Chapter 294 - Spirit Well Expansion

I don't mean to alarm anyone, but I actually finished this chapter early and am ahead of schedule.

It was dark as Hump made his way through the busy paths back to Vamir’s. He couldn’t help but glance at the Great Tree and its weakened form. There was still no word from Owalyn. While he didn’t believe in what the gods stood for, he said a silent prayer for her wellbeing. He might not need a god, but the people of Drakalyn certainly did, perhaps more than ever.

Returning to Vamir’s, he found an empty cabin. Nisha trotted in ahead of him, tired from the day’s excitement. She sniffed around but didn’t find the man—it seemed he still hadn’t returned from the battlefield.

Hump went to his room and set the lich’s phylactery—Walt’s new home—on the small table inside. With a thought, he gave it a sliver of his essence. The glow brightened.

“You alright in there, Walt?” Hump asked.

There was no answer, but Hump felt a tug on his soul. After a second of thinking, he closed his eyes and focused on that tug, envisioning the library. When he opened them, he stood before its doors where a yawning Walt watched him.

“Morning,” Walt said.

Hump laughed. “It’s far from morning. I thought I’d check on you before settling in for the night.”

“No fires here. Everything’s in order, lad. You just worry about yourself. I’m going to need you if we’re to turn this place into somewhere worth having!”

“Best not to get ahead of ourselves,” Hump said. “I’ve yet to speak to the elders about keeping you.”

“As if you’d listen to some old people! Steal me away, Hump, just like you did before.”

Hump smiled. “I can’t do that, but I’ll speak with them.”

Walt nodded, yawning again. “In which case, I’m going back to sleep.”

Hump felt the connection fading, and he was back in his room. He didn’t bother with any light. The glow from Walt’s phylactery was enough.

Hump lay on his bed on top of the blankets and rested his eyes. Nisha jumped up to join him, curling up between his legs and going straight to sleep. He leant forward to scratch her behind one of her horns before relaxing. Everything hurt. Not only did he feel like he’d been beaten all over, but the cold of using so much essence was still potent.

Still, lying there held a sense of finality. While his trip to Drakalyn hadn’t developed exactly as he’d expected, he’d undertaken the trials and been given his pass to leave. The keepers would leave him alone. His objective was complete.

The benefits were clear. Nisha’s training with Janeen had given him much to base his future work with her on, and on top of that, he’d gained knowledge of the Winds of Essence and his spiritual defence from Ado. Now that the lich queen was dead, it felt like there was nothing left. In his tiredness, he missed the old man, and he missed his friends.

He wondered how Bud and the others were getting on. It was an idle hope, but Hump manifested his soul and reached out with his wolf dragon connection. Nisha shuffled off him and looked at him curiously as he sat up and closed his eyes. He envisioned Bud—the tall rusty knight he’d first met, with his perfect blonde hair and overly heroic face. His friend, and someone he knew he could count on even after the months apart. He reached out, trying to speak with him like he’d done before, but no matter how hard he tried he sensed nothing. Bud was beyond his reach.

How do I find them again? he wondered. Last he’d heard, the three of them were heading to the Fallen Lands, but there were many fortresses along its borders. Bud had said he’d send letters to Vivienne to keep her updated on his whereabouts, but Sheercliff was the wrong way to travel.

He’d need to figure it out soon. There was nothing left to keep him here—well, nothing but Celaine. He’d seen her sadness throughout the day—the guilt—and could guess what she was thinking. She didn’t want to leave them in their time of need. As much as she’d told Hump that she wanted to leave with him, the dire circumstances of her people changed things. It was sad, but he could hardly blame her if she changed her mind.

The question was, did he wait for her here or leave? As much as he hated the thought, more and more he felt that Drakalyn was just one stop on his journey. His magic and wealth might have grown, but at his heart he was still a hedge wizard. The road was his home, and it was where he was meant to be.

Time passed, but sleep didn’t come. In the end, he gave up and decided to focus on something else. His Spirit Well was calling him, burning hot in his soul since it had filled up in the caverns of Estora. He’d felt it even more after manifesting his soul—it brimmed with power, and all it needed was a catalyst to explode.

Hump had a feeling that part was his job. Opening his spellbook, he read over the details of the Spirit Well technique.

THE BOOK OF INFINITE PAGES
Spirit Well

Enhancement | Internal Essence | Tier 4 | Range: Self

Description

Perfect mastery of the River and Waves technique results in the creation of a Spirit Well. This technique is a method of essence control that condenses essence within the soul and expands the volume that the core can contain. By incorporating it into the River and Waves circulation method, it will provide enhanced benefits to focus, essence control, and reduction to the effects of essence overuse.

Origin

The River and Waves

Notes

y.402 – Nithrand – This technique is a testament to my master’s ingenuity and knowledge of essence, and demonstrates the power and potential magic has when wielded by those that possess the knowledge and discipline to fully harness it.

It was his mastery of the River and Waves that led to the creation of his Spirit Well. A place where his soul could store the essence of the world. Now, that well was full. If he interpreted the description literally, perhaps it meant he could incorporate the River and Waves circulation technique and somehow distribute that power across the rest of his body, but as he attempted to manipulate his Spirit Well he felt nothing. Its power was beyond his reach, and his will couldn’t touch it.

Without any better ideas, he started to cycle essence through his channels, calming the storm in his body, driving back the cold, and slowly bringing his energies into order. He focused on the Spirit Well, trying to feel it out or at least gain some sense of its power. As time went on, he detected the slightest shift in it, turning beneath his mind’s eye. No, not just turning, more like… bubbling. The boiling water in a pot.

He focused harder. Now that he could see it, he felt his grasp over the power change. Slowly, he felt himself become more attuned with it. The boiling became more violent, particles of essence expanding from the well as if trying to break out. Hump didn’t let them. As he kept them contained, he sensed something change. The well was getting deeper as the boiling became even more violent. He felt space open within his soul while at the same time the pool of essence tried to explode out. It was almost uncontrollable. The heat in his core blossomed, yet cold lanced through the rest of him.

It was then he realised that something was very wrong. Very, very wrong. Where before, Hump felt in control, now he was walking a tightrope—to slip was to die.

A few seconds was all it took for him to realise what was wrong. The Spirit Well sat at the centre of his soul, weighing it down like a stone on a sheet of fabric. As it expanded, it stretched it, tearing the walls of his and letting all the essence within escape. Power leaked from him even as his core expanded in strength.

At this rate, it would kill him.

In the madness of the moment, his mind went to how much of an idiot Celaine would think of him for experimenting with magic alone again, especially if it killed him.

Stay calm, Hump told himself. Don’t get distracted.

He started with what he knew. First, he abandoned the attempts to dig the well deeper. That was clearly a bad idea. He’d already used up about half of his Spirit Well reserves and was very quickly losing what remained of his essence. His channels were a storm as it flooded through him, escaping into the air around him. If he were to have any chance, he needed to bring that under control and maintain the constant flow of essence in his body. He used the River and Waves to calm the storm, directing his essence as one.

In his panic, his soul manifested around him once more. His aura was wider now, almost encompassing the entire room, no doubt a side effect of Spirit Well reaching new depths. If it didn’t kill him, perhaps he’d see some benefits.

He felt essence surge in from the world around him and his manifested soul drew on it greedily, hungering for every bit of essence it could take. It poured into him, sending the essence in his channels raging once more. Burning pain shot through him. The waves were tall and fierce, and if he couldn’t calm them, they would break his channels and his body. He resisted his growing panic as the world’s essence ran rampant through the very heart of his being and started to control it.

The walls of his soul reformed, sealing it against the exploding essence of his Spirit Well, holding back the boiling tide like a dam. His walls expanded but this time they held, reinforced by his will. Blinding pain was all Hump felt at first. He held, locked in battle with his own power, until finally it ran out.

Then he realised it wasn’t the world essence anymore—it was his. Part of his soul, and another thing for him to take on for himself. He breathed deeply, studying the structure of his soul with his mind’s eye. Drawing more on the essence in his channels, he infused his soul with his power, pushing back the icy cold and reinforcing the damaged walls. His manifested aura grew stronger, flickering with blue essence within its purple.

In that moment, warmth washed through his soul and spread out through his channels. The ice and burning were washed away in a flood of bliss, as if his entire body was infused with power yet relaxed at the same time. He felt strength, he felt power, and opening his eyes, he saw it reflected his manifested soul around him.

Nisha jumped up and down excitedly, pushing her nose up against his aura with curiosity, seemingly unaffected by the amount of essence.

But the bliss passed quickly, and then all Hump was left with was exhaustion. He dragged his soul back in desperately, falling back into his bed and gasping for air as he pondered his discovery. His essence was calm again now. The cold was gone, and simple tiredness took its place. At the heart of his core, his Spirit Well lay empty, but it had expanded. The process had almost torn his soul apart, but if it meant he was stronger, he supposed it was worth it.

His soul itself was a little more difficult to grasp. It hadn’t changed shape or gotten bigger, but the essence within was condensed. The boiling essence that spilled over from his Spirit Well had made the essence within far denser, but his quick thinking and iron control allowed him to reinforce the walls of his soul to contain it. At least this time, he’d managed to seal it inside. He would need to improve his control further before he tried again.

That was too close. Far too close.

A brilliant blue light exploded from his spellbook and it shook in his hands.

Hump grinned. I guess I was meant to do that after all.