Chapter Three Hundred and Thirty One – 331
Felix's conversation with Kikri was short and to the point. While his original Title would have required him to eat her blood or something, it was far easier now. "Just hit me with some Green Shaping, alright?"
"...If you're sure...?" the Elf asked. She traded glances with the Dwarven mage Nevia, who shrugged.
"He's strong, right? That means you can go all out," the mage suggested. Felix pointed at Nevia and nodded.
"She's got the right idea. Give me your best shot, full blast." Felix walked a distance away, perhaps a hundred feet or so down the row of stone dwellings. The sounds of Mana and discharging Skills nearby pricked at his attention, but it was simple to tell that it was the Henaari setting up their own houses. Felix spread his arms wide. "Fire at will."
Kikri's face firmed as some sort of resolve settled over her, and she lifted her gorgeously carved long bow in one hand while reaching out with the other. One of the few trees in the space shuddered beside her, suddenly disgorging forth a mass of green-gold energy and pale wood. In a smooth motion, the wood formed into a large arrowmore like a tiny spearand the Elf let loose. It screamed through the air, leaving visible trails of smoke as the tip heated up into a brilliant orange that warped his vision. Like a miniature train, it bore down on him.
Chthonic Tribute!
Felix caught it and consumed it in a single motion.
The arrow and it's green-gold light vanished, and Felix let it flow through his channels and into his core space. There it tangled among the crimson-black branches of his Divine tree-thing, greenery upon the boughs. Felix could still feel the bright lights of Essence Motes and Memories fixed among the Essence clouds at the top of his weird tree, held in place by his own Will and Intent as well as the crimson-black structure. He wondered, briefly, how long they would hold there...and suspected the answer was as long as he wished. Felix's Will was not to be denied, not anymore. Not for this.
The Mana and Essence of the arrow, however, slipped from his fingers and into his cores. A short spark and tiny bump of power was all he found. Felix returned to the world, frowning. "Again."The debut release of this chapter happened at Ñòv€l-B1n.
"I'm sorry?" Kikri asked.
"Again. Do it again," Felix said. "And this time, don't hold back."
"I don't think that I"
"Are you afraid to hurt me?" he asked. "Don't be. I've survived...a lot, actually."
Kikri stopped and Nevia sucked in a tight breath. The Elf swallowed nervously. "No, it's not that. I just cannot in good conscience try and hurt you, sir. You're a Lord, for Noctis' sake!"
"Hm," Felix grunted. That was annoying and unexpected. "It's a matter of motivation. Okay. Then just try and kill me before I kill you."
"What?"
Felix exploded forward, arms swept to the side, and Kikri screamed.
Vess found Evie in the wooded hills to the east, sitting atop a high branch close enough to camp to see it, but far enough away for some privacy. She hesitated before broaching that solitude, but Vess knew Evie well enough to know when she'd prefer company.
Plus, she came bearing gifts.
"Evie?" Vess said, announcing herself as she neared. The tree she sat within was quite large, a lethan fruit tree, according to her Analyze. It had small, brilliantly colored berries, each one a slightly different shade than the next. They were meant to be restorative, and a handful would bring a healing boost to one's Aspects for a short period of time. "Strange. There are so many plants in the Foglands that have healing properties."
"Ain't so strange," Evie said from ahead. Vess could sense her but not see her through the thick greenery. "Place used to be Nymean, yeah? Those folks seem prone to helpin', from all that Felix tells us. Could be they just planted it all, Ages past."
"That..." Vess looked around them, at the forest that spread wild in all directions. "That makes a remarkable amount of sense."
"Well I ain't an idiot all the time," Evie said and Vess sniffed.
"Please. You have more sense in your head than any dozen courtiers I have had the displeasure of entertaining." Vess took a small hop through the leaves, and landed on a wide branch next to her friend. Evie was leaning against the trunk, one leg dangling over the edge. "Unrefined and unintelligent are not the same thing."
That at least made Evie laugh, and she could hear amusement crowd out the blunted pang of anger and grief. Vess was getting better at using her Harmonic Stats, specifically her Affinity, but subtleties still tended to evade her. "On brighter news, Felix has discovered how to give out Quests."
"Hm," Evie said. "He's turnin' into a proper lord, isn't he?"
"He is growing into it, I believe. The Quest is a scouting mission. Hunt the wilds for plants and beasts that are useful or threats. Do youdo you want to join in?" Vess asked, smiling hesitantly. "You and I, together? We can hunt all we want and earn some bonus experience as well."
Eager amusement played across Evie's Spirit, and Vess' halting smile was matched. "Damn if you don't know how to talk to a girl's heart." She snorted and stood. "Hope there's plenty of monsters to go around, cuz I ain't plannin' on doin' this half-assed."
A sudden, ear-piercing boom shook the air and the both of them turned back toward the encampment.
"...What's all that about?" Evie asked.
Vess clucked her tongue. Through hundreds of strides of tree and branch, she could see Felix's broad, athletic back looming over someone on the ground. "He was testing his newfound Authority," Vess said slowly. "...And apparently beating up our resident archer."
"Rude of him," Evie snorted.
Rime Shaping!
Green Shaping!
Cardinal Flame!
Mana drained from Felix like a sieve, thousands of points in seconds, as stone turned liquid before crawling upward all along the edge of his Stronghold. At the same time, a variety of seeds beneath the earth, inert or hibernating, suddenly burst into frenetic life. Flowing trunks, vines, and branches all sprung upward, tangling among the liquefied stone as dusty brown and green-gold Mana met and intertwined. Through it all, he laced the crystalline formation of ice, laying it out in accordance with the patterns he'd memorized, and burning sharp-edged sigils and glyphs within each distinct coating.
Felix began to sweat almost immediately, and his Body quaked as if he were physically lifting every inch of the growing wall himself. It was maddeningly difficult, far more so than he had expected. Felix's powerful Intelligence sped up his thoughts while his Perception flared in order to keep all of it in view at all times. It was a powerful burden, and had he known how much, perhaps he would have started with just a single wall at first. Too late now, he grimaced.
But his stats were well above the Third Threshold now, and his Mind and Spirit worked in smooth concert with one another. Standing stock still, Felix directed power to the edge of his nascent Stronghold, and the world around him changed.
Congratulations!
You Have Built Your First Fortification!
XP Earned!
Your Stronghold Has Improved!
Continue Improving It To Increase Its Rank!
Stone Shaping is level 69!
Green Shaping is level 2!
...
Green Shaping is level 19!
Rime Shaping is level 2!
...
Rime Shaping is level 22!
It was done.
Felix hissed a breath through his teeth and wiped sweat from his brow with a shaky arm. He felt like he'd been doing hard labor all day, and his muscles quivered with sympathetic strain. Looking up, Felix considered it well worth the aches and pains. In what felt like hours, but was likely only five minutes, a huge wall had risen from the depths of the earth. A dull roar of amazement, wonder, and a dash of fear sounded in Felix's ears, both physical and not; but he paid them all little mind. He was far more interested in the wall itself.
Just as the pattern had indicated it, the wall was forty feet tall and thick. It all appeared to be made of a glassy, dark blue-black stone veined with a faint, luminescent red-gold. The towers were fifteen feet taller than the top of the wall, and both featured those same crenelations along the edge, as well as a parapet where guards could walk the length of it. At the base of each tower was a door made of a darker stone, and arrow slits were formed into the walls. Unadorned steps were interspersed along the wall to provide access to the tops, and all of it was seamless. There were no visible blocks or joins, no mortar or clever junctions. It had been risen as a single, monolithic fortification.
Felix opened his Stronghold menu and checked the overview again.
Stronghold Defensive Strength: 40%
Stronghold Offensive Strength: 5%
The offense rating of his Stronghold was unchanged, but seeing the huge jump in defense made Felix's heart soar. "Karys, you seeing this?"
"I am. It appears your efforts have been rewarded. The effects of your manual control were overwhelmingly positive. Hm," his sword buzzed. "Likely because you fused it all into one piece. Was that intentional?"
"If I say no, does that make it less impressive?" Felix asked with a tired grin.
Karys laughed. "No. But please keep in mind that efforts like this put you at risk. If this were a proper settlement, you would have engineers to worry about construction like this."
"We have the Henaari now, so perhaps engineers aren't quite so far off," Felix mused. That largely depended on how well the Henaari integrated with his people, and what exactly Felix's plans were, going forward. "What's next on the agenda, then?"
"You wish to make your Stronghold safer, yes?"
"Of course."
"Then next must come the Forge."
