Unbound

Before he'd taken two steps out of the Drum Tank, lights of gold and blue sparked across Felix's vision. They swarmed at the corners before resolving in a blue notification box and the faint sound of trumpets.

New Skill!

Negotiation (Uncommon), Level 1!

You've learned words have many uses, and one of them is to make a profit! Increases how favorably a target treats you slightly per Skill level.

Felix blinked the lights and notification away and felt at his center. Another symbol etched in the faintest of lights was there, scribed upon the walls of his core.

"Hey! Move it, pinky! People are tryin' ta eat!"

Felix blinked, his visualized core fading away to be replaced by the lumbering form of an Orc laborer. The man was taller than Felix by a foot, his skin a dark purple mottled with green, and he had tusks that jutted out nearly six inches from an impressive jaw. A line of folk stood behind him, all trying to enter the inn.

"Oh, sorry," Felix muttered, and hopped off the porch. The line of laborers grumbled in his direction but passed him by without further fuss. Which was good, as Felix found himself entire absorbed in his core once again.

How the hell did I gain another Skill? Felix mentally poked and prodded the symbol in his core, but it was fully and entirely there. He was fairly certain why he'd gained it, but not how. The Maw had claimed he couldn't learn Skills as he had before, which made sense; he had flown that sloop for hours and had gotten no Skill until the System rewarded him. And now, he'd learned first Oathbinding and then Negotiation without any apparent effort.

Felix didn't count his new Unique Skill in this, for obvious reasons, but the question remained. Had the Maw lied?

Of course the Maw lied, stupid. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose. But then why didn't I learn Manaship Pilot on my own?

Recalling Cal's words the other day, Felix knew his best bet was to speak to the former Archivist-turned-bookseller. Despite the dread that crawled over him at the thought.

Caerwin first. Then Zara.

A warm wind kicked up in the streets, blowing the ubiquitous dust in long streamers along the ground. Felix hustled as he could through the crowds, noticing that the sky was darker than it was at dawn. The clouds hung low and he knew rain was coming soon.

Felix was almost annoyed he'd thrown that tattered cowl away, that is, until he noticed the first Redcloaks.

Many were just wandering the crowds, more of them patrolling through the Dust than he'd seen before. But what did he know? He'd only been in Haarwatch a few days. However, what caught his attention the most was when several Acolytes stopped a couple wearing hooded cloaks.

The Redcloaks pulled the couples' hoods back and exposed the surprised faces of a pair of Human women, girls really, both equally surprised. What followed was a series of jabbing fingers and close talking. If he had been any closer he might have caught what, exactly, the Inquisition was doing, but he saw all this from across the busy street. Not even his Perception was good enough to bridge that gap.

He saw the same thing happen again and again. The Redcloaks were singling out people in hoods and cowls, anyone who hid their face. The more he saw it, the more a sinking suspicion formed in his gut. When he saw an Acolyte peer into a cloaked Hobgoblin's eyes, he cursed.

They're looking for me. Shit.

He got off the street, heading down a narrow alley between a butcher and cooper. The last thing Felix wanted was an in-depth conversation with the Inquisition. Not even if they were going to hand him a reward for fighting off those monsters.

Luckily he didn't stand out too much. With the cowl gone, he had his rough canvas pirate jacket over his relatively nicer tunic and trousers. His boots were a bit of a giveaway, but Felix hadn't heard any stories about the Blue-Eyed Fiend's footwear.

Jesus. The Blue-Eyed Fiend. It wasn't a name he'd pick for himself. Made him sound like a monster. But then again....I always said I'd become a monster if that's what it took to survive.

Felix looked up the wall of the coopers before sucking in a breath.

Abyssal Skein!

Felix felt the oily Void wrap around him before he grabbed hold of the wall and yanked himself upward. Halfway through the movement he activated Relentless Charge, sending him hurtling further and neatly over the edge of the two story building. He landed with a heavy thump, but luckily the cooper's roof was sturdy. He took off at a jog.

Felix kept Abyssal Skein running when he could, mostly to keep others from noticing him leaping from rooftop to rooftop. It was, by happy coincidence, much faster to navigate the city in this manner. He bypassed much of the foot traffic and merely had to deal with the occasional long jump. Those were few and far between, and twice Felix simply climbed down rather than risk an eye catching leap over a busy street.

But it was honestly freeing up there, standing on top of various buildings. Pit liked it too. He could make out so much of the city, from the rising tiers at the center, to the minor walls that demarcated the Quarters. Felix purposefully avoided the partially gutted streets he'd fought within, needing no reminders as he headed west. The sky hung low as ever, heavy and bruised with a purple color only summer storms carried. It was like a roof on the world, and Felix felt all around him a sense of curious immediacy. He breathed deep, tasting wood-smoke and char, fish from the nearby river, even the faint but omnipresent tang of unwashed funk. It was strange and new and familiar all at once.

"A new world," he murmured to himself.

Felix had dwelled on the thought before, but his circumstances had always been dire. He had been but a step away from death out in the Foglands; here he had the time to breathe. To savor. That's what he learned that morning. The night might have held terrors and savage fighting for survival, but today he'd accomplished a helpful task. Had a good meal. And now he'd get to enjoy a summer rainstorm, his first on the Continent.

There are worse places to be, he thought, closing his eyes and taking a breath. He sighed and opened his eyes again, this time staring at his bare hands before burying them in his pockets.

Passing over the short barrier between the Dust and Wall Quarters was as easy as moving from roof to roof. A simple jump and he'd passed through. Just passed there, the buildings improved significantly. The roof tiles were no longer loose and patched, and were made of something sturdier than clay. Felix didn't bother to investigate, but the material wasn't quite as slick or treacherous. Though his Far-Afield Boots had kept that from inconveniencing him in the Dust, it was still quite noticeable when a tile slid off to smash on the ground below. None of that happened in the Wall Quarter.

It was clear more money was invested into this section of the city, and it was easy to see why. The Wall was their great barrier, protecting this outpost city from the wilds of the Foglands. The Guilders manned the Wall, fought the monsters, and protected the city. In a world that seemed to value strength more than anything, it made sense. He hadn't been there long, but the Dusters were clearly considered second class citizens in Haarwatch, most of them too weak to even consider joining the Guild. And if they were too weak to join, why would the Guild care about them?

Felix shook his head and hoped he was wrong. Hoped that he was just being cynical and pessimistic.

I'd be damn happy if I were--

Someone was watching him.

Felix spun toward the sensation, flaring his Perception all the while. A figure stood on a rooftop, several buildings down the street. His regard felt like a heavy pressure against Felix's senses, an intensity that threated to strip the Nym to the bone. Pit warbled in fear in the back of his mind. A sharp, burning sensation flashed against his chest; his amulet felt like it was on fire.

Without regard to grace or form, Felix threw himself off the rooftop. He landed awkwardly in Caerwin's back garden.

What was that? Who was that? His Eye hadn't been able to get a read on them at all. Not even that hint of resistance. Just...nothing.

With a hesitant glance upward, Felix hobbled over to Caerwin's back door. He rapped lightly on it.

No one answered.

He tried again, straining his senses through the door as well as up toward the roof. A sour feeling was turning in his stomach. Suddenly, his Perception picked up on murmuring inside, then a crash, and shouting.

Pit shrieked in agitation and Felix yanked hard at the door, breaking the lock. He rushed inside. Beyond the short hallway, Caerwin looked at him with an alarmed expression that faded quickly into vague amusement. Beside her was a man and a woman, though the latter was hooded in a dark blue shawl.

"Caerwin--!" Felix came to a stop as he took in the scene. Caerwin was standing at her counter, and several broken glass jars were on the ground between her and the visitors. The man turned to him, and Felix saw that his lightly tanned face was round with flabby jowls and a scraggly beard. A series of dots were tattooed beneath his eyes in a row, five of them under each eye. "Uh..."

The man regarded Felix mildly, his eyes calm and demeaner unruffled. As if he'd been expected. Felix felt a burning sensation from his chest again, this time much less intense.

"You have a visitor, Caerwin. I shall not keep you. Let us know your answer soon." The man pulled his blue cloak closer around himself and regarded Felix again. "Another time, perhaps."

Caerwin didn't answer as the two swept out of her shop and were gone.

"Seems like I interrupted something," Felix hazarded, still eyeing the figures as they disappeared into the crowded street. It wasn't raining yet, but the sky had darkened considerably. Idly, he hoped it rained on that jerk on the roof. "Friends of yours?"

"Hm," Caerwin grunted, not answering as she bent over to pick up the shattered remains of her jars. "Where've you been? You're a day late."

"Oh you know," Felix gestured vaguely. "Been busy."

"Hm. Haven't we all."

Unsure what else to do, Felix helped her pick up the pieces. "Who was that?" He tried again. "They seemed...intense."

Caerwin laughed, a touch bitterly he thought, before giving him a shrewd look. "Intense is a good word for it. Don't you worry about them. They're my business alone."

Felix knew when he'd overstepped and backed off. Soon the floor was clean and Caerwin stood back up. She clapped her hands. "So! You're back to see if I have anything for your Chimera...Where is he?"

Felix smiled. "Had to leave him someplace safe, for now."

"Ah," Caerwin nodded, a wry smile on her face. "Of course. The Redcloaks are everywhere today, I've seen."

Felix nodded as he peered out the windows. The crowds were thick, and he could see one or two white-armored Acolytes moving along them. When he looked back, the woman was regarding at him oddly. She blinked when she noticed his attention.

"Let's begin then. Just a moment." She went into her back room and Felix heard rustling. Cloth, wood, metal, all of it scraping and knocking against each other. It took a while, long enough that Felix started gazing around the room. He started using his Voracious Eye on anything he could, idly attempting to level the Skill. There were quite a few interesting things in her store, though most of it was, well, strange.

Aside from the variety of dried foods (jerky, beans, dehydrated fruit), there were many odd knick-knacks and carved wooden figures that registered only as "Decoration" or "Art Piece (enchanted)" in the rare cases. A few tall, thin wooden figures were enchanted with a fire starter Skill, something that would generate a super-hot spark. Functionally no different than a flint and steel striker, but much more interesting. Much of the shelf space was taken up by useful things like ropes, candles, even a ten foot rod.

"Browsing?"

"Oh, sorry. I was just admiring the sheer variety of things you have here," Felix huffed a laugh. "Its quite a lot."

"Ah you know, you pick up one thing, then another, before you know it you have a whole shop worth. Seemed easier to sell it off than store it, hmm?" Caerwin gave him a grin with her slightly crooked teeth. The laugh lines around her mouth and eyes were deep and well used. "Now come over here boy, and I'll show you what I found."

Felix made his way over to the counter, where the older woman placed a single, green stone on the counter. It was diamond shaped and highly polished. The green coloration was rippled, like the frozen surface of a disturbed pond. He looked at Caerwin for permission before picking it up.

"It's a charm. Found it after digging through some old collections. Gotta bond it by blood, but that's easy enough. Drapes an illusion around the wearer that'll fool most anyone, I even saw it fool a Silver Rank once."

Felix made a noncommittal grunt and used his Voracious Eye on it. A similar resistance rose up as when he'd first identified his amulet. The item pushed back at his mental probe, almost a physical force; Felix had to bear his entire Will down on it, and it began to shift and buckle. With a final mental heave, the resistance shattered.

Voracious Eye is level 26!

Name: Stone of Wild Echoes

Type: Gem (enchanted)

Lore: This polished piece of malachite has been shaped by Chanter's magic to echo a strain of the Wild Song. The Wild Song masks the physical form of the one it is bonded to, but it must be bonded by blood. Chosen form: Dire Hound.

Mask of Echoes IV - Once bound by blood, the Stone will allow the wearer to appear as a Dire Hound of the appropriate coloration.

Chanter's Intent I - The Harmonic Song of a Chanter was used to enchant this item, and it bears their Intent. +10% Effectiveness of Mask of Echoes.

Chanter's Inversion I - Addition of Dissonance to invert the item's properties, hiding them.

Ugh. A short bout of dizziness surged through his head, but it passed quickly. "Wow this--" Felix looked at the stone again, no bigger than his thumbnail. "What's the Wild Song?"

Caerwin's eyes lit up and a wide, radiant smile spread across her face. Felix leaned back and hesitated.

"What?"

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