Wild Era 3, Ch 14: Soul Bonds

While Yao and Naomi found spots they liked, Kelin studied the flow of mana in the area.

“Sit down and start practicing mana weaving,” he said once they sat down. “It will help you to feel the energy flows. This is a good training location for it.”

“The elemental energy here will push on the rune forms and you’ll start to feel the differences between each element. Each one has a different resistance and it changes depending on the rune. It’s why you learned that first.”

There are some old friends here, Gaius’s words rumbled in Kelin’s mind. I’m going to visit them.

The elemental’s presence flowed out of the soul chamber and merged into the earth, where it swiftly mixed with other mana signatures, mostly other earth elementals. 

Flows of mana traveled between them as the elementals communicated in their own way, sharing their thoughts and perspective.

One of the reasons Gaius had joined Kelin was that he’d promised to show the elemental new experiences. Now Gaius was sharing some of those with his old friends.

It didn’t take long before Kelin felt the change in the elementals as they regarded him and his apprentices with more interest and familiarity.

They were thinking about what Gaius was telling them.

Within a few minutes, he suspected they would start to investigate Yao and Naomi, and that would be entertaining to watch.

It wasn’t long before he held back a laugh as he saw Naomi let out a squeak. She touched a spot on her side as she jumped up from where she was sitting.

Yao followed a moment later, grabbing at something that had poked his leg.

“The elementals are inspecting you,” Kelin said with a laugh. “Try to put up with it and see if one is friendly. Now go back to mana weaving.”

The kids settled down again and he found a good spot himself, letting his mind wander as he studied the mana flows. 

It wasn’t long before flows of elemental energy began poking and pushing at him, but a protective rumble from Gaius warned them all off.

As far as he was concerned, Kelin was his.

After a little bit, Kelin began weaving mana, creating one illusion after another. He started with what the kids were doing and made a golden lotus, followed by successively harder things. 

The elementals were immediately interested.

He felt them gathering around, their attention pulled by the allure of the runes and the meaning as one line wrapped into another. 

Since it never created a full rune, the art was always teasing, always full of potential, and never revealed its secrets.

He chuckled as he kept it up, showing off things that the kids would be able to do one day. From time to time, he sent a thread of mana toward the kids’ constructions, making a path like an arrow as he pointed from their version to his own.

To the elementals, the meaning was obvious and they understood that he was demonstrating higher levels of the same technique.

This is what my students will be able to do eventually, Kelin added, confirming it. With your help, they will grow strong and share many experiences of their life. Gaius can tell you what we have done together.

Gaius was already talking to them and he rumbled in agreement as he continued.

One of the main reasons Gaius had joined him was that Kelin had promised to share his experience with him. It was both types—life experiences and leveling experience. 

Elementals didn’t tend to change much over the centuries, but by sharing a human perspective they could develop swiftly and in new ways, advancing more in a few years than in millennia in their natural state.

It was like offering them a new life for their help.

And with the way he’d built Gaius’s soul chamber, if Kelin was killed by any normal methods, the elemental could survive and return to the world, keeping everything that he’d learned. 

It would take destroying his soul to harm him.

With that, the elementals had a fair guarantee of safety, although it wasn’t perfect.

For a while, Kelin focused on mana weaving, simply enjoying the art, but he kept track of the kids as they shifted from one location to another, each time moving to an area where they felt more comfortable.

After about an hour, they found spots they liked and stayed there as they practiced their mana weaving.

By then, the elementals had heard Gaius’s full story. A few had left, but the majority were swirling around the kids. 

They were more polite now and not prodding them as much as they observed the mana weaving and assessed the kids’ mana flows, spirit, and affinities.

Now and then, one of the elementals approached Kelin and nudged him. He felt their thoughts flowing like rivers and the moving earth, asking him what was next.

Let them find their new affinity here, Kelin said. The balance of energy in this nexus is filling in what might otherwise be missing.

If they’d gone to most places, the kids would have gravitated toward the elements that matched the affinities they already had, but here the overall harmony of the elements was pushing them toward the ones they didn’t have and that balanced out their overall build.

By adding that affinity, they would find themselves more in tune with the natural world.

His plan seemed to be working. 

Elemental balance wasn’t always the most critical concept for a war mage, but it was very useful for certain mana arts and some abilities, as well as enchanting.

It was also a good foundation for a well-rounded mage, even if one element always led the way.

He’d taken Earth as a new affinity since he‘d needed Gaius’s help to survive the cave-in, but that had also been a form of balance. 

Even afterwards, the Earth affinity was a good fit and gave him strong self-preservation abilities. It also allowed him to create some enchantments he couldn’t have made otherwise.

Yao and Naomi were looking more comfortable now, which was a good sign they’d found a place that fit, so he scanned the area to see what elements they’d chosen.

Interesting, he thought with a chuckle.

Yao was perched up on the side of the hill, on a rock that was exposed to the air. The spot was full of Wind essence.

Naomi was sitting on the side of the pool and had her feet dangling in the water. Waves lapped around her legs and she was dangling one hand in the pool in between writing rune forms. When she raised her hand to draw, sparkling droplets flickered between the lines.

Wind and Water then, Kelin decided. That should work.

Wind was a good combination for Yao if he had a Storm concept of some version later on. 

It was also the fastest of the standard elements and a Wind elemental would help to give him some good escape and movement abilities. 

His body might be able to transform to wind in the same way Kelin could travel through the earth. 

For Naomi, Water would balance out some of the destructiveness of Fire and Space. It was also an excellent element to escape confinement and avoid damage. 

A Water elemental could help her to swim, breathe underwater, and absorb impacts. 

If she transformed into Water, it would allow her to travel through small spaces and to flow around barriers, and if she ever wanted to study healing arts or alchemy, a Water affinity was a good supporting choice for those too.

When she and Yao worked together, their spells would combine better if they shared a Water affinity.

Wind and Water elementals got along well, which was an added bonus. It wouldn’t be good if their allies were constantly arguing with one another.

He let the kids continue to practice for a couple of hours until they were turning pale from mana drain. 

“You need to keep working on your Meditation,” he said, his voice carrying across the area, “your endurance isn’t good enough. No complaining to me that you’re only Level 5. You can train it up all the way to Epic without getting a single level. For now, stop mana weaving and focus on recovering your mana.”

As they followed his directions, he held a brief conversation with the elementals. His apprentices started to stand up, but he waved at them to sit back down.

“Stay where you are,” he said. “That’s the right spot. Now let’s talk about why I brought you here. Do you want an elemental soul bond, like I have with Gaius? Listen first before deciding.”

Then he began to explain his intentions, telling his apprentices about the elemental soul bonds with both the upsides and the downsides. 

He also demonstrated some of Gaius’s abilities, including his ability to allow Kelin to travel through the earth, to form Stoneskin, and to control the earth and stone around him.

“This is why we came here,” he said as he wrapped up the explanation. “An elemental soul bond will help you to become stronger and it will give you an innate ally, but it will also take you twice as long to level. With dungeons, that can be a good thing. You’ll have more opportunities to earn rewards before moving on.

“The downside seems minimal now, but at higher Evolutions, it might feel like you’ve ground to a halt and it takes forever to gain a level. That time can be good for reflection and refining your skills, giving you a better foundation, but I don’t want you to regret it if you choose it, so think about it.

“The elementals here are interested in you and you’ve each chosen a new affinity that will benefit you. If you want to form a soul bond with an elemental, I will help you. If not, we’ll study some survival techniques and then head back to Highmist.”

He paused as he let the meaning settle in. 

They’d been jumping at the idea and his words made them hesitate, but it only lasted for a moment.

“There is no way I’d turn this down!” Yao shouted from his rocky perch. “Who else has an elemental?”

“I agree,” Naomi said, grinning. “It sounds amazing. Being a little slow to level is worth it.”

“Alright,” Kelin said, nodding. “It’s what I chose in this life too, so I won’t try to convince you otherwise.”

He walked over toward Naomi and sat down in front of her.

“You first this time,” he said. “Would you like to make a soul bond with a Water elemental?”

Her nod of agreement was instant.

“Alright, focus on the concept of Water,” Kelin said, chuckling as he reached out to her soul.

“This may feel strange. I’m going to help you form a soul chamber, a place for the elemental’s soul to stay. It will take a little while.”

Naomi’s aura was a calm blue of a sharp mind, touched faintly with other colors from her affinities. There was red for Fire, silver for Space, and green for Wood.

As she advanced, those colors would become brighter and expand to have a greater influence, but for now they were light.

Kelin ignored them, only focusing on the low Soul affinity she had, which showed up as light gold. He needed pure soul energy from that affinity to form the soul chamber. 

Without it, this wouldn’t work.

He touched Naomi’s head and stabilizing energy flooded her as he gathered a small amount of soul energy, which he swiftly wove into soul runes.

An intricate enchantment began to form, spiraling around itself as it grew into the sphere of a soul chamber. 

His control was far better now than when he’d done this for himself, so it only took him a fraction of the time, but it was still extremely complex.

Fifteen minutes later, he was done. 

A shimmering sphere was visible in her soul, its surface a light blue color from the pure Water essence that he’d added to ensure the right type of elemental bonded with it.

“Now tempt one with your art,” he said. “They will be your partner, so show them what you have to offer, your thoughts and spirit. Show them your mana weaving. It is a reflection of your soul.

“Once they approach, focus your thoughts and ask for one single elemental who would like to share your life. I’ve set down some foundational rules as part of the enchantment, but any additional agreement you make is between the two of you.”

They were the same rules as he’d offered to Gaius, ones that limited the arrangement and protected them both while sharing their powers.

As she began to look for an elemental to merge into the soul chamber, he levitated up to Yao’s spot and repeated the same thing for him.

Yao’s soul was similar to Naomi’s with a bright liveliness, but his affinities were a bright white for Lightning, blue for Water, and yellow for Earth, as well as the light gold for Soul.

When he was done, he gave Yao the same instructions and then he floated back down to the ground.

Yao began to practice his mana weaving again, the same as Naomi.

It might take them a while to talk to the elementals here, so Kelin didn’t rush them. He only kept an eye on them as he worked on other things.

Before long, he heard a laugh of delight from Naomi, followed not too long after by a shout from Yao.

“Congratulations,” he said as he looked over at them, studying their souls. 

New colors had appeared in their souls and he could see the elementals who had merged into each of the soul chambers. 

Naomi’s was bright blue for Water and Yao’s was a pale ethereal green for Wind.

“Now consider a name for them,” he said. “You should have gained an innate understanding of their powers, but you will have to practice. 

“Fortunately, the elemental will share their mastery with you, so it’s not as complex as learning an ability on your own. Just don’t expect to turn completely into Wind or Water yet. You’ll need to master the skill. But one day, you will be able to walk on the wind and to ride the waves.”

His own ability to merge into the Earth was the result of his long experience with mana control and elemental energy. The runes that appeared on his body were a stabilizing feature he’d added to support the transition.

It would take the kids a while to reach that level.

With enough concentration, they might be able to tune a hand or an arm to their element, but they would need more practice before they could do a full transition.

“Take your time,” he added. “There’s no need to rush things. We have the rest of today and tomorrow before we need to head back.”

The rest of that day was filled with his apprentices getting familiar with their elementals and testing out their abilities. 

He gave them some brief pointers, but not too many. Instead, he suggested some paths they could pursue that would be useful to them.

“You’ll have to find your own way of doing things,” he said. “Your elementals have a natural gift to wield their element, which they now share with you, but the ways that can appear are unique to their personality and to yours.”

He turned to Naomi and then waved at the pool.

“You should swim around in the pool and try to interact with the other Water elementals,” he said. “You should be able to see them more clearly now. Get used to their powers and how they use them. You should be able to move and breathe underwater easily.”

Then he turned to Yao and pointed up at the rocky slope of the hill.

“And you should spend a lot of time jumping off of that and trying to float down. Mastering a basic slow levitation spell should be second nature to you now. Try lifting yourself back up after you jump off.”

He chuckled.

“Also, you can now get a little more experience without making your level rise too quickly. So, enjoy that in your guild training. Your elementals will need to learn to help you fight, so make sure to practice.”

The elementals they’d chosen were very young and only around Level 10, not even the Level 20 or so that Gaius had been when he’d made a bond with Kelin. Kelin had been able to swiftly teach Gaius how to use Earth spells in combat to assist him, but his apprentices would have a harder time of it.

It would be good for them.

“You can show the elementals to your guild trainers and allies,” he added, “but don’t show them off too much to everyone else. Most people should only see that you’re using elemental energy, not that an elemental is assisting you.”

Unless someone had soul sight or a very advanced mana sight, it would be hard to tell the difference as long as the elementals didn’t leave their soul chambers.

Yaslen had promised to put guild guards to watch over the kids, and Kelin had sensed them before they left town. They’d scattered when he took the kids out on this trip, but they would be back.

With his own fame growing, the number of people who were likely to try targeting the kids was minimal, but it was still possible.

Guild training could last for a few years and it would be safe enough while it lasted. The bodyguards could keep other enemies away.

As the kids bowed to him and started to add profuse thanks, he shook his head.

“This is what a master should do for his apprentices,” he said. “Words don’t matter, only what you do with these abilities in the future and who you become. Use them well and don’t let me down. That is the best form of thanks.”

He waved his hand to indicate the area.

“Now go practice. Ask me if you are confused about anything.”

They headed off to obey.

It wasn’t long before Yao was floating down from the rocks like a leaf. When he reached the ground, wind surrounded him and carried him forward as he focused on speeding up his steps, 

Naomi started by walking across the surface of the pool, her feet barely disturbing the water, and then she dove in and stayed below for minutes. 

When she rose back up, she walked onto the water like it was solid ground. The water ran off of her and left her completely dry, without a single drop staying on her clothes or skin. 

Some hours later and at Kelin’s urging, they moved on to basic elemental manipulation for combat, like hurling water bullets and small wind blades.

The advantage of having a soul bond was that using the elements was like second nature, easily following their will. It allowed them to skip past the basic spell work and elemental structures that would have been necessary to accomplish the same thing.

The elementals granted them their abilities freely. 

Kelin could sense the laughter of the small spirits as they watched what their humans did. They were already very entertained, so their part of the bargain was being fulfilled.

The main limitation was on the capacity of his apprentices’ bodies to manage the energy flow, which was why the effects were small. 

Their meridians would need to develop before more was possible, but for now, they were able to freely wield elemental spells at their level.

“Practice making defensive shields and evading too,” he said. “Wind and Water can make good protective barriers, although they’re inherently different from pure mana or Earth. Your best defensive skills will focus more on escape and evasion than enduring blows.”

Yao and Naomi had already had some training in using their innate Elemental Bolt and Mana Shield abilities, so they were familiar with the idea.

Before long, the two of them were throwing water bullets and wind blades at each other, each not much larger than a finger, and blocking them with simple elemental shields.

Kelin chuckled as he left them to it.

He found a good spot and set up a small campsite a short distance from the pool, far enough off that it wouldn’t disrupt the balance of elemental energies.

Gaius helped by clearing the ground and creating a fire pit, as well as stone andirons and a spit for the fire. He also helped to create some comfortable sleeping areas, smoothing out the ground and layering soft sand inside as a bed.

Once that was done, Kelin started a fire and pulled out part of the mirror snake’s tail from the last dungeon, which he started to slowly roast. 

Off to the side, he set up a small table with other dishes, all fresh from his storage, and now and then he added some spices to the meat.

There was some light wine, which was more for him than the kids, as well as some vegetables in different sauces, fresh bread stuffed with fragrant herbs and butter, sliced fruit, and a selection of local cheeses.

There was also some rich chocolate mousse that was artfully displayed in small bowls shaped like leaves and topped with a few sugar-glazed berries.

Highmist had a preference for noodles and other quick foods, but it also had richer fare like this.

“Come and eat,” he called when it was ready, letting his voice carry on the wind. “It’s time to find out what it means to be spoiled on a survival trip. It’s a very important lesson.”

Teaching them survival skills was important, but there were different types of survival lessons. 

This one was called, “If you have the ability, use it.”