Wild Era 3, Ch 2: Truth and Toast

Kelin had told Sandren who he was and that he’d been reborn.

He’d also told his apprentices that he had memories of a past life, but not all of the truth.

Now that he had the backing of the Sovereign and the Silver Nagas, he was confident in explaining the rest.

It wasn’t something that needed to be spread around too much, but it no longer needed to be hidden from his closest allies.

If anyone too powerful tried to target him, Sleset or another Herald would pay them a visit. 

He would probably have to survive an initial attack, but that was nothing new, and he had the guild as a closer defense. 

It was enough.

A life could not be lived in fear.

It was stifling to constantly pretend that he was not himself.

He was the Lord of Wildfire, with a life spent in service to the stars and shattering Chaos Gates, not some random young mage. 

Perhaps it was an indulgence to think that way, one that an old mage might be forgiven for holding, but it was who he was. 

He didn’t demand deference, but he had no desire to hide.

Every time someone called him a prodigy, it was an affront to the length of time it had taken him to master his trade. His skills had been earned over long years. 

He wanted at least his allies to know the difference.

The thoughts gave rise to a trace of irritation, but he let it flow away without disturbing him.

When he arrived at the private room, everyone except Sandren was already there.

Yao and Naomi jumped to their feet as he walked in.

“Master Kelin!” Yao shouted. He was followed immediately by Naomi shouting the same thing. 

They both looked like they were about to burst with questions as they stared at him.

“Sit back down,” Kelin said, smiling as he waved at them. “Let’s order a few things and we can talk.”

Maro, Galin, and Serai were there as well. The three of them were more composed, since they’d already seen him fight in a dungeon, but they still gave him long looks like they were trying to figure out how he had won.

Kelin was calm as he gave the server who was standing nearby an order and sent him away. 

“Teacher, how did you do that?” Naomi asked as soon as they were alone. “You made a giant inferno that turned into flame whirlwinds. It was so strong that even a Level 250 noble couldn’t compete with it. That was amazing!” 

“Layered talismans mostly,” Kelin said with a smile, “and a lot of Mana Control. That’s why you need to practice. I don’t think we’ve covered the principles of synergy for talismans or how artifacts and enchantments interact yet. We might as well go over it now.”

“I’d be interested to hear that too,” Serai said, tilting her head as she looked at the kids and then Kelin. “What you did there was impossible according to most commonly accepted theories of magic.”

“Not really,” Kelin said, shaking his head. “It’s just an exception, a rare combination of mana and talismans all coming from the same source. Only someone who creates everything themselves can manage it.

“There are a few other ways to mitigate clashing mana forms that can accomplish something similar, but they all require a higher force to suppress the conflict, usually a Law. Some powerful artifacts and abilities can do it, but the synergy is weaker.”

As he waited for the food to arrive, he answered questions about the duel and the talismans he’d used, explaining the theory in detail.

It was mostly for his apprentices, but Serai would benefit too. 

Maro and Galin were interested too, but they had trouble following the theory, so he had to backtrack and explain some of it in simpler terms.

The conversation filled the time until the food and Sandren arrived. He smiled at her and waved to a seat next to him, which she took cheerfully.

Now that he’d survived the duel and it was clear he wasn’t trying to kill himself by doing something absurd, she was much more at ease.

After everyone had eaten and the discussion was settling into calmer topics, he took out a goblet from his storage and set it on the table.

There was no need to do anything else as their attention naturally settled on it.

The room fell still as a series of shocked gasps and curses filled the air.

“What in the name of the gods...” Galin’s voice broke the air. 

His words were mixed with some dwarven curses that involved the improbable ancestry of a fallen god and rotten stone.

“That...what in the name of Mother Winter is that?” Serai’s gasp followed. “It’s Eternal!”

Maro was simply staring at the goblet, as were Kelin’s apprentices. They were all unable to look away.

Only Sandren was still composed, since Kelin had shown it to her before.

“It’s from the Sovereign,” Galin muttered. “And the analysis mentions you! Kelin Wildfire. That matches your magic, but that isn’t what my Analyze shows for you. Is that your real name or an ancestor?”

Kelin analyzed the goblet again, taking in what all of them were seeing.

Goblet of Astral Mead (Soulbound Eternal Artifact). Effect: Endless. A gift from the Sovereign of Silver Chaos to Kelin Wildfire.

The mention of him was new since he’d shown it to Sandren, as was the soul bond on it. It seemed the Sovereign had updated it.

That made things simpler, since a soulbound artifact was a swift proof of identity.

“It is a gift from the Sovereign to me when I met him during my First Evolution,” he said. “And this is as good a time as any to tell you some things.”

He looked over at the apprentices, whose eyes were as wide as saucers, and he sent a small pulse of mana to snap them back to reality.

Then he looked at Serai and the others. 

“I know you have wondered why I have the knowledge I do and where I come from, and why my leveling is so swift. This goblet is just a way to show you the truth. As is this.”

His words paused as he looked over at Sandren.

“I brought it like you asked,” she said, but then she looked at the others around the table. “Don’t spread this around.”

Then as she held out her hand and a six-foot tall painting appeared beside her. It was the portrait of Kelin from his first life, which had been in the guild’s storage hall.

His old self looked to be about thirty years old, with refined and academic features. He had a stern expression and dark eyes that held starry depths and a blaze of inner flame. 

He was standing in the Void in front of a Chaos Gate as streams of Wildfire wrapped around him, preparing to unleash it on the enemies pouring out of the gate.

The title at the bottom of the portrait read Kelin Wildfire, Archmage of Souls and Star-Ranked Adventurer.

“This was me in my first life,” he said as he pointed at the portrait. At the same time, he adjusted his Soul Shroud to allow them to see his true status.

“Analyze me again.”

It took them a moment, but not long. He felt the flow of mana as their senses swept over him. 

He knew what they were seeing.

Kelin Wildfire. Lord of Wildfire. 

Titles: Knight of the Path. Baron of Highmist.

Former Titles: Archmage of Souls, Mage of Wild Souls, Archduke of the Path, Star-Ranked Guild Adventurer.

Compared to those titles, his current Level of 142 and classes as a Soulfire Ascendant and Mystic Artisan weren’t very important.

“Now you know who I really am,” he said seriously. “I was killed by the Sovereign of Undeath, the Lord of the Undead. He’s an enemy of our galaxy, one of the forces driving the invasion through the Chaos Gates, as well as the continual rise of the undead.”

He paused as he waved his hand at the goblet on the table.

“With the help of our Sovereign of Silver Chaos, I was reincarnated in a new life.”

He simplified the reincarnation part and gave all the credit to the Sovereign, but it was true enough. Without the Sovereign’s power of primal chaos combining with his soul magic, he would have been dead permanently.

The Sovereign had also tried to save him. That was something he would always be grateful for.

They were too stunned to say anything and he wasn’t sure they were even listening, however, so he stopped there. 

They were staring at the goblet the same way that Sandren had once and were almost in a trance. Silver mist drifted across the top of the goblet and starlight shimmered from the sides, while runes and motes of light drifted around it.

A sense of deep and abiding Truth emanated from the goblet, one that felt like it was reshaping reality, as if everything else compared to it was as thin as paper and could be torn through with a touch.

To call an artifact Eternal was one thing.

To see one was another.

Sandren was more familiar with the power of the Sovereign, since the guild counted as a reserve to his army and his followers, but everyone knew of him.

To show a goblet granted by him was to say that Kelin had met the being many people revered as the god of humanity.

“You are...” It was Yao, the youngest of them, who got his voice back first, but he wasn’t able to form a complete sentence. 

His eyes were even wider than before as he stared at the goblet. He looked between it and the portrait and then focused on Kelin, as if he was trying to imprint the difference in his memory.

“Yes,” Kelin agreed with a laugh as he looked at the boy and then at Naomi. “I was once much more qualified to be your teacher. Let’s leave it at that. Why do you think I said not to call me master until I had a few more Evolutions? It would be much easier to teach you then.”

“You were a Star-ranked adventurer?” Maro’s voice was rough as he spoke, but he forced the words out. “There’s only like ten of those in the entire galaxy, if that.”

“I was,” Kelin agreed. “I spent a long time guarding against Chaos Gates and rarely came to any world, unless it was for a brief rest. After Irian fell, I spent most of my life in the Void between the stars.”

“This is unbelievable…” Serai whispered as she stared at the goblet. “You were practically an immortal yourself, a god.”

“That’s why the Herald came,” Kelin said. “We were friends once, although I met him long after Irian fell.”

He let out a deep breath as he thought about his old home world and then he shook his head as he picked up the sovereign’s goblet. 

“Now, who wants to test the Sovereign’s mead?” he asked, shaking away the solemnity. “I think this is a good time for a drink.”

He’d told them what they needed to hear and the meaning of it would settle in over time. For now, it was better to focus on friendship, not his history as a legend.

Without waiting for a response, he waved his hand and a line of golden cups appeared on the table, one for everyone, including him. 

He’d picked these cups up at the guild hall, making sure that each of them was made from high quality and mana-infused gold. Each was a smaller version of the original.

The goblet was half full of golden mead and as he poured it into the cups, a sparkling, honey-dense stream ran forth, its contents bubbling with flecks of starry light and elemental essence.

The sovereign had made this mead from astral honey, gathered from elemental bees that lived in the Void, and its taste was unlike anything that came from the land.

He filled the cups without diminishing and handed them around the table, including to his apprentices. 

He wasn’t going to leave them out of this.

“Ahh, you’re going to be this dwarf’s best friend,” Galin said with a rumbling laugh as he shook himself out of his surprise and stared at the cup in front of him.

When everyone had one, Kelin set the goblet at the center of the table and raised his cup in a toast.

“To new beginnings and adventures,” he said as he looked around, “and to surviving them.”

“I can get behind that,” Galin said, his voice rumbling as his words turned into a laugh as he picked up his cup and raised it in a toast. “To a new life.”

The rest joined in a moment later, raising their own cups.

As Kelin drank from his cup, the taste of the mead was liquid starlight and honey, tumbling with the essence of elemental truths and a blend of sweetness that mixed fire and ice together. 

It felt like it had barely touched his lips and then the cup was empty.

He looked down at it with surprise and at the same time he saw the others looking into their cups. 

They didn’t need to ask as he picked up the goblet and filled them all again.

“To the sovereign,” he said as he raised his cup.

A chorus answered the toast and then they were all lost in tasting the mead again.

This time, when Kelin drank from the cup, images of Silver Nagas and warriors of many races arranged along tables in an endless hall appeared in his mind. 

Above them, the stars stretched out into eternity, their light mixing with the chaotic spirals of gates opening.

Sleset and other Silver Nagas that he’d met in the past were there, coiled at the side of the table on their tails, while other races sat on benches or stood nearby. 

Some of their cups were full of the same mead, but there were also other drinks that surged with elemental energy like the rarest of elixirs, and the food was so bright with power that it blazed with the flames of a Law.

At the head of the table, the Sovereign sat on a throne made of brilliant silver-white stone. He turned his head to look at Kelin and nodded. A faint smile graced his lips.

The images dissolved into starlight and he found that his cup was empty again.

He chuckled as he looked around and his gaze settled on his apprentices, who were so dazed they looked like they were about to fall over.

“You two should stop on that round for now,” he suggested, “or I don’t think you will be able to stand. I’ll keep pouring for a while, but I’ll be stopping here myself, since I have to deal with the nobles’ banquet shortly, but don’t worry, there will be many more evenings to test it.”

“Did you say that was endless?” Galin asked, his attention settling on the goblet.

His voice was rough and a flame of passion had clearly ignited in his dwarven heart. His gaze barely moved to look at anyone else.

“I have an idea,” he said, his smile breaking through his beard to the sides of his face.

He waved his hand and a massive barrel appeared next to him that was as tall as he was and almost as broad as his shoulders. At a pinch, it could probably hold 300 gallons or more.

“This is my favorite ale barrel that I brought from home, but it’s run empty,” he said as he pointed at it. “It’s a disaster that only you can save me from. Why don’t you fill her up?”

Kelin chuckled as he looked at the barrel. 

“Anyone else?” he asked as he looked around. “Bring out your barrels and flasks then.”

A moment later, half the room was full of barrels, jars, flasks, and random cups. 

Even the kids brought out a few wine flasks and jars they had stored away, although their spatial bags weren’t as large as the ones the others had.

Kelin went around the room and filled them all, chuckling the entire time, while the level in the goblet never changed.

After seeing that scene of the nagas and warriors feasting with the Sovereign, he knew the Silver Lord wouldn’t mind. 

There were probably entire rivers of astral mead running through his hall, thousands of miles long and miles deep, if not even greater than that.

When everyone had their containers full, they stored them away.

“Drink as you wish,” he told them, before he glanced at the kids, “but you two, no more than one cup a day from now on unless you want to be unconscious shortly after. Your Constitutions aren’t up to it yet. It looks like you’re about to fall over.”

Their eyes were almost closed as they wobbled in their seats and he smiled as he shook his head.

“Come on,” he said to them, “I’ll take you back to your room. I need to prepare for the banquet anyway.”

As they struggled to get to their feet, he turned to the others. 

“I won’t say don’t come to this banquet,” he advised, “but I wouldn’t recommend it either. The city lord and the nobles will be fighting against the guild and the waters of politics here will run deep. 

“They can’t do much to me, but you won’t want to be in the middle. Enjoy the mead instead and I’ll see you soon. I’ll be heading out soon to take care of some dungeons. You should work on the same. With your Epic classes now, you should be able to tear through the First Evolution in short order. The guild will help.”

“We will,” Sandren agreed. “I will get you all set up with a series of appropriate dungeons to run together, and when Kelin is free, he can join you. You’ll have to work hard if you don’t want him to leave you far behind. 

“I’ve heard about your Path Quest for Sarathia. You’ll need to be at least at the Second Evolution to handle that. They have powerful guards at the borders.”

“We won’t fall behind,” Maro said firmly, pounding his fist on the table. “In the morning, we’ll set off.”

“May the Mother watch over us all,” Serai agreed. “Our futures are bright now. It would be an embarrassment to not live up to our potential.”

“I’ll live up to my potential drinking this mead!” Galin said, still staring at his barrel. “But I suppose I can spare some time fighting too. Never let it be said that a dwarf let down his friends.”

“I’ll see you all soon,” Kelin said, before he turned to his apprentices, chuckling as he gathered them up. “Come on you two.” 

A subtle gesture sent a wave of Wind magic around each of them, lifting them to their feet and stabilizing them. 

As he carried them toward the door, Sandren left with him, since she needed to help the guild get ready.

On the way out, Kelin flicked a ward at the door. 

Then he focused on carrying his apprentices back to their room and not dropping them on the way. 

He probably should have stopped them after one, but he hadn’t been sure how strong the mead was, so it was a good lesson for all of them.

On the way, his thoughts turned toward the banquet and the city lord, as well as how quickly he could get out of it.

He had to respect the guild to an extent and this banquet would let the commander reinforce the guild’s authority in Highmist, so that was reason enough to attend, but he didn’t have to like it.

He would give them tonight, but tomorrow he would be gone. He had no interest in staying in the city for longer, especially with his increased fame.

He had dungeons to run.