Chapter Three Hundred And Eighty Four – 384Two hours later, Felix saw the Henaari and mage off to a meal and bed, the lot of them too drained of Stamina and Mana to do much more than shovel in food and pass out. Palin was still up, serving her food and ensuring everyone had gotten something. That included Felix, apparently, as the stout woman shoved a bowl of stew roughly into his hands before prowling away.
Still mad at me for the Paladins, he thought as he sipped his stew. Well let her be mad. At least she's aliveoh whoa. This is really good.
The stew was a savory mix of blue root vegetables and marbled meats, worked heavily with some sort of earthy spice. The broth was a pale orange which was weird, but so long as he closed his eyes he couldn't deny its delicious flavor. Felix managed to wolf down four entire helpings before his stomach began to protest and Pit, of all people, dragged him away to bed.
Which is how Felix found himself lying atop a snoring chimera, entirely wide awake in spite of his aching Body. Pit was dead to the world, stuffed even more than Felix and taxed by their use of the Fiendforge. It hadn't been too apparent in the moment, but all the strain and struggle Felix had undergone within Atar and then Evie's core space, Pit had experienced as well. In fact, it was thanks to their Etheric Concordance that Felix had the Intent and Affinity available to spare. And though the tenku had been protected within Felix's Spirit, the burden of all those forces was impossible to deny.
Long story short, Pit deserved his rest. And so did Felix. He just couldn't get any.
"Fuck." Felix stood up in a frustrated huff, careful not to jostle his Companion too much. Pit merely grunted and tucked his huge wings a little tighter into his sides. Felix spent a moment, just staring down at him.
You're up. Go do something useful.
A voice in the back of his head urged Felix toward action. It wasn't a real voicehe'd had enough of the Maw to be an expert on thatbut behavior that he couldn't quite shake. He'd spent nearly every moment of his life on the Continent in some sort of peril, bouncing from conflict to conflict, dire straights to crumbling precipices...it felt strange to sit still. He'd had the same issue back in his Stronghold, and he'd often find himself working on alchemy or tweaking their defenses. Here, in the middle of the wilderness, Felix didn't have those options, not in the same way at least. But there was something he had been putting off.
He walked out of the chamber, tossing aside the thin cloth doorway. Two Henaari Dawnguard, eight Legionnaires, and two Risi were standing guard in the corridor outside, and all of them snapped to rigid attention as he walked out.
"Why...what are you doing?" he asked.
A four foot tall Goblin in boiled leather armor saluted him, fist to heart. "Sir. We were told to keep you safe by Commander Harn."
"Really." Felix Eyed them all, noting their levels and feeling the shape of their advancement. All of them were pushing into upper Apprentice Tier, though the Henaari and giants were closest. The Goblin, named Rog, bore a blue eye outlined in red-gold flame on his breastplate. It sat opposite the insignia for the Bones society of his Legion. "You're the...captain?"
"Aye sir. Captain Rog, sir," the Goblin saluted again, harder. "Commander Harn told us to stick close to you, sir. We're the Fiend's Shadows."
Felix looked at everyone else. He felt a vague sense of annoyance from the Risi and amusement from the Henaari, but not much. The other Legionnaires, another Bone, two Blades, two Fists, and two Arclights. Two of every group...Fiend's Shadows. Who came up with that name?
"Fine. Just keep up," he said, and started moving.
Felix's Agility was quite high, and while it meant his body moved easier and with greater speed, he would not be able to use it properly were it not for his enhanced Perception, Intelligence, and Dexterity. Moving fast, after all, meant his ability to react and adjust had to keep up, otherwise he'd end up face first in a wall somewhere. Thankfully, the use of stats was a lot like a muscle in that you had to "flex" it to enjoy the maximum affect of all the points you'd invested. That meant most folks could walk around and interact with others without issue, no real fear of crushing hands in greeting or leaping over a house when you meant to hop a puddle. Felix...Felix's stats had risen quite high however. So while Felix only meant for a brisk jog toward his destination, it wasn't until he stopped outside a switchback path deeper into the Warren that he realized his Shadows were several turns behind him.
Ugh. "Down here," he called out, before descending the path. They'd either catch up or not.
Down below, the pressure from the Leviathan was more pronounced, even for him. He slowed to a walk, unwilling to further strain his Body, but there wasn't far to go.
"Klzix," Felix said. He walked into a rib-vaulted chamber, the same one he'd desperately fought the transformed shaman in, and found the Yttin clicking excitedly to a group of his bandaged brethren.
"Felix," the shaman said in greeting. Then he bowed. "Or perhaps I should call you Autarch? How might I help you?"
Casually letting his senses drift over the Yttin assembled, Felix smiled. "Funny you should mention that. You've told me that you struggle out here. Supplies, relations with Ahkestria, fighting off the undead...what if I could make that easier?"
Klzix tilted his head and his copper eyes gleamed. "Please explain."
"Have you ever heard of the nation of Nagast?"
Congratulations, Autarch!
You Have Recruited A Faction!
The Yttin (Beastsworn) Have Joined Your Fledgling Nation!
+25% To All Positive Relations With Yttin!
Negotiation is level 27!
...
Negotiation is level 33!
Oathbinding is level 36!
Felix walked away from the shaman about as happy as he could be; recruiting them into his loose federation of peoples was a goal the moment he realized their vulnerability and worth. They might have been creepy, but he'd noticed quick and precise movements were consistent among every single one. They were all high Apprentices, and quite a few had broken into Journeyman Tier. The shaman himself had settled into near-Adept after recovering from his mutation. They were strong.
More than that, they knew the desert better than anyone. That would help them now and into the future, when trade was more of a concern for their growing nation. Now was the more pressing concern, of course. Atar had been guiding them capably, but only moments after affirming their new relationship Klzix had dropped knowledge that had changed their plans entirely.
There were tunnels under the desert.
"And they're safe?" Felix asked.
The shaman shrugged his thin shoulders, each of his back-bound limbs wriggling. "Nothing is truly safe. The tunnels were built long, long ago, before the sea vanished and our people were slaughtered. Many have collapsed, but those that haven't are warded by ancient sigaldry to remain water tight and dry even beneath the waves."
Now they all ran beneath the sand dunes, but that made little difference. "And they will lead us to Ahkestria?"
"Yes. The Latticeways were trade roads, and all roads here lead to the City. That does not mean they are easy to navigate, however. The tunnels are a dense web, tangled in many cases, and collapses have made that worse."
"Can you guide us, then?" Felix asked.
"No." The denial had been swift and emphatic. "We do not near Ahkestria. Not any longer. It is unsafe for our kind."
Felix froze in mid-step and stared at the shaman. The guy barely came up to his waist, but the stone-certainty that poured off of him was unnerving. "Why is it unsafe?"
"We are a memory of what once was," Klzix said. He sighed, an exhale filled with rapid clicks. "A few of my kind live beneath the City, but it is not a life any should desire. The comforts of the City are denied us, for our cores swirl with the ancient waters, and That Which Burns does not appreciate the reminder."
Urges. I need to ask Atar about this Highest Flame. I have a feeling they will be a problem.
"But if you have one that can read the earth veins, then that will guide your way to Ahkestria."
Atar could do that, Felix thought. "Thank you, Klzix. I appreciate the information."
"And I appreciate the offer of trade and resources...my Lord." The shaman bowed again. "We will serve as we are able, until the Beast comes to render our world undone."
"...Right." That had been a sticking point with the Oath he'd had them take, and was likely the reason he'd earned a level in the Oathbinding Skill. He didn't usually for these oaths of service. The Yttin would serve in honor and Skill in exchange for protection and resources, following him until their dying breath...or until the Beast arrived, which would sever all bonds and "forge them anew." Whatever that meant. Felix had a sneaking suspicion the Beast had something to do with the Primordial, though. "We are looking to leave the moment the sun sets. Where is the entrance to these tunnels?"
The shaman pointed down.
"Into the belly of the Leviathan, I suppose," Felix said, and laughed.
Klzix did not. He merely nodded. "Yes."