Unbound

Felix scoured the battlefield for more evidence of Vellus or the Archon. Now that he had the scent, it was easy enough to find traces but no more than that. Whatever had compelled these creatures to rampage had touched them briefly, if at all. The threads of connection were fuzzy and almost completely faded.

Mervin followed him, helping as he could. Eventually his friends came along, moving monster corpses so Felix could inspect them. The stone spikes he'd left in the field made the going slower, and after the skinny one—Piotr—said the spikes would get in the way of ranged attacks from the Wall, he happily dropped them back into the earth. All it cost was a bit more Mana, barely worth mentioning.

Felix caught up a bit with Mervin, learning a smattering of what had gone on in his life since their parting. The kid wasn't exactly a friend, but he was friendly and seemed to genuinely want to help the people of Haarwatch. Compared to DuFont and Teine, Mervin was a breath of fresh air.

His friends were similar in demeanor, though Garin had something of a chip on his shoulder. Something to do with Mervin passing the Legion's tests while he didn't. Felix hadn't even been aware there were tests, or that they were recruiting. That both annoyed him and put him at ease. More people would mean better protection, but it also meant more folks flocking under "the Fiend's" banner.

Felix explained again about their core and how to proceed from their current points of advancement to better strengthen themselves. Garin, Piotr, and Lars took to it well enough with a few questions, while the rest of the Legion crowded close by, attempting to be inconspicuous. Felix had shared everything he thought pertinent for their advancement, things that had been hidden from him due to forced ignorance and compartmentalization of knowledge.

Mervin's friends were...interesting. All of them had a weirdness about them that Felix hadn't been able to place, until Mervin had revealed they'd all Tempered with special Essences Teine had distilled. Then he recognized the nascent connections between himself and each of them, threads that were crimson-black but faded. Washed out.

Two guesses on what the Essences were from, he sent to Pit. The tenku screeched in annoyance. You said it. Glad he's dead. Well, mostly dead.

Teine was currently sipping food out of a straw up in Portia's magic hospital. Temper shattered and power scattered, the man's core was all but snuffed out by whatever the Arcids did to him. It was brutal, and less than he deserved. He may have helped destroy the Nest—Mervin had confirmed it was Teine who blew up the Belais Crystal at the end—but Teine had caused the Primordial infection in the first place. Felix could still see the effects of his idiot experiments, most evident in the emaciated form of Piotr. That guy had definitely been affected by the Primordial's power in a greater way than the others. Maybe the Essence was too potent or...it didn't matter. Felix couldn't sense the Maw's power—his power—in the man, but his Aspects had been affected. Felix didn't have a fix for it, though. Hopefully the help with their cores would be of some use.

The defenses for the damaged Wall were still not online, which was concerning, but problems happened. Hector had stuck his head out for a bit to say the repairs were taking longer than expected.

"If you could tell the Lady Haarwatch to divert more power to our defenses, that would be appreciated," Hector had said. "This Profane Sigaldry is taking a significant amount of our power to eradicate, and we've little to spare for activating some of the more elaborate arrays."

"I'll pass the word," Felix promised. And, after ensuring that the Legion was following his orders regarding the monster cores, Felix and Pit left the Wall.

Their flight was relatively quick, despite the miles of city below them. Pit's levels in Flight and rising Strength proving their worth as much as his Agility and Endurance as the Wall Quarter flashed beneath them. Felix hugged tight to his friend, the feel of his silky smooth fur and glossy feathers a balm to his worried mind. Things were changing, again; his friends and allies were splitting apart to take care of the urgent issues that threatened them all, and Felix bemoaned the loss. While the last week hadn't been a vacation, it had been quiet.

He was gonna miss it.

Pit warbled his confusion at Felix, clearly feeling the melancholy that hummed inside of his Spirit. By way of explanation, Felix shared his recent memories in a flurry of sense images and impressions and emotions. In response, Pit did the same, relating his time spent hunting more monsters in the sewers. It wasn't something they did often, as they were typically together all the time, and it tended to gloss over details, but it was useful.

"You've had a fun morning, then," Felix said.

Hunt bad is good, Pit sent back, along with a rumble of contentment. We hunt bad again? Soon?

Felix considered the Foglands retreating behind them. "Yeah, very soon."

They entered city center and it was chaos. So much so, in fact, that Pit immediately decided to converge and hide within Felix's Spirit for a time. The flash of light caused it's own minor kerfuffle in the square, but it passed soon enough. Felix fell about thirty feet but landed with a light flexing of his knees.

Didn't even break the flagstones, he noticed. I'm getting better, I think.

Pit chirruped encouragingly.

Whenever his stats jumped significantly, Felix had a hard time adjusting to the increases. It was part of the reason he had gone overboard with the Golems that morning. And again with the monster horde, though that had been more intentional. Since his Tier up and...other changes...Felix had taken the entire week to finally get his balance again.

Which was good, because while he'd managed to land in a less occupied corner of the square, the area at the base of Haarwatch Manor was wild. Humans, Orcs, Goblins, Races of all sorts rushed everywhere in such numbers that had Felix remembering that Haarwatch was a city. A decimated one, but the population was still huge.

A particularly large contingent of Orcs and Hobgoblins were hauling several wagons the size of city buses with the help of a team of avum. The wagons were built like tanks because in their beds were entire trees, sheared of branches and ready to go into storage. Normally gathered east of the city, in the Verdant Pass, these logs would have travelled down the Ianus River until they hit the collection point about midway through the city. Teams then had to lift the logs out and bring them to either the sawmills or to storage. It was the same with ore and stone being mined along the edges of the mountains. All of it was being brought here, to city center.

There were Quests to be had, after all.

Felix Eyed the people around him, checking on their Aspects and levels, noting for the first time that the vast majority were pushing into the twenties. That was a real change from his previous observations, where only those with professions or Guild ties found themselves with enough experience to get out of the teens. A good number were even half a step into Apprentice Tier.

"War is good for society," a voice behind him grumbled. Felix's senses washed outward and Skills began to hum within his core space, but he simply turned. Calmly. Ish. Behind him was a Dwarven woman with dark hair and darker features, made all the moreso by the soot that streaked her face. Rafny Coldfire, weaponsmith extraordinaire and wife of Elle, the armorsmith. "Strengthens a people."

Felix let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "You really think so?"

Raf shrugged, studying the crowd. "People die in wars. Kill. It's stress and opportunity, the two things you need to advance in this world." She hawked and spat onto the flagstones, narrowly missing a Gnomish man's wide-brimmed hat. "Hierocracy says strength is good. Can't say I don't agree. War is good for my pocket too, so take it with a grain of salt."

"They are stronger," Felix allowed. "The ones that survived. But—"

All you are doing is surviving, Felix. Try to live, once in a while. Vess' words flashed back to him, perfectly recalled thanks to his Born Trait. Pit cooed comfortingly in his Spirit.

"But what about the rest?" Raf asked, tilting her head up to look him full in the face for the first time. He'd never noticed the smattering of freckles on her face, or the lines that had been worn around her eyes. "I think about them everyday, Felix. I lost...we all lost friends and family because of the Guild's burnin' dumbassery. Because of greed. There's not a day that goes by that I don't wish they had all survived; and there's not a moment that I don't thank the blind gods that Elle wasn't one of 'em."

"They deserve more than this," Felix said, gesturing to...everything. "Seek strength, sure. Go after power if you want, but that shouldn't be the line that decides if you live or die. Right?"

"That'd be nice, Felix. Real nice. You tell me when you figured out how to make it work, and I'll be first in line for your little utopia." Rafny smiled wryly at him. "Meantime, I got gifts."

For the first time, Felix noticed a growing number of boxes that had been stacked up behind Rafny. They were fairly close to the Coldfire Smithy, and he could see apprentices lugging out more crates for the pile.

"What's all this?"

"What'd I say? Gifts, you daft Fiend," Rafny said as she ran her hands over some of the crates. She popped open on such crate to show fifteen steel shields nestled among straw. "Well, gifts implies I don't get paid, and that's plum not true. More like...civic offerings. Lady Haarwatch keeps us safe, we give her enough metal to outfit an army. Got armor and shields and simple weaponry galore. All Apprentice Tier. Even a few Journeyman Tier items for the officers."

"Very nice," Felix said appreciatively. His Eye picked out details on the shields and they were solid. He wasn't entirely clear on the smithing process, but apparently they folded Mana into the items to bring them to the appropriate Tier strength. An Apprentice Tier shield meant it could stop a similarly Tiered Skill until the material degraded. Using a Beginner Tier—aka normal—shield to block an Apprentice Tier Ice Arrow would be as useless as taping a sheet of paper to your arm. "I saw they were increasing recruitment, but this is a lot. I'm impressed so many people want to protect their communities."

"More like they want two square meals a day and a place to sleep," Rafny said, closing the crate with a grunt. "But aye, probably some community minded folks among 'em. Maybe. A lot of this is for the mission you're all trekkin' out on."

"Mission?" Felix asked, his heart-rate ramping up. Their Quests and plans should have remained a secret.

"Yeah, headin' out to the Verdant Pass, aren't you?" Rafny asked with a squint. "Yan and Kelgan been walking around town talkin' about it all morning, tellin' everyone about it that asked. Some that didn't, actually."

Those idiots. Why would they...No. They're not that dumb. Felix looked around, fully recognizing the assortment of avum and a surprising amount of armored Haarguard. It's a misdirect, he realized.

"I figured you'd be heading with them," Rafny continued. "I heard it was dangerous and important and—sorry to say—you're probably the most fearsome Haarwatch's got."

Felix grunted noncommittally and nodded to the pile again. "Got anything for me and my friends in there?"

Rafny smiled. A twinkle immediately shone in her eyes. "Oh aye. First though, I'll return this." She pulled his khopesh and sheath from the pile and handed it over with extreme reverence. "I wasn't able to tell much from the metal or the strange shape, but I do know it's unnaturally sharp. There's no sharpening array, no durability glyph carved into the blade or handle. Just the one, tiny array etched at the base, and that just siphons and diverts Mana."

Felix took his Crescian Blade back from Rafny and strapped it back onto his belt. It joined the Femur of the Envoy on his opposite hip, and the Blade of the Fang on his back. "I know about the siphon array, but there's more in there, I know it. Thanks for taking a look."

"My pleasure. Since you're leavin' today I gave it back; I'd much rather keep it and take the whole sword apart," Rafny's eyes gleamed as she stared at the khopesh again. "The ancient smiths knew secrets we've long lost, and I think some of them are bound up in that blade. You let me know if you learn anything more, yeah?"

"Not a problem," Felix promised. "You said there was more?"

"Ah, aye, hold this," she shoved a box into Felix's hands. Something inside clanged around, probably armor, and it weighed hundreds of pounds. Luckily Felix was plenty strong and simply set it aside. "Aha! Here you are!"

With a flourish, Rafny produced a pair of boots. Greaves, really, as they were made entirely of a dark grey metal and designed to cover him from the knees downward. Heavy, reinforced plates lingered at the knees, top of the foot and toe, as well as thick soles with a serious tread. They easily weighed sixty pounds a piece.

Voracious Eye!

Name: Greaves of the Fiend

Type: Armor (Enchanted)

Lore: Built by Eldrunna Coldfire from the remains of a powerful construct, the unique metal is stronger than mithril and extremely resilient. They were designed specifically for Felix Nevarre, Blue-Eyed Fiend of Haarwatch.

Self-Repair VIII - Ambient Mana will be absorbed to repair any damage to the Greaves.

All Terrain IX - The soles are enchanted to retain a sure grip despite the terrain.

Felix raised his eyebrows. Mithril was a step above steel—a metal imbued with a natural magic much like orichalcum—and was extremely expensive. To use something stronger than that...

"Is this made from the Arcids?" Felix asked and Rafny shook her head.

"Of course not. It's made from the Apollyon."

Felix laughed. "Well, at least it turned out to be useful."

"It did at that. Those constructs have given my craft a significant edge. I've gained six levels!" Rafny almost crowed in excitement. "I don't know what the metal is, or how it's been made so receptive to Mana, but it's remarkably good for advanced weaponry."

Felix chuckled and strapped the Greaves onto his feet and lower legs. They felt good, perfect even. Their weight was almost a comfort, and it made him think about how much damage a kick would do now.

"How do they feel? Fits like a dream, yeah? Elle does quality work." Rafny grinned. "Now you can stop wearin' those pathetic hobnails."

"I have missed nice boots, that's true," Felix agreed. "What else do you have?"

"For you? Just one more thing. Another gift from Elle." She produced two circular bands, thick as a wristwatch and completely smooth. "Put these on."

"What are they? Bracelets?" Felix took them and slid them onto his hands. Immediately he felt them hum, as if an electrical current was passing through them. To his Manasight, they began to glow with flows of orange and silvery Mana.

"Twist them, right here," Rafny pointed.

Felix did so, and with a soft metal-on-metal sound the bracelets expanded into full on vambraces. From wrist to elbow he was sheathed in segmented metal, and those flows of orange and silvery Mana only increased.

Voracious Eye!

Name: Vambraces of the Fiend

Type: Armor (Enchanted)

Lore: Built by Elldrunna Coldfire from the remains of a powerful construct, the unique metal is stronger than mithril and extremely resilient. They were designed specifically for Felix Nevarre, Blue-Eyed Fiend of Haarwatch.

Self-Repair VIII - Ambient Mana will be absorbed to repair any damage to the Vambraces of the Fiend.

Smoldering Lash X - An array inscribed on the right Vambrace allows the user to manifest a whip made of fire Mana.

Conjure Blade VII - An array inscribed on the left Vambrace allows the user to manifest metal Mana to produce a single blade no longer than ten inches.

"Whoa, Skills?"

"Indeed. The Tier of this new metal let us inlay a couple actual Skills. It's typically a higher level technique, inscribing actual Skills, but I've just begun to scratch the surface of those levels now." Rafny grinned so hard Felix worried her head would fall off. "Skills are limited to the level I was able to scribe in, so they're both only Apprentice Tier, but they'll at least be useful in a pinch. A surprise at the very least."

"This is amazing," Felix said with real glee in his voice. He conjured the blade and it formed in the air before dropping half an inch into Felix's left palm. The fire whip was similar, except it unspooled from the Vambrace itself and onto the ground. It was hot to the touch, but nothing his Body and resistances couldn't handle. He dismissed both effects. "I especially like how they collapse."

"That was a trick and a half to figure out, but with your transformation Skill Elle figured you'd need a way to get any armor off quick. Last thing she wants is for you to ruin more of her good work."

Felix grinned at the light jab, and laughed when Rafny showed him how to collapse the boots in the same way. They shrunk down into a pair of thick anklets which was entirely too cool.

"And last but not least, we made this together," the smith said, pulling a large leather bundle out of a crate. She set it gingerly on top of another and spread it out. It was a saddle made of cured skin and segmented pieces of rust-red metal. "A custom set of barding for Pit, along with a saddle and sheath for your Fang."

There was a flash of light and suddenly the horse-sized Pit pushed Felix out of the way to inspect his new gift. Felix laughed and let the tenku shove him aside. Pit cooed appreciatively over the design and style of the barding, which was basically armor for the chimera to wear. Rafny was soon helping to strap it all onto the tenku, testing and checking the straps as she went.

Why hadn't I thought of armor for him?

"You've outdone yourselves this time, Raf," Felix said as the smith stepped away from his Companion. The barding covered Pit's head, chest, and fore legs with segmented plates of metal that looked almost like—"Are these made of Scales?"

"Aye, the Scales of the Ravager Queen you gave us," Rafny continued. "Elle figured that since you refuse to wear armor, at least your friend can. And—" she gestured Felix to come closer. She pointed at Pit's chest, where a symbol that looked like an open eye that was also on fire. "We've added your new crest and enchanted it. Those Scales are special, a lot like the construct's metal. Let us add in a Spiritbinding on armor that is still technically only Journeyman Tier."

Felix ignored the crest, the one he'd noticed on the Legion's cloaks, and furrowed his brows. "Spiritbinding?"

"The barding can be bound to Pit, to his Spirit. It's advanced stuff again, but the Scales are such a high quality material that we made it work," Rafny pointed again at the crest. His crest. "Just put both of your blood on the crest and Will it to be bound to Pit, and the barding will stay on him even when you do your little disappearing act."

Whoa. That was huge. Felix quickly cut himself with his Crescian Blade and Pit provided his own blood. They both smeared it along the crest and, together, they leveraged their Willpower. Bind!

Felix felt a soft, distant echo as if something heavy had dropped nearby. Pit staggered, just a moment, but then straightened. With a flash of light, both Pit and his barding vanished. Seconds later, Pit reappeared, still wearing his armor.

Okay, that's rad as hell.

"Don't you got anything better to do?" Atar shouted at him. The olive-skinned mage was leaning heavily against his metal stave, sweating and breathing hard. "How about you-you help us out and carry some stuff, eh?"

He was quickly followed by Evie and Alister, both of whom were wearing armor and packs of similar size to Atar's. Neither was even sweating.

"Sparky, I really think you need to start lifting," Evie suggested. "Maybe Harn can help you with some Endurance training?"

"No no no," Atar said with an abrupt, plastered-on smile. He stood straighter, and Felix could see veins in his neck popping into sharp relief. "I'm perfec—perfectly fine."

"Atar, it's fine," Alister said. "I can carry your pack too."

"No, I have this," the fire mage stated and marched closer to Felix. "What're you standing around for? Don't we have places to be?"

Felix grinned and took the spare pack Alister handed to him. It was fully stocked with food, water, and basic adventuring supplies, as they had planned. However, Felix noticed a third pack being carried by Evie.

"Where's Vess?"

Evie frowned. "Not sure. Haven't seen her all mornin'."

"Hiyahh!"

A carriage rolled into the square from one of the busier thoroughfares, led by four matched avum and a driver wearing the armor of a Haarguard. It was followed by no less than fifty or sixty Haarguard marching in sharp formation. The crowd in the square cleared, giving them room to maneuver, and the carriage came to a halt just shy of Felix's position. A tall man in a pale green doublet and yellow half-cape stepped from the carriage. Parts of him were obviously bandaged, but it didn't seem to inhibit his grace as he turned and let a beautiful woman step out after. Perhaps it was the gown or the styled hair, but Felix didn't immediately recognize her.

"The Hand?" Alister asked in disbelief. "He's not nearly as hurt as I expected."

"Wow," Atar said, his face flushing. "She's beautiful."

"Oh, blood and ashes," Evie cursed. "This can't be good. Vess hates dressing up."

Vess? Felix blinked in surprise. Wait why's she—

Vess took her guardian's hand as she stepped out, and did not relinquish it.

Oh.

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