Unbound

It was usually an interesting thing, having a relatively high Perception. Felix had long ago passed what he'd considered an Earth human's limit, having pushed farther and farther into a fantastical new realm of the senses. Realistically, of course, that meant his sensitivity had risen to a ridiculous degree and that even the smallest of scents or touches was enough to grate against his sensibilities. So when he went from perfect unconsciousness to a cacophony of wood smoke, clashing metal, and awful, piercing pressure it was the absolute worst.

"Uuugh," Felix managed, not even daring to open his eyes. From the way his head hurt he knew that light would only make the situation worse. His...everything hurt, from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. So for a while, he simply laid there, attempting not to think any thoughts that would prove too challenging. Some time later (minutes? hours?) Felix finally dared move. Something warm and soft was pressed up against his left side, and the sleepy flare of concern made him stretch his face into a smile.

Pit. What a good boy. Felix cracked open his eyes, wincing at the light. Pit snored gently. Still disguised as a Dire Hound, the big lug was curled up against Felix's torso, almost on top of him. The both of them were on a crude pallet, atop a thin straw-filled mattress and covered in a rough but very warm blanket. Hope they invent memory foam sometime soon. This shit can't be good for my back.

Then he remembered that he was effectively twenty again and probably had enough Vitality and Endurance to tank a car crash. Right. Fantasy bullshit.

There was a slight thrumming inside his chest, and Felix patted his friend gently. It was a sensation of quiet care, a warmth that the tenku had always had for Felix, even before he'd saved his life. Thanks for the help, little man. You've got impeccable timing.

Pit's interference in the last moments of his fight had given him the juice to end the Maw's escape attempt. The memory soothed his pain slightly, the hum of their connection like a balm for his soul. Their Concordance sang, much like his other Skills, but was definitely more obvious out here in the real world. Even without accessing Fire Within and visualizing his core, he could detect the flowing harmonies between their Spirits. Now that he was looking for it, the connection was almost visible to his Manasight. The Skill's complex pattern was like a glowing chain of light, linking him to the sleeping tenku.

Felix noticed that the room he was in was dark, though that mattered little to his Manasight. But still, he was in a small ten foot square room with a heavy metal door. Only the pallet and Pit were in the room with him. There was that sound of crashing metal again, along with the faint impression of grunts and shouts. His heart raced a moment before he flared his Perception: though it was outside of his immediate range, the distant sounds sharpened somewhat, enough to make an educated guess.

Training goes on, apparently. Felix was just glad it wasn't an attack. He'd had enough fighting, at least for a few more hours. Instead, his attention was redirected toward the blinking icon in his vision. Time to see what I earned.

He opened his notifications.

...

Fire Within is level 43!

Deep Mind is level 39!

INE +2!

WIL +1!

You Have Defeated the Unending Maw! Again!

You Have Gained XP!

You Have Gained 1 Level!

You are now Level 28!

+3 to WIL! +2 to INT! +4 to DEX! +1 to END! +2 to PER! +2 to VIT! +4 to AGL!

You Have 35 Unused Stat Points!

Your Companion Pit Has Gained 2 Levels!

+4 VIT! +4 PER! +8 AGL! +8 DEX! +6 WIL! +2 END! +4 INT!

New Title(s)!

The Shape of Fate (Epic) - Master of your own destiny, you have forged a Skill from the remnants of your own abilities, your Intent, and mighty Willpower. What else can you accomplish? +10% INE, WIL, INT

Blessing of the Lost (Epic) (Upgradeable) You have obtained the favor of a Lost god! Effect(s) unknown!

System harmonics surged as power flowed through Felix in a deluge of light and sound. The music he had been hearing for ages now was clearer than ever before, as if an orchestra had taken up residence in his head. For that brief, transitory moment it was like Felix was experiencing something intrinsic and utterly true, as if a layer of reality had been peeled back.

Then it was gone, and Felix fell back onto his pallet with a muffled thump. Pit didn't even wake up.

Whoa. Hasn't been that intense in a while. Felix reviewed his notifications, raising his eyebrows. It was a lot to take in.

Fire Within had increased a lot, especially for being in the later levels of Apprentice Tier. But that made sense as far as a revelation/stressor standpoint went. It took more to jump levels now than ever before, yet he had spent much of the last day contemplating his core, only able to visualize it at all thanks to Fire Within. His understanding of that admittedly confusing Skill had grown by leaps and bounds. Now he knew it as more than just internal Mana control and the source of his fiery core; it was his Rosetta Stone for understanding his every other Skill and the functions of Mana itself. Felix mentally earmarked the Skill for improvement, hoping for much greater dividends if he used it for his Journeyman Formation.

Was that possible? Using different Skills for each Tier? Better ask Rory. Felix shook his head. The System power had made him jittery and easily distracted, apparently. Keeping his thoughts in line was difficult. Maybe if I have more Willpower? Or would it be a Harmonic Stat? Maybe Alacrity, that affects 'feats of the Mind'. I have freaking 35 points to spend, after all. Though, no. I can't spend them on Harmonic Stats. System won't let me. Should I dump them into Willpower then? Just go all in? Or stick with my attempt at balance?

Felix put a hand to his head, the migraine that gripped him in a vice now tunneling his vision, blackening the edges. It throbbed, the agony swelling with every beat of his heart. Consequences, clearly, from fighting off a Primordial jerk while also sundering and evolving his Skills. It hurt like hell, but the pain cut through his frenetic thoughts, helping him cut away the dross and focus on the important bits. His Titles.

The Shape of Fate was Epic and very cool, a reward for forging Unfettered Volition. Maybe he'd get another when he took care of the rest of his broken Skills? One could hope. Of real interest, however, was the Blessing of the Lost. It suggested something he had been too unnerved to verbalize: that the puppet woman in his false memory was more than she had seemed. And she had seemed like quite a lot, judging by those disturbing visions. Felix flinched, his headache pulsing harder as he tried to suppress the memory of those bloody, awful eyes.

Favor of a Lost god. That's...good, right? Felix hoped so. He certainly didn't like that the effects of the title were unknown. He scanned over his stats, but didn't see any changes that weren't accounted for by his other Titles. She mentioned the Broken Path, too. She said a lot of interesting things, though I can't say any of them made much sense. Except that she warned me, told me to focus on the name of my new Skill. To help me? Was she suggesting a tie between Bastion of Will and Unfettered Volition?

Felix had an inkling of which god she might have been, but no real way to confirm it. Vellus. This has to be connected to my Shrines of the Broken quest. Right?

Did that mean he was going to meet other gods as he visited their shrines? Did he even want to? What reason did he have to trust the one he'd just met, let alone others? Felix leaned backward with a sigh. So much to consider, despite his aching head.

She had clued him into Bastion and Unfettered Volition. They weren't combined; it wasn't anything like the evolution his Acrobatics had undergone. More like a powerful connection existed between them. Their patterns, their vibrations...resonated. And now they were paired, somehow.

Moreover, the advent of his newest Epic Skill was remarkable. Its effects more closely mirrored his Mind Skills despite being formed from a confluence of Body Skills. The why of that escaped him, but perhaps it had something to do with Relentless Charge; that Skill had taken Mana and Stamina to activate, after all. Maybe that transferred over? Influenced the new Skill somehow?

However, Unfettered Volition was all about the application of his considerable Willpower and (perhaps) his Intent. Felix knew that if he were to will it, he could rise from his pallet despite his obvious injuries, forcing himself through the door and possibly even through a fight. Or at least be able to throw a couple punches before he collapsed. His Willpower was strained now, and his body was banged up enough that he wasn't planning on attempting that soon.

Briefly, he contemplated the Skill from within his core, flaring his Fire Within almost effortlessly. The sparkling solar system shimmered into view as Unfettered Volition floated to the fore. Moving in perfect tandem was his Bastion of Will.

There it is. Connected.

Unfettered Volition was a swirling cascade of light, the rapid tattoo of a drum major as heard from a dozen blocks away. The sound was distant but clearer than ever before, even more than the Skills he'd developed over the past few days. Yet still, the muted notes of something else lurked beyond the etching of light before him.

Secrets on top of secrets. He grunted in frustration before deactivating Fire Within. For another time, I think.

For now he just wanted to sleep.

"Felix?" The whisper was loud enough to wake the dead, let alone Felix, and he blinked blearily at the small lantern Evie was carrying. She was fully armored up in her leather kit, even had her spiked chain slung around her shoulder and waist like the most punk rock of belts. Her long, straight hair swayed low over the light, casting wobbling shadows across the room. "You awake?"

Felix groaned. "I am now."

"Good. You said you had something to go to at dusk, right? Some sort of meeting?" Evie fiddled with her chain and grinned. "You asked me to remind you if you were uh, out of sorts. You still goin'?"

Felix closed his eyes and groaned louder. The meetup with Caerwin. Of course.

"Thanks, Evie," he grunted as he sat up, his head feeling fairly alright considering. His Health had recovered too, sitting at its maximum value again. "Yeah I think I'll go. I should be--"

Unfettered Volition!

Without consciously moving his muscles, simply willing them forward, Felix stood up while still holding his blanket around him. It was extremely similar to moving normally, especially to outside viewers as his muscles were still actually being used, contracting and extending and all that. Internally it felt like sitting still and thinking instead of using his muscles actively.

Weird feeling, in any case. He deactivated the Skill and nearly fell over before he regained his balance. Bit odd on the dismount though. Probably should be careful about that.

"I should be fine," he finished with a rueful smile. "What's the time now?"

"Dusk, or near about," Evie held out her hands, palms first as Felix frowned. "I've been trainin' all day, save for when we had to pull you outta the warded room, naked as a baby. How'dya not have any scars? Even I've got three or five from growin' up and learning my Skills."

"My enemies get the scars, not me--" Felix couldn't even finish the line before he broke out into a dumb grin. "Just lucky, is all."

Evie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I'm sure."

She drummed her fingers against her leather cuirass and pursed her lips. "How'd you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Scare the piss outta Rory," she smirked. "He didn't say anything but he was white as a ghost when he left that room."

Felix snapped his fingers. "I've been meaning to ask about that. Are ghosts real?"

"You--what?" Evie blinked at him.

"Are ghosts real? Back...home," Felix said with an eye toward the open doorway. "Ghosts aren't real. At least, not as far as I knew. Are they a thing here?"

"Sure. Ghosts, spirits, wraiths, haunts, different types dependin' on circumstances," Evie looked up, as if remembering something. "Never fought any, Magda would never have let me. But she gave me a book years back on basic monster types you might see out an' about in the Heirocracy."

"Huh," Felix propped his arms up on his hips. Maybe the Inquisition did call up that guy's ghost.

"You didn't answer my question," Evie said, crossing her arms.

"Really? Weird. Anyway, do you want to come?" Felix eyed the young woman.

"To your mysterious meeting at dusk? And skip out on my sacred duty to clean all the practice weapons and wipe my own blood off the big dumb Gauntlet?" Evie grinned. "Siva's breath, twist my arm, why don't ya?"

"Cool," Felix laughed before reaching down and ruffling Pit's illusory fur. "C'mon, lil pig. Time to do the thing."

The tenku got up grudgingly before sticking his butt into the air and pushing out his forelegs. A wide yawn and basso chirrup filled the air.

"What a big stretch!" Felix started walking out, dropping the blanket that had been shrouding him. "C'mon you two. I have a feeling I'm already late."

"Ahem."

Felix turned around, eyebrow raised. Evie grinned and pointed at his waist.

"Might want to put on some clothes first."

"Shit."

Evie's laughter almost as loud as the embarrassed rush of blood in his ears.

Evie ran over what she saw happen in the aftermath of Felix's sundering ritual. Rory had dragged him outta the warded room, covered in blood and dark smoke, naked as a jaybird. Cal and Harn had hoisted him and put him in another room before fetching a whole mess of healing potions. They had apparently force fed him over two dozen before any healing would take. A considerable expense now that the Guild was blocking them from their affiliated alchemists.

Evie stumbled in the retelling at that part, and Felix, shockingly, could tell that she was still a bit upset about it. He hadn't realized she'd cared.

Though maybe she's just mad I used up all those potions. He'd have to make it up to them somehow.

After that, he had just slept a whole lot. Nearly seven glasses or so, by her estimation. He didn't ask, but figured by context clues that 'glasses' meant the same thing as hours. Maybe they use hourglasses here? If so, why not still use the word 'hours' then?

By the time Evie had finished her retelling, Felix had dressed in his familiar tunic and trousers again. A distinct, yet unfounded fear that someone would take his stuff was laid to rest, at least for the moment. All in all, ten minutes and they were ready to go. Before Felix could step out, however, Rory snagged him. Most of the others were all eating or recovering as the three of them tried to sneak out, but the Dwarf had been leaning at the end of the back hallway as if expecting their clandestine departure.

"We need to talk, lad," Rory said, and walked into another room. Felix gave Evie a shrug and followed, silently instructing Pit to stay back but be on guard.

He wasn't sure how this talk was gonna go.

The room he walked into was filled with half open crates and barrels, storage for food and other sundries. Rory stood near a collection of barrels marked with squiggles that Felix could, after a second, identify as the word for 'water.' Felix approached him cautiously.

"What's going on, Rory?" Felix tried a smile. "If this is about the monster cores, I'm sorry about wasting them--"

"Nay, lad. Not about the cores. They're just another strange piece on the pile of oddities ye've subjected me to." Rory shook his head. "I want to know if ye're alright."

Felix was taken aback, a bit. "I'm fine, I think. A little sore still, but my Health and everything is back up to full and I've got a brand new Skill to work with."

Rory's grave expression lightened by several degrees. "Aye? Ye combined your Skills? What'd ye get, if'n ye don't mind me askin'?"

Felix tried not to hesitate, but couldn't help it. "A Rare one."

Deception is level 12!

"Ach that's good! Same as your Physical Conditioning, but I guess it was too far to dream ye'd get an Epic." Rory sighed before laughing and slapping Felix on the leg. It was hard enough that it would have sent Felix tumbling ten levels ago. "Good for ye! I was worried at the result, seeing how it ended..."

Felix grimaced. "I don't remember much of the ritual, but Evie gave me a rundown. Sorry for causing so much worry. I really do feel fine now."

"That's good to hear. Ye belched up such an awful concoction that I feared ye had lost more than one broken Skill." Rory shook his head and a faint but definite shudder went through him. "I don't mind admitting that the sight of ye vomiting that corruption up into the ceiling shook me to the core. It was truly noxious stuff. The boards in the ceiling had to be thrown out, they rotted through so fast."

"Really," said Felix. "What was it?"

"I was hopin' you'd tell me, lad," Rory chuckled. "It looked a bit like the energy inside a monster core, but ye can't imbibe a core and spit it out. The essence doesn't work like that."

Huh. Felix had to assume it was something to do with the Maw and all that energy it had lost during the last seconds of their battle. Maybe the corruption he was sensing was just the Maw's imprint on the Mana. That'd make sense.

"Then I don't have a clue, honestly. My sundering experience is a little murky and hard to follow at this point," Felix offered. "Like a dream, almost. I'm not sure how I succeeded."

Deception is level 13!

"Aye that's common enough. Actions with the Spirit tend to fog over fairly quickly." Rory tapped his pipe against a nearby barrel, expelling the last bits of old leaf. He deftly packed it full again. "Your Spirit affects not only Mana and its use, but also how much punishment ye can handle when dealin' with Skills like that. I have a feeling your Spirit is strong as a mountain's bones, lad. How'd you come to that?"

"Lucky, I guess," the excuse came readily to his lips and Felix shrugged with a laugh.

"Pff, take more'n luck to Form a Spirit as resilient as yours. All that? That would have killed any Bronze Rank I know, most Silver too. The amount of trauma on your Spirit...and here you are, up and walking." Rory shook his head, awed. "What's it called? Your Spirit?"

Felix watched the Dwarf cautiously, all of his senses heightening as Rory scoffed at himself. "Listen to me. Ye don't have to answer, lad. My curiosity got the better of my tongue."

Felix studied the trainer's face, and he read a variety of emotions playing across it. Stoicism, embarrassment, a little sliver of fear, but mostly curiosity...affection? Felix was no expert by any means, but the smile on Rory's face seemed genuine.

"I'm on my way out, Rory. Will you be here tomorrow? We can talk more then, I think."

"Aye, and the day after. Beyond that, I dunno. The Guild--" He cut himself off and shook his head. "Things're changin' quickly in Haarwatch. Ye be careful out there tonight, yeah? The mood in the city has gone strange these last few days. Don't go looking for trouble, lad."

Felix nodded and gave a small wave. "Never do, Rory. Usually it's the other way around."

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