It survives and mocks you a second time

You hold the Soulfire on the Aidan Manikin for a full second, certain that the nearly 900 damage from ten ticks of your most powerful offensive spell against a target which is triply weak to it would leave it nothing more than ashes. Not wanting to waste any more experience, and wanting to get the cooldown started so you can use it on the dakhols if needed, you release your concentration on the ritual. However, once the blinding silver-white flames vanish, you see that the manikin remains, singed and smoking to be sure, but still intact and laughing mockingly at you. Panicked, you check your combat log.

Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 3.20 fire damage [10 base +14% average Skill level +30% average of Willpower and Charisma +10% Weave the Strands +1% Strength in Diversity, times 1.1 Firepower Talent, times 1.5 Kindle the Hearth-Flame, times 1.25 Initiate rank in Fire Magic; multiplied by 0.1 due to target's resistance to fire damage] to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin. Reinforced Human Manikin is afflicted with Soulburn!
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage [10 base +14% average Skill level +30% average of Willpower and Charisma +10% Weave the Strands +1% Strength in Diversity, times 1.1 Firepower Talent, times 1.5 Kindle the Hearth-Flame, times 1.25 Initiate rank in Fire Magic; multiplied by 0.6 due to target's resistance to fire damage] to Enhanced Human Manikin.
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.
Aidan Lostlorn's Soulfire Blast deals 19.18 fire damage to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.

Somehow the thing was nearly immune to fire instead of being extremely vulnerable! Your Soulfire Blast dealt less than 200 damage in total, and would have dealt only about 30 if not for the built in Soulburn debuff. Even the Boar Manikin you defeated on your first trip into this forsaken city had taken more punishment than that, and sure enough, the Aidan Manikin opens its mouth and laughs at you.

"Oh what a joyful day, my little rat wants--"

You don't even let it finish its sentence. Sure, it's virtually immune to fire, but fire was the only trick you had back then. Did the Taig think to harden its toy against life damage as well? You speak another word of magic and snap your finger and the Aidan Manikin's mockery cuts off with a shriek as golden light begins to pour out from inside the corpse.

Aidan Lostlorn's Spark of Life deals 321.75 fire/life damage [50 base + 16% average Skill level +29% average of Intuition and Charisma +10% Weave the Strands +1% Strength in Diversity, times 1.1 Firepower Talent, times 1.5 Kindle the Hearth-Flame, times 1.25 Initiate rank in Fire Magic; multiplied by 2 due to target's vulnerability to life damage; target's resistance to fire damage ignored due to dual-type damage!] to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.

Aidan Lostlorn's Spark of Life deals 160.88 fire/life damage [25 base + 16% average Skill level +29% average of Intuition and Charisma +10% Weave the Strands +1% Strength in Diversity, times 1.1 Firepower Talent, times 1.5 Kindle the Hearth-Flame, times 1.25 Initiate rank in Fire Magic; multiplied by 2 due to target's vulnerability to life damage; target's resistance to fire damage ignored due to dual-type damage!] to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin.

Now that's more like it! You think to yourself with savage glee as the manikin writhes into the air and golden flames begin to emerge from its form as the Spark of Life consumes it from within; as its back arches, casting a flickering shadow beneath it, you are surprised to feel a flash of <rage> and see your familiar suddenly appear in the manikin's dancing, twisting shadow. Riama leaps up and fastens her jaws around the base of the manikin's neck, raking it with her claws as she activates one of her special attacks.

Riama's Steal Destiny deals 22 piercing/crushing damage [10 base +10% Might; multiplied by 2 due to sneak attack] to Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin. Enhanced Human Chosen Manikin is afflicted with Steal Destiny!

Emboldened by your spell and the actions of your familiar, you start barking out orders before the Taig has a chance to order its minions at the tunnel entrance forward. "Cai, Llwyd, you need to keep those dakhols distracted until the rest of us can clean up the manikins. Ceirios, have your golem help them and keep them healed. Brighid, Ysbail, Maeryn, you clear out the little guys then take out one dakhol at a time. I'll provide fire support as I can." Even as you speak, you unleash your Burning Barrage into the massed manikins, nine tiny embers streaking out from over your head like a miniature Macross Missile Massacre to explode in a wave of raging fire across the line of manikins. It doesn't kill any of them outright, but it wounds all of them and staggers or knocks around all but the largest and sturdiest of them. Your obsidian salamander rears back and launches a glob of flaming ... whatever it is that it spits ... with impressive distance and accuracy, splattering the naptha-like substance across the face of a humanoid manikin.

Your party leaps to follow your orders. Llwyd couches his spear, places his shield to protect his front, and bursts into a full gallop as he charges the dakhol on the left, while Cai gallops towards the one on the other side at a slight angle, presenting her huge tower shield to its studded metal club. Neither tank is optimally suited to fight alone, but they draw the two dakhols away from the manikins as Brighid and Ysbail charge in and start laying waste with their large two-handed weapons and Maeryn rapidly fires arrow after heavy arrow into -- through -- any of the vine-covered undead which attempt to bypass the two melee warriors. Ceirios's golem is nowhere near as fast as a charging centaur, but she sends it to support Llwyd and it stomps up to the dakhol just in time to grab the monster's club in mid-swing, stopping a strike which would have slammed into, and possibly through, the Cataphract's shield. Llwyd takes advantage of the dakhol's temporary confusion to smash its kneecap with his mace.

After launching your Burning Barrage, you return your attention to the Aidan Manikin, which is somehow still not defeated despite being almost fully engulfed in the golden flames of Spark of Life. You chant the words to Flame Jet and open up with both hands; the damage isn't as high as you would like but the manikin is still afflicted with Soulburn, so it only has 40% resistance instead of 90%. The true flames merge with the golden life-flames across the creature's front and after another second of burning, it dissolves into golden ashes which vanish on a non-existent breeze. Riama drops nimbly to the cobblestones and darts over to the side of the avenue to find a new shadow to hide in.

You have gained Stolen Destiny (1 stack). For the next 12 hours, your earned experience is increased by 1% per stack of Stolen Destiny.

So far, so good.