Chapter Five Hundred And Forty Seven – 547
Felix had experienced the protections around Domains before, and this one was no different. It appeared as the dark Void, but the floor was glossy and mirrored, providing an uncertain horizon line as circles of radiant sigaldry flickered to life all around him. The sheath around Domains was a liminal space not unlike a Dark Passage or Shadowgate, but unlike those others, this was far more limited.
You Have Entered Into The Domain Of Another.
Beware!
It AppERROR!
Entrant(s) Exceed Domain Strictures!
Full Manifestation May Damage Shell Integrity.
Ejecting...
ERROR!
Ejection Failed!
Countermeasures Deployed.
Felix ignored the messages that boomed across his consciousness. Hed seen them before, back when the Domain below Haarwatch was failing. Back then, the presence of him and his allies had strained the integrity of the Domains bounds, leading to further fracturing of its substance. Just as then, gleaming formations of sigaldry appeared around him: looping, radial structures made of brilliant purple-white Mana vapor. Pressure manifested around his limbs, gravity wrapped about him like a lead cloak, connected to the formations by glittering lines.
He simply walked through them all.
ERROR!
The countermeasures burst with the shrieking sound of feedback, sigaldry flinging away from Felix like shrapnel. Pressure surged, attempting to hold him in place, to prevent him from entering the Domain at all. Yet Felixs very feet shook the dark, until cracks formed across the mirrored floor. Daylight leaked from those fissures, illuminating dust motes wherever they touched, and emanating a deep, bone-aching chill.
The exit.
Felix stomped again, and this time, the liminal space could not hold.
Warning! Entrant(s) Exceed Shell Parameters.
Manifestation Actualized.
Shell Integrity Damaged.
Extant Damage - 75%
Shell Integrity Reduced from 75% to 22%!
Shell Integrity...Stabilized.
The light swallowed up the dark, and Felix dropped as if falling through an icy lake. He landed, legs spread for balance, atop cold stone and snow, while the last remnants of his crossing were blown away by a frigid northern gale.
He was in.
Pit separated from him, landing gracefully and stretching to his full height. That was uncomfortable. Its not usually so cramped.Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.
Domain restrictions, Felix said by way of explanation, and Pit nodded sagely.
Like Haarwatch. The Domains near home didnt feel like that. He rolled a warbling note in his throat, thinking. Because this one is failing too?
Thats what Im thinking. The other ones were strong enough to handle our entrancebased on what Ive heard this one should be able to handle our strength too. Haarwatch only really allowed for lower Tier entrants on top of being busted. Felix knelt down and ran his hands across the cold rock and snow. Stone crumbled slightly, like talc, even without exerting his Strength. This place seems worse though.
You Have Survived.
The Challenge Is Incomplete.
Be Wary, Young Primordial.
Oh, there it is. The usual refrain when he entered a Domain. Typically, to exit it one would face the Domain Core or some guardian beast that was at the center. At least, if he planned to exit on the other end. If he just turned around, Felix knew he could simply pop back out into the mountain pass with his Shadows.
It called you a Primordial, Pit pointed out.
Is what it is, Felix said with a shrug. It had bothered him a lot, once, but without the Race change he wouldnt have been able to withstand half of what hed been put through. Im still me.
Apart from the rocky promontory they stood on, the land was excessively flat all around. A plain of ice and snow extended in all directions, but the sharp winds were not alone among the ice: huge stone and metal spires speared up from the ground, hundreds of them, all at varying angles but none fully straight. Still, they rose so high that clouds of ice enveloped their tops, like a skyborn river of glass. A winter sun struck gleaming highlights off them all, a blinding radiance that forced Felix to reel in his Perception a bit.
The tenku laughed through his beak. He tilted his head at the Witches. Youll want to step back, old ladies.
Naberius sniffed. We shall aid you.
Not necessary, Felix said.
Sitri scoffed. Our aid is all that will save you.
Then well fail, right? Mana crackled across his hands, looping through his pathways with increased fervor. You said do this alone, right?
A temporary pause, Naberius interjected. The strictures of our test do not account for this breakdown of order. Our curses will
Nah. Were doing this the right way. Felix said, and began to sound the patterns of his Skills.
Hey! Pit cut in. He let out a trumpeting cry. This is my turn!
Im not gonna kill them outright, just setting the stage. With his Affinity Felix flared the song of a Skill he didnt use very often, relishing the sound of it as the Chant amplified its power. His Intent guided it, shaping its eventual release. Remember the Tomb of Eternal Slumber?
Pits golden eyes glinted in the wintry sunlight. Oh yeah. He lowered his head and raised his rear, fluffy fox tail lashing the air. Set em up.
Rain of Cataclysm!
Acid Mana fled Felixs channels, billowing outward in a liquid rush as it ascended into the sky. The spell was a big one, meant for a wide area, and that was evident in just how much Mana it used. Virulent green liquid flooded the air, swirling all around their stone promontory until they resembled nothing so much as clouds themselves. The Brumalbats shrieked louder, the first few unleashing sonic blasts that tore holes in his magic.
Pit!
Tempest Fugit!
Lightning and ice Mana roared from Pits own channels before shooting off directly into Felixs acid clouds. The moment his Skill touched Felixs, they both could feel their bond sing, as their abilities combined and changed. What emerged from the other side of the clouds were dozens upon dozens of frozen spears, crackling with bottled lightning, and composed entirely of acid.
Ice shattered and thunder boomed as the first Brumalbats fell, but that was only the beginning. Pit shrieked out his Skill again and again, passing it through Felixs clouds and amplifying the effects. Normally Tempest Fugit was a spear of ice that, upon shattering, unleashed a localized burst of lightning. Now, each spear sizzled through dozens of monsters before the acidic ice wore away and delivered a payload of electrical damage. It was a massacrebut not quite enough. After the first thousand, Pit was flagging, his Mana all but gone.
Allow me, Felix sent through their bond.
The Chant allowed Sorcerers to alter and amplify their Skills without the System. This worked by utilizing their Harmonic stats to access, activate, and shape the Skills inside their own cores. Affinity and Intent were the primary movers and shakers in that operationthough all of his Harmonic stats played a roleand Felix had enough of both that it was a simple issue to change the layout of his acid clouds. His Intent shifted, no longer open and accepting the combination with Pits Skills, but aimed back toward his Skills original purpose.
Rain of Cataclysm surged outward, a horizontal, torrential downpour. Acid rain shot through the Brumalbats, eating through wing and claw with ease, until the sky was filled with their dying shrieks and the sound of broken, tinkling glass.
You Have Killed A Brumalbat (x2435)!
XP Earned!
Your Companion Pit Has Gained 2 Levels!
Pit Is Now Level 72!
He Gains:
+20 STR, +18 PER, +8 VIT, +22 END, +14 INT, +20 WIL, +40 AGL, +40 DEX!
+20 AFI, RES, and REI!
Pit let out a cry of triumph as he shimmered with System power, his fur and feathers crackling with retrained might. That feels much better!
Felix grinned, but it was halted by two more blue screen notifications that appeared, each bordered by gold.
New Title!
Ironskin Nemesis (Epic)!
By force of arm or magic, you have defeated a truly staggering amount of foes, proving yourself a true threat to the Ironskin Domain! As a result, all denizens of the Domain will see you as a true enemy and will attack on sight. +40 END and VIT!
Challenge Initiated!
Path of Rule!
You have taken the first step upon the Path. The Frostfather applauds you. How far can you climb?
Huh. Felix looked to the Witches. Their faces were drawn and haggard, and they watched him like he was a wild animal. You said the name before, but who the hell is the Frostfather?
