Wild Era, Ch 3: Priorities

When Kelin woke up again, Gaius let him know that nothing interesting had happened while he was asleep. 

The elemental had been keeping an eye on the area as a guard, which was one of its main jobs now that the soul bond was formed. It was the only reason Kelin had been comfortable enough to let himself sleep here.

He sat up and scanned the area to make sure nothing had changed, and then he checked his condition. His bruises were beginning to fade and the mana reinforcement he’d started was in good shape.

It was moving along well, assisted by his continued mana regeneration. Even at this level, he had some mana coming in and the excess was being diverted to the reinforcement.

Over time, the lattice would become permanent. 

It was slowly fusing into his organs and bones, as well as other critical areas, and it would improve their durability. As long as he had the mana to support it, it would sustain him and ensure that no lasting damage was done.

The reinforcement would be boosted even more once he chose an affinity, in various ways depending on which one it was, but his goal with that was set.

The elements were all slightly different in how they went about improving the human body, but each element would bolster his durability, reflexes, regeneration, and quick burst strength. 

They all had their uses, and each element was holistic to an extent as well, but Earth leaned more toward durability, while Wind was reflexes, Water was flexibility and regeneration, and Fire was burst strength.

It was the first time he’d thought about basic elemental reinforcement in a while, much less needed to consider it for himself.

About 5,000 years, in fact.

He had fallen a long way from being a mighty archmage.

The thought made him chuckle, which turned into a pained cough, one that was as dry as a desert.

Rock dust and shards of pulverized mana crystal flew out of his lungs, pushed out by the mana lattice and the purification spell he’d started before.

He doubled over as the cough swept through him.  His stomach knotted in response, stabbing him with a twisting pain.

He reached out with a force of will, trying to find a local bit of water to clear his mouth, but the bit he could sense slipped away, suppressed by the weight of the fire and earth.

He was too weak to reach any harder for it.

If he didn’t get some soon, it was possible he would die of dehydration here. He’d had a water bottle while he was working, but it had been lost in the collapse.

Fortunately, there was another option.

Gaius, he sent as he forced his muscles to stop spasming, can you bring me water?

A pulse of agreement came from the elemental. Yellow runes flared across Kelin’s skin as Gaius left the soul chamber and sank into the neighboring rocks.

He was gone for a good ten minutes.

Then a rocky head rose up from the stones near Kelin’s knee, swiftly growing larger. 

Based on his size and the impression that Kelin got of him in the stone, the elemental was a good eight feet tall with a vaguely humanoid body that he had copied from Kelin’s own, except much stockier.

Only the upper half of Gaius’s body left the stone, however. His hands were held out before him, holding a broad bowl of stone that was about two feet across and a foot deep.

It was filled to the brim with crystal clear water.

The elemental had traveled to a local aquifer to gather it, but there were no stones or other sediment in it. Removing those was a simple thing for a spirit of the earth.

Thank you, Kelin sent gratefully.

This soul bond had been a choice of necessity, and not something that he would normally have done, since it would hinder his experience to let Gaius grow with him, but it was already paying off.

Gaius set the bowl down and flowed back into the soul chamber, making the runes on Kelin’s skin glow again before they disappeared.

Kelin gathered a double handful of water and splashed it onto his face as he cleaned off the dust. There was a lot of water in the bowl, so there was no need to be frugal with it.

He only had his hands as a cup, so he used them to take a careful sip, followed by another. His caution paid off as he was interrupted by a massive coughing fit, which cleared more gunk out of his lungs, but he let it pass and then slowly drank his fill.

Then he sat back up and considered what to do next.

Despite his new circumstances, he’d just survived dying, so he was feeling optimistic. 

Gaius, keep up a watch, he sent, instructing the elemental to move to a more active defense.

A pulse of agreement came from the elemental and runes began to appear on Kelin’s skin, shining with a soft yellow light.

He felt Gaius’s attention press more heavily on the area around them as it fused into the stone for miles in every direction.

Kelin nodded in satisfaction.

A soul bond was a wondrous thing. He’d been forced into it by the circumstances, but it held great potential for the future.

Even a young earth elemental was a powerful force.

The circumstances could have been better, but he was excited to see what he could do with this new life. He doubted he could go back to his old one, so the only path was forward. 

Normally, someone with an earth elemental soul bond would choose an earth affinity to accompany it, but that wasn’t a problem for him or his plans for a Wildfire affinity. 

He knew the advantage of complementary powers. 

Earth naturally resisted flame, so Gaius would be useful to buffer some of the more destructive aspects of Wildfire, which could be hard on the body at first.

It would work out pretty well.

As for working with him, Gaius had no issue in following orders. He liked having something to do. It was part of the agreement they’d made. 

The elemental got a sense of purpose from it. It was part of the bond and the experience of life through Kelin’s eyes. 

There was no worry about Gaius challenging him or sabotaging his work like there would have been with a more common summons. He’d never had a soul bond in his past life, since he hadn’t wanted to accept the downsides, but now that he did, he could see the benefit. 

As long as they were bonded, they were basically one person, not two separate beings. They still had their unique thoughts and desires, but it was almost like having a conversation with himself.

If one day Gaius decided that he no longer wanted to maintain the bond, he would simply disappear, leaving the soul chamber empty. It was always his choice.

Until then, Gaius had just as much of a reason to preserve his bonded’s life as Kelin did himself, so they would work together.

Since his body was recovering and his mana was flowing easily into the reinforcement, Kelin turned his attention to more pressing questions, ones that he hadn’t had time to deal with while he was rescuing himself.

Namely, how he’d gotten here and what he was going to do about it.

First, of course, was regaining his old strength, or at least a fraction of it.

He was all too aware of the powerlessness that came with being weak, and right now he was about as weak as humans could be. He felt this body’s strength returning, but compared to what he had been, it wasn’t much.

It also wasn’t much for the city where he lived. Although there was no one over level 200, there were plenty of people under that. 

It wasn’t that difficult of a level to reach with all of the resources that humanity had available in this era.

That, at least, hadn’t changed from his old life to this.

As for him, he hadn’t even evolved once yet. It wouldn’t be until Level 100.

Evolutions happened every 100 levels. The First Evolution would be when he reached that.

It was an upgrade in body and magic, as well as an opportunity to advance to new power. 

How effective it was depended upon your accomplishments in life before then.

Levels under 100 were sometimes called the Zero Evolution, although it was derogatory. It was the natural place that everyone began, but in the greater sum of things, it wasn’t much.

Since he wanted to get his strength back, regaining his Wildfire affinity was the top thing on his mind. 

Not only was it a powerful ability that he understood completely, it would also help him reach higher evolutions. 

It should only take him a day or two to achieve the basic level, so it was at the top of his list, but it wasn’t the only pressing matter.

This younger self had concerns that he couldn’t set aside, namely for those two kids, Yao and Naomi. 

They’d been like younger siblings to his previous self and their safety was at the top of his mind. It was a nagging thought that kept on returning, and even now that his memories had come back, that hadn’t changed.

It had been about two days since the mana collapse, which meant they probably thought he was dead. Now that he could move, he needed to head back to town to check on them as soon as possible.

He was already standing up to try and leave, before his common sense grabbed him and made him sit back down. He frowned at the impulse, which came from the emotions running hot through his younger body. 

He’d been impulsive as a young man, but as he got older, it had calmed down a bit. Hopefully it wouldn’t be as much of an issue this time around.

He forced the voice of reason from his older self to get control of his emotions as he went through everything he knew about his current life.

The reason he’d been working in this mine in the first place, despite the danger of the job, was to take care of those two.

Yao and Naomi were good kids, although calling them that wasn’t entirely accurate, even if it felt natural to him. They were 14 and 15 respectively. 

He’d known them for years and he knew they weren’t the ones at fault in that failed burglary, but they’d still been kicked out of the orphanage. They would’ve been anyway when they turned 16 or reached their Class Day, but this had sped it up and they weren't ready for it.

Classes usually unlocked between 14 and 18, but it varied depending on individual talent and when you met the requirements. His had been just before his 16th birthday. 

Neither of the two had a class yet, which made it difficult for them to find work that was better than running messages. That was what he’d done for years to feed himself. 

At least it had given him a pretty good understanding of the city and the forces at play, which was useful now. 

The problem was that the people who framed them were part of an organized crime gang, the Wind Hunters, that had roots in the orphanage as well. 

They called themselves mercenaries, but they were part of the underbelly of the city, and plenty of their younger members came from the ranks of the orphanage.

After growing up in that pit, there wasn't much a kid wouldn't do if it was necessary. It was a rough place with little room for compassion, despite its mission.

A couple of the others there had joined the Wind Hunters early as prospects and were the ones who’d really done it. When they failed, they had tried to cover their tracks by pointing the blame at someone else.

The evidence was shoddy, but no one looked too hard.

Given the habits of Highmist, which was the name of the city, Kelin was very aware that should the two of them be killed to ensure their silence, no one would ask any questions.

His previous self was too weak to protect them, but in the city, nearly everything was for sale. He had been paying for a place to stay that was more expensive than normal, but which guaranteed their safety. 

It was controlled by a rival mercenary organization called the Blade and Shield, and two kids weren’t worth enough to the first group for them to cause trouble as long as they lived there.

He’d chosen that group because they had a pretty decent reputation. They weren’t angels, but they were leagues better than the Wind Hunters.

It cost five silvers a week, which was ten times as much as his old shack on the outskirts of the slums had. He’d figured that in a few months everyone would forget about it and they could move somewhere cheaper.

The mining job was supposed to pay for it.

Kelin shook his head at the idea of being involved in something like this. 

In his old life, if he’d wanted to protect two kids on a random planet, it would have been as simple as a passing remark. The entire planetary government would have bowed so quickly their heads would have slammed into the floor and they wouldn’t have dared to look up until he left.

His current condition was a far cry from that.

He frowned as he glanced at the mana crystals around the cavern. Those were worth a significant amount and he would make sure to sweep this place clean before he left. It would definitely be enough to cover things, but selling them would be problematic.

Everyone would assume he’d stolen them. 

It wasn’t even wrong, since this mine was claimed by one of the local mining companies, and that included everything that came out of it. Technically, he was stealing them, at least according to the local laws.

Not that he cared about those.

But it meant he wouldn’t be able to sell them in Highmist unless it was to the black market, and that was a risk on its own. He knew where it was, but he had no real connections there and could easily be stabbed in the back.

That would be the end of things.

It boiled down to power.

Selling things, protecting people, even traveling freely, it was all backed by having sufficient power. 

Level 9 was nothing.

He was proud of his strength and of Wildfire, but even with Gaius’s help, he couldn’t face a single Level 100 fighter, much less a higher one, and those were almost a dime a dozen on the local payrolls.

It was difficult to overcome pure strength and high-tier abilities, even if you had all the skill in the world, and each Evolution made it harder.

Both of the mercenary groups that mattered had bosses around Level 150, on the higher end of strength in the city. He’d heard one was a mage and the other was a melee fighter, but it was only a rumor.

Even the most basic of the mercenaries that worked for them would have something like an Elemental Warrior class around Levels 30 to 50. 

He might be able to kill one or two of those if he leveraged his talents the right way, but more than that was pushing it.

He frowned as he considered his options.

It would be simplest if he could get them all out of the city, find a place with enough food and water to survive, and then level up.

The kids might not like it, but they’d live.

Unfortunately, his younger self’s awareness of the wilds of this world were limited. He’d lived in the city and had barely gone beyond its walls for most of his life.

Hopefully Yao and Naomi would unlock their classes soon and not be as dependent on him, but even if he had to help them for a few years, it was fine. It shouldn’t be too long.

They just needed to survive until then.

He had a long way to go with his own training, and helping them at the same time wouldn’t slow him down much.

Maybe they could be his new apprentices. The thought sent a brief smile across his features.

The next simplest option was to find a way to continue to pay for protection and stay under the radar. That meant taking some risks in the city, but it might be viable.

He needed to take a look at things there with his new eyes, not his old ones with limited experience, but that would have to wait until he got back.

He forced himself to settle down again as he continued to plan.

First things first.

He didn’t like leaving them alone, but Yao and Naomi should be all right for a couple more days, even if they were worried sick about him. The rent on the shack was paid up until the end of the next week, and for the price they were charging him, the Blade and Shield would at least make sure they were fed.

For a little while. 

With that settled, he forced himself to think logically and turned his attention to leaving the mine.

Gaius would be able to get him out easily, so that part wasn’t a problem, but there was sure to be someone watching the entrance.

The foreman and the regular miners, as well as some of the drudges, had probably escaped, especially those who were closer to the exit. If things went like usual, they would be back very soon to check on the mine’s condition.

It was worth a lot, so there was no way they would abandon it. They would just dig it out and go back to what they’d been doing before.

The only thing keeping them away for now was the mana intensity in the area. It wasn’t affecting him any longer, since even without the ward he’d woven his skill with mana and manipulating the elements was at least good enough for that, but it was enough to kill most people.

It was almost as intense as it had been during the peak of the collapse.

Whoever had broken those mana crystals, they must have hit a lot of them. It had done a number on the mine. At this rate, it would be another week or more before the conditions were tolerable again.

One or more of the foreman’s people was probably outside, watching to see when the mana dropped low enough to get back to work. At that point, anyone that hadn’t escaped would be presumed dead, either from the mana or the collapse of the tunnel. 

They probably wouldn’t make more than a token effort to look for bodies, if that, which meant that if he wanted to make an escape silently and with his pockets loaded with mana crystals, there shouldn’t be an issue.

That would work best with the escape into the wilderness option.

There were other cities on this world and plenty of roads to find them. He knew that much.

Before all of that, however, there was his class to take care of, which meant he needed to have a talk with the Path of Stars.

Talking to it was almost as easy as summoning his status sheet, which was generated by it, but he’d been holding off until he got his emotions under control.

Mostly because he was pretty sure it knew how he’d died, and he wanted to be in a good place to hear that.

But this mine would have to do.

With a force of will, he calmed his mind and then he looked up at the cavern roof, as if he could see through it to the stars beyond the world. 

It wasn’t always easy to talk to the Path. Usually it was one way as it confirmed a skill or offered you a Class choice.

But more than most people, he knew the truth of it.

It was everywhere, touching every soul, and it was especially in the stars.

Once upon a time, he’d met the nearly all-powerful being who built it, the Sovereign of Silver Chaos, and fought by his side. 

That Primordial being, the last Astral Titan left in the galaxy, had single-handedly defended their galaxy at the start of the Chaos War.

Kelin still remembered the overwhelming impression of power, as if nothing mortal could stop him. He had been like a god walking the Void, the space between worlds.

The stars had risen at his command and armies were wiped from existence, turned into nothing more than streams of silver grey mist that swirled around him as he continued to move forward.

There were legends of the Astral Titans as the builders of the galaxy, and he proved that by giving them the Path, but it was that scene of destruction that was fixed in Kelin's mind.

It was thanks to him that everyone was still alive and that the Chaos Gates were under control, at least as much as possible. Unfortunately, even he hadn’t been able to completely stop the war.

The other side had a figure that was just as strong, or close enough that it didn't matter, and a lot more forces.

Those were what had never stopped coming through the gates.

Kelin pushed the old memory aside as he reached out, letting his soul resonate with the energy in the world.

It was time to get some answers.