Unbound

Chapter Seven Hundred And Seventy – 770

They divided into teams.

It wasn't too hard to do, but it required some logistics as supplies were divvied up, and people shuffled around. Felix was happy to see that no one flinched from him or ran away now that they knew he was Unbound. If anything, they were more deferential, which was annoying but acceptable.

He couldn't quite keep a smile from his face. Felix had been afraid of the reveal for so long that to have it be so underwhelming was a little funny.

Beef and Archie had no problems, though Archie clearly enjoyed the bowing and scraping whenever he walked near people. Felix witnessed him do it no less than three times with the same group, and every time, Beef dissolved into giggles.

Maybe putting them on the same team wasn't the best idea.

Ultimately, the division was based on the threats they expected to face. Felix's team was headed to Levantier, Wizard City, and expected to face a lot of magical threats. So with him went Atar, Alister, Zara, and quite a few Chanters.

Vess' team was going to Sunara. They would require mobility in the face of the constant storm that wracked the Territory. With her went Pit, A'zek, Evie, and Darius. A large contingent of the Frost Giants went as well, following Battlelord Ari and a slightly annoyed-looking Evie.

The Kyria, he reminded himself.

Harn's team was mostly Legion, with only two Chanters to support him, along with Archie, Beef, Hallow, and all of their Risen. Frost Giants, Henaari Dawnguard, Legionnaires, and the Claw were split up amongst all three groups, rounding them all out, and hopefully giving each of them enough weight to accomplish their missions.

"As we discussed, Team Flight and Team Magic will remain behind for the next few minutes. I'll be going with each team to stabilize the Shadowgates. I’ll return shortly," Felix said. "Team Might, you're up."

"Team Kick-Ass," Beef corrected.

Felix rolled his eyes. "Why?”

“It's a cooler name."

"They both suck," Archie muttered, "but it's better than Team Might.”

Beef pointed at the man. "Thanks. I think."

Ignoring the two of them was easier than engaging, so Felix simply reached out and activated the Shadowgate to Jaast. The artifact was carved with deep, tropical forests, wide lagoons, and tall, imposing cliffs, as if the ground had been broken apart and filled with vegetation. All of it was rendered in beautiful, precious, and semi-precious stone. Felix wasn’t entirely sure where it would lead, hence their caution—they could end up anywhere within the vast, trackless jungles.

"Let's hope we don't walk out into thin air," Harn grunted as the Shadowgate bloomed with a deeper darkness.

Beef started. "Is that a possibility?"

"Everyone in," Harn commanded, putting his arcanite helmet on over his head. “Follow the Autarch.”

Felix stepped through the veil of shadows, and they didn’t part so much as pull him inward, wrapping around his senses like a smothering cloth. Light followed, beginning as a shimmering across the edges of his vision before resolving into planes of opalescent stone, touched by a high sun.

Felix scratched his head. Well, that’s interesting.

"Fuck, that's a big wall," Archie said as he came through. The others followed, rank after rank of Legionnaires, Dawnguard, Giants, and Chanters, all of them staring in unmasked wonder.

"I could not have guessed such things could exist," Mauvim said, walking with the aid of a knotted cane. Her eyes, however, looked very young as they regarded the Skill around them. "It is a marvel, young Nevarre."

Felix grunted.

The walls of his opalescent city towered above them, higher than even Haarwatch's orichalcum monstrosity, and they gleamed with an internal light. The entire team was in shadow, but the light beyond the walls filtered through the material like broken rainbows.

"What is this place?" Beef gaped, spinning in circles to take in the walls and the forest behind the dark portal at their backs. Hallow was wrapped around him like armor, but even her blackened-green eyes were wide across his breastplate, and his pair of Risen stared in reflected amazement.

From Beef's shoulder, his little risen Hatchling gave an unimpressed snort.

"This is my Void Sanctuary," Felix explained as Team Might finished assembling before the gate. He felt a tingle in his mind as knowledge simply appeared there, like a memory he'd only just recalled. "And it seems we have to go through the city to reach our exit."

"Never had to do that before," Harn said contemplatively. "This is because of the upgrades?"

"Yeah." He could feel his newest evolved Skill, Void Nexus, kick into gear as well, humming along in the background as they stood there. It ate a steady stream of significance as it went, but the Skill around him felt sturdier somehow. “Let’s keep up the pace.”

With the faintest touches from Felix’s Will, the gates opened soundlessly. Rainbows flashed before the distant golden sun cut across their vision, and an empty thoroughfare big enough for hundreds extended into his city. "Follow me."

Felix led them into the city, down wide streets paved with opalescent Fiendstone. The road lit up as they walked, their footsteps spreading ripples of light as if they trod atop shallow water. The ripples shot ahead, combining with a slight curtain of light through the translucent Fiendstone, shimmering along the path they needed to take. Felix didn’t even require that; the knowledge of each turn was there, waiting inside his Mind before they took it, as if he’d known all along.

He also knew, without words, that his Mind Skill and Shadowgate both were layered with protections. The golden glow of the sun above gleamed like the crown he could feel weighing on his brow, though the metal was not present at all. His Void Nexus Skill thrummed in the background, holding tight like a braided cords held taut against his chest. Last and not least in the slightest, the binding of the Shadowgate network to the Atlantes Anima flowed through the very breeze.

A leaf fluttered by, and Felix reached out and caught it. The green trefoil wasn’t a gemstone like the usual denizens of his Mind Skill. Felix followed its path back to a series of saplings that had sprouted down the length of the street. They grew in small plots between his Fiendstone, as if planted by some city planner. None of them were more than shoulder height on Felix, but they were full of leaves and exuded a powerful sense of life Mana. It was a refreshing addition to his stone city, one that he had not realized he needed.

“Look at that,” Beef said, pointing above the buildings.

In the hazy blue distance blossomed a far more mature version of the saplings around them. A crown of vivid emerald rose up, knee high to his grand palace that dominated the center of the Void Sanctuary. The tree wasn't so big as Atlantes, but Felix could still see it from the outermost streets. That suggested it was at least a couple hundred feet high.

What else has changed?

They passed through areas that resembled residential neighborhoods. The buildings all had windows and doors carved into them. Had everything not been made of the same material, it would have even looked like any of the cities Felix had passed through in his life. The style, however, was decidedly Continental: the curved roofs of Ahkestria, the reinforced walls of Haarwatch, and any number of details that he could barely recall.

Did the Skill draw these out of my memories?

"Everything," Archie said, and contempt filled his voice. "Everything is made of Fiendstone."

Felix raised an eyebrow. “Don’t like it?”

Archie made a face. "No, I don't. I can't pass through Fiendstone. My Skill's useless here. That's annoying."

"Well, if we're lucky, that won't matter much."

“You say that, but if anyone’s a magnet for catastrophic disaster, it’s you.”

“Thanks.”

Archie shrugged. “Look, last time we got hit by a bunch of monsters. I don't really want to do that again if I can’t use my best Skill."

A distant boom rippled across the sky, bubbling across the clear blue sky like thunder so loud that it broke into pieces against the Fiendstone buildings. It rattled apart, echoing for long seconds into smaller and smaller pieces. Everyone froze, looking up in alarm, several of the soldiers drawing weapons.

Felix immediately felt the source…and it wasn’t from the Void. He lifted his hand. "It's nothing. Keep moving." He had no interest in explaining.

People gave him a few glances, but he just kept walking.

They had no choice but to follow.

As the city blocks slipped by them all, Felix approached Mervin Cors.

He’d spotted him walking with the Legionnaires early on and hadn’t thought much of it. Felix hadn’t really specified which Legionnaires would go with each group; that seemed to have been decided among the Legion’s officers.

Felix wasn’t upset about it—he was happy to see the guy. Still, a strangeness had crawled across his senses the longer the officer marched nearby. The guy was looking around, bug-eyed with worry and wonder, but that was to be expected; nearly every other visitor to his Sanctuary vibrated with similar emotions. What was strange was the raw edge to his Spirit. It felt conflicted, almost dissonant.

It made Felix curious.

"My Lord?" Mervin blinked in surprise as Felix appeared at his side.

"Hey, Mervin. Are you good?"

"I am. I..." Mervin swallowed. "I must admit, Lord Autarch, I don't know how to speak to you right now."

"I see. Because I'm Unbound?"

"No. Yes. Perhaps a little. My pa always told me that the Unbound were waiting for us if we didn't finish our chores or if we didn't pray enough. That you were monsters." He glanced at Felix's black-clawed hands and then away. "I know you're not. I'm not... That isn’t what has me in knots. It's the Pathless."

Felix hid a wince. A faint memory lurched into view of a distant forest and a low-leveled Guilder muttering prayers to his god as Felix leapt out from the Void. Mervin had always been the faithful sort.

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"I'm sorry, man."

Mervin held up a hand. "I've known you were fighting against Him for a long time. I've grown used to that, I think. I've come to see that the world is full of more madness than I could have ever envisioned back on the homestead. I just... I can't believe He's gone. How could a god die?"

Getting their legs chopped off and then stabbed in the back by their siblings, if I had to guess. Felix wasn’t going to say that out loud, so he just shrugged. "We haven’t figured out what happened yet, though I have my suspicions.”

“Suspicions?”

“The other gods. If anyone can snuff out the Divine—”

“That would make sense.” Mervin shuddered. “Does this mean the gods are loosed?”

“If they were, I expected we’d be in a hell of a lot more trouble right now.” Felix glanced around them. It was too beautiful and peaceful in his Sanctuary to be having this conversation. “In the end, though, the Pathless tried to kill all of us. I can't say I'm beat up about it. But I get that it's hard for you. For a lot of people, I imagine.

"I wish I could tell you it'll get better soon, but I don't think it will."

Mervin looked at him, and a helpless laugh jumped from his lips. “With the Ruin on the way? I can’t imagine it will.”

Felix smiled. "Learning to laugh at the bad stuff helps. Things are going to get worse, then they'll likely get downright terrible. But we're together, right?"

Mervin straightened. "Right.”

“We're not the sort of men who go down without a fight, are we?"

Mervin firmed his jaw. "No, sir."

“Damn right." Felix patted him on the back and walked away, leaving the lieutenant striding a bit taller than before.

At least he feels better. He listened to the man's Spirit press upward toward clearer notes, overwhelming the dissonance. His own, on the other hand, was a bit shaky.

Another boom sounded in the distance. People pivoted, staring at Felix or the sky, but none of them slowed. It was the third such instance since they’d started their trek. As before, Felix pressed it down, suppressing his nerves with Willpower—a task that was increasingly easy thanks to his absurd stat score. The noise faded away, but Felix's frown only deepened.

He made a mental note to check on that part of his Sanctuary. Later.

For now, he focused on the path. The shimmering roadway led them on a circuitous route across neighborhoods. It wasn’t a straight shot to where the exit portal loomed—Felix could feel its location farther in, like a black spot on a white cloth—but for some reason, the Shadowgate refused to take the shortest route. With the threat of voidbeasts all but eliminated, Felix wasn’t in a particular hurry; he was willing to let the process unfold.

"I'm impressed, Felix,” Mauvim said, suddenly walking at his side as if she’d been there the whole time, her cane clacking against the translucent Fiendstone road. “Zara was telling me of her time traversing one of these Shadowgates. Her Mind Skill was a challenge and rife with voidbeasts, despite her Master Temper. Yet I sense not even a single ripple in the Grand Harmony here."

"Good," Felix grunted. "I've put a lot of work into ensuring they can't get in."

Mauvim hummed at him. "This is a Divine Skill, is it not?"

"It is.” Zara, you went and shared with your boss?

“Do not be mad at Zara, young Lord. She did not tell me."

"Then how do you know?" he asked, curious despite himself.

She ran an aged hand across a nearby wall as they walked, her fingers following the brick-like ridges in its construction. "The song. I have heard a great many Skills in my time, from Common all the way to Mythic. I have never heard a Divine Skill, however. The sound is richer, more full, as if the Grand Harmony is speaking directly through it." She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. They almost glittered, seeming out of place between the wrinkles—as if she were a ten-year-old girl, looking at life with fresh eyes. "It is astounding."

Her wrinkled face spread into a wide, eager grin. It changed her look entirely. "I am intrigued as to its true capabilities."

Felix looked at the city around him with a piece of that same freshness. "I suppose I am, too," he admitted.

"What are all these houses?" Archie asked, watching as Beef's Hatchling scuttled along the stoops of several interconnected units. The little creature, Fafner apparently, jumped between porches with a series of furious, flapping wings. She resembled nothing so much as a strange little bat.

"Ain't houses," Harn said.

Archie looked over at the men. "What?”

“Doors don't work. Windows neither."

"Really?" Beef peered at the Fiendstone buildings. "How can you tell? Fafner, get down from there!"

The Hatchling ignored him, clambering up the face of one building and peering through the translucent window panes.

"The casements aren't carved through, and the locks don't look how they should. These are shells," Harn said.

"Good eye,” Felix said, falling back from Mauvim’s side. “Harn's right. They're not really houses. They just look like them."

Beef sagged. "Oh, man, I was hoping I could claim one. This seemed like a cool place to live. Nice and quiet." Fafner flapped back to land on his shoulder. "Oh, welcome back."

"We can populate it with Risen," Hallow suggested.

"Isn't this place inside Felix's core space?" Archie asked. "How's anyone supposed to live inside someone else?"

"Some believe the Continent is but the inner workings of a vast, Divine being," Mauvim pointed out. "Who is to say what is or isn't possible?"

Felix raised an eyebrow. "I'm not a god."

"I didn't say you were, but the Skill is Divine. What secrets might it hold?"

The road flashed, leading them onward as Felix digested that particular nugget of wisdom. His friends talked amongst themselves, eagerly exploring his Void Sanctuary as they passed through neighborhoods and into a park of some kind. Felix hadn't even known this existed, and perhaps it hadn't before the Spirit Tree had joined his Shadowgate network.

Here, the trees rose higher, turning from saplings into adult growths wider than Beef. The opalescent pathway turned fragmented, covered in roots and undergrowth as it was, but large slabs still shone along a trail that led to the heart of the park, where a shadowy portal stood on the banks of a small pond.

Felix looked up. There hadn't been a single instance of the Whalemaw attacking, not even a rumbling. Finally, something’s going right.

"Three across," Harn ordered. "Remain quiet. Threats are unknown on the other side. Spread out and secure our landing site first and foremost. Go!"

He dove in first, axes in hand, followed swiftly by Beef, Hallow, and Archie. Felix lingered behind, allowing the entirety of Team Kickass to exit before he followed. When the shadows parted, he had entered a darkened chamber filled with wary soldiers. The moment Felix’s feet came down onto the ground, however, sigils along the floor came to life, casting a dim, fitful light. Soldiers gasped, weapons pointed at the ground in alarm.

"Calm down," Felix said. "It's just me."

The area around them was big enough for their team to spread out, and Harn had already secured it with Legionnaires, Dawnguard, and Risi Warriors around the perimeter.

“Did we… are we back in Elderthrone?" Beef asked.

"No, this is new," Harn said.

Archie ran a finger along another Shadowgate, drawing a huge amount of dust from its uneven surface. "Not that new. No one's been here for a long time."

Harn looked at Felix. "You got any control of this place?"

"A little," he admitted. He could feel it like a series of cords in the back of his awareness, untouched but very much familiar. The location they’d stepped into was the secondary Heart of Darkness he'd unlocked, so Beef was right in that it looked remarkably similar to the one in Elderthrone. It was in far worse repair, however. The binding of his Spirit Tree hadn't connected to the other Shadowgates around them, leaving them inert and busted by time and worse.

Unless he wanted to invest a lot of significance and power into them, he suspected they'd stay that way.

"There's another nine Shadowgates here, and the sigaldry is mostly intact. Enough to keep this one going, at least. The rest," Felix trailed off as his Perception flared. The chamber was big, but it featured broken pillars and shattered windows where time and weather had worn it away. The structure itself was a simple one, as far as he could tell, consisting of around twelve rooms of various sizes, though most were in extreme disrepair. Parts had collapsed, much of it had been taken over by the surrounding jungle, and there was also a large hole through one of the adjoining chambers that let out into sunshine. "This place has seen better days.”

"Aye, I don't doubt it. Scouts, see what you can find nearby. Don't engage with any hostiles," Harn said. Dawnguard and Legionnaires ran off, quiet as shadows before disappearing into them like ghosts.

"Pretty cool," Felix admitted. It was always cool seeing people utilize higher-Tier Skills. “Well, while they do that…” Felix rubbed his hands together. “Unite the Lost!”

Power fled him, spilling out of his palms and feet like a wave. The Shadowgate behind them reformed, restored to pristine condition in a handful of seconds, but Felix’s attention was pulled away from it before it finished.

Authority Recognized!

Greetings Inheritor!

Do You Wish To Restore The Heart of Shadows?

Y/N

Note!

Due To Your Advanced Authority, Titles, Inheritor Status, And Superior Shadowgate Network, The Cost For Full Restoration Is Reduced By 75%!

Felix hesitated. How much would it cost me?

The System, of course, didn't answer. He chewed his lip. It'd be advantageous to have control of another hub, even if the paired Shadowgates weren't connected. Worth the risk, I suppose. Do it.

Essence, Mana, and significance flowed from Felix, pulsing from the soles of his feet into the dusty earth. The Heart of Darkness rippled around him, and with the passing of his power, it was changed. Stone lost its scratched and matte look, returning instead to polished flooring inlaid with beautiful metal designs. The walls and pillars reformed, cracks sealing over and large chunks reconstituting themselves before their eyes, until they rose unblemished to a vaulted ceiling covered in blue, purple, and black tiles that resembled the night sky.

Mage lights blossomed along its surface, silvered and gold—like stars. Others lit along the chamber and down side passages that were no longer shadowed and collapsed. Reforming walls, wide reconstructed windows, and a roof of dark green tiles pushed the jungle back.

The Shadowgates all around him reformed, though their innards did not rekindle, and the darkness there stayed thin and wan. The sculptures around the bases and frames of each circular portal were just as gorgeous as the rest, though Felix could not tell where they went with a glance. His power swelled, finishing the last touches around them as it crescendoed into an orchestral peak.

For a brief moment, the jungle around them went silent.

A deep, final tolling rolled through the building, inaudible to ears of flesh. The restoration cut off, and Felix gave a single, sharp inhalation. The silence broke. Creatures yowled in the distance, as if they’d only now recalled their voices. Soldiers flinched at the return of the caterwauling, their awe for Unite the Lost turned to a deep alarm.

“Damnation, Felix. Warn me next time," Harn said with a hiss. "If anyone was near, they’ve noticed that for certain."

Felix paled. "Shit. Sorry." He flared his Perception and stepped to one of the reconstructed windows. Outside he saw only jungle, and his senses felt no one immediately nearby—but the wilderness was dense and full of strange life. It was hard to tell.

Yev Setan Has Been Restored!

Your Authority Has Increased!

The notification blared into his attention, as did the sudden and complete sense of the structure he'd just brought back. Knowledge flowed through him, limited as it was, but it helped fill in some of the holes for the place. It was, at one point, part of a settlement, Felix now knew. Not a Stronghold, sadly, though he'd hoped for that.

Having the Seat and Seal be right at the entry would have made his life easier. Instead, it had been a standard settlement in the past, though he could detect remnants of what might have been a large city, long since swallowed by the jungle. It was likely devoted to the hub as a place where people could travel easily.

Not much around here, which is a stroke of luck. With his sudden awareness of Yev Setan, Felix was certain there had been no one around to witness the hub’s sudden restoration. A lot of empty jungle and gruesome monsters.

However, Felix did notice one thing that should make Harn's life a bit easier. "Harn, there's a special structure not far from here to the northeast. It leads through the jungle for at least several miles that I can sense. My Authority over this place only goes so far, though."

"A roadway?" Harn asked.

"Yeah, it's elevated and has some weird magic to it. My interface isn't telling me much, but I gather it'd make traveling through the area easier."

"Avet’s teeth, it would. We'll find it." A Dawnwalker ran up to him and bent to speak in his ear. Harn's expression brightened. "Looks like there's no sign of anyone within half a league."

Felix let out a breath. "Oh, good."

“Damn right it is. Now go, kid. We got business to attend, and you've got more traveling to do."

"All right." Felix left Harn to his work and met up with Beef and Archie standing near the Shadowgate. "Be careful, boys. And lady," he said, looking at all three of them and looking at Beef's armor and the eyes that blinked at him. "Remember, the Unbound you're looking for are young. They might even be scared, especially with those snake-mounted knights hunting them."

"We know," Beef said, careful to stand up straight as Felix spoke.

Like a child playing soldier. The thought struck him and Felix immediately chided himself for the comparison. Beef had proven himself many times over. "Watch each other's backs. Like in the swamp."

"Ugh, don't remind me," Archie groaned.

Felix grinned and activated the Shadowgate back to Nagast. His last view was of his friends turning away, ready to begin the business of hunting down some Kobolds.

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