Unbound

Chapter Thirty Two - 032

"Rokta fo valla, humans," the giant snarled, its voice suddenly dipping into English. Or whatever they call English here. Wait is it English? Or am I speaking another language?

Magda and Harn didn't stop running, though they shared a look.

"You have come too late, prey. We are nearly finished." The giant continued, its arms never lowering it's two handed axe.

"Too late for what?" Magda laughed. "You're already dead, frostborn!"

Felix could just barely sense it, powerful swirls of purple-white Mana and a familiar crimson congealing along the edge of the Risi Commander's axe. A shimmering blade, conjured from Mana, nearly invisible.

He isn't sure what was about to happen, but it wasn't going to be good.

Influence of the Wisp!

Blue-white fire flickered around Felix before it guttered out.

No Effect

Shit!

The giant was already swinging. Magda and Harn were within ten feet of the giant, too close to dodge, going too fast to stop.

Reign of Vellus!

Felix poured the pitiful remains of his Mana into the spell, yanking upward with all of his mental might. He twisted his body too, muscles straining as he fought against the incredible weight and inertia of the icy weapon.

The greataxe and the Mana blade at its end tilted ever so slightly up.

With an explosion of crimson and purple light, a blade made of bloody ice screamed through the air. It tore across the thoroughfare, neither air nor stone ruin any impediment to its furious speed. The edge traveled for nearly 100 yards, shearing straight through several buildings before it dissipated into purple-white vapor.

Still not stopping, Magda and Harn moved through the giant's body as if he weren't there, blunt force and slashing trauma shattering limbs. The giant recoiled, losing grip on its weapon as it pulled back on itself. A solid, powerful kick from Harn sent it tumbling backward. Barely able to stand, the giant looked drained of something vital. Its cheeks were hollow beneath it's stained beard, and it's eyes were dull.

Without another word, the Commander fell to the ground, its body shattering like ice itself.

XP Earned!

You Have Received A Quest!

An Incursion of Risi - The giants are descending from the Hoarfrost, threatening your home. Find out their purpose and eliminate them before they achieve it.

Purpose 0/1

Risi Killed 5/500

Reward: Title, Varies

Accept?

Yes/No

Felix's eyes bulged at the sudden prompt, his eyes zeroing in on the most important number.

There are 495 more of these guys?!

He fell back onto his ass, legs suddenly weak. Felix dismissed the quest notification without choosing an answer, resolving to worry about that later. Lying down and taking a good long rest was all he wanted right now.

And of course, that's when he heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Punch mage? You alive up there?" The voice was slightly strained, but he couldn't mistake the raspy voice.

"Yeah, still alive," Felix mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"Good. Come down. We have questions," Harn added. Part of Felix rankled at the tone. He wasn't being asked, he was being ordered. With an effort of will, he shrugged that off and stood up. His head throbbed, but not as bad as before. After 10 seconds, his Mana was already back up to 5%.

Felix half slid, half walked down the crude stone ramp he'd made, a portion of his mind marveling at that fact. The rest of his thoughts were turned toward meeting all of these people outside of combat. What was he going to say to them?

Hello. I'm from another planet and I have no idea what's going on. Also I'm human. Or I was. Before. On the alien world that I mentioned...?

Felix palmed his face, groaning. This is impossible.

By the time he came down the ramp, most of the adventurers had gathered together. Felix approached them cautiously, noticing how they all grouped themselves. Evie and Vessilia stood together, the former whispering something to the latter that Felix couldn't make out. Atar sat on an overturned column, head in his hands, but looked up as Felix stepped forward. At the fore, the large framed Magda and heavily armored Harn stood like powerful sentinels. Surprisingly, Harn had a giant axe made of ice hanging across his shoulders, though it seemed...reduced somehow.

"Uh, hi," Felix managed a small wave. For the first time in a while, he was acutely aware of the state of his clothing. His tunic was just a collection of rags at this point, and his pants were torn up to the knees. His hair was a shaggy mess that stuck out in all directions, and he had at least two weeks of un-groomed facial hair.

"Who are you and why are you here?" The shield warrior stepped forward, her face only partially visible through her half-helm. She looked like a viking mixed with a brick house, physically huge and topping him easily by half a foot.

"I'm Felix and I, uh live out here." Felix decided to lie, unsure whether he'd be believed or branded as crazy for claiming to come from another world. He could always revise his story once he figured this all out.

Acting is level 6!

Magda raised her eyebrow, visible through her helm's protection. "Live? For how long?"

"How long? Well, it feels like my whole life--"

"We can chat later," Harn interrupted, looking off into the distance. "More are coming. We need shelter."

Felix swiveled in the same direction, suddenly hearing the stomp of large feet and light clatter of metal armor. When he turned back, all five of the adventurers were moving down the shattered lane. He hesitated as they walked away, unsure if he should call out or ask permission to follow them.

Then Vessilia turned and beckoned him. "Are you coming, Ser Nevarre?" Magda snorted but kept moving. Vessilia smiled at Felix's reluctance. "They are good people, I assure you. And we will all be safer together."

Felix rubbed the back of his neck and let himself be led away.

Maybe this will work out.

"I don't trust him," Magda whispered, glancing back at the strange man who followed them. His footsteps were eerily quiet as they navigated the iced over cobbles in the city ruins, and his eyes...

"Seems capable," grunted Harn, stepping over a fallen column.

"Too capable," agreed Magda. "I saw him run at that Risi Warrior faster than Evie, and she's specialized in Agility. And his bare-fist punches were putting dents in iron armor. He might not be as strong as you, but he's up there."

Magda squinted into the dark, thick fog weeping across their path. She knew it was around here somewhere.... "He's not even Tempered yet, and is out here alone? Why? You know how hard it is to get out here...unless he had help."

Harn shrugged, still apparently nonplussed. "C'mon, Maggie. He's probably some noble brat who lost his retinue. We've seen the type, hell, we have the type now." He stepped forward and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You need to calm down. This Cassie situation has got you all tense. Let's make camp and plan from there."

Magda and Harn stared at each other for a few seconds, years of teamwork and communication bridging the gap between them, giving even silences a deep meaning. Old words, old thoughts wearing comfortable ruts between them.

"Your helmet is stupid," she muttered, for perhaps the thousandth time.

Harn barked a laugh and walked off.

Traversing the shadowy city was a lesson in quiet terror. Felix crept beside Vessilia and the pale mage, trying to stay quiet and unseen in the looming darkness. The bones of a once prosperous city were all around, mostly toppled and cracked, with heavy evidence of nature crawling back among them. Carpets of wild grasses emerged from between sunken cobbles and flowering stalks covered in night-closed blooms spread across tumbled walls. It would have been picturesque, were it not for the occasional thump-clatter of large creatures moving in the distance.

Giants.

They weren't being followed, not really. It only appeared that way he knew, because there were 495 of them moving in clumps all around the ruins. But then...maybe they were gathering together? Maybe the movements were organized and these eight foot tall behemoths were drawing them all into a trap?

Breath. Get a grip. Felix clenched his jaw and focused, steadying his mind. Fortress walls rose in his mind's eye, a dozen feet tall and half that thick. His fears flailed themselves against it, exhausting their power over him.

Bastion of Will is level 27!

It was easier after that.

The path they took was fairly straight forward though their leader Magda led them on a confusing trail. Twice they went down the same alley, and there was a particular minaret he'd seen at least four times. It was obvious she was avoiding the giants' ice, but something else seemed to bother her. Much like Vessilia, he noticed Magda would often squint into the distance. He still couldn't figure out why, and it was nagging at him. But after fifteen minutes or so, they came upon a set of stairs into the ground which led to a thick iron door. Magda opened it with a solid yank and remarkable lack of noise.

As they piled in, Felix felt a small surge of anxiety. Confused a moment, he quickly realized it didn't belong to him; Pit was upset. Casting his eyes about and following the warmth in his chest, Felix spotted a dark shape near the top of a nearby fallen cathedral. He wasn't sure what else all of the towers and complicated buttresses could be, and it was too far away to Analyze; Pit was nestled between the eaves of the fallen roof. Making eye contact, Felix tried to convey a sense of calm.

Just hold on buddy. Stay safe.

He turned around and ducked into the open door. Harn gave him a strange look as he came in, looking outside behind him before securing the portal.

The building above had collapsed so long ago that several trees were growing in the remnants, and as he entered the subterranean space Felix saw several thick roots coiling across an earthen ceiling. Using his Manasight, Felix gauged the room around them. Dusty brown earth Mana predominated, along with thick wisps of smokey gray shadow. Most surprisingly, the roots above them shone with a green-gold radiance that slowly pulsed along their lengths, like a heartbeat of summer sunlight. It was honestly delightful, and Felix smiled as he enjoyed their light.

THUMP!

Felix's eyes snapped open, abruptly reminded that he was among strangers. His hand was at his waist before he recognized that Magda had slammed her pack down onto the ground.

"Same as usual. No fire, no light. Never know what might leak out. I'll set up the wardstones and we can get some rest." She fished a number of strange blue orbs from her pack and started placing them around the room. Felix was immediately curious, but with a narrow-eyed glance from Magda he kept his distance. Once the last orb was placed, the shield warrior muttered something under her breath, something that, despite his enhanced Perception, he could not make out. It was all echoes and distortion. All at once, the orbs lit up from within, casting bright blue designs on the walls that twisted and converged, becoming a singular ring of mystical glyphs.

I know these shapes, he realized as he picked out the various sigils he had seen before. Wardstones, she called them. That is seriously cool.

The sigils blazed on the walls a moment longer before seemingly sinking into them and disappearing.

"Where have you been sleeping?"

"Gah," Felix replied, surprised again to find the girl Evie so close. How does she keep doing that? She regarded him with bright green eyes that almost glowed in the dark. Weird.

"Um, in trees mostly," he said, taking a step back away from the enthusiastic girl.

"Trees?!" She made a face and stepped away from him. "One of those sickly diseased things? Eugh!"

Felix furrowed brow and squinted. "No, nothing like that...most recently it was an evergreen tree, called a Rodan Pine. Nothing special really, just tall enough so most beasts wouldn't notice me."

"What about flying monsters? We've seen a few gnarly things, like the ones with four wings sharp as swords."

"It--" A chill raced down Felix's back, his mind cast back to the Razorwing Skinks. "They haven't--as long as you keep out of their territory, they will leave you alone."

Jangling metal and heavy footsteps drew his attention away from Evie as both of them turned toward the approaching Magda. She had taken off her helm, revealing a dirt stained face and sweat mussed sandy brown hair, cut short at her ears. Her jaw worked soundlessly, clenching and unclenching as she watched the two speak. Focusing on Felix, she grunted. "You, it's time to start answering some questions."

Evie adroitly slunk back, moving out of the line of fire. Felix turned fully toward their leader and nodded, a flutter of apprehension in his guts.

"Sure. What do you want to know?" He could see the others all gathering around them, sitting or standing as they listened in. Harn stood near the door, helmet off and tucked under and arm. He had a squarish face covered in scars, and his expression was lazily disinterested. Does he practice that look?

Magda leaned forward with a creak, the smell of sweat and leather and cold metal wafting toward Felix. "Where are your people?"

"Uh, I don't have people," Felix swallowed, thinking briefly about home. "I'm alone out here."

"How?"

"How, what?"

"How do you survive? You're, what? Level fifteen? You can't have more than a handful of Skill levels." Magda gave him a once over that was surprisingly embarrassing considering the state of his clothes.

"Nineteen, actually. Just hit that yesterday."

"Us as well. Though we've been stuck at level 19 for several months..." Evie gave Magda a look that Felix couldn't entirely parse. It reminded him of the way his little sisters would needle him when they were younger. For her part, Magda ignored it.

"What have you been doing out here?" Magda asked.

"Exploring, I guess you'd say. I've even got a Skill for it." Felix was kinda proud of that one. Didn't even have to lie, not really, though his Acting Skill didn't level. A downside of being truthful, or being himself? Wow that's a dangerous rabbit-hole to wander down. Magda was still talking.

"That is strange. Exploring is usually a Henaari Skill. You don't look particularly Henaar. Too short."

"So I've been told," Felix laughed. "Despite your obvious distrust of me, this is really nice. You're the first people I've spoken to since...in a long time."

"Since when?"

"Do monsters count?" That brought her up short, for some reason. Magda suddenly loomed closer.

"Explain."

The gut-flutters increased, and Felix shrugged. "There was a monster, a giant weasel thing called an Orit; he spoke. Didn't have anything nice to say, so I don't really count him."

"Interesting." Magda sat back, mouth turned up at the corners. "So, mini farwalker: have you explored this area?"

"No, I just got here. I had heard there was a city here...didn't know it was a ruin."

"Of course it's a ruin. Hasn't been anything in the Foglands since the third age," added in Evie, who was across the small chamber and stuffing her face with some sort of biscuit.

"How silly of me," Felix deadpanned, then brightened. He was determined to make the best of this. "But at least I found you folks."

"So you haven't seen any other humans?"

"No you're the first, but I just got here. Do you expect to find others in the city?"

"Not sure we could find anything with this blighted fog," muttered Atar, rubbing his arms as if cold. Maybe he has low Vitality? Or just not enough meat on his bones. He's pretty spindly.

Wait.

"The what-now?" Felix asked. This wasn't the first time he'd heard mention of it, and even Balfur's memories featured a heavy fog he still hadn't experienced.

Magda looked at him, eyebrow raised. "He said the fog. You should know, being out here so long. It's murder on Perception and fouls even the best tracking."

What fog? he asked. This time, everyone looked at him in varying degrees of confusion. "Wait, is that why you all keep squinting?"

"What do you mean, 'what fog?'" Magda asked, slowly.

"I mean, I didn't see any sort of fog. It's was a clear night out tonight."

Magda rocked back on her heels, face clouded.

Should I have kept that to myself?

Abruptly, terrible howls echoed into the night. The sound pierced from outside, muffled but unmistakable.

"Those sound...big," noted Vessilia, her hand already holding her spear.

Ice crackled, and in the dim light of the wardstones, Felix could see trails of frost begin to form along the ceiling. They gleamed purple-white in his Manasight. Shortly thereafter, the howling faded off into the distance.

"Noctis wept," cursed Magda.

Noctis? God, I'm gonna run out of pages in my notebook for all these questions.

"Hoarhounds," rasped Harn, a grimace crawling across his face.

"Hoarhounds? Here?" Atar gasped, eyes wide in the dim blue light of the wardstones. "First giants and now hoarhounds? What is going on here? Why would they stray so far from the north?"

"Why indeed," Magda mutters, and Felix sees her eyes linger on him for more than a moment. Then she turns back to her bedroll, already laid out, somehow. "Get some rest. Harn'll take first watch, then me, Evie, and then Atar."

"Aw beans," Felix heard Evie mutter, already bundling herself up in her thick woolen blanket. Atar also looked peeved, but didn't say anything, only rolling over with a humph.

Settling back against the softest rock he could find, Felix found himself too worried to be tired. Pit was out there, with what sounded like giant wolves. Wait, no, giant ice wolves. Felix was a worrier by nature, and this grated at his mind.

"He will be safe," said a soft voice.

Felix turned to see Vessilia half sitting on her bedroll, watching him. She was very well lit in his Manasight, the soft blue water Mana of the wardstones underlighting her sharp features.

"Who?"

"Your...friend."

Felix smiled. "Thanks. I'm sure he will, but I can't help but worry." Vessilia laughed, a deep throaty chuckle he didn't expect. "What?"

"You remind me of someone."

"And that's funny?"

"It would be if you knew them." Then she rolled over and, apparently, went to sleep.

Felix sat up for a while longer, mind turning over, not because he had fallen in with aliens from another world or because their leader seemed to distrust him entirely.

Nope.

It was because he wasn't sure if he had just gotten dunked on or not.