Unbound

Chapter Thirty Three - 033

Felix woke with a start.

It was dark, cramped and unpleasantly moist. For a few frantic moments he couldn't remember where he was, or how he'd gotten there. Visions of four-way jaws, of buzzing wings, and the far off feel of twisting tentacles pushed at him, scraping at his sanity before suddenly disappearing. The dark walls of a powerful fortress reared for a moment in his mind, shearing the impressions off at the base. Calmer, Felix looked around.

The dim blue light of the wardstones revealed the sleeping forms of his new...associates? Certainly not friends, not yet. They didn't trust him enough. For his part, he wasn't entirely sure he trusted them. There were currents here he didn't understand, and though he was excited to finally see people, he was wary.

Wary had kept him alive so far.

Sitting up, Felix felt his stomach grumble. They had passed around some basic rations before they all turned in, so at least he wasn't starving, but it was hardly filling. Salted and dried meat, bricks of bread (?) that were harder than most rocks. Chewing it was a challenge, let alone swallowing it. Putting aside his stomach, Felix wiped off a slight sheen of sweat and fanned himself. The temperature and humidity had climbed in the room, likely due to the press of bodies. So it boggled his mind when Felix saw most of them were bundled up in blankets.

They can't ALL have low Vitality. What if--

A thought occurred to him: the fog. The others had spoken of a persistent fog in the countryside, one that befuddled the senses. Maybe it was also chilly? But why could Felix neither see nor feel it? Curious, he flexed his Manasight.

Generally speaking, his Manasight was always on in some ways. He absently noticed the flow of what he had come to call Mana Vapor in just about everything, seeing it as though out of the corner of his eye. When he activated the Skill, that's when the depth came to the fore. At its current level the Skill no longer inundated him with smokey Mana clouds, instead showing a refined world made of pulsing power.

The room around him was awash in the deep blue shimmer of water Mana, originating from the wardstones. These soaked into the dusty brown earth of the walls, tinting the shadow Mana with faint blue tones. That same green-gold light shimmered from above, evidence (he thought) of the life growing all around him, but pieces of it had gone dark while others had a faint touch of purple-white ice Mana.

So the Hoarhounds' power killed the plant-life. Makes sense. Crops can't survive an ill timed frost.

He saw all of this, shimmering and shining in their various hues, but he saw no fog at all. At best, there was that faint smokey haze he always saw when he used Manasight.

Wait. As Manasight leveled, I started to see in greater detail. But the haze hasn't gone away...

Felix narrowed his eyes, trying to focus on the literally ephemeral haze in his Manasight. It was like trying to watch one of those eye squiggles that drift across your vision, nearly impossible to actually pinpoint.

Floaters, that's what they're called. And if it behaves like that...

He stopped moving his eyes, instead focusing on the middle distance in front of him and letting that Mana haze drift around him. As it passed, he used his peripherals to inspect it, flexing his Manasight as best he could. For a long few minutes, there was nothing until...

What?

A flash of thin white mist, hanging low to the ground, there then gone in an instant.

Manasight is level 26!

"Huh, it is there."

"Muh? What?" He wasn't sure who spoke, but Felix ducked his head back down and pretended to be asleep. After a moment, he heard the soft sound of snoring resume.

Quietly, Felix decided to check on his Quests.

Active Quests

Advance Five Spells To Apprentice Level!

2 of 5 Apprentice Spells

Home Sweet Home!

1 of 5 Threats Eliminated

A Light In The Dark!

2 of 4 Remnants Found

An Incursion of Risi

0 of 1 Purpose

496 of 500 Risi

His spell quest was obviously his Fire Within Skill and Reign of Vellus. He was close with Stone Shaping and Acid Stream, too. Felix idly wondered what Title and reward he'd get for completing his first quest. Hopefully something useful.

Home Sweet Home and An Incursion of Risi he passed over. One was brand new and the other hadn't changed since he last checked it. Plus, he was still a little ticked off at the system for giving him such monumental tasks.

Not that I HAVE to finish them...I think.

A Light In The Darkness had updated...and Felix didn't know why.

A Light In The Dark!

2 of 4 Remnants Found

I found the first one on the Seven Legged Orit...but I haven't killed anything like that since.

Felix felt around in his satchel, taking quick inventory of its scant remains: a torn waterskin, an empty potion case, the brightweave coil, his beat-up notebook and grease-pencil, and a stack of loose papers. Wait. The box Pit found...

Pulling the cigar-box sized chest out of his satchel, Felix carefully set it onto his lap. He moved quietly, attempting not to rustle much an awaken his new associates. Slowly, he poked and prodded the lock on it, but was unable to find a latch or release anywhere obvious. Gently, Felix shook the box, hearing the soft thump of something moving inside.

Is that the other remnant? Maybe one of these adventurers knows how to pick a lock.

Using his Manasight, Felix could make out the locked box as having an exceedingly neutral aura to it. Compared to the vibrant colors all around him, it was a muddy rock on the ground, completely boring and unremarkable.

Well that's a dead giveaway. The remnant has gotta be in here.

Setting the box back into his satchel, Felix laid back and tried to sleep.

Sleep was elusive.

It was a couple more hours before everyone else woke up. Unable to let himself be idle, Felix spent the time Meditating as deeply as he could, searching for a way to level that Skill up even more. He had figured out that it was linked to harmony or harmonics, but what that actually meant was a mystery.

He dove deeper, trying to ignore all outside distractions and contemplate only the swirl and flow of his Mana channels. His Fire Within sat in his torso, slightly higher than his navel, spinning and flaring with various colors: flashes of electric blue, deep emerald green, bright gold, and even hints of black and crimson buried in the roiling light. The Mana spooled around his body in complicated loops and whorls like living light, or phosphorescent water that gleamed as it moved, never settling and always circling back to his core. But after hours of watching that interplay, he was still no closer to a single level up in Meditation.

Frustrated, he resurfaced to find most of others already up and talking softly. When they saw him sit up they all fell silent, then Magda spoke.

"Hold to the wardstones. They will last the day, and we will be back by nightfall." She nodded at the three trainees (apprentices?) and turned toward the exit.

The others all stood back, watching as both Magda and Harn hefted their weapons and cautiously exited the heavy iron door. Once it closed, Evie let out a frustrated sigh.

"Wait, they're leaving?" Felix asked as he stood up, a part of him still marveling at the lack of aches and pains he'd normally associate from sleeping on hard ground.

"Yes. They wish to scout the area first before we make any movements," Vessilia offered. "They are not sure how many giants have come south, and what their disposition is within the ruined city."

"They're leaving to have fun without us," grumped Evie.

"Again," agreed Atar, his flesh-colored mustache quivering in annoyance.

"Oh," Felix felt there was more history here than he cared to parse out. Then his head rocked back in alarm. "Oh no! I forgot to tell them! I know how many giants are in the city."

"What?" Evie shot upright.

"How?" Atar asked.

"I got a quest yesterday after we finished off the Risi Commander. It asked that I eliminate the remainder of the giants and find out why they're here," Felix said.

"A quest! And how many were there?" Evie was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"500. 496 now."

Silence reigned in the small basement as the three trainees chewed over his words. Felix felt bad he hadn't mentioned it before, but so much was going on that it slipped his mind.

"Um...I suppose Lady Aren and Ser Kastor will be able to handle themselves," Vessilia haltingly began.

"Pff, she'll eat em and spit em out. That's not the point! We were supposed to have a proper adventure! Now they get all the fun, while we twiddle our thumbs." Evie grumped even harder this time, plopping onto her bedroll.

A high pitched laugh rang out, one Felix was surprised belonged to Atar. It was almost musical despite its sour tone. "Never trust the Shieldwitch to involve us with anything. I mean, it's not like we paid to be here or anything."

Silence again, this time awkward and filled with things for which Felix had no context. Blowing a deep breath out, he turned to Vessilia who was still staring at the door.

"So, ah, where are you folks from?"

God that sounds lame. He cringed inwardly. It sounds like you're trying to pick her up.

"Mm? Oh, we are from all over. I am from Pax'Vrell, Atar is from Te'thys, and Evie is from...Setoria, right?" Vessilia looked at her friend, who was currently balancing a small throwing dagger on her fingers.

"Sorta! I've lived the past five years in Setoria, but before that me and Maggie have been all over. Bel Atol, Valspire, even spent a few months in Levantier." Evie spun the dagger and caught it neatly.

"Busy life," Felix observed. "That's a lot of places for someone who's only, what, seventeen years old?"

"Twenty, thank you very much. It is what it is," she added with a shrug.

"And where, exactly, are you from, Felix Nevarre?" Atar's reedy voice asked, so at odds with his laugh. "Don't think we didn't notice you evading that answer."

Felix smiled ruefully. Jig is up, I guess. "I come from far away, probably no where you recognize. But I've been in the Foglands for two weeks or so, trying to survive."

"You've been here alone, right?" Asked Evie, her eyes glowing a brighter green. Now that he thought about it, he looked between all of them. All of their eyes were glowing green.

"Yeah, it's been pretty rough," he cleared his throat. "Why are all of your eyes glowing green?"

"Oh? Ah yes, it is because of Nighteye," said Vessilia.

"What's that?"

"You don't know Nighteye? How do you see in the dark?" Atar scoffed.

"I don't? Are you saying Nighteye is a Skill that lets you see in the dark?" Felix was immediately interested.

"Yeah, it's a spell we got drilled into us when we joined the Guild. Every Guilder has Nighteye." Evie tapped the corner of her eye, her irises flaring with neon green.

"Oh cool, can you teach me?" Felix smiled, hands itching to try out a new spell.

"I don't think we can? Skills are hard to teach and learn, usually takes a specialist trainer to pass them on. And besides, why waste a Skill slot on it when you don't have to? You seem to be doing fine, and most only get a couple dozen Skills our entire lives, ya know?"

It felt like a trap door beneath Felix's stomach dropped out, sending his guts into freefall. Only a couple dozen Skills? But what if he wanted to do more spells, or other cool tricks? Was he stuck with the mishmash of Skills he had stumbled upon?

No, that can't be right. Two dozen. That's way too low. Quickly, Felix pulled up his Skill list.

Skills:

Resistances: Acid Resistance , Level 20; Fire Resistance Level 14; Heat Resistance (U), Level 14; Pain Resistance (U), Level 27; Poison Resistance (U), Level 17; Armored Skin , Level 15; Bastion of Will (E), Level 27

Utility: Acting , level 6; Analyze , Level 20; Improvisation , Level 4; Intimidation , Level 2; Running , Level 18; Stealth , Level 22; Swimming , Level 3; Tracking , Level 13; Breath Control (U), Level 16; Companion Pact (U), Level 11; Dual Casting (U), Level 13; Free Climbing (U), Level 13; Exploration (U), Level 16; Herbalism (U), Level 17; Meditation (U), Level 30; Make An Entrance (U), Level 3; Manasight (U), Level 26; Lessons of the Past , Level 9; Physical Conditioning , Level 19; Deep Mind (E), Level 24

Combat: Blunt Weapon Mastery , Level 3; Dodge , Level 24; Long Blade Mastery , Level 9; Parry , Level 1; Small Blade Mastery , Level 8; Staff Mastery , Level 1; Thrown Weapons Mastery , Level 10; Unarmed Mastery , Level 24; Acrobatics (U), Level 21; Corrosive Strike , Level 18; Blind Fighting , Level 18

Spells: Acid Stream , Level 22; Fire Within , Level 27; Influence of the Wisp , Level 21; Invocation , Level 1; Shadow Whip , Level 12; Stone Shaping , Level 24; Reign of Vellus (E), Level 26; Sigils of the Primordial Dawn (E), Level 3

I count 46 Skills already. There's no way two dozen is the limit. Did they mean more than two? Like three or four? Felix cleared his throat.

"So what if, hypothetically, someone had fifty Skills?" Vessilia and Atar both laughed, though their intent seemed wildly different.

"That would be...unwise. A person only has so much time in a day to cultivate their Skills. Gaining and training that many, aside from the difficulty, would be hardly efficient or necessary. Most people claim there is an upper limit and stick to a core grouping. Something to do with the Human soul, at least according to the Priests of the Pathless," Vessilia mused.

"The Pathless is a false god and your priests are jackanapes. My Master says that your spirit can only handle so much stress, and that each Skill has a multiplicative effect on straining the spirit. Once you've hit your limit, that's it," Atar said. "I cannot believe you don't know that. Who trained you, anyway?"

Felix ignored him, mind spinning furiously. Well, one way to find out.

"Can you teach me anyway?"

The next hour was filled with Evie and Vessilia trying (and failing) to teach him the Nighteyes Skill. Felix ate the hard tack and jerky offered to him mechanically as Evie finished retelling the tale of her own learning experience.

"...and then he put me in a dark room with a bunch of Ratlings," Evie finished.

"No!" Vess gasped, hand over her mouth. "How did you get out?"

"By learning to see in the dark and kill them all," Evie shrugged, clearly not phased by it. "It was the same thing with most of my Skills: get into a stressful situation, line up the right prerequisites and mindset and bam. Skill gain."

"That's...not very helpful," Felix winced.

"Well, I'm not a trainer, so there ya go," Evie rolled her eyes.

Felix pondered. The commonality in both of their stories was stress and need. He had neither in this particular situation, but that wasn't how he always gained Skills either. There were a few times where he simply did a thing and learned it. Easy as breathing.

Or stole it from a monster, he amended. That was a bit of a cheat.

"Can you deactivate the Skill and reactivate it again? I'd like to see if I can notice anything."

"Um, sure," Vessilia said, her eyes going dark and unfocused. Felix realized that without the Skill she was blind in here. "Ready?"

"Go for it," Felix flared his Manasight while watching her eyes closely.

Something flickered in her eyes for a moment, then they burned a bright green. Vessilia flinched back.

"Ah-I, uh did not know you were so close," she looked flushed for some reason.

"Yeah, had to see the details," Felix said offhandedly. "Can you try it again?"

Swallowing, she nodded and deactivated the Skill. With a flicker, Felix watched as tendrils of Mana coalesced behind her eyes, spiralling up into her irises and causing that bright neon glow. But the how was eluding him.

"Ah dang, that's not giving me anything. Maybe I'll try your way, Evie."

"Sure, let me go find some rats," Evie smirked. "If you really want to learn it that bad, just join the Guild when we get back to Haarwatch. You've got skills, more than most Tin Ranks out there."

Felix leaned back, squeezing his eyes closed and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Vessilia mentioned that before. Tin Rank. What does that mean?"

"It's a power rating. Guilders use it to determine who can do what missions or help with certain kinds of projects. Maggie says it reflects your "poise under pressure, strength of arm, and solidity of mind." Or something like that. I tend to tune her out when she starts sounding like a Guilder brochure," Evie smirked.

"So, it's all about getting more powerful to do more jobs to get more powerful?" Felix asked.

Evie touched the side of her nose and pointed at him. "He gets it."

"It is also about helping the less fortunate. Sheltering those without our gifts and abilities from threats. Monsters, rampages, incidents of all stripes." Vessilia had a gleam in her eyes that Felix hadn't seen before; it was like watching someone talk about their heroes.

"Huh," Felix grunted. That's...really nice, actually. I can't believe it actually shakes out that way, though. Not all the time. Not unless humanity here is wildly different than back home.

"So you're all out here to get stronger then? To rise in ranks?" Felix asked.

"We're here," spat Atar, joining in on the conversation for the first time in an hour. "So that we can Reveal our Omens and get some practical experience. Not that it's actually happening."

"Reveal your Omens? What--?" Felix began, but Evie interrupted him.

"Yeah, we are kind of young to attempt it, but that's only because we're just that good."

"The sooner we get our Omens, the more advantages we can accrue," added Vessilia. "A handful of extra levels with an Omen can make all the difference in a battle."

Felix didn't say anything, lost once again to contemplation. They don't have their Omens revealed yet. They only have a few Skill slots. Why is my experience so different from theirs? Why did I start at level one with my Omen already revealed? Despite his perfect recall, Felix itched again to jot this all down in his notebook for future reference. He'd have to manage it when they weren't looking so closely.

"So is your Omen predetermined? Or do you pick it?" Felix asked, as innocently as he could manage.

"Pick it?" Atar asked, incredulous. "You don't choose your destiny, you reveal it."

"Yeah, an Omen is something you're born with, most folks agree. It's just you need high stress and violence to unlock it, usually," Evie added.

"Usually? Not all the time? Are some people just born with it revealed?"

"Haha! You mean like an Unbound?" laughed Evie. "That'd be wild, for sure."

Felix noticed Vessilia was suddenly uncomfortable. She opened her mouth a couple times before words came out. "Ah...Ser Nevarre, I was curious. How, exactly, did you receive the giant quest?"

"Oh uh, I just got it when the Risi Commander died. Popped right up." Felix mimed a box in front of him. "Why?"

Vessilia blushed again. She must be really shy.

"It is nothing, just a personal curiosity. They say that quests aren't given to just anyone. They are selective, and some claim the gods are the final arbiters."

"Gods?" Felix asked, uncomfortable with the idea of actual, literal gods existing.

"Ehhh," moderated Evie, waving he hand in the universal sign for "maybe." "Most people think it's about opportunity and novelty. Be the first to do such and such, the first one to see or go somewhere, that sort of thing. It's all chance. The gods...I love you Vess but the gods don't mix into the lives of mortals. Not like the stories say, anyway."

"Pfhah! Blind pagans. You're both wrong," Atar said, so snidely that Felix wanted to kick him. "Your gods have no say in this world. Quests are by virtue of spirit alone! I'm sorry to say that you found the quest because you were worthy of it. That's all."

"Did your master spoon feed you that bullshit, or was it more of a do-it-yourself thing?" Evie rolled her eyes.

"How dare you!" Atar leaped to his feet, fire sparking around his body as he did so. "My master is worth twelve Shieldwitches, make no mistake!" Fire continued to build around the mage as he spoke, until he blazed just as he did during the giant battle. The other two canceled their Nighteye spells as the mage lit up the entire room.

AWOOOOOOOOO!

The sound was distant, but pierced into their hideaway just the same. Everyone froze, and even Atar let his fire cloak Skill lapse. Shortly after, a gargantuan roar sounded out. It sounded MUCH closer.

Felix looked at everyone. "What was that?"

"More giants?" Vessilia guessed.

"Definitely more giants. And at least one Hoarhound." Atar's voice was small in the sudden dark. Moments passed, quickly turning into minutes that dragged slower and slower. But no further sounds rang out.

"Ok that's about all I can stand of that," Evie said as she stood up. Quickly gathering her supplies, she wrapped her spiked chain carelessly around her neck and shoulder. "I'm going out."

"What? Why? We were told to stay put," Vessilia objected, clearly not comfortable with the idea.

"Because it's boring here. And because my sister is hiding things from us. Why are we out here?"

"I thought you were out here to Reveal your Omens?" Felix asked, not quite sure what was going on.

"We could have Revealed them days ago. Maybe even been back in Haarwatch by now." Atar added, also standing up. "I've said it since the beginning, but the Shieldwitch has an agenda. I'm going too."

Evie gave him a sour look, but didn't protest.

Vessilia gave Felix a look before standing herself. "I guess I have to go to keep you both out of trouble." She looked back at Felix.

"Are you coming, Ser Nevarre?"

"I told you, I'm not a sir anything," Felix protested. Then he stood up and stretched. "But yeah. Let's do it. I was getting bored in here anyway."