Chapter Six Hundred And Fifty – 650
You Unbound; so very violent. The skeleton let loose a long suffering sigh that was unimpeded by the lack of a jaw bone. Very well. I suppose you have earned some forthrightness.
Felix grunted and dropped the mandible. It hit the uneven flagstones and broke apart.
Ahem. I am Avet, yes. God of revolution, change, and deep, abiding passions. The skeleton inspected his non-existent fingernails. Ill wait for the applause.
Stone silence met the jawless Vessel, but if that disappointed Avet he made no show of it.
Why did you let me into your Shrine? Felix asked. Last I knew, I was barred from all of them.
Banned. I cant imagine why. Avet snapped his fingers. Ah, yes. Some might consider taking a bite out of a goddess to be in poor taste.
It was. She tasted awful.
The skeletons face twisted, one eye socket deforming until it appeared to raise an eyebrow. I am glad you find it amusing, boy. None of the Divine view it so.
Fuck the gods, Felix said with a full smile. So youre here towhat? Threaten me?
That would be pointless. I am not as foolish as my siblings. I am here to warn you. The Pathless seeks your demise. Do not trust the Unbound known as Imara, for she is his Vessel, and far better suited to power than this stack of broken bones.
Felixs smile turned brittle. Im aware.
Oh. Avert scratched his cheekbone. That took the wind from my sails. Are you aware of her true identity? Shes
Im aware, Felix growled, and this time his smile vanished altogether. Your warnings are out of date.
So it would seem. The skeletons bones rattled as Avets power rattled through. A new jaw formed, woven of bloody red and gold Mana. Fangs instead of teeth filled the mandible, and cruel spikes jutted from his chin. I had hoped my warning through the fire would reach you in time to escape her influence. You fought then? And survived? You grow more impressive by the moment, Nevarre.
Your warning? Felix narrowed his eyes. When?
The skeleton looked offended. In the Hinterlords ballroom. I warned you of the Vessels approach.
A memory sparked in Felixs Mind, and like a movie, replayed with crystalline fidelity.
One of the many stone braziers around them flared with fire, popping as it consumed whatever fuel it ran on. In that noise, Felixs Affinity tangled with something else. A voice, just on the edge of hearing.
The Pathless Vessel Has Arrived.
It couldnt be denied. The words had matched Avets grandfatherly timbre perfectly. So you did. Felix clenched his jaw. Thank you.
A paltry thing, and ineffectual it would appear. You still had to face her. The tip of his yellowed finger tapped against his teeth. As a reward, thenI will tell you of my brethren, and how much they have grown to despise you.
Felix went still. A deep part of his Mind screamed at him, warning of danger. The rest of him agreed, but he needed information.
Vellusshe has become more unruly than ever. She has endured her punishment for far longer than the rest, and it has left its mark. You, however, affected her more than countless Ages among the bloodstorm. Your refusal, yourappetite. She has lapsed into a terrible silence that even her wife cannot pull her frombut we are gods. Lucidity returns, slowly.
When she speaks, she raves. About you.
Avet laughed, but it was a dry, bitter thing. Noctis is just as simple in her rage. She hates you for what youve done to Vellusthough she isnt aware of all that youve wrought.
The skeletons eyes glowed brighter, and Felix tried not to shift his weight nervously. He had no idea what Avet knew, and wasnt keen on giving him any more ammunition.
Yyero, the foulest of my brethren, wishes to remove you from the board. Consider yourself blessed that his attention has not yet turned to you. He may not be the strongest of the Divine, but he isinsidious.
There was no chance Felix was going to leave it at that. He needed intel. Whats Yyero doing, then?
Avet smiled, his gold and crimson fangs brutish beneath his yellowed human ones. He doesnt say. Not to me. But I listen. It seems he is preoccupied with the southeast. His poisons and diseases love the wet, fetid stink of the area, so that does not surprise mebut perhaps it is the two Unbound that hold a greater portion of his attention.
Southeast. Felixs Mind whirled through what he knew of the other Unbounds locations. Thatsa tropical jungle. The Kobolds.The roots of this story extend from novell bìn origin.
Avet tilted his head one way and then the other. I can almost see the cogs turning. Delightful.
Focus, man. Dont give anything away. And the others?
Avets Vessel swelled with power, and limbs of gold and crimson flickered from its chest. Its head darkened, and the world was pulled inward, as if the Vessel was the universes sole focus. You play at controlling the paltry forces around you, but I once weaved the very fabric of Creation. Shifting about a Shrine is nothing to me.
Even chained up?
The sense of power faded, and Avet tilted his skull. Ah, but who said I was chained?
Felix hesitated. The others
Are locked away, yes. Chained to their moons, in a sense. Yes. But I ask you, Autarch Nevarre, do I have a moon?
He glanced up, though thousands of feet of rock stood between Felix and the sky. Youre free? Like the Pathless?
A scowl twisted the skeletons face, somehow. I hope I have demonstrated that I am nothing like the Coward. But yes, I am unmoored. I am also, unfortunately, weakened when compared against my brethren. A consequence of trusting others, I fear.
Trusting the other gods, you mean? That was something Felix could use. What?
Do you trust Imara?
A sour rage rattled around in his chest, and Felix clenched his jaw so hard it hurt. He gave no answer, just stared and knew his eyes were burning brighter than ever before.
My point exactly. Life is complicated, and youve only lived a few measly decades. A wistful sigh escaped his teeth. Imagine how things will be when you add millennia onto that number. Imagine the choices youll make. I am not on anyones side, Nevarre. Frankly, I cannot afford to get involved, and am risking much by visiting you here.
So why bother? More entertainment?
Yes. And no. My brethren have raged against their confinement since the moment they were bound. They will do anything to be free. Already they seek out their own Vessels. As Vellus sought you, and as the Coward sought out your sister, the others will contact the Unbound. Some may have even already accepted.
Felixs stomach lurched at the thought. A distant memory rang out, a vibration that sped across his overheating Mind before resolving into words hed once heard, hanging in the dark beneath Haarwatch. Vellus had spoken of the gods and their Vessels as well.
Which ones? he asked.
I dont know. Avet looked away, and the skeletons face he wore shifted subtly. We are running out of time.
Felix couldnt waste his moment. What does the Ruin have to do with things?
Avet didnt answer at first, but his eyes burned. Literal green flames poured from the sockets. Words are not to be trusted. I cannot tell you all that I know. To do so would violate Ouranic law.
Ouranic law. What is that?
Avet grinned. That violates the law as well. The Ruin is coming, but things are different this time. Wethe lead has broken, and it cannot be mended. The Ruin seeks to do what it was born to do, but no longer will it know mercy.
What are you saying?
When the Ruin arrives, it will lay waste to everything.
If his stomach had lurched previously, now it almost dropped out of him completely. Everything?
It is a change that not even I can condone. It must be stopped, but it isa force beyond all youve known. The Divine could stop it, but the gods have no desire to do so. Avet grimaced through the skeleton. Know this, Nevarre. The Pathless pawn is making moves to secure her footing in the new world. The Hierophant has one Unbound under her thumb, and more may soon fall into her grasp. Her armies are on the move. I can feel them as my influence swells, as monarchies fall and cities turn to strife. Change is here, Felix. If you wish to survive, you must get ahead of it.
Ahead of it? How? Its all I can do to reach the other Unbound.
Move faster. Train. Advance yourself into Master Tier instead of waiting for the perfect moment, Avet said. You are more powerful than you realize. Stepping into Master Tier as you are would improve your odds by an order of magnitude.
Master Tier wont stop the Ruin.
Avet blinked. No. It wont.
What will? Felix demanded. Im told the Unbound were brought here to fight against the Ruin, but that seems to be impossible. Hed won against impossible odds before, even against slivers of trapped gods. How do I fight something no one but the gods could face?
The answer is simple, Felix Nevarre. That sense of power swelled again around the skeleton, and crimson shadows gathered around half-seen limbs of gold and obsidian. A crown of strife appeared above his head, and a dozen eyes of green flame snapped open in the air.
You must become a god.
The shadows folded in on themselves, gone before Felix could even blink. The skeleton collapsed, and its bones scattered into dust.
