Chapter Five Hundred And Seventy Two – 572
Wellthats new, Evie said.
Before them was the same floating conglomeration of wood, stone, and crystal as hed created before, just as large and strange as the first time. Living wood shaped into the form of a huge, four-winged whale covered in moss, flowers, and crystals. Masts shaped like tree trunks rose up into the featureless dark of the Passage, their branches uniformly wrapped around a thick, glowing crystal so that it resembled nothing so much as a magical blimp.
We call it the Sailwhale, Pit chirruped.
No we dont. Felix rolled his eyes, stepping clear of the soldiers as they marched aboard. Stop telling people that.
Somehow, despite his beak, Pit made a raspberry noise before trotting up the gangplank.
Kids, right? Evie gave Felix a sympathetic pat marred only by her Cheshire grin. Cmon Beef. Lets go find a place aboard.
The Minotaur regarded the ship with hesitation. Is there space for Hallows Bodies?
Yeah. Have the Multipede go below decks. Theres a hatch near the center of the ship. Her other Bodies can go wherever. Just keep the Skink away from the rigging, please. Those wings are sharp. Felix watched them join the procession, Evie leaping ahead of everyone else while Beef and his Risen waited patiently at the rear.
A strange creature, that lizard, Yintarion said, floating just to Felixs left. His own serpentine body undulated through the Manacurrents that coiled across the dark landscape. It wasnt quite air or shadow, but a mixture of both. Its wings are quite remarkable.
Its a nasty fighter, Felix agreed. Back when Beef had been looking for more Risen, hed been the one to point him toward the colony of Skinks that was located between the Stronghold and the Bitter Sea. The teen had found a whole lot of them, including a Skink Matriarch that was twice the normal size. He had ended up defeating it and using Hallow Raise on its corpse. I had to survive them in my early days on the Continent. Theyre agile and can spit acid too.
Hm. A pity that your subordinate took the only one worth killingit would have made a fine snack, considering its prior attunement to air Mana.
You can tell that?
You cannot? Its Body might be flooded with necromantic Mana now but its essence is still stamped by its original nature. That is how that Hallow creature is able to access their original Skills, like the acid spit you mentioned.
Huh. I didnt know that, Felix admitted.
Happy to be of service, Yintarion said. Come, little Dragoon. I wish to rest upon something softer than your armored shoulders.
Vess followed, mouth quirked with a grin as she leaped past Felix and onto the deck of the Sailwhale.
Oh great, now Im doing it too.
They were on their way within minutes. Folks settled in with little issue, the majority of the Claw retreating below decks to rest during the short journey. Everyone had been briefed on what to expect in the two Dark Passages they had to traverse, as well as the short jaunt in the middle. They had taken in the strange environment with considerable ease, though notes of fear tumbled through their collective Spirits. Felix could sympathizethe dark mountains, black on black skies, and endless clouds were intimidating.
How would the Claw feel had they been able to sense the creatures that lurked below?
I think its the light, Pit said.
Felix looked down at his side, where the horse-sized tenku was curled up, his bushy tail wrapped just over his hooked beak. What about the light?
Its why theyre not afraid. The crystal makes me feelsafe.
The big crystal above them was a bright source of blue-white light, and it cast a wide corona around them as they traversed the expansive dark. Felix supposed the light would be calming in such a situation, though he checked his Status Conditions to see if it had any real effect. It didnt.
It feels like you, Pit added.
Felix looked up again. Huh.
He stood at the helm, a large, spoked wheel that seemed ripped right from Felixs old storybooks. He wasnt entirely sure of the mechanisms within the ship or if there ever were anyFelix hadnt designed any when he had shaped the vesselbut when he turned the wings flapped and the tail-like rudder shifted. The midnight feathers fluttered with each adjustment, undulating more akin to swimming than flyingbut it was effective.
While most of the Claw were below decks, there was a small contingent stationed around the railings, posted there as lookouts and guards. Harn was big on vigilance, and Felix appreciated it. He couldnt flare his Perception all the time, and piloting the ship took a bunch of his concentration. A few lingering gazes from them was a small price to pay.
Thankfully, those gazes werent so bad anymore. Familiarity went a long way toward making them comfortable with him, it seemed, but perhaps it was also a matter of power. All of the soldiers with him were at least Journeyman, and a few were well into that Tier already. It was widely known that Felix was an Adept Tier, though the particulars were fairly muddled. The divide between Journeyman and Adept was greatbut maybe the Claw had learned some confidence along with their discipline.Ñøv€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
Either way, Felix was happy about it. Familiar faces abounded, people that Felix recalled traveling alongside him through the Scorched Expanse. Some were older acquaintances, one of whom was standing nearby, staring with naked terror over the edge of the ship.
You alright, Mervin? Felix asked.
The man started, but managed a sloppy salute. Of course, sir. My Lord, I mean.
Stop stalling, he told himself. He was avoiding his Skills list, avoiding having to make a tough decision. Status Screen. Skills only.
The System responded, pulling up all of his Skills just as hed seen a thousand times. There werea lot, and a long time ago hed organized them into general Body, Mind, and Spirit categories. Beneath that were things like Resistances or Mental Enhancements that further divided what the Skills accomplished. But as time went on hed noticed the list was less and less usefulthe designations seemed almost arbitrary, but the System had obeyed back then.
What would it do now?
System. Organize my Skills by what Aspects they affect.
The blue window vanished, and after a moment Felix thought the whole thing had just glitched out. Hed seen that before, too. But no, because there was a droning noise just at the edge of his hearing. It grew, growing more tumultuous with volume, as if it were a landslide of percussion instruments bearing down on him. Notes and chords twanged and plucked, squeaked and hummed, pulsing across his senses without sense or pattern.
Until it stopped.
BODY - Chthonic Ascent (Adept)
MIND - Fiendforged (Adept)
SPIRIT - Eldercrowned (Adept)
The blue window reappeared, showing only his three Aspects, along with their Tempered names. The Skills were gone.
What is this? Felix reached out and pressed against the first Aspect. His Body.
BODY - Chthonic Ascent (Adept)
Dodge (C), Level 83
Heavy Armor Mastery (C), Level 15
Armored Skin (R), Level 88
Blind Fighting (R), Level 78
Illusory Double (R), Level 45
Mantle of the Infinite Revolution (E), Level 74
Labyrinthine Wing (E), Level 1
Wild Threnody (E), Level 86
Chthonic Tribute (L), Level 97
Etheric Concordance (L), Level 84
Hand of Calamity (L), Level 71
Relentless Resolution (L), Level 95
The Song of Absolution (L), Level 94
Last Cry Of The Chthonic Host (M), Level 5
Adamant Discord (T), Level 91
Sovereign of Flesh (T), Level 95
Fiendforge (Un), Level 68
NOTE: Some Skills Listed Fall Under More Than One Aspect. Do You Wish To Display Them?
Felix grinned. Yes.
