Wild Era, Ch 6: Son of Irian

Kelin cycled some mana through his body as he tested the changes from his class specialization. 

The energy flowed through his meridians differently and as he released some around him, the cavern was filled with a fiery gold light.

The specialization had hidden the most overt sign of Wildfire, which was for the best.

He looked around the cavern, but besides the rest of the lizard tail he’d cooked, the only thing of value to take from the cavern were the mana crystals in a pile.

He picked one up and analyzed it.

Fire Affinity Mana Crystal (High Grade).

Fire elemental essence has mixed with mana and condensed into a crystallized form.

They should be useful later.

Kelin studied them for a moment and then frowned as he debated how to carry everything.

Eventually, he would be able to open a small spatial pocket to store things or he could acquire a storage item to do the same, but for now he was limited to carrying them a different way.

He sent Gaius on a quick mission and a few moments later, the elemental was back with the hide from one of the lizards. 

It was a sheet of oddly shaped leather about four feet across at the widest and it narrowed as it went down to the tip of the tail. Gaius had cut it open at the top and peeled it off in one strip. 

The nice thing about Wildfire was that it didn’t damage materials unless he wanted it to, so the hide was perfectly intact.

The hide was dark grey with subtle red highlights and almost as smooth as snakeskin. It had a faint impression of scales, but the pattern was barely noticeable to the touch. 

Kelin turned it from side to side and then sent Gaius off to get the other two hides as well.

He had an idea for how to return to town looking like a young adventurer who had encountered a stroke of luck rather than a half-dead mining drudge.

It would help to distract people from asking why he wasn’t dead, and it should lead to a better result when he went to talk to the mercenaries who were watching the kids.

The hides had a critical role to play. 

So did his new crafting subclass.

He was going to live this life like a rightful son of Irian.

His homeland had been a beautiful world, full of golden light and sunrises and mountains stretching into the clouds. Crafting and magical research flourished in every corner.

Since she had been destroyed, the only thing he could do to honor her was to uphold her name and values. That would be the same in this life as it had been in the past.

That meant making the most of every talent he had and rising like a phoenix.

Including crafting.

His new Artisan’s Sight had merged with his Analysis ability and the properties of the hide leapt out to him as he inspected the first one.

Fire Braggan Hide. 

Grade: Common.

Level 30. 

Affinity: Fire. 

Traits: Lesser Fire Resistance, Durable.

It was all fairly obvious, but it was still nice to have it confirmed.

Then he looked down at himself.

When he entered the mines, he’d been wearing an old shirt and a pair of breeches held up by a piece of rope. After being thrown across the mine and buried, they were barely mentionable. 

Half of his shirt was missing, revealing a scrawny if slightly defined torso, one leg of the breeches was gone above the knee, and what remained besides that was full of tears.

He still had a pair of old boots that had more or less survived, but they wouldn’t last much longer.

His new crafting class focused on smaller items, but he could manage some basic clothing out of these hides.

His hands flickered as he cleaned off the hides and treated them with a basic preservation spell.  It was a minor application of Fire and Water elemental magic that anyone could do and one of the common methods of dealing with monster materials. 

With hides, it made them more supple at the same time as it dried them out.

Only this first hide was Level 30, which was the current limit of his Arcane Refinement, so he started with it.

He spent a few minutes outlining what he wanted, including at one point lying down on top of the hide as he traced a faint pattern of golden mana lines onto it. 

Fortunately, the lizard was a good bit bigger than him, so there was a decent amount of material to work with.

When he was ready, he called up his new ability for Runic Engraving, which allowed him to create a finely detailed mana blade. The blade could take on different shapes, but the basic one was a single-sided knife.

He used it to cut out the pattern he’d designed, and before long he had the parts of a tunic and a new pair of breeches. 

The tunic was in two parts, with a front and back that he would have to fuse together, and the breeches were in a few more than that, but it would work.

The pieces were too large for him to use Arcane Refinement on, since that ability was currently limited to objects the size of his hand, but he set aside pieces of scrap to practice with later.

That ability would have helped to increase the quality of the items, but he could do without it.

Runic Engraving and Affinity Focus didn’t have the same limitations.

He had a wide range of spell and rune knowledge, including a lot that he couldn’t handle at this level. It was more than he could channel through his abilities in their current state, but he had to start somewhere, so he might as well do it now.

He studied the tunic and breeches for a bit, comparing the possibilities to his new subclass abilities. 

At the Basic tier, Runic Engraving was able to add a 10% bonus to the runes he used, while Affinity Focus allowed a 5% bonus to an effect. The abilities could be used separately, but if he put them together, the effects were cumulative.

A 5% Fire Enhancement on the shirt would end up at 5.5%. 

His spell strength was already decent, which meant the things he needed the most right now were mana efficiency and regeneration, so he settled on those.

The abilities came with a limited knowledge of basic rune patterns, but not with much in the way of runes. That was something an artisan had to learn on their own from the natural world or from a teacher.

He borrowed one of the patterns for simplicity’s sake and began to outline it on the back part of the tunic. Then he chose a simple mana efficiency rune, one that was sometimes used in channeling mana through artifacts.

Before long, he’d woven the rune into the pattern at key nodes and the result was a series of golden lines that glowed on the inner surface of the hide. 

Leather wasn’t great for engraving, but that was what his ability was for, so he shifted the mana knife into a scalpel and began carving the pattern, removing slivers of material with each cut.

By the time he was done, almost the entire hide was covered in a simple runic pattern, one that started at the exterior and spiraled toward the center, like it was a whirlpool that drew mana inward. 

He studied it critically and then picked up the front half of the tunic and returned to work, doing the same thing again with it. 

When it was done, he placed the two parts together and began fusing them together, using an application of Earth mana that effectively bound the hide together. A small tracery of crystalline threads spread through the leather, sewing the sides shut. 

He held up the result, examining it critically, and shrugged at what he saw.

Mage’s Tunic.

Grade: Common.

Quality: Poor.

Properties: Lesser Fire Resistance, Durable.

This tunic is designed to naturally draw mana from the environment and make it easier for the wearer to channel spells. It provides 3.2% increased mana efficiency.

The Path was able to determine with utter precision how much of an effect something added. Otherwise, the improvement offered by the rune pattern would have been much harder to pinpoint.

Kelin chuckled as he looked at it. 

It was a far cry from the enchanted robes he’d worn in the past, but it was what he had.

Most of his crafting in his first life had been intricate spell forms and enchantments to synchronize his Law of Wildfire with his personal equipment, and he’d only focused on it when he was already at the Fourth Evolution.

Crafting at that level was primarily conceptual, based on natural laws and the resonance of the spell form.

This was the first time he’d tried to make regular clothing. 

There were rarity grades and professional qualities that the Path used to describe items. The rarity grades like Common, Uncommon, and Rare were based on the natural mana and affinities of the material, while the professional qualities altered them.

The hides had started out at Common, but his work determined the quality. Crude and Poor were the lowest qualities, followed by Average and Fine, but there were higher ones too.

It wasn’t much, but he supposed it wasn’t bad for a first try. He would get better with practice. 

Mana efficiency was a desirable trait and 3.2% wasn’t anything to sneeze at. It was a few free spells in a long fight, which could lead to a significant difference in the end result.

He could feel that he’d earned a little experience for making it, but it would take a lot more than one before he got a level out of it.

Crafting experience was slower than combat experience, but you could earn levels directly if you did something impressive enough. Other things were possible too, like innate traits and new skills.

He could refine things with Wildfire and add interesting soul effects too, but right now he needed to save soul energy. It would be something to experiment with later, to see how well it combined with his artisan class.

He set the tunic to the side and got to work on the breeches next.

Before too long, he had a similar result.

Mage’s Breeches.

Grade: Common.

Quality: Poor.

This set of breeches is designed to naturally draw mana from the environment and hasten the wearer’s ability to recover mana. It provides 3.4% increased mana regeneration.

Kelin decided it was good enough.

Both the tunic and the breeches were made of the braggan’s dark grey leather with subtle red highlights, and they fit well enough as he slipped them on. The breeches had the same fire resistance and durable properties as the tunic, just like everything made from this material, but he didn't need to see it again.

He spent a few minutes creating a quick belt for the pants from the same hide.

He couldn’t have  two enchantments on his gear with the same effect at this tier, since the rune patterns would clash with one another, so he engraved it with a pattern that added some efficiency to his Fire spells.

Fire Mage’s Belt.

Grade: Common.

Quality: Poor.

This belt is designed to naturally align with Fire mana in the environment and to infuse it into the wearer’s spells. It provides 2.1% increased Fire efficiency.

The smaller size of the belt was the main reason for the weaker effect, since there was less surface area for the runes to resonate with. It would have been even worse without the leather’s natural Fire affinity.

Size wasn’t a major limiting factor on items, but he’d have to work harder to improve his rune patterns and weave them into the material if he wanted to overcome it. 

After that, he got to work rebuilding his boots. 

He dismantled them, cut out new sections of hide to replace the material, engraved rune patterns onto the key pieces, and sewed it all together.

Traveler’s Boots.

Grade: Common.

Quality: Average.

These boots are designed to naturally stabilize your grip on surfaces and to provide comfort while walking long distances. They provide 3.7% increased Agility.

The quality was slightly better than before since he’d been rebuilding his old set of boots, and the Agility effect came from a Fire-aligned pattern. 

The correlation between attributes and the elements was a little loose, with many possibilities, so he could have used Wind or Water for Agility as well, or Earth for increased stability, but it was better to stick to the natural affinity of the leather.

He nudged his connection to the Path, asking it to combine the Grade and Quality of things, and when he looked at the boots again, they showed up as Grade: Common (Average), which was a bit simpler.

After that, he fashioned a couple of bracers for his forearms. He made them thicker than the rest of his clothes by layering several pieces of the hide together, which would offer a bit more protection.

The engraving he set into these was different from the rest of his equipment and much more targeted. 

Mage’s Bracer of Warding.

Quality: Common (Poor).

Focus Effect: Spell Shield.

This bracer is designed to create a defensive shield for the wearer and to block incoming spells and elemental attacks. When its tolerance is exceeded, it will disintegrate. 

Mage’s Bracer of Deflection.

Quality: Common (Poor).

Focus Effect: Missile Shield.

This bracer is designed to create a defensive shield for the wearer that blocks physical missiles.

Neither of the bracers would last long, but he didn’t worry about it as he laced them onto his arms. He’d mostly created them as a test to see how they worked. 

The focus effects were engraved spell patterns, which were the second core feature of his Arcane Artisan class after enhancements. 

The class didn’t come with knowledge of the necessary spells, but it did have the Focus pattern he’d used to engrave the effect. The spell forms had come from his memory, each of them a simple shield.

The bracers weren’t very powerful, but the advantage of a Focus item was that it would let him create the shield without paying much attention to it, even if he was casting another spell.

Each bracer could handle about 20 mana without trouble, which was enough for a low-level shield, but if they stayed active for more than a few minutes, the material would simply fall apart.

Channeling more mana than that through them would burn through the runes even faster.

If they’d been smaller, he could have used Arcane Refinement to enhance the material and the result, but that would come later. 

He figured the things would last for two or three activations before he needed to create another set.

Once he put everything on, he looked completely different than before.

The set was rough in many places, but the leather was thin and supple, and it generally fit. 

“More young adventurer than half-dead miner anyway,” he said as he looked down at himself. “Good enough.”

There were a lot of things to improve, but the overall grey and red leather was a decent combination and it gave him a sleek look that wasn’t uncommon among a certain brand of arrogant mage. 

He looked more successful than before, and that would make people hesitate.

The enchantments on the gear were subtle but visible to those who could see them. They also gave the leather a sense of vitality, as if the braggan’s Fire affinity was still playing across it.

He was hoping that when the mercenaries and the other townsfolk saw him, they would give him the benefit of the doubt now, and see him as an up and coming power.

It wouldn’t be the first time someone had wandered off into the wilds and come back with a rare class specialization through some stroke of fortune.

It would get a few raised eyebrows and the news would spread.

He could use it to explain why he was a Soulfire Warden now and to show off his value as a potential crafter. Whether or not he actually worked with anyone was secondary. 

It was all about managing expectations.

It would let him get things done more easily, whether it was bargaining with the mercs or selling some mana crystals on the black market.

He wasn’t too worried about theft or assassination if someone decided they wanted it. 

Once people started talking about him, there would be more attention on him, for good or bad, and most of that type would shy away, especially if they knew he was being watched by any of the larger powers as a prospect.

And in the end, it was still poor quality gear. 

Anyone who thought that was worthwhile wouldn’t be much of a threat. If they tried, he would deal with them, and that would also enhance his reputation. 

It was killing two birds with one stone. 

Perhaps that should be the motto for his new life.

Crafting the gear had taken him a few hours, which wasn’t too bad. It gave him a new appreciation for what an early Evolution crafting class could do.

There were two more things he needed to make, but it wouldn’t take too long.

For the first one, he asked Gaius for help.

A few minutes later, the elemental returned and handed him a circle of polished and translucent quartz that was about three inches across. 

Pure Quartz Disk.

Grade: Uncommon.

“Thanks,” Kelin said with a smile as he accepted it. 

He turned it from side to side, studying the grain as he let a thread of mana flow through it. It was slightly sluggish since the material was quartz and not something more magical, but it didn’t matter for now.

It was time to see what his Soulfire Sigil could do.

He could see the pattern for the sigil in his mind. It was a complex rune form, one made from higher principles that resonated with both his Fire and Soul affinities. 

As the ability improved, the rune would advance as well, naturally drawing higher insights from the Path as part of his class advancements.

He looked away from the disk for a moment as he reached out into the air and began swiftly sketching the rune, leaving a trail of reddish-gold mana behind.

His fingers wove through the pattern like they’d done it a thousand times before, bending and swerving to keep to the right line. The dexterity he’d gained from his crafting class helped to make it a bit faster than it would have been otherwise.

The major part of the ability was in the mana, however, and the principles that needed to be fused into the rune to bring it to life.

It was a rune of renewal and warding. It felt fiery and unyielding as he wove it, as well as beneficent. There was something sacred about the creation that blessed the area nearby, like the warmth of a fire warding away the dark.

Then it was done.

The Soulfire Sigil hung in the air, made of glowing lines of mana and elemental force. It was about six inches across, but the aura from it filled the small cavern.

Drifting wisps of the fire essence that were in the area twined around the lines, making the rune glow more brightly. It was drawing them in naturally.

Kelin analyzed the result.

Soulfire Sigil (Basic):

This sigil exerts a protective influence on the area within its radius, providing 15% increased healing and regeneration to the caster and allies, as well as 10% improvement to the duration and protection of Fire and Soul spells. The effect is reduced on those above the caster’s level.

Duration: 1 hour.

The sight of the sigil was calming and for the first time since he’d been reborn, Kelin felt himself relax. 

He studied it with interest, appreciating the way intent and mana had combined to resonate with higher laws. It was nice to see the reflection of those in his mana again. 

“You’re going to be a great reading light,” he said with a grin.

The sigil continued to hover in the air as he got to work on the quartz disk.

This one was within the size limit of his Arcane Refinement ability, so he let his mana flow through the quartz. It was a slow process, but bit by bit he removed inclusions and created stable pathways for mana to move.

When he was done, the quality of the disk had improved.

Mana-Refined Quartz Disk.

Grade: Uncommon (Fine).

This disk has been refined to allow for stable mana flow, which creates a suitable foundation to add an enchantment. 

It was quite a bit better than it had been before the refinement.

He set it on a flat rock in front of him and then he got to work with his mana blade, slowly engraving the sigil into the surface.

With each angle and cut of the blade, he had to keep up a steady flow of mana and combine it with higher laws, which at this level meant a strong focus on mental imagery and feeling.

Images of healing flames and regeneration filled his mind as he worked, along with a blazing soul force.

Engraving it took a lot more effort than the runes on the leather had, but this was what he had designed his class combination for.

About an hour later, he was done and he let the mana blade dissipate into glowing golden wisps. 

Chiseled lines covered the surface of the quartz disk, each of them about a quarter of an inch deep as they formed the intricate sigil. 

He let it rest on his palm as he double checked it for any issues, but it felt right.

By that point, the first sigil had already dissipated, so he swapped the disk into his left hand as he began the process of creating it again. Instead of tracing it in the air, he followed the lines he’d engraved into the disk.

Lines of golden mana formed one after the other, flooding into the pattern, and the disk began to brighten. 

It was easier to follow this pattern than it had been to create the ethereal sigil he’d made first, and it only took a few moments before it was done. As soon as he completed the last line, the disk began to float under its own power. 

It glowed with an intense and fiery light like a miniature sun, radiating across the area.

He analyzed it again and was pleased with the result.

Imbued Soulfire Sigil.

Base Material: Mana-Refined Quartz (Uncommon—Fine).

Duration: 2 Hours.

The duration had doubled and the effectiveness had improved by 10%, bringing the healing effect to 25% and the spell bonuses to 20% for duration and defense.

That was worthwhile.

Eventually, the power of the sigil would degrade the quartz, but it should last for a good number of uses. If he used something better than quartz, the effects might improve too.

He let the sigil blaze as he cleaned up the area and moved on to the last thing he was going to make here.

He had one braggan hide left, so he made a rough backpack by folding together the largest section and leaving the tail sticking out. Then he split the tail into two parts for straps and sewed them to the main section with more crystalline thread.

He didn’t bother enchanting it, since he probably wouldn’t be carrying it for long.

When it was done, he sliced up the remaining lizard meat and rolled it up in the scraps of hide. Then he stuffed those and the mana crystals into the backpack, added the three braggan cores he'd acquired, and slung it over his shoulders as he adjusted everything. 

It would work for now.

After that, he looked at his status sheet, where his name as Kelin Wildfire was staring at him. 

An effort of will removed the title, leaving his name simply as Kelin, the same as it had been before he woke up.

He didn’t like it, but it was necessary for the moment.

Beyond that, there were a few problems left on his status sheet, namely his former titles and some of the abilities he had, which were too much for a Level 16 orphan.

Not everyone would be able to see them, but some could, so he had to fix that too. 

Analysis and Identify abilities touched the soul to gather information, which put hiding from them within his area of expertise.

He drew out a small amount of pure soul energy and wove into a subtle spell structure. It was an illusory series of runes linked together into a circle, and it hung in the air like a golden crown when he was done.

The effort made his meridians burn and he could feel the stress on his soul, since this spell was not designed to be cast at Level 16, but he ignored it as he set the final lines in place and activated it. 

The illusory crown spun in place, expanding in a flash as it stretched across his body in a veil of light. An announcement rang in his mind as the spell sank into his head and disappeared.

You have learned the Spell: Soul Shroud (Basic).

He could feel the crown’s presence resting invisibly on his soul. It was a small drain on his mana, but not much. 

Now when people looked at him, all they would see was Kelin, Level 16, and his classes, along with the other limited information he chose to display. 

His former titles and key abilities would be hidden.

If someone was strong enough, they might be able to break the spell, but soul magic was rare and Soul Shroud was a high-evolution spell. 

It was unlikely that anyone would see through it in Highmist. For anywhere else, he’d have to get some more levels and he could set it up again at higher than the Basic tier.

With everything ready, he gathered up the sigil disk and tucked it away inside his tunic.

Then runes flared on his skin as he let Gaius carry him up through the ceiling.