as the Path lent its support.

Kelin could feel the changes happening through their connection. Gaius’s strength surged upward as his underlying structure changed. 

It wasn’t long before the light faded away.

Before, the elemental had looked like brown and grey stone that was studded with bits of silver ore, but the base colors changed depending on the local area. If he summoned all of the material himself, it was a dark grey like basalt.

Now he was completely made of a dark silver stone. 

Faint runic patterns covered his body, each of them filled with intense waves of earth essence, and his body was highlighted here and there with brighter points. 

Kelin smiled as he analyzed him. 

He could see the Path messages that Gaius had received, but it wasn’t necessary to go through them all, so he only noted the most important parts, including his companion’s new description.

Gaius. Silverflame Earth Elemental. Level 232.

He’d become a rare variant of an Earth elemental and his presence was much stronger than before.

The major change was that his magical attributes and mana pool had doubled. His physical attributes had benefited as well, but not to the same extent. 

Runic silverflame ore was an intensely magical material, so most of the benefit had gone to that area. 

He would have an easier time now of summoning stone and controlling the local area, and he wouldn’t be as limited as before.

When they’d been on the ocean, he’d only been able to summon a whirlwind of stone, not even a full body. It had been the same inside the bone dungeon, where there had been no trace of earth, just bones all the way down.

His improved mana pool and magic meant that he would be able to summon a lot more stone at once and it would be easier for him to manipulate.

Forming a body and creating stone walls, spears, or other things wouldn’t be that hard for him now, and they would all benefit from the magical nature of silverflame ore.

He’d also gained an ability that matched, and Kelin looked at the description for the details.

Evolved Ability: Silverflame Earth Ward.

Silverflame Earth Ward (Basic):

This ability allows you to create natural formations of earth magic and to link them together in runic patterns. The earth that you command will naturally form runic lines as part of its structure, making it easy to create basic wards and defenses. Mana can be added to this structure to create protective enchantments. 

At the Basic level, the runic lines are simple and can only handle a limited amount of mana, but your grasp of the underlying principles will improve over time, allowing you to create larger and more advanced structures.

It was a good ability, one that would be useful for campsites or defensive areas, and it had room to grow.

 “Congratulations,” Kelin said, smiling at the elemental. “You look very dashing now.”

It was true. The elemental’s new appearance made him resemble a vein of magical ore, or perhaps a statue loosely carved from it.

“The earth is always beautiful,” Gaius replied, rumbling in amusement. “I’m going to show the others. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, the elemental sank back into the earth and his presence grew more distant. He had gone off to share the changes with the other elementals that he knew in the area.

Kelin didn’t try to keep him. He just chuckled as he tucked away the spatial bag.

Gaius could reappear in the soul chamber at any time, so if he wanted to go visit old friends, it was his choice. The elemental didn’t often show his excitement, so it was good to see.

This evolution set the stage for higher things and he would be able evolve again if they collected more powerful types of ore.

As he was waiting for Gaius, Kelin took out a cup of steaming coffee and a chair. He sipped at the coffee as he watched the sky and considered his plans.

A few minutes later, he was interrupted by a flare of bright yellow light at the corner of his vision that made him turn his head.

A message spell was floating there. Its runes were elegant and held an aura of the Third Evolution, which made him shake his head.

He wasn’t surprised. He’d been waiting for it ever since he left his sanctum. There was no way that eliminating all of the spying spells on the academy had gone unnoticed.

He let it float there for a moment as he finished his coffee. Then he activated it.

The city lord’s voice echoed in his ears.

“Baron Verasun, it is always a pleasure. 

“Allow me to extend my congratulations on the construction of your new academy and the successful activation of the wards. I understand they are immensely impressive. Perhaps one day, you’ll explain how you managed that, but I will not pry into your secrets unless invited.

“Unfortunately, I have been hearing from a few nobles that you were quite ruthless in setting them up. They expressed their displeasure that you dealt so abruptly with the messages and offers of good will that they sent there, and now they worry that you will go back on your promise to involve them in the management of the academy.”

Kelin snorted at that, as well as at the city lord’s tone. The man was too full of himself. 

He let the message continue.

“Don’t worry, I’ve dealt with that problem and reminded them that your academy will belong only to you. Our city will be truly blessed to have such a fine institution nearby. I can only hope that you will keep to your word and foster arts and culture, and most importantly magic and strength. It will be my honor to act as the primary patron for your work.

“I am willing to increase my support for the academy to 15,000 gold a year, which I hope will be of some use to you. I only ask that you keep Highmist’s honor at the forefront of your thoughts and that you work for her good in every deed, as well as the honor of the noble establishment here. 

“The students who will graduate from the academy will be welcome in my city guard and other forces across the region. Our army always needs more people. I trust they will bring great renown wherever they go.”

The message continued on in the same vein, but Kelin shook his head as he scanned through it. It sounded nice on the surface, but Arcolen was sending a mix of threats and promises, ones that left him irritated. 

The references to the barons were a way of reminding Kelin that he was offending local forces, the increase in gold was an attempt to show off wealth and demand attention. It was also contingent on handing more authority to the city lord and channeling the graduates of the academy into his forces.

None of that was going to happen.

If Arcolen thought otherwise, Kelin would swiftly disabuse him of the notion, but he didn’t bother to send a reply.

The man could stew for a bit wondering if something had gone wrong with the message. He’d probably send another one in a few days, but by then Kelin would be in Sarathia with a good excuse for ignoring him.

As for the other nobles, it would be a while until the academy was built and they’d only begun contributing to it because he left them no other choice. The complaints were a way for them to pretend it was their idea and to try to seize power. 

He had no interest in their games.

They would never have any control over his sanctum or the academy around it. They would only have the places he’d offered them for students and their status as patrons.

If they upheld their responsibilities, he didn’t mind lending them a hand or sending a few graduates their way, but if they tried to take over or failed to provide the support they had promised, he would deal with them.

It would be a few years until the first students graduated, so it wasn’t an immediate concern, and by then he doubted they would dare to challenge him on anything.

There was one part of the city lord’s message that made him raise an eyebrow, however, so he listened to it again.

“Remember that the Decennium is approaching. Our lords are leaving next week for the opening festivities in Mystos. You are welcome to join our contingent and travel with us for security, as long as you do your part.”

It was a mixed message.

The mentions of joining them, security, and doing his part were a way of telling Kelin to fall in line, support Arcolen and the others, and agree with whatever they were planning.

Otherwise, they would undoubtedly try to strip dungeons and influence from the Verasun estate.

Given that he’d already sold off most of the estate, it didn’t matter much, but the message did make him consider what to do with the dungeon rights.

Based on the laws of Celadon, he could sell them off to another noble family. It would be the simplest way to get rid of the trouble.

He might as well do that and cash in as much as possible while it still mattered.

He made a note to send Taren along with his Soul Sage clone. That should be enough to handle things and broker the trade.

The money from the sales could join the rest in the academy and orphanage support fund. 

With that, he dismissed the message.

He had a couple of days before Serai and the others were ready, so while he waited for Gaius to return, he picked out one of the dungeons from a list the guild had given him and set a course for it.

He needed to make the most of his time and it would be good to get a few more levels.

It was quite a distance, but the hostage ship had finally returned to land near Stormhill, which freed up his clone, so he had a way to travel quickly.

A moment later, a glowing golden copy of himself appeared in front of him, its form outlined in flames and light. It disappeared as it flew away, heading for the dungeon.

Escorting the ship back had given him some practice, but not enough to upgrade the ability again. The Advanced tier was already a good improvement.

The clone had 10% of his strength and mana and it could carry small items, like the Shard of Dark Ice that helped him summon an ocean elemental.

Perhaps when it reached Expert, he’d be able to trade places with his clone more than once a day, but for now once was enough.

While it was traveling, the clone was as fast as a message spell. It took about seven minutes for it to cross seven hundred miles and reach the dungeon he’d chosen.

He spent a little while scouting around the area, seeing through his clone’s eyes as he scanned around the dungeon exit, and then he settled down to wait.

About an hour, Gaius returned, and as soon as he was back, Kelin snapped his fingers and the world changed.

His clone appeared where he’d been and disintegrated into a shower of golden sparks.

Meanwhile, Kelin was looking out at steep mountains and rolling forests that stretched out to the west and north. The view mingled with the scent of a distant ocean that was carried on the wind over the mountain peaks.

He was on the eastern shore of the Ocean of Storms, separated from it by the range of mountains. The tallest peak in that direction was North Spire, a famous mountain in the free states where bandits flourished and a place that was filled with wild mana flows. 

To the right, off to the east and south, the verdant foothills fell away into the brown and tan of drier lands, part of the borderlands that divided this land from Sarathia, and where the desert truly began.

The dungeon portal was on a slope of the foothills near the base of the mountains. The familiar silver and black light glowed in Kelin’s eyes.

This area was a free state near the city of Draken, but it was a questionable claim, which was one reason he’d scouted it out. 

Both Celadon and Sarathia had heavy interests here, although neither officially tried to take control of it. 

No one was around the dungeon, which kept things simple. He didn’t feel like dealing with local politics or non-guild adventurers.

Of course, there was another reason for the lack of people, which became clear as the voice of the Path echoed in his mind.

You have discovered a Chaos Remnant: The Realm of Falling Sands.

Average Level: 275. 

Elemental Affinities: Wind and Sand.

Mana Density: High.

Relative Danger: Extremely High.

Rewards: Variable (High).

Notes: This is a natural Chaos Remnant formed from local mana flows and dense elemental essence. Due to the high monster density, a team is recommended.

Requirement: Kill 90% or more of the monsters inside.

Additional Bonus: 100% completion and kill the final boss.

Possible Rewards: Experience, Wealth, Common to Rare-grade Items, Alliance Credit.

The Realm of Falling Sands is a powerful dungeon that frequently releases waves of Second Evolution monsters if it is not cleared. These monsters include sand wyverns, earth serpents, violent elementals, and other things that often have venomous and acidic attacks.

It poses a large threat to the surrounding area, but the lack of settlement in this region means that the monsters can wander for quite a ways before encountering anyone.

Clearing this dungeon is a high priority in order to maintain local stability. A standing guild quest exists to do so and prevent dungeon breaks. 

Due to the mana intensity and infrequent clearing, a high-level party is recommended.

Do you wish to accept this quest?

Kelin nodded and his guild medallion flashed with light as the quest registered. 

Unlike the Path quest to scout Sarathia, this one was much simpler.

This dungeon was one of the difficult but straightforward ones on the guild’s red list. It almost always needed to be cleared and the quest to do it was worth quite a bit of credit.

He didn’t plan to spend long inside, just enough to clear it and pick up some levels, and perhaps some attributes from rewards he didn’t need, but it might also offer some insights into the powers of the desert and the empire.

If things went well, he’d be done in a couple of days.

Then they could head to Sarathia.