Unbound

Time passed and the evening stretched into true night as Felix progressed through the movements that Darius had drilled into him. He performed each movement slowly, tamping down his stats so much that his limbs quivered from the strain.

He stepped through Owl, a Sword Form designed for slow, deliberate movements and precise control. He tested the practiced movements over and over, seeking not perfection but fluidity. Felix needed to be able to move properly or else all of his new stats were wasted. He couldn’t be sending himself flying whenever he threw a punch.

Eventually though, he exhausted Owl and moved on to Falcon, the Second Form. Like all Sword Forms, control was of the utmost importance but unlike Owl, Falcon focused entirely on speed. He kept his Strength reined in but pressed his Agility with each strike and thrust. The Second Form was a deadly dance that only grew deadlier as he progressed, the first testing lunges replaced by lightning-fast maneuvers. The air started to pull at him, resisting his Body as it transitioned between steps, but he only sped up. Tiles cracked beneath his heavy tread and pieces of the roof snapped and sagged as he unleashed a flurry of strikes, until he was no more than a blur of pale skin and gleaming Crescian Bronze.

Third Form. Eagle.

A Form dedicated to strong, sweeping movements and powerful strikes, Felix unveiled his Strength. He kicked out, collapsing another portion of the tower roof and launching himself.

Sonata of Dominance!

He ascended into the sky.

His Skill reverberated from his core space, sounded by Affinity and shaped by his Intent as it spiraled out of the Mana Gates in his feet. All around him, the Mana in the air froze as his Will claimed it…before marshaling into hardened platforms to bear him aloft. Felix kicked off one and then another, changing direction in mid-air as his sword never once faltered.

Sonata of Dominance was a hungry Skill, Felix had discovered. His store of Essence and Mana burned steadily, and though his Mana regenerated at ridiculous rates, the same couldn’t be said for his Essence. Still, manipulating all of the air around himself required little power.

He pushed his limits, now not simply exercising his Body but his Spirit. Sonata of Dominance flared and his Will was sent outward until it stopped some two hundred feet away in all directions.

Whoa, that’s a lot.

Sonata of Dominance (Transcendent), Level 115!

You have discerned a depth to the elements that few have ever noticed, and you tread closer to Ruin. Stake a claim to the elemental Mana around you, seizing a radius of increased control. All other Mana types are sensed and controlled at half strength. Requires Mana and Essence to use. Sing, Ascendent, sing and let rage the ancient threnodies of war.

He kicked off another cushion of air, slashing his crooked blade before him and attempted something new. He grasped the air Mana and poured his power into it, sounding the deep vibrations inherent in all matter—and twisted. Essence and Mana fed into his Skill, consumed as the air sparked and crackled, turning into a burgeoning bolt of blue-white lightning. His Skill hummed, a high, pleasant note that acted as counterpoint to the sharp crack of thunder the lightning left behind.

Not too much Essence and Mana lost on that. Lightning is close to air, it seems. He shifted his Intent, focusing instead upon another element with which he’d long grown familiar. This time, though, a considerable chunk of Essence and Mana vanished in a great heaving burst—and the air around him condensed into a spinning ring of granite.

Astrum Ascendence!

He flared his Skills once more, and the granite turned to slick, green crystal…and immediately plummeted.

Gah! Too much!

Adamant Discord!

Empyrean Embrace!

Tethers of lightning caught the ring before it could fall too far, and Felix consumed it. Mana and a thin thread of Essence returned to him, nowhere near the cost of its construction, but at least it wouldn’t fall on someone.

He solidified the air again, resting a moment. Test successful, I guess.

It had taken him a large amount of power to transform air Mana into stone Mana, which was what Felix had suspected. He regretted exactly how much, but that could be solved by hunting some strong monsters. It was clear though, that he could freely change Mana from one element to another for a cost. The further away the element was from what was present around him, the more Essence and Mana it would cost him to shape but the sheer versatility was potent.

I did it. A combination of my shaping Skills. He still had other experiments to try, other combinations to test, but this was a solid start. He kicked off the air platform, leading with a knee and out-thrust sword. Keep going!

The steps of Eagle Form were wide and seemed to riddle himself with openings that a competent opponent could capitalize on…but it was a Form designed to take on a crowd of enemies or one very large foe, often with others to cover for you. Alone, it was perhaps a foolish Form to fall into…unless you had the stats to back it up.

Sheer Strength covered many flaws.

In time he descended from the night sky, muscles aching and skin slick with sweat. The stiff breezes of late spring stole the majority of the heat that boiled from his head and shoulders, replacing it with cool comfort. He touched down on the somewhat disheveled tower roof and sheathed his sword.

Hey Pit?

Hmm?

What time is it?

His Companion, located somewhere in the hulking mass of the Citadel, shuffled about. He rustled through what sounded like papers. Felix quirked a brow. Are you transmitting the sounds around you?

What? Oh, yeah, I guess I am. Didn’t know I could do that.

Me either.That could be useful in the future.

Probably! It’s almost midnight, by the way.

Thanks, bud.

What’re you doing this late?

Training.

Psh, boring.

You’ll be joining me tomorrow then.

Gah. I still have so many books to go through!

Felix waved his hand. You’ve got helpers. Let them help.

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His Companion had spent the last day sorting through the various libraries of Pax’Vrell, placing each book into the Primary Beacon that Felix had placed within Scalebreaker Citadel. This copied the text, allowing anyone with access to one of his Primary or Secondary Beacons to read them at their leisure. A perfect way to share information across vast distances.

Pit sighed. Fine.

I’ll find you tomorrow, then.

Felix dimmed his bond with Pit, reducing their awareness of one another to something of a low burn. They were never fully separate, not since they’d first formed their bond, but this way they didn’t annoy each other with stray thoughts and feelings.

He took a deep breath, banishing the traces of exhaustion as his Stamina topped itself off. He’d worked hard for several hours apparently, but Felix finally felt balanced again. In the corner of his vision, an alert was impatiently blinking at him. He tabbed it open and watched as notifications populated his display.

Stride of the King is level 103!

…

Stride of the King is level 108!

Sonata of Dominance is level 116!

Astrum Ascendence is level 116!

Felix basked in the glow of System energy that flowed through him, this time not pushing his stats but sinking deep into his Skills. He frowned, only slightly annoyed that his Wild Threnody hadn’t made the leap into Master Tier.

“Level 99 to 100 is such a pain,” he muttered. Flaring Stride of the King, Felix swept his blade into a high guard. It felt perfectly natural and he had zero problems maintaining a balance of Strength and Agility. The roof barely even creaked. “I’ll probably have to fight something nasty to push it any higher. I suppose I don’t really need the small boost from Master Tier quite yet.”

“Small” was relative, of course, to the immense flood of stats he’d just received. Each Skill that had reached Master Tier had given him a surprisingly large amount of stats, enough that it made him almost regret that so many of his Skills had combined. Imagine how much stronger I’d be with a dozen other Skills Tiering up?

Karys had told him it would be like that, as had Zara; Master Tier was another realm apart from the Lesser Tiers, as some called them. It was why Masters were so feared on the battlefield or anywhere else. Quite separate from their Tempered Skills, the sheer amount of stats a Master could bring to bear was frightening—and Felix left a normal Master in the dust.

“Good thing you can keep up with me, huh?” he said, holding up his sword. Its bronze surface glinted with captured starlight, each groove and divot marked by a streak of ethereal radiance. The sword had served him well for over a year, ever since he’d found it on the corpse of a Henaari Matriarch. It was a strange shape, close to what he’d known on Earth as a khopesh but a bit more angular, but it was wickedly sharp and made of a near-indestructible metal called Crescian Bronze.

All of that, and the sword also granted him extra Authority over the ruins of the Nymean civilization. Inheritor’s Will, it was called. A sword that had once belonged to the Herald, a being that was known by several names but most importantly as the final Empress of the Nym.

“But you’re not the only relic from her, are you?” he asked. There was no answer, of course, just the wind driving from the south. Felix chewed his lip. “Right. Been putting this off for a while.”

From a pouch strapped to his waist he pulled free three fist-sized chunks of Crescian Bronze, each slightly curved and made up of distinct bars that had been interwoven into a strange, almost dizzying pattern.

The First, Second, and Third Fragments of the Crown of Elysium.

He’d received the first after claiming Khalheim in the north, and the second was rescued from the Vault of Nine Kings. The third and final Fragment, however, had dropped into his lap the moment he laid claim to the Kingdom of Pax’Vrell.

Quest Complete!

The Path Of Empire!

Many are the benefits of empire, and many are their enemies. Secure a total of 4 Territories under your banner and gain a reward worthy of the ancient emperors. Beware, for the higher you climb, the greater the winds that will attempt to force you from the Golden Path. Unification may be your destiny, but violence is your birthright. Gird yourself, Felix Nevarre!

4/4 Territories Secured

Rewards:

+XP

+Title(s)

+Advanced Authority

+Third Fragment

That had been the notification that came upon him the moment he’d claimed the Seat and Seal of Pax’Vrell, but instead of a rush of Titles and XP, all he had received was the final Fragment of the Crown. Felix hadn’t really had the time to investigate why that was, or how to finish the Quest—until now.

Hidden Question Updated!

Restore The Crown!

The Crown of Elysium has been lost since its bearers were faced with Ruin. Pieces of it have been scattered across the Continent, hidden away so that the forces arrayed against the Golden Empire could not destroy them, too. By taking the Throne of Khalheim, claiming the Territory of Nagast, and resurrecting Ahkestria and the Leviathan Depths, you have proven yourself worthy of bearing the First Fragment. By freeing the Superior Elemental from bondage, you have proven yourself worthy of bearing the Second Fragment. Finally, by defying Siva, Goddess of Fortune, and reclaiming the Seat and Seal of Pax’Vrell you have proven yourself worthy of bearing the Third Fragment.

Unite them, Ascendant, and return that which was Lost.

Rewards:

+Authority

+Title

+Varies

That had popped up too, though again it hadn’t actually rewarded him anything. Felix sat down, leaning against the thick spike that emerged from the center of the tower’s roof and laid out the three Fragments between his legs. He scratched his head.

“So I just…connect them?” Felix wondered aloud. He’d tried that before with just two pieces but it hadn’t worked. Maybe with three though…?

He studied the Fragments but it was easy to see how they went together. They were all curved and featured a thicker portion in the middle before tapering off at the ends. He rearranged them, lining up the sides and the complicated patterns etched into their surfaces as best he could.

“Here goes nothing—”

Felix pressed them together.

Nothing happened.

“—and nothing is what I get.” Felix leaned back against the spike and breathed out his frustration. He checked over the Quest again. “Blah blah, earned it here, defying Siva…proven myself worthy, huh? Then why not just work? Why—”

His eyes caught on the last line.

Unite them, Ascendent, and return that which was Lost.

“Oh jeez. Now I feel stupid.” Felix collected the Fragments together again, carefully holding them in place so that all their parts lined up. He reached into his core space and sounded a Skill he rarely used thanks to its strict requirements. “Unite the Lost.”

Significance bled from his core space in slow streamers, dissolving from the darkness as if condensing from nothing. It poured into his Skill, visualized as a massive planet sitting far closer to his cores than he realized. The pattern thrummed, its unique composition sending vibrations like slivers of golden pain into his neck and jaw.

In his hands, the Fragments began to glow. Yet they did not combine.

They bucked in his grasp, and were Felix any weaker he imagined they would have been flung into the night. As it was the Crescian Bronze cut into his palms, drawing blood and fouling his grip even further. His Skill thrummed again, louder this time. Pain shot down his arms as if metal were being driven beneath his skin, through his muscle and into his bones.

The Fragments groaned, shaking against one another, and it was all he could do to hold on. It was as if the pieces were fighting against him.

As if—

The stars went out. Vanished in an instant, as if something smothered their light…or stood in its way.

The Fragments groaned, metal distorting. They weren’t fighting against him. Something else was.

A vast presence unfurled against the black, darker somehow than the emptiness of the Void, and it writhed against the fabric of the world. Felix looked up. He saw it.

A liquid darkness.

A flame without light or sound or name.

An unending wave, possessing neither mercy nor remorse. Only the savage promise of utter destruction.

Distant, so far as to be an echo of a memory, a song kindled in the dark. It rang out, gold and silver and deep azure, spiraling through him.

Felix. I—I’m Felix.

In that mere instant, he had forgotten everything…save for the song. It beat at him, painful once more, a melody woven with Harmony and rife with buzzing Dissonance. A candle flame against an ocean of pitch…but it was enough.

Unite the Lost caught, and Crescian Bronze surged with metallic light.

Unite the Lost is level 96!

…

Unite the Lost is level 99!

Power tore outward in a concussive wave that tore apart what remained of the tower’s roof as a blaze ignited in his hands. Felix looked down, squinting through the brilliance to witness the metal join together once more. The pattern sealed, forming a crown with three prominent tines and dozens of star-shapes all centered around a blank portion that would sit front and center.

You Have Received The Crown Of Elysium!

XP Earned!

Quest(s) Complete!

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