Felix nodded and raised a hand to forestall the man. "I needed to see my limits," he said and checked his status. His Health was still above 60% and both his Stamina and Mana were recovering extremely quickly. "I'm fine."
"Hrm."
They rested for an hour after the battle, despite Felix's protests. He was eager to continue, but he couldn't deny that the others needed at least a little rest to recover some of their Mana and Stamina. Vyne had suffered close to a hundred points of damage as well, though the lesser salves and poultices they'd secured from Aenea were swiftly patching him up.
"Tiny little teeth," Vyne grimaced as another poultice was laid atop his shoulder. The lacerations weren't particularly deep, but the risk of a Status Condition were high. "Rather face an axe to the face any day."
"So you say now," Davum laughed as he ran a whetstone along his weapon's edge. "When you've recovered from your scratches, we can test that."
"Why wait? I'm feeling stronger already thanks to that level up." The shield warrior flexed his hands, obviously relishing his increase in stats.
"Dumped it all in Strength again, huh?" Nevia asked. "Why not more in Willpower?"
"Endurance and Strength are my mains, you know that. Willpower is a close fourth behind Vitality." Vyne hissed as a new poultice was slapped on by his cousin. "Careful, Ky!"
"Don't get bit up then, Vy," the swordsman muttered. He smoothed down his thin moustache in irritation. "You shouldn't have kept Taunting them. Between the four of us, we had em fine."
"That's the job," Vyne shrugged before wincing in pain. "Lorduhm, Felix, sir?"
"Hm?" All this time, Felix had been sitting atop a small stone he'd shaped out of the bedrock. It was considerably higher here than in the city, though he had other stone sources to work with back there. His senses were extended out into the wilderness, watching for enemies as the sun stretched toward midday. "What's up?"
Vyne flinched as he met his gaze, and Felix guessed his eyes were glowing again. He wasn't entirely sure why that kept happening. It took the shield warrior a second to recover and speak up.
"How did you decide to allocate your stats?"
Felix could feel the Spirits of the guard increasing into the tight, rapid tempo of guarded curiosity. Even his own friends were drawn by the question. Harn just smirked, his helmet off as he shoved a quick meal into his gullet.
"I mean, did you focus on Strength? Or Endurance? Or Intelligence? You've got that lightning spell that...lifts things, somehow. I'm just" Vyne looked at his friends, who were chuckling. "What? I'm curious!"
"My method...is not really that useful," Felix started before he sensed the shield warrior's sudden dejection. He cursed. Felix was really starting to dislike his Affinity. "Why?"
"Well, you're strong, too strong really, and I can't imagine what your Vitality is at to put up with as much punishment as I've heardand you didn't stop, haven't stopped, to rest. I can speak for all of us when I ask: how can we get to where you are?"
"Kill a couple Tier III and Tier IV monstrosities and live through it," Evie suggested through a mouthful of trail rations. She swallowed and coughed, banging on her chest. "Eugh. That kinda abuse does wonders for stats and Titles, eh?"
Vyne traded looks with Kylar and Davum, but Nevia shot them down. "Don't be planning anything idiotic, you three."
"If they want to charge off and fight some Tier III, they're more than welcome," Kikri said with a wave of her hand. "More XP on this Quest for me that way."
Atar laughed and nudged Alister. "I like her."
The noble patted the fire mage on his knee and rose to his feet. "As fun as this conversation is, we should move. I'm back at full, and I imagine the rest of you aren't far off."
A chorus of agreement met his wordsbegrudging in some casesand Felix was happy to be back on the move. He was more happy to be away from that conversation.
Suppose I should come up with better answers for stuff like that, he thought. His capabilities were becoming more and more common knowledge, and the source of his power would likely come to light eventually. Sooner rather than later if he kept his answers so sloppy. Hopefully that'll stop the questions for a little bit, though.
The chain reaction of explosions Felix had caused had cleared the area for nearly a half mile, but beyond that the Kaltraps thickened throughout the plains. On top of that, there were some flying buzzard-like creatures that kept swooping at them, and a number of antelope adjacent beasts that kept standing menacingly in the distance.
This is gonna take longer than six hours.
They progressed a half-mile at a time, and soon the process became so routine that they started pressing their Skills harder and harder. Finding the limits of their abilities was the fastest way to progress, after all, and add in the stress of escaping literal explosions meant Vess' Dragoon's Footwork and Evie's Acrobatics and Bindings of the White Waste rose fast. Even Atar and Alister saw several Skills jump two or three levels despite their slower use.
The Haarguard, Iron Ranked as they were, benefited the most from the repeated assault by Tier I monsters after each successful Kaltrap defusing. They each gained three levels by the end of it all, though their Skill levels were where they shined. Even better, the two groups were working a touch better together. At least, Felix now knew what he could expect them to handle in a situation.
Lure out the monsters, explode them, survive the retaliatory wave of Tier I beasts. Rinse and repeat.
Felix was right, though. It took them most of the day and into the early night before they even saw trees on the horizon. Another four hours had them within spitting distance of the dark canopy, and Harn called it for the night. He had Kikri fashion a quick and dirty shelter from the long grasses all around them, and they hunkered down for a night's rest.
It was perhaps two hours before dawn, when Felix woke from a short-lived sleep. Pit was a warm bulk along his one side, but Felix felt uncomfortably cramped. With care he climbed out of the tenku's embrace and out of the grass-shaped hut they all shared. Out in the pre-dawn dark, he breathed a deep breath of cool air.
Damn muscles, Felix complained. His Body was still getting used to the punishment his Adamant Discord put it through. His Mind and Spirit too. He had a splitting headache and a sense of...tedium? Like someone took his drive and motivation and burned it all up. The latter might have been the monotony of getting through the grasslands, but Felix doubted that. It had gotten repetitive sure enough, but there was always a part of him that thrilled whenever he used his magic.
I mean, it's shook his head. I'm never not gonna get psyched over it.
But all of that wasn't what kept him from sleeping. Instead it was a question, one that plagued his subconscious so much that he woke with it on his lips.
...That lightning spell that...lifts things, somehow...
What exactly was Adamant Discord? Felix pulled up the Skill information.
Adamant Discord (Transcendent), Level 61!
You have reclaimed power once Lost to the turning of Ages. The Pull of Significance accumulates with every step. Greatly increased power, control, and precision with each Skill level.
It made no mention of what it did, other than the hint about the Pull of Significance, nor what it cost to use. He'd learned both quickly enough, but it was one of the strangest Skills he owned. It was tied to another of his mysterious Skills, Unite the Lost, which seemed to restore things in some way. The indication was that Adamant Discord was "reclaimed" by Unite the Lost, which resonated with his Divine and Primordial Spark that were absorbed into his two cores.
While he used it, he felt those steel-hard lines of connection between him and all things, from dirt to people to the clouds above him. He could sense them even now, without activating the Skill, like words in the back of his Mind. The lightning was clearly a carry over from Reign of Vellus, and Felix liked to think it was the result of his Skill manipulating whatever energies it accessed. Because it wasn't Mana; Adamant Discord touched neither his Mana nor his Stamina. It fed directly on his Aspects and that might have been the most confusing bit.
How? And how do I get it to stop hurting so much? He'd figured repetition, like weight lifting, would eventually strengthen him. If it was working, he hadn't seen any results, but it hadn't been very long. His Aspects all felt whole, if strained, so no permanent harm had been done. Yet.
Felix groaned as he stretched, massaging his shoulders and chest as if to work the strain out of them. It would pass, likely soon, but he couldn't take a break. There were challenges ahead that he had to be ready to tackle, and despite Vyne's words, he knew his strength would not be enough.
Felix began a series of katas, Forms dedicated to his various fighting styles, moving through them at a glacial pace. His perfect recall could almost recreate his trainer, Rory, standing at his side and guiding him.
Like this, lad, he had said. Felix adjusted his stance, matching it to the memory. He began again. Slowly. Carefully.
Yes, lad. You'll get it. Eventually.