Unbound

As Felix rushed out of the Shadowgate and into Nagast, it had been a little more than a day since he had left.

That wasn’t why he was running.

"Shut it down!”

His Citadel responded promptly, and the center of the Shadowgate abruptly lost cohesion. Felix stood, eyes straining at the dark for a long pair of minutes before allowing himself a breath of relief. He straightened his jacket and smoothed back his hair.

"Goddamn Whalemaw!"

The monster had found him, faster than the last time. He was positive now that it could track him across any distance in the Void, and unless he figured out a way to greatly reinforce his journeys, he'd have to swear off using Shadowgates entirely. And, if he wanted his plan to work at all, that was unacceptable.

"You're back!" Pit ran in, still in Dire Hound form, and barreled into Felix's chest with a mighty leap.

"Hey, bud." Behind him, Karys and Zara followed, walking with a bit more decorum.

"Felix, it is good to see you,” the Chancellor said warmly.

"No, we were in fact having a delightful little breakfast and discussing a number of issues in the city when your Chancellor detected your return," Zara said.

"That," Karys sighed. "And it was hard to ignore Pit's charge through the Temple."

Despite nearly facing the Whalemaw again, that brought a smile to Felix's face.

“Did I hear you correctly, however? You encountered the corrupted Narhollow again?"

"I did. It was quick. About a quarter of my way through the gate, it burst through the protections of my Skill and came after me. I think the only reason I was able to get away from it was because of the Skill, its Divine rank, and the crown. Without those things…I don't know.”

“You’d be whale food," Pit added.

Felix frowned. “Maybe.”

For her part, Zara had been growing paler the longer he spoke. "Facing that monstrosity is not something I would wish on anyone. Could you not use the sealing arrays to hide your presence, the ones we've used in the past?"

"They only kind of worked before. The Whalemaw still found us. Felix is also Master Tier with strength well beyond that label," Karys pointed out. "I do not know that he can hide any longer."

"That is fair," Zara said. "The Whalemaw seems to be operating on a Harmonic level as it hunts for you. Like unto like. You said it devoured a significant portion of the Maw's power, yes?"

"Most of it, from what I know.”

“Can you not reclaim it?"

Hunger roared to life in Felix's belly, a primal surge of enthusiasm that he had to spend actual Willpower on to suppress. Outwardly, he only let out a wince. "Maybe. And maybe it’ll reclaim me. I don't know who'd win that fight, and that doesn't make me want to try and pick it at this moment."

"I knew I should have come along," Pit said. "I would have kicked his fishy butt."

Felix scratched his Companion's ears, earning a chirrup and a rapidly kicking leg. "You would have enjoyed fighting the Princes, at least."

"Oh yeah, how'd that go?"

Felix gave his friends the quick details. It was nice and brief. "Like I said, it took me a day."

"Primarch? Fancy, fancy," Pit barked.

"Congratulations on your growing Authority, Felix," said Karys.

"Indeed, it is pleasing to know that your experiment was a success. Sadly, we can't expect such quick results from every Territory. The Ghreldon Hills—sorry—Gharion's fractured nature helped you in that regard. All other Territories I know of are far more cohesive," Zara pointed out.

“Hmm. We’ll see, I guess.” He refocused on the real issue. The Whalemaw was an obstacle that they needed to overcome, or at least learn to bypass more effectively. "Karys?"

"Yes?"

"What would another update to the Heart of Shadows do?”

“Considering the last gave you access to the Pool of Halcyon Oaths, I cannot imagine. Perhaps improve one or both?"

"It would be an improvement. The system does not lie about such things. But do you hope to have it protect you from the Whalemaw?" Zara asked.

"Maybe. You think it's worth a shot?"

"It's a gamble, but one that is yours to make, Felix."

Thanks to his Banner Raised Title, he still had two upgrades available for Elderthrone. Felix had debated a bit for which ones to consider, especially now that he had a Sanctum, but improvements to the Shadowgates seemed a no-brainer. If it worked.

"Pit?"

His Companion shrugged. "I'd apply it to the Librarium."

"Now that is an idea. Upgrades to the Librarium tend to be reflected by processing speed, which would aid us in gathering information. I do agree, however, that the greater benefit lies with the Heart of Shadows," Karys said at last. "Right now, with the gods moving against the Unbound, we need mobility."

Felix spared a few more moments considering his options, but he was always angling toward this. He needed it, if he were to make his plans work.

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

0 Of 2 Upgrades Selected!

Make Your Choices!

You Have Selected Your Librarium!

Are You Sure?

Yes.

A ripple of magic expanded outward from him, sweeping through the Heart of Shadows and into the chamber beyond. There, his Seat and Seal rang out, chiming with a series of ascending notes so pure they drew tears from Felix's eyes. It wasn't emotional, but physical as the music crescendoed into a swelling Harmony and sizzling Dissonance. Together, they formed a sound greater than the sum of their parts, and in a moment, it swept through Felix's Territory, drawing goosebumps from his skin.

Tier V Librarium > Tier VI Librarium!

All Patrons Gain 10% Increase In Reading Comprehension!

All Patrons Gain 10% Increase In Reading Speed!

Capacity Increased!

Physical Entrance To Librarium Granted To Trusted Patrons!

Physical entrance..? Now that's interesting.

Previously, the Librarium existed as just a sort of virtual bookshelf where copies were stored. He could pull physical copies out to read, but that was it. Now it would allow people in, apparently. Which meant there was an actual physical space where it existed.

"Oh I have to check this out," Pit said. “Do you think it'll have comfy chairs? I really hope so!"

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Felix grinned and chose his next upgrade.

You Have Selected Your Heart Of Shadows!

Are You Sure?

Yes.

Again, the Citadel around him shifted in a way he couldn't quite put a finger on. The hub thrummed with power, and traceries of light pulsed through the chamber, flowing among the sigaldry like blood through flesh. The Shadowgates shimmered, the darkness within them thickening without activating, growing richer and more textured.

Ten feet away, the floor split, not with a crack but a whisper, as a purple Belais crystal rose from beneath as if it had always been there. The faceted surface gleamed in the light of sigaldry, throwing off gold and silver reflections before welling with its own internal radiance. A fog of Mana vapor rose up from the crystal, catching the light in a bright display that clarified into a map.

Just like the 3D map in Gharion. Felix stepped closer as the hum around him died away.

Unlike the building schematics he’d seen before, this looked a lot like a subway tunnel map, with colored lines extending outward in complicated patterns from a central point marked with an eighteen-point star. The lines terminated various distances from the star, spread in nine different directions, and he quickly made the connection. The star was Elderthrone…and the lines were the Shadowgates themselves. Most notably, however, was another star, set to the bottom right of the map. There, a smaller set of lines extended, though these were grayed out.

Tier V Heart Of Shadows > Tier VI Heart Of Shadows!

Connections Between Shadowgates Strengthened!

Protections Between Paired Shadowgates Increased By 10%!

A Secondary Heart Of Shadows Has Been Connected To Your Network!

"My word, a secondary Heart of Shadows!" Karys's armor was almost vibrating with his excitement, and even Zara looked pleased.

"Where is it located?" she asked. "And where does it connect to? This could increase our reach by an order of magnitude."

Felix studied the Shadowgate map before closing his eyes. He held it in his Mind and summoned his memory of the Continental map forward. The colored lines had no real background, existing entirely separate from physical space, but as he overlapped them slowly in his Mind, they began to make sense. They didn't quite match, requiring Felix to fiddle with their scale and positioning over and over before he had something that looked likely.

"Jaast," Felix said, guessing. "It's the only pattern that fits the scale, unless it's actually miles underwater."

"That would be inconvenient," Zara admitted, "but not untenable. Enough water can be moved. I think the two of us working together with a few Chanters could make any landing safe enough."

Felix rubbed his chin. "How likely is it that you've routed out all of the bad elements from the Cantus?"

Zara sighed. "All Chanters implicated in the attack have been collected and are being thoroughly questioned by a tribunal.”

“Even the ringleader? This Anguin?”

“No.” She closed her eyes. “Anguin was found dead. His murder has all the hallmarks of a Sworn assassination.”

Karys reached out a golden hand and laid it on her shoulder. Zara smiled gently at the metal giant. “We have no reason to suspect any of the others, and doing so publicly will squander good relations with the rest."

Felix clenched his jaw, thinking on what they did to his city and people. "Is it petty of me to say I don't care?"

That earned him a sharp glare. "You should. They are capable people, not just in battle, but that, too. If you wish your plan to work, if you wish any of this to work, then we need as many of the Chanters on our side as we can get."

Felix scrubbed at his face with his palms. "I know. I’m just—I’m angry, Zara. I’m angry that anyone could step into my home and do what Teine and the rest did. And this upgrade doesn't solve my issues like I hoped. Maybe the new hub could..." His eyes caught on the projected map. "The lines aren't straight."

"What?" Zara asked.

"The connections between the Shadowgates, they aren't straight or smooth." Felix stepped closer, as if that mattered. He could already see all the details clearly. "They branch out, just a little, here and there.”

“Like roots,” Karys said, peering closer himself.

"So they do. Perhaps it is a feature of liminal space between Realms," Zara suggested.

Felix’s thoughts flickered back bare hours, roving over his experiences in Gharion and the research facilities. They had all been connected by the roots of a Spirit Tree as well.

"Holy shit. Karys, the Shadowgates are paired sets, right?"

"...Correct.”

“And one side can't be affected by the other side, in the case of destruction or repair.”

“Also correct. I believe it to be a defensive mechanism."

Felix started pacing. When he repaired the research facilities, Abundance had grown stronger, too. She was the network connecting them, and he'd seen improvements on the other facilities whenever he repaired one. Could the Shadowgates be connected on that far deeper level, too?

"Atlantes.”

His own connection with the Spirit Tree was always present when he was in Elderthrone, like having a friend always two steps away. The moment he gathered the Intent to speak, Felix could hear the Spirit Tree rouse. There was a change in the air, a creaking from the roots in the nearby antechamber, echoing through the cavernous chamber.

"Atlantes. Is what I imagined possible?"

He pressed his thoughts toward the tree, unsure if it would even translate properly. But hoping.

"Felix, what are you talking about?"

He waved off Zara's questions and listened. The creaking turned to groans and soft rustlings. A sense of slow and steady consideration filtered through his Affinity before becoming something somehow brighter.

A leaf unfurled before the sun. It was splashed with rain and chewed by insects…but it flourished, still.

The Spirit Tree's Intent filled Felix's Mind, translating itself as strange emotions. Atlantes was unsure, but was willing to help.

Authority Recognized!

Elder Spirit Tree Acknowledged!

Do You Wish To Bind The Atlantes Anima To Your Heart Of Shadows?

WARNING!

This Binding Is Irrevokable.

All Choices Have Consequences.

Y/N

Felix laughed and shared the details with the others. Karys was flabbergasted, to say the least, and Zara pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"The warning the System gives you is apt. We cannot know the result of such a binding, as tempting as this seems.”

“In my time," Karys said, "The Spirit Trees were relied upon for more than their auras and their fruit. They were wise. Atlantes is young, but it carries within it the memories of its ancestors, buried in its bark and roots and sap. I am reluctant to risk its safety, but if it agrees to this, I will not hesitate.”

Zara inclined her head, but her Spirit betrayed her eagerness, slipping through her control like a blade from a sheath, sharp and ready. “Then I cannot gainsay it. There is wisdom in the earth."

"How about it, Atlantes?" Felix asked. "I can't make this decision for you."

The earth groaned around them, and pieces of stone fell from the ceiling. A wave of slightly annoyed affirmation rolled across him like a landslide.

"Okay, geez, I hear you." Felix licked his lips. "Here goes nothing."

Yes. Bind the Atlantes Anima to the Heart of Shadows.

The notification vanished with a sound not unlike the crashing of waves, or perhaps cymbals rolling in the vast distance. Felix twitched, rubbing at his arms. Ants, or what felt like them, crawled across his skin, burrowing through him as a cold clung to his bones. Sudden, agonizing pain bypassed every resistance he'd ever had, and he knew just as abruptly that it was because he’d made this choice.

He’d allowed the pain in.

It drilled through to the center of him as all nine Shadowgates pulsed. A familiar, resonant roaring came through the portal to Gharion, but Felix could barely spare a moment to worry. He was filled by a sensation of stretching, a piece of him pressing down deeper through unyielding stone, as if his awareness was being shaken by the force of the earth, somehow tied to the Atlantes itself.

Another roar tore through the Shadowgate, and this one shook the room like an oncoming avalanche.

Fucking Whalemaw!

Roots colored with streaks of every known hue burst from above, growing at an incredible speed. Felix cried out, feeling the roots tear through not the chamber but himself. Liquid smoke curled off their ends as they plunged into the Belais crystal at the room's center. Magenta crystals shot up alongside them, bursting into a fan of faceted nodes.

With a gasp of finalized pain, it was done.

The Shadowgates shut down all at once, and the Whalemaw's roar was cut off once again. Karys walked forward, his steps light as he approached the new interface of the Belais crystal. The map of the hub came up at once, now showing the connections between the gates as marked in a brilliant white bordered by gold, touched occasionally by a flashing rainbow sheen.

"I do believe that worked. But not in the way you hoped, Felix," Karys pointed to the map and the readings listed. There were a lot of numbers and sigils indicating something. It didn't make sense to Felix.

"The gates are not strengthened, then?" Zara asked.

"In a sense, they still remain temperamental, but these readings... Felix, the Atlantes Anima has breached the other side," Karys said. A laugh that surprised even Karys bubbled up through his metallic chest. "Somehow, it has smoothed out the thresholds."

"Wait, other side? You mean the paired gates? The ones that are all broken?" Felix's excitement ratcheted upward until it threatened to burst from him. "All of them?"

"All of them," Zara was already moving through the room rapidly, checking the gates and the scrawl of sigildry along their bases. "The markers for incomplete connections have vanished."

"Hot damn," Pit erupted. “Does that mean we can go anywhere?"

"Anywhere the gates may lead," Karys confirmed. Felix couldn't help the grin that stretched his face. “They're still temperamental, and these are far more likely to have voidbeast intrusions than others, but they are entirely viable now."

Voidbeasts. Felix glanced back at the Gharion Shadowgate. The Whalemaw had still been there, waiting when it opened. But Felix had one last move.

One more chance to improve their odds.

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