Wild Era, Ch 35: Soulfire Ability

The explosive clash of coralfire against soulfire went on until the Coralfire Guardian was tottering from fatigue. 

Finally, it ran out of mana and rushed at Kelin with its trident raised. A faint aura of blue flame surrounded its entire body and accelerated its speed.

That didn’t stop a bolt of soulfire from searing through its head, sending it rolling across the ground.

Kelin looked at it thoughtfully as he sat down to meditate. 

Wearing out the guardian had cost him about 30% of his mana, which was much less efficient than simply killing it, but it had been worthwhile.

The clash of elements had given him some ideas, as had the guardian’s coralfire aura and speed. Those were innate abilities that came from its element.

It made him consider whether he could do something similar.

His Soulfire Physique had come with innate passives for durability and recovery. He didn't have any active abilities for it, but that didn’t mean it was impossible to create some, especially now that he had the Compendium of Soulfire Runes. 

The higher law it held was a guide to many things, including his innate energy. 

More importantly, he remembered what the Path had told him when he gained the physique.

“As you improve your understanding of Soulfire, those insights will be reflected in your physical form.”

It was a hint that he was going to take full advantage of. 

The same runes that worked for his spells should work for his body and give rise to different abilities, each one based on one or more of the runes.

He’d never had this type of body refining physique in his past life. He’d had a soul-energy physique that was aligned to Wildfire, which had helped him to use it more easily.

There were some differences, but he knew how physiques worked and quite a few theories for them.  

If he had a melee class, the explosive potential of Ignite and Blaze together should work to temporarily boost his physical traits, but it would draw heavily on his energy and stamina.

As a mage, perhaps he could get it to concentrate his mana and increase the density, boosting his spells to the First Evolution.

First Evolution mana was much denser, so it would be expensive and short-lived, but it would be good for an emergency or a targeted strike.

Given the enemies he was making for himself in Highmist, some of which were at the First Evolution, it was a critical need.

He wouldn’t be able to fight them for long, but even a single strike could be the difference between life and death.

It didn’t take long for him to assemble a basic rune structure in his mind and begin tinkering with it. He projected it as an illusion over his meridians and soul, changing out pieces here and there as he went.

The improvement to his physique gave him an instinct for the Law of Soulfire and a perfect resonance, which meant that if things went wrong, the backlash from soulfire wouldn’t harm him too much. 

Otherwise, he might not have tried this right now. 

He compared the current pattern of his meridians to body alteration enchantments he’d seen in his past life, as well as to mana enchantments and soul modifications, swiftly testing out dozens of variables that might work to enhance them.

Before long, he had an idea that might work, but after considering the nature of his soulfire runes, he found some issues with the how it limited the mana flow. 

The structure was designed to be too efficient and didn’t match the concept of Blaze, which was designed to burn as fiercely as possible with everything it had. 

He pulled the structure apart and replaced the key part with a basic soul enhancement, one that was simply designed to channel soul energy and mana into the spell. It was simpler and it didn’t constrain the output in the same way. 

Then he began weaving the structure into a spiral that would condense the energy. It would take a lot to get it going, but the result would be more powerful. 

By the time he was done, there was a web of mana and soul energy that started in his soul, rotated through his meridians, and flooded out through his body. 

After that, it only took him a few more minutes to add the Ignite and Blaze runes into the structure. One of each went into his soul pool to make a pair and then another pair went into his mana pool, creating twin cores for the ability, so that it would be supplied by both energies. 

Then it was done. 

The lines of the enchantment stretched like soulfire threads throughout his body, creating a mystical pathway, one that took the overall shape of the Blaze rune as it ascended from his soul to his body. 

He was pleased by that.

At a higher level, embedding a concept was an act of will, but since he was a low level again, he had to do it in more obvious ways. This would help.

The Ignite rune was there too, at the beginning of the path near his mana core, like the fuse that would ignite the rest of the spell. 

The overall design was an ornate, but relatively simple spell. It was also temporary, something that would work once and then disappear. 

That was important, since it allowed him to test out the theory without carving a real ability pathway. He could create a real one later, once he made sure that it worked.

He finished his meditation and collected the cores and materials from the group of monsters, since they were still lying there.

Then he centered himself and activated the spell.

A flare of soulfire ignited in his soul and another in his mana pool as the twin cores came to life. The Ignite runes fed energy into the Blaze runes, which then began to draw on the surrounding pools of energy as they grew.

Each pool erupted upward, flooding the spell structure with soul energy and mana. The two energies twisted together and turned into soulfire, and then they began cycling through the pathway.

His meridians hummed as they cycled once, and then again, and again. With each rotation, the energy became more concentrated, but there was less of it. 

In order to maintain the spell, more energy was drawn upward from each core.

His soul energy and mana dropped swiftly, losing 20% in an instant, and then another 20% in the second after that. 

That was over 100 mana and 50 soul energy per second. 

Still, the cycle continued.

After three seconds, the soulfire had made a total of nine rotations through his meridians and was about 90% more condensed than it had been before.

At four seconds, it was at 12 revolutions and 120% more condensed.

He didn’t have any more time to test it out, since his mana pool and soul pools were about to bottom out, but the energy humming through his meridians was dense and strong. It raged as it tried to escape his control.

It was like a wild bull crashing through his meridians, causing tears whenever it slammed into the sides. They weren’t durable enough to channel energy that dense.

Fortunately, his soulfire affinity came into play, keeping it from harming him too much, but if he let it build up any more, the sheer momentum would start to rip his meridians apart.

He cut off the supply of energy to the spell and turned to a coral pillar nearby, releasing the condensed soulfire.

A blast of energy the size of his hand exploded away from him. 

It was soulfire, but it trailed both rainbow and golden flames as it shot forward like a comet, striking the pillar in an instant.

Instead of exploding against the pillar, it was so dense that it tore a hole straight through thirty feet of stone to the other side. A hiss of molten coral accompanied it.

Then it turned into a streak of light as it disappeared into the distance.

Kelin let out a huff as he lowered his hand and studied the result.

His meridians ached from the overload, but his Intelligence and Mana Control had kept a firm hand on things.

The hole in the coral pillar was a good six inches wide, perfectly bored through the center, and he could sense the trace of soulfire that was left on it.

It was much more dense than anything he’d created before, and there was a touch of the higher principles of Soulfire to it.

They weren’t fully present yet, but it was a good beginning.

Unexpectedly, there was also a notification humming in his mind.

Congratulations, Lord of Wildfire.

Your experiments have resulted in a new Ability that resonates with your Perfect Soulfire Physique.

Do you wish to incorporate the Soulfire Ability: Blaze (Basic) into your physique?

[You have comprehended an ability related to your physique. By relying on the principles of Soulfire, you are able to ignite your mana and soul pools and forcefully condense your energy.

At the Basic tier, this ability boosts the density of your Soulfire by 30% per second, at a cost of 20% of your mana and soul energy per second. 

The effect can be channeled until you run out of energy, but extended use risks damaging your body.]

Kelin studied the notification for a moment, but then he shook his head and dismissed it.

It looked like the Path would help him to incorporate Blaze as a true ability, but it wasn’t good enough yet.

It was only an unfocused bolt of energy and the energy drain was too high. There was no point in gaining an ability like that.

He needed to refine it more and make it so that he was able to cast his other spells at the same time.

The current form of the ability could only last for five seconds. That was enough to do a lot, but not if all of his attention was on condensing the energy. 

He needed to be able to devote his effort to other spells, with it as the support.

A dozen ideas for how to improve it floated through his mind, and he glanced around the dungeon as he considered his timeline.

Then he created a Soulfire Sigil and sat down to meditate. 

A few hours or a day testing out this ability would pay off in the long run.

He was under 20% mana and soul energy from that single bolt and he needed some time to consider ways to improve it. He also needed to let his passive healing take care of the damage he’d done to his meridians.

He’d compressed 400 mana and 200 soul energy into that bolt. Its strength was impressive, but it had also been wasteful and inefficient. 

There was no finesse to it, just raw force.

He could do better.

He began to go through the options, swiftly creating models for each variant that he could think of.

When his energy recovered, he rebuilt the spell structure and then he stood up and activated it again.

Soulfire ignited in his mana and soul pools and cycled through his meridians, condensing with each rotation. It was slightly smoother this time, but still a raw and powerful force.

He studied the effect for four seconds, examining every detail, and then he unleashed another blast of force at the same pillar.

A comet of soulfire bored through the thirty feet of stone, creating a second hole next to the first before it disappeared into the distance.

Another notification from the Path rang in his mind, but he only glanced at it before he dismissed it and sat down to meditate again.

This time he began comparing the enchantment to the more refined abilities he had for Intensify Spell and Empower Soul Magic. 

The base concept was different, but if he could bring over some of those theories, he could restructure this one to work more efficiently.

With the sigil shining above him, his recovery was quick and his energy was back to full in under an hour. He spent the time revising his theory and then rebuilding the spell structure.

Then he stood up and tried again.

This time, the ignition was smooth and the ability lasted for six seconds before he hit 20% and cut it short. The blaze was calmer, with a smoother rotation that did less damage to his meridians.

The blast that left his hand also looked a bit more like a regular soulfire bolt, but he barely looked at the Path’s notification before he waved it away.

It felt like he was on the right path, so as he returned to meditating, he got back to work.

Intensify Spell could double or triple the mana he put into a spell, while Empower Soul Magic did much the same, but Blaze was capable of doing even more. 

It was the nature of using his entire body as a medium for the ability, rather than a single ability pathway, and the main reason this was worth doing.

Each time his energy recovered, he tried again.

His improvements were swift and six hours later, he felt like he was getting somewhere.

This time, as he stood up, the ignition of the spell was fierce and bright. 

His mana and soul energy began to blaze, flooding upward through the spell structure, but it was far more controlled than before, and the amount of soul energy used compared to mana was less.

The energy fused together into soulfire and began to rotate through his meridians, and this time golden runes appeared across his body, outlining the structure of the enchantment. 

The runes guided the rotation and regulated the amount, leaving his attention free to focus on shaping a soulfire bolt with the newly compressed energy.

It felt hot and dense in his mind, almost like he was working with molten steel, but it followed his will.

A Soulfire Bolt appeared above his hand, blazing with an intensity that was many times greater than normal. It had a radiant golden light and the space around it hummed in response.

He pointed at the coral pillar, which was now full of holes, and released it.

The bolt shot toward it and tore a new hole that was similar to the earlier ones as it bored through to the other side. 

But the real difference was that Kelin raised his hand again and sent another one after it. 

The second bolt ripped through the pillar as well before it disappeared into the distance.

With each spell, he lost just over 20% of his mana, but his soul energy was barely touched except for what it took to maintain the effect.

Before his energy could run out, he shifted to casting a soul arrow.

As the spell formed in his hand, his mana dropped by around 17% and his soul energy by 30%. 

The arrow released a stunning rainbow light as it flew toward the coral pillar and disappeared into the distance.

Since it was ethereal, there was no other effect, but he analyzed its structure as it disappeared.

Then he dismissed the Blaze spell, letting it crumble away into fragments of energy.

His mana was close to 20% again, but his soul energy was around 50%, a result that was much different than before.

He sat down to meditate as he glanced at the Path’s latest notification, and a faint smile appeared, but he didn’t acknowledge it yet.

Instead, he focused on the ability.

He’d disabled his efficiency enchantments in order to test things, so for the moment those weren’t part of his calculation.

The Blaze effect now cost him 20% of his mana and soul energy to activate, but it was a steadier ability and he could cast other spells while it was active.

The real change was in the cost of the spells he’d used.

Soulfire Bolt in its raw form cost him 6 mana, while the current version cost 108. 

It was 18 times more expensive, but the result was 7 times denser.

That was a 38% mana efficiency, but intensifying a spell always had a cost.

He was satisfied with it. 

At seven times denser than before, that Soulfire Bolt was well into the First Evolution, and compared to the base version, its penetrating power was incredible.

He could test it later when he got some mana back, but he was confident that seven regular Soulfire Bolts in a row wouldn’t be able to dig through more than a quarter of the coral pillar.

More than that, the spell was also capable of augmenting his soul energy and enhancing his soul arrows. Theoretically, it would work with his other spells, but the cost was too high for him to bear right now.

A soul arrow usually cost him 5 mana and 4 soul energy.

The current version was 18 times more than that, at 90 mana and 72 soul energy, or roughly 17% and 30% of his maximum.

But that single soul arrow was as strong as a Soul Star, and he could cast it more quickly. 

A regular Soul Star cost him 30 mana and 75 soul energy, so this boosted soul arrow was less efficient in terms of mana, but the density of the spell was higher, which meant it would be able to break through resistances better.

With those mana costs, he could only cast a few spells even if his mana and soul energy were full, but he knew more than most exactly how important a single spell could be.

Especially one that could break barriers.

He turned his attention to the notification from the Path.

Congratulations, Lord of Wildfire.

Your experiments have resulted in a new Ability that resonates with your Perfect Soulfire Physique.

Do you wish to incorporate the Soulfire Ability: Blaze (Basic) into your physique?

[You have comprehended an Ability related to your physique. By relying on the principles of Soulfire, you are able to ignite your mana and soul pools and forcefully condense your energy.

At the Basic tier, this Ability costs 20% of your mana and soul energy to initiate. The mana and soul cost is increased by 18 times, while the density of your spells is increased by 7 times. 

The Ability will end automatically if you run out of mana or soul energy.]

The cost was steep, but the results spoke for themselves.

The 20% cost was necessary to initiate the ability and start condensing his energy, and since the ability was Basic, there was a chance the efficiency would improve over time. 

This time, he accepted the Path’s offer.

A wave of golden soulfire gathered in the air, swiftly rotating around him like a hurricane. Delicate strands of energy began to reach out from it, overlaying his meridians and key points across his physique.

Golden runes similar to the ones he’d created appeared across his body. His work had been intricate, but the Path’s was a true work of art. 

Every line hummed with the Law of Soulfire.

Then the hurricane picked up speed. A flood of soulfire poured into his body, surging along his meridians and into his soul.

The new ability appeared like a flame in his awareness, and an innate understanding of how to ignite it came with it.

The Path swiftly added the finishing touches and then the hurricane faded away, disappearing as swiftly as it had come.

Congratulations, Lord of Wildfire.

You have gained the Soulfire Ability: Blaze (Basic).

Kelin returned to meditating as he recovered the energy he’d spent. He also reactivated his mana efficiency enchantments.

He already knew they would work on this ability, but they would have the same problem as using them at the First Evolution. 

It depended on the quality of the material, as well as the level of the runes, but they wouldn’t be able to last for long before they shattered under the stress.

The self-repair enchantments could help a little. 

They might be enough if he only used the ability once every two to three days, but more often than that and his clothing would take the brunt of the damage as the runes burned away. 

They might simply disintegrate. 

The thought of a naked archmage wandering around covered in scraps of burning clothing amused him for a moment, but he decided he’d have to look for some higher-grade clothing sooner than he’d thought. 

Rare grade, probably, if he wanted to be able to renew the runes whenever they burned out, but that would be very expensive and he wasn’t sure he could enchant that grade of material yet.

Another option was paying a First Evolution enchanter to enchant another version of his current clothing.

He liked being able to do it himself, but it was something he would have to consider for the utility.

When his energy recovered, he stood up and stowed away the Soulfire Sigil.

Then he set off again, heading to the west.

He wanted to test out Blaze and for that he needed some targets.

Fortunately, there were supposed to be more Elites than normal in this dungeon.

It was time to find them.