Congratulations!
You Have Absorbed The Essence Of [Atavistic]!
Again, his Skill shone bright with powerful energies, and the opposing forces of Harmony and Dissonance warred against one another. Threads of fire and lightning leaped across the dark to supplant those cast by his Journeyman Formation. Those that remained seemed dim and wan in contrast. The Adept Tier threads were brilliant beams of sparking power, trembling with unspent potential.
Felix felt a rising urgency push through his limbs and core. It was nameless and apparently sourceless, and shrugged it off with a flare of his Willpower.
Next was his Bastion of Will.
Legendary Essence Detected During Formation!
[Essence of Consonant Influence]
Broken Path and Fatebreaker Titles Found!
Adept Tier Bonus Added!
Calculating Effects...
Choose A Feature:
Solo - Sing For One
Harmony - Sing Together
Polyphony - Sing As One
Knowing his Bastion, the literal fortress within his Mind, Felix was a touch surprised again that it was this Essence Mote that harmonized so completely with the Skill. He had anticipated using the [Essence of Spirit's Bulwark], but perhaps that was too obvious. As it stood, the options for features with this Mote couldn't be more clear. Consonant, from what he recalled, meant a combination of notes that sounded pleasant. While that could be played Solo, it was Harmony that Felix was after. Yet...the last called to him. Sing Together and Sing As One seemed close enough as to be indistinguishable, but the last feature suggested not just harmony...but unity. If Solo was for a singular being, then Polyphony was for multiple beings working as one.
My tower, he recalled. In the center of his Bastion there was a fortress of dark stone, and in the middle of that, there was a five-sided tower. At its top was a silver spire tangled with nigh-invisible threads, and on three of its five sides there was etched the patterns of other Skills. Unfettered Volition, Deep Mind, and Meditation. Working together, those four Skills had proven to safeguard his Mind and Spirit, for all that Unfettered Volition was a Body Skill. Regardless, if he were to have them work better as one then all of his Skills would benefit. Right?
Certainty flooded Felix's Mind, though he couldn't be sure why. More instincts, perhaps.
Congratulations!
You Have Absorbed The Essence Of [Polyphony]!
His Bastion quaked, shook by the energies it was subsumed within. It grew, larger than ever before, the shape of it deepening in a way that Felix could feel but couldn't quantify. Unlike his previous two Skills, the growth of his Bastion was starkit expanded until it was twice the size of its nearest neighbor. Almost as large as his Transcendent Skills, for all that it was only Epic. Lightning and fire coursed across its pattern, sounding the vibrations of it as more cacophony was cast-off from his cores.
And yet...Felix paused, expecting pain and finding less than before. The fight between Dissonance and Harmonya key feature of his core spacehad barely ruffled his feathers, so to speak. The grinding sparks of his two cores meeting were still casting off those sounds, but now they seemed fuller, more complete. Dissonance wasn't an atonal burr and Harmony wasn't a gorgeous parade of chords; as his Bastion had expanded, the...influence of his [Essence of Consonant Influence] appeared to affect more of his core space.
That's encouraging...is it because my Bastion is linked to more than one Skill? They too had grown as has Bastion had, though not as much. Deep Mind, Meditation, and Unfettered Volition, none were ready to Tier up yet, but they too appeared more powerfully present than before. He would find out when the time came, he decided, and pushed forward.
Ravenous Tithe next. He braced himself, followed his senses, and chose.
Legendary Essence Detected During Formation!
[Essence of Glorious Bounty]
Broken Path and Fatebreaker Titles Found!
Adept Tier Bonus Added!
Calculating Effects...
Choose A Feature:
Endow - Gift Of Life
Wergild - Price Of Life
Meed - Just Rewards
Options curled through Felix's Mind, assessing and comparing. 'Just Rewards' felt odd and compulsory, while the 'Price of Life' was darker than Felix liked. The 'Gift of Life' however, seemed promising, and coupled with the normal effects of his Ravenous Tithe, seemed to offer the most benefit.
Life, he mused. Life would be a nice change of pace from all the death I've brought about.
Congratulations!
You Have Absorbed The Essence Of [Endow]!
Cacophony and euphony warred briefly around his cores, before fire and lightning slammed into Ravenous Tithe, securing a tether of power around its pattern. Despite the new changes to his core space, his Skill bucked and shook, seized in a paroxysm of vibrations. Pain lanced across Felix's Aspects, enough to overwhelm his Song of Absolution for the briefest of moments.
Followed by a triumphant trilling, and a series of blue boxes.
Based On Your Experiences And Achievements, Ravenous Tithe is Evolving!
Calculating...
System energy poured from beyond his core space, flooding like waves at midnight, crashing into his cores and immediately redirecting toward his Ravenous Tithe. The humming increased in volume and pitch, accompanied by an agony that stabbed through Felix's throat and jaw. He screamed, or tried to, but no sound emerged only pained wheezing.
And then, without fanfare, it was over.
Ravenous Tithe (Epic) Has Become Chthonic Tribute (Legendary)!
Skill Has Retained Its Level!
Chthonic Tribute (Legendary), Level 82!
In the darkest depths, you shall find the brightest glories. Consume completely any object or creature you have claimed, gaining greater rewards from them. Uses Mana to power conversion. Greater chance of gaining Skills and/or Memories from target if applicable.
That's...fuck, that hurt. He looked over his new Skill, now twice the size of its last iteration. It doesn't even look like it changed? Wait. The bit about physically touching is gone. That's...good, I guess. Felix had skirted around that requirement anywayusing his Adamant Discord to count as contactand it had been working fine. What this meant, however, he was unsure. 'Greater rewards' sounds good though. That, paired with my new Path means I might be seeing a lot more Skills and Memories coming my way.
Felix couldn't let himself get bogged down on the details yet. There would be time enough for that later. He kept moving. Two more to go. Cardinal Flame.
Legendary Essence Detected During Formation!
[Essence of Corrosion's Touch]