Two hundred isn't the magic number then. Probably...five hundred? Felix sighed. Got a ways to go until that.
Climbing to his feet, Felix gave up on staring at his stats and Skills. He was tired. His Stamina was full, as it almost always was, but still he felt worn out. He walked over to a section of the courtyard that wasn't completely torn apart. Pit was prancing about, flapping his wings so hard he nearly lifted himself off the ground.
"What're you doing, bud?" Felix asked, but Pit didn't answer, only tried again. And again. And again. Each time it seemed like he was lifiting just a touch further, almost as if--
Pit Has Learned A New Skill!
Really? That was the tenku's first naturally learned Skill in a long while. Almost all the rest had been from elemental cores.
Flight (Rare), Level 1!
Tenku are born with the ability to glide. It is not until they are older and more experienced that they progress into true flight. Speed, maneuverability, and carrying capacity depend on AGL, DEX, END, and STR. Each increases with Skill Level.
Holy shit. Felix was stunned, but that was nothing compared to the elation that surged through their bond. Pit bugled in ecstatic glee and began to bound around the courtyard. He picked up speed as he ran, until the tenku's wings snapped out and began to pump. This time, though it took several seconds, Pit took off.
He was airborne.
"Pit can fly?!" Evie gasped, and Vess clapped her hands in delight.
"Now he can," Felix said, unable and unwilling to wipe a wide grin from his face. For a moment, they were all silent as the chimera carved circles into the air above them. Pit cut around the broken tower, looping it in a spiral pattern until he shot off even further into the sky. Barrel rolls, spins, flips, the tenku did them all in an aerial ballet of unrestrained joy. Pit's emotions resonanted so strongly across their bond that Felix's grin was threatening to become a permanent fixture.
Pit's Flight is level 2!
Pit's Flight is level 3!
"Good. That might be useful later," Harn said as he landed with a thump. He nodded at Pit. "Get em down though. Somethin' might see em."
Felix sighed and pulsed the thought toward his Companion. Pit let out a low, pitiful whine, but quickly descended.
Pit's Flight is level 4!
"Sorry bud. Gotta be careful. We'll get more chances to fly soon, yeah?" Felix gave Pit some consolation scratches, though the tenku huffed his breath and turned away. Felix kept scratching just below his ears.
The chimera's fit lasted all of ten seconds before he leaned into Felix's fingers. A surprisingly sad warble came from the pony-sized Companion, and a hazy impression drifted across their bond. Fuzzed by the distance of the memory, it was more colors and sensation than true visual cues. Felix could easily sense that Pit was very young, and that he was flying, coddled atop his mother. He felt warmth and safety and a slight rush at the dips and sharp turning the older tenku was doing. It was a good memory, if tinged by sadness.
Felix laid against Pit's neck, his arm around his chest.
"Finish up whatever yer doin' and meet up by the tower," Harn touched Felix's shoulder as he started moving, holding him back. "Felix, we gotta talk first."
Felix looked at the others. Atar and Alister were having a quiet conversation, but Evie and Vess both gave him a questioning look. He waved them off before turning back toward Harn. Pit settled in beside him.
"What's going on, Harn?" he asked.
"Just where'd you get it into yer head that running off in a battle was a good plan?" Harn's face was hidden by his helmet, but his tone was harsh. "And then you took on the Sub-Core, alone? What were you thinkin'?"
"I-" Felix wasn't sure how to respond. Part of it was that he hadn't been thinking, just reacting. Okar came at him and their fight moved them away from the group. He explained as much to the warrior.
"Then maneuver him back! What you did was dangerous, and not just fer you," Harn said and pointed at their retreating allies. "Those two rushed after ya, despite what I told em. They coulda got killed if that horde got their claws in em. You understand?"
Harn exhaled hard enough for it to whistle against his armor. "Felix, yer strong and fast and smart, but you don't think enough. Or ya think too much. I'm not sure."
"Probably both, if I'm being honest," Felix said.
"Listen, you've got potential. I've told ya that before. But yer not usin' yer Skills to their best effect." Harn gestured to the broken tower ahead of them. "We're gonna head into that tunnel soon, and we gotta keep our formation tight, understand? You an me? We're the vanguard. Take the first hits before anyone else. The others can use ranged Skills or precision strikes neither of us are as good at. You disagree?"
Felix didn't. "I've always had to fight on my own, and despite our few bouts Harn I don't have any proper training."
"I know, kid, I know. Been meanin' to rectify that but time's against us." Harn looked back toward the others a moment longer. "Felix."
"Hm?"
"If we're gonna do this, risk our lives against this Ravager King, then I gotta know," Harn took a deep breath before continuing. "The Primordial."
Shit. "What about it?"
"I've heard of em before. Stories mostly, tall tales, things you can't believe, even on the Continent." Harn tapped a metal-shod finger against the head of his axe. "A long time ago I met some merchants. This was farther east, outside the Heirocracy. My uncle owned an inn, and he'd let me sweep the floors fer some spending money. It weren't much. Barely a stone a day. But I got ta see the new visitors and, sometimes, if I were lucky, I'd hear some stories. These merchants were pale, far more so than you or me. Sickly lookin', I thought. They said a beast made of nightmares attacked their ships, out on the Endless Sea. It had a weird name, one I barely remembered in the rush of hearin' the tale. One of em even showed me a scar where the thing's glistenin' spines had scratched em."
Harn shook his head. "It was a small thing, barely a nick. But to an impressionable kid huntin' fer adventure it was a glorious battle wound."
Felix just listened, unsure where Harn was going. He wanted to keep moving, but this...Felix felt this conversation was a long time coming. Harn kept talking.
"I woulda listened fer hours, but they were tired. Long journey, I imagine. We weren't anywhere close to the Sea. Plus, a few of them looked sick, feverish even. Before they left for bed, I even heard one of em mention that they had finally escaped their city lord. The relief in his voice, Felix, it weren't nothin' I ever heard before," Harn said. "Can't remembering thinkin' much of it at the time. It was excitin' though, and I planned to ask em many more questions in the mornin'.
'Cept, when my aunt went to wake em, she found em all dead. Drowned in their beds, their throats and lungs filled with acidic brine, more'n a thousand leages from the Sea. I was able ta see em before my uncle had em carted out. It was like their insides had turned to seawater. I ain't never seen nothin' like it before or since. And the man? The one with the scratch? It had spread, splitting the merchant's arm entirely in two. Like he'd been cursed...or corrupted."
The name of the beast what attacked em, Felix. Took me a long time to remember it. They called it a Primordial."
Felix swallowed, his throat dry. There's more of them?
"Now yer sayin' you saw one. In the center of the Labyrinth, where you said you were sealed in after Magda died, yeah?" Harn turned to him, and through the helmet Felix could see a glint of light reflecting against the man's eyes.
"...Yeah."
"Were ya hurt? Scratched? Infected like these people out here? If we're gonna be fightin' this thing, I gotta know. I've seen too much to let this go, Felix."
"Harn," Felix took a deep, steadying breath. It was time. Beyond time, honestly. He was tired of hiding things anyway. "The Primordial's name is the Unending Maw...."
"Quick march, Acolytes!"
A chorus of grunts met the command, and the loud tromp of booted feet became thunderous. Rafny held tight to the brick facade of a burned out bakery and held her hand low. The eight that followed her all held their breath.
The city had been overrun by the Inquisition these last few hours. Fights between them and the Guild had broken out all across the Quarters, and more than a few fires had resulted, gutting homes and businesses. Rafny had worried they would rage unchecked, but, surprisingly, the Inquisition had gone about extinguishing them rapidly. Now they were focused on rounding up Guilders and moving them all to the city center.
To the Eyrie, she was told.
Shortly after they had left the sewers, the majority of the freed prisoners had followed The Onslaught's advice. They found their way to his warehouse, where Calesca Boscal had been waiting. They'd taken the group in without complaint, offering food and a place to hide. It was a welcome relief.
After a brief rehashing Rafny had been all too willing to provide, Calesca had filled them in on further details. By that point, fights were already breaking out all over, and the treasure hunter had sent out scouts to check the lay of the land. She wasn't sure why all the Guilders were being herded into the Eyrie, but she doubted the redcloaks had good intentions.