Chapter One Hundred and Twenty One - 121It was usually an interesting thing, having a relatively high Perception. Felix had long ago passed what he'd considered an Earth human's limit, having pushed farther and farther into a fantastical new realm of the senses. Realistically, of course, that meant his sensitivity had risen to a ridiculous degree and that even the smallest of scents or touches was enough to grate against his sensibilities. So when he went from perfect unconsciousness to a cacophony of wood smoke, clashing metal, and awful, piercing pressure it was the absolute worst.
"Uuugh," Felix managed, not even daring to open his eyes. From the way his head hurt he knew that light would only make the situation worse. His...everything hurt, from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. So for a while, he simply laid there, attempting not to think any thoughts that would prove too challenging. Some time later (minutes? hours?) Felix finally dared move. Something warm and soft was pressed up against his left side, and the sleepy flare of concern made him stretch his face into a smile.
Pit. What a good boy. Felix cracked open his eyes, wincing at the light. Pit snored gently. Still disguised as a Dire Hound, the big lug was curled up against Felix's torso, almost on top of him. The both of them were on a crude pallet, atop a thin straw-filled mattress and covered in a rough but very warm blanket. Hope they invent memory foam sometime soon. This shit can't be good for my back.
Then he remembered that he was effectively twenty again and probably had enough Vitality and Endurance to tank a car crash. Right. Fantasy bullshit.
There was a slight thrumming inside his chest, and Felix patted his friend gently. It was a sensation of quiet care, a warmth that the tenku had always had for Felix, even before he'd saved his life. Thanks for the help, little man. You've got impeccable timing.
Pit's interference in the last moments of his fight had given him the juice to end the Maw's escape attempt. The memory soothed his pain slightly, the hum of their connection like a balm for his soul. Their Concordance sang, much like his other Skills, but was definitely more obvious out here in the real world. Even without accessing Fire Within and visualizing his core, he could detect the flowing harmonies between their Spirits. Now that he was looking for it, the connection was almost visible to his Manasight. The Skill's complex pattern was like a glowing chain of light, linking him to the sleeping tenku.
Felix noticed that the room he was in was dark, though that mattered little to his Manasight. But still, he was in a small ten foot square room with a heavy metal door. Only the pallet and Pit were in the room with him. There was that sound of crashing metal again, along with the faint impression of grunts and shouts. His heart raced a moment before he flared his Perception: though it was outside of his immediate range, the distant sounds sharpened somewhat, enough to make an educated guess.
Training goes on, apparently. Felix was just glad it wasn't an attack. He'd had enough fighting, at least for a few more hours. Instead, his attention was redirected toward the blinking icon in his vision. Time to see what I earned.
He opened his notifications.
Fire Within is level 39!
...
Fire Within is level 43!
Deep Mind is level 39!
INE +2!
WIL +1!
You Have Defeated the Unending Maw! Again!
You Have Gained XP!
You Have Gained 1 Level!
You are now Level 28!
+3 to WIL! +2 to INT! +4 to DEX! +1 to END! +2 to PER! +2 to VIT! +4 to AGL!
You Have 35 Unused Stat Points!
Your Companion Pit Has Gained 2 Levels!
+4 VIT! +4 PER! +8 AGL! +8 DEX! +6 WIL! +2 END! +4 INT!
New Title(s)!
The Shape of Fate (Epic) - Master of your own destiny, you have forged a Skill from the remnants of your own abilities, your Intent, and mighty Willpower. What else can you accomplish? +10% INE, WIL, INT
Blessing of the Lost (Epic) (Upgradeable) You have obtained the favor of a Lost god! Effect(s) unknown!
System harmonics surged as power flowed through Felix in a deluge of light and sound. The music he had been hearing for ages now was clearer than ever before, as if an orchestra had taken up residence in his head. For that brief, transitory moment it was like Felix was experiencing something intrinsic and utterly true, as if a layer of reality had been peeled back.
Then it was gone, and Felix fell back onto his pallet with a muffled thump. Pit didn't even wake up.
Whoa. Hasn't been that intense in a while. Felix reviewed his notifications, raising his eyebrows. It was a lot to take in.
Fire Within had increased a lot, especially for being in the later levels of Apprentice Tier. But that made sense as far as a revelation/stressor standpoint went. It took more to jump levels now than ever before, yet he had spent much of the last day contemplating his core, only able to visualize it at all thanks to Fire Within. His understanding of that admittedly confusing Skill had grown by leaps and bounds. Now he knew it as more than just internal Mana control and the source of his fiery core; it was his Rosetta Stone for understanding his every other Skill and the functions of Mana itself. Felix mentally earmarked the Skill for improvement, hoping for much greater dividends if he used it for his Journeyman Formation.
Was that possible? Using different Skills for each Tier? Better ask Rory. Felix shook his head. The System power had made him jittery and easily distracted, apparently. Keeping his thoughts in line was difficult. Maybe if I have more Willpower? Or would it be a Harmonic Stat? Maybe Alacrity, that affects 'feats of the Mind'. I have freaking 35 points to spend, after all. Though, no. I can't spend them on Harmonic Stats. System won't let me. Should I dump them into Willpower then? Just go all in? Or stick with my attempt at balance?
Felix put a hand to his head, the migraine that gripped him in a vice now tunneling his vision, blackening the edges. It throbbed, the agony swelling with every beat of his heart. Consequences, clearly, from fighting off a Primordial jerk while also sundering and evolving his Skills. It hurt like hell, but the pain cut through his frenetic thoughts, helping him cut away the dross and focus on the important bits. His Titles.
The Shape of Fate was Epic and very cool, a reward for forging Unfettered Volition. Maybe he'd get another when he took care of the rest of his broken Skills? One could hope. Of real interest, however, was the Blessing of the Lost. It suggested something he had been too unnerved to verbalize: that the puppet woman in his false memory was more than she had seemed. And she had seemed like quite a lot, judging by those disturbing visions. Felix flinched, his headache pulsing harder as he tried to suppress the memory of those bloody, awful eyes.
Favor of a Lost god. That's...good, right? Felix hoped so. He certainly didn't like that the effects of the title were unknown. He scanned over his stats, but didn't see any changes that weren't accounted for by his other Titles. She mentioned the Broken Path, too. She said a lot of interesting things, though I can't say any of them made much sense. Except that she warned me, told me to focus on the name of my new Skill. To help me? Was she suggesting a tie between Bastion of Will and Unfettered Volition?
Felix had an inkling of which god she might have been, but no real way to confirm it. Vellus. This has to be connected to my Shrines of the Broken quest. Right?
Did that mean he was going to meet other gods as he visited their shrines? Did he even want to? What reason did he have to trust the one he'd just met, let alone others? Felix leaned backward with a sigh. So much to consider, despite his aching head.
She had clued him into Bastion and Unfettered Volition. They weren't combined; it wasn't anything like the evolution his Acrobatics had undergone. More like a powerful connection existed between them. Their patterns, their vibrations...resonated. And now they were paired, somehow.
Moreover, the advent of his newest Epic Skill was remarkable. Its effects more closely mirrored his Mind Skills despite being formed from a confluence of Body Skills. The why of that escaped him, but perhaps it had something to do with Relentless Charge; that Skill had taken Mana and Stamina to activate, after all. Maybe that transferred over? Influenced the new Skill somehow?
However, Unfettered Volition was all about the application of his considerable Willpower and (perhaps) his Intent. Felix knew that if he were to will it, he could rise from his pallet despite his obvious injuries, forcing himself through the door and possibly even through a fight. Or at least be able to throw a couple punches before he collapsed. His Willpower was strained now, and his body was banged up enough that he wasn't planning on attempting that soon.
Briefly, he contemplated the Skill from within his core, flaring his Fire Within almost effortlessly. The sparkling solar system shimmered into view as Unfettered Volition floated to the fore. Moving in perfect tandem was his Bastion of Will.
There it is. Connected.
Unfettered Volition was a swirling cascade of light, the rapid tattoo of a drum major as heard from a dozen blocks away. The sound was distant but clearer than ever before, even more than the Skills he'd developed over the past few days. Yet still, the muted notes of something else lurked beyond the etching of light before him.
Secrets on top of secrets. He grunted in frustration before deactivating Fire Within. For another time, I think.
For now he just wanted to sleep.
"Felix?" The whisper was loud enough to wake the dead, let alone Felix, and he blinked blearily at the small lantern Evie was carrying. She was fully armored up in her leather kit, even had her spiked chain slung around her shoulder and waist like the most punk rock of belts. Her long, straight hair swayed low over the light, casting wobbling shadows across the room. "You awake?"
Felix groaned. "I am now."
"Good. You said you had something to go to at dusk, right? Some sort of meeting?" Evie fiddled with her chain and grinned. "You asked me to remind you if you were uh, out of sorts. You still goin'?"
Felix closed his eyes and groaned louder. The meetup with Caerwin. Of course.
"Thanks, Evie," he grunted as he sat up, his head feeling fairly alright considering. His Health had recovered too, sitting at its maximum value again. "Yeah I think I'll go. I should be--"
Unfettered Volition!