After that it was their turn. Harn revealed how they had all escaped from the Domain. Turns out they had been cast out when the shell failed; a safety mechanism meant to disgorge sentients from the Domain in the case of failure. The only downside was that they had been scattered about, along with more than a few Revenants on their tails.
That raised a new wrinkle, at least to Felix. Since they were ousted by the same safety protocol that expelled Harn, the Revenants, according to the System, were sentients. Typically the System categorized Races and Types. Races were considered sentient and could gain Titles and take on System Quests, growing stronger as they went. Types, or monsters, were not considered sentient by the same System, unable to earn such perks and growing stronger only through violence or other, more arcane manners. Strangely, that included the Risi, a Type of Giantfolk that were at least as intelligent as a Human, had a developed culture, and even boasted a messed up religion. Why, then, did the System consider the Revenants different?
The answer, unsurprisingly, came from Zara.
"They're Manawarped Revenants," she had explained in that lecture voice she'd used on him before. "You said so yourself Felix. These creatures were once Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs. All kinds. The System must still recognize that part of their pitiful existences."
"So what does that mean exactly?" Cal had asked. "Does it benefit them?"
"It means they will likely be able to gain Titles and complete System Quests, though based on their level of Intelligence I am not terribly worried about that. Regardless, I recommend excising them as soon as possible. They are a...stain on the Grand Harmony that will only spread and grew more intractable as time passes."
Felix could attest to that. The infinitesimal piece of the Maw they contained was rife with discordant power, strains of a chaotic song that was almost the antithesis of the System itself. If the Revenants gained Titles as fast as he did, then they were all in for a world of hurt. He mentioned that, but the others laughed it off.
"Were they Unbound cursed by the attention of a powerful Primordial we would do well to be worried," Zara said. "But they will be unlikely to accrue significant Titles in the short term. The long term, as I have said, is another story entirely."
That had brought up the subject he'd been waiting for. The Archon. Explaining who and what he was had been difficult, as Felix wasn't entirely sure. Neither were they, as it turned out.
"Sounds like a golem," Harn had said.
"A sentient golem? You see those a lot?" Cal asked archly. "Nah, this sounds like more Foglands fuckery. More ancient unknowns coming from the past to haunt us."
Zara had hummed a series of contemplative notes. "Little is known about the Nym, and the way this Archon reacted to you suggests a history. There is a connection there that I might delve out...yet it also means he is thousands of years old. For a construct to be running that entire time--it boggles the mind."
Zara had immediately begun rifling through a pack at her side, one Felix later learned was chock full of books. Before he could peruse them himself, Harn had grabbed his attention.
"If the plan was to destabilize the city, then this Archon's mission was successful. Haarwatch is ass up and reelin'. If I were him, now'd be the time to strike against us." Harn had pointed west, toward the Wall. "The Guilders've been sayin' the Foglands are spewin' out monsters, hordes of em. Solid bet it's him."
"Good point," Cal had said with a frown. "The Revenants seem like an after thought though, right? His real play was the giant Ravager King?"
"That's what I figure," Felix had agreed. "The Envoy said as much, and the memory I'd stolen from him indicated he was building an army to take advantage of the chaos the Ravager King would cause. The Envoy had planned for an attack from both sides of the Wall."
"Classic pincer movement," Harn had grunted. "And in a city shook by infightin' and sudden monsters. Woulda worked, too."
That's what had Felix worried. It had been a good plan, all things considered, and who knew what else was up the golden golem's sleeves. The four of them batted around ideas, but mostly it came down to protecting the people they had in camp, and trying to root out the Revenants as best they could. With their rate of population growth, the possibility of them overwhelming the city felt entirely too real.
All of which meant getting stronger was his number one priority. They'd asked only a few more questions before he'd been released to train his newly strengthened Skills, though Zara had asked that they speak in a few glasses. She wanted to get moving with Chanter training as soon as possible.
Felix refocused on the now, weaving as best he could through more of the lashing chains. Like a dozen Evie's all fighting in tandem.
He'd attempted the damn Gauntlet twice now, and had made it no farther than half way before being pummeled into the ground. The second time he'd barely made it ten feet in before the animated mannequins took out his legs. Thankfully using his Mana Skills no longer sent pain ripping through his everything, as Unfettered Volition often made the difference between evasion and a brutal wounding.
However, all was not exactly right. His Aspects kept flaring in the strangest of ways. He'd commit to an action, but a vivid heat in his chest would lead him misjudging and putting too much Strength into a jump. He'd rocket too high and have to weather the abuse of the many violent obstacles. Or he'd cast Shadow Whip, but an unsteady pulsing in his Spirit sent the spell twitching away from him, fouling his aim.
Through the chains, Felix ducked under the rolling blades, a series of spinning sabers that varied their elevations based on his speed. He'd made it past them the first time, just barely, and he thought he had the pattern down.
Duck, dive, roll, jump! Duck, dodge left, spin, hop! It was a flurry of quick decisions and pinpoint movements that he was awed to be able to accomplish. His Dexterity combined with Unfettered Volition lent Felix a precision that he'd never--
HURK!
A burning surge of blue-white flashed across his awareness and Felix felt himself fall forward. A blade, missed in his self-satisfaction, stabbed at where he had just stood. It came so close he felt the back of his tunic slice open, though his skin was untouched. He tried to recover with a series of frantic rolls, but the next couple of blades hit him square in the shoulder and lower back, sending him sprawling into the loose dirt.
A loud, but short klaxon sounded from a nearby post.
Failure. Again.
What the hell was that? He berated himself as he crawled to the sidelines and exited the Gauntlet. It had felt like his Body was making moves for him. Without him. How is that possible? I'm over level 40, I figured this'd be a cake walk.
He was wrung out and sweating far more than he'd had in recent memory. The Gauntlet was no joke, and to beat it, he had to take this seriously. Something was going on inside him. Felix dove into his core, utilizing his Fire Within to explore the strange chaos within him.
While previously his Fire Within unlocked his internal Mana control and allowed him to visualize his core. It was a step that Rory had claimed was fundamental to being able to advance, though he hadn't gone into too much detail. The culture of Haarwatch and by extension the Heirocracy was steeped in taboos when it came to sharing information. A frustration to Felix in many ways, but not one he cared to waste time on at that moment. No, he'd rather focus on the details now being unveiled by his new and improved, Journeyman Tiered Fire Within.
The first thing that stood out was the sudden clarity of his visualization. While before he could visit his core space and feel the power rolling through the myriad pathways around his Body, it had always felt somewhat dreamlike. Unreal. Now, there was a granular edge to everything, as if it was just one step removed from actual, physical reality.
Felix watched as waves of blue-white, liquid flame coursed through his looping pathways like blood through his veins. The power never stopped, circulated by the spinning ring at the center of it all. Said ring, made up of thick, undulating blue-white flames was tethered by a number of Skills. Each Skill he had Tempered provided a ribbon of shimmering light that now slowly wove around the ring like some sort of luminous maypole. As the Skills slowly revolved around his core ring, planets around a star, the ribbon tethers twisted just beneath it.
Why?
Felix watched a bit longer, but ultimately was unable to understand much else going on within him. His Fire Within had Tiered up, but the change was not so stark as he'd hoped. The Essence of Bort, after all, was all about accumulation. He'd have to practice further.
Still, it was a strange feeling, but not unfamiliar; he'd lived his entire life without knowing how his organs and circulatory system really worked, how was this any different? It wasn't that he didn't care, but he'd had enough over obsessing about everything he didn't immediately understand. He'd ask Zara after he got done with the Gauntlet.
It was a simple as that.
Having someone around that had soared to the heights of Master Tier definitely had its advantages. Not the least of which was the Chanter training he was to begin later that day. Until then, he was to use his time as he saw fit.
You could go out and help them around the camp, you know, a nagging voice inside him prodded. Guard the camp maybe, or fight off any monsters out there? That wall was looking pretty rough, too...
Felix shook his head and dismissed his guilty conscience. The best way he could help everyone was to get a handle on his abilities. He'd been scraping by the skin of his teeth for far too long. The next time he faced real threats, he wanted to be ready. And that meant training until he could kick the Gauntlet's ass.
Again.