Unbound

Chapter Thirty Five - 035

Felix slid down the roof as quietly as he could, his mind whirling. Popping to his feet, he kept low and moved as fast as he could back toward the group, Pit dutifully his side. The things that giant said...much of it lacked context, but Felix had a very bad feeling.

Hopefully Evie had gotten closer and saw more.

It was a good quarter hour back to where the others had holed up, and Felix took it slowly, exercising his Stealth as best he could. Last thing he wanted was an entire camp of frost giants coming down on them.

As he rounded the final corner however, Felix came upon Atar, Vessilia, and a wincing Evie standing with their shoulders hunched and eyes on the ground. Spinning toward his sudden arrival, the half-helmed Magda snarled.

"You! Of course it's you," she turned in contempt, her eyes going to Evie. "Do you know what we've stumbled onto? What could have happened to you?"

Felix felt Pit about to round the corner, and put his hand out. Wait, he sent through their connection, hoping it would work. He could feel the chimera pause at the edge.

Companion Pact is level 12!

"We scouted," Evie said, still not meeting her sisters eyes. "We were careful."

"Careful, my ass! You could have been seen! You could have gotten the others taken as well!" Magda gestured violently at the others.

"Take--So you know about the prisoners?" Felix interrupted. He really didn't want to get in the middle of a sibling tiff but he was getting tired of Magda's attitude. "I thought you were here to Reveal their Omens and gain some levels?"

"Prisoners? There's prisoners?" Atar's eyes went wide. "The giant's have captured people?"

Felix nodded. "I counted forty-seven humans."

"Noctis wept," Vessilia swore, her hand going to her mouth.

"Why are we here, Magda? You dragged us out here, specifically here, to train. Why?" Evie had her hands on her hips, here bright green eyes defiantly trained on her elder sister's.

"Rescue mission," came the metallic, echoey reply. Harn walked in from the left, stepping carefully around stones and making surprisingly little sound for a big metal man. His voice reverberated slightly within his frog-mouthed helmet. "We didn't know it was this bad, though."

"Rescue--!" Atar's pale face flushed, his flesh-colored mustache popping in contrast. "That is a direct violation of the terms of our agreement!"

"I know, kid! I know!" Magda tore off her helmet, her sandy brown hair wild. "We thought we could do both. My--our friend is in there, somewhere! We came to find them and get them out."

"And you thought that bringing Tin Guilders would be a great idea?" Atar laughed, a nasty sound. "Let me guess? Intelligence is your dump stat!"

"You little--!"

AWOOOOOOOOOO!

Magda froze midstep, hand just about to grab Atar's collar. Everyone turned back toward the giant's camp, the fear palpable. The howl lasted several seconds before fading.

"Prisoners have escaped!" A high pitched cry sounded out from nearby. Felix whipped his head around, but he couldn't tell the source. "Over here!"

A brilliant flare of light streaked up into the air above them, burning like a mini sun as it hovered there. A sudden thunder rolled through the ruins, the ground itself rattling and snarling barks bounced back and forth.

"They're coming!" Magda pointed at Harn. "Split Circle! Rendezvous at the wardstones! Go!" Harn grabbed the mage and Evie by the arms, nearly dragging the two of them down the left hand path. Magda put her hand on Vessilia much more gently. "Come, Lady Dayne!" Without so much as a backward glance, they took off.

Felix was left standing there alone. Pit padded up to him and nudged his hand. "Why are we even with these people, Pit?"

The tenku chirped worriedly and looked toward the approaching noise.

"Yeah, yeah. They're my only lead on getting outta this hellhole." Felix looked up.

"C'mon. I've got an idea."

Felix considered the wall before him. It belonged to a broken three story building, and he hoped it would hold up. Pit spread his wings and dug his claws into the stone, apparently extremely good at climbing, and fairly flew up. Surprised but without the time to show it, Felix also rushed up the ruin, grabbing ledges and propelling himself up to the next one with all the Strength and Agility had possessed. He only had to be careful not to grip too hard; he didn't want to crush the stone beneath his hands like back at the waterfall.

Free Climbing is level 14!

Free Climbing is level 15!

Felix clambered to the top floor, nearly fifty feet up, his breath a little short and his Stamina having dropped by a tenth. Pit hopped lightly over the ledge, and Felix swung his body over the top just as he heard footsteps below. Holding his breath and keeping low, Felix strained his senses, listening for the giants and hearing them mutter something deep and incomprehensible. He focused, trying to make out their actual words as he pushed his Perception. There was a rush of sound, and then...he could.

"Rok tonah! Rato lat yikana," a giant muttered, his voice sounding disappointed. Many others stepped forward, their feet heavy on the uneven street. There was a muted clang, like metal against metal but quieter; likely the giants' ice fiend fur muffling their armor.

"Ikki tak, vokala," groused another voice, also displeased. Felix could hear what sounded like dozens of giants, each muttering to themselves.

"Pata! Ti roka! Kieh! Kieh!" Another voice, much louder and angrier, shouted the other voices down. The sound of snarls and growls wove between the shout, making the hair on the back of Felix's neck stand up. Shortly after, the street below was filled with thunderous footsteps, all of them quickly moving away.

Stealth is level 23!

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Felix waited twenty seconds before poking his head up and checking. The giants were gone. What's more, when he stood up he could see them scattering through the ruined streets, groups of two or three spreading out along the pathways.

They're hunting us, now.

Felix looked at Pit, who met his eyes stoically. "We've got to meet up with the others. If nothing else, we stand a better chance together." Pit nodded, his big golden eyes fierce.

They leaped from building to building, sticking to the rooftops in order to keep their vantage point. Most of the Risi Warriors had dispersed by this point, and even in the clear summer sun Felix could only see so far. There were many stone buildings that blocked his view, though he could make out some beyond them due to their latice-like sculptural designs. Whoever built the city were master artisans, and Felix couldn't help but be impressed.

Imagine this place when it was alive, Felix mused, pausing at the top of a leaning four story structure. It's easily as big as a mid-size city back home. There must have been millions who lived here.

A cool breeze rushed across the rooftops, chilling him for a moment despite the mounting mid-morning heat. He looked up at the sky, blue as a robin's egg and wisped with thin cirrus clouds at the edges. Not the worst weather to keep ruining my shirts in. He fingered his tattered sleeves, barely more than scraps at this point. As he did, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye.

There was a large group of giants coming down a nearby alley, four or five of them with two giant wolves. He had been tracking them as he moved, attempting to keep ahead of them as they both moved toward the subterranean hideaway. As he trained his eyes on them, he saw that sudden movement again....it was on top of one of the walls. A black...blur.

What is that?

The blur flitted across rooftops, heading in the same direction Felix was, just on the other side of the street. Felix crouched down, hiding quickly behind a lumpy, faceless statue. The blur drew closer, and Felix saw that it was more like a moving shadow, a blot against the bright backdrop of day racing across dilapidated ledges. His Manasight flared and it was clear he was perceiving some sort of shroud made entirely of shadow Mana. As he watched, the shadow flicked one of its strange limbs, followed quickly by the sound of cobbles breaking down below. The giants, only a few hundred feet behind, roared and raced after the sound.

Is it...leading them? Felix gazed in the direction the shadow was moving. It was as if it knew exactly where to go, exactly where the others were holed up. If I let them go on, then...

Felix took a couple quick breaths and eyeballed the street below.

This is very stupid.

Felix spun, setting his feet against the far ledge, before pushing off. He raced across the rooftop and on the last step pushed with all of his Strength. The stone cracked beneath him, its sharp noise loud as a gunshot, and he was flung headlong into the thin air.

FFFFFFFHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAANO!

Faster than he could anticipate, Felix zipped across the intervening distance and collided bodily with the shadow creature. For a brief, impossible second, Felix could see it start to orient on him, but it was too late. He was going too fast to stop. The two of them tumbled, ass over teakettle, their bodies tangling and then disengaging as they crashed through a couple rickety chimneys before skidding to a stop along the roof.

"Uugh," Felix groaned, feeling fresh bruises along his ribs and thighs. He stumbled to his feet just in time to see the shadow burst into a puff of smoke, resolving into a figure wearing blackened leather armor and some sort of mask. It was matte-black, giving off zero reflections in the bright sunlight, and covered the top half of their face.

With a growl and a kick of her legs, the figure spun to her feet. Felix didn't even see her use her hands.

Another flippy one.

She had a bandolier of knives across her chest and a few dark handles stuck up from her hips. Whoever this was, she was loaded for bear.

"Who're you?" Felix asked, drawing his hooked sword. He might be better at unarmed combat, but a bare sword felt like the more threatening gesture.

The woman (and it clearly was a woman judging by the molding of the dark armor) grimaced and glowered at him, her eyes an unnatural blank white beneath her mask.

That's creepy.

"Why are you baiting the Risi?"

The woman's smile stretched wider, but then suddenly faltered, her eyes growing wide.

"Behind you!"

Her voice reverberated strangely and Felix dropped to the ground, rolling forward and spinning around. He came to his feet in less than a second, sword still up, and saw...nothing. Just a dilapidated stone wall.

Oh my god, did I--"URK!"

A long stilletto had slid two inches into his side, right where his kidneys were. He looked down, disbelieving, as the masked woman's full lips stretched into a nasty grin.

"Sorry, kid. Nothing personal."

Status: Poisoned (Major)

Poison Resistance is level 18!

Poison Resistance is level 19!

Armored Skin is level 16!

With a grunt she yanked the blade out, taking three tugs to pull it free. Felix felt a burning sensation from the wound, and suddenly his legs stopped working. He fell to the ground.

Poison Resistance is level 20!

"Noctis' tits, he nearly broke my dagger..." He heard her mutter, but not much else as sounds started to echo strangely. The weakness crawled up his spine, and he felt his gut go cold. Everything around him started to go dark, as if the world was dimming. Or he...was...?

Poison Resistance is level 21!

Sound cut off the same time his vision did. He couldn't even feel the air on his skin anymore. He was completely numb, cut off from all sensation. Panicked, Felix turned inward, where he could still see his Fire Within surging and flowing. He grabbed at it, orienting on it, feeling it burn against his limited senses.

Poison Resistance is level 22!

Felix sank into his inner power, the magic crackling like an electric storm. It soaked into him as it raged, burning, cooling, charging him with indelible life even as he felt the weakness in his body grow larger and larger.

He...he was....

He was dying.

Ilia inspected her dagger, noting a serious bend in the tip. She huffed a little breath.

That kid bent my favorite blade! Little shit!

Ilia looked back at the boy, who even now stared blindly into the sky as his body curled up on itself. She hadn't realized there would be any Iron Ranks on this expedition. Where had he come from?

Was he one of the prisoners?

That had surprised her, and she wasn't used to surprises anymore. No others were supposed to be in the Foglands; they were locked down for the past six months. She was certain they were all Guilders too, and that was more than intriguing. Something to speak with Elder DuFont about, though it was not her main concern.

She was being paid for a very specific task. And fighting an army of frost giants wasn't in her contract.

This blasted fog is a menace. She'd gotten separated from the Shieldwitch after they had entered the ravine, the foul mists leading her astray. No longer. Now that she had found her quarry again, it was time to go to work.

She carefully sheathed her stiletto, mindful not to touch the blade herself. It was coated with a particularly nasty poison harvested from a monster called an Inevitable; it shut down the five senses before seizing the heart and an causing it to rupture. It only needed a touch in the bloodstream to go to work, and it was fast. The final death wasn't as quick, but usually the target was out of commission long enough that she could just kill them at her leisure.

How did he even see me? That worried her, and indicated she was being too lax. Her Stealth had reached Journeyman Tier but she hardly had to flex it here in this foggy wasteland. That was a mistake, it seems. I'll rectify that.

With the big idiot out of the way, though, it was time to lead the giants toward the others. Ilia smiled, her teeth white and slightly crooked. It was the perfect opportunity, a way to frame the monsters of the Foglands as truly terrible and the Shieldwitch as incompetent. A win-win as far as her employer was concerned.

And if I can secure a hefty blackmail from Elder DuFont along the way? Pure gravy.

She walked to the roof's edge, seeing the thick fog swirl like she was trapped in clouds. All around her bits of stone and masonry poked up through the mist, islands at sea. She couldn't see much farther than fifty yards, but she could feel the giants and their thunderous steps. One of the many benefits of the Brightsense Body she had acquired. Orienting on the nearest group of giants, she got moving.

She didn't notice the chimera.

Poison Resistance is level 23!

Felix couldn't feel anything, anymore. His body might as well have been gone.

What was on that dagger?!

Slowly, his resistance rose as his body fought off the toxin, but Felix had no idea whether it would cure him. Not to mention, he had no idea what that scary shadow lady was doing. She could be stabbing him to death right now and he wouldn't feel a thing.

Felix's core flared with heat and light, blinding his "vision" for a moment. A burst of blue-white Mana burst outward, looping off into the dark distance like a solar prominence. This kept happening, a close up view of the Mana channels deep within Felix's body. He wasn't sure how or why he was here, but at least he could feel something.

Sure enough, as the Mana raced through his pathways, the distant sensation of burning assaulted Felix's mind. It was faint, like an echo of pain more than torment itself, but it was likely coming from his actual body. As he watched, the pain was carried back by the looping Mana and deposited in his core. It looked like a blackened stain, and it was slowly eaten away by his core.

It's...devouring the pain. No. The poison. The poison!

Felix pushed his Mana out and watched as the electric fire raced along his channels. The moment he felt the distant pain, he reached out and pulled. A sudden, terrible rush of agony flooded him, but as he drew the pain in, his surroundings lightened. The shadows were drawing back.

Again.

More loops of Mana, more speed, more pain. Even as he sent out a second and third burst, Felix pulled back on the original Mana, drawing it into his core with a deep breath. The pain was like a cloud of thick ink, and his internal fire devoured it. Purified it.

Again.

Poison Resistance is level 24!

More darkness, more pain. It felt like his world was burning, as if biting insects crawled over every inch of his body, each sting more excruciating than the last. But he pushed onward, rallying his Willpower as his mind flinched at what he was doing.

AGAIN!

Felix's core burned like a storm on steroids. Fire and lightning crashed within the terrible maelstrom in his center, fury and power expanding out along his pathways. The inky pain dissolved faster and faster, barely reaching the core now before it was consumed. With a flash of blinding, coruscating light, the pain suddenly stopped.

Congratulations! You Have Reached Apprentice Tier in Poison Resistance!

You Gain The Following:

+5 VIT

+5 END

+...

Rare Poison Detected During Formation!

Choose a Feature:

Inevitable

Deadening

Heart-Rending

Still dizzy from the lack of pain, Felix chose the first one, barely reading it.

Congratulations!

You have absorbed the essence of inevitability!

What does--?

Intense pain speared across his mind, agony enough to dim the effects of the poison itself. Electricity rolled across his spin and into his ribs and hips and shoulders, crackling along his bones like a tooth ache turned up to a thousand and buried in his deepest places. His inner world flashed with light, then went dark.

Moments or minutes; later, he could perceive again. In fact, Felix thought he could feel his limbs again, as well as a new sort of torment as blood returned to them. The dark world around him lightened until he could see a galaxy of stars all around, some fixed and some drifting like wayward fireflies.

Felix blinked.

And opened his outer eyes to the strangest sight yet.