Unbound

Felix had thrown the eel creature (a level 43 Veelo), and was delighted to see it coil instinctively around the Initiate. Yanked from the cold water below, it had struggle mightily against Felix's Shadow Whip, and now it's gasping fear became a surge of panicked strength. Its scales were broken in a few places, but they were still plenty sharp. It's body was gouging lines of smoking light from the incredible phantom armor the guy was wearing.

It's like he's a mecha pilot. The Initiate was safely suspended in the center of the conjuration, and based on how he was fighting off the eel creature's constriction, it also afforded him enhanced Strength and Endurance. If not more. No way that's less than Epic rarity.

While the Initiate struggled with the Veelo, Felix fought down his transformation. Slowly, over perhaps five seconds, the Skill pushed back. He bore down on it, applying his Willpower against it, and with a burst of transcendent pain his arms and hands reverted. Fangs fell with a muted clatter onto the bridge, and Felix finally glanced at his friends. They were battered and wounded, their armor covered in scorch marks and no little blood. They looked beaten to hell but were still standing, somehow.

"You guys okay?"

"We are, ah. Excellent." Vess looked at him with bright eyes and spun her spear, though she winced. Four more spun sympathetically, ten feet above her head. He didn't miss how her eyes slid the length of his arms, curiously. How much did she see?

"Just waiting on you," Evie quipped. She wiped a trickle of blood from her hairline and straightened her shoulders. "We gonna finish this or do you have more fish you wanna throw?"

Felix smiled and shook his head, trying to ignore the rumbling in his guts. The golden arrow's Mana still roiled in him, sending strange, golden sparks through his core flame. He wasn't sure what was happening. By this point, he'd usually been able to gain a Skill or Memory, but neither had occurred. He tried to ignore it for the moment.

They had other things to worry about.

Voracious Eye.

Felix tried to push past the wall that blocked his Skill, bashing into it with the hammer of his Will. Chips went flying, but the wall remained. Still, he was able to pull free one fact; the name Crell Sovos.

Two Apprentice Tiers and one Beginner on the cusp against a Journeyman. Felix swallowed, watching as Crell's Mana armor slowly ripped the Veelo apart. The massive eel covered over half of the giant warrior, and Felix detected more than a little pained panic in its eyes. We can do this, right?

Wrack and Ruin!

Felix summoned a dark orb of acid and launched it at the Initiate. It flew true, but splashed harmlessly against the panels of shimmering Mana.

That's not gonna work. I'll have to get in close.

"Evie, Vess, can you two still dodge his attacks?" He looked at them, sure they would say no. They both nodded, though.

"That Skill of his is immensely strong, but slow," Vess offered, leveling her spear. Four more hovered above her, bobbing slightly. "If we are fast we can strike effectively."

Evie nodded to hide a grimace. "We got this. Just don't get hit, right?"

"We'll hit him from all sides, then. Evie, take the right. Vess, the left. I'll take him head on. Unfettered Volition." Felix burst forward, his stride so smooth he was almost gliding over the rubble strewn bridge.

"He has grown confident," he heard Vess say, followed by a snort by Evie. But then he closed with the enemy.

The Veelo finally gave up the ghost as Felix approached. The Initiate's magical mecha triumphantly ripped its arms through the wet flesh of the eel's corpse. He felt a small trickle of the beast's power enter his core.

You Have Defeated a Veelo!

You Have Gained XP!

"You dare! You common gutter trash!" His face twisted into a smirk. "That you survived that fall is impressive, but you'll not survive me!"

Crell sneered at him from within his transparent shell and drew the massive, conjured sword at his hip. The blade was easily six feet long and a foot wide. A greatsword made for a giant. Felix had experience with giants.

And so did his friends.

A length of chain zipped in from the right, rotating so fast it buzzed, and drilled into the Initiate's upper arm. The conjured armor was broken there, but there were still several layers before someone could hit the Redcloak hiding inside. Instead it chipped away at the golden light, casting off shards that turned to mist. Crell grunted and swung at the chain, taking some minor damage on his construct's fist but easily knocking it aside.

Back exposed for a moment, two silver spears raced into it, followed an instant later by the black cloaked Vess and her main spear. Crell shouted in surprise, but she leaped explosively backwards, speeding through the air to land nimbly back where she'd started. The spears burst in a flurry of air Mana, localized windstorms that chipped apart yet another section.

Fully distracted, Felix rushed up on the man and lashed out.

Influence of the Wisp!

Corrosive Strike!

Reign of Vellus!

Blue-white fire flickered briefly around the Initiate before failing, but Felix landed a solid, heavy blow on the bastard's midsection. With a sparking trail of electricity, he hit with Corrosive Strike and Reign of Vellus at almost the same time. It hurt like hell, though, and felt like his bones were splitting apart. The Redcloak was sent stumbling three steps back. Crell's face was the picture of shock.

"You are the Fiend," he gasped and felt at his abdomen. A gash in his armor leaked a hazy golden vapor.

Felix looked down and saw that his hands had shifted and blackened again. Wicked talons showed.

"Too bad for you," Felix said, and flared his Will.

Unfettered Volition!

Aenda twitched her fingers, barely moving so as to complete the illusion of her death. Niall twitched right back, confirming her plan. The two of them had been beaten soundly by the heretics, but Aenda's increasing mastery over light magic gave her some utility with illusions. She wasn't as hurt as she appeared, and Niall...

...well, he wasn't dead, at least.

An unholy racket sounded behind them, just out of eye shot. It sounded like a dire struggle, the clash of steel and Mana constructs clear to her senses. But that made no sense. Initiate Crell was Journeyman Tempered, far above the heretics in terms of stats. How did they still survive?

What foul magics did they possess?

Aenda added another layer of flames to her spell, pulling its heat and combustion tighter. Compressing it. She feared the capabilities of these heretics, feared that the both of them only had one more strike in them before it was over. So she was gonna make it a good one.

What she was attempting was extremely dangerous. She was skirting the edge of acceptable Mana Skill usage. In her desperation Aenda was altering her Searing Bolt in a way that felt terribly close to dreaded Sorcery. There was a...hum to the air, something that she held tight to as she wove fire over flame, condensing her focused bolt into a truly fearsome weapon. But, Sorcery or not, Aenda would not die without taking at least one of the heretics with her.

After condensing the fire, it was so dense it was almost like a jelly. Its very presence warped the air, and it was all she could do to hide its presence and herself. Her illusion magic was at the Beginner levels, only just enough, yet still she was burning through her Mana. She was nearly empty, and as her headache worsened Aenda sensed one of the women land within range.

She made her move.

"Ascend into the Light!" Aenda cried as she stood and began to release her coin-sized ball of flame. "Die--"

*HURGK*

Aenda tottered on her feet and looked down. A...a blade was sticking out of her chest. It...it came from...behind her..? Distantly, the Acolyte heard Niall stand and shout, but soon it was just a rush in her ears. Not even the nearby concussion of her altered Skill cut through the thickening silence. She felt all the heat within her leech outward and her vision darkened.

What...what happened?

As she fell, she saw a boy leap down from the ladder. He scurried toward her, another long knife in his hand. It's blade a match for the one in her chest.

Why...? Pathless...why?

Then nothing.

The sound of an explosion filled the chamber, rising above the constant roar of water. Felix whipped his head toward the source and saw Evie and Vess get thrown bodily as a massive fireball detonated nearby. Directly atop the male Acolyte, Niall, completely incinerating him.

You Have Defeated Niall Palast, Acolyte of the Inviolate Inquisition!

You Have Gained XP!

Evie, Vess! He mentally screamed, dodging away from the Initiate's monstrous swings. The Acolytes weren't dead!

The orange trail of Mana vapor extended back from the explosion to the female Acolyte, Aenda, who fell to her knees with her arm outstretched. There was a huge dagger through her chest, at least a foot long. Through the dissipating fireball he saw her look weakly behind her before collapsing completely.

Is that...the courier?

"HAH!"

A blaze of heat scorched Felix's back, throwing him forward. He tucked into a roll and barely held onto consciousness as his resistances rebelled against him.

"AHHGG!" Felix couldn't believe he'd turned his back on the damn Initiate! He pushed himself to his feet, his vision dipping in and out as his resistances flared to "protect" him from the hardened light Mana of the sword.

H34t R!s/$*4nce is level 23!

Armored Skin is level 46!

"A heretic cannot stand the Divine fire of the True God!" Crell expounded while Felix got his bearings. "I will burn the impure flesh from your bones, piece by piece!"

Moving faster than he ever had before, the Initiate surged forward and kicked Felix in the chest. The Nym was sent flying through the air, landing on his back before tumbling end over end. He stopped only after he had smashed through a boulder-sized chunk of rubble, thirty feet away.

Jesus, this guy. Felix leveraged himself up, feeling his bones protest, but having little choice. The zealot was already charging at him. That last kick had definitely loosened something inside of him, though. Felix saw his Health had dropped again (big surprise), and he was hovering somewhere around 30% his total. I've gotta end this fast. I--

Felix doubled over as spasms wracked his Body, Mind, and Spirit. Someone started screaming.

Dimly, Felix realized it was him.

Deep within him, his core was rioting. His internal fire flickered before igniting a deeper and more impressive blue, now flecked with gold flames. In his mind's eye, there was a ring of golden light that radiated outward until it fetched against a new etching of light. This one almost looked like a stylized arrow.

You Have Fully Digested Your Opponent's Mana!

New Skill!

Arrow of Perdition (Legendary), Level 1!

Conjure an arrow of ruinous fate. Changed by your very nature, the Arrow can directly damage the highest level Skill of the target. Must physically penetrate the core of the target. Penetration power increases with level, damage increases with level, Mana consumption decreases slightly with level.

Whoa. Felix's head swam with the sharp rise of melodies from within his core. It felt...triumphant.

"Who do you think you are, to contend with an Initiate of the Inquisition?" The jerk pounded toward him, his gait eating up the distance. The golden panels of his armor slightly distorted his sneer. "I can't see your level, stranger, but I can sense your advancement well enough! What power could an Apprentice Tier possibly have that could contend with Divine Will?!"

The music still surged through him, and Felix managed a pained grin.

"Etheric Concordance."

A brilliant flash of light went off to the side, making the Initiate flinch in his charge. From the light manifested a Great Dane sized Chimera, disguise dropped and massive wings outspread like crimson shadows. Those wings whipped outward, sending a blast of concentrated air directly at the zealot. The Initiate blocked the Wingblade with an upturned arm, though some of the force cut through his upper arm, breaking the weakened interior sections further. While the zealot hissed in pained annoyance, Felix rushed forward.

Unfettered Volition!

Corrosive Strike!

Corrosive Strike!

Corrosive Strike!

Flowing over the debris strewn bridge, Felix sent a flurry of blows into the man's golden abdomen. The Initiate doubled over, his massive, enhanced frame sent reeling by the Nym's strikes, compounded by his physical transformation. His talons ripped into the golden Mana, though he left only deep scratches instead of sundering the material. A massive arm swung at him, the movement powerful but slow and easily dodged. Wingblades rained down on the two of them as well, but the Initiate suffered through them with nothing more than strained grunts.

Pit's Wingblade is level 22!

Pit's Wingblade is level 23!

"You assault an Epic Skill gifted by Divinity to my order with unholy claws? And a chimera!" An arm of shimmering light blasted past Felix, still slow but growing faster. The armor never stopped moving, seemingly building momentum with every swing of its massive gauntlets. "Your folly knows no bounds, Fiend!"

"Shut up," Felix groaned.

Felix ducked another haymaker before leaping into a midair barrel roll, gracefully avoiding a follow up strike. The absolute control over his own Body that Unfettered Volition offered Felix was intoxicating. He flowed like water through the Initiate's powerful counterattacks, deftly avoiding all of them; but the margin was thinning. Each attack was faster than the next, until the gleaming giant was a whirling dervish of limbs.

Unfettered Volition is level 17!

Still, Felix hit him, and hit him hard. Higher levels, enhanced stats, and the Initiate's sheer size let him dart in and out of the Initiate's guard. Cracks started to form along his abdomen, where every single one of his slashes landed.

"Stop! Moving! And! Die!"

The Initiate's armor flared brighter, burning like a tiny golden sun as he swung his fists up and over. They came down like a speeding train, as inevitable as an avalanche.

Arrow of Perdition!

Felix summoned his fledgling Arrow on the move, though it ate up a staggering 80% of his available Mana. A surging headache pierced his skull and almost sent him stumbling from the drain, only his heightened Alacrity and Willpower keeping him on course. It was tiny, barely longer than his finger, but an actual, physical arrow made of gold and blue light.

Unfettered Volition is level 18!

Felix spun into the giant armor's reach and jammed it right into its cracked abdomen. It sank, straight into his gut.

Into his core.

Crell looked down, his eyes wide with fearful anticipation. Seconds later, nothing had happened. He laughed. "Pathetic! That Skill only works on those of a lesser advancement. Fool!"

His armor flickered and shattered into mist.

Arrow of Perdition is level 2!

Arrow of Perdition is level 3!

Arrow of Perdition is level 4!

Arrow of Perdition is level 5!

"The Skill description didn't say that," Felix mused. The Initiate fell five feet to the ground below, landing in a surprised slump.

"No," he whispered, aghast.

"Yes," Felix grinned.

"No!" Crell's body lit up as if his blood had turned to light. Spittle sizzled as it flew from his mouth and he threw himself to his feet. "Impossible!"

He drew and lunged with his side sword in one motion. Felix flinched back from the heat more than his opponent's wide strike. The Initiate's Body warping the air in a hazy aura around himself. Pain crawled along his nerves, and it was only growing worse. The heat increased with each second.

H34t R!s/$*4nce is level 24!

Mantle of the Long Night!

A spinning burst of arctic air swirled around Felix, immediately cutting into the heat. Felix flared it harder, pushing his Skill more than he'd ever tried before. He felt his Mana ticking downward faster and faster.

Mantle of the Long Night is level 14!

The light and heat from Crell redoubled as his rage broke through the bounds of reason. He was shouting something, but Felix only heard a wet, angry gargle. Whatever was causing the heat was taking it's toll on the man. The deadly heat scorched Felix's nerves, while white pressed in on the sides of his vision. If the Initiate didn't stop, he'd pass out from the pain of his broken Skill, easy pickings for the insane zealot.

Yet neither stopped.

Behind Felix, his friends battled against the surviving Acolyte. With his focus captured, he couldn't spare the attention for them, though he breathed a sigh of relief that they still lived. He hoped they would succeed before cutting his senses off completely; he dove into his core.

Mantle's etched pattern was a hurricane, a swirling spiral that twisted in unexpected directions. A maelstrom of arctic intensity. And at it's center, a point where it felt like the essence of ice itself resided. The winds, he realized. They didn't push outward like he had felt. They pulled inward, greedily subsuming all heat for deathly cold.

Mantle of the Long Night is level 15!

...

Mantle of the Long Night is level 22!

Like a gathering storm, the pattern swirled with growing strength. The invisible maelstrom was larger now, spanning at least twenty feet in diameter. The bridge below them iced over. The air itself began to precipitate, the humidity wrung out and turned to snow.

Still, Crell burned like a man on fire.

"Your foul stain shall be stamped from this city! Fiend, you end here--!" He suddenly stumbled forward.

From behind, a barrage of Frost Spears assaulted the Initiate.

Pit's Frost Spear is level 21!

Pit's Frost Spear is level 22!

The first set of spears dissolved before they hit him. Those that followed, however, flowed through Felix's growing Mantle, thickening with rime as they hurtled past. The Initiate batted them away with little issue, laughing shrilly. Only a portion of their force was preserved, though it was more like hail than deadly projectiles.

But it was distracting.

Wrack and Ruin!

An orb of dark, potent acid hovered above Felix's palms and he hurled it forward. The light and heat boiled it away before it could make contact. Then he got an idea, though his Mana reserves were growing lower by the second. The Arrow of Perdition had drained him of so much, and maintaining his Unfettered Volition and Mantle of the Long Night didn't help. But he thought he'd have enough.

He hoped.

Felix ran forward, cutting the distance between them with a silent scream. His Heat Resistance howled in his core, the sound of a tortured violin seconds from breaking apart completely. It was only twenty feet, but it felt like a thousand. Felix stopped when his skin felt like it was peeling from his body, and he thrust his arms forward.

Reign of Vellus!

Lightning surged from beneath the Initiate as the Skill's kinetic force pulled at him. It grasped at his form for a brief instant, as if the man was somehow slippery. Crell shouted in alarm as the lightning blasted against his legs and chest, likely only minor injuries, but extremely eye catching. He spun toward Felix, and the light burned brighter than ever. Felix was so close he could smell the sizzle of fat and muscle as the Initiate screamed incoherent fury at him.

H34t R!s/$*4nce is level 25!

Congratulat---

With a final wrench, Felix picked him up...and hurled him directly into the waterfall.

The water that flowed from those archways, every single stream, vaporized instantly. A dense cloud of steam rushed into the chamber, blasting past Felix like a hurricane and sending waves of indescribable agony across his broken nerves. Barely, by tooth and nail, Felix held onto consciousness.

Then, finally, the notification he was waiting for popped up.

You Have Defeated Crell Sovos, Initiate of the Inviolate Inquisition!

You Have Gained XP!

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