Unbound

It was only four blocks before the streets began to deteriorate. Buildings showed inexplicable cracks, as if they’d been raked by claws, and they leaned drunkenly into one another, their windows shattered and dark. Where the cobblestones weren’t missing entirely, they were half-covered by stretches of sandy topsoil that shifted with every errant breeze. There were no people, especially as their small procession stepped out onto the blasted expanse of naked stone that marred the city’s center.

The Vent wasn’t particularly far from there.

It was a vast chasm, splitting the center of the caldera in a jagged slash. Once it had been much smaller, but Felix and Siva had put an end to that. Well, and the Beast.

Atar wiped sweat from his brow. “Kind of a hike to get out here.”

“The exertion is good for your Body,” Darius said. He wore layers of heavy armor and several weapons aside from his door-sized sword. “I’m sure Harn has told you the value of Endurance training, yes?”

“The man wouldn’t shut up about it.” Atar straightened his robes. “I’m a mage. I should not need to exert myself.”

“We could have taken my skiff but it has gone missing,” Tern grumbled, before he pointed to his left and muttered, completely unsurprised. “Ah, there it is.”

Not more than a hundred yards away, the shattered remnants of the mage’s small Manaship were spread across a stretch of the broken earth. Tattered sails and smashed wood were all that remained of a once tidy little ship.

Elowen patted the old Elf on the shoulder. Her right hand was bandaged. “We’ll build a new one.”

“We have a shipworks in Elderthrone, and my friend Beef can construct a Manaship mostly by himself.” Felix stopped at the base of a swell of stone and looked up. “I can ask.”

“No need. It was a minor thing, useless now that the Towers no longer float on the Vent’s magic.”

“Hm.” Felix came to a stop, dust swirling around his ankles. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”

Before them, the Seat and Seal of Levantier rose from the blasted plain like a stout tower. Nearly thirty feet high atop a jagged pillar of sedimentary stone, its top was marked only by the gold and silver fractals of its array, which had glinted in the midmorning light as they approached. Now it was too high to see any details, and there were no stairs to ascend.

Felix turned to Zara. “How’d you get me off this?”

“Young Alister gave them a hand,” Darius answered instead. Zara raised her eyebrow at him, but he ignored her. “Turns out his shields are quite useful as floating platforms. We’ve put him to use in a few places around town already.”

Felix raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

Alister grinned. “My Skills evolved during that last battle. Greater Force Shield became Bulwark of the Steadfast. Legendary rarity.”

we are quite proud.

“Ah, thank you, Flame.”

now you are a far better partner for our infernal might.

Alister’s smile withered as Atar closed his eyes. “Flame, I swear—”

i speak only the truth!

Felix patted the mage firmly on the back. “That’s impressive, man. You said ‘Skills’ though?”

“Oh. Yes. My Grand Impetus and Pillars of the Domineering Sentinel evolved, turning to Legendary rarity as well. They’re now Monolithic Riposte and Palace of the Champion.” ȒＡƝÓΒЕŞ

“Extremely impressive, then. All that during my Tempering?”

“It was a chaotic half hour,” Atar admitted.

Alister rubbed at his chest. “Your Link helped. I felt power moving through it, strengthening my core in strange ways.”

Boon of Bonds. Felix reached toward that part of him that connected to his friends and found a new Link sitting between himself and Alister. His smile stretched wider. “I’m glad. That’s what it’s there for. Hopefully it’ll help all of you into Master Tier soon.”

“We’re working on weaving our Pillars already,” Atar admitted with a grimace. “It’s been a grueling few days.”

“They are well on their way,” Zara agreed. “Tern and I have been overseeing their progress and it’s been smoother than your own, Felix.”

I believe it. They probably don’t have to deal with Primordials and Divinities clawing around their foundations. Aloud, he only grunted, but his smile never wavered. “Happy to hear it. Now, wait here a moment. I have to finish up.”

Without further explanation, Felix looked inward. His Aspects were still trembling, though not nearly as much as before; carefully walking through Levantier’s streets had done a small amount to acclimate himself to his new stats, it seemed.

Not yet enough, though.

He braced himself, holding the pattern of Stride of the King close before flexing his knees. Felix inhaled, and leaped. He soared upward and in less than a second he’d crested the side of the Seal of Levantier. Felix landed neatly at the edge of it, his feet gracing the fractal patterns with a fresh blush of argent and aurum.

Felix exhaled and opened his eyes. His pattern had held, and his Body only buzzed quietly beneath his immense Will. He was greeted by gold and silver radiance that washed across his feet and legs like waves hitting a breakwater.

Hello again.

He strode forward, his footfalls marking expanding ripples of light that illuminated the fractal patterns of the Seal. Power mustered, barely contained, much as it did within his own Body. It sang in the background, waiting to be unleashed, and as Felix crossed into the center he came upon a familiar glyph that was new to the once empty Seat.

A burning eye, surmounted by a crown. The glyph of House Nevarre.

Authority Accessed.

Be Welcome, Warden.

What Song Do You Wish To Sing?

“Felix, my boy!” Zara said, her sharp voice cutting in the stagnant air. “We have eager eyes upon us.”

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Felix looked up from the Seal and his eyes burned. Unseen Beholder!

A burst of information rolled through him and belatedly Felix remembered his unseatedy Mind; yet as Temper, level, and Race of his many targets rolled through his awareness, he remained balanced. A weight upon his brow made itself known, and Felix could practically feel its bronze influence threading through his weary Mind. Calming it even as Unseen Beholder’s pattern spiked vibrations into every corner of his consciousness.

There were mages all around the edge of the blasted area. Many hid among the rubble, spells of cloaking air or earth or simple illusion attempting to fool him—-and failing entirely. Others were walking inward, closing with their party at a steady pace, more than a dozen discrete groups easily distinguished by colored robes. They were entirely afoot and none had unveiled their Spirits, let alone held a Skill active.

His Affinity caught distant shudders of nervous dread—they were clearly uneasy about what he was going to do, even if they didn’t entirely know.

If he hadn’t claimed the Crown of Elysium, he would have no doubt been on his knees and screaming at that particular moment. Felix put a hand to his temple, feeling the warm, textured metal as it fully manifested.

“It seems the Song of Restriction didn’t last long,” Zara noticed. “I spy several Grandmasters in that crowd.”

Atar laughed, but it was a nervous sound. “It left them all shaking in their boots though.”

we left them quivering. they were terrified of our might!

“Burning skeletons would terrify anyone,” Alister pointed out.

“Move quickly,” Darius warned. “They will try you again. I don’t fancy fighting a half dozen Grandmasters. We’d lose more than we’d gain.”

Felix agreed. There was a notification that thrummed for his attention, but he brought up his Authority screen instead.

A familiar golden window appeared before him, but instead of many tabs like his other menus, this one only had a single one.

Songs of Authority.

Song Of Restriction - Impair The Spirits Of Targets Chosen Within Your Territory For A Short Period Of Time

Song Of Seige (Unavailable) - Enhance And Modify Fortifications Of Your Stronghold For A Moderate Period Of Time

Song Of Trade - Enhance The Merchantile Array Of All Residents For A Moderate Period Of Time

Song Of Peace - Enhance The Effects Of All Healing For A Moderate Period Of Time

Song Of War - Eject Chosen Targets From The Territory

Song Of Fury (Unavailable) - Enhance The Warden’s Aspects By A Single Tier For A Minute Period Of Time

Felix focused on the grayed out Songs, shaping his Intent as if splitting open a book. After a moment of resistance, the first spat out an interesting clarification.

ERROR: Unable To Sing Due To Unfulfilled Prerequisites

The Song Of Siege Requires A Stronghold

So if I make a new Stronghold here I can access it?

ERROR: Unable To Sing Due to Restrictions

The Song Of Fury Cannot Be Sung By Those Greater Than Master Tier

“Damn, that sucks,” he muttered.

“What does?” Darius shouted up at him.

Felix explained.

“Wasn’t that what DuFont used in Haarwatch?” Alister asked.

“It is, yeah. It pushed her from Adept to Master Tier all at once.”

“Has this option been available to you in every Territory you claim?” Atar asked.

“No. The Songs are largely the same, but some come and go.” Felix shrugged. “I don’t know why, and neither does Karys.”

“The mages have stopped,” Zara said, interrupting them all. “They’re simply watching now.”

Felix looked beyond his Authority menu and scanned the thickening crowd that had stopped a half-mile distant. “Then let’s give them a show.”

He accessed the notification he had sensed at the beginning, and it leaped into view like an eager hound.

Felix Nevarre, Warden Of Levantier.

This Territory Has Been Lost!

What Is Your Choice?

Forsake Or Unite?

Now this is what he’d expected. Hoped for, really—if he’d been forced to do it by hand, it would have taken so much longer.

Unite.

Unite the Lost engaged within him, spinning up across all three Aspects equally. Power fled his core space, ripping through his channels and into the Seal before him. Mana, Essence, and great swaths of the significance he’d taken from a Goddess.

Levantier!

That Which Eternal Lies!

Lost No More!

All Hail The Inheritor, Warden of Levantier, Felix Nevarre!

Less than a mile distant, the mages all shifted, as if an unseen wind tore through their ranks. Skills flared up and were snuffed out in an instant as Grandmasters started shouting down their subordinates. Fear rolled outward from them all as a series of deep notes in a minor key, pitching downward toward unsteady oblivion.

Felix didn’t have time for their worries, however.

The earth burst around him, absorbing his power like rain-starved fields. Felix held himself carefully, his three Skills balancing himself against the storm as the earth itself buckled. Walls shot upward, built of a dark metal laced with hexagonal, translucent stone.

“Night’s breath!” Tern shouted.

“Step over here! All of you!” Elowen called out, but by then Felix lost track of his friends.

Even the riot of breaking earth and chiming crystal faded into the background. His attention became entirely internal, as his Aspects rioted against his control. Felix fell, knees shattering the Seal beneath him even as Unite the Lost repaired it with a cascading glissando. His Spirit swelled, spilling out of his grasp before flaring into the air like a vast cloak.

He was only vaguely aware of the screams, and soon those vanished from his Perception as well.

Time passed, but Felix couldn’t say how much. It was simply divided between fury and silence, as if all the world passed through a threshold devoid of a vast expanse of chaos, and his Aspects calmed. They retreated, the patterns of his Stride of the King, Void Sanctuary, and Fiendforge rising once more above the glorious cacophony of Unite the Lost.

Felix opened his eyes and found himself in a vaulted chamber, replete with a throne made of translucent green-gold crystal set against a fifty-foot wide window that overlooked a collection of spires and the caldera beyond.

“Blighted Night,” Atar cursed, and Felix started.

All of his friends were there, standing in the throne room as if they’d been ushered in by some servant.

“How’d you get in here?”

“We followed her,” Darius said, pointing to Elowen.

The Theron shrugged. “I have a knack for seeing where I need to be.”

Felix was happy to see them, especially once he noticed just how sprawling the view outside had become. They stood within a structure that was at least four times as wide as the central Violet Tower had been, and it was surrounded by rotundas built at varying heights and covered in elaborate windows. Those were cut from the dark stone in alluring patterns, forming symmetrical shapes that reminded him of the Seal or even his vibrating Skills.

In addition, the rotundas and spires were all connected by thin bridges and complicated looking lifts that traversed through corridors of green-gold crystal. They reminded him of the plateau around Ahkestria in many ways, but were more unified in their design. Ahkestria featured a number of ancient styles and technologies that had been adapted over the Ages—but here, in the restored heart of Levantier, it was an ancient time come anew.

“We’re as high as the Violet Tower,” Tern noted with surprise in his voice. “I can see my house from here.”

A screen appeared before Felix with a resounding chime that everyone heard.

You Have Restored The Wellspring Keep!

Be Welcome, Warden Of The Forsaken!

See Authority Screen For New Options!

Felix swallowed as he checked his core space, and felt a distinct lack of power there—especially his significance. He still had a lot of course; a goddess and a Primordial was a stockpile that was hard to deplete, but Felix was making a good run at it. If he were to come up against greater projects that must be restored, he’d need more.

Thankfully, he knew where to get it.

He accessed his Authority screen once again, and this time the golden window had a number of tabs that had been lacking: Territory, Stronghold, Shipwright, Glyphworks, Storage, and one he’d never seen before.

System. Sing The Song Of The Wellspring.

As You Wish, Warden.

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