Unbound

"What about that assassin?" Felix asked, interrupting the heavy silence. He looked around. "What happens if she shows up?"

"The Sworn aren't assassins exactly...they're contractors. That means she has a specific job, and it don't have to be about killin'." Harn scratched his jaw with a gauntleted hand. Why doesn't he take his armor off? Seems like it'd get uncomfortable after a while.

"It seemed like that job involved siccing a dozen giants on you all," Felix rubbed his side, memory of the pain fresh for the next month. "What are the Sworn, anyway?"

"Ain't important. They're bad news, is all. They take a job and don't quit. Did she say anything to you?" Harn asked.

"No, though I asked. She just kept trying to kill me." Felix shrugged, eating another mouthful of monster meat. Man, this is good. What is in these monsters?

"I doubt that; the Sworn aren't known for pulling their punches. She has plans, we just don't see em yet," Harn sighed and looked at everyone. "If she shows up, leave her to me or Maggie, yeah? The only way to deal with the Sworn is to run away or put em down. Hard."

Magda nodded and added. "Felix, how did you encounter her in the first place? She attacked you?"

Felix quickly swallowed another mouthful before replying, grease spilling down his chin. "Oh, ugh. Sorry." He wiped his chin with his wrist. "I spotted her across the street, running under some sorta shadow magic. Like a cloak to help her hide, I think."

"Hmm," Magda tapped one of her shields, one of the smaller kite style shields usually strapped to her arms. "That settles it. Felix you're lookout during the rescue mission. If you're seeing an activated stealth Skill from a street away while also in this fog, you've got better eyes than all of us combined. You up for it?"

"Yeah," Felix replied, feeling a spark of pride worm its way into his chest. Acknowledgement felt nice, if suspicious, especially when it was from the shield warrior. "I can do that."

"Good!" Harn laughed. "Let's finish off this beast and get some rest in. We gotta be fresh for tomorrow."

Over the next twenty minutes, Felix and the others polished off the rest of the meat, temporarily filling the endless void in his belly. Near the end of their meal, Felix received a startling notification.

Congratulations!

Your Title Gourmand Has Garnered Your Companion Insight!

They Have Fully Digested Their Opponent's Mana!

Your Companion, Pit Has Learned A Skill From A Hoarhound!

Cold Resistance (Common), Level 1!

Pit has felt the powerful effects of frost and has grown stronger for it. Damage reduction increases with Skill Level.

He nearly dropped his plate in surprise. Felix turned toward his Companion and found him stretching his wings over in the corner, the blue-grey offal of the Hoarhound utterly cleaned from the floor.

Must have been an elemental core in there. He looked at Magda and smiled to himself. She did us a favor, huh boy?

Elation and sleepiness floated over their connection, and Felix smiled wider. Get some rest, buddy. Big day tomorrow.

"What is so funny?"

Felix glanced up at Vessilia, who sat on the tier above him. "Nothing, just talking with Pit."

"Talking?" She looked around. "Is that a Skill?" Felix nodded and her eyes lit up. "That is fascinating! You said you made a pact with the--with Pit?"

He noticed her slip but shrugged it off. "Oh yeah, when he was still real little...that makes it sound like it was years ago. It was last week," Felix peered over at his friend, who was sprawled on Felix's bedroll, belly up. He rolled his eyes with a smile. "They grow up so fast."

Vessilia laughed, throaty yet oddly self-conscious. She was a strange bird for a noble; Felix's idea of the aristocracy was one hundred percent informed by TV and popular media rather than any personal experience, but she was surprisingly down to earth. Even if she held some lofty ideals. Felix easily remembered her words about saving people, about doing good in the world.

Not bad goals. Not at all. Oh! That reminds me. He cleared his throat. "I was meaning to ask, what did your Omen turn out to be? If it's not too personal."

"No no, it's exciting, really." Vess gushed. She beamed as she announced, "My Omen is the High Priestess. Bonuses to Perception, Endurance, and Willpower."

"Pfft, typical. Rich, pretty, noble, now ya got a Royal Omen?" Evie playfully jostled her friend and smiled. "That's amazin', really. I Revealed the Devil. Bonuses to Agility, Dexterity, and Endurance."

"Of course you Revealed that one," Vessilia smiled back at Evie.

Not to be outdone, Atar raised his chin and said, "I Revealed the Chariot."

Harn whistled. "That ain't half bad at all. Bonuses to Willpower, yeah?"

Atar smiled and nodded. "Yes, as well as Endurance and Agility." Evie laughed.

"Siva's Touch! That's a good way to round you out, Atar," she exclaimed. "Get that Stamina up and you moving faster, all while workin' with a bigger Mana pool." Atar puffed up even more, adjusting his fancy robes.

"Wait," Felix put out his hands. "What are Royal Omens? I thought everyone had access to the same ones?" This time, it was Atar who jumped in.

"More of an informal designation. Omens tend to run along family lines, same as nobility. The Royal Omens are the ones that everyone considers part of the upper crust: the Emperor, the Empress, the Heirophant, and of course, the High Priestess."

"Interesting," Felix hummed to himself, adding the tidbit to his mental notes. He was so busy going over his thoughts that it took him a whole minute to realize the Tin Ranks were all watching him expectantly.

"Well?" Evie asked, gesturing to the rest of them. "We've shared. What about you? Maggie said you'd already Revealed your Omen."

"Oh, yeah. Sure of course. My Omen is the Magician. Bonuses to Willpower, Intelligence, and Perception," Felix said.

"What?" Atar went wide eyed. "You have the Magician?"

"Yeah, surprised me too. But it's worked out. My Willpower is my highest stat, now." Felix surreptitiously watched his allies as he said that, and he saw two reactions of note. The first was Harn, no surprise, who seemed faintly nonplussed at the admission; it was hard to tell with his stony features. The other was Atar, who simply sat staring at the fire for a long moment, then stood up and walked away from the fire pit.

Felix watched him go before turning back to the others with a raised eyebrow. "What was that about?" Evie waved her hand dismissively before shoveling the last of her food in her mouth. Vessilia actually answered.

"He was probably surprised at your Omen. It is uncommon for Humans to have it."

"Right, yeah. Harn was saying that. But still, that was a weird reaction," Felix said.

Evie swallowed and laughed lightly. "He's probably just jealous. Those bonus stats are perfect for a mage. He got Chariot, which ain't bad at all, though. Noctis knows he needs more physical stats."

"Hm, just when he was warming up to me," Felix muttered. Vessilia smiled.

"I would not worry overmuch. I have only known the man for a month, and he is competitive to a fault. Perhaps he only wishes to improve upon his spellcasting." She shrugged, her long brown hair tumbling down her shoulder as the braid that usually bound it finally came loose.

Felix considered Atar, who had retreated to his corner and was seated cross-legged upon his bedroll. Maybe I can convince him to help me. He certainly understands magic better than I do. When his attention returned to the group, he found Evie in the middle of speaking to Harn.

"-some Essence Draughts. Just in case."

"Sure," Harn replied, pulling over his pack and getting a few silver vials out. He handed two of them to Evie, though Vessilia waved the offer away. "That's what they're here for, right? What about you, Felix?"

"What?" Felix said.

Evie turned to him. "We're close to hitting our next Apprentice Tiers, so Harn's handing out some Essence Draughts."

"Ah," Felix nodded. "Yeah I could use some."

"Some? How many? One, two? Mind, Body, or Spirit?" Harn asked, reaching back into his bag.

Felix checked his Skill list and then his Formation table.

Skills:

BODY

Resistances: Acid Resistance ©, Level 22; Cold Resistance ©, Level 6; Fire Resistance © Level 18; Heat Resistance (U), Level 19; Pain Resistance (U), Level 29; Poison Resistance (U), Level 25

Combat Skills: Axe Mastery ©, Level 5; Blunt Weapon Mastery ©, Level 8; Dodge ©, Level 24; Long Blade Mastery ©, Level 15; Parry ©, Level 4; Small Blade Mastery ©, Level 10; Staff Mastery ©, Level 7; Thrown Weapons Mastery ©, Level 11; Unarmed Mastery ©, Level 24; Blind Fighting ®, Level 19; Corrosive Strike ®, Level 20

Physical Enhancements: Running ©, Level 18; Stealth ©, Level 23; Swimming ©, Level 3; Acrobatics (U), Level 23; Breath Control (U), Level 17; Free Climbing (U), Level 15; Armored Skin ®, Level 23; Physical Conditioning ®, Level 22

MIND

Mental Enhancements: Acting ©, Level 8; Improvisation ©, Level 5; Intimidation ©, Level 4; Make An Entrance (U), Level 3; Meditation (U), Level 31; Lessons of the Past ®, Level 13; Bastion of Will (E), Level 30; Deep Mind (E), Level 24

Information Skills: Analyze ©, Level 23; Tracking ©, Level 13; Exploration (U), Level 21; Herbalism (U), Level 17

SPIRIT

Spiritual Enhancements: Companion Pact (U), Level 14; Dual Casting (U), Level 17; Mana Manipulation (U), Level 4; Manasight (U), Level 31

Spells: Cloudstep ®, Level 1; Acid Stream ®, Level 24; Fire Within ® Level 32; Influence of the Wisp ®, Level 23; Invocation ®, Level 1; Mantle of the Long Night ®, Level 2; Shadow Whip ®, Level 21; Stone Shaping ®, Level 24; Reign of Vellus ®, Level 26; Sigils of the Primordial Dawn (E), Level 3

Formation:

Apprentice Stage

Essence(s)

Body

1 of 3

Inevitability

Mind

0 of 3

N/A

Spirit

0 of 3

N/A

"I've got two Body Skills at level 24, two Mind Skills, and three Spirit Skills nearly at Apprentice Rank," Felix scratched his head as he looked over his Skills. "I figure most of them might rank up soon."

"Huh." When he looked back to Harn, the man was sucking on his teeth and holding out his potions case. The silver vials were segmented into Body, Mind, and Spirit slots in the case, and Felix saw that there were not many left. If he took what he needed...

"It's alright if I take seven of them? I wouldn't want to take so many if others needed them," Felix asked.

"Avet's own, Felix. Seven?" Evie said, laughing a little. "How do you have so many Skills that high? I've got one Body and one Mind already, but only two more are even close to Apprentice Tier. My Spirit and Mind Skills are too low." She waggled the silver vials in her hand. "These two draughts will be enough for me."

Vessilia cleared her throat and nodded as well. "I am fine. My," she sighed, almost apologetically. "My father gave me a selection of Essence Draughts that were hand picked for me. I will not need any from the Guild's store."

"Oo, fancy. Let me see em!" Evie teased.

"They are nothing too interesting, just very...focused. Hey, stop going--that is my-!" Vessilia was suddenly fighting off an extremely curious Evie, who had plucked a hard-cased satchel from her friend's side. She snatched it right back. "You rabid harnoq," she laughed. "Hands to yourself."

"C'mon, I just wanna see how the Upper Crust lives," Evie pled, eyeing the satchel. "All I'm ever gonna get is the Iron Essence trifecta, and hey, it ain't nothing. But you know, it's also not as exciting as a Dragoon's hand-picked Essences!"

Vessilia rolled her eyes, but Felix watched with interest. "I'd be very interested to see what you have as well. If you wanted to share. But you don't have to!" He added the last when Vessilia started looking worriedly down at her satchel. "Uh, you do you, uh, yeah."

Fucking hell, what was that? Might as well staple that foot into my mouth, it's not going anywhere soon.

"Fine, if it will calm you down, Evie." Vessilia unsnapped the bright metal buckles on the satchel, opening another, much fancier version of Harn's potion case. The moment it opened, the ambient Mana around them started swirling and flaring, like a time lapse video of storm clouds. Felix sat up straighter, the phenomenon obviously having something to do with what was inside the case. The top opened up on hinges, and inside were two trays that folded up and out, revealing an entire bevy of crystalline vials. Six in total, they shimmered with various jeweled hues and Felix noticed that each held a tightly contained aura of magic; it was not quite the physical presence of stone or even fire, but was quite thicker than Mana vapor.

Felix Analyzed all of them as quickly as he could, but got back only their names.

Name: Essence Draught of Dragon's Fire

Name: Essence Draught of Dragon's Wing

Name: Essence Draught of Orichalcum

Name: Essence Draught of Sky's Light

Name: Essence Draught of Wind's Grace

Name: Essence Draught of Clarity

"What are those?" Evie's eyes were wide as she held a hand out, fingers splayed like they were in a breeze. "They feel powerful."

"They should. Those're Rare Essences, the lot of em, unless I miss my guess," Harn grunted, obviously impressed. "Put em away. That much Mana surging is noticeable. Don't want it slipping past the wards." Vessilia nodded, embarrassed, before pushing the trays back in and closing the case with a snap.

The storm of Mana that had been building stopped growing, and over the next few seconds dissipated completely.

Rare Essences, huh? Now those were good Essences. As before, Felix felt an unpleasant disquiet when he regarded the silver vials in Harn's case. Harn caught his eyes and laughed.

"Yeah, these ain't so fancy, but they're a solid base. You make a solid foundation and you can go far." Harn shrugged. "Or don't. Build yer tower on sand, and watch it fall."

Harn had his number, that was for sure. Despite knowing what Harn was doing, Felix still felt his need for the Iron Essences surge in him. Stupid reverse psychology.

"Ok yeah. Gimme the seven, then." Harn handed them over, and Felix carefully put them away in his own potion case, which was too full. Several empty vials, two filled with blood, and his own Draught of Wandering Spirit. He handed one back to Harn. "Sorry, just six. Forgot I had one."

"Oh?" Harn said, taking the Iron Spirit Essence back. "What one?"

"Essence Draught of the Wandering Spirit," Felix said, holding up the vial. "Uncommon rarity."

Harn sucked at his teeth and nodded. "That's a good one. Don't find those outside Henaar too much, though. How'd you get one?"

Felix tucked the vial back into his case before answering. "Found it in the forest. Someone lost it, I guess." He wasn't sure why he omitted the Henaari corpse, it just felt...inappropriate to bring up. He looked at Harn. "Do you know what Essences it offers?"

"Essence of Wander, for sure, but I ain't positive on the others. Usual is to offer two related Essences, but that one is tied deep to their goddess. The Endless Raven is known for knowledge and exploration," he said, packing away the case and starting to get up. "Chances are the other two're about one or both."

The women were talking about Vessilia's Essences, but Felix stepped away from them, cutting off Harn before left. "One more question, Harn."

"Always one more with you. What?" Harn groused, and Felix got the impression he was genuinely tired.

"I'll make it quick, if I can. How long can you put off Tempering? As in, how long after reaching Apprentice Tier before you lose the chance to take an Essence Draught?" If it worked like he hoped, then he thought he'd be ok. If.

"If you ignore yer Apprentice notification, it won't activate. Just like any system prompt. Ya only got so long with that tactic though; at most a day, dawn ta dawn." Harn sighed and glanced at his bedroll. "After that, formation starts as normal, and if you don't have an Essence in ya, then yer outta luck."

Harn started to turn away before he stopped and looked back. "Oh, and ya won't be able to rank up the Skill either until you finish formation, so that's a waste a time too. Take my advice: it's better to settle for common Essences in the hand than rare ones ya can't find." With a final, piercing look, Harn stumped toward his bed.

Later that night, Felix spent some more time in the basin room.

He had some ideas about Skill training that he wanted to test.

After filling up the same basin with Acid Stream, he once more dunked his arm into the foul solution. Again, his flesh started to melt and sizzle, making the green liquid bubble furiously. His Acid Resistance was only 22, but his Acid Stream had jumped up to 24 after fighting the Ofrenoks. Now it was all about patience.

And pain.

Felix pushed at the pain, letting it drift around him like steam, feeling his Pain Resistance do it's job as his Willpower buoyed the entire effort. As he held off the agony, Felix purposely let his mind float into Meditation. Pain Resistance flared, Acid Resistance building, Felix let himself fall deeper into Meditation than ever.

Everything went dark.

No pain. No weight. No scents or sounds or anything at all. It was a perfect void.

Just that ocean loud roar of silence that was everything and nothing.

When he resurfaced, Felix was unsure if he'd been down for a few minutes or an hour, but his notifications indicated the latter.

Acid Resistance is level 24!

Pain Resistance is level 30!

Meditation is level 32!

"Haha! It worked!" Not only did he rank up three of his Skills, but he didn't have to endure the acrid stank of his own acid. Felix pulled his arm out of the once-sizzling goop and looked at it: it was hale and whole, without a single mark of pink or healing patch of skin. His resistance must have ranked up a while ago and his Health regen did the rest.

After taking a moment to stretch his back, Felix sat on one of the stone benches and pulled out his two blood vials.

Ofrenok and Ofrehulk. Which to do first? He weighed them in his hands. Both are gonna be gross, I can almost guarantee that. He sighed. Why blood? The Title and Skill both talk about digesting Mana, not blood specifically. I ate the shadow tendril of the Rockstrike previously, and the Wisp didn't have blood at all, just sparky magic...stuff. Could I just eat an enemy's spell instead?

Felix snorted at the mental image of catching a fireball with his mouth. Maybe, but am I getting hit with Mana when a fireball hits me? Or is it Mana that turns into fire? A question worth asking. Maybe Atar will tell me when he stops training.

The mage had been pushing himself and his fire spells hard since dinner, resting only to recover some of his Mana before pushing forward again. He was dedicated, that was for sure. His Mana regen must have been pretty decent as well, since he was otherwise risking a low tank when they all got up in a few hours.

Felix's stomach growled, loudly, reminding him of his ever present friend. This is getting really annoying. I'm eating like a cartoon character, just piles of food, and still I have this...It's even making this blood look tastier. He shuddered, but popped the cork on the Ofrenok vial. Better now than later. "Bottoms up."

"What are you doing, child?"

Felix scrambled to his feet, an orb of acid in his hand before he even turned.

"What?" He asked, blinking and tilting his head. "What are you?"

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