Unbound

Chapter Five Hundred And Thirty – 530

Chapter Five Hundred And Thirty – 530

This is pathetic. Sword let the thought linger in his Mind, tumbling about the font of condensed might that coursed through his Aspects and Twelve Point Array. The firestorm in his grasp bucked and twisted, but he held firm. Cowardice. Huddling within a fogbank.

The swirling, folding illusion before them infuriated him. Quite apart from the damnable Territorial mist, it was even more impossible to peer through. Sword had tried to cast it aside with the light of the Pathless, but it remained. Somehow, it was a spell that was beyond their Twelve-Point Array. While the array did not provide true advancement, it joined them in such a way as to mimic the power of a Grandmaster, and few things could withstand their direct attention.

He is full of tricks. Aloud, he spoke with all the volume afforded to him by his artificial Temper. You are strong, but to hide yourself before a Challenge? I find myself disappointed in your weakness, Felix Nevarre.

Admittedly, the Autarch of Nagast had pushed them this farthe use of the Twelve-Point Array was not one the High Guard engaged in casually, and brandishing Judgments Squall was something Sword had not done in many decades. The firestorm continued to fuel itself above them, raging from the tip of his orichalcum Masterwork blade. It was a whirlwind of pure destruction, a Skill he had last used in the conquering of the northern wilds. The moment it touched earth, the firestorm would raze the city of Haarwatch as if it were no more than kindling, and nothing would remain.

Ugh, just release it already! Mace shouted, her voice thin and strained. Youre using more power than you need, Sword! The wretch is gonna die soon, anyway!

This isnt for him, Sword corrected her, turning his Perception upon the wounded warrior. This is a demonstration.

For who? Youll kill em all.

For all heathens, Spear snarled. Her one remaining eye was fixed on the confusing cloud of potent illusions, and her free hand clenched reflexively, as if she wished to hurl more of her air spears into it.

Fine. Fry the city, for all I care. Just be done with it! Mace shouted the last, and it did not escape his notice that she was bleeding anew. The wound at her shoulder was not healing, and her contribution to the Twelve-Point Array was wan and feeble.

A few more moments will not halt anything, Sword said as Judgements Squall gathered the force it required. A shame. A faint regret twitched at his heart, but he let that go, feeding it to his flame. Certainty replaced it. He would need to kill Mace soon. Without an arm, her effectiveness in battle was greatly reduced, and whatever the boy did, it was interfering with her Bodys protections. Such a situation was unfortunate, but they must remain strong. For the Hierophant. For the Pathless. Truly a shame.

He put that out of his Mind. Mace, for all her flaws, was right.

We must burn the heretics from the earth. Scorching fire, cleansing light. As it always must be.

The firestorm roared, a sound beyond noise that pummeled the battlefield with a physical pressure. Dozens of warriors had attempted to rush them in the time it took to gather its momentum, but the Twelve-Point Array had elevated their Spirit so far above them that it was a simple matter of flexing their Spiritual presence. Most fell, beaten to the ground, while the sheer heat stopped the rest.

Should we order a general retreat? Tome asked. He was sweating, his face bruised and bloodied by the usurper, but his expression was as calm as always.

Hm, Sword said. He was fighting to hold onto his Judgment now, forced to flare his array-born Strength to simply keep it steady. Do so.

Tome sent a whisper of his Mana back toward the battalions, but Sword ignored it. The firestorm called to him, pulled his powertheir powerinto its all-consuming whorl. Instead of opposing it, Sword encouraged its flames to howl with all the ferocity he could muster.

I call Judgment upon you, Nagast! Murderous thieves will be paid in kind! Swords voice boomed outward, the force of it toppling warriors hundreds of strides away. Men and women scurried atop their wall, raising barriers and shields, as if a soap bubble could stop a boot. He tightened his grip upon his blade. Haarwatch ends because of you, Felix Nevarre!

Sword swung down. The firestorm roared and kicked, the momentum and pressure fighting back, but it succumbed to their combined might. Judgment fell upon Haarwatch.

Bad idea, douchenozzle.

Swords Perception spiked in alarm as a figure garbed in black scales appeared out of nowhere. His compatriots flinched, equally surprised, as the vile Autarch lifted a clawed hand.

Adamant Discord!

An eruption of incandescent lightning tore from the man. All four of them were sent skidding across the sodden earth, forcing Sword to twist his stance to avoid collapse. A simple thing, normally, but he bore in his hands the weight of a falling mountain. His strike was turned, but he pressed onit mattered little where the blade would land, for Judgments Squall would raze the city regardless.

In fact, his surprise turned to glee as the others recovered near-instantly and assaulted the lone Autarch. Skills flew, bright and fast, and the scaled man vanished beneath their impact. Sword bore down with all his might upon his blade, and his Judgment screamed as it hit the citys barrier.

The glimmering, faceted shield screeched beneath the pressure of the inferno, before paneled sections popped and shattered entirely. Flames swept outward, above the wall and rooftops beyond, a field of unstoppable, elemental heat.

Rime Shaping!

A wall of ice hurtled skyward, meeting his firestorm and bursting into blinding steam. Behind it, a figure flew from the illusory ward, trailing lightning and fog like a stormcloud, garbed in a short jacket and black, midnight scales.

What? Swords astonishment swiftly turned to indignant rage. Illusions!

Felix Nevarres hand met the firestorm, and it bent away as something atonal and horrendous screeched from his unnaturally fanged maw.

Chthonic Tribute!

Illusory Double is level 22!

His illusion Skill had cut off as soon as the High Guard destroyed his double, but it had served its purpose. Just as his other Skills served theirs.

Mantle of the Infinite Revolution is level 59!

Rime Shaping is level 75!

Adept Tier!

You Gain:

+50 INT

+30 WIL

+30 VIT

Ice crackled as his Mantle spun in slow, inevitable courses, and he drew that ice up and around his body like armor. It snapped and melted almost the same instant he formed it, but Felix wasnt deterred as the firestorm dropped.

Chthonic Tribute!

Felixs Hunger yawned wide, opening itself as the flames of apocalypse fell atop him. Fire turned to Mana, surging into his mouth and the Mana Gate at the base of his skull. Flames crashed against ice and the greedy grasp of his most useful Skill.

Chthonic Tribute is level 88!

It did not stop the flames from scorching him. Searing Affliction increased the damage he took from fire and the heat it produced, but Felix refused to stop. Ice formed and steamed, superheated by the sheer potency of Swords Judgmentit was a thin shield, but all he could muster. Felixs Health dropped, sinking with every second he endured beneath that whirling storm, but he refused to relent. Blue-white lightning crackled at his back, propping him up against the earth far below. His Will was all that stood between Haarwatch and total destruction.

Warning!

Your Health Has Dropped Below 10%!

Pit! Felix could have taken the Essence and Mana from the Skill and fueled his Sovereign of Flesh, but there was only one chance for them. He gave it up, pushing it deep, below his core space and into the great dark beyond. Take it!

Darkness flashed across senses inundated with light, and the phantom sensation of soft feathers met his charred, brutalized flesh. Felix screamed, pulling with all of his might as the firestorm cascaded over him.

Chthonic Tribute is level 89!

Chthonic Tribute is level 90!

The Judgment collapsed around him, unraveled by someone other than Felix. Great chunks of Essence, Mana, and trickles of significance sank into his channels, but not enough. Still, a sound like ten thousand harps strumming stoked the chaos in his soul, and Felixs Eighth Pillar snapped into place.

He fell to the ground, hitting the dehydrated earth so hard it crumbled like lifeless sand beneath him.

The inferno guttered out. The High Guard were screaming something Felix couldnt understand. The word rang like a bell, or perhaps that was his own head. With heavy, ponderous motions, Felix pressed himself upward. The world swam as if he were back underwater, and he tried to focus.

His Health was low. Too low. Less than 5%, according to his interface, and his Stamina wasnt much better. The Essence hed stolen was already gone, woven into his Eighth Pillar, with none left over to even start the Ninth.

Felix. You need to heal!

Cant. Felix shifted his legs, gathering them underneath his body with all the speed of a tortoise. I need more Essence. Gimme a sec.

No!

Felix got to his feet, though it cost him more blood. His skin was burned all across his face and chest and arms, the scales turned to flaking ash and wet, weeping sores. If he were being honest, it didnt feel great.

The High Guard closed in.

Felix regarded them through a dribble of blood from his scalp. Offhand, he realized his hair had burned away, and his Garment was little more than a patchwork rag on his back. Damn, he croaked. Bit off more than I could chew, there.

Sword did not reply, but swung his weapon for Felixs head. Reactions baked into him by long months of training lifted his crooked blade up, parrying the blow. It was a testing strike, something one might do to a new opponent to determine their abilities. Even so, it drove a spike of pain through Felixs shoulder and numbed him to the elbow. He bit back a curse and reset, waiting.

Sword sneered. You are spent, usurper.

Maybe, Felix said, shrugging without thinking. It tore something in his chest, and warm spread down his torso. He winced. Still gonna kick your ass, though.

The High Guard laughed, but it never reached his cold eyes. Admit defeat, forfeit the Challenge, and leave your people in our hands. It is the only way forward that doesnt end in the slaughter of thousands of innocents.

Slaughter by you.

Sword inclined his head, conceding the point. Semantics. It is you who brought this down upon them all. Had you not proclaimed your triumph those months ago, we would have taken far longer to find your wretched lies. His brows drew down, and golden cloaks flared around all of them in time with the sigaldry on their chests. Had you faced me as a warrior, your people would not suffer.

Felix laughed, and it hurt. You think Id believe you? You guys just tried to drop a megaton bomb on my city because I didnt come out and play when you wanted me to. Nah, I think Ill fight.

You can barely stand, Tome said. Let alone lift your weapons.

Yeah. Felix wet his lips and tasted the copper tang of his own blood. You still havent made a move, though. He looked at them all and let his Mana flare through his pathways. His eyes burned. Whos the coward now?

Mace screamed something incoherent and rushed forward, stone flowing around her outstretched fist. Felix pivoted, stepping into the hole in her attack where her other arm once resided, and kicked as hard as he could. He caught the back of the womans knee, tripping her, but his blunted Strength wasnt enough to break through her armor.

Cmon Pit! One more Pillar! We have to have something else!

The lumbering woman stumbled through, and Spear took her place, stabbing forward with her namesake weapon in a series of rapid thrusts that moved incredibly fast. Felix wove between them, not so much seeing them as feeling their placement in the air, but still he took two hits to the chest and hip. He barely had time to recoil in pain when Sword stepped up, long blade dancing in his hands, and took a solid chunk out of Felixs bicep.

I AM READY.

His Hunger had been so quiet since its offer of help that Felix had discounted it entirely, and now, without warning, the empty darkness within his core space convulsed. A ripple of pressure spread from Felix, enough that even the High Guard took notice.

What is he doing? Spear demanded.

Kill him! Kill him! Mace cried out, still getting up out of the mud.

Sword thrust his weapon and Skills kindled upon outstretched palmsonly for all of them to abruptly slow, as if the world itself was stretching like taffy. Heat burned in Felixs core, his Perception stretched to its utter, unnatural limit by that rippling pressure before it was all yanked inward. Consumed by the insanity within. He was hauled into the dark to witness Essence and Mana pour from his Hunger in cascading showers.

What is this?

UN-FEED.

Power that his Hunger had consumed fell in great heavy streams, yet none of it was useful. The Essence, Mana, and significance his greedy passenger had offered was all solidified into elaborately-formed star shapes. Four-point, six-point, even twenty-point formations shot into the lower dark. Not only that, but a red wash of pain accompanied each regurgitation, as if his Hunger was harming itself in the process. Felix felt it as much as heard it. It was the pain of loss, of rejected Needyet it did not stop.

Pit shrieked, happiness and savage anger baked into a singular sound, and suddenly red-gold light filled his core space. Cardinal Flame sang from its place above, its vibrations latching onto each crystallized morsel of power and heating them up.

Pit, you absolute genius!

Fiendforge blared into the dark, redoubling the heat as crystal melted like ice, releasing vast streamers of liquid potencypotency that Pit seized upon instantly. Cords of power formed, woven in an instant as Felix joined the process, braiding them together faster than all those that came before. Opalescent roots flashed down among the blue-white and red-gold centers, reinforcing his final Pillar with an infinitesimal portion of the Divine.

MORE!

A darkness gushed from his Hunger, fully liquid but writhing as if alive. Fear spiked through Felix as he recognized itthe Creatures power, in all its Stygian glory. It shot downward like an arrow, splitting into nine equal parts before landing upon his Pillarsand sinking within.

MORE!

The unused power the Hunger had given up, the shards of crystallized potency, all of it sank to the base of the Pillars, coating their bottoms with gleaming facets and connecting each of them to another in a dizzying array of crystalline lattices.

ENOUGH!

The crimson heat of it all cooled instantly, hardening into an opalescent shine. Immediately after, a glorious chord swept through Felixs Aspects as if the essence of pleasure and triumph were being channeled through every nerve.

The Ninth Pillar had completed.

You Have Formed All Nine Pillars!

Congratulations!Due To Vein Of Divinity (x2), All Skills Woven Into Your Pillars Gain Seven (7) Levels!Sovereign of Flesh is level 95!Relentless Resolution is level 95!The Song of Absolution is level 94!Bastion of Will is level 99!Chthonic Tribute is level 97!Voracious Eye is level 89!Adamant Discord is level 91!Cardinal Flame is level 93!Theurgist of the Rise is level 92!

New Titles!

Champions Convocation (Legendary)!

For weaving all nine Pillars before level 100 and before reaching Master Tier, you may weave further still! A tenth Pillar awaits you, if youve the courage to face it!

Weaver of Destiny (Epic)!

You have woven all nine Pillars within your core space! +50 DEX, VIT, PER!

Artisan of Divinity (Mythic)!

Your Pillars contain significant elements of not one, but two Divinities. The strength of your foundation is the stuff of legends! +100 WIL, INT, MIG, ALA!

Shaper of Chaos (Primordial)!

You have successfully woven Harmony and Dissonance into your Pillars! +75 STR, END, INE, RES

Infernal Appetite (Legendary)!

You have immersed yourself in a Grandmasters flame and lived to tell the tale. Not only that, but you have consumed a piece of it and incorporated it into your own power. You will now find consuming sources of fire and heat to be far easier than previously.

You Have Gained 3 Levels!

You Are Now Level 62!

+60 to STR! +66 to PER! +66 to VIT! +78 to END! +72 to INT! +84 to WIL! +78 to AGL! +87 to DEX!

+60 All Harmonic Stats!

You Have 45 Unused Stat Points!

Power coursed through Felix with a ferocity he hadnt experienced since his Omen Path. It raged across his senses and core space, filling up until he was sure he would burst, until his Skills and cores and Pillars were all soaked in brilliant potency.

Distantly, almost reflexively, Felix threw his unused stat points into Endurance before he was carried out of his core space by the wave of it, thrust unceremoniously back into his Body just as his heightened Perception faded. The High Guard came at him, blindingly fast. Riding the edge of that brilliance, however, he knew what he had to do.

Last Cry of the Chthonic Host!

Essence and significance fled his replenished core space, fed into the rarely-used Skill as his Health and Stamina were abruptly replenished back to full. Felix spun, catching Swords blade upon his Inheritors Will while the other two were blocked by an elongated Riposte. The High Guard leader stared at him, a brilliant spark of shock singing in his Spirit.

What in the Light? he gasped.

Felix grinned, and his skin didnt split. He was whole again. I havent been keeping track. Round three, right?

With a surge of Strength, Felix threw all of them back before closing with Mace. He sounded Stone Shaping within him, singing its pattern until it burst from his channels with a domineering potency that merged the womans stone-coated fist to a pillar of summoned rock.

Sovereign of Flesh!

You! she cried, but that was all. Felixs clawed fist latched onto the jagged edge of her armor and wrenched it, Strength and Willpower opposing her Endurance, Vitality, and her shaken mental faculties.

It was no contest.

The milky white armor bent and shattered in a burst of caustic, golden light. Mace screameduntil Felixs claws took off her head.

Chthonic Tribute!

You Have Killed Tabit Wikkard of the High Guard!

XP Earned!

Essence by the truckload flooded his channels, fueling his Sovereign of Flesh even further. Felixs full-body scales returned, coating him in midnight armor and blazing with cyan swirls across his chest and arms. It was a pattern that, now that he thought of it, resembled the High Guards. Perhaps, with effort, he could

Focus, Felix!

Right. Felix blinked himself back, almost lost in the welling of new Intelligence as his thoughts spun faster and faster. The High Guard were only just reacting, lifting weapons and firing spells at him despite the golden flames that burst upon their chests. Their Grandmaster-faker array flickered and sizzled, not failing completely, but reducing them to something lesser.

I can deal with that.

Green Shaping!

Birds of green-gold and purple Mana flew toward him on liquid wings, but Felix seized the life portion of their composition and scattered them to the winds. Tome barely had a chance to gawk before Felix landed a kick on the mages knee that shattered the joint. He screamed, only to have Hand of Cataclysm tear through his throat, leaving a glut of acid to sizzle through the mans spine.

You Have Killed Davin Kincaid of the High Guard!

XP Earned!

How? Spear screeched, diving at him from above. Felix spun, grasping her weapon and kicking her full in the chest. His metal boot deformed around his foot, but the damage was far worse against the High Guard. She tumbled backward in a rapid roll, head over heels, kicking up a spray of water in all directions.

Relentless Resolution!

Adamant Discord!

Felix blurred forward upon a bolt of lightning, catching up with Spears tumbling form just as her remaining eye opened in desperate disbelief. It was her last expression, as his Inheritors Will cut off her head.

You Have Killed Esre Teel of the High Guard!

XP Earned!

Felix stood in the ankle-deep water, breathing hard and quivering with what felt like lightning in his veins, when an orichalcum blade descended on his back. He spun around, meeting the sword with his dual weapons and stopping it cold.

The last remaining High Guard grimaced at him beneath the light of three moons above. What you have done is worthy of legend and song, false king. But you are an abomination under the light of the only true god, and even my death will not save you from the Pathless retribution!

The man twisted, breaking Felixs guard and launching into a series of Sword Forms that wove a dazzling net of offense and defense. Felixs weapons could not penetrate it, no matter how he moved and pivoted, and even his sudden increase in Strength was not enough to bypass it. The force of his strikes was deflected, again and again, energy scattered to either side of the mans body and only served to propel the High Guard into faster and faster speeds. Sword had mastered his weapon, earning his strange name, and there was little chance of Felix beating him in such a contest.

So he didnt bother.

Felix walked into that blender, no longer dodging or parrying, but flaring the potent song of his Sovereign of Flesh. Some hits struck off his scales, but most bit deep, drawing dark blood from his veins and dropping his Health like a stone. Sword struck faster and faster, until Felixs blood rained down like water, but he kept closing, forcing the High Guard to move.

Whatwhat are you doing, you heretical oaf? Sword slashed at Felixs shoulder, and he lifted his forearm to take a nasty gash there. You will die long before I burn through my Stamina!

Will I? Felix asked, advancing yet again. His footsteps shattered the earth, launching him forward in response to Swords nimble retreat. Are you sure about that?

You! Sword jolted as his back bounced off the gray expanse of stone that was Haarwatchs Sunrise Wall.

Relentless Resolution!

Felix blurred forward, putting everything into the simple act of acceleration, and finally slipped just inside the mans guard. Skyslains Riposte stabbed forward at the same timebut was caught by Swords cross-guard.

You still missed, he sneered.

Felix reached out and grasped the mans forearm before flooding his Riposte with Mana. The blade grew explosively from dagger to the brutal blade of a broadsword in a moment.

Sword gasped, blood pouring from his mouth as he scrabbled against Felixs iron grip. Youststand beyond the Light, Felix Nevarre. The man put all the disgust and condemnation he could into his words, and it coiled like a physical weight against Felixs Affinity. You arenothing before thethe Divine!

Something shifted in the air seconds before the High Guards skin burst alight. Flames ripped outward, engulfing both of them in a conflagration of flesh, steel, and Mana.

Cardinal Flame! Pit shrieked.

The flame Mana was seized until it split around Felixs body like a boulder in a river. It was all over in a half second, leaving him standing alone against a half-melted wall, blinking against the desiccating heat.

F-forgot to give that back, Pit panted. Sorry.

You Have Killed Callum Dor of the High Guard!

XP Earned!

I forgive you, bud.

Challenge Complete!