Chapter Four Hundred And Twenty Four – 424Without lifting any of the items from the Chest, Felix activated his identifying Skill.
Voracious Eye.
Name: Crown of Sea and Stone
Type: Raiment (Enchanted)
Lore: Made of hekite coral and purified water Mana crystal, the Crown of Sea and Stone is more than simple headgear. Crafted in the First Age for the founding Queen of Ahkestria, it, along with the Scepter and Orb, were symbols of her Authority over the seas of her Territory. The Crown is the pinnacle of the set, bestowing a measure of greater Authority over Ahkestria and the Leviathan Depths specifically.
Name: Scepter of the Tides
Type: Raiment (Enchanted)
Lore: Made of cobalt and life-touched gold, the Scepter of the Tides is a symbol of Authority over the waves of the Leviathan Depths. Wielding it, the worthy bearer gains control over a portion of the sea around you, their rise and fall. While within one's own Territory the effect is greatly multiplied.
Name: Orb of Plenty
Type: Raiment (Enchanted)
Lore: Made of purified water, life, and shadow Mana crystals, the Orb of Plenty is a symbol of Authority over the life that dwells beneath the waves.
Felix furrowed his brow. "A crown of Authority, a scepter that controls water, and an orb that...controls fish?"
"Hm," Vess hummed beside him. "Those are quite useful, considering our new situation."
"New situation?" Felix asked. Lightning flashed outside the shuttered windows, and gut-shaking thunder was right on its heels. "Right. The sea's worth of Mana crystals."
Vess nodded. "An ocean sprang up from the empty desert, flooding it entirely from the mountains to the lowest levels of Ahkestria. We...I am sorry, Felix, but we assumed you were the cause."
The metal of the Platinum Chest screeched as it deformed beneath his grip. Felix grunted and pulled his hands away, leaving crumpled impressions of his fingers. "Fucking Pathless. I started it, but the Coward pushed it outward in an attempt to drown me."
"Coward?" Vess asked.
"Yeah," Felix spat. His Mind returned to that dark space, the blasted terrain at the edge of things where the moons loomed close. He recalled their wordswhat they called the god of the Hierocracylike they were etched into his skin, separate from his Born Trait. Felix doubted he'd ever forget them. "Remnant. Coward. Trackless. The guy has a lot of names. At least I'm not the only one who hates him. The gods aren't too impressed with him either."
"Coward fits him," Vess agreed. "You have...spoken to the gods again? That makes it the fourth time now? I doubt few outside the Hierophant could boast of so many interactions with the Divine. And even then, I doubt it; the Pathless is notoriously close-mouthed."
"I'd like my life a lot more if the gods kept their noses out of my business," Felix said.
"The Pathless I understand," Vess said. "Worship of the Pathless is enforced among the nobility of the Hierocracy. My family has even commissioned a number of cathedrals to that worthless religion, and been forced to keep our devotion to Siva a secret. I cannot imagine a goddess as benevolent as the Lady of Luck and Peace to be as vile as Vellus has proven herself to be."
"Siva." Felix could still see a silver moon in his Mind, still hear a calm voice warn him away. Of the others, and the deadly threat of Noctis and her unbridled rage. He took a small breath, and wiped his hands on his jacket. "She...I'm not a big fan of any of them, if I'm being honest."
Vess opened her mouth before hesitating, shut it, and nodded. "Considering your experiences, I can understand that, I suppose."
"Hm," he said, as noncommittally as possible. The last thing Felix was interested was debating religion, so he reached down into the Chest and snagged all three items. He had the juggle the Orb a bit, but his high Dexterity meant that was child's play. In moments, the Chest disappeared with a sudden inward pop...and a tiny trumpet blared in Felix's ears.
"That the hell...?" he said, before his eyes were assaulted by a huge, ornate notification. The thing was blue as all the rest, but the edges were bordered in gold and looked almost carved out of metal. Tiny waves marched around the edges of the notification, while figures in tiny boats moved through it all.
Hidden Racial Quest!
To Cleanse The Curse!
In Ages past, the whole of the Territory and its rulers were cursed in a war that shook the Continent. The sea was drained and locked away, while the Yttin were sealed into weakened, Untempered forms. To return the sea is to restore the Yttin, but you must defy the very will of those that cursed the Depths.
As The Primary Agent In Resolving the Quest, You May Claim Full Credit For Its Completion.
Rewards Include: XP, Titles, Platinum Chest
Warning: All Rewards Have Been Given To The Yttin People, Claiming Full Credit Will Remove Their Growth And Add To Yours.
Do You Wish To Claim The Full Credit Of This Quest?
Y/N
That's interesting, he thought a bit sourly. System gave me the Quest after the fact, but in order to get anything out of it, I have to deprive the Yttin of their fair share? "No, that's horeshit. No."
You Have Rejected Full Credit!
XP, Titles, And Platinum Chest Will Remain With Original Recipients!
Felix shook off the faint rush of System energy and met Vess' gaze. What just happened? she asked. He explained, and Vess expression tightened. You could have stolen it from others? That is reprehensible.
I thought so, too, Felix said. As much as Id love the experience, that feels
Felix?
He bent over, suddenly wracked with an incredible pain. Sparks danced at the edges of his vision as the song within his cores rose to a terrifying crescendo. Pressure built, enough that it felt like his teeth and eyes would rip themselves out, and then it twisted and sank. Felix gasped.
Congratulations!
You Have Chosen To Walk The Path Of Beneficence!
Few Are They Who Step Along The Way!
Fewer Still People That Hold Tight To The Path!
A Reward Has Been Given!
A symphony of sound course through Felixs veins and rand loud in his ears. Harmony was chased by the quiet insistence of Dissonance, just below the surface. But it wasn't experience that flashed across his notifications, nor Essence gifted by the System, but instead a heaviness settled into his core space. It sank into the crimson-black expanse of his Divine Tree, into the spinning rings of his dual cores, and into the darkness that surrounded all of his Skills. Another ragged gasp was squeezed from Felix's lungs, as everything inside of him seemed to collapse and expand at the same time. Light crushed and bloomed and fires roared along with discordant harmony, driven along a razor's edge until
Significance Has Reached Acceptable Levels
Initializing...
ERROR.
Pillars Incomplete.