Unbound

“So the mouse I saw was real?" Felix asked.

"Very much so, I am afraid,” Vess said. The two of them sat together on an overturned stone atop the destroyed walls of Fortress Fenwald. Almost every structure, aside from the central keep, was half-collapsed. In the past twelve hours, they had done little except recover. Felix eyed the broken masonry, thinking about how he could fix things.

"No, no, that’s a relief. I thought I was going crazy a little bit." Felix rubbed his neck. He was still a bit sore from his fights, but things had healed well enough over the past day.

"It was an eventful afternoon," Vess agreed.

"The Grim Nightshade, huh?" Felix was surprised to learn things like that existed. Well, “surprised” wasn’t the right word. In a world of Elementals, gods, and Dragons, a spirit of nature was hardly groundbreaking—and yet it suggested a new facet to the world that Felix hadn't known existed. He’d always thought Urges were like miniature gods: not yet powerful enough to rule, but very potent. All he knew about the gods came from snippets he’d pieced together and its own words. They weren't always gods. What they were before was a mystery. Mortal? Monster? Urge? The Grim Nightshade, though, was something else. Based on what Vess told him, it was a manifestation of the Green Wilds itself.

Nature has a spirit? Or is it a spirit of the song? Yet, the more Felix thought of it, the more it made a convoluted sort of sense. The Grand Harmony was everything according to the Chanters, with each and every piece of Creation vibrating at varying speeds and patterns. Mana, Essence, even significance fell under its umbrella. The Green Wilds then, with its Aria and Threnody, were a facet of that larger and more complex song. Felix wasn’t sure how much of that he believed, but it was a compelling idea. He was also positive that he was missing many pieces of the larger puzzle. He hadn’t known about Entropic energy either until recently, for instance.

Is there a spirit for Dissonance? Felix chewed the inside of his lip, mulling that over…only to realize he’d been silent for entirely too long. “Uh, so. The Grim it…joined with you and Yin? Like a Companion?”

“We entered into a bargain. It shares similarities with a Companion bond, but it is distinctly different. I cannot call upon the Grim for aid, nor can it summon me, but there is a mutual benefit nonetheless.” Vess rolled her glaive in her lap, and the heavy speartip flashed in the sunlight. “Its presence has affected me already.”

Felix frowned. “Like when I sent you the Withering Dust’s power?”

“No, thankfully not. My Skills remain unchanged but they are boosted, along with a significant bonus to two separate stats.”

"Oh, really?" Felix said. "I received something similar when the grim gave me a title. I assume because I ate a piece of whatever it had done to the Janus Hydra. Show me yours and I’ll show you mine?”

“How bold, Lord Nevarre.”

Felix smirked. “You know me…”

Simultaneously, they sent their Titles and recent notifications to one another.

Bargain Of Bark And Bite (Unique)

You have entered into a bargain with the Spirit of the Green Wilds! As such, a portion of all significance you earn henceforth will be sacrificed to the Grim Nightshade, and in return you gain access to the power hidden in the Wilds.

+200 AFI

+100 INE

+50 Levels To Draconic Bond!

+5 Levels To On The Wing

+5 Levels To The Spear Of Tribulations!

+5 Levels To The Fang Of Havoc!

+5 Levels To Draconic Stormfall!

+5 Levels To Matriarch's Lament!

On the Wing is level 98!

Spear of Tribulations is level 94!

Fang of Havoc is level 94!

Draconic Stormfall is level 93!

Matriarch's Lament is level 91!

Draconic Bond is level 22!

…

Draconic Bond is level 71!

Apprentice Tier!

You Gain:

+30 STR

+30 VIT

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

+30 AGL

Journeyman Tier!

You Gain:

+50 STR

+50 VIT

+50 AGL

“My Draconic Bond is the greatest boost, and the rest, as you see, all pushed well into the 90s.” Wonder rippled from her shoulders like sound from a plucked string. “I am so very close to Master Tier, and I cannot believe it.”

“Soon you’ll have to start forging your Pillars,” Felix said. “We should start worrying about that once your father is safe.”

Vess squeezed Felix’s leg, just above the knee. “Thank you. Yes I cannot imagine how much I might grow after the assault. The sudden stat gains from double Tiering my Bond Skill was heady enough, let alone reaching Master. I found myself swimming in them as part of the process of sealing the bargain.”

Felix smiled. “I’m happy for you. That’s an intense experience.”

“It was. Before Yin sequestered himself, he explained that even more would be coming once he'd Evolved, and part of me is afraid of how much I've changed already."

"Is Yin resting?"

“By successfully bargaining with the Grim, he has earned his first Evolution, but his people do such things in seclusion. I have not spoken with him these past twelve glasses, but I can feel a knot of power in my chest, where our bond resides. It tells me he is almost finished."

"I know how that goes," Felix said, glancing over at his Companion. Pit was sitting nearby in his Tyrant form, currently glowing like the aurora borealis. "Pit's almost done, too."

"As if waiting for his words, three notifications popped into Felix's vision.

2 Of 3 Skill Evolutions Complete!

Your Companion Has Evolved Breath of the Wild (L) Into Mercy of the Thorn (T)!

Level Has Been Retained!

Mercy Of The Thorn (Transcendent), Level 49!

You have walked from the refined air and into the depths of the forest thicket, where branch and bramble weave with light and shadow, life and death. By sacrificing a piece of your Health and Stamina, you may boost the regeneration of all targets within range. Status Conditions can also be removed from targets by absorbing them onto yourself. Range increases with Skill level.

Your Companion Has Evolved Dawn's Advent (E) Into Nimbus Of The Moon (T)!

Level Has Been Retained!

Nimbus Of The Moon (Transcendent), Level 82!The moons have stories beyond their rise and fall, and few gain their attention. You ride the winds and claim dominion over the skies…but the dawn is not all that shines. Invoke the light of the moon and drop beams upon your foes within range. Inflicts Moonlit Affliction, which impedes their Agility and limns them with moonlight, making them incapable of stealth.

ERROR!

Felix flinched, feeling a stab at his own core space that had nothing to do with his bond…and everything.

As This Final Evolution Involves You, Felix Nevarre, You Must Agree:

Do You Wish To Evolve Etheric Concordance (L)?

Y/N

Holy—Pit, you should’ve mentioned that. Felix winced as more power stabbed into the Skill he shared with his friend. Yes. Evolve it.

Evolution In Progress!

System energy burst through both him and Pit, scouring them across their bond, and Felix couldn’t help but double over in agony.

“Felix? What is happening?” Vess asked, coming to her feet.

“Pit…Skill evolution,” he managed through gritted teeth. “I’ll…be fine!”

He fell within himself, following the coursing surge of golden light, heavily streaked by deep black and vibrant crimson. A line of light had become visible, connecting Felix’s Etheric Concordance with its distant twin across the gulf of core spaces. The same aurora from his Mantle extended here, though it stopped somewhere in the middle, spitting sparks and thunder as if held back.

As if waiting.

Felix reached out, his Will and Intent shaping the thrust of his Skill as an answering flow of opalescent colors shot across the gap. They collided in the black and exploded into a perfectly circular shockwave that ripped backward across their bond, until it swept through Felix and Pit both.

Evolution Complete!

Your Companion Has Evolved Etheric Concordance (L) Into Exalted Conjunction (T)!

Level Has Been Retained!

Exalted Conjunction (Transcendent), Level 98!

Through trials and tribulations, your connection with your Companion has deepend beyond the domain of concordance. Using one another’s Skills is easier than ever, but consequences are the price of power. Your Aspects intertwine in ways as irreversible as they are potent. Whatever targets one of you, it is considered an attack on you both. Whatever injuries or Status Conditions are suffered are endured by both. However, all defenses and regenerations are determined by whomever has the higher total value.

All previous abilities of Etheric Concordance are retained.

All Choices Have Consequences.

A spike of pain followed by a release of joyful music hit Felix as Pit came out of his extended meditation. The Chimera chirruped and looked right at him.

"I did it!"

"So I saw.” Felix rubbed at his chest, though it did nothing for the lingering sting within. “You didn't tell me you were going to evolve our bond."

"It was a surprise," Pit said, tongue lolling from his giant beak. "It's…good, right?"

Felix glanced over at it again. "Good’s an understatement, bud. With this, we'll be harder to stop than ever."

"You’re not worried about the risks?" Pit asked. He dug a claw into the stone beneath him, scoring a hole with its sharp crystalline talon. He looked like a kid who got caught breaking a lamp. "If we get hurt, it’ll hurt both of us. I didn’t think that would happen."

"That’s a big ‘if,’ bud. If this means we're sharing our highest defenses, then the chances of that are pretty slim.” In Felix’s estimation, it meant he had to worry about his friend even less than before.

“Not to mention, sharing your Skills is a potent boon," Vess added. "It is little wonder the gods are worried about you two."

Felix shared a grin with Pit, who trilled happily. "Well, we had enough trouble dealing with the Janus Hydra, and that wasn't even a real Paragon monster.” Vess had explained to him that the Grim Nightshade had temporarily boosted its power somehow, but even a false Paragon had taken all they had and more to defeat. "I’m not ready for gods. Yet."

Vess’ expression hardened. "What about the Grandmaster Hierei?"

"Him?" Felix squeezed her hand. “Piece of cake.”

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