Unbound

Zara had performed a ritual for Felix twice now, one that had expanded and amplified his connection to the other Unbound.

He planned to use it once again.

Previously, it had taken a while to form. The inscriptions alone took at least an hour. They included some specialized sigaldry regarding all three Aspects and the standard elements. But for months now, Felix had felt the barrier between him and the other Unbound had strengthened. They were hidden from him somehow. To break through that interference, this attempt would require more than any other.

He had put some thought into it and thanks to his Magus of the Grand Design already had a general framework figured out, but there were gaps in his knowledge. Working together with the other Chanters was crucial, and Laur and Tzfell each offered their own unique perspective on the formation.

“What time is it?” he asked, after they’d penned their third iteration of the array. It was coming together, slowly.

“Two glasses until dawn,” Laur reported.

“Still early, but it’s worth it.” He gripped his sword and sent his Will questing across it. "Karys. Sorry about how late it is, but I have a question for you."

As old as he was, the Chancellor of Nagast had insight into many things and Felix respected the big guy’s Mind. Most importantly though, Karys could get Zara on the line. He hoped the Chanter would be able to give him some further direction on their formation, or at least corroborate their methods. His only worry, and why he’d waited so long into the process to call, was that the Continent was huge and Nagast was in an entirely different time zone. As far as Felix could figure, Elderthrone was several hours behind Pax’Vrell at the very least. Karys didn’t sleep, but Zara certainly did. “Karys? Are you there?”

The blade pulsed, the somewhat tinny ring of its connection questing outwards as usual…but no one answered. Felix frowned and released his sword. It had never failed before. He put his hands on his hips and frowned down at their scrawled paperwork.

“Probably, it’s just…Karys always answers,” he said, gesturing to his sword.

“He could be consumed by any number of tasks,” Laur suggested, though he seemed worried too.

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Felix’s Mind forayed down several terrible avenues before he pulled back, unwilling to consider worst case scenarios right then. The urge to hop through the Shadowgate and check was strong, but he had things to do here and now.

He shook himself and set his worries aside. Karys was strong and responsible; he knew how to handle himself. Moreover, Zara and Atar and even the other Chanters were there. The chance that he’d rush home just to find a minor issue resolved was high, and he had to trust others to handle themselves. He would be heading home soon anyway, and he’d bring up the matter with his Chancellor then.

He went back to work.

They worked through the darkest parts of the night, sketching out diagrams over and over before they ever committed to the final design. Once done, they set to inscribing it. Due to the complexity of what they were attempting, Felix estimated that would take the better part of three hours.

“I’ll go and fetch the last of what we need,” Felix said, massaging his lower back. Leaning over the floor and inscribing minute sigils took it out of even the greatest Bodies. “I need to stretch my legs anyway. Do you need me to send up food?”

“Mm,” Laur said, stylus clenched between his teeth as another worked at a complicated orbital design on the far left of the chamber.

“Food would be delightful, my Lord,” Tzfell said.

“Alright, I’ll see to it.”

The halls of the Citadel were well-appointed and immaculately clean, even after their extended fights through them not two days prior. Felix had a lot of respect for the folks that worked as maids and butlers and who knew what else in the hidden corridors of the place. He’d once worked in a hotel when he was younger, and the amount of work a housekeeper had to do on a daily basis was wild—and that was just in a hotel with a few hundred rooms. He couldn’t imagine the army of people needed to clean up after an entire fortress.

As he passed a bank of windows facing eastward, Felix paused to appreciate the rising sun. It gleamed off the city like scattered gold and ignited the sky into pale blues as it stretched across the world. The Citadel was quiet around him and he hadn’t seen a servant yet, but he could hear the scufflings of polished shoes on hidden floors behind the walls. Soon everyone would wake, and the day’s chaos would begin. The servants were no doubt hustling about to stoke fires, prepare breakfasts, and ready a thousand other tasks most would consider menial. For now, however, there was quiet.

He appreciated it.

The Citadel was large and its layout was odd, but it wasn’t too confusing, especially not when you had a Master Tier Mind. One thing no one ever mentioned about Tempering was how acute his thinking would become, and sometimes it was an effort to calm his thoughts. Still, it made navigating labyrinthine halls a piece of cake.

Still, the place was huge, and by the time Felix made his way down to the training yards, dawn had fully broken. The first hints of a sweltering late spring day lingered in the slanted sunlight, baking the stone walls and beaten dirt before him. Felix paused atop a covered balcony, drawing his Perception across the expansive grounds. The training yards in Pax’Vrell were perhaps more elaborate than anywhere else he'd seen, and it made sense. The city was ruled by a society of warriors—and they took their training very seriously.

Several acres were segmented into discrete areas with walls of scaled coral stone. Golems were everywhere, used as targets or opponents depending on the venue. The largest of the training yards was what they called the Wyrm's Lair. It was a series of obstacle courses, similar in concept to the one in Elderthrone but designed to accommodate a dozen people at a time. Hurdles, balance beams, climbing walls abounded, as well as blades mounted to rotating bars and heavy, steel-clad posts that swung from above. At the far end, the course extended vertically, rising up a climbing wall that was at least two hundred feet high.

Dragoons moved across the course with varying degrees of ease, and more than a few were laid out on the ground around it, groaning in pain while figures in green-gold robes checked them over.

Set right against the obstacle course was a semi-enclosed maze shrouded in thick shadows and even a faint mist in places. Felix eyed the thing, watching as Dragoons entered slowly, moving from shadow to shadow as they progressed toward the center of the maze.

Oh, it’s a stealth test. Felix spotted several low Tier Wood Golems hidden in alcoves through the maze, and whenever one of the Dragoons was spotted they were immediately grabbed and hurled from a side passage. They’ve gotta get to the center without being noticed by the Golems. That’s pretty great.

Despite the early hour, there were quite a few Dragoons and Drakengard making use of the facilities. Dozens in the Wyrm’s Lair alone, and all of them throwing themselves into training. It shouldn't have surprised Felix; many of the Drakengard and Dragoons had been locked into a vile Oath against their Will that turned them against their people. It was clear they all had something to prove, to themselves if no one else.

Next to the Wyrm’s Lair was the Sky Pool, a wide, shallow pond filled with raised stone plinths. The plinths were barely higher than the water level itself, which was almost supernaturally still in the warm morning air. Dozens of Dragoons sat on top of them, legs folded neatly and arms carefully collected in their laps. It looked like a place for meditation…at least until he spotted ripples in the water.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He activated his Manasight and quickly spotted waves of air Mana flowing from a few of the Dragoons. They were manipulating the air around them in a primitive sort of way, venting Mana from their Gates and into the water.

Why? he wondered. Are they trying to learn a Skill? Or is it just—oh.

One of the Dragoons near the front vented his Mana in sharp, staccato waves that propelled the water around him in perfect, concentric ripples. Understanding dawned on Felix. They’re practicing control. They don’t have a Skill for air manipulation, so they’re simply pushing out their Mana in controlled bursts. Huh. That’s pretty genius. Does it help level their various air-related Skills? I should ask Vess.

Dragoons focused primarily on air-attuned cores, though occasionally there were those who had attuned to two elements, such as Vess. But from what she’d told him that was relatively rare. Felix supposed it would be useful training, especially at the lower Tiers, and made a mental note to bring it up with Darius.

The last area, and perhaps the most frequented, was the Dragon's Roost. It was an arena, complete with seating around it, where Dragoons and aspirants to the order sparred against Golems. Pretty similar to the small combat arena beneath Haarwatch, except as Felix walked down the balcony for a better look, he noticed their Golems were very different. They were quadrupedal and long, often with tails, wings, and fought with tooth and claw.

They looked like Dragons.

He watched the fights for a while, noting how well the Golems matched a certain kind of animalistic ferocity that he’d seen in many kinds of beasts. It was clear, however, that the low Tier Wood Golems he watched were not patterned after true Dragons, but lesser draconic Types. The low ranking Dragoons in the arena struggled against two of them, but did not quit. It was entertaining, at least.

After a while, though, Felix felt his senses catch on something else. Pieces of the ground and walls sang to his senses and his Authority stirred. He accessed his Authority Screen and sure enough, under the Dragon Roost section it listed an inactive option: Flight Training.

Flight Training: 225 Mana/Hour, Challenge Yourself And Your Bonded Dragon With An Obstacle Course. Modified.

He could see how the walls and flooring could open up and release the Flight Training course from below. Felix imagined that it had not seen use in many, many years.

The Wood Golems finally fell, and the Dragoons limped back out of the arena. Harn was there on the sidelines and though far away, Felix walked a bit closer and focused his Perception. Their words drifted to him, clear as a bell.

"A bit too fast on the approach," Harn was saying. "The point ain't always pure speed, but timing. Evie, you ready for a go?"

"Always, old man." Evie hopped down from the stands where she'd been watching. "Mind if our friends join?" The four Eidolon Exults clomped after her, and Felix smiled. He'd wondered where they'd gone.

Harn, for his part, just shrugged. "I don't see why not." He idly poked at a shimmering crystal set into the wall. It flashed, and a series of displays ticked over above it. "I'm sending out fifteen Iron Golems."

The Dragoons around him gasped, and one of those that just came back in from the arena spoke up. "Master Kastos, that is too many. Even with Golems of her own to aid her, these are mere Stone types. They're big, but they cannot withstand the fury of an Iron."

"Then I suppose this’ll be a short match," he said.

As Evie and the Eidolons walked into the arena, doors opened at the far end, releasing a full squad of Iron Golems. As with the Wooden kind, each was designed to look like an overlarge lizard, quadrupedal and thick across the chest and hindquarters. Heavy iron plating covered their bodies like massive scales, and sharpened steel spikes clung to their spines, knees, and elbows. Each one was twice the overall size of an Eidolon, and Felix had to admit they were intimidating. They roared, and it sounded like vibrating metal plates.

Evie barked a laugh and unlimbered her two chains. They crashed to the ground hard enough that Felix imagined he could feel the thump. The Eidolons took up a stance to either side of her, arms at their sides and looking completely at ease. Felix's smile turned sharp. He could hear their Spirits from the steps where he stood, and they were eager, excited even.

"Begin," Harn said.

The Iron Golems came in fast, their clawed feet slamming against the packed earth and their tails lashing behind them.

"May we engage first, Lady Aren?" Eagin asked.

Evie sighed, her arms sagging and chains clinking farther to the ground. "Sure, I guess."

"Finally, some action!" Orun growled and took off, followed closely by Telys, Iiana, and Eagin.

"She's sending her Golems to fight alone?" someone asked in a loud whisper. "What a waste of materials!"

The Iron Golems put on a sudden burst of speed and bared their teeth while the Eidolons bore nothing but their own fists, but did not falter. The lizard-like automatons hit their line and pounced, claws and teeth flashing. The Exults met them with empty hands and brute strength, and five of the Golems were immediately hurled back in a crash of stone and steel.

"Merciful fate," someone whispered.

Harn grunted. "Timing is important," he repeated, "but Strength cannot be underestimated."

The Eidolons smashed through the first wave of Golems, bringing their fists down upon their fallen foes, while Evie flung herself forward. She hurtled behind her twin chains as if falling sideways across the arena.

“Bindings of the White Waste!”

White, icy chains ripped from the earth to snag the Golems' legs, binding them in place while she flipped midair, her entire body and weapons trailing a purple-white Mana. She landed two hits against two separate targets with her chains, catching them across the neck and shoulders, and the force of the strike collapsed them. They floundered, and Evie landed feet first atop a third, only to leap away before the Golems could retaliate. Her chains burst into motion, unable to be stopped or even predicted as her foes chased after the trail of destruction she left.

The Iron Golems stood no chance.

Harn nodded. "Maneuverability is key to battle, Dragoons, to be where they don't expect you, and then to hit like a ton of bricks."

"Our Steps of the Dragoon teaches us as much," scoffed one of the captains that walked closer. Felix didn't recognize him, but he looked the type that he'd come to expect from the officers of the Dragoons: well put together and visibly pleased with himself. He looked down at Harn’s metal legs. "And what would a cripple know about true Agility?"

"Watch your mouth!"

"Or what, soldier?" The Dragoon who'd stepped up to the captain clenched his jaw, but backed down, as did the others at his back. "If I were cruel, I’d force you out to fight those Iron Golems yourselves, but I’ll save you the humiliation. It’s clear none of you know the true ways of the Dragoons."

Instead of responding, Harn laid a hand on the crystal, queuing up a new set of details. "Evie, wrap it up."

"Wrap it up?" The girl stood up from the wreckage of her foes and quirked an eyebrow. "Tappin' in?"

"Aye," Harn grunted before selecting an option on the projected screen.

The captain sputtered. "Five Mithril Golems? That's suicide. Higher than Iron and they show no mercy for combatants, you fool."

Evie and the Eidolons stepped out as Harn entered. “Sit back and open your eyes, pretty boy,” she said, slinging her chain around a shoulder. “You might learn somethin’.”

“Who do you think you are—You! Get out of there! I’ll not have to explain to the Marshal that the king’s guests died to some Golems!”

Harn once again ignored the captain and never once stopped walking into the center of the arena. As he took his last step, those same hatches opened and Golems strutted into the Dragon's Roost. They were greenish-silver and serpentine, less like a lizard and far more like Yintarion in design, complete with pronged antlers.

They took off at a run, charging toward Harn.

Felix shook his head and smiled.

The first Golem came within arm's reach and Harn kicked it in the face. It’s head caved in beneath his arcanite foot, and it dropped to the earth in a devastating slide. Harn leaped atop its bulk as it moved, using its Body to avoid the others that charged from his flanks. Silver fire ignited across his arcanite axes as they lopped off spiked tails that tried to reach him, and deflected mithril claws. All the Golems caught was smoke and a trailing line of fire. His arcanite weapons spun faster than most could follow and a thunderous crash shook the arena and kicked up a wall of dust.

When it settled, all five Golems lay defeated, their chests cleaved open. The feat had taken less than three seconds. The captain and his men were flabbergasted as Harn left the Roost and rejoined the crowd.

One of his followers, after casting a sneering look at the speechless captain, said, "Sir, your first attack... I thought you said to strike where the enemy least expects.”

“It didn't expect me to kick it in the head. That's why it worked, kid."

Felix laughed and continued on.

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