Unbound

Chapter Eight Hundred And Forty Two - 842

"Are you certain about this, my Lord?"

Felix glanced at Master Tier walking beside him. The man was in his forties, with a splash of gray salting his brown hair at the temples, but he was tall and broad shouldered beneath his dark brown robes and chain of office.

"Did you have somewhere better to go, Caron?"

"Er, no, sir."

Felix made sure to smile. "I know you're nervous, but this’ll work out. It is just so unlike what we've done before. When Grandmaster Umber still lived, he was dead set upon claiming the Violet's throne."

"And you didn't agree with that?"

Caron shook his head. "No. How did you know?"

Felix shrugged. "Just a feeling. The same one that makes me sure that you and your mages will be a great asset to Wellspring Keep." He gestured to the armored guards behind them. "The Umber Hulks, too.”

Since the Umber Tower contained the Shadowgate, Felix was intent on incorporating it into Wellspring Keep. He could have simply forced the issue. After all, he had lifted the Tower from its resting place and attached it to the Keep already. There was little the Umber mages could do against that, mainly because the Umber Tower had no Grandmaster—Not since the Violet Tower assassinated him. Master mage Caron had been running the day-to-day operations ever since.

Thankfully, Caron was a reasonable sort of guy and not much interested in violent confrontation. Felix was glad for that—he’d had his fill of fighting, at least for the day. It had only taken them an hour to hash out a deal between the Umber and the Warden. Felix thought it a fitting proposition and Caron had agreed: earth mages to watch over the mountain as the primary guardians of the Keep. The mages were excited and the Umber Hulks were even been given leave to recruit for their order, something they hadn't been able to afford for the last decade.

The mages would also be responsible for the care of the Spirit Tree, and Felix took that very seriously. Ourea's primary attunements were to earth, shadow, and life, so Felix saw it as a natural fit. The various Grandmasters, of course, had been fussed about the appointment, but now that they had all agreed to unite as a singular entity under Wellspring Keep, their objections rang hollow.

Those negotiations had been mostly one-sided.

The rest of the Towers, while technically under the auspices of the Warden as well, were to answer to Chancellor Vilas Tern. The old Elf had fought the appointment, but he was clearly the only person for the job. Felix trusted him more than any of the other mages in town, and Tern had a reputation that commanded respect even from rival Towers.

Formally rival Towers, he corrected himself.

In the end, the negotiations had been the easy part. The managing of the day-to-day factions and tensions, however...that was Tern's problem now.

Hopefully I scared them enough to make his job easier. Eating all of their remnant Oaths right in front of their eyes had gone a long way to quelling their attitudes.

It had also boosted his Skein of Fate.

Skein of Fate is level 129!

Grandmaster Tier!

You Gain:+300 RES

+200 REI

+200 FEL

Felix sighed, reveling in the sensation of Aspects that didn't feel explosively tense. He felt so much better and relaxed, his stats more or less under control, that even Tiering up with another Skill into Grandmaster didn't upset his internal balance.

They kept walking, Caron silent at his side, while mages and guards followed behind. They moved together through the Keep's halls, winding through the labyrinthine passages as they made their way toward the fully incorporated Umber Tower. As they went, they passed quite a few other mages. Masters and Adepts of all colors were eagerly checking out the architecture and wards inscribed into the halls all around them, while Apprentices streamed by in long lines carrying boxes and bins of personal items. It was moving day.

All of them noticed Felix as he moved through, some bowing awkwardly as he passed, while others scurried away to hide behind arches and towering columns. Felix didn't care much either way. The only thing he didn't want was people coming up and talking to him. Thankfully, Caron was great at being quiet.

It was nice, even if it wouldn't last.

As Felix approached the vault beneath the Umber Tower, a Legionnaire captain hustled up to his side. "Sir?”

"Captain Tellen. What’ve you found?"

"Sir, as you expected, the other Towers have given some resistance on acquiring their libraries."

"Which ones in particular?"

"Carmine and Aquamarine, mostly, but Cadmium and Verdant have proven reluctant to allow us into their archives as well."

Felix wasn't surprised. He expected pushback when it came to their long-held secrets, but knowledge was something that all of them needed. "I'll make sure to have the Chancellor speak with them. Caron. Can I rely on you to provide backup to the Chancellor, if need be?"

That eagerness did not abate by a single iota.

Felix smiled, "Then let's begin.”

Authority Recognized!

Elder Spirit Tree Acknowledged!

Do You Wish To Bind The Ourea Anima To Your Heart Of Darkness?

WARNING!

This Binding Is Irrevokable.

All Choices Have Consequences.

Y/N

Yes.

The notification vanished with the sound of screeching violins and shattering stone, while in the vast distance, cymbals rolled like thunder. Felix gritted his teeth and needles tore at his skin, pressing into muscle and bone before an arctic chill clung to his marrow. Sharp pain bypassed every resistance he had, and as before, Felix welcomed the agony. It drilled through the center of him as the Shadowgate pulsed.

A high pitched creaking came from all around him, alarming Darius and his men almost as much as the black vapor that poured off of every root.

“Felix!” Darius bellowed. “What are you doing?”

He ignored them all. Instead, Felix’s attention was consumed by the dire sensation of stretching, as if a piece of himself was pressing down deeper through unyielding stone. It broke—him or the stone, Felix was unsure—and his awareness was shaken.

He was not the only one.

Smoking, obsidian roots leaped from the walls, growing fast across the vault before latching onto the edges of his Shadowgate. Black lines on darkness, they grew past the textured gate and into the vast beyond.

There was a sensation across Felix's Mind, Body, and Spirit that felt like compaction. Roots delved into the Shadowgate, into him, like deep, dark soil. They spread through the liminal tunnel that was the Shadowgate, pouring power through root and connection like hands reaching across a vast distance.

A flash of light caught Felix's Mind.

Opalescent, it mingled with obsidian like fingers intertwining, that dark soil pressed tight, bound fast by innumerable roots from both sides. A flower bloomed, dew collected on its petals. A soft breeze sent its fragrance wafting through verdant halls.

Atlantes. She wants to help.

Affirmation filled him like water through parched stalks.

The Atlantes Anima Accepts!

The Ourea Anima Is Now Bound To Your Heart Of Darkness!

The Atlantes Anima Is Empowered!

Your Heart Of Darkness Has Been Reinforced By The Green Wilds!

The Song Resonates!

The Way Is Held Firm!

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I...think that means we succeeded.

The pain vanished, and Felix found himself on his knees before the Shadowgate. That was a little bit concerning. He had no recollection of ever falling. He stood and found the Shadowgate...changed. It was still a work of art carved from many precious stones and covered in sigildry, but now it was wrapped up in obsidian roots that bound it to the walls and floor. They melded with the stone so well that even to Felix's eye, it looked like the Shadowgate had been hewn from the Tree itself.

"Thank you," he murmured to the Tree. He reached out and patted one of its obsidian roots, and a sensation of warm sunlight rolled across his face. "Yeah, you did good."

"That was quite the show," Darius said from behind him. His voice had an edge that matched the sword propped on his shoulder. "What in damnation did you do?"

Felix turned away from the dark gate and smiled. "I cleared the way home. Gather everyone up. We're leaving."