Unbound

Chapter Seven Hundred And Fifty One – 751

Ephemeral Evocation is level 49!

...

Ephemeral Evocation is level 62!

Journeyman Tier!

You Gain:

+20 AFI

+20 FEL

+20 RES

The Memories of the final few Sworn rattled around in Felix's Mind, disparate but swiftly congealing into a singular whole. As he landed before the steps of the hospital in Elderthrone, he considered the impressions that flitted across his thoughts. While the first couple dozen Sworn he devoured knew little of their true plans, the Prelate and his inner circle were quite different. They alone knew the full extent of their contract.

What was most curious, though, was the Prelate's mention of Chanter allies. None of the others had memories of these Chanters, or if they did, those memories were heavily altered. From the Prelate, Felix had gathered a list of several of those allies—names and faces that he’d handed over to Zara a few minutes prior. He’d leave it up to her and Mauvim to handle, for now.

Their leader, Nell, was in the jail, collared and chained along with the rest. He had wanted to hurt the assassin—a piece of him screamed for that—but Felix had done enough killing for one day. Memories could be extracted from blood just as easily.

Hmph.

Quiet, he said to Hunger. You’ve had your fill.

If things went to plan, the living Prelate would prove useful soon.

For now, Felix had to pay a visit to a friend.

He walked up the steps of the hospital, learning for the first time that they had actually named it in his absence. The Greenleaf Ward, it said, carved elegantly into a wooden placard mounted above the entrance. The place had grown considerably, with several wings and more than five levels added onto its already considerable size. Healing was not a specialty often found on the Continent, but his alliance with the Menders in the Ghrelden Hills had been put to great use. Their knowledge of the healing arts had only grown, especially once the apprentices and masters alike gained access to the accumulated knowledge in his Librarium. Combined with the resources in his Storage Facility and the capabilities of his Alchemical Lab, their healers had made great strides in medical care.

Felix was happy about that, truly, but cheer was far from his thoughts as he walked through the halls alone. People hustled from room to room, all of them busy with paperwork or trays of clarified potions and salves. A few Menders in their signature robes talked in a quiet huddle while alchemical apprentices checked charts secured to the walls. All of them bowed as he passed, some of whom flinched as their gaze met his. It took several corridors and a full flight of stairs before he realized his eyes were still burning.

He slowed. It wasn’t rage, not anymore—he’d exorcized much of that on the Sworn—instead it was something between regret and sorrow.

Guilt.

No matter that he had left behind his friends and the Legion itself, Felix had not been there when a threat rose up in his city. He had thought his people would be able to handle whatever came their way, but he’d been wrong. He gritted his teeth.

A quick conversation with a Mender had Felix heading upstairs into the eastern wing of the Ward, where he found a guarded set of doors. The Legionnaires saluted as he approached, completely unsurprised to see him.

“It seems word of my return got around,” Felix said.

“Yes, my Lord. Do you require an escort?”

Felix pushed through the doors. “I’ll be fine.”

Behind him, the soldiers saluted again as the latch shut with a solid click.

He ended up in a short hall that widened out into a comfortable sitting room containing several chairs and padded benches, likely for folks visiting the sick and injured. There were six other rooms, three on each side of the hall, but only one was lit by small white magelights across the ceiling. It was a little more spacious than the others…and it contained his ten-foot-tall Chancellor sitting awkwardly on the ground.

"Karys, there you are," Felix said by way of greeting. He walked up and clasped hands with the man. Karys didn’t even have to stand. "I was expecting you to be at the Seal when I arrived."

"My apologies, Felix. The damage done to me and the Seal itself were extensive. I have returned to the Ward on several occasions to be checked over, to make sure I'm still functioning properly.” He shifted, his metal rear grinding against the stone flooring as he twisted toward the far wall. “While I was at it, I thought it best to check on our friend.”

Felix eyed a second door, this one made of solid stone etched with star patterns. “He’s awake?”

“Not yet. Alister is with him now, though."

"Ah," said Felix. That guilt burned brighter in him but he shoved it away. It was an indulgence he couldn’t afford. "I tried calling you. On the sword."

"Oh? I imagine it didn’t work."

"No, it didn't. Was it the damage to the Seal that did that?"

"In part," Karys agreed, "but also the damage to this Body. It may have affected my connection to the sword."

Felix frowned. "Well, I’ll have the Seal fixed soon, and then we can check you over again. But first, let me go visit Atar."

"Of course, of course." Karys sat back down and settled in to wait once more.

Felix eased open the stone door. Inside, Alister was sitting at the side of a wide hospital bed. It wasn’t made of fabric or wood, but was instead a solid slab of blue-veined white stone…and atop of it was a burning skeleton.

Jesus, Atar. It wasn't the first time he'd seen the mage’s skeleton, though the first time it had been after Atar had survived the Highest Flame’s death throes. His core space had broken apart, and his visualized self had become an eerily similar skeleton. Even the bones are blackened.

Felix stepped fully into the room, and Alister looked up.

"They don't know how he's still alive," Alister said. His eyes were bloodshot and puffy, though whatever tears he’d shed seemed to have long since dried. "I shouldn't have left. I could have prevented this."

The knife in Felix’s heart twisted a little deeper.

"I left too, Alister. I can shoulder enough blame for the both of us.” An unhappy smile twisted his mouth. "But that doesn't help anyone. I've had to learn the hard way that people need to fight their own battles. We make our choices, and all we can do is learn to live with the consequences."

“That’s…a bitter pill.”

“It is.” Felix stopped at the foot of the slab. Atar was putting off so much heat that the rock was cherry red where the bones touched it. “Wash it down with this: the bastards that set those explosions are dead and all the Sworn in the city are gone.”

Alister leaned back. “I–thank you, Felix. That is a relief.”

“I've also learned that it was the Hierocracy that hired them on behalf of Teine.”

“To do what?”

Felix bared his teeth. “Their job was to destabilize my Territory so they could take it down from within."

"Blighted redcloaks," Alister cursed. "It always comes back to them."

“They’re reeling now, at least. The Pathless is dead.”

Alister’s Spirit flickered through disbelief and cautious hope. “How?”

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“We fought.” Felix gave a rough summary of what had occurred in that field outside Pax’Vrell.

“So the gods killed one of their own?”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“As much as any of it does,” Alister muttered. “The redcloaks will be suffering without their god. I hope they rot.”

Felix couldn’t agree more. He looked at the slab, forcing himself to study his friend. "This—" He floundered as words failed him. Atar’s charred bones sat within a constant aura of white flame. It was blisteringly hot, but Felix stepped closer. "How did this happen?"

"I believe it was the Urge within him.”

Felix raised an eyebrow. "The Urge?"

"Yes, Atar had bonded with an Urge, a small one, after the Highest Flame's destruction." Alister shook his head. "The foolish man was certain it was some piece of the Highest Flame that survived and lingered within his Spirit.”

“I knew he was dealing with something. I could feel it moving through him, I just didn't want to press," Felix said. "Atar's always been pretty closely guarded, but I figured he'd come to me if he needed help.”

“Isla told me that the Urge took over at the end. It…puppeted him.” Alister clenched his jaw. “It used his Body to absorb the explosions from around the city before it threw itself at Teine. I don't understand why it would do that."

"Not all Urges are evil," Felix said. "They're just simple. They're born from wants and hopes, and maybe the piece of flame in Atar was something noble."

Felix reached over and put his hand to Atar's chest. The fire licked at him, seeking to burn him, but it wasn't nearly hot enough to get through his defenses. The mage’s ribcage moved slowly up and down. Felix marveled at it.

"It's like he's still breathing.”

“Those explosions," Alister said. "If it hadn't been for Atar, half of Elderthrone would have been destroyed."

"He's a hero," Felix agreed. "And now that the Sworn are gone, there's no more reason to be worried about them."

Alister sighed. "Thank you, Felix."

"Don't thank me. I'm just taking out the trash." He pulled his hand back from Atar's still-moving chest. "Tell me about your journey. You're just back from the Ghreldan Hills, right? Tell me everything."

"I don't sense any Profane Sigaldry in you. I can feel a bit of its influence in the raw scraping of Dissonance against your shell, but it's extremely faint," Felix said. “My sigaldry Skill isn’t flagging anything dangerous.”

He stood with Karys within his Temple once again. After leaving the hospital, the two of them had gone to the Glyphworks, where he used his senses and the tools available there to inspect Karys' body once more.

Felix stepped back from the workbench. "You seem perfectly fine, now.”

Karys sat up, swinging his long, golden legs off the side of the bench. "I appreciate the confirmation, my Lord. Zara and I spent a great deal of time going over my Body, but there was always the chance we missed something.”

"After that attack, I'm just glad you guys are okay.”

“Other than a few lost moments, I saw far less damage than most,” Karys said solemnly. He stood easily from the high bench. “My self-repair functions fixed the worst of my injuries. There is some thinning of my golden alloy, but with Master Kastos back we can see about addressing that.”

“Good idea. Harn’s gotten a lot better at smithing—he even invented a new alloy himself.”

“Truly?”

Felix told Karys of arcanite as they left the Glyphworks, ignoring the apprentices that bowed down low as they passed. They passed down the stairs and through the Crafting Hall plaza, their footsteps two pairs among many hustling men and women. A bevy of Races clad in armor, robes, and heavy leather aprons passed across the wide square, weaving around the bright light of the crystalline Beacon. Here most didn’t bow and scrape to Felix, though the two of them drew eyes like iron filings to a magnet.

"Everything isn't going how I hoped," Felix said as they started down the wide steps into the Eye.

"How do you mean, my Lord?"

"I wasn't able to bring Gabby back. Pathless is dead, but I didn't do it. That was more frustrating than I expected.” Felix paused, fretting at the hem of his jacket. “Don't get me wrong, I'm happy, but with the other gods stealing Gabby again, I can't afford to rest.”

“From what you’ve told me of your array vision, your sister has regained her faculties, or is well on her way to doing so. That, at least, is something to celebrate," Karys pointed out.

Felix grunted.

At the base of the stairs, just as the main level of his Temple opened up, the two of them were joined by a veritable crowd. These weren’t petitioners or bowing subjects, but the armored ranks of his personal retinue.

“Lord Autarch,” said the man in the lead, saluting sharply.

“Lieutenant Errol,” Felix said. The men and women of his self-proclaimed Shadows of the Fiend stood tall before him. There were more of them now, a full dozen, with each of the four Legion societies represented, as well as the numerous Races that populated Elderthrone. Felix was surprised at how nice it was to see them again. “I appreciate you waiting here.”

The man gave an easy smile and tucked his thumbs into his belt. His hands were sheathed in twin, spiked gauntlets and a pair of metal badges were pinned to his jacket. One was made of black Leviathan bone and engraved with a pair of raised fists. That was clearly the Legion society he belonged to—the Fist. The other was made of silver-green mithril, and it featured a set of sharp teeth set with white enamel.

“I see you’ve made the Shadows official,” Felix said wryly. “Are those supposed to be my teeth?”

Errol’s smile faltered. “I—the design was decided upon by the Forgemaster.”

Rafny. I should’ve known.

“If you wish, we can change them—”

Felix held up a hand. “No, they’re fine.” He looked beyond the hulking shapes of the Frost Giant Shadows, to where slightly smaller stone figures waited. “Eagin. Iiana. I assume you’ve all met?”

“Introductions have been made, my Lord,” Eagin said.

“It is quite an honor to meet your newest guardians, Lord Autarch,” Errol said. His smile was back now. “They make a fine addition to our ranks.”

Felix eyed the mithril badges affixed to the Eidolons’ chests. “Mhm. Walk with me, then.”

With Karys at his side, Felix traversed the expanse of the Eye. The main floor of his Temple was more full than the Crafting Halls, filled with folks come to request projects from the Hall representatives set up around the long chamber. None came near Felix, though all stared as they crossed to the center where the doors at the base of the Spirit Tree stood. They slipped through without a word and swept swiftly down the spiral staircase.

"Alister told you of his experiences in Tevin, right?" Felix asked.

"He mentioned them," Karys nodded. "It seems he was able to resolve things with a minimal loss of life."

"Momentarily resolved," Felix corrected. "The Prince is dead, but the entire Territory is in disarray.”

“Having that Knight Commander in charge will certainly improve conditions.”

“It's not enough."

The flames of Felix's rage rose again, but he gripped it tight. His emotions didn't control him. He had a plan—and the first step was to fix the Seat and Seal.

They completed the stairs and exited onto the level of the Seal.

"Wait here," Felix ordered. All of his Shadows took up positions around the antechamber, while Karys and Felix continued on—yet the moment they stepped beyond the threshold, his Chancellor faltered. Despair rolled through his Spirit as he looked at the damage the device had wrought on the Seal. Felix could hardly believe it himself. The device, engineered by the Archon, must have been truly powerful.

“If only the device hadn’t been destroyed, we might have learned more about how it corrupted the ancient Seal,” Felix said. “Zara tells me it was obliterated in the fire, however.”

Karys took a shaky breath. "Such foul effects from Dissonance alone. Nothing could convince me more that it is anathema to the Grand Harmony.”

"No, it isn't Anathema," Felix said. "It's part of it. I think, no, I'm certain of that."

"How?" Karys asked. "When it can do this?"

"Because it's been broken," Felix said, working through the idea. He'd been mulling it over for days, always at the back of his thoughts. Ever since his encounter with the Hierei and Siva. "I think it was part of the Grand Harmony at one point, but now it's been separated out. By itself it's dangerous and corrosive, but I've used them in tandem several times now. The song they make is... it's hard to describe. It's dangerous and calming and... simply more."

"I will trust your judgment on the matter, Felix. Your words do not rile any of my memories, such as they are, however. To my knowledge, the Grand Harmony has always been as it is now, and Dissonance has been its opposite.” Karys’ Spirit quailed again as he looked at the infection-like red that crawled across the Seal. “Can your Unite the Lost fix this?”

“Maybe,” Felix said. He reached up and manifested the crown upon his head. He grinned at Karys's stunned expression. “This should help though.”

At Felix’s urging, Karys took the crown into his mismatched grip. HIs Leviathan bone and golden metal hands caressed the crescent bronze with reverence. "The crown of Elysium. Felix, how did you find this?"

"It was a Quest reward for proclaiming and restoring four Territories. And not just that.” Felix summoned his Quest details and sent them to his Chancellor. “ I've got a new Quest to restore the ancient Seals around the Continent."

Karys read through the notifications and his elation grew by the word.

"The crown will aid you to fix all of this?" Karys asked.

"That's the idea. It certainly doesn't have an instruction manual, though.” Felix took the crown back and placed it on his head. “Unite the Lost.”

The world flexed around them. Essence and Mana and significance fled from Felix’s channels, flowing through his feet and into the chamber beyond. Change happened in a wave, splashing across the Seal and everywhere it touched regained its luster. Silver and golden lines gleamed, reborn anew as they retreaded the complicated fractal designs across floor, walls, and ceiling. It peeled away the char from the stone like flecks of dark paint, and even the rotted crimson was stripped clean, turned to a weak, wafting smoke that faded into the air.

"Wow," Felix said at last. He stared at the crown in his hands, turning it over. "That was a lot easier than I expected. Tch. Still cost a lot of significance though.”

"A worthwhile sacrifice," Karys said. His eye-fires dimmed as if he were closing them, and he pulled in a deep, rattling breath. "I can already feel our Authority over the city returning. There is much to do."

"There is," Felix agreed. And if he wanted to keep restoring Seals around the world, then he needed to test out the crown’s other features, and soon.

He needed some Nymean containment vaults to raid.

But first, I’ve got upgrades to handle.