Unbound

Felix accessed his Authority Screen.

The Territories Of Khalheim And Pax'Vrell Have Been Added To Your Authority!

Your Authority Has Grown!

Your Stronghold Is Now Rank V!

Stronghold Rank V Has Become Citadel Rank I!

You Have Upgraded Features!

Tier IV Forge > Tier V Forge!

Tier IV Alchemical Lab > Tier V Alchemical Lab

Tier IV Storage Facility > Tier V Storage Facility

Tier IV Librarium > Tier V Librarium

Felix tabbed through his Authority Screen, checking each of his Crafting Halls for the details on their rank up. For the most part, it was an increase in the number of Quests the masters of each Hall could give, as well as the amount of experience each Quest would reward.

Your Authority Has Grown!

As Lord Of Four Territories, You May Share A Single

Specialized Benefit Of Your Primary Stronghold With Each!

Choose One For Each Additional Territory:

Tier V Forge

Tier V Alchemical Lab

Tier V Storage Facility

Tier V Glyphworks

WARNING!

Sharing Crafting Facilities Will Increase Production Speeds.

Sharing Crafting Facilities Will Also Increase Resource Loss.

He'd already chosen to share his Storage Facility with Ahkestria, which had resulted in doubling his storage area. That had grown again with each subsequent rank up for the Stronghold, as well as allowing him to grow Beacons in each of his controlled areas. For Khalheim and Pax'Vrell, he could choose two others. But which?

He explained the situation to Karys. The metal man hummed to himself before answering. “What do their peoples lack? I believe that should be our focus.”

“Hm, well the Frost Giants need better weapons and armor. They’ve been making do with crude iron and ice ore. The ice ore is a really good material, but their facilities to shape it seem limited. Getting them a Forge would make sense, and it would increase their defense and offense in one move.”

“And the people of Pax’Vrell?”

“They’ve already got plenty of forges and inscriptionists, but sharing our Alchemical Lab would help them out.” Felix smiled, his Mind briefly overcome by the image of leaping Dragoons dropping grenades of acid and fire on their enemies. “Plus, it’ll help them Temper their people.”

“Both wise choices, my Lord.”

Khalheim

You Have Chosen To Share:

⦁Tier V Forge

Due To Advanced Authority, Production Speed Has Tripled!

Due To Bearing The Crown Of Elysium, Resource Loss Has Been Halved!

Pax'Vrell

You Have Chosen To Share:

⦁Tier V Alchemical Lab

Due To Advanced Authority, Production Speed Has Tripled!

Due To Connection To Grim Nightshade, Harvesting Speed Has Quadrupled!

Due To Bearing The Crown Of Elysium, Resource Loss Has Been Halved!

Issues settled, Felix attempted to delve further into his Citadel details, but was stymied by yet another set of notification screens.

New Features Have Unlocked At Your Secondary Strongholds!

By Uniting Four Territories, You Have Ranked Up Their Hidden Features!

Ahkestria - Fiendfall Manor - Rank 2 Stronghold

• Tier VI Mana Crystal Mine Has Upgraded To Tier VII

A Mine filled with Mana Crystal Veins that can be excavated with the right tools and Miners, resulting in a significant increase in resources. Mana Crystal can be used to make weapons and armor as well as artifacts of varying rarity. Quality depends on Tier of Mana Crystal Veins.

• Basic Requirements: Mana Crystal Veins (Journeyman Tier Or Greater), Journeyman Tier Or Greater Master Miner

Khalheim - Kingrock - Rank 8 Citadel (Damaged)

• Tier IX Summoning Chamber Has Upgraded To Tier X

Facilities to research, design, and implement the summoning of monsters to serve the Will of the Coven. Tier and number of monsters summoned is determined by the average level of the Coven and the Tier of the lead Witch.

• Basic Requirements: Raw Materials (Varied), Adept Tier Or Greater Witch

Pax’Vrell - Scalebreaker Citadel - Rank 5 Citadel

• Tier VII Golem Foundry Has Upgraded To Tier VIII

• A Foundry with the basic equipment required to create, reforge, and Temper constructs of all kinds. At Tier V, the Foundry contains a variety of arrays. Please see the Foundry Menu for more.

• Basic Requirements: Raw Materials (Varied), High-Tier Monster Cores, Journeyman Tier Or Greater Golem Maker

Fiendfall Manor…who named it that? Felix stopped caring, however, as he tabbed through the details on the unlocked features. Oh. Oh wow. These are incredible. Golem Foundry... That's likely where they built the Janus Hydras. That could really be useful if they have someone to run it again.

Felix checked his Authority Screen for Pax’Vrell and found the position open for Golem Maker. Whoever they had doing maintenance on the Golems in the Dragon Roost did not have access to the Foundry.

"Karys, contact Yorun of the Makewrights and have him come to the Bastion of Atlantes."

"A wise choice, my Lord."

"Maybe.” The Gnome leader of the Golem crafters was the only choice he had for running the Foundry, but Felix would have to see if he fit the bill. “We'll see if he's willing to relocate to Pax'Vrell."

Felix returned to the notifications.

Elderthrone Has Earned An Additional Feature!

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

Your Citadel Has Resonated With Your 10th Pillar!

You Have Gained A Shaper's Sanctum!

Tier V Shaper's Sanctum

A Sanctum designed to research and amplify efforts to shape the Mana of the Continent. See the Sanctum Menu for more details.

Basic Requirements: Raw Materials (Varied), Spirit Tree (Mature), Master Tier Or Greater Shaper

Do You Wish To Install?

Shaper's Sanctum...That's very interesting. Yes.

Something shifted within his city, though Felix couldn’t pinpoint exactly what, and a trilling note sounded in his ears.

Shaper’s Sanctum Installed!

“Karys, can you track down where the Sanctum installed itself?”

“Of course.”

The Cognitive Realm Resonates With The Empyrean Regalia!

Due To Your Bond With The Crown Of Elysium Your Heart Of Shadows Has Gained Protection!

All Shadowgates Have Increased Defenses Against Intrusion From The Void!

Felix blinked then glanced sideways through one of the doors out of his Seat and Seal. A powerful wash of golden light filled the chamber, but it soon faded to a dim glow.

That would've been handy when the Whalemaw shoved its face into my house. There was only one more set of notifications, the ones Felix had originally intended to settle before he’d gotten all of those surprise upgrades. Not that he was complaining.

Title: Banner Raised - +Tier Upgrade For Two Features Of Your Primary Stronghold!

Title: Empire's Reach - +Tier Upgrade For A Single Feature Of All Secondary Strongholds!

Make Your Choices!

Felix looked to his other Territories and drummed his fingers against the stone floor. "Karys? What's your recommendation?"

"For the other Territories, I would suggest we focus on their strongest features. The Golem Foundry, the Summoning Chamber, and the Mana Crystal Mine would serve our interests far more than advancing some of their lesser features, or the ones you have shared with them."

"Good point. The Mine would help fund us...and if our craftsmen can use Mana Crystals to work weapons and armor, that'd be great. The Summoning Chamber sounds like a bigger version of what the Witches used against us in Cold Rock. They managed to summon a ton of monsters, and that'd be useful for sure. The Golem Foundry is a clear winner, too. Alright. Done."

Mana Crystal Mine - Rank VII > Rank VIII

• New Veins Discovered! Adept Tier Mana Crystal Can Now Be Harvested!

Summoning Chamber - Rank X > Rank XI

• Hidden Type Calls Unlocked! Assign A Witch To Access!

Golem Foundry - Rank VIII > Rank IX

• Ancient Schematics Unlocked! Assign A Golem Maker To Access!

“Oh man,” Felix said with a grin. He rubbed his hands together. “So many new things. I need to assign someone to the Summoning Chamber as soon as possible, too.”

“I will reach out to Kimaris and inquire about the most suitable Witches of Khalheim.”

“Perfect. As for my primary Stronghold—or Citadel now, I guess—that upgrade should be easy...but first, I need to see this Shaper's Sanctum."

"Spirit Trees are holy to us," Karys said. "There was a reason I was set to guard this one's sire, though I cannot recall the moment I was sent there."

"They're special, that's for sure." Felix ran his hand along the Tree's trunk as he walked up the last turn of spiral stairs that had been shaped up the side of it.

"I only wish to impress upon you the responsibility you have toward the Atlantes. That this new feature was installed into the Tree of all places might not sit well with it. We must proceed with caution."

Felix climbed up the last stretch of steps, and his eyes widened. "Oh wow."

The Shaper’s Sanctum had built itself within the first junction of the Spirit Tree’s branches. It was a massive space that was normally entirely empty, save for the Spirit Fruits that hung from some of the lower boughs. Now all that emptiness was filled by a structure that looked like it had sprouted from the living wood. It was intricately wound around the Tree itself, extending up three of the thirty-foot wide branches in stepped sections connected by ethereal bridges open to the air. Elaborate sigaldry adorned the outside of the Sanctum, filled with a verdant light that seemed familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it.

At the heart of the Sanctum was something like a geodesic dome, enclosed but also open to the elements all around. It made the space airy and large, and the delicate lattices of crystal growing across its framework only added to its mystique. Filaments of Mana danced through the air, refracting through the crystals until the entire Sanctum was suffused with a palpable sense of power.

"Hi Atlantes. I hope your spring is going well." Felix spotted several shoots coming from the trunk. "You're growing more. That's great."

Leaves trembled, and wind rustled, and strong, earthy emotions rang out from all around Felix.

"I'm happy to see you, too. I hope you don't mind all of this."

A soft reassurance rippled from the bark beneath Felix's feet, so pointed only he could feel it.

"Is it upset?" Karys asked.

"No. It’s pleased." Felix smiled and walked forward.

A wide door opened as he approached, built so seamlessly that he hadn’t even noticed it until it moved. Felix turned around as he entered, taking in everything he could. Spring sunlight filtered through the canopy above, casting dappled patterns of light that danced across the Sanctum's floor.

Soft whispers of wind wove through the distant branches, carrying with them the murmurs of the forest. The ceiling framework, grown from the living wood, was festooned with a series of stars, hundreds of them in various sizes. Some had two or three points, but many had five, six, or more. In the center, where the ceiling was completely open, a 27-pointed star outlined the skylight like the stylized edges of the sun itself.

Felix inhaled the scent of fresh loam, chill winds, and pungent sap. More than anything, he felt peace emanate from the Sanctum, accentuated by the Atlantes’ own approval. There was a profound sense of balance, like he’d found the very center of a teeter totter while a storm blew around him.

“This is a place of introspection,” Karys said. “It feels like a balm on my Spirit.”

Sigils were etched into the inside walls and even the patterned floor, as if a dozen arrays were built over one another in the relatively small space. Felix knelt down, running his blackened hands across their surface, and each one resonated through him like a choir of soft bells.

Welcome Autarch!As The Only Shaper In Your Territory, You Will Be Elevated As The Master Of The Shaper’s Sanctum.

Accept?

Y/N

Yes.

Congratulations!You Are Now The Master Shaper Of Nagast!

Before Any Bonuses Can Apply To Your Workings, The Master Of The Sanctum Must Complete A Quest!

Oh really?

New Quest!

Test Thyself!

Shape the elements, magus. Prove your worth before the gaze of your ancestors.

"Gaze of my ancestors," Felix murmured. He looked to the stars. "The Nym, I'm guessing."

"How does this place function?" Karys asked from outside the door. He peered at the sigaldry on the walls, but it crawled beneath his gaze. "I cannot make sense of the inscriptions."

"Neither can I. But let's start simple."

Sonata of Dominance!

The Quest was fairly vague, so Felix kept it simple. He seized the flow of air through the Sanctum and shaped it into a simple, harmless gust of wind.

Quest Updated!

Test Thyself!

You have successfully shaped the Mana type of air!

Is this all you are worth?

Felix frowned.

He focused on the water Mana that lingered hidden within the air. There was a surprising amount, all things considered, enough that he easily shaped a rippling curtain of liquid. Then he switched it up, drawing out the heat from his Body and feeding it Mana from his channels until it ignited into a brief tongue of flame. Stone, he yanked from his core as well, hardening the Mana until rock congealed and crumbled away. He seized a sunbeam between his hands, turning it solid and brighter before he coaxed the thickening shadows from beneath his feet and sent them rolling across the floor, just as he fed life into the hidden seeds of moss that had found root within his Sanctum. It spread, tiny creeping tendrils clutching to living wood even closer than shadow itself.

Essence and Mana were spent in the effort, but most of all time. For whatever reason, shaping in the Sanctum felt as if he were trying to breathe through a straw. There was a tightness to his chest and a heaviness in his limbs…but after around ten minutes, he was finished.

Quest Updated!

Test Thyself!

You have successfully shaped the Mana types of the common elements!

Is this all you are worth?

Felix was annoyed. Sonata of Dominance gave him almost complete command over the common elements he’d just displayed, but it only provided lesser control over other Mana types: the weirder ones like necromancy and force and sound, among others. It seemed that his Quest was asking him to truly push himself.

Felix did not plan to disappoint.

“Karys, assemble folks in the Bastion of Atlantes in…” Felix looked up, checking the sun’s position. “Two hours.”

“I will do so. What do you plan to accomplish in the meantime?”

He smiled, almost too focused on the strange resistance within his chest to notice that Karys took a careful step backward. “I’m gonna crush this Quest.”

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