Without consciously moving his muscles, simply willing them forward, Felix stood up while still holding his blanket around him. It was extremely similar to moving normally, especially to outside viewers as his muscles were still actually being used, contracting and extending and all that. Internally it felt like sitting still and thinking instead of using his muscles actively.
Weird feeling, in any case. He deactivated the Skill and nearly fell over before he regained his balance. Bit odd on the dismount though. Probably should be careful about that.
"I should be fine," he finished with a rueful smile. "What's the time now?"
"Dusk, or near about," Evie held out her hands, palms first as Felix frowned. "I've been trainin' all day, save for when we had to pull you outta the warded room, naked as a baby. How'dya not have any scars? Even I've got three or five from growin' up and learning my Skills."
"My enemies get the scars, not me--" Felix couldn't even finish the line before he broke out into a dumb grin. "Just lucky, is all."
Evie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "I'm sure."
She drummed her fingers against her leather cuirass and pursed her lips. "How'd you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Scare the piss outta Rory," she smirked. "He didn't say anything but he was white as a ghost when he left that room."
Felix snapped his fingers. "I've been meaning to ask about that. Are ghosts real?"
"You--what?" Evie blinked at him.
"Are ghosts real? Back...home," Felix said with an eye toward the open doorway. "Ghosts aren't real. At least, not as far as I knew. Are they a thing here?"
"Sure. Ghosts, spirits, wraiths, haunts, different types dependin' on circumstances," Evie looked up, as if remembering something. "Never fought any, Magda would never have let me. But she gave me a book years back on basic monster types you might see out an' about in the Heirocracy."
"Huh," Felix propped his arms up on his hips. Maybe the Inquisition did call up that guy's ghost.
"You didn't answer my question," Evie said, crossing her arms.
"Really? Weird. Anyway, do you want to come?" Felix eyed the young woman.
"To your mysterious meeting at dusk? And skip out on my sacred duty to clean all the practice weapons and wipe my own blood off the big dumb Gauntlet?" Evie grinned. "Siva's breath, twist my arm, why don't ya?"
"Cool," Felix laughed before reaching down and ruffling Pit's illusory fur. "C'mon, lil pig. Time to do the thing."
The tenku got up grudgingly before sticking his butt into the air and pushing out his forelegs. A wide yawn and basso chirrup filled the air.
"What a big stretch!" Felix started walking out, dropping the blanket that had been shrouding him. "C'mon you two. I have a feeling I'm already late."
"Ahem."
Felix turned around, eyebrow raised. Evie grinned and pointed at his waist.
"Might want to put on some clothes first."
"Shit."
Evie's laughter almost as loud as the embarrassed rush of blood in his ears.
Evie ran over what she saw happen in the aftermath of Felix's sundering ritual. Rory had dragged him outta the warded room, covered in blood and dark smoke, naked as a jaybird. Cal and Harn had hoisted him and put him in another room before fetching a whole mess of healing potions. They had apparently force fed him over two dozen before any healing would take. A considerable expense now that the Guild was blocking them from their affiliated alchemists.
Evie stumbled in the retelling at that part, and Felix, shockingly, could tell that she was still a bit upset about it. He hadn't realized she'd cared.
Though maybe she's just mad I used up all those potions. He'd have to make it up to them somehow.
After that, he had just slept a whole lot. Nearly seven glasses or so, by her estimation. He didn't ask, but figured by context clues that 'glasses' meant the same thing as hours. Maybe they use hourglasses here? If so, why not still use the word 'hours' then?
By the time Evie had finished her retelling, Felix had dressed in his familiar tunic and trousers again. A distinct, yet unfounded fear that someone would take his stuff was laid to rest, at least for the moment. All in all, ten minutes and they were ready to go. Before Felix could step out, however, Rory snagged him. Most of the others were all eating or recovering as the three of them tried to sneak out, but the Dwarf had been leaning at the end of the back hallway as if expecting their clandestine departure.
"We need to talk, lad," Rory said, and walked into another room. Felix gave Evie a shrug and followed, silently instructing Pit to stay back but be on guard.
He wasn't sure how this talk was gonna go.
The room he walked into was filled with half open crates and barrels, storage for food and other sundries. Rory stood near a collection of barrels marked with squiggles that Felix could, after a second, identify as the word for 'water.' Felix approached him cautiously.
"What's going on, Rory?" Felix tried a smile. "If this is about the monster cores, I'm sorry about wasting them--"
"Nay, lad. Not about the cores. They're just another strange piece on the pile of oddities ye've subjected me to." Rory shook his head. "I want to know if ye're alright."
Felix was taken aback, a bit. "I'm fine, I think. A little sore still, but my Health and everything is back up to full and I've got a brand new Skill to work with."
Rory's grave expression lightened by several degrees. "Aye? Ye combined your Skills? What'd ye get, if'n ye don't mind me askin'?"
Felix tried not to hesitate, but couldn't help it. "A Rare one."
Deception is level 12!
"Ach that's good! Same as your Physical Conditioning, but I guess it was too far to dream ye'd get an Epic." Rory sighed before laughing and slapping Felix on the leg. It was hard enough that it would have sent Felix tumbling ten levels ago. "Good for ye! I was worried at the result, seeing how it ended..."
Felix grimaced. "I don't remember much of the ritual, but Evie gave me a rundown. Sorry for causing so much worry. I really do feel fine now."
"That's good to hear. Ye belched up such an awful concoction that I feared ye had lost more than one broken Skill." Rory shook his head and a faint but definite shudder went through him. "I don't mind admitting that the sight of ye vomiting that corruption up into the ceiling shook me to the core. It was truly noxious stuff. The boards in the ceiling had to be thrown out, they rotted through so fast."
"Really," said Felix. "What was it?"
"I was hopin' you'd tell me, lad," Rory chuckled. "It looked a bit like the energy inside a monster core, but ye can't imbibe a core and spit it out. The essence doesn't work like that."
Huh. Felix had to assume it was something to do with the Maw and all that energy it had lost during the last seconds of their battle. Maybe the corruption he was sensing was just the Maw's imprint on the Mana. That'd make sense.
"Then I don't have a clue, honestly. My sundering experience is a little murky and hard to follow at this point," Felix offered. "Like a dream, almost. I'm not sure how I succeeded."
Deception is level 13!
"Aye that's common enough. Actions with the Spirit tend to fog over fairly quickly." Rory tapped his pipe against a nearby barrel, expelling the last bits of old leaf. He deftly packed it full again. "Your Spirit affects not only Mana and its use, but also how much punishment ye can handle when dealin' with Skills like that. I have a feeling your Spirit is strong as a mountain's bones, lad. How'd you come to that?"
"Lucky, I guess," the excuse came readily to his lips and Felix shrugged with a laugh.
"Pff, take more'n luck to Form a Spirit as resilient as yours. All that? That would have killed any Bronze Rank I know, most Silver too. The amount of trauma on your Spirit...and here you are, up and walking." Rory shook his head, awed. "What's it called? Your Spirit?"
Felix watched the Dwarf cautiously, all of his senses heightening as Rory scoffed at himself. "Listen to me. Ye don't have to answer, lad. My curiosity got the better of my tongue."
Felix studied the trainer's face, and he read a variety of emotions playing across it. Stoicism, embarrassment, a little sliver of fear, but mostly curiosity...affection? Felix was no expert by any means, but the smile on Rory's face seemed genuine.
"I'm on my way out, Rory. Will you be here tomorrow? We can talk more then, I think."
"Aye, and the day after. Beyond that, I dunno. The Guild--" He cut himself off and shook his head. "Things're changin' quickly in Haarwatch. Ye be careful out there tonight, yeah? The mood in the city has gone strange these last few days. Don't go looking for trouble, lad."
Felix nodded and gave a small wave. "Never do, Rory. Usually it's the other way around."