Unbound-Chapter Eight Hundred And Eighty Four: 884

As exhausted as the Atlantes was, it couldn’t help but express a certain eager joy to Felix after the last few hours around his Shaper's Sanctum. Felix himself was flush with new ideas, but they had to wait until they could finish mustering their forces over the next day.

"I'm still annoyed at you," Felix said to the bark, as he stood there on the thick bough above his city. "Acting on your own, just like with the Nascent Fruit. You need to talk to Paxus. There's a reason he's your Caretaker."

That eager joy barely dimmed at his admonishment. But what could Felix expect from a plant, even a magical one?

He flexed his hand at his side. It still hurt from where the little bastard took his blood.

Grim Nightshade. More like Jerk-ass Sharpteeth. He smiled, not because his dumb joke was funny, but because of the spirit's expression when Felix had told him his plan. It wasn't every day you could surprise a manifestation of nature.

They’d spent a long time hashing out the details of what Felix proposed, with the Grim offering its own dire opinions. In the end, they’d made a deal. In the end, there was hope.

Felix wasn’t about to waste it.

A swift tether of lightning sent him down the trunk. He landed inside the Bastion, near the collar of Fiendstone that acted as stairs and guardrail against the deep fall to the roots. After a final pat against the brown trunk, he descended the steps, entering further into his Bastion of Atlantes and running headlong into Zara, Karys, Darius, and the Farwalker.

"We have the casualty reports, my lord," his Chancellor said.

Felix's heart fell. "What's the damage?"

"There are many dead, but far more alive. Civilian casualties are miraculously zero. The Legion, Risi, and Dawnguard took the brunt of the violence."

“Yes, but we paid back every life lost,” Darius said, his voice as flat as his Spirit was angry. “Our warriors did not die quietly.”

Felix put his hand on Darius’ shoulder and squeezed. He hated that anyone had died, even as he was thankful for the shield his warriors had provided. “They helped stave off the combined armies of two gods. They were incredible.”

“They were,” Darius agreed, his jaw tight. “And eager to take the fight to Amaranth.”

“We all are.”

"But you are frustrated," the Farwalker guessed.

"Of course I am. We lost good people in this battle, and all they lost was a few expendable puppets.” The more he thought about it, the clearer it became. “They were simply trying to prove they could get to us. To make us afraid."

“Who’s afraid?” Darius sneered at the ceiling, eyes fixed beyond its vaulted material. “The Legions are ready to ride into battle this very moment.”

“As are the Dawnwalkers and Risi,” the Farwalker confirmed. “Battlelord Ari tells me that the clans will be arriving in a few glasses, and all of them are ready for blood.”

They had proof of concept now. Shadowbeasts and the fungal monstrosities could be torn apart by their weaponry and Skills. Felix now knew he could hold off a few Vessels, if they were as temporary as the Rotted Lion.

"What of the plan?" the Farwalker asked. "Do you think it will still work?"

"I do. Zara, what did Isla find?"

"Her battle against the godslave minions was successful. She's certain she can pull off her part in things, and the fledgling Chanters will do their part as well.”

“Our tactics were proven this day as well,” Darius said. “Needs sharpening. Our ranks were overrun too many times at the wall, but Harn and I have already implemented new measures.”

“Our assault will also emphasize entirely different tactics to a defensive siege,” the Farwalker noted. Darius tilted his head in acknowledgement.

"What about your task, Farwalker?" Felix asked.

"The shadowbeasts dissolved the moment Noctis withdrew from the field," the cowled man said. "Considering their nature, that was not surprising, but we were hoping to capture one of their corpses. Instead, the Dawnguard have been busy dissecting the remains of the Fungal Horrors we've been able to isolate. Arresting their dissolution was simple enough, but we lost more than a dozen corpses to rapid rot before we realized they needed to be elevated from the earth. Without that, they have remained whole.”

“What’ve you found?"

"The Horrors have rudimentary cores, which allows them to grow and Evolve as we saw, but they aren't true. They are balls of oozing pus and ichor that mimic the function of a monster core. This means when Yyero hits them with his Blightweave, they absorb the power and grow rapidly."

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Felix recalled the giant Abominations well. They had nearly towered over the city walls.

"The upside is, the false cores are weaknesses. Destroy them and the Horror rots away immediately."

Felix liked the sound of that.

Other factors had ended up working as well. The defensive array Mirk Enclosure had driven the enemy's accuracy down by quite a lot. None of them could see it, not unless they concentrated, but the fog filled Nagast entirely for those that were not allied to its ruler.

"That won't do us any good in Amaranth," Zara pointed out.

Felix hummed to himself.

Mauvim clacked her way into the chamber, leaning heavily on her cane. "I apologize for my tardiness. My Chanters are preparing themselves, Your Highness. We've lost none of them to the battle, though a few were terribly injured."

"I'm happy to hear it, though less so about the injuries. Did they get treatment?"

"They have, and are resting as we speak. I heard you speak of Amaranth. What of their tower? Do we yet have a plan to counter it?"

"I'm working on it," Felix admitted. "But I'm afraid countering it would mean destroying it."

"I know you have a knack for destruction, Felix, but that is unlikely to happen," Zara said. "Not only must we worry about the Vessels and their puppets, but the wards surrounding the Shining Palace are not to be underestimated. There is a reason why the Chanters have never attacked the place in any meaningful way. Additionally, the core construct of the tower is an artifact built by methods none have ever reproduced. Tern has tried. It withstands all Skills meant to change or destroy its form."

"What does the tower even do?” Darius asked. "Why do we care?"

"En’cridhe, Star of Heaven," Karys said in that metallic rumble of his. "It's an amplifier. In the Golden Empire, it was one of many. They were used to enact grand magics at a scale impossible to achieve alone. From the reports I have gathered, it has been damaged by the passing of Ages and the hand of Ruin. But clearly, it still works."

"Yes," Mauvim nodded. "It was used to enact the summoning that brought the Unbound to the Continent."

"Magecraft," Darius muttered. "I hate it already."

"The Song of Arrival is potent and requires the talents of at least two Paragons to sing," Karys pointed out. “En’cridhe was their crutch. This is likely how they'll use the Chthonic Star as well."

"And we saw that in use already," Zara said, her face darkening. "Alone, it is a force that no ward can withstand. All the research the Violet Tower poured into it barely gave them an understanding of how it worked, only that it drew on some sort of confluence of matter that rendered all barriers no less than slag. Tern and Elowen told me of a test they performed in the early days. They bore a hole into their mountain, and there was no residue save for black vapor.”

“From what I can tell, it operates using dissonance and the Grand Harmony itself. It couples them together somehow, but the method is confusing to me," Felix said, his mouth a grim slash. The combination was different from how he utilized both songs in his core. Within himself, there was a balance, one he maintained by necessity, but the weapon was chaos incarnate. “Elowen’s shown me some recreated diagrams, but sadly, her recall is limited."

"Yes, Siva's influence had overcome her own Mind several times. It's made her memory spotty, at best," Zara said.

"A strong weapon," Karas agreed. "Amplified by En’cridhe, however, that's the real threat. Elowen says if they strengthen it, that weapon can devastate a Paragon with ease."

"What about a god?" Felix asked.

The others traded looks. The fires in Karys’ eyes burned a bit brighter. "If they can eradicate the chains that bind them, which the gods themselves cannot destroy, then it stands to reason they could best the gods.”

“Then we should destroy it," Farwalker said.

"We should use it," Darius objected, staring down at the Henaari.

"Reed, if it can break the chains, then it is a threat to everyone. Those chains are all that stands between us and a return of the Divine wars that ravaged the Golden Empire. If the gods were fully unleashed and able to exert more of their power through their Vessels…"

Darius nodded. "I see your point, but have you considered just killing them all anyway?"

The Farwalker laughed. "I believe that is Nevarre's plan, is it not?"

"We'll see," Felix said with an uncomfortable shrug. "As it is, I already tried to destroy the Chthonic Star. It didn't take. Still, I hope we can avoid destroying En’cridhe."

Mauvim seemed relieved. "I had hoped the same. It would be an incredible tool if we could wrest it from the Hierophant."

"Forget the gods," Darius said. "If the two Stars are used together, could they stop the Ruin?"

"Stop? I highly doubt it,” Karys said. “Even wounding seems unlikely. The Ruin is a force that seems beyond even the gods. As Felix has witnessed, even the gods fear its wrath.”

“They also can’t break their own chains. This can.” The Farwalker steepled his fingers. “I find hope in that.”

Karys threaded his fingers together; golden metal with black leviathan bone. "Even if it can’t face down the Ruin, securing En’cridhe and the Chthonic Star would be useful regardless. It’s how the Hierophant has conquered so much of the Continent."

Out of the corner of his eye, Felix saw Wyvora step out of a nearby chamber. She leaned closer to the Farwalker's enchanted hood and whispered to him.

"Judging by the forces we fought today, reaching the tower is going to be bloody," Darius said. "Not to mention the third god that will attend to their defense. And we haven't even accounted for Avet in all of this."

"I do not think Avet will be against us," Zara said. "He has aided Felix in the past."

"He's the god of chaos," Mauvim stated. "We cannot trust the whims of a being such as he."

Zara sighed. "You are likely right. But still, this is a fight that Avet would want us to take. Upsetting the gods, overturning their order. That is all very much like the god of revolution."

The Farwalker hummed in surprise. "Truly?"

Felix looked at them both. "What's this?"

"It seems a wave outside the city still remains. And there's a request from its depths." The Farwalker waved at Wyvora, who turned to Felix.

"The Dread wishes to speak with you, my Lord."

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr𝒆e(w)𝒆bnovel