"Hmm," was all Felix offered. He wasn't in the mood to explain anything to Isla. In fact, he wasn't sure that he trusted her all that much. The Chanter's order, the Cantus Sodalus, hadn't proven itself to him yet. He was still sore about Zara Marking himessentially planting a gps tracker on his Spiritwithout his knowledge or consent. Felix had removed it, but he wasn't too quick to trust again...and Isla was a mystery. What she wanted was anyone's guess. "Beef, you mind if I take a look at your core space? I can make sure nothing too squirrelly when on when you Tempered."
"Oh, uhm. I'd, uh, nah. That's not something you have to do," Beef said.
"I mean, it's relatively easy for me," Felix said with a shrug.
"It is?" Isla said. "When did you learn to Delve?"
"Here and there," Felix said, but kept his eyes on Beef. "You sure?"
"Yeah. I'm sure. I'm totally fine," Beef said, smiling wide.
Beef's Spirit twisted, an atonal squeal that spelled out the lie. He wasn't fine, but Felix wasn't sure why. And with Isla right there, he didn't want to press the issue. "Alright. Let me know if you change your mind."
"Sure."
"Isla, where is Zara?" Vess asked into the brief lull in conversation. "We are seeking her out."
"Oh she is off dealing with that hulking Reed and his soldiers. Why did you think there would be changes in young Michael's abilities?" Isla asked, undeterred.
"We fought a lot of enemies in the Tomb, not to mention the dead Primordial down there," Felix said. "Things were chaotic, to say the least. I just want to make sure everything went smoothly, and I have a little experience with checking core spaces. Besides, a Primordial's flesh curse is insidious, even if the thing was dead."
"But have you not conquered the flesh curse?" Isla asked. "You are able to cleanse it, after all."
Felix raised an eyebrow. "Where'd you hear that?"
Vess spoke up. "She aided us in distilling a portion of the Primordial's curse to use against the Highest Flame. She was told about your ability to cleanse our people of the curse." And little else, her gaze told him.
Felix nodded slowly. "Right. Well, I can cleanse it, which is part of why I want to inspect his core space. Making sure it's safe."
Beef waved his hands. "I'm fine. Better than fine. Hallow and I just finished rebuilding a whole crafting house. Took a while, but Hallow's got a new knack for stonework."
"I am pleased with the capabilities of this new Body," the spirit said. "I only wish to see how we fare in battle, Michael."
"Eventually. We've been told not to meddle with the Paladin hunt," Beef explained to Felix's questioning glance.
"You're too precious to risk against those fools," Isla said, patting Beef on the shoulder. "Both of you." With a swift motion, the Chanter discarded her stained apron and gathered up her fine blue skirts in a fist. "Now come. You said you were looking for Zara? I can take you to her."
With little else to do, Felix and Vess found no reason not to agree. Isla soon led them across the open amphitheater and down through a series of doorways. Pit, Beef, and a stumping Hallow followed behind them. After a while, as the chambers kept coming, Isla began talking. She spoke of small things, engaging Vess in a conversation about the efforts at producing enough potions with their limited supplies, while Vess spoke on the continued threat of the Paladins. It was a back and forth that Felix left slide past him just as the doorways and corridors swept across his path. But ignoring the conversation only earned him a jolt of surprise when the Chanter addressed him.
"So Felix, can you explain to me how you can cleanse the flesh curse of a Primordial?" she said, as casually as if she were asking about the weather. "It is an affliction that no one in the history of the healing arts has ever cured. I am simply amazed that you've found a way."
Felix wasn't sure how to answer that, so he simply didn't. He knew it made him come off as boorish and maybe even an idiot, not having some pithy come back to distract or divert the question, but he had nothing. His ability to cleanse the flesh curse was a function of his Transcendent rarity Skills: Unite the Lost and, most recently, Sovereign of Flesh. But answering with that would lead to more questions, such as where those Skills had been learned or what they could accomplish. Instead, as his own silence grew a touch too heavy to bear, Felix said, "What can you tell me about weaving Pillars and the Tapestry Stage that follows?"
Isla tapped her lips as if he hadn't ignored her and awkwardly changed the subject. "Ah, well. One requires anywhere between five and nine Pillars, and each one represents a piece of your foundation. Weaving them is quite important, especially weaving them well with Skills that have been properly Tempered with useful and potent Features. Most make it their purpose to Weave all of them once they hit Adept Tier, but few manage to complete such a monumental task. Typically, one is well into the Master Tier before their Weaving Stage has reached its end."
Felix perked up at that. "Really? Why do some have more Pillars than others?"
"A matter of Tempering and, to be honest, care," Isla said. "There are always those impatient to climb the steps to power, and it takes a long time to properly weave one's Pillars."
"I see," Felix said, glancing at Vess. She was watching Isla as if she were memorizing every word that came out of her mouth, and likely was; information like this was hard to come by on the Continent, even, apparently, for duchal heiresses. "And making your Tapestry is...?"
"A worry for Master Tiers," the Chanter said bluntly. "One cannot advance into Grandmaster without completing one's Pillars and beginning the weave of one's Tapestry. More than that, I cannot say."
"Because saying would influence the process," Felix said, nodding in understanding. Karys had said the same.
"What? No, because I have not yet reached that stage myself. I am only at the beginning stages of Master Tier, though my Pillars are almost completely formed."
Oh. That was surprising. The woman felt a lot more powerful than Felix, but he was only a few steps behind her in core formation. Does weaving Pillars help so much?
"From what Zara has told me, you are growing quite fast, Felix. Two Pillars already, and while still a Journeyman. That is remarkable...and foolhardy," Isla said.
"What? Why?" Vess demanded. "Felix is clearly stronger than many. He was able to defeat a Grandmaster, in his own Territory no less," she continued, expression more than a little heated. "Everything he is, he was forced into in order to survive or save the people around him. That is not foolhardy. That is admirable and noble and" Vess suddenly cut off her words when she met Felix's gaze. A faint redness flushed the very tops of her cheeks.
Isla held up her hands, perhaps to forestall another outburst. "It is foolhardy because it invites disaster. Quick growth is the surest way to outpace your own foundation. This is why I've ensured Michael has had only steady gains throughout this past half year. All of you Unbound must be molded so that you do not extend yourself beyond reach of our ability to save you; that is one of the priorities of our Order. Grow too fast and your foundation will not be solid enough to carry you into Grandmaster and Paragon." They came upon a another set of double doors, these carved into complicated geometric patterns and plated with polished gold. Felix could faintly hear the sound of fighting on the other side. "For it is in those Tiers that you and your fellows will truly prove useful to the Continent."
She shoved open the double doors and walked out onto a wide stone landing. Above them the storm roared, discharging lightning and a torrential rainfall that filled the night with a wet haze. The patter of water and crashing thunder nearly drowned out the sound of close to a hundred men and women engaged in a brutal, bloody fight, just feet below them.
The Chanter shook her head, as if the fighting were pointless. "Only at that point will you have the potential to perhaps stand up against the Ruin."