Unbound-Chapter Nine Hundred And Eighty Two – 982

The Broken Path.

Gabby had heard of it. The Pathless had railed against it a dozen times, especially whenever her brother had managed some particularly bullshit success. It was the way for people to ascend to godhood, long since shattered by the Divine on their way up. It was riddled with the bodies of would-be Ascendants, just as the gods had intended.

“I’ve no interest in becoming a god,” she snapped. She loomed over Knowledge, her broad shoulders and eleven-foot height casting a dark shadow over the construct. “And even less in using my Bargain for anything except kindling.”

The Geist’s intense gaze lightened, its silver irises fading to a pale gray. “I see. I must evaluate the bounty of information I harvested from your core space, but we will speak again.” Knowledge flickered and faded, slipping back into the primary figure before Evie. “Preliminary findings will be delivered to you all soon.”

“Meanin’ what?” Evie demanded.

“A cursory breakdown of your strengths, weaknesses, and how you can bolster the former while reducing the latter.”

“And my Core Manifestation? You got some sorta plan there?”

“Your Ghosts of the White Wastes has actionable steps to secure, Evie Aren. Many here are in similar positions.”

“Me too?” Beef asked, excitement all but pouring off of him.

“Beefhammer and your Spirit extrusion Hallow…yes. There is a distinct way forward, but details will follow with time. Until then.” Knowledge bowed…and vanished.

“Where’d he go?” Shadow stepped forward, peering around.

His brother pointed down the street. “There!”

Five, enormous houses down the street—at least four hundred yards away—a knot of Legionnaires jumped as a pale Geist appeared in their midst. He strode forward through the startled masses and into the square they’d turned into a temporary Manaship repair bay. Gabby frowned. Already, the Legionnaires down there were starting to raise a ruckus.

“That ain’t good.” Evie reached out and snagged a Legionnaire by the cloak. "Sergeant Vernis.”

“Ma’am?”

Evie scowled but didn’t protest the title. “You got the gist of what’s happenin’ here?”

“I do, ma’am.”

“Then go spread the word to the Talons. Tell them not to fight the Geist. Quick-like!"

“Aye, ma’am!” The middle-aged man took off, trailed by a clutch of other Legionnaires as he disappeared among the throng.

“The construct is moving onto the Talons?” Wendell chuckled. "This will be interesting."

A door slammed open across the street, nearly dislodging the House Nevarre banner that hung from the lintel. Gabby had watched them set the place up, designating the building as a temporary command center, and now the doorway disgorged a string of shell-shocked Legionnaires. Everyone of them had the pin of an officer, but only the Half-Orc at the front had the marks of a captain. And then there was Archie, as well.

He seemed less than pleased.

“Where’s Felix so I can kick his scaly ass?”

“Hello Archie.” Shadow waved from the side. “Sounds like you met Knowledge too.”

“We all did,” the captain said. Loquis, unless Gabby misremembered. He looked beat, but no more so than all the rest. “A whole army of constructs showed up and…” He waggled his fingers dramatically. “Just about laid out every officer all at once.”

“Wait, you saw this ghost too?” Archie’s sour Spirit reeled itself in a bit. He rounded on Shadow. “It wasn’t lying?”

"Yep. We all saw it." Beef said cheerfully. “Not a ghost though.”

"Whatever. Ugh.” Archie rubbed at his temples. “It better have been worth it. Feels like someone shoved a toilet brush into my brain."

Beef laughed. “Gross.”

For his part, Captain Loquis didn’t say much else; he simply gestured for his officers to take a seat in the mess. He followed his own commands, dropping heavily onto an intact bench before gesturing for an ale. He was handed a wide mug by one of his men, and drank deep. "Fiend’s breath! My eyeballs hurt and my teeth feel like they were turned sideways."

Evie plopped onto the bench and leaned against him. "I’ve felt worse."

The captain sighed, but his Spirit was so pleased that Gabby nearly blushed.

"What was it like for you, Loquis?" Kevin asked.

“Aside from the pain? It was over in a blink.” He sipped his drink. “Mostly it just felt like a piece of me got…exposed. I can’t say I liked it. Liked it less when I thought all of my men were laid out. Thankfully we all recovered quick enough.” He set the mug down, his arms carefully not touching Evie. His dark green skin was flushed. “What about all of you? Did having an Omen Path change the experience?”

“Perhaps we were a bit longer,” Elowen mused. “But no more than five seconds.”

Kevin folded his arms. “Gabby was more like ten.”

"Oh, really?" Loquis eyed her up. "Suppose that makes sense. You're damn strong."

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“Strong ain’t got nothing’ to do with it,” Evie said. “Some of us are more twisty than others, though. Beef! Archie! I’m tired of talkin’ about the ghost. What’re your Paths?”

“Oh!” The Minotaur puffed out his chest and stood, arms akimbo. “I chose the Path of the Exulted King.”

“That…sounds sick,” Shadow said with no small amount of awe. “A king Path? That’s gotta boost you more than something simpler, yeah?”

Beef chuckled. “Check it out yourselves.” He swiped his hand. A notification screen rotated into Gabby’s view.

Path of the Exulted King (From Hallow Rise, Hallow Call, Entropic Paradigm, Beastslayer Title, Necromantic Lord Title, Capacity For 300 Risen, Intelligence Exceeds 2000, Willpower Exceeds 2000)

In Lost Ages, those that sought mastery of this Realm claimed Authority over their Domains. That Authority ultimately culminated along the Path of Rule. Yet the choice of power has the greatest of consequences. These rulers sought guidance, and in so doing, they harnessed their own lineages. The exults are the living dead, ancestor spirits bound within the Grand Harmony to sing their wisdom for generations to come. To be king of such beings is to carry the destinies of the past and future upon your shoulders. Stand tall, for duty weighs as much as a mountain, and death is no respite.

+75 Strength And Vitality Per Level, +50 Intelligence And Willpower Per Level, +50% Skill Growth To All Necromantic Skills, +20% Skill Growth To All Body Skills, +300 Control Limit For All Risen, Evolution Of All Tempered Skills, +8 Free Stats Per Level

“Necromantic Lord?” Evie gaped over the notification. “Wait, Intelligence over 1000? Since when!”

“My boy is very smart,” Wendell said, more than a little protectively.

Evie waved off his concern. “Not my point. Intelligence is hard to raise, ‘specially for us front liners. Is this all cuz of your Risen?”

“Basically!” Beef looked utterly pleased at the shocked reactions from everyone, and Gabby couldn’t blame him. Being so big, it was easy to forget how smart people like them were. It was so much simpler to assume Minotaurs—and Gigas—were just big dumb animals. “I’ve been focusing on mage stats since the desert. And the Necromantic Lord was a Legendary Title I earned after assaulting Amaranth with two hundred Eidolon Exults as Risen.”

“Huh.” Evie grinned and punched the boy in the forearm. It was the highest she could reach. “You did good.”

Elowen nodded emphatically. “Truly. The rest of your Path looks exceptional. Your Skills evolved as well?”

“They did! And all my bonuses already earned me new Skill levels just from that short fight at the end.” Beef puffed his chest out even more, enough that Hallow’s crystal armor creaked. “I’m basically an endgame boss now.”

“Eh, not bad. Not as good as mine, though.” Archie flicked his fingers and more notifications rotated into Gabby’s view. “Take a gander at the real hero here.”

Path of the Worldvein (From Primeval Drift, Evasive Gait, Blindsense, Lost In The Crowd, Attractive Born Trait, Delven Race, Legendary Thief Title, Hidden Blade Title, Agility Exceeds 2000, Dexterity Exceeds 1000, Perception Exceeds 3000)

The Delven once plied the earth with ships of silver-blue, slipping between stone and soil with nothing but a whisper and the rush of an ancient darkness. The Green Wilds were young then, and they sang within many Races. The Delven were called by something deeper and more ancient than the Wilds. The Worldvein—the Primordial Stone upon which all of the Continent was built as the ancient Sea was banished from its shores. The heart of the Realm, its Path was Lost along with the people who walked it, but the steadfast power of its presence still sings to those who know how to listen.

+50 Perception, Agility, And Dexterity Per Level, +40% Growth To All Earth Attuned Skills, -20% Cost To All Earth Attuned Skills, -25% Chance To Be Noticed, Evolution Of All Tempered Skills, +20 Free Stats Per Level

“Worldvein,” Elowen murmured excitedly. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Archie shrugged. “Me either, but that’s not the good bit. Didn’t you see the bonuses?”

“What’s Primordial Stone?” Beef asked, looking around. “Is it the same as the Primordial monsters?”

Archie waved his hands in the air. “Hello? I got all my Tempered Skills Evolved too!”

“I don’t think we’re supposed to call them monsters,” Wendell admonished gently.

Kevin nodded. “Felix.”

“Plus fifty points to Perception, Agility and Dexterity? That’s huge!”

“He doesn’t care,” Evie swiped away Archie’s notification. “And the flesh cursed ones are monsters. Ain’t no two ways about that.”

Archie folded his arms and sat down. “You all suck.”

“You, ah—” Gabby grasped for something to say. “You have a lot of Earth attuned Skills?”

“Hm? Oh. Yeah. Almost all of them are, in some way or another. I didn’t pick an element to attune like most folks—I’m more like Felix. Free agent.” He leaned against his table, propping his head up with a hand.

“Does the growth boost and cost reduction work on Skills that aren’t strictly attuned to one element?”

“Less than it says. But this was my best option. The other ones were all based around stabbing and stealing.” Archie pulled a face, something between a grimace and sneer. “I might not be the kindest or the most compassionate of guys, but I’m not out here trying to be a murder machine.”

“I know the feeling.”

Archie looked up at her. His Spirit was clenched tight but he seemed…pensive. “Yeah. Suppose you do.”

“Oh! We’re all braggin’ but we haven’t heard from the strongest of us,” Evie said, leaning forward across the table toward Gabby. “What in damnation was that thing you did against the Echo?”

“Brightblade Crescendo,” Gabby said, and felt a tingle at her center. The evolved Skill had a hairtrigger—almost like it wanted to manifest.

“Your weapon summonin’ Skill?”

“It’s a bit different now.”

"I didn't quite see it on account of doing all the fighting. It was big and flashy, but by the time I looked, it was done. I heard it did a number on the Echo."

"It worked well enough,” Gabby said.

“Well enough?” Wendell scoffed. "I was throwing explosions at that thing left and right. I pulped some of its limbs, but it kept regrowing. You swung that giant weapon once and it couldn't pull itself back together. Whatever Path you chose must be really strong.”

“Your Path is cool too, dad.”

The big Lizard wrapped a giant hand around Beef’s shoulders, looking just like a father and son for all their different Races. Wendell was twice the size of Beef, even in their new Bodies. “You don’t have to butter me up, kiddo. The Path of the Engineer is extremely cool, but it wasn’t meant for battle. Not like hers.”

"Oh, please Gabby," Kevin said. "Can you show us your Path too?”

All at once, everyone was looking at her and Gabby had to fight to keep from leaving the mess hall. Beneath her armor, her skin crawled and her scalp felt hot and itchy. “Uhm. It’s called the Path of the Auric.”

"Sounds fancy," Evie said through a mouthful of bread. "What’s it do?”

A faint, very distant part of her recoiled from the question. Imara had been banished, but so much of Gabby had been her that she doubted the Titan would ever go away. Gabby steeled her Will and pushed past the urge for caution and distrust and, just as the rest, she flicked her fingers and sent her notification to everyone.