Unbound

Felix leaned against the crooked trunk of a thousand-year pine. The bark was rough, even jagged in places, but the relief it provided his aching legs was a blessing he couldn’t measure. He breathed in as the last of the Queen's corpse vanished. It was a strange feeling, like electric bees swarming under his skin—the exhilaration of his Empyrean Embrace coupled with the dead exhaustion of his Body confused him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to climb a mountain or collapse. He settled for the middle ground, pressing his back tighter against the pine as the Queen's power coursed through him.

Mmm.

At least you’re pleased.

Compared to the Queen, the Kings were nothing, mere snacks beside her intense potency. The Beast reveled in a large portion of it, but the majority clung to his Divine Tree, hanging like spanish moss. The experience of it reminded Felix of nothing so much as devouring Siva, minus all the horrible injuries. He shifted, his feet sqealching in the bloody mud that pooled at his feet.

I've had worse. He grimaced. Sovereign of Flesh was stitching him back up, but the feeling of it was almost as bad as the injury. Can't think of an example at the moment, though.

"Pit," he said aloud, "are you okay?"

Felix cast his Mind inward, toward the space in his Spirit where his Companion laid. Landing in the embrace of a sweet-smelling forest, he found Pit curled amid wildflowers and fruit-bearing trees.

He was bloody and wet, but he looked over at Felix with happy eyes. "I'm good. Recovering. I can get out now if—"

"No, stop." Felix put his hand out, resting it on the tenku's shoulder and lightly pushing him back down. "You need to rest. We have time for it right now.”

“What about you? Don't try to lie to me. I can feel what you feel, too."

Felix gave a tight grin. "The bleeding stopped. You rest first, then you can carry me around."

Pit gave a huff, crushing his beak into waist-high grasses and bluebells. “At least take a Health Elixir.”

“I will,” Felix promised. With their regeneration stunted, he might have to—Sovereign of Flesh could bridge the gap but it was a lot slower than normal. “Promise.”

New Title!

Death of a Bloodline (Transcendent)!

Felix blinked, surprised at how long it had taken for any sort of notification to roll its way through him. "That's pretty interesting."

"What is?”

“Read it." Felix rotated it, sharing it with his friend.

Death of a Bloodline (Transcendent)!

The First Child is dead, and all that grew from her loins will soon perish. The heartwood has been severed, and the fruit will not last the winter. Born in the blood of her patriarch, she was the last true remnant of a Sea beyond the continent—another Realm. Just as her patriarch, she was of royal descent. Aberrant and strange, yes, but a lineage that extended beyond Ages and the stars themselves.

Your pity was noted, Ascendent, and your respect marked.

+Increased Authority Over [Unknown] Bloodline

“Authority over a bloodline? What does that mean?” Felix dismissed the notification. “Who’s lineage is this supposed to be?”

Stride of the King is level 144!

Stride of the King is level 145!

Sonata of Dominance is level 146!

Pit’s Ouranic Dominion is level 126!

Pit’s Ouranic Dominion is level 127!

“Tch. If that thing hadn’t cut me up so much I could’ve pressed some of my other Skills too.” Pit’s feathers ruffled, but only until his wings caught a half-healed wound. He winced.

Felix patted his friend before turning his attention away from Pit’s island of calm. The pale sky faded to translucency beneath his Will, revealing to him the wide swath of glittering nebulae, opalescent tree branches, and dance planetoids that spun around it all. “Looks like Stride of the King and my Sonata are both growing. I think they’ll hit Paragon soon enough.”

Felix watched the Skills. Superficially they resembled planets, complete with oceans, landmasses, and even polar caps. Beneath that seeming was the patterns that made them up, each unique from the other. They vibrated, as always, but now Felix spied something else. There was a faint knocking to them, a rattling, as if the patterns were moving too fast.

“That…doesn’t look good,” Pit offered.

"No it really doesn’t.”

The Realms Refute, But The Crucible Rewards!

+50 STR

+50 VIT

+50 END

+50 AGL

+50 DEX

+50 PER

“Well, I won’t complain about that.” Less than he expected, but better than nothing. "You didn't do too bad yourself either, Pit.”

The Crucible Rewards You, Companion!

+45 AGL

+40 END

+25 VIT

+10 INT

+10 WIL

The tenku preened his feathers, a crest atop his head flattening in clear satisfaction. "Like I said, the agony was worth it."

Congratulations!

An orchestral swell heaved into their Affinities all at once, banishing the words that only half formed on Felix’s lips. A box followed, large as anything and colored like solid obsidian. Gold filigree decorated its edges, curling into thorned vines and odd shapes that almost looked like hands. Or claws.

You Have Completed Training Node One: Bodily Aptitude Test

Felix frowned. “Since when were we being tested?”

“Forget that,” Pit squawked, crowding next to Felix to read. “What was our grade?”

The Corporeal Has Been Defied, Despite Its Unrelenting Grip.

Your Body And Authority Have Been Found Worthy, Magus.

“Seems like a pass/fail situation, bud.”

“And we passed?”

“Guess so.”

Reward: Unlocking First Glyph - Evolutionary Indicator

"Evolutionary—?" Another window popped up, and Felix's eyes bugged out of his skull. "What?”

Evolutionary Indicator

Nascent - Lay Of The Unfallen (D)

Nadir - Heavy Armor Mastery (C)

Nascent - Wild Threnody (E)

Zenith - Stride of the King (T)

Nascent - Deception (C)

Nascent - Meditation (U)

Nascent - Negotiation (U)

Zenith - Deep Mind (E)

Zenith - Manifestation Of The Coronach (E)

Nascent - Quiet Cacophony (E)

Zenith - Empyrean Embrace (T)

Nadir - Void Sanctuary (D)

Nadir - Unseen Beholder (D)

Nadir - Manaship Pilot (R)

Zenith - Multi-Cast (E)

Nadir - Last Cry Of The Chthonic Host (M)

Nascent - Exalted Conjunction (T)

Nascent - Sovereign Of Flesh (T)

Nadir - Unite The Lost (T)

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Nadir - Fiendforge (Un)

Zenith - Abyssal Skein (R)

Nascent - Illusory Double (R)

Zenith - Shadow Whip (R)

Zenith - Arrow of Perdition (L)

Zenith - Rain of Cataclysm (L)

Zenith - Skein of Fate (L)

Nadir - Void Nexus (M)

Nascent - Adamant Discord (T)

Nascent - Astrum Ascendance (T)

Zenith - Magus of the Grand Design (T)

Zenith - Sonata of Dominance (T)

Whoa, that’s…a lot. Felix read through the list. It was all of the Skills he currently knew, devoid of their levels but marked with one of three words. Nadir, Nascent, and Zenith. What’s that mean?

He focused on it, his Intent pressing it as he would any tab within a System menu. Immediately, a voice shook through him, words spreading across another obsidian notification.

Evolutionary Indicator is designed to aid the bearer of the Crucible of the Grand Magus. With its help, the magus can determine which Skills might benefit from greater attention in order to Evolve into a higher rarity.

Nadir - indicates that there is no Evolution on the horizon.

Nascent - indicates that the beginnings of Evolution have begun to show.

Zenith - indicates that the Skill is on the cusp of Evolving.

You Have Unlocked Training Node Two: Spiritual Aptitude Test

Hold To Your Will, Magus

Stand Upon Your Authority

"Holy crap." Some of his Tempered Skills were marked with Zenith, but not all. Nascent wasn’t so bad but having both Void Sanctuary and Unseen Beholder at Nadir was disappointing. Probably because they’re already at Divine rarity. Is there a higher rarity at that point?

A few of his miscellaneous Skills were at Zenith as well, which was encouraging. Even Nascent should be able to be leveraged. Evolving even some of his lesser used Skills could be beneficial, but others, like Heavy Armor Mastery, would never grow. Felix had used heavy armor all of once in his life and had promptly broken it all during a training fight. It wasn’t likely he’d ever touch that particular Skill, not so long as he had his scales.

"This is incredible." Felix glanced over the list again. "How do I..." He touched the entry with the Stride of the King marked as Zenith and the reaction was immediate. A surge of impressions flitted through Felix’s Mind and Spirit. Too quick to parse, but potent, like inhaling smelling salts with his soul.

He jerked back, senses buzzing.

"Wow." He wasn't sure what exactly he was supposed to glean from that, but as he touched his next Skill, Sonata of Dominance, he experienced a similar surge of sensation. It was over in a second and was a mess of mushy emotions and impressions. Felix applied his Born Trait, and while his perfect recall could pick out the feelings, he couldn’t separate any of it into something that made sense. Whatever it was, the rush of sensation was distinctly different between Stride of the King and his Sonata. What that meant, Felix was uncertain.

Pit gasped. "Check me, check me!"

Felix couldn’t repress a grin as he pulled up his friend’s Skills. The Crucible vibrated and a similar window appeared.

Evolutionary Indicator - Pit Nevarre

Nascent - Executioner’s Stormblade (E)

Nascent - Gloaming Shroud (E)

Nadir - Let Roar the Beast (L)

Nascent - Maelstrom’s Maw (L)

Nascent - Mantle of the Stormlord (L)

Nascent - Talon of Tumult (L)

Zenith - Tempest Fugit (L)

Nascent - Exalted Conjunction (T)

Nascent - Mercy of the Thorn (T)

Zenith - Nimbus of the Moon (T)

Nadir - Ouranic Dominion (D)

"Solid.” Felix glanced over the list. “Looks like we've both got a new focus, bud."

Pit chirruped enthusiastically. "So we focus on our main Skills? Shouldn’t be too hard.”

“For you, maybe.” Felix waved the Indicator window away. “I’ll have to push my Tempered Skills the hardest for the next short while. Maybe we can even hit our goals before everything goes to shit.”

"Oh yeah, a positive attitude. I like it."

Felix smirked before opening his eyes, coming back to awareness of his physical body in the cold forest. He stood up with a groan, but mercifully, the more he moved, the less pronounced the ache became. His wounds had healed, or at least the bleeding had stopped, and his skin and scales were unbroken. Parts of himself still hurt, wounds that would likely take a bit longer to stitch closed. But all in all, he was better.

A single flex of his Will fixed his Garment, and a second sent a pulse through his sword. "Karys.”

“My Lord.” Green-gold vapor swirled up around Felix’s fist. "It's been six glasses since your departure from Elderthrone. Where do you stand now?"

"The Kings and Queen of the Sunsend Peaks are dead.”

“A good number of the Princes, too," Pit chimed in through their Bond.

"Right. And according to my Title, the rest will follow suit soon enough."

"News that the people of Korsk will appreciate. But what of your mission? What of the Bell?”

“I haven't forgotten." Felix blinked. "But I appreciate the reminder. Pit, can you come out here for just a second?"

"I thought you said—”

“I just need to get something out of the saddlebags."

"Oh, right." Pit reappeared in a flash of light, occupying a great deal of space within the broken clearing.

Swiftly, Felix fished a potted plant from his Companion's packs, and from another, a large skin of water. Most of their stores seemed to have evaporated or been lost somehow, but there was enough. He poured it on the plant. The cutting of the Abundance Anima gleamed, soaking up the water before it shimmered into a fully lifelike projection of Paxus.

"Your Majesty.” The spirit bowed, floating over thin air as before. “You appear to be well on your way."

"We are. Sorry for not getting your attention sooner. We just dealt with the last of our problems."

Pit snorted. "I doubt that."

Felix waved him off, never taking his eyes off the spirit. "You both might want to hear this."

He quickly outlined the new Evolutionary Indicator feature of his Crucible. To say they were delighted was an understatement. Karys cheered all the way from Elderthrone, and Paxus clapped his hands as if he were a little girl excited about sweets for dinner.

"That is incredible," the spirit said. "You must narrow your focus on a singular Skill and test this, immediately."

Karys’ voice buzzed with his excitement. "Yes, I agree. This is quite exciting. It reminds me of my time training before the war. You've already done the work, Felix. It’s time to capitalize on it and secure your Core Manifestation.”

“We still don’t have a path through that.” Felix sighed. The Crucible was so interesting and impressive that he’d all but left his Manifestation by the wayside—not forgotten, but certainly put off.

“If you can Evolve a few of your Tempered Skills, you might gain new insights.”

“Who knows what other glyphs are hidden inside these Training Nodes.” Paxus shook his head in wonder. “It is likely that the artifact could compound your efforts there, as well.”

"Let’s hope so." Felix gestured around them. "Not to change the subject, but does this place look familiar to you? Either one of you."

While Karys' senses were somewhat limited through the sword, he could still pick up details. Still, the man had little to say. "It seems a mountainous forest, nothing else. Though I do get a sense of a great deal of power."

"Maybe the lingering effects of the Queen's Authority," Felix suggested.

"Perhaps. But you consumed her, and the Authority she had would have been taken as well. Paxus, what do you think?"

"I do not recognize it, but it has been a great deal of time since I have been in this part of the world, and much has changed. I too feel that inkling of power. It seems to blanket the area.” The spirit paused. “These hot springs. You pulled magma from beneath the earth?"

"Yeah, I did. It was harder than I thought.”

“I would imagine. Shaping that much earth and fire at once would have beggared many magi in my day. That you handled it, and they're still on your feet, is incredible."

"Well, you know," Felix said through a grin, "I cheat."

"I suppose that is true. Still, I don't know..." Paxus paused, his eyes fixed in the distance. "That ridge, take me closer."

The Nym’s voice was different—brusque, even commanding. Felix and Pit traded a glance, but they didn't hesitate. The four of them, spirit, disembodied voice, and injured Companions made their way across the forest to where a ridge lifted up through the valley in an arc. Trees lined the ridge, and for the first time Felix noticed that they were distinctly different from the pines around them.

"Yes, it has been a long time since I've seen these. Note, Emperor, these others are Avoll Pines and Miscus Oaks. Both are hardy, cold-weathered trees able to grow in even the worst soil. The ones before us are different and far more delicate.” Paxus pointed, his small hand highlighting the crowns of the nearby trees. “Look, do you see the Mana? This is part of what we were feeling."

Felix could easily see the Mana coiling around the trees. Before they had been mingled with the Queen’s confusing aura and the lingering effects of the mountains themselves. Now he picked out the swirling aurora that wound through the tree’s branches like ribbons of luminescent smoke. What’s more, he recognized the tree.

“Those are Kingsaps.”

“Also known as Regal Ivis, yes. You know of it?”

Felix smiled, his perfect recall flashing year old memories back at him. “One of these helped me survive my first night on the Continent. But I thought they were extinct—or close to it, anyway?”

Paxus nodded. "I have been reading up on the flora of this modern Age, and that is true to my knowledge. Kingsaps need an exceptional source of Mana to fuel their growth. If the supply peters out at any point, the tree will curl up and die.”

“Like a Spirit Tree?” Pit asked.

“No. Spirit trees contain a Will within them that Kingsaps do not possess. Without it, they are fragile.”

Felix’s Mind worked at the puzzle. “Was it the same kind of Mana source that made all these Kings and Queens?"

Paxus nodded eagerly. “Most likely, yes. Only one thing could have been the progenitor of such strange and potent beasts…and there was only one place where Regal Ivis ever flourished consistently.”

Without anothe rword, Felix and Pit rushed up the ridge and through the delicate aura of the Kingsaps. It parted before them as the mountains spread wide into the greater part of the Queen’s valley. Before, it had all been obscured by the storm but that had gone along with the First Child. Now they saw an ancient scar carved into the bottom of the valley. The earth looked to have collapsed on itself Ages ago, and now it was a series of grassy knolls and high hills absolutely covered with Kingsaps.

Felix pointed. “There?”

“Yes.” Paxus wrung his hands together, as if the spirit was worried. “Be careful, Emperor.”

“Always am.”

With a grunt of effort, Felix leapt, clearing the treeline easily, and landed amid one of the massive, forested humps.

Sonata of Dominance!

Earth hurled away beneath his Will in great waves, revealing root and loam by the ton. Beneath that came clay and then stone, but even that fell, broke apart under Felix's Skill, hewn free and stacked in sloppy piles to either side of him. He dug, Pit at his side with his massive paws, until the moons had risen high into the sky.

Yet, they couldn’t dig forever. Pit’s talons clanged against metal at the same time Felix found a piece of earth he couldn’t shape.

Crescian Bronze.

Beneath them, at the bottom of a hole nearly fifty feet deep, was a curved object the size of a small wagon.

“What the hell is that?” Pit muttered.

Felix didn’t answer. He could tell far more of it lay beneath the solidified strata around them. He shaped more stone away, peeling layers back to see it in full: bigger than Pit, the curved metal was connected to a desiccated pad ten paces across, strapped by thin, leathery tendons and thick, triangular scales.

It was a massive, metal claw.

Unseen Beholder.

ERROR!

Failure To Extract Information.

Felix flared Unseen Beholder again. Resistance met him, both from the Crucible around his waist and the creature that lay before him, but his Will and Intent would not relent. He grunted with the effort, but his Mind and Spirit weren’t nearly as sore as his Body.

The world chimed. Rippled.

Name: Etrionn, They Who Hold Up The Sky

Status: Dead