Chapter Thirty Eight - 038Ok Pit, on my signal. Felix sent the image of him hold up his hand and nodding and then of Pit running out toward the giants. He pushed it, the sensation becoming a little easier than before. Pit nodded his head three times, clearly excited.
Dumb bird, he smiled.
The tenku had been beside himself when Felix tried explaining what he was doing. It had startled him when Pit sent images back toward Felix, blurry edged impressions of a winged creature flying around giant blue collections of smells. It was both visual and olfactory, though the smells were more potent. The blue lumps smelled of cold metal and ice and a weird sort of musk. It was easy enough to figure out what Pit was suggesting, and Felix honestly had no reason to say no. He needed the help.
Just be careful, buddy, he sent worriedly as the tenku padded forward, activating Skulk and sticking to the shadows. Ahead of them, four Risi Warriors rooted around several of the ruined structures. Eight or nine feet tall, they easily filled up the first floor sections of the buildings, often having to fold double to get in and out of doorways. They weren't gentle, nor were they quiet; they stomped about, yelling and smashing into archways, ripping up the various plant-life that filled the city's skeletal remains. Small patches of ice spread out as they roamed, almost as if they passively generated it, though it was far less than in other portions of the city.
Felix held still, eyeing his target. The underground room was two hundred feet away, nearly a third of the block, and the Risi were all nearby. The basement stairs were faced away from him, luckily, so he only had to drop down into the stairwell and muscle open the door. After crossing the street, navigating several questionable ruins, and sprinting the last stretch out in the wide open. Hoo boy. Sure, Magda. I got this.
No problem.
Pit crept closer, now lost even to Felix's eyes. Somewhere along the way, the tenku had dipped into a building; Felix could only feel his general direction through their pact.
Pit's Skulk is level 24!
Felix shifted, pressing his feet against the ground like a runner at the starting blocks. Except the ground felt...soft. He flexed his feet and felt the cobbles loosen beneath him slightly, wobbling and making a loud clack sound. Felix froze, barely moving his eyes to see if the giants had heard him. Their grunts and shouts continued, unabated.
Breathing a silent sigh of relief, Felix activated Stealth and made himself ready, careful this time not to press too hard against the road. Then he saw it, Pit's bushy tail waiving from a second story window three houses down from the Risi Warriors. Two golden eyes, mere specks at this distance, looked at Felix expectantly.
Ok, he held up his hand and nodded. Now!
Felix took off, trusting his Companion to follow their loose plan. He crossed the road at speed, the sound of his feet against the cobbles lost amidst the abrupt explosion of squawks and roars down the street. Felix made it to a small patch of shadows before leaping forward through the window of another dilapidated structure, racing within a darkened area filled with soft moss and a couple pale patches of fungus.
Pit's Rake is level 19!
Pit's Bite is level 17!
He's getting a workout. Felix came to a low window near the end of the first building, one with just enough of an angle to see his Companion jumping off of a Risi warrior's chest before darting away. Now let them chase. Just be safe.
Felix couldn't help but keep his mind on his friend, even as he hopped over another sill and into an adjoining alley. He was moving as fast as he could, ducking between shadows to try and stay hidden, but the last stretch was ahead. Nearly fifty feet of wide open road, bright sunshine pouring from the clear blue skies as midday moved onward.
But it's not bright out, is it? Felix reminded himself. Flaring his Manasight, he let his focus drift as he, paradoxically, zeroed in on the faint haze he saw. This time he felt a sharp jab of pain behind his eyes, and saw his Mana bar drop down 20% as the world was engulfed in thick, rolling fog.
It poured out of buildings and down the streets like a living thing, vapor practically on the cusp of being water again. A soupy haze occluded his vision, one that even his high Perception could not see past. Beyond fifty-sixty feet, the street appeared empty; the only indication of anyone was the continued roar and crash of the giants chasing Pit, and the tenku was a street behind him, Felix could feel.
I got this.
Felix took a careful step forward, then another, and another. He hugged the wall, sticking close to the edges just in case. He was more than halfway to the stairwell when the building in front of him toppled to the ground.
Pit's Cry is level 20!
It was an absolute cacophony, dust and debris from shattering stone and snapped trees; all of it pouring only feet before him. But what was worse was that in the midst of all that, two giants stumbled out of the collapse, blue hands waving away thick plumes of dust and hobnailed boots crushing the remains of trees. They roared and called out, grunting something he couldn't understand back in the direction they had fallen.
Shit shit shit shit shit!
Felix dropped low, holding his breath and flaring Stealth as much as he possibly could. He kept his Manasight going, willing himself to continue to perceive the fog. He had to trust the illusion to cover him, or else this whole thing was blown.
Breath Control is level 17!
The Risi paid Felix zero attention and instead were immediately focused on finding something missing in the mess. The two eight foot creatures rooted around in the pile of debris, grunting and pushing stone aside as they got increasingly angry with one another. A cry came from the other street, a roaring that rose in pitch, as if in question.
"Rak talla! Watta kel no!" One of the giants screamed in answer, still digging furiously.
They don't know I'm here. Felix closed his eyes briefly in relief, before padding forward as slowly and quietly as possible. In order to pass by the Risi, Felix had to make a wide curve around both them and the collapsed debris. The swirl of fog was all that was between the giants and his discovery, a barely there, illusory curtain of vapor. Step by step, tortuously slow, and all the while he felt a thrilled exuberance in his chest, a sentiment echoed by his Companion as he ran wild and free among the streets. Felix wasn't quite sure which was him and which was the tenku, but his heart was racing and adrenaline made his limbs shaky with energy.
Step.
Step.
Step.
Felix was only ten feet away, a simple jump down into the stairwell and through the door. He was gonna make it. He just had to figure out how to--
"Lalla! Watta lakka!"
The Risi's jubilant cry was followed by a creaking groan. Dropping his Manasight, Felix's vision cleared in time to see a looming, two story pillar the approximate diameter of a redwood tilt and crack as one of the giants pulled its massive metal club out from beneath it. With a single, powerful tug the club came loose, and the giant crowed in success.
"Lalla!"
Then the pillar started to tilt.
NOnonono!
Felix dove forward, stone breaking under his feet as he launched himself over and down into the stairwell. He hit the iron door hard, denting it as he rebounded. Without pausing, Felix pushed his hands forward and swept them apart, flaring the only Skill he could envision at that moment.
Stone Shaping!
Earthen Mana flexed and dissipated against the door. The metal didn't respond in the slightest.
GAH!
Rock sheared above him, the pillar crumbling under its own weight as it lost its long fight against gravity. A spray of pressurized marble geysered into the stairwell. Felix nearly slapped his head as he remembered. It's a pull door!
Stone Shaping!
The smallest of gaps appeared on the edge of the door. Enough for a hand. Felix grabbed it and yanked with all he had, the door groaning in protest before popping open.
The pillar broke apart above him, sections of the ancient stone tumbling down like massive millstones and burying the entrance.
Felix was alive.
He unclasped his arms from his head and risked a glance backward. It was totally dark, the collapse blocking out even the slight light from the door frame. With a minor effort, Manasight activated and the room became a series of vibrant colors.
He had rolled ten or so feet into the room, but large, chunky rubble had scattered everywhere, rolling uncomfortably close to him. Felix stood up, quickly orienting himself in the small space.
A wash of dark blue water Mana was coming from several spots along the walls, and though one of the was uncomfortably close to the blocked in door, it seemed fine.
There, the packs. He could see all five of them, left around the area. Though it looked like Magda's had been mostly crushed by debris. Felix winced. Probably nothing too important.