Wild Era, Ch 30: Standing Stones (Triple)

When Kelin found the third camp, it was markedly different from the other two.

Massive stones formed a ring around an arena that was roughly a hundred feet across. The ground between them was also stone, with the same rivulets of water running across it as everywhere else in the dungeon, but it had a battered look and was full of shallow pits, as if many battles had taken place there. 

It would make the footing tricky.

He was standing on the rise of a shallow hill, looking down at the ring of standing stones, which filled the valley below him, and even from here, they were an impressive sight, standing like ancient monoliths of a forgotten era.

Unfortunately, this one was a monument to the undead. 

The stones around the arena were twenty to thirty feet tall and they stood in pairs, with a third stone lying over the top to make a series of doorways beneath. There were twelve stone portals, with one that was distinctly larger than the others.

A faint haze of black necrotic light shone within them all, sometimes mixed with a crackle of dark blue.

The runestone he was looking for was at the center of the arena, but it was hazy as if it weren’t really there. It wasn’t quite in this dimension, and he knew that if he tried to touch it, his hand would pass right through. 

It would only fully appear once this challenge was complete. 

If his guess were right, that’s what this camp was, a dungeon challenge. It was similar to one of the earlier camps, but more structured. 

It would only begin once he entered the arena. Then the undead would charge out of the portals under the standing stones to attack him. 

There were probably twelve rounds, with one per portal that he could see glowing down there, but there could always be more. Nothing limited the dungeon to only using the portals once.

If it was like the other camps, there should be somewhere between forty and two hundred undead, as well as a stronger one at the end from the largest portal, which might be an Elite like the banshee.

He leaned on his staff as he studied the standing stones and the portals, but there was little to give away what would come out of them.  He would have to go down there and find out.

This one could go either way, but with his ability to set a defensive ward and Soulfire Sigil to bolster his regeneration, he was confident in handling it. 

It should only be a problem if something too big to fight came out of the portals, or if there was something here that could destroy his wards. 

If they mobbed him, it would still work out, since he could inferno or Wildfire the entire arena, but if they broke through his ward, then Gaius would have to provide the defense.

The elemental was continuing to grow in strength with every level, the same as he was, so his stoneskin and other abilities were swiftly improving to match. It was what gave him the confidence to focus on his Intelligence and Aura as he leveled up, rather than dealing with his Constitution and Agility.

There was an old saying that he liked to call the Mage’s Law: “If your magic is strong enough, nothing can hurt you.”

He was relying on that to keep his attributes focused on magic, where they belonged. So far, it was working out.

Even if he did add 10 points to Constitution, or 100, it wouldn’t be enough to keep up with melee classes that added just as much to their Strength and Agility. 

He’d still suffer when they hit him.

His Intelligence was over 500 now, and their Strength could be the same. Only a defensive melee class would have the necessary Constitution and abilities to block that easily.

Fortunately, the soul bond with Gaius was covering for the lack, since Gaius’s durability went up just as much as a melee class’s defense would, if not more. 

Despite that it slowed down his leveling, the soul bond was worth it.

He sorted out his talismans, checked his potions, and ignited a fresh Soulfire Sigil on the quartz disk. Then he meditated until his mana was full and activated a Runic Scale Talisman, letting it settle across his skin. 

With that, he was ready.

He headed down the hill and stopped at the edge of the arena. He could sense the flow of necrotic mana through the stones. It raced through them, strong and oppressive, and left a trail of crackling cold force behind. 

Just being in the arena would drain the vitality of living beings. 

He felt the sensation trying to draw his life force away, but the wards on his soul blocked it, as did the protective aura of the Soulfire Sigil. 

It still felt like a cold wind across his skin, making the area feel frigid, which was unusual for him now with the Ring of Everlasting Flame to balance out the surrounding temperature.

At the center of the arena, there was a circle on the ground, clearly marked out near the ethereal runestone. 

He assumed that was where he was supposed to go.

He created two soul arrows and let them orbit around the top of his staff. They looked like rainbow spirals spinning around it. A moment later, two golden comets of soulfire bolts joined them.

It made for a nice visual effect as they hummed with force.

He checked his reactive sigils and then held his Soulfire Sigil high as he walked into the arena, heading for the center. 

As soon as he stepped into the circle, the arena trembled and a wave of necrotic energy flowed across it, sealing the entire ring of standing stones inside a black barrier.

The portals inside each stone archway flared to life. There were a dozen of them, but it wasn’t clear which one enemies would come from first.

He swiftly drew a ward on the ground and activated it. Then he hung the Soulfire Sigil in the air, where it bolstered his defense and recovery.

A moment later, the first portal flared to life. 

Four skeletons and a shadow wraith leapt out of it.

Kelin analyzed them even as he released the Soulfire Bolts and soul arrows. 

There were two Skeletal Warriors at Level 55, one scout at Level 50 with a bow, a mage at Level 58 that was holding a bone staff glowing with necrotic energy, and then the wraith, which was the only new type.

Shadow Wraith. Level 60. 

Its eyes were bright red, unlike the other undead, and its entire body was just a patch of shadow below them. Only its eyes, the flash of white fangs, and bone claws were visible inside the shadow as it moved.

They didn’t seem to need any time to orient themselves. Their eyes flared with dark light as they locked onto his presence at the center of the arena.

Then they charged at him.

They met his spells that were already heading their way. It was only fifty feet between Kelin and any one of the portals, and with the undead rushing toward him, the spells crossed the distance instantly.

A Soulfire Bolt blasted through the scout and another took out the warrior, turning both of them into a rain of white bone fragments that flew across the arena, while the soul arrows targeted the wraith and the mage.

Those two staggered and their spells fizzled as rainbow flames flared through their souls. Within a second, the flames moved higher. 

They twisted upward through the mage’s torso until they reached its head and illuminated the interior of the wraith’s cloak-like body, licking at the edges as they spread outward from the center. 

An instant later, the mage collapsed to the ground in a shroud of rainbow flames, his necrotic energy consumed by the spell.

The wraith lasted a moment longer. It let out a howl as flames flared through its substance, slowly devouring the shadowy essence of its body.

Then it crumbled to dust.

Kelin didn’t wait until the end as that was happening. While the soul arrows were doing their work, another two Soulfire Bolts appeared around his hands. 

One of them flared toward the remaining skeletal warrior, while the second began to orbit his staff.

As the skeleton exploded like the others, two soul arrows appeared around his staff, replacing the ones he’d just used.Then another Soulfire Bolt joined them, restoring all the spells he could hold ready for now.

Those five undead were enough that a notification rang in his mind.

Congratulations, Lord of Wildfire.

You have gained a Level.

You are now Level 58.

He dismissed the rest of the usual notification and tossed the five free points into Intelligence, which brought it to 509.

It was nice that the Path was giving him the experience between rounds in this arena. It could have waited until the end.

He scanned the remains of the undead, which were already beginning to disintegrate on their own. It left the ground clear and the items they’d carried were left behind, but he didn’t go out to gather the cores and necrotic gems that he could see.

His attention turned to the next portal, which was already flaring to life. 

This one was on the opposite side of the arena, so he had to spin around to face it.

He wasn’t sure how long he would be fighting here, so he pulled out two Fire Blade talismans and held them in his left hand.

Like the other camps, there should be a stronger monster or an Elite at the end of this arena, and he needed to stay in good shape for it. He doubted there would be a delay before it appeared like there’d been at the banshee’s barrow.

With the speed of the second portal’s activation, this arena seemed like an endurance challenge. 

It would keep going until the end.

Nothing he’d seen in this dungeon so far was a surprise to him. Some of it was actually nostalgic, reminding him of his earlier years when dungeons had first appeared and he’d spent years exploring them, discovering all that they could throw at him and studying the remnants of magic they left behind. 

Dungeons were designed to test adventurers in a dozen different ways, and the Path made an effort to change up the scenarios to get a full range of options, just like he was seeing with these camps.

The Chaos War was extreme and unforgiving, but the dungeon challenges made for a solid foundation in facing different types of monsters, techniques, and teams, with everything from powerful enemies to difficult environments that had to be overcome.

It helped to teach people the basics, so that when they did encounter difficulties later, at least they were familiar with some of them.

He dismissed the thought as five more undead appeared from the portal. 

This time, there were two skeletal spearmen, a scout with a bow, and two mages, making for a group that was roughly similar to the first in level, but their tactics were different.

Only the spearmen raced forward, while the other three stayed where they were. The scout drew back its bow and the mages immediately stepped to the side and began to cast.

Instead of releasing the spells around his staff, Kelin activated the two talismans and threw them, targeting the spearmen with one and a mage and a scout with the second, since they were standing close enough together.

The size of these talismans was variable, with a fire blade that could expand from six inches to six feet, but the wider the arc, the weaker the impact.

The first talisman turned into a blade that was four feet across, just enough to cover both of the spearmen that were running toward him. 

It was a blindingly bright arc of golden-red flame and arcs of weaker fire flickered around it as it flew through the air. 

Once it left his hand, his connection to the size of the spell disappeared, but it was already set. 

The fire blade headed directly for the skeletons’ heads, its arc wide enough to strike them side by side. It was fast, not giving the targets a chance to dodge.

The undead raised their spears, but they only got them halfway up before the blade arrived. It struck their skulls like a hammer, leaving a charred line that radiated cracks as they flew backward.

But when they struck the ground, they were still alive. They staggered as they got back to their feet and started to charge toward Kelin again.

Another two Fire Blade talismans flew toward the skeletons, each of them condensed into a much tighter blade. This time, when they struck, they seared into their skulls in a glowing line and then exploded, sending a rain of bone fragments everywhere.

It was one talisman per skeleton it seemed. 

Perhaps if he could put more mana into one of the talismans, it would be enough for two, but with only ten mana in them, it was like him using two and a half mana each against the skeletons, or even a bit less.

It wasn’t quite enough.

While that was happening, the other Fire Blade talisman struck the mage and the scout. The scout was only Level 50 and its skull exploded into fragments, but the mage’s mana barrier resisted the spell, creating a collision of red and black energy as flames licked at the air around it. 

As soon as he saw that, Kelin threw a soul arrow at that mage and a second at the one on the other side of the portal.

A moment later, they were both consumed by rainbow flames and he felt the chime of experience in his mind.

He recreated the soul arrows around his staff as he kept an eye on the portals. 

Within seconds, a third one came to life, this time to his right.

There was a possibility that he could slow down the generation of the portals by delaying the death of one of the skeletons, but he didn’t need to try that yet.

If his mana started to drop too low, he would give it a shot.

He doubted it would work, but if the portals continued to spawn and his defense held up, it would let him collect a bunch of undead around his ward and then he could inferno or Wildfire them all at once.

With the spells he was channeling on his staff, he’d used five Soulfire Bolts and six soul arrows so far.

His mana was at 90%, while his soul energy was just half of a percent lower at 89.5%.

Most of that expenditure was from the first round. His talismans had helped in the second and he’d only needed to use the two soul arrows.

He pulled two more Fire Blade talismans from his belt while he waited.

When the undead leapt out of the third portal, it was a different composition again.

This time, there were two Shadow Wraiths at Level 60, a mage at Level 58, and two spearmen.

Kelin replied with soul arrows for each of the wraiths, threw a Soulfire Bolt at the mage, and then hurled the talismans at the spearmen, each of them with a concentrated six-inch arc of flame.

The mage raised its mana barrier to block the spell and the Soulfire Bolt crashed into it in an explosion of golden flames that sent the mage staggering backward with its staff raised.

Glowing blue cracks splintered through the necrotic shield as the bolt persisted. It pushed farther through the shield, but it wasn’t quite enough to break fully through to the other side, and a moment later, the soulfire dissipated.

At the same time, the talismans struck the spearmen’s heads and blew them apart, while the wraiths struggled against a wave of rainbow flames that were rising through their bodies.

Kelin shrugged as he created two more soul arrows. 

He sent one at the mage to finish it off and he let the other orbit his staff. A moment later, another Soulfire Bolt and soul arrow joined it, restoring the spells he was holding, and he pulled out another couple of talismans.

He was refining his tactics to see what was possible. 

He wasn’t upset that his Soulfire Bolt had failed to kill the mage in a single hit. He’d expected  something of the sort. His soul arrow could do it, but it had advantages that the bolt spell didn’t.

A single soul arrow was the most efficient against the mages and wraiths, but the weaker melee skeletons could be dealt with via Soulfire Bolts or talismans.

With the next round, things began to pick up, either because it was the original plan, or because the speed with which he was eliminating the undead had changed the arena’s rules.

This time, two portals flared to life.

Three shadow wraiths and two skeletal mages appeared out of a portal on his right, while three skeletal warriors and two scouts leapt out of a portal on his left.

The warriors raced toward him with two-handed bone swords held high, while the scouts stood back and drew their bows.

The wraiths and mages were similar, with the wraiths flying toward him and the mages stepping back as they began to cast.

Kelin frowned at seeing ten monsters, but it didn’t delay his casting.

He ignored the melee for a moment as he targeted the wraiths. The two Soulfire Bolts he had ready flew toward one of the wraiths, while the two soul arrows targeted the other two wraiths.

With his free hand, he hurled the two Fire Blade talismans at two of the warriors that were approaching him.

The Soulfire Bolts struck the first wraith in an explosion of light, making it scream as it tumbled backward through the air. Parts of its shadow essence disintegrated in the flames, which were roaring as they unleashed their energy through it.

Unlike regular monsters, the bolts hadn’t gone straight through the wraith. They’d caught in its cloak-like form and then exploded.

Much to the wraith’s detriment.

The two soul arrows seared into the other wraiths, turning them into flares of rainbow flame even as they continued flying toward Kelin.

The talismans formed into concentrated Fire Blades and headed toward two of the skeletal warriors. Because of Kelin’s haste, his aim was slightly off. 

One of the warriors’ heads exploded, but the other talisman only struck the second warrior’s shoulder. 

That warrior staggered as a blazing line tore through its bones, but it didn’t have much trouble raising its sword again as it closed the distance to Kelin.

The third warrior was already closing in on his ward at the center of the arena, while the two mages unleashed a necrotic bolt and a dark necrotic web that fell down toward him from above.

Those two spells as well as the scouts’ arrows were deflected away as they closed in on Kelin, thanks to the bracers glowing around his wrists. 

They shot away toward other parts of the arena, glancing off the stones and striking dark sparks from the ground.

Two new Soulfire Bolts appeared as the warriors approached. They were already swinging their swords down at Kelin’s ward, but at the same time, one of the bolts ripped through the skull of the injured warrior and blew its head apart.  

An instant later, the other warrior’s blade slammed into the ward just before its skull disintegrated as well.

Then Kelin grabbed two more talismans from his belt and hurled them at the scouts, before he spun around and swiftly created another two soul arrows, which he sent at the mages.

Another round of arrows and spells were deflected by his bracers as they rained down on him, but they did nothing to stop the spells he’d just cast.

The scouts exploded into a rain of bone fragments as the fire blades tore them apart, while the two mages ignited in a blaze of rainbow flames.

And then the field was clear.

Kelin recreated the spells around his staff as he checked his mana. He’d used four Soulfire Bolts, four soul arrows, and four talismans in that round. 

He was at 76% mana and 74% soul energy.

His bracers had helped to keep the defensive cost down, but his mana shield had taken two hits from the warriors. They were stronger than the poison wraiths had been, but it had only been two mana to block that, thanks to his sigil and the foundation of the ward circle.

As the next round began, three portals flashed with necrotic energy. 

There was a leaping, furious power inside them that hadn’t been there before, which made it seem like they were raging.

He had a feeling that the arena was feeling affronted by the speed he was burning through this, but he didn’t have time to complain about it as he pulled out two more talismans.

This time, fifteen undead appeared. Unlike the mixed arrangements before, they appeared as distinct groups of the same type. 

There were five shadow wraiths, five skeletal mages, and five skeletal spearmen, each leaping out of their own portal.

The wraiths flew toward Kelin with their claws outstretched and the spearmen charged ahead, while the mages spread and began to cast a joint spell that was longer and more complex than the ones they’d used before.

“Gaius, lock down the spearmen.” Kelin sent the thought immediately. With this one, he had a feeling he might need the elemental to help out.

A wave of stone rose out of the ground, swiftly wrapping around the feet of all five spearmen. It was so swift that it sent them snapping forward as they were jerked to a halt and parts of their bones shattered under the force. 

Their spears dug into the ground, stabbing at the stone as they tried to escape, but Gaius’s command of the earth was everywhere. The stone continued to rise around them, binding them in place.

Kelin hurled the talismans in his hand at the wraiths, followed by the two Soulfire Bolts around his staff. It wouldn’t be enough to kill them, but it would occupy them for a moment.

Four of the wraiths were briefly consumed in flames as Kelin targeted the mages at the back and unleashed the two soul arrows he’d prepared. 

Whatever they were doing, he wanted no part of it. 

If that combined spell was big enough, it would drain his bracers and do more damage to his shield than a handful of melee attacks.

The soul arrows soared toward the mages and each struck a target, sending two of the mages staggering as rainbow flames began to climb through their bodies.

It was enough to briefly interrupt their group spell, but the other three mages moved closer together and kept casting.

Kelin focused on creating more soul arrows, but as he prepared the spell, the wraiths recovered from the attacks.

One hadn’t been touched at all and it led the way as it slammed into his ward. Golden flames erupted at the impact, making it scream. The shadow it was made from burned away in the collision, but it wasn’t enough to destroy it. 

The wraith’s long claws slammed into the barrier, leaving dark slashes across the surface. 

The other four wraiths swarmed behind it, spreading out as they pressed tightly against the ward. Their shadow substance was tattered from the talismans and soulfire that had struck them, but it wasn’t enough to keep them down.

Kelin released the two soul arrows he’d prepared at the mages at the back, but at the same time, they finished their group spell. It was probably weaker than it would have been with five of them working on it, but it was still impressive.

A ghostly white and black flame spread across the arena, twisting strangely. It leapt and branched, and then it separated into two dozen individual flames that looked almost like stalks of grain. 

The flames continued to change, taking on more humanoid forms, and then each of them turned into a pale white spectre.

Twenty-four spectres let out a howl as their attention turned toward Kelin and then they flew across the ground, moving swiftly in a current of white mist as they flooded around his ward.

As they touched it, ethereal claws sliced at the barrier and their mouths opened, showing pale fangs that radiated dark necrotic energy. 

They tried to bite down on the ward and tear away at its structure, but the soulfire it was made from flared in response and knocked them back.

Kelin identified them as he created another soul arrow and threw it at the final mage.

Devouring Spectre, Level 45. 

Summoned Being.

A spirit of the dead summoned from the mists of undeath. Their fangs are filled with energy that can poison the living and drain the mana and stamina of their targets.

The mages were fairly smart, after all. 

That spell would have done a number on unshielded targets, especially with more fights on the way, and if his ward hadn’t been good against ethereal beings, they might have gone right through it. 

The impacts were making his mana drop, both from the spectres and the wraiths, but they weren’t making much headway. 

A sphere of soulfire appeared in Kelin’s hand and he swiftly concentrated it into the spell for an inferno. At the same time, he told Gaius to drag the five skeletal spearmen closer.

The spearmen were only half visible inside loops of stone as they slid toward his ward in a pile under the elemental’s control. 

Even if they’d been able to get to their feet and fight, they had no ability to harm Gaius. All they could touch was the stone. 

The mages would have had a better chance, but the soul chamber was a powerful ward that left Gaius untouchable while he was inside it, at least as long as Kelin’s soul didn’t shatter first.

As soon as the spearmen were in range, Kelin dropped the inferno directly outside his defenses.

The area around him turned into a sphere of flame as soulfire exploded in every direction, catching the spectres, wraiths, and the skeletons altogether.

They let out piercing shrieks as they burned.

The spell traced the outline of his ward, and since Kelin controlled the mana for them both, they didn’t conflict. It simply wrapped around it without damaging it, leaving the inside clear.

He wouldn’t have done it without the ward, but with it this tactic was possible.

The only drain on his mana was from blocking the heat that was radiating from the inferno, but since he was alone, he didn’t bother to restrain it. He let it through and his ring absorbed it all, leaving him perfectly comfortable.

The inferno took a chunk out of his mana, as did maintaining his ward, so he tried to limit the expenditure to the smallest amount necessary. It was already at double the initial cost as he continued to pour mana into it.

As the undead burned away, he recreated the four spells around his staff and pulled out four more talismans.

He could only activate two talismans at a time, since it was a similar effort to creating spells, but it was best to have more in his hand as needed. It saved a fraction of an instant grabbing them from his belt.

He continued channeling the Soulfire Inferno and fueling the flames until everything around him was dead. Cores and a few necrotic gems dropped to the ground as they disintegrated.

His mana was down to 59%, and his soul energy was down to 65%. 

He pulled out a mana potion and drank it, which raised it by almost exactly 10% until it matched his soul energy. 

For all the enemies in that round, the mana cost had been moderate thanks to Gaius’s help and catching quite a few of them in the inferno.

While he could restore his mana, he couldn’t do the same to his soul energy, so he needed to start relying more heavily on mana and talismans for this battle in order to keep it in reserve, as well as on Gaius’s help.

The portals around him flickered, turning darker until they looked like obsidian wells that stretched into infinity, like ink was swirling inside.

The standing stones trembled as a wave of necrotic energy poured through them. A wave of darkness rolled over the arena, turning everything to a black puddle.

Kelin’s eyesight was good, especially when he enhanced it with mana, but even he could barely see. He had to rely on his mana and soul sight to distinguish what was around him, but with that, he could still see clearly.

Four of the portals flared to life.

A Barrow Wight leapt out of one portal, while a Weeping Banshee leapt out of another. 

They were both Level 60. 

That was the same as the original barrow wight, but slightly lower than the banshee had been. This version of her had a slightly different name and wasn’t Elite.

Kelin raised an eyebrow at that, even as he began casting. 

It was rare for a dungeon to recreate slain monsters on the level of the wight and banshee, but he chalked it up to the mana density. The dungeon was filled with it. 

It probably would have either erupted or increased its level soon. There was also a chance it could have expanded into two separate dungeons, with the banshee in charge of one.

Any of those scenarios would have unleashed a wave of undead on the surrounding area.

From the other two portals, five Skeletal Rogues and five Shadow Ghouls appeared, all of them at Level 55. They immediately phased away into the shadows and disappeared, moving so quickly that they were barely visible.

He barely had time to analyze them before they were gone. 

The rogues were the first new type of undead in this arena, but their abilities looked to be similar to the shadow ghouls.

The banshee tilted her head back and let out a piercing scream that filled the arena, but thanks to the amulet he’d obtained from the Elite version and the strength of his soul, it simply washed over him.

If a team had been here and only one of them had that amulet, it would have required more luck as to who was protected, but for him, it was fine.

As she was howling, the barrow wight leapt forward, crossing the distance in a dark blur as it slammed into Kelin’s ward.

The impact was considerable, like a runaway wagon filled with iron ore slamming into a wall. Kelin muttered at the mana drain, even as he released his spells.

Two soul arrows and two soulfire bolts slammed into the wight, hurling it backward, and he threw two of the talismans in his hand toward the banshee to distract her.

She was less of a concern this time unless she started attacking his ward. 

At the same time, other impacts struck his ward from ghouls and rogues that phased into existence and disappeared again, only to be replaced a moment later by another one.

He ignored them all as he began gathering a sphere of rainbow flames in his hand.

The wight was howling as the soul arrows flickered in its soul, but it was durable enough that it didn’t ignite immediately. 

That changed as it leapt back toward Kelin and attacked the ward again. 

He threw the Wildfire sphere directly at it.

The spell exploded into arcs of rainbow flame and buried the wight beneath them. The soul arrows that were already flickering blazed to life under the force, and then flames consumed the wight from the inside out.

It staggered as it tried to raise its claws, but its eyes were already beginning to smoke.

Two seconds later, it exploded into a torrent of flames that raged as they swept outward across the arena.

Three points near it appeared as the rogues and ghouls were covered in flames as well. 

A moment later, they exploded, sending the flames farther out.

More forms appeared among the flames, one after another, and more explosions raged through the arena.

Some of them tried to run, but by the fourth explosion, the wildfire flames filled the entire arena and crammed against the dark barrier sealing it.

More of the rogues and ghouls ignited, and the banshee screamed again, raising her hands as she clawed at the air.

Then they all ignited in explosions.

Kelin let out a slow breath as he reached out and suppressed the flames, forcing them all back down. 

The backlash of the wildfire struck his soul, crackling in a blazing fury, but it was even less than the last time, and he wove it swiftly into the wards, reinforcing them and forcing them to grow stronger.

That was twice now he’d killed that wight with wildfire, and this time there were only twelve undead. 

The rogues and ghouls had been hard to see, but that didn’t matter when you could fill an entire arena with flames.

A chime of experience rang in his mind from the battle.

Congratulations, Lord of Wildfire!

You have gained a Level.

You are now Level 59.

He pushed the rest of the notifications away, and tossed the free points into Aura, which took his Intelligence to 512 and his Aura to 215, and recreated the spells on his staff.

His mana was down to 58% at 300 points, while his soul energy was at 40% with 85 points, but he didn’t drink another mana potion yet. 

Instead he turned to look at the final portal, the largest of them all. 

It was already glowing with light, as was the one beside it that hadn’t released any undead yet.

The wave of necrotic energy through the other portals faded away, all of it flowing toward this one, and the inky portal at the center swelled, becoming even larger than the massive standing stones behind it.

Then it shrank again until it was only about eight feet high, but its energy condensed on itself, turning a midnight black. 

A sense of despair and old tombs emanated from the interior, and it spread across the arena with an oppressive weight.

Then a skeletal knight walked out of the portal. 

It was dressed in dark black full plate that obscured most of its bones and it moved calmly and alertly. It held a large two-handed black sword easily with one hand, while a shield was in the other. 

Unlike the bone weapons used by the earlier skeletons, the knight’s armor and weapons were all made of a dull black metal that hummed with necrotic energy.

Kelin analyzed it.

Death Knight, Level 64. Elite.

It was one of the previous dungeon bosses that the guild notes had recorded.

The knight glanced at Kelin, but it had more self-awareness than the earlier undead. It didn’t charge forward. Instead, it turned its attention to the portal beside it.

From that portal, two Skeletal Mages at Level 58 and two Undead Priests at Level 60 appeared.

The mages were the same as before, but the priests were new. 

They were mostly hidden under dark hoods and robes, but it was clear that they weren’t skeletons. They had pale white skin like corpses and faint black tattoos crawled across it, too indistinct to make out.

As the knight’s supporters appeared, the mages raised their staves and the undead priests began chanting, focusing their attention on the death knight, clearly intending to bolster it in some way.

Kelin wasn’t going to allow that.

He released the two soul arrows directly at the undead priests, one for each, and then he sent the two Soulfire Bolts at mages, along with the two talismans in his hand.

The knight’s sword shot out as he dashed forward, slicing at the air. He was a dark blur and the sword was fast enough to slice through the soul arrows while they were still in flight.  

He spun without stopping, slashing at the Soulfire Bolts next, and then the fire blades from the talismans.

Spells exploded around him, turning to fireballs in the air, but they were smaller than they should have been. 

Their energy crackled with black light that drained their force. The knight’s blade had corrupted them and rendered them mostly useless. 

The bolts and talismans all fizzled in the air around him, their mana disrupted as they faded away.

Except for the soul arrows.

The knight spun in place as he realized those two spells had passed directly through his blade. Their energy was slightly weakened, but not destroyed, and they disappeared as they struck the two undead priests.

Kelin was already casting again, this time with more soul arrows, and he targeted the mages. 

He grabbed two more talismans and threw them at the knight, giving him something to distract him, and then released the soul arrows.

The knight swept his blade through the air, shattering the fire blades from both talismans. He’d been waiting for the buff from the priests, but now he ignored his supporters as he leapt straight for Kelin.

He was just as fast as the banshee from before.

Gaius tried to restrain him, making a wave of stone in the ground where his feet had been, but he was already gone.

The knight covered the distance in a blur so swift that Kelin barely registered it before he slammed into the ward. 

His blade swept down, crackling with dark light as it disrupted the mana of the ward. Soulfire and necrotic energy let out a howling shriek as they twisted together, tearing down the middle.

Then the blade slashed across Kelin’s shoulder, leaving a deep wound behind.

He was wearing the Necklace of Warding he'd picked up from the Shieldrun dungeon, but it failed to react to the knight's attack, its magic disrupted by the power in the blade.

Instead, the talisman on his skin exploded into a rain of runes as all of its mana was consumed in an instant. At the same time, three bolts of soulfire appeared from around him and roared toward the knight.

The reaction was instant, just as fast as the knight himself, and with his blade extended he didn’t have time to cut them all out of the air, but the bolts were powerful.

He managed to parry one of them, twisting his sword to the side to get it, and he managed to move his shield up to block the other two, but they still slammed into him and knocked him backward. 

Kelin hadn’t paid as much attention to the earlier activation of the reactive ability, but this time it was clear to see it benefited from the defensive bonus of his Soulfire Sigil. 

These three bolts were stronger than his regular ones by a third.

The spells distorted as they hit the knight’s shield, their mana beginning to dissolve, but he still staggered. 

His shield blazed with flames as he slapped his sword across it, crushing the mana and scattering them. His shield seemed to have the same properties as his sword, since it disrupted the structure of the spells.

He was designed to kill mages.

It would normally have been an instant death sentence for one alone. A full party should have handled this guy, with melee to face him toe to toe and slowly wearing him down, while mages supported and tried to get through his spell defense.  

No one else was here, but the momentary separation gave Kelin an instant he needed. 

Yellow runes flared across his body as a layer of stoneskin surrounded him that was six inches thick. Gaius’s energy poured into the defense, turning the stone as hard as possible. 

At the same time, Kelin pulled his mana from the ward, leaving only the outline of it on the ground, since it was a pointless waste when the knight could slice right through it.

The golden barrier around him faded until only the Soulfire Sigil still burned in the air.

A flicker of his will turned his staff into a bracelet, since he didn’t want the knight to destroy it, and it swiftly disappeared under the layer of stone on his wrist.

Then he grabbed two more talismans from his belt and hurled them at the knight, while he began creating soul arrows.

The mages and undead priests on the other side of the arena were already consumed in flames. It had taken the weakened soul arrows a little longer to ignite their souls, but they’d still done the job.

Whatever buffs they’d been planning to cast on the knight were disrupted, which was good, because the thing didn’t need them anyway.

Its sword spun in its hand as it slashed the two talismans out of the air, one after the other, and then it practically teleported across the few feet to Kelin.

Its blade was suddenly stabbed four inches deep into the stone around him, directly over his heart.

The impact rocked Kelin backward, but Gaius absorbed the force through his feet and the layers of stone, supporting him, and swiftly closed the stone around the knight’s sword.

Tendrils of stone spun outward, trying to trap the blade and seal it in place.

The knight saw what was happening and yanked the blade back before the stone could bind it. Then it was suddenly standing a couple of feet away, giving Kelin a considering glance.

Two soul arrows cut through the air toward it. 

It tried to cut them out of the air, but like before it only managed to disrupt their structure a little bit. 

They struck its armor and lost a bit more of their energy, since it was apparently made of something similar to its blade, but they still had about half left when they struck the knight’s soul.

The knight staggered backward, slashing at the air. 

It could feel the impact and the blaze, but the arrows were struggling to ignite.

They would need longer or more help before they could kill it.

When it saw that it couldn’t stop the spell, the knight charged back toward Kelin. 

A crackling line of black energy sliced through the stone at his shoulder, hip, and then his ankle. 

Three resounding impacts shattered the air, slower than the strikes themselves, and slabs of stone began to fall away from him.

Gaius struggled to replace the stone as quickly as he could, but the knight’s blade continued to strike at Kelin, tearing apart his armor bit by bit. More slabs of stone fell off his chest, neck, head, and arms within the same second. 

All of the impacts left Kelin half-stunned inside the barrier, but Gaius’s presence helped to hold him steady.

Two more soul arrows appeared and slammed into the knight, and then two more.

They were also cut out of the air and pierced through his shield and armor at half strength, but with each one, the flames in the knight’s soul leapt a bit higher.

At the same time, the wound in Kelin’s shoulder sizzled beneath the stoneskin as his soulfire reacted to the necrotic energy the sword had left behind. 

He could feel the danger in it, a cold kiss that promised to turn him undead as soon as it spread through his body. It was like the concentrated essence of this stone circle, dark and potent, like the depths of an ocean pulling him down.

If that blade hit him a few more times, things might not go well, but the combination of his poison resistance and soulfire was fighting it away.

He grabbed two more talismans and tossed them at the knight, and then as soon as his spell was formed, he sent two more soul arrows too.

The knight staggered backward, its blade sweeping across the area in front of it as it began to turn clumsy, but Kelin didn’t let up, even as his soul energy began to run out.

Two more soul arrows slammed the knight, followed by two more, making a full dozen burning in its soul.

Then he sent a rain of soulfire bolts slamming into it, driving it backward, and Gaius finally got the chance to raise the stone at its feet.

Stone bands looped around the knight’s greaves, swiftly climbing its legs, and a moment later it was buried to its waist in stone. 

Its long sword and shield got in the way now, making its position awkward as it tried to chop at the stone to free itself, but it still tried.

But it was already over.

The flames rose higher while the knight was held there, slowly blazing more brightly, and then wisps of rainbow flames began to pour from the cracks in its armor and its eyes turned the same color.

Smoke rose from its head as its blows slowed. Its shield began to droop toward the ground. 

Then the flames surged higher, covering its entire body, and the knight slumped forward. Its sword and shield fell from its hands as it died.

Kelin drew in a ragged breath as he turned to look at portals.

Mana danced around him, flowing into his ward to reactivate it again if needed, and he grabbed a mana potion from his belt.

But no more monsters appeared.

The energy flowing through the standing stones shivered, swirling as it began to move. The barrier around the outside of the arena dimmed at the same time, although it didn’t completely disappear.

The remains of the darkness from the previous round dissipated, turning into streaks of inky light that flowed back into the stones, and then the spiral of energy began to concentrate in the center of the arena around Kelin and the runestone nearby.

The darkness concentrated into a shining chest made of black metal in front of him, its corners studded with necrotic gems, and at the same time the runestone phased into existence.

Then everything was still.

The remains of the death knight were already dissolving, including his sword and shield, leaving only a core and large necrotic gem behind.

Kelin let out the breath as he put the mana potion and his talismans away, and then he sat down under the light of his sigil as he began to meditate.

His soul energy was down to 42, which was 20%, while his mana was at 198 for 38%.  

That fight had almost been too much. 

Without his soul magic to rely on, the knight would probably have killed him. 

He could have peppered it with bolts, but it was fast enough to cut them out of the air, so it would have been down to an inferno and who could last longer.

His bet was on the knight.

Its armor and shield had reduced most magical damage to almost nothing, and they’d even cut down the effect of his soul arrows, which had a touch of Wildfire’s Legendary nature to them, even if they weren’t there themselves.

He chuckled as he recalled thinking about the Mage’s Law earlier. He’d had enough magic to survive, but it had been cutting it close.

Still, it proved the point. 

If you had enough magic, nothing could hurt you.

Given the wound on his shoulder, he’d been a little short.

The stoneskin faded away as he meditated and he felt Gaius’s reassuring presence, telling him that it hadn’t been that close.

“The earth endures,” the elemental sent. “We will endure.”

Kelin knew better, but he gave the elemental a mental smile.

He let his passive healing deal with the wound as he turned his attention to the notifications that were ringing in his mind.

Despite its tier, the knight wasn’t enough to level up again, but there were some other benefits.

Congratulations, Lord of Wildfire.

Your Spell: Soul Arrow has gained a tier and reached Elite.

Your Skill: Soul Ignition has gained a tier and reached Elite.

Your Skill: Mana Control has gained a tier and reached Expert.

Your Innate Ability: Persistent Spell has gained a tier and reached Advanced.

Your Class Ability: Elemental Ward has gained a tier and reached Expert.

Several of his abilities and skills had improved in that fight. 

Some of them had gotten most of their advancement before the knight, but it had capped things off.

The upgrades to Soul Arrow and Soul Ignition were critical for his continued magical strength, and Mana Control showed his improvements with weaving spells in general, but the one that interested him the most was the improvement to Persistent Spell.

He read the updated description. 

[Your spells will endure longer than they would naturally. At the Advanced tier, they will receive a 20% improvement to their duration and cohesion. This effect will apply to all of your spells that can receive the benefit.]

It was 10% higher than the Basic tier. 

That was a good change.

The barrier around the standing stones was thin now, but it was still there and shielding the area, so he sat there until his mana and soul energy had recovered.

The wound in his shoulder was closing, but it would take a while longer. The energy in the knight’s blade was slow to dissipate, even under the influence of soulfire, and there was a trace of magical resistance that was hindering the healing too.

It would take half a day or so.

Then he turned his attention to the chest in front of him. It was about five feet wide and three feet deep and high, plenty large enough to hold items for an entire party.

As he touched it, the Path’s voice rang in his mind.

Calculating reward. 

The Standing Stones challenge was designed for a full party to complete, but since you have completed it solo, the rewards will be adjusted accordingly.

The number of artifact rewards has been reduced to one, but the tier will increase and it will be customized to you.

Additional bonus reward assigned. 

The chest hummed with energy as the lid opened. The interior was coated in a rich dark wood that looked well-oiled.

Inside, there were two things resting on ornate black silk cushions.

The first was a dark roll of cloth, while the second was a crystalline vial filled with sparkling light.

Kelin reached into the chest and pulled them out. 

The cloth felt light and silky in his hand, but there was a density of mana to it that gave it a sense of presence. The vial felt even heavier, like it had something important inside.

He analyzed them both.

Cloak of the Mage Knight (Rare: Elegant).

Soulbound Artifact.

+10% to the potency of all magical spells.

Self Repair, Durable, Resizing.

Activated Effect: Shadow Speed.

[This cloak was once worn by a knight of a magical order. Its substance is woven from the rare silk of a Darkflame Moth, rendering it nearly immune to fire and darkness and shielding the wearer from the wind and rain. 

The Darkflame Moth is a rare and intelligent being, and its silk carries some of its nature with it, granting the wearer increased potency to their spells.

Magical potency is a rare quality among artifacts, applying almost universally to all spells the wearer uses. This enchantment can stack with itself as well as other sources of power.

The Mage Knights made an oath to always try to return home to their families at night, and so their equipment was enchanted to aid them in this endeavor.

Activated Effect: Once per night, this cloak can be used to turn into a shadow and speed across the land. The effect will endure for up to 12 hours, but only while the light of the sun doesn’t touch it.]

It was an excellent cloak and he didn’t hesitate to bind it to himself and replace the mundane cloak that he’d picked up at the guild.

As he swung it across his shoulders, it settled into place and resized itself to fit him. Its weight was barely noticeable, but the sense of magic in it was a pleasant whisper across his shoulders.

He immediately felt the strength of its enchantment bolstering his own.

It raised his total bonus to Fire magic to 80%, Soul magic to 60%, and soulfire to 67.5%, which included his Touch of Soulfire healing magic. 

The 10% to all magical potency should also apply to Soulfire Sigil, but he would have to recast it later to check.

Then he turned his attention to the crystal vial.

Elixir of Physical Potency (Rare).

Soulbound.

[This elixir comes from the same long-lost order of Mage Knights as the cloak you wear, located in a very distant realm. It is one that the Death Knight you encountered served while he lived. They believed that strong magic comes from a strong body, and they focused much of their attention on strengthening their physical forms.

This elixir can be used to improve one of your physical traits by a single tier, up to a maximum of Elite. Choose wisely.]

Kelin held the vial in his hand, feeling the weight of history in it. When the Path described something as long lost, it meant it. 

The order that had created these was probably long destroyed in a war, perhaps by the same undead that the death knight had become.

The choice for how to use it was obvious as he looked at his status sheet and Soulfire Body Refinement. 

The Path could have given him an upgrade to that directly, but instead it gave him this and a choice.

He could drink it now and upgrade Soulfire Body Refinement to Expert, or he could save it and wait for the harder change at Elite.

He knew the value of this vial.

It was soulbound, but if it could be sold, it would have fetched probably 10,000 gold just as an opening bid. 

Despite that, gains for the future could be earned then, while right now, he needed to survive. That knight had been a close call and the Wind Hunters were still out there somewhere.

He didn’t hesitate to open the vial and pour it down his throat.