Chapter Four Hundred And Six - 406Abyssal Skein is level 50!
...
Abyssal Skein is level 57!
Journeyman Tier!
You Gain:
+10 PER
+10 EVA
+10 FEL
Felix learned quickly that covering so many with his Void Skill was exhausting work. It overtaxed even his Mana regeneration after only a half hour, which slowed them all considerably. The sheer pressure of the Mana around them was the problemthe potent crystals of golden-green, orange, brown, and most predominantly a deep, oceanic blue were filling the air with so much Mana that finding the space for his own Skills to activate felt like lifting a mountain at times. The sheer presence of Mana in the air even forced him to shut down his Manasightit was less than useless when all it showed him were blinding streams of swirling colors.
However, on the flip side, recovering his Mana was exceedingly easy. Chthonic Tribute pulled the thick streams of power from the air, and so long as he directed the power to his cores, his Mana pool was instantly refreshed. Beef was having a harder time of course, and his relatively anemic core and Mana pool were exhausted over and over again as he raised every Paladin corpse they encountered that was even mildly intact.
The traps in the tunnel were very much present in the crystalline city, which was a bit of a blessing. While it meant Beef couldn't just wander about alone, it did mean that the Paladins were progressing far slower than they were. Again and again, Felix spotted sections of the citystreets, staircases, balconies of elaborate buildingsthat had been burnt and melted apart. That was not including those traps that had obviously been damaged or otherwise invalidated by the slow creep of shimmering crystal.
After around two hours pressing through the vast city, Felix had grown tired of the delays. Thanks to the traps, Beef had grown his force from simply Dustwights to more complete dead paladins. Cut in half was a problem, but burned to death or strangled with poison? Easy. They were harder for Beef to maintain in large numbers, and Hallow wasn't able to give the Risen a great deal of finesse, both facts that added to the effort Felix had to put into his Abyssal Skein. More effort than he cared to spend, with time so precious. With a little arguing on Beef's part, Felix had convinced him to stay holed up in one of the empty mansions while he and Pit scouted ahead.
Hopefully he doesn't decide to explore by himself, Felix thought with a touch of worry. Pit warbled softly in amusement, and Felix shook his head. Beef's a bit immature, but he's not stupid.
The two of them stood in the shadow of a particularly sharp steeple, and surveyed the way forward. This neighborhood of the city narrowed into a series of convoluted passages, stairwells, and covered walkways. Much of the strange underground city reminded Felix of the Risen Ward at the top of Ahkestria. There, under the powerful sun, the architecture brought to mind the wavy lines of heat haze, but down in the Tomb, it was more like Felix was looking at them all from underwater. The eerie cast of predominantly water blue crystals added to the effect.
Hard to spot anyone in this place, Felix groused silently. But I'm certain they went this way.
Below them, something moved. A sound like metal on stone drifted from an adjacent alleyway, and Felix traded a glance with his Companion. Wrapping Abyssal Skein around himself and Pit was child's play compared to before, and without a word, they ghosted across the rooftops.
If Pit had been able to fly, they would have assessed the situation from the air, but that was not a viable option. Felix had his Adamant Discord, but it was flashy in a way that not even his Void Skill could hide his presence...and the last thing he wanted to do was let the Paladins know that someone was hunting them. Felix had been tracking two groups of Paladins ever since he spotted a brief flare of torchlight several city blocks away from himself. The first he'd found swiftly, but narrowing down the second group's location had proven remarkably difficult. The nature of the place deadened his senses as much as his Skills.
I see them, Pit sent. The tenku had advanced several roofs ahead and was staring back at Felix's location. Four Paladins. Twelve lessers. Below you.
They're called Squires, Felix corrected offhandedly. And they're just as nasty as their bosses. Hold on. Let me see.
Two stories lower, on a balcony off the building Felix stood upon, several Paladins cautiously studied the streets below them. If he focused, Felix could hear more shuffling somewhere behind them, within the building proper.
"Haven't heard back from Lorc's team," a voice said in a harsh whisper. Metal shifted, rasping faintly against itself.
"Think the traps got em?" someone else asked.
"Maybe. Hasn't been this late before. Traps've taken out better teams than his."
"Or its not traps." This was the third, a new voice with a much deeper timbre.
"What?"
"I swear I saw some sorta eyes watching me earlier. I told you."
"Not this again," complained the second voice.
"What're you on about Eifan?"
"Burnin' blue eyes were watchin' us! I saw them!" Eifandeep voicesaid, entirely too loudly.
"Shut your gob-hole!" A fourth joined the conversation, and she sounded a lot more intense than the others. Felix edged just a slight amount around the gargoyle that loomed ahead of him. Through a cleft beneath his wing, he could spot the group of them and he flared his Voracious Eye.
All Journeyman, but that woman is an Adept. High end of Adept, too, Felix sent to his Companion. We'll take this like the last one. Right?
Right. Pit spread his wings and leaned back, bracing his massive body against the rough tiles beneath them. Ready.
Adamant Discord!
The Paladins were seeking a Primordial, and Felix was onethat that was all the connection he needed to manipulate the threads between them. Lightning flashed downward, crashing into all three of the Journeyman Paladins and seizing them in bands of unbreakable steel. Felix pulled upward, shattering the roofing tiles beneath his feet as their armored forms were hauled upward at breakneck speed.
"OAAAUGHH!"
Their screams were almost in unison, escalating as rapidfire blades of air slammed into their breastplates and gorgets. Pit's Wingblades were turned by the advanced armor they wore, but the sheer momentum of them was enough to buckle the metal.
"B-blue eyes!" one of them gasped.
Felix whipped his hand forward, his Inheritor's Will moving faster than their eyes could track. Heads rolled.
You Have Killed A Paladin Of The Pathless (x2)!
XP Earned!
You Have Defeated A Paladin Of The Pathless!
XP Earned!
The last he threw onto the roof behind him, unconscious but bound in crackling bands of lightning for good measure. Below them, the jangle of harness and scrape of metal on stone rose in volume. Pit squawked in warning and Felix took two quick steps backward, right before the edge of the roof exploded in a hail of golden blades.
Hm. That looks similar to Vess' Skill. Wonder if they're related.
The Adept woman rose up atop two glowing blades, while eight others manifested around her like a halo of violence. Her eyes flickered about, taking in the dead and living. "I am Lieutenant Walphis. You have attacked the Paladins of the Pathless. Kill two of my men. I sense...power in you, and for that I will ask you once: why?"
"Huh," Felix said. "Gotta say I'm surprised. Usually you Pathless types lean into the ultra violence pretty easily. You're willing to answer some questions?"
The woman narrowed her eyes, but nodded. "So long as they are reasonable, and no more of my people die. I would rather not fight someone as strong as you."
Felix tiled his head. She likely had a Skill like his own for assessing threats, even if it was simply Analyze. "Alright. What are the Paladins in this Tomb for?"
Walphis wet her lips, but the swords did not waver. "We seek peace."
"Peace?" Felix chuckled. "That's unlikely. Peace with who? Ahkestria?"