Awaken Online- Flame

by Travis Bagwell

  He couldn’t retrieve her physically. The area between them was littered with the pits that Kyyle had formed, worker ants smashing their heads against the walls. They were stupid and slow – but they were also in the damn way. Even if Finn made it there in time, he wouldn’t be able to drag her out of the way quickly enough to avoid the blasts from the exploders. They’d just die together.

  Kyyle’s spells also wouldn’t be enough. A glance to his side confirmed the earth mage was desperately casting, tendrils of green energy encircling his staff. Finn could already see the stone floor beneath Julia sinking and a wall of stone forming around her as the earth mage cast his new Stone Coffin spell. But it wouldn’t be enough, Finn could see that clearly. The stone would barely be a foot or two thick before the ants arrived and would do little to blunt the explosions.

  Maybe he could lift the shield? Use it to pull Julia back toward him?

  Finn winced. Except the damn shield weighed a ton, and he’d also need to factor in her body weight. He’d need to hit heat rank 3 at least to move her quickly, which was enough to begin melting the dark iron ore. He could only imagine what that would do to human flesh. He’d probably fry Julia – and her health was already low.

  Killing her himself wasn’t exactly better than letting the ants get her.

  “16 seconds,” Daniel chimed unhelpfully.

  Finn could already see the exploders shambling forward in slow motion. They were almost within range, and the crystals along their backs pulsed angrily. The creatures smashed their sides against the tunnel wall, cracks forming along several of the clusters. He watched helplessly as the crystals began to fracture, flames jetting through the gaps before the entire structure shattered explosively. Then another. And another. A cascade of flame and death that began to tear apart the tunnel walls, adding rock and stone to the avalanche of destruction that was billowing out toward Julia.

  “14 seconds,” Daniel reported.

  Shit, Finn thought, trying to think of something – anything.

  As he stared at the flames, the heat and energy sweeping forward, his brow furrowed.

  He remembered seeing a similar maelstrom before – suspended in the air and moving ever-so-slowly. At the time, Daniel had been etching tattoos into the side of his face instead of counting down to his daughter’s death. Finn had been able to control that energy then, feeding his own mana into the flames and forcing it to hover outside himself. Once he had finished, he had called that mana back – reabsorbed it into his body.

  He eyed the edge of his control range, the glowing circle just sweeping past Julia. What if he tried to do the same here? What if he tried to control that fire and flame rocketing toward his daughter? It was just a form of mana, wasn’t it – at least, in this world? And he had been reading Bilel’s journal. The mage had talked about being able to actively absorb mana of his dominant affinity…

  Although he had been vague on specifics, and Finn sure as hell hadn’t tried it before.

  “12 seconds,” Daniel reported, his voice starting to sound nervous. “If you’re going to do something, now is the time!”

  Julia seemed to sense the wave of fire speeding toward her, slowly rolling onto her back and pulling the shield up to protect herself as best she could even as the tendrils of rock from Kyyle’s spell began to close around her. Finn could see whole chunks of the wall being ripped free by the explosions, sharp-edged fragments riding along on an avalanche of flame. Kyyle’s flimsy barrier would be no match for the combination of shrapnel and flames, and neither would her shield.

  She’d die. It was inevitable.

  “I guess we don’t have anything to lose,” Finn muttered, saying a silent prayer to the Seer. Daniel pulsed once, as though in agreement.

  Finn took a deep breath. To do this, he’d need to see what he was doing – to pick apart the fire mana from the earth mana in the rock and debris. He’d need to activate his sight, even if it cost him a few more precious seconds. He didn’t let himself hesitate, squeezing his eyes shut and his hands balling into fists.

  “Mashhad,” he whispered.

  The world was suddenly awash in color. He could see the cloud of orange and red racing toward Julia, chunks and wisps of emerald energy eaten up by the flames as the rocks were broken into smaller fragments and melted down. Although, the larger metal shrapnel from the exploder’s bodies resisted this process – bright specks of green among the dense cloud of orange flame.

  “10 seconds… no, now 6 seconds,” Daniel reported, adding the stamina cost of Finn’s Mana Sight to his Haste.

  Finn ignored him, his eyes searching the room, trying to find Julia amid the flame and debris. Yet his brow furrowed in confusion. He couldn’t see her… there was no multi-colored body. In his desperation, he hunted the area where he knew she had to be lying, yet he saw only a circular green disc.

  What the hell is going on? Not that he had time to dwell on that question. The disc must be her shield, which was good enough to track her location. The wave of flames was still approaching.

  Finn’s fingers twitched, and he pulled at the fire the same way he did with his own mana. He felt the energy tug toward him – but only gradually. The flames were barely shifting, only a thin streamer curling away from the mass of fire.

  So, he did it again, this time insistent. Demanding.

  He ordered the flame to respond to him.

  The cloud shifted more, but it felt reluctant. It was fire and flame. Destruction incarnate, and it was surging forward, consuming all within its path. It would not be contained or trapped. It was unbridled chaos. It almost felt… alive.

  “4 seconds,” Daniel said, his voice sounding distant.

  More. I need to keep going.

  Finn stopped pulling, and ripped at the mana, clawing at the energy in desperation. It bucked against him, fighting for control. Yet he held fast, containing the energy by pure force of will. It would obey him…

  And finally, it responded.

  The fiery energy broke apart, spearing around the green circle that denoted Julia’s position and surging forward in a torrent. He didn’t relent for a moment. Finn yanked, tugged, and pulled with every ounce of willpower he possessed. He demanded it return to him. And the energy grudgingly accepted, racing toward him in an avalanche of destruction that suddenly loomed before him, creeping out toward the edges of his vision until the flames filled his entire world.

  Finn braced himself, knowing this next part was going to hurt…

  He wasn’t nearly prepared.

  The flames hit him like a tidal wave, sending him stumbling backward. Yet Finn resisted, planting his feet and shoving back against the energy. The mana ripped and burned at his clothes, then ate into his skin, melting his flesh and blood in an instant. He could see his health begin to plummet rapidly, even under the effects of his Haste. Red notifications were flashing in his vision, and he struggled to concentrate through the pain…

  “3 seconds,” Daniel said, Finn barely able to focus on his voice.

  There was still so much fire – so much mana. He couldn’t keep this up. But if he stopped now, it would likely kill him and Kyyle.

  It wasn’t enough to call the flames to him. He had to absorb it. Make it part of himself. He knew that…

  His fingers shifted, inverting the gestures he used to summon his mana. The flames soaked into his skin, and it felt like he was burning from the inside out. It made his Haste spell feel like a faint tickle. The mana raged through his body like an angry fire god. It seared his veins and arteries, burned muscle, and ripped through his organs.

  Finn could hear screaming, but it was distant – disconnected. He only vaguely registered that it was coming from his own throat. Then the fire burned through his vocal cords, and the screams abruptly ended.

  Shift it to my Najima. I have to convert it…

  His fingers moved again as he tried to command the energy to those glowing points of light he knew rested in his limbs and torso. But it was like tryin
g to scream commands at a forest fire. It just ignored him. He could only try to divert it in the right direction and channel it into those glowing points. But he didn’t manage to catch it all, stray bands of energy flaying his body and burning into his flesh and organs.

  “2 seconds!” Daniel shouted. “Although… your mana is increasing,” the AI murmured in confusion.

  Finn could barely manage to glance at the corner of his UI. His mana was starting to inch upward – even if his health was beginning to redline – and he was nearly out of stamina.

  It’s working. I have to keep going.

  He kept channeling the mana, pulling it into his Najima continuously as his body converted it to his own energy and began to store it. At some point, he had gone numb, as though his body could no longer handle the pain – or maybe he had burned out his own nerve endings. Yet he kept going.

  Even as his Haste ended and he fell to his knees, his legs suddenly unable to support his weight. As his enhanced vision faded, the world spinning and swirling in front of him in a dizzying cascade of flame and pain.

  It became difficult to breathe, his chest straining and heaving.

  He kept going until…

  “Stop!” Daniel screamed, the voice suddenly penetrating the fog that now hovered over Finn’s mind.

  And Finn finally let go of the energy, his fingers going still.

  He promptly slumped to the floor.

  He couldn’t feel anything – which wasn’t unusual. He had lived with that same numb sensation for the better part of a decade. Although, he vaguely registered that it felt different than normal… This time it encompassed his entire body. He tried to move, but his limbs wouldn’t respond. All he could do was glance to the side at his UI.

  He had only a thin sliver of health left, his regeneration barely keeping pace with his injuries. His stamina was gone. But his mana… his mana was nearly full.

  “Finn. Finn! You still with me?” Kyyle’s face appeared over top of him, inspecting him and eyeing injuries that Finn could neither see nor feel. “Oh, shit.” Finn could see the brief look of horror reflected on the earth mage’s face before he turned his attention back to the room and began casting again.

  Finn felt the ground vibrate.

  An explosion? Maybe Kyyle had detonated more bombs…

  Then he felt himself being pulled and tugged. He heard voices. But the world was already swimming, the colors bleeding together – although, this time, his sight wasn’t to blame. It was a struggle to stay conscious. He tried to will his body to heal faster so that he could rejoin the fight. So that he could help the others.

  Julia’s face flashed in front of him for just a moment. Blood stained her cheeks, and her eyes were wide and wild. “Hold on. We’re going to get you out of here,” she muttered, and then Finn was being lifted.

  “You… you were invisible,” Finn muttered, his voice only a crackling whisper. It hurt to speak, his throat feeling raw and burned. But the pain was a good sign. It indicated that he was still alive… that the nerve endings were growing back.

  “Shh, don’t talk,” Julia snapped back at him, racing down a nearby tunnel and jostling Finn with each step. As she rounded a corner, his head hit an outcropping of stone.

  Then Finn didn’t feel any pain. One second he was still conscious – if only barely.

  And the next…

  He wasn’t.

  Chapter 29 - Transparent

  Bilel’s Journal – Entry 125

  I’ve done it! I managed to absorb mana of a non-dominant affinity!

  This success was not easily accomplished. After countless failed attempts, I finally managed the feat. The trick was dramatically reducing the amount of ambient mana being drained. However, I was ultimately successful. That’s what’s important.

  Even more fascinating, after repeated absorptions, I note that my water affinity has increased slightly. This effect seems artificial since I have not set out to foster “acceptance.” However, this might also represent a way to circumvent one of the fundamental tenets of magic upon which we have founded our teachings – that we “need” to foster these specific personality traits in order to gain greater control over our magic. In fact, this assumption is one of the underpinnings of the temples’ teachings.

  Can you imagine the reaction if others knew that these so-called gods and their religious babble were not the only source of control over magic? This is the sort of revelation that might change the world.

  ***

  Finn slumped down on a boulder, leaning his back against the wall of the Sauna. The stone was hot – too hot – but he barely registered that anymore.

  By some fluke of luck, their group had managed to survive the last battle. All three of them.

  It had taken Finn’s body nearly twenty minutes to fully recover – at which point he had woken to find himself being fireman carried over his daughter’s shoulder. Not the most noble of positions and just a tiny bit emasculating, but he’d take it. He was alive, after all. And so was she. After they realized he was awake, she had set him down and the group had trudged back to their base in silence, too worn and beaten to muster the effort to talk.

  And now they were back in the relative safety of the Sauna.

  “Well, that sucked,” Kyyle grumbled from nearby, trying to beat the dust and dirt off his robes, each blow causing a shower of debris to rain from the fabric.

  Julia grunted. “We lived, and we have a few more levels under our belt. We were doing well until reinforcements arrived. Next time will be easier.”

  Kyyle just shook his head. “Next time, huh? You both are relentless.” His eyes flicked to Finn. “Speaking of which, what happened with Julia and the flames? It was like you sucked up that explosion somehow. You going to share with the group?”

  Julia’s eyes darted to Finn, but she glanced away as she noticed him watching her. “I tried something from Bilel’s journal,” Finn explained slowly, confused by her reaction. “He has talked at some length about absorbing mana. Our bodies do it naturally all the time, but he developed a way to absorb the energy actively – at least in theory.”

  “Wait? So, you decided to try that for the first time mid-fight?” Kyyle shook his head. “Damn. Well, I’m glad it worked… but that explains why you nearly killed yourself in the process.”

  The earth mage hesitated for a moment, side-eyeing Finn. “I’ve seen some messed-up shit since I started playing but looking at you after you absorbed all that fire mana… it was like you had been roasted on a spit. I’m surprised you lived through it.”

  “You and me both,” Finn muttered, recalling the intense pain.

  “Did you at least get a prompt or something?” Kyyle asked, arching an eyebrow.

  It was Finn’s turn to hesitate. That was a good question. He probably should check his notifications to see if he’d gained a new ability. With a flick of his wrist, a barrage of notices suddenly popped into the air in front of him.

  x3 Level Up!

  You have (15) undistributed stat points.

  New Spell: Mana Absorption

  After extensive time spent honing your Mana Mastery and mana channeling, you have discovered a way to accelerate your body’s natural mana regeneration. However, this process is unnatural and overloads the body’s Najima, draining the caster’s health while replenishing their mana. Be careful, or you might kill yourself in the process.

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 1

  Cost: 80% of mana drained as health damage.

  Effect 1: The caster can absorb ambient fire mana, adding the energy to their total mana pool.

  x1 Spell Rank Up: Imbue Fire

  Skill Level: Intermediate Level 6

  Cost: 200 Mana

  Effect 1: Imbues a weapon with fire mana, increasing the weapon’s base damage by INT x 12.5%. Can only be used on unenchanted metal weapons.

  Effect 2: While channeling, allows the caster to increase the heat in ranks, up to a current max heat rank of [4]. Each heat rank
increases damage by INT x 5% while increasing the channel cost by 50%.

  Channel Effect: Allows user to control the weapon within his control range at a cost of 25 mana/sec.

  x2 Spell Rank Up: Mana Sight

  Skill Level: Intermediate Level 1

  Cost: 50 mana and stamina per second.

  Effect 1: Ability to view ambient mana. Current vision is [average].

  Effect 2: Ability to isolate mana types. Currently limited to [fire].

  x2 Skill Rank Up: Flameworking

  Skill Level: Beginner Level 9

  Effect 1: 26% increased power when shaping objects subject to Imbue Fire.

  “It looks like I did get a new skill,” Finn murmured, his eyes skimming the prompts. “And I can see why it almost killed me. I take 80% of the drained mana as health damage. It’s also limited to fire mana.”

  “Geez,” Kyyle muttered, shaking his head. His gaze skimmed to a cluster of fire crystals along the nearby wall. “Although, I guess that might allow you to use the crystals down here to recover your mana – sort of like a really painful mana potion.”

  Finn grunted distractedly. It wasn’t a bad idea, although he wasn’t exactly in a hurry to repeat that process again. He quickly allocated his remaining points to Vitality. After that battle and with his newfound ability, increasing his health pool was starting to look like a good choice.

  “I’m just surprised Finn managed to figure that out in time to save your ass,” Kyyle offered, gesturing at Julia. “I was trying to pull you into a Stone Coffin, but it wasn’t moving fast enough. I need to practice that new spell more. I’m a bit too slow on the trigger right now,” Kyyle continued with a grimace. “I honestly thought you were a goner.”

  Finn’s attention snapped to his daughter. She was being quiet… very quiet. Maybe she was blaming herself for what happened – she had been overextended in that position. However, Finn suspected it was something else. A lot had been going on at the time: Julia about to die, Daniel shouting in his ear, Finn attempting to use a new ability…