Unbound

"The Broken Path..." Cal trailed off with a frown.

"I saw the Title in your list yesterday. I had hoped it meant something else." Felix tilted his head, but didn't interrupt her. "The Broken Path is what the priests call the old ways. The ways that came before the gods left us."

"I keep hearing that they died," Felix said with a questioning lilt to his voice. Cal shrugged.

"Dead, left, either way they're gone. Two Ages have come and gone and they've not come back."

Felix's mind lingered on Vellus, the Goddess of the Bloodmoon, as she'd been described. His thoughts immediately pinged off the memory of Mervin and his faith. "What about the Pathless? That's a god too, right?"

Harn spat. "Not one worth talkin' about."

"The Pathless makes it a point to not interfere. It's in the name. Unlike the Old Gods, who myth holds were quite involved in the Continent, the Pathless stays aloof and neutral. The only guidance he offers is his High Laws." Cal said the last with more than a little rancor. "The Hierocracy has the Pathless as the state religion. The Hierophant herself is the god's greatest mortal servant, supposedly."

"Remember what we said about no one in power wanting to help guide the weak? That's the Pathless' line. Part of his so-called 'High Laws.'" Harn growled. "It's a line I've grown tired of hearing."

"So then the Broken Path...it's, what? Guidance?" Felix asked.

"A way to power. But it's called broken for a reason. The Old Gods were...not much was left when they departed. Any guide, any path they might have lying around is bound to be incomplete." Cal chewed her lip in thought. "You'd have to find a scholar to tell you more. Hard to find one willin' to delve into a subject as taboo as the Old Gods, at least in the Heirocracy."

Felix clenched his jaw. He had both the Broken Path Title as well as a quest related to it. He pulled it up.

Shrines of the Broken!

You have found and recognized one of the Lost Gods' Temples, reactivating its Shrine and taking a step forward upon the Broken Path. Dare you go further?

Rewards: Unknown

"Wish I could tell ya more, kid," Harn said, standing behind one of the metal chairs and leaning onto its back. "But you've got a knack for hard questions."

"My curse," Felix smiled thinly before collecting himself. "What about Harmonic Stats? What are they? What do they do?"

"Harmonic--" Cal shook her head. "Hard questions, indeed. They're specialized Stats, ones that only take effect after their unlocked. Far as I know there are eight of them, same as the Primary Stats. You can unlock one or two with enough luck or talent. Which one did you get?"

"Uh," Felix checked his memory. "Resonance, Intent, Affinity, Resilience, and Alacrity."

There was a moment of stunned silence, before Harn let out a short, sharp breath. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Cal looked at him and asked in a flat voice. "How? Why?"

Felix just shrugged, his thin smile blooming a bit further. Cal and Harn saw it as the smile of someone who couldn't stop being impossible. She took a calming breath as Harn grunted beside her.

"Burnin' Unbound."

"Harmonic Stats," Cal started before floundering a bit. "They aren't well understood by anyone I've encountered. Maybe the Nevast Penatar, or the Conclave might know more, but they ain't sharin'. This is what I do know: each Harmonic Stat is born of two Primary Stats, but while the Primary affect mostly the Body and Mind (to a lesser extent), the Harmonic Stats affect the Spirit."

"Really," Felix sat forward again, his interest peaked. What was the Nevast Penatar and the Conclave? Questions for later. "That's how they're divided up? I guess it never made sense that so many of the Primary Stats had to do with the physical side of things. Two for the Mind."

"Three," corrected Harn.

"Intelligence and Willpower and what, Perception?" They nodded. "Interesting. And do they all affect the Spirit then? Do some affect the Mind as well? Or the Body even?"

"Predominately the Spirit, but I've heard some say the Mind and Body are still affected in some way. Like I said, not well known, not in my circles." Cal tapped her chest. "Unlocking them is different for everyone, but doing so before your First Spirit Formation is a great boon to your foundation. You had how many of these when you Tiered?"

"All of them."

There was a terrible squeal-crunch as Harn's hands crushed the back of the metal chair.

"Five. Twin's teeth, Felix. Alright. Then your Apprentice Tier Formation is..." She looked up in thought. "Moving Mountain Body, Dawnwalker Spirit, and..."

"Godeater Mind."

"Godeater...that'll raise a ruckus alone." Harn grumbled.

"What do the names mean?" Felix asked. "I know I picked various Essences during the Formation process, but I'm still not entirely sure what that all means in a practical sense."

"Essences are...seeds," Cal explained. "Way it was taught to me was, you pick your seeds, plant them into your Body, Mind, or Spirit and the System grows them anew. The details, the specifics of the seeds are what determines the shape of your new self. But your own soul, the power that is you, is what truly shapes it. So your Moving Mountain Body is cause of the Essences you chose, but also cause of who you are."

"So, everyone can't get the same Formation?" Felix drummed his fingers on the table. "If you gave two people the same Essences and used the same Skills to Tier, would they form the same Body?"

"Yes and no," she said, rather unhelpfully if Felix was being honest. "They would both form a similar Body, but the specifics would vary. Like I said, I was taught it has to do with your soul, which doesn't work best with all Skills. So one may be better suited to the Body formed and be able to get more out of it."

"Hmm," Felix thought it over. Did that mean his Formations were a good fit, or not? "How can you tell? If you're Formation is the right one?"

"Hard to say, but once you've passed Journeyman you'll know." Cal shuddered. "Journeyman is known as one of the worst Formations to make."

"Hurts like a bitch," agreed Harn. "Worse if you've strayed down the wrong path."

Felix had stood and started pacing, nervous energy bubbling up inside him. "How do you both know all this? I thought you said people didn't teach anyone?"

"The Guild teaches, though it expects much in return," Cal scowled. "Too much, I think now."

"Felix, yer Formations are...odd, to say the least. Ya used some powerful Essences to make em, but I ain't heard of a single one." Harn scratched his jaw. "I'd suggest not sharing em with all an' sundry."

"Wasn't planning on it," Felix said, a touch crossly. "Only reason you three know is because I'm dead in the water on all this."

"We appreciate your trust, Felix. We don't take the responsibility lightly. You must understand, the Nym, the Unbound, your...situation is something that doesn't happen." Cal massaged her eyes. "Not anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Unbound are more than rare. There hasn't been a recorded case since, I dunno, the Second Age?"

"Magda--" Felix glanced at Cal, who's face tightened slightly. "She told me Unbound were called demons, monsters. Calamities."

"All true. You don't find a lot bandied about Nym or other Lost Races because just that; they're Lost. The Ruin and their fall makes them...vanish. The Unbound, however, they simply stopped arriving at some point. Their memory lived on in a thousand stories that needed a good monster, something to dwell in the dark and warn children about."

"They became boogeymen." Felix said, but received only confused looks. "Monsters in the dark."

"Ah, yes, precisely." Cal nodded. "No adults actually believe there are monsters lurking beneath their beds, but every one of them was once a child that did."

"Plus the monsters that do exist lend credence to the worst they can imagine," Felix added. "I get it."

They sat in silence for a moment, while Felix collected his thoughts. Far from depressed, he found strength in this information. The Broken Path could be promising, if dangerous, leading him toward more power if he didn't get lost on it. And Harmonic Stats...he had already unlocked so many, so that must be a good thing right? The last two were System rewards for completing a very difficult quest, after all.

The question now was, how did he move forward?

"Alright, what's next?" Felix looked between the two of them. "I want--need--to advance my Skills and level as much as I can. How do we do this?"

Cal smiled, a sharp, ferocious thing. "First we get a handle on your foundations. The First Formation is the bedrock upon which your strength is built; if any of it is flawed then you'll only get hurt trying to advance.

"Yesterday to mentioned the Skills you Tiered to advance your Body, Mind, and Spirit. That'll give us a handle on how to progress. Can I share that information with Rory?"

Felix hesitated. "There's no way he can use it against me, right?"

"Knowledge is always power," Cal said with a shrug. "If you're asking whether or not I trust him, I already answered that. Rory...he wouldn't."

Felix clenched his jaw but nodded. "I guess I'll have to trust you on that."

Harn snorted. "Don't blame ya, kid. But he's got the know-how ta make this work, more'n me or Callie. He trained Magda, after all."

There was little to discuss after that. Felix's questions were sated for the moment, though he was sure he'd have more tomorrow. Truthfully, his mind was already buzzing with concepts and inquiries, but those would have to wait for Zara. If nothing else, he hoped the bookseller and ex-Archivist could suggest some reading material. Even if his reading ability was still hovering around the pre-school level.

As they walked from the room, Felix got an eyeful of Cal's adventurers sparring. Bodie was fighting off Yan and Portia with a big warhammer, while Vivianne was handily defending against Kelgan's rapid-fire spear thrusts. The five of them moved fast, fluidly, as if they were engaging in a deadly dance. It was damn near hypnotic.

"I've never once looked like that," murmured Felix, his awe apparent. Harn snorted in amusement.

"No. Yer more like a battering ram. Lotta power, little finesse." He clapped Felix on the back, and for once the Nym didn't even take a step forward. Harn grinned in appreciation. "Tomorrow we start to fix that."

"Felix, before you go. Did you speak to Atar today?" Cal asked, stretching her lower back.

"Shit," Felix said. "With everything going on, I forgot."

"Thought you had perfect recall?" Harn asked.

"I do, but not if I'm not thinking about it...It's hard to explain. It's been a rough day."

"Hah, don't worry. We know where Sparky is stayin'. I'll put word out to him to meet us here tomorrow mornin'."

Felix grimaced. "Better make that tomorrow afternoon. I have to meet with the bookseller in the morning."

"Ah," said Cal. "Yes, do that. We'll deal with Atar."

"Tomorrow then," said Harn as he pocketed the wardstones. "We'll see how strong you can become."

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