Chapter Two Hundred and Seventy Four – 274"Give me a moment," Felix said to the Farwalker. The man nodded and had Wyvora roll him backward and out of the way.
Felix strode forward, heading toward his friends. They looked tired and a little rumpled, but overall in good spirits.
"Felix! What took so long?" Evie asked as Pit shuffled toward her. He shoved his giant head into her hands and enjoyed a series of nice scratches.
"Did you meet the Endless Raven?" Atar asked, clearly excited. He looked at the foot-long feather in Felix's hand. "What was that like?"
Vess said nothing, only putting a hand on Felix's forearm. "I'm fine," he said.
"Good," she said. "What happened?"
Felix opened his mouth to tell them, but realized it would take longer than he wanted. "We talked. I gave it some stuff and I learned a few things." He waved his hand to dismiss the questions he saw in their faces. "Later. I've gotta handle these notifications."
"...Fine. But we'll hear it later," Atar said with a frown. He turned back to the Henaari guards that stood close by. "I need to get back to the healers. Take me." He started walking and the guards gave each other consternated looks before splitting up. Two went with Atar while the rest stuck around, clearly more at ease with Felix's group since he'd earned the Raven's favor, but not enough to leave them alone entirely.
"I should go check on Harn, too," Evie said, then gave Felix a sly smile. "Did you eat the bird?"
"What? No!"
"Evie," Vess admonished.
"I'm just saying, Felix has a track record," Evie said, but put her hands up in surrender. "Fine fine. You tall guys wanna take me to the healers too? There's a shellfish I gotta check on."
That left only a single guard to watch over the both of them. Felix didn't like that they were still being guarded. Why?
"Thanks," Felix said, meeting Vess' eyes. They seemed lighter in the morning sun. A golden brown. "For waiting like this."
"Of course," she said and plucked something off his shoulder. It was a wet leaf, colored a bright autumnal orange. "From the Raven as well?"
"Something like that. It wasn't nearly as bad as you feared," Felix said. He smiled at her raised eyebrow. "I promise, I'll tell you all about it as soon as I can. Probably once we've left this place behind."
Vess nodded, satisfied. "Something we should do soon. I feel...uneasy here. And not just because of the Urge. There are things under the surface here, and our presence is stirring them up. That Matriarch and her council, the Farwalker. I am unaware of the currents at work, and I detest that."
Felix eyed the guard and shifted slightly so that Vess' body was between them. He moved his hands quickly and as subtly as he could manage.
she signed back.
he signed. He'd literally combined 'distance' and 'walk' but it got the point across.
"Then I shall leave you to it, Felix," Vess said out loud. "I will go and see how our friends are faring."
Felix watched her go. Vess was a pro at intrigue, so it was likely she'd get to the bottom of things before lunch. And if things went sideways, well, she also kicked ass. The guards might be a problem, but they'd been reduced, and Felix sensed many among the encampment were either still asleep or just waking. He was still looking, thinking, when something hit the back of his knee, hard.
"Wha-hey! Pit!"
Notifications, Pit sent. Stop staring.
Felix looked between his Companion and Vess, who just then disappeared among the buildings and odd, free-standing arches. "I'm not staring."
Pit just looked at him.
"Shut up."
He called up his notifications.
+10 FEL
+10 EVA
Voracious Eye is level 55!
Manasight is level 56!
Exploration is level 47!
Negotiation is level 21!
Unfettered Volition is level 57!
Armored Skin is level 72!
Dang bird hit me hard, Felix thought. He rubbed at his chest, but his tunic wasn't even ripped.
Etheric Concordance is level 67!
...
Etheric Concordance is level 69!
"Oh, nice," Felix said, and Pit chirruped in agreement. Each level made understanding each other just a touch easier, as if they grew more and more inseparable.
Pit's Skulk is level 49!
Pit's Bite is level 52!
Pit's Rake is level 53!
New Title!
Stigma of the Chosen (Legendary)!
You have borne the Marks of three beings above the bounds of mortality! Greatness awaits you! Whether you like it or not. You can now see Marks of all Tiers on yourself and, with some practice, others. +10% MIG, EVA, ALA, FEL
That's it, then. Those were other Marks. Felix grimaced. He had a pretty good idea where most of them came from, but he'd seen five patterns of light, not just three as the Title said. Hm, but I can see my Marks now, and other people's too. Handy. Title's got a nice boost though, and to my Harmonic Stats.
Harmonic stats were...confusing at the best of times. He made use of Resonance and Resilience to boost his regenerations, but little more than that. His Intent and Affinity were his most used Harmonic Stats, allowing him to influence the world around him with the former and sense an empathic connection with the world through the latter. His Might and Evasion had to do with feats and defense of the Body, while Alacrity and Felicity dealt with feats and defense of the Mind. All four of them doubtlessly came in handy, but unlike his Strength or Willpower, they were not stats he'd ever felt 'go active.'
Pit and Felix both felt System energy course through them as their stats were modified by the new Title. As always it was a colorless wave of light that rolled into his core space, hitting his two rings and converting to surging beams of golden-blue radiance. Unlike previous times, Felix could see the light richochet between his [Thunderflame Core] and his [Cardinal Beast Core], before partitioning. Some flew outward into his core space, while the rest flowed down the ribbons that connected his cores to his Tempered Journeyman Skills.