Unbound

Blind and deafened, Felix spun his cores. Pit did the same, screeching under the same burden. The protective dome his Essence had erected was torn asunder, and his core was flooded with System energy. They were buffeted by forces neither of them could fully perceive or explain, colorless light and a deep, vital darkness clashing within their shared Spirit. All of it funneled into their cores, sparking the spinning rings into vibrant flames.

Faster! Felix shouted, pushing his cores with all of his might. Pit didn't reply, but his own core pulled and burned as well.

The Essence and System Mana inundated them, too much to handle as his Body and Mind Tempered. Deep instincts guided the both of them, just as with the Ravager King, and Felix absorbed what he could use and discarded the rest. Essence and Mana were drawn into the abyss between his cores, unable to resist it's attraction once discarded. What remained Felix and Pit absorbed into their skin and bones, eyes and ears. Tendons, teeth, muscles. They feasted.

But there was too much. Even with Pit sharing the terrible pressure, more and more kept coming. His core space strained at the volume, its limits pushed for the first time since the Ravager King had perished. Felix felt things tear and break, just as others healed and renewed. It was like he was being destroyed and reborn, all at once.

Aspects Have Been Permanently Altered!

Divine and Primordial Strains Detected!

Permeation Imminent!

A spark fell through the maelstrom, so bright it pierced Felix's blinded senses. It roiled, smelling of an oncoming storm, tasted of violence and hope, of growth and death all at once. It dropped down, down, and Felix could sense it's Intent. It was aiming for his Primordial core.

No.

Blind save for his Affinity, Felix grasped at the falling spark. It evaded, slipping through his fumbling grip, but his Willpower and Alacrity had grown far beyond what they once were. His core space was a place of Spirit, and of the Mind. It was his.

He speared the spark with his Will, arresting its fall just moments before impact. The spark writhed, its Intent a living thing that sang out in a haunting dirge. A dark, forlorn song that sent despairing ripples through his Affinity. Surprised, Felix recoiled from the spark, and it fell once more. But it's trajectory had become misaligned, for instead of hitting his core, it was greedily eaten by the hungry abyss.

Divine Spark Consumed!

What?

All but senseless, Felix and Pit both nevertheless felt the shockwave that ripped through everything around them. Songs turned sharp and bitter, put upon an edge that drove them into higher frequencies, and the thrumming fury of the Primordial Essence was thrashed into a molten rage. Pit squawked in alarm, his body ripped from Felix's grip.

PIT!

But his Companion had vanished into the storm that swept through him. All was chaos and confusion, senses upended and his Affinity filled with the discordant sound of ten thousand orchestras all playing different songs. Wild, wrathful noises mixed with a willowy concerto, undercut by the fierce notes of brass and wind. Dissonance and Harmony mixed, and Felix felt it tearing at everything he was, had been, or could be.

And still, the notifications did not stop.

Hidden Quest Complete!

Reject The Divine!

You're a bold one, ascendant! You've fought back the predation of both the Primordial and Divine! Your Will is incomparable! But was your Choice the Path of the Magician or the Path of the Fool?

Reward:

+Omen Key

+1—

—ELS--&@$F!//

Curse Detected!

He read but could not understand. The message washed through him as an unimaginable pain crashed into his soul. Those strings had returned, and their strength was beyond anything he'd ever felt.

New Title!

Spurned By Gods (Legendary)!

Just as you have rejected them, you have been repudiated by the Divine! +100% Damage Taken By All Enemies, -100% Damage Dealt To All Enemies.

"AUUGH!" The pressure tightened, cutting into him with crackling bonds. He couldn't see, or hear, or breathe. "GET! OFF! ME!"

You cannot hope to—

ERROR!

There was a slackening in the bonds around him, as if whoever was doing it had become distracted. Felix panted through the pain as his Affinity sensed his core light up around him in sprays of gold, blue, and deep Primordial crimson. No...that's not Essence. It hadn't the cloudy diffusion of what he drew out with Ravenous Tithe, nor the compacted glisten like what composed his Primordial ring. It rose from the abyss between his cores, sprouting upward like a small series of roots. Each branching piece sang with a confusing, eldritch harmony. His Affinity sensed a bloody liquid, so deep it was nearly black, and it crackled with the rage of storms.

Divine Spark Detected!

Curse Cannot Be Levied Against Other Divinities!

Title Removed!

"Wait—?" The pain vanished is if it had never existed. Felix would have crumpled to the ground had he been physically standing at all.

New Title!

Thief of Fate (Divine)!

You have stolen a piece of Divinity from the Bloodstorm itself! Though Lost, her power sang with the appropriated Harmonies of Creation itself. That song is now yours.

"A piece...of divinity?" Felix couldn't spare the energy to think. His Mind and Body swirled, still forming, still raging. "What's that...make me, then?"

New Title!

The notification blasted across him, shaking all of his core space as if it were a mortal blow. Felix screamed, but the storm around him swallowed the sound.

Tyrant of Choice (Mythic)!

You have severed the lines of causality between you and another, denying even the gods their due! Spectacular! You are rising, ascendant! You can no longer be bound by Oaths unless you Choose to be.

Power thrummed through him, that new, strange mix of System and Primordial energy. It built up onto his Aspects and stats like a thick honey before sinking into them, as rain into drought plagued earth. Primordial Essence, paired with System Harmonics. Dissonance and Harmony. Two sides of the same coin. The two sounds built up within the maelstrom, and lightning coursed through the blackened skies of his core space. He was struck.

Felix fell.

Congratulations!

You Have Tempered Your Mind!

You Have Formed: the Fatebreaker Mind

+50 PER

+40 FEL

+10 RES

+30 ALA

+40 WIL

Congratulations!

You Have Tempered Your Body!

You Have Formed: the Calamitous Dawn Body!

+20 EVA

+20 MIG

+30 END

+30 VIT

+30 STR

New Title!

Against Catastrophe (Epic!)

You have escaped death by dint of ability and Skill! Your quick thinking sank you into the earth, and your potency extended your life! What new feats await you, ascendant? +20% AGL, DEX, PER

The blinding white light had gone. Felix blinked, but the darkness around him was absolute. As sensation slowly returned to him and he felt the grit of stone beneath his back and atop his arms, he realized he was no longer within his core. The dark was the dim, dusty sort of the Corporeal Realm.

He gasped a sudden breath as power rushed through him, reinforcing his Mind and Body. His stats blossomed as his new Formation settled, and Felix could feel himself break through into Journeyman. His senses strengthened again, his limbs quickening as well, and the darkness no longer felt as cloying. He smelled rich earth, the acrid tang of burnt vegetation, and the implacable weight of stone.

The last vestiges of symphonic chords thrummed through Felix's core and extremities. The feeling was a golden warmth from within, touched at the edges with wild, shifting patterns he couldn't parse. Felix blinked again, and tried to activate his Manasight. It flared up, but it was as if the world around him was dead. Cords of fitful Mana flickered into sight, nearly dead neon tubes of drained power. The dusty brown and smokey black he expected to see was a faint wisp along the ground. Yet, the contours of that fitful power was enough to perceive his situation fully.

He was trapped. His left arm and leg firmly wedged beneath boulders, while Pit was squeezed beside him.

Massive stones boxed them into an opening so small he was amazed they hadn't been crushed altogether. The melted shapes above him told him that he'd managed to Stone Shape them into this hole, which meant he'd likely be able to shape his way out. Furtive hands patted at his side, feeling for his Companion. Pit was there, pressed hard against him. Beneath his fur and feathers his flesh was warm, and Felix could sense the steady flow of Mana through him. It was a relief, and it showed how disoriented he felt as he could have just checked his friend's Status.

Focus, he chastised himself. The vibrations he'd felt within his core had died down, though he could feel thunder echoing faintly through his senses. He felt the boulder's weight on him as a distant thing, regarding it almost clinically. Then the surge of internal music ended, swept away into whatever recess the System hid itself. The pain hit him a second later.

"MMMF!" Felix stifled his shout as his vision dimmed, the return of sensation nearly too much for him.

The Song of Absolution is level 66!

Felix panted, but the pain muted just a touch more, and he could think. He could remove his arm and leg easily enough with Stone Shaping, but he had no space for them in their shared crevasse. Not with Pit in the way. Moreover, the liquification of the rock could mean the entire space collapsed. First things first, then.

Convergence!

A blinding flash of light vanished his Companion. There was a slight stab of pain through Felix's abdomen, but it was hardly noticeable after everything else. Felix waited a moment, gritting his teeth against the sensation of stone grinding his muscles and bones to dust. He checked his Spirit, tentatively flaring his Fire Within to see his core. He felt Pit there, stored safely, while all around him brilliant towers of light spun and rotated.

Felix pulled away before he got lost in the dizzying dance of it all. Later, he promised himself. He took three deep breaths, his strengthened Body all but devouring the air in the tiny stone cave. He cast.

Stone Shaping!

The stone all around him turned to liquid, while at the same time, Felix created a rising column beneath himself, ramming his body straight up. His Will flared, and the stone above him softened and shifted aside, only inches from his face. Tons of rock melted before him, and in less than a minute he broke through the surface.

Felix released his breath and rolled to the side, letting go of Stone Shaping at the same time he brought two orbs of dark acid to his hands. Crouching, he panned the cavernous chamber with his Perception. His heart hammered in his chest, powerful but slow and steady despite the fear that gnawed at him. An unfounded fear, it turned out.

Where is everyone? Felix stood with a wince.

The chamber where the Nest was once located was unrecognizable. The floor had buckled and erupted in places, while the walls and ceiling had come tumbling down. Great mounds of sheared boulders and smaller stone led upward, and the still-recognizable features of the Nymean statuary were cracked and scattered throughout. More importantly, it was as desolate as a tomb.

Not a single body remained, alive or dead. Felix couldn't even perceive discarded arms or armor. All of it had been consumed by the earth...or—

A wave of Essence pulled from all corners of the city, drawn through the earth and into his hidden nook.

Or perhaps he'd disposed of them. It didn't matter much either way. What did matter was getting back.

Evie, Vess, everyone, Felix worried at his lip. The vision Vellus had shown him, was it truly the future? Or had it already happened? I have to get out of here.

Felix took a step and felt his left leg buckle under the weight. His left arm and leg were bruised and battered, and had several deep lacerations that oozed a thick blood that looked entirely too dark in the dim cavern. The rest of him was remarkably hale, considering his injuries even before his accidental entombment. Even so, he couldn't rush off, not like that.

All that Essence likely fueled Sovereign of Flesh and healed me, he mused, dropping into a sitting position. He leaned back against a slanted stone bigger than an entire house. Not to mention Tiering up completely. Bracing, Felix flared Sovereign of Flesh again.

A vicious pain tore through him as his skin, muscle, and bones were forcibly transformed. It hurt worse every time, it felt, but the sensation faded away quickly enough. He felt his Health Regeneration amplify, and he focused on Pit.

The tenku floated within his Spirit, but had roused during Felix's ascent through the earth. Tentatively, Felix sent to him. You okay, bud? A groggy nod came back, followed by a weary chirp. You want me to let you out? A second, positive chirrup. He released Convergence and Pit's horse-sized body materialized out of smoke and light.

"Squaaa!" Pit cried, pushing his giant head into Felix's face. He accepted the forceful nuzzle as he summoned Pit's notifications.

Pit Has Gained 10 Levels!

Pit Is Now Level 52!

He Gains:

+20 to PER, +20 to VIT, +20 to END, +30 to INT, +40 to WIL, +40 to AGL, +50 to DEX!

A wave of visible energy coursed through the tenku, and Pit let out a chirp that became an exultant shriek. Muscle built upon his frame as Felix's already depleted stores of Essence fueled the transformation, and Mana thrummed through his outspread wings. Despite his pain, Felix couldn't help but smile.

You Have Gained A Level!

You Are Now Level 47!

You Gain:

+2 to PER! +2 to VIT! +2 to END! +3 to INT! +4 to WIL! +4 to AGL! +5 to DEX!

You Have 7 Unused Stat Points!

Felix's smile soured a bit at that. Damn XP penalty.

He pulled up the chimera's Status.

Name:

Pit (Companion)

Level:

52

Race:

Chimera - Tenku (+2 to PER, +2 to VIT, +2 to END, +3 to INT, +4 to WIL, +4 to AGL, +5 to DEX per Level)

Health:

1342/1670

Stamina:

847/1326

Mana:

2996/2996

STR:

170

PER:

302

VIT:

334

END:

248

INT:

442

WIL:

555

AGL:

540

DEX:

526

Skills:

Bite (C), Level 50

Rake (C), Level 51

Cry (R), Level 50

Skulk (C), Level 45

Etheric Concordance (L), Level 64

Wingblade (U), Level 53

Frost Spear (C), Level 56

Cold Resistance (C), Level 26

Poisonfire (R), Level 34

Flight (R), Level 32

Active Titles:

Survivor III

Butcher III

Unconquered

Face the Charge

Bulwark of the Innocent

Pactmaker

Work Horse

Blind Pugilist

Hero

Iron Will

Apprentice Magus

The Broken Path

Cage The Beast

Voidwalker

Indomitable

Unleash The Beast

The Shape of Fate II

Blessing of the Lost

Fatebreaker

Frostbane

Architect of the Rise

Cardinal (Major)

Save the Lost

Thief of Fate

Tyrant of Choice

Against Catastrophe

Pit's Harmonic Stats

RES:

39

INE:

106

AFI:

56

REI:

52

EVA:

79

MIG:

36

ALA:

69

FEL:

57

Pit had grown sturdier and sturdier. Good, Felix thought. He'll need it.

He brought up his own Status, next.

Name:

Felix Nevarre

Level:

47

Race:

Primordial Nym (+2 to WIL, INT, DEX, END, +7 Bonus Stats per Level, -10% XP Gain)

Omen:

The Magician (+2 to WIL, +1 to INT, +1 to PER per Level)

Born Trait:

Keen Mind (+2 INT, 30 day perfect recall)

Health:

2488/3766

Companion: Pit (Tenku) Additional +1 PER, +2 VIT, +4 AGL, +3 DEX per Level

Stamina:

4803/4803

Mana:

3809/3809

Body: Calamitous Dawn (Journeyman)

Mind: Fatebreaker (Journeyman)

Spirit: Rising Sovereign (Journeyman)

STR:

1393

PER:

700

VIT:

773

END:

853

INT:

1070

WIL:

1490

AGL:

613

DEX:

700

Skills:

BODY

Resistances: The Song of Absolution (L), Level 65

Combat Skills: Dodge (C), Level 51; Heavy Armor Mastery (C), Level 1; Blind Fighting (R), Level 44; Corrosive Strike (R), Level 48; Wild Threnody (E), Level 50

Physical Enhancements: Armored Skin (R), Level 61; Unfettered Volition (E), Level 50

MIND

Mental Enhancements: Negotiation (C), Level 15; Deception (U), Level 18; Make An Entrance (U), Level 43; Meditation (U), Level 54; Bastion of Will (E), Level 68; Deep Mind (E), Level 56; Ravenous Tithe (E), Level 70

Information Skills: Alchemy (C), Level 27; Tracking (C), Level 19; Exploration (U), Level 44; Herbalism (U), Level 29; Voracious Eye (E), Level 51

SPIRIT

Spiritual Enhancements: Dual Casting (U), Level 50; Mana Manipulation (U), Level 50; Manasight (U), Level 50; Manaship Pilot (R), Level 1; Oathbinding (R), Level 34; Etheric Concordance (L), Level 64; Sovereign of Flesh (T), Level 52; Unite the Lost (T), Level 8

Spells: Abyssal Skein (R), Level 36; Cloudstep (R), Level 28; Fire Within (R) Level 65; Influence of the Wisp (R), Level 44; Invocation (R), Level 37; Mantle of the Long Night (R), Level 40; Shadow Whip (R), Level 40; Stone Shaping (R), Level 49; Reign of Vellus (E), Level 54; Wrack And Ruin (E), Level 42; Arrow of Perdition (L), Level 31; Theurgist of the Rise (L), Level 59

Unused Stat Points:

7

Harmonic Stats

RES:

282

INE:

628

AFI:

328

REI:

224

EVA:

110

MIG:

132

ALA:

475

FEL:

181

Still a Primordial Nym, huh? Felix mused, wincing as his arm throbbed. He could feel the muscle beneath the scales squirm as it healed. I thought that would've changed.

A fuzzy image of a dark crimson tree branch flashed before his Mind's eye, rising out of the dark depths between his two, opposed cores. Even thinking of it sent a fissure of pain through his core, chest, and brain.

What the hell is it?

Without warning, a new set of pains assaulted Felix. At first he thought they were aftershocks of his Health Regeneration, amplified by Sovereign of the Flesh, but then they spread. Beyond his injured left side, pushing into the muscles of his chest and neck. Powerful vibrations made his entire body clench and tighten; he could practically hear his bones grinding against themselves. Blue and gold flashed across his vision, along with a deeper, darker crimson as a rising chord vibrated within his soul.

It felt familiar, but he couldn't place the memory. He—

His heart thundered, audible beyond his flesh as his Strength and Vitality proved their mettle, less a beating and more thrumming along inside him, pushing his blood through his body that he felt change with every passing second. His skin hardened further than before, his muscles tightened, his bones burnt as blood poured through them like magma. A strange song surged through him, a triumphant melody intermingling with wild, discordant notes. Order and chaos.

He couldn't help it. He screamed.

Congratulations!

You Have Achieved The Second Threshold!

All Primary Stats Exceed 500!

Title Updated!

The Broken Path (Epic)!

You step ever further along a path toward power. You tread a way meant only for Divinities, Primordials, and the mad. Step lightly, for Ruin awaits. +20% Adept Tier Bonus (Body, Mind, Spirit)

Requires: All Primary Stats Exceed 500, Level Below 100, Lost Race (Primordial Nym)

The flurry of sensation stopped abruptly, and Felix fell to his knees like a puppet with his strings cut. Oh, Felix managed, his mind drifting on the breeze. This again.

With a sudden snap, the fog evaporated and the dissonant melody vanished. Felix gasped a ragged breath and pushed to his feet. Sovereign of Flesh had deactivated, but that didn't matter. His Body felt strong as hell, far more than ever before. His movements were clean and simple, his breathing easy, and his thoughts felt clear. Like a veil had fallen away from his thinking, and even his Perception felt more precise and capable. As when he'd hit the First Threshold, it felt as if his Primary Stats were joined together in a more perfect union, greater than the sum of their parts.

"Holy damn," Felix whispered, meeting Pit's wide golden eyes. He could feel anxiety and a willingness to do violence from the chimera, emotions that Felix reciprocated. He looked up at the rubble above. Without a single word between them, they both started climbing.

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