Chapter Thirty Four - 034They made it out onto the street quietly enough.
Since they didn't know how to deactivate the wardstones and weren't planning on straying too far, they simply walked out. Passing through the ward was awfully similar to passing through the rock-turned-liquid of his Stone Shaping spell; the air was thick like pudding, charged with a certain warmth, though it smelled distinctly of rain.
Petrichor, that's what it's called.
Thankfully, Felix was able to shift the door despite how heavy it appeared. It was a strain but not unmanageable. After they had filed out and he closed the door again, making sure to lift slightly to prevent it from squealing, Felix caught Atar staring at him his eyes green in the deep shadows. "What?"
Atar said nothing, just frowned and turned away.
Bemused, Felix walks past the haughty mage and steps onto the uneven cobbles above. The street was empty and the hollowed out buildings leaned drunkenly together in places, deepening the shadows that covered them all. However, through gaping holes in the various facades Felix could see patches of blue sky and a bright sun streaming from the east. It was beautiful, like waking up in a new city. A city ruined for centuries and filled to the brim with murderous giants.
But still, he insisted to himself. Blue sky, sunlight. Could be worse.
He paused a moment, the edges of his smile fading. "Do you all still see the fog?"
Vessilia looked at him over her shoulder, eyebrow raised. "Yes? Do you--oh that is right! You said you do not!"
Evie eyeballed him again, and made a point of looking around. "You blind? It's everywhere."
"Not to me. All I see is clear cobbles, dark alleys, and a bright blue sky."
"No way. Blue?" Evie craned her neck, looking up. "All I see is overcast grey. That's a good hallucination you've got. I'd kill for some real sunshine."
"It's not--" Felix started, but didn't feel it was worth it to continue. Maybe he was hallucinating. I mean, this entire journey has been one bonkers thing after another. It'd make a certain kind of sense if I was tripping balls.
He shook himself, unwilling to follow that thought. It led nowhere productive. Instead, Felix focused his Manasight, reveling at the sudden color and crispness everything around him attained. His sense of Mana flows had increased a lot since he began, and the morning sun (even when not shining directly onto him) seemed to amplify everything. The Mana haze still drifted atop of everything, floating everywhere across his vision without moving at all somehow. As before, he focused on the haze with his peripheral vision, willing himself to see beyond the obvious.
I know you're there. Show yourself...
Felix's Mana suddenly dropped, the blue bar in his vision losing about twenty percent as a thick cloud of white fog utterly pervaded his vision. As if the world was wrapped in white cotton, distances were difficult to perceive, sounds appeared muffled, and even the patches of sky above became monotonous shades of grey.
Holy shit. This is what they see? How do they do anything?
Something whirled above him, disturbing a layer of mist atop one of the ruined buildings. Felix turned, startled, but only got the impression of a dark form slipping away.
A bird?
The vision stuttered and crackled, quickly fading away into static like on an old television. In seconds it was gone.
It's an illusion! Right? Do those exist--?
Manasight is level 27!
...
Manasight is level 31!
Felix's eyes widened. He was right.
Evie clapped her gloved hands together, the sound soft and muted. "Ok, Felix. Do you have a sneaky Skill?"
"Mm?" Felix turned back toward the group, having made his way into the middle of the alley. "I have Stealth, yeah."
"Oh good! That's two of us. We'll have to account for the stompers over here."
"I do not stomp," argued Vessilia, her voice slightly exasperated. Then she tipped her head to the side, conceding the point. "But I am wearing heavier armor than you."
Atar, surprising no one, snorted in derision. "Stealth is a tool for liars and ruffians. Doesn't surprise me that you'd have it, Aren!"
"Cram it up your ass, flame boy~," Evie said in a sing-song voice.
"Hey!" Felix hissed, spreading his hands out toward the both of them. "Cool it! Stealth does jack all if you're shouting."
An abrupt clatter sounded further down the alley. The sound of dislodged rubble, the scatter of debris. They all froze in place. Felix heard the click-clatter of claws on stone. Evie slowly reached up toward her spiked chain, carefully gripping its end as she scanned the thick morning shadows. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Felix's hand suddenly clamped onto her own, keeping her from drawing her chain. She pushed as hard as she could, but she couldn't make his arm budge an inch.
"Don't. It's a friend," he said, already stepping forward; because while the others had to contend with the cloying fog, his vision could clearly make out the winged form of his four-legged Companion.
"Heya, Pit. Who's a good boy?" Felix leaned over and patted his legs, urging the tenku to run to him. Pit let out a happy chirrup as he accepted a couple scratches on the side of his head.
"Yyero's blighted ass! That's a chimera!" Evie exclaimed, her voice less a whisper and more a high pitched cry.
"Ah, yeah," Felix scratched the back of his neck, feeling an uncomfortable flush heating his skin. "I was meaning to tell everyone, but with the way Vessilia reacted originally I didn't think it'd go over well. I just kept putting it off." He stood to the side and gestured down at the dog-sized tenku. "Everyone, this is Pit. Pit, everyone."
Pit warbled in a friendly way, but Felix saw all of them flinch. Even Vessilia, who had gotten a bit better about Pit previously.
"Oh, he uh, he won't hurt you. Unless you try to attack him, maybe. He's still a baby for the most part," Felix smiled down at his friend.
"A baby? That's a fog-touched chimera! They're feral killers!" Atar was backing up but stopped as his shoulder blades hit a stone wall behind him. "We've had to fight them all the way here."
"Atar's right, much as I hate saying that. I don't know how you got caught up with it, but it's best to just put that thing down," Evie's hand slowly crept back up to her chain.
Felix held out his hands in a placating gesture. "Look, it's fine. He's my Companion. We made a Pact."
Silence met his words, and all three of his new acquaintances gave him confused looks. "A what?" Evie asked.
Huh, I figured they'd know what it was...Hell, I was half convinced they'd start listing off reasons why it was a bad idea. He shook his head. "Doesn't matter, I guess. Just...stand down, folks. He's harmless."
Vessilia reached a hand out and placed it on Evie's shoulder, giving her a look. Biting her lip, Evie looked between Pit and her friend before reluctantly nodding. Vessilia smiled at Felix and nodded too. "You saved my life, Felix Nevarre. You have earned some trust here."
"Thank you," Felix said.
They all turned to Atar.
The teen mage swallowed, his adam's apple visibly bobbing, before he straightened himself under their gaze. "O-of course. I'm not afraid of some pet."
Felix caught Vessilia's eye. She shook her head, hiding a small smile.
"Good," Evie regained her joyful tone. "Let's go find what my sister is hiding."