Wild Era, Ch 45: Rising Power (End of Book 1)

Some of their conversation was amusing and some was serious, and it served a dual purpose of getting to know Sandren better and learning more about the guild and the state of local affairs.

Right now, there was only potential between them, but Kelin was willing to see where it went.

She was beautiful, but it was her arrival at the right moment that had struck a chord of reliability in his heart. After so many years of battle, that was something he treasured more than simple appearance.

He liked her personality. 

He had no trouble seeing past the armor. For a mage who had lived on a battlefield, that was an attraction all its own.

He had a moment of hesitation as he considered whether it was appropriate, more for him than for her.

But what was the point of being young again if you couldn’t have some fun with it?

It was amusing that Sandren probably thought the age difference was in her favor and that she was cradle robbing, but he knew it was actually in his. 

She was about 200 years old, but in his eyes, that was young. 

Despite his current youth, he had almost 5,000 years of experience on her.

It wasn’t much of an issue, since after a couple Evolutions, age didn’t matter much. It was more about how personalities fit together.

He’d have to explain things to her eventually, if this went well, but he hadn’t decided if he would tell her all of it. 

Whoever had killed him was still out there somewhere and knowing might put her in danger.

He would probably explain that he had inherited some ancestral memories with his soul affinity and that they had let him see centuries passing, which had changed his perspective on life.

It was the truth, and that would be enough of an explanation for why he didn’t act like a typical young man.

As for the level difference, that wouldn’t last for much longer.

They were both adults who could make their own decisions, and if they eventually went their own ways, it would still be fun.

There was no reason to turn down a new opportunity, not when he had almost no one around and no family except the kids.

It would be a good way to ground this life.

In between moments of their conversation, there were breaks where they simply looked out at the dungeon and the rising sun.

Eventually, she asked about his Low Steel badge and new rank. The change surprised her, since ranks were almost always issued by the guild branches and not the Path directly.

He explained about being a guild inspector, as well as about the assassin earlier, which made flames leap into her eyes.

“I'm glad you survived that,” she said as her temper flared, “and that you got the assassin's name. The baron is good at hiding his hand, but I'll find a way to make him pay for that. If he tried that on you, I'm sure he's behind other deaths in the guild. We're the ones who keep blocking his expansion.

“The good news there is that it will be hard for him to find a more powerful assassin in this area that is as disposable as that one. Anyone stronger is likely to be too well known. If he wants to try again, it will take him a lot more effort.”

“I've added it to his account,” Kelin said calmly. “I'll collect it in time.”

He considered hiding the assassin's death, but there was no point to it. The baron was capable of hiring a seer to find out the result, just like he had when he found Kelin in the first place.

If he didn't know already, he would soon enough.

It was better for him to realize that he'd kicked a steel plate and that the guild knew it was him. It should make him act more carefully for a little while.

As they considered their plans for the future, Kelin took a moment to glance through the notifications from the battle.

That arrow he’d thrown at Kolburn would have eventually killed the man, but it might have taken a while. Since he'd killed himself and hadn’t been officially marked as an outlaw anyway, there was no experience, but there were some gains from the battle itself.

Having nearly every bone in his body broken and the intensity of the fight had resulted in some improvements as he recovered.

By stressing your capabilities in combat, you have gained +5 Constitution, +1 Strength, +1 Agility, +3 Intelligence, and +3 Aura.

His physique had improved a little from the stress as the soulfire wove more intensively through every cell, but it wasn’t enough to reach Elite.

As for his soul, it was still disrupted from how he’d overdrawn it, but it would recover soon.

He glanced at his base attributes to see the new totals. 

Strength: 125 

Constitution: 184 (+55% from Soulfire Physique)

Agility: 116 (+10 from boots)

Wisdom: 197

Intelligence: 664

Aura: 276

Charisma: 102 

The boosts from his physique and the enchantment on his boots weren’t included in the numbers, just listed next to them.

He was still weaker than he would have liked, but it was looking better.

There were also a couple of ability improvements from the fight, ones he’d been waiting for.

Your Innate Ability: Persistent Spell has improved by a tier and reached Expert.

Your Innate Ability: Analyze has improved by a tier and reached Elite.

Those two hadn’t improved in the last dungeon, but fighting Orest and then Kolburn had pushed them over the edge.

His analysis would be more comprehensive and precise, while Persistent Spell had jumped by an additional 5%, from 20% to 25% improved cohesion and extended duration.

His spells would be a bit tighter and more efficient now.

It would go a little way toward making up for the temporary loss of his staff and cloak.

About an hour later, after everyone’s wounds had healed and their mana was recovered, Kelin dusted himself off and stood up.

Talking to Sandren was a pleasure, but he had work to do in the dungeon.

It wasn’t long before she gathered up Isla, who still hadn’t recovered, as well as Maro, Galin, and Serai.

They’d all decided they’d had enough for now, so they were going back to the guild with her for some well-earned rest and recuperation.

“Sorry, Kelin,” Maro explained. “I wish we could join you, but we’re a little tired after this mess and need to rest. We’ll meet up again in the future, assuming you don’t out-level us too much.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” he said as he shook their hands. “After this one, I’ll spend some time training my abilities and doing some crafting before the First Evolution, so you’ll have a little while to catch up. I’ll look for another dungeon that we can run together.”

Nearly dying again had shaken them a lot, but he knew the real way to recover was to seize victory in the next battle.

Otherwise, you’d constantly dwell on the loss. 

If you were going to rest, it was best to do it after you won. 

It would have been better if they came along on this one, but he didn’t try to talk them out of it. As long as they got back at it before too long, they would be fine.

As for him, he’d been through close calls too many times to pay much attention. Death had taken its swing at him again, but it had missed. 

He had levels to gain and new Evolutions to reach, and they wouldn’t come any faster by delaying.

At least it wasn’t a complete loss for them. They had been the ones to find this dungeon, so they would get a bonus for that, as well as whatever reparations the guild managed to wrangle out of Verasun, but Kelin wasn’t holding out too much hope for anything decent.

At most, the guild would probably fine him, since his daughter and butler had been involved, and that would be the end of it.

At least officially.

The more important question was whether the guild would be able to keep their identities secret, or if Verasun already knew about them.

For their sake, it would be better if they could be forgotten.

Kelin had already seen the type of assassin the man liked to send after those he thought were a problem.

Since they were leaving, after he cleaned up the battlefield, he gave them the items and coins from Orest and Yaris, as well as Yaris’s followers.

Orest’s axe was the only decent piece, but the rest was worth a few hundred gold, which would go a long way to helping them equip themselves better for the future.

His own bags were still heavy from the Coralfire dungeon and he expected more from this one, so he didn’t need it.

As for Kolburn, there wasn’t much left except for a spatial ring that had survived his wind blades. It had a few nicks, but it was made of durable stuff and they were already disappearing. 

There were only some day to day items and a few coins inside, not even a single potion, which meant that the butler had probably had another way of storing things, like a spatial pocket of his own, which was common for a dimensional mage, but that would be difficult to find now.

The ring was larger inside than Kelin’s current one, so he swapped it out and gave his old one to Serai. Mages often needed quick access to potions and artifacts in between casting. 

He gave Maro and Galin the spatial bags he'd taken from the guards outside the dungeon, so they wouldn't feel left out. There were a few coins and other things in them, but nothing he needed.

The new ring was six feet in every direction, which was the same as his spatial pocket, and it was worth probably 500 gold at the guild.

Between that and the high-grade spatial crystal from the anchor outside the dungeon, which would help to improve the size of his storage space, he should have enough room for this dungeon's materials.

If he didn't, he could look for some more spatial crystals or a better bag when he got back.

A spatial bag with ten feet in every direction was only 400 gold and held almost five times as much, but a ring was quicker to access, even more than his spatial pocket, although that would eventually change.

Putting the enchantments on his staff and upgrading his gear again would be expensive, so whether or not he could afford it depended on what was in this dungeon.

He turned his attention to Gaius, checking on him. He had gone above and beyond in that fight. 

The elemental was as solid and stable as ever, waiting for the next thing to happen, but Kelin would have to think about how to repay him.

“Kelin...remember to be careful,” Sandren said as she prepared to leave. “The Crest family is difficult and has many allies. Silas Crest is unlikely to forget that you blocked his plans here, nor to forgive.”

She glanced at Isla as she spoke, but the girl was looking down and seemed to be ignoring the world.

“I’ll give him as much of a kick as the guild allows, which will distract him for a little bit, but he might still come after you. The guild has your back and will prevent anything official, but we can’t always stop the more secretive methods. Be careful.”

“I’ll look after myself,” Kelin said with a smile.

“Then I’ll see you back at the guild soon,” Sandren said, not insisting any more. She gave him a wave and a smile as she led everyone away. 

When they were gone, Kelin returned to meditating in his ward. His soul needed a little longer to recover from the damage, so he spent the time organizing his talismans and remaining potions.

Sandren had given him a few more intermediate mana and healing potions on guild credit, as well as a greater one of each, so he was restocked for now.

The greater ones were 50 gold each, so the total was 142 gold, but he didn’t plan to use them unless he had to. It should be plenty for this dungeon run.

She’d waved off the cost of the ones she’d handed out when she arrived, saying that the guild would make Verasun pay for it as part of his fine.

Her warning was reasonable, which was the main reason he wanted the greater potions. There was always the danger of another assassin. 

They would be a backup in case of a surprise injury.

When everything was settled, he took out the high-grade spatial crystal and held it in his hand.

Intense streams of spatial energy began to radiate from it. They twisted the space around him like invisible waves as he guided its energy into his storage space.

The durability and size of the space swiftly expanded.

The low-grade ones had added about a foot in every direction, but the difference between a low-grade and a high-grade crystal was more than ten times and sometimes reached dozens of times. The higher purity made it much more efficient.

He wove the energy into the structure of the space, and the area inside expanded foot by foot.

The crystal slowly grew smaller in his hand until it turned to dust that dissipated on the breeze, leaving nothing behind.

When he was done, the space had expanded to 15 feet in every direction, with a resulting volume that was over a dozen times larger than before, and he studied the result with a sense of satisfaction.

There was plenty of room for this dungeon now.

Given that a high-grade spatial crystal could be used for powerful artifact enchantments and fortification enchantments, including wards against teleportation or to power a traveling platform, some people would have found the use a waste, but to him it was one of the best investments he could make.

There was plenty of room for equipment now, as well as enough space for a few monsters if he wanted to take them back whole and deal with them later. It wasn't enough to stick an entire drake inside, but it was getting there.

His High-tier Spatial affinity meant that it was relatively easy for him to maintain a large space without straining his soul, so it would be a while before he reached his limit. It would continue to increase as he gained levels too.

He dusted the remains of the crystal off his hands as he considered his next steps.

Sandren hadn’t mentioned it, but there was no doubt in his mind that the guild here was short-staffed. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have had any problem dealing with Verasun, nor catching him while he was trying to make dungeons.

It wasn’t illegal to make dungeons, since new ones were valuable, but you had to respect the local area while you were doing it and take responsibility for your actions.

The baron was doing neither, just chasing wealth at the cost of others.

More importantly, Kelin had finally discovered the person who was behind his awakening in this life. 

The mine collapse and the death of his younger self deserved retribution.

He added the baron to the list of people he would get rid of when the opportunity presented itself. He would be a difficult target, but bringing down an empire could only be done one step at a time. 

Kolburn’s loyalty had been impressive, which was apparently a common trait among the baron’s men, but Kelin doubted it was completely based on an oath or geas. 

Those were more trouble than they were worth and were best used for simple prohibitions, like to not talk about something. Using them to inspire true loyalty was almost impossible.

The soul would naturally rebel against such a constraint.

An oath of silence was much simpler and more effective, especially if it was mixed with decent leadership. 

Evil or not, the baron was likely a masterful player at the game.

He probably rewarded his people well and gave them what they desired the most, legal or illegal, and had strong leverage against his key men, ensuring they would ruin their lives if they betrayed him.

That, plus some gruesome examples of punishment and demonstrations of his influence in Celadon as he evaded the law, would be enough to sway a number of people and ensure their loyalty.

It would be especially effective if he recruited them from poverty and gave them wealth, or if he made himself seem like their rescuer in some other way.  

But Kelin didn’t need to worry about that too much. He was just going to take the man apart, one piece at a time. 

He’d already taken a few steps along that path by removing Orest and Yaris, as well as sending away Verasun’s daughter. When he got back to town, he’d look into the other Wind Hunters, and then the other forces that the baron had to call on.

Piece by piece, he’d chip it away, until the baron had nothing left.

It wouldn’t even be the main thing Kelin was doing, just a side project as he focused on his real plan.

But it would still require strength.

The baron was in the middle of the Second Evolution, so it would be a while before he could deal with him personally.

Kelin glanced down at the Bracelet of Unseen Presence on his arm. It would be a bit, but eventually he would be able to upgrade Soul Shroud, which would help him avoid scrying better.

For now, the best thing he could do was stay out of sight and get stronger.

That was why he’d stayed in this dungeon.

Sandren hadn’t overstated it when she said this place would be a hot commodity.

This was a new dungeon and it was overflowing with mana, so the first clear would give extra rewards and experience, perhaps better than anything he had seen so far in this life.

Sandren had brought a few guild guards with her who were posted at the entrance, and she’d promised they would be there until he finished, but the usual guild regulations that discouraged more than one team in a dungeon at a time didn’t apply to a first clear.

It was a race to see who could get there first.

The guild’s movement wouldn’t go unnoticed, especially with all of the nobles seeking new dungeons, and word would spread, so he had to get going.

He dusted himself off as he stood up and checked on his condition. 

Soulfire was flowing brightly through his meridians and his soul was almost recovered, so it was good enough.

Since the Path was ignoring him, he would have to make his own way back to power. 

“Rising Mist Dungeon, is it?” he asked as he looked around. “Let’s see how long you can last.”

A pulse of mana and soul energy spread out from him, like a great drum of killing intent that announced his presence. It swept out across the world in a massive challenge.

The dungeon’s awareness focused on him in an instant and it responded with a wave of threatening pressure. 

Thunder resounded in the clear sky as bolts of mana and lightning slammed down into the earth, shaking the forest for miles around. A wave of necrotic miasma accompanied it and he felt the attention of the undead lock onto him.

He felt it as the monsters began to race toward him.

A wave of Wildfire coalesced around his body, surrounding him in a cloak of rainbow flames, and glowing spheres of soulfire appeared in his hands.

Then he walked into the dungeon.