Chapter 78a: Settling Off

Chapter 78a: Settling Off

So youre sure that this wont hurt, wont permanently fuse us together into some kind of abomination, wont create an utterly unbreakable bond between us, wont corrupt me into something else, wont turn me into your eternal servant

Yes! Blight, Edwin, why are you so worried? Youre usually so much more willing to go along with this sort of thing, Inion cut him off with a cocky grin.

Edwin rolled, Well normally you arent about to perform a ritual to bind yourself to my literal body.

Its not a binding ritual, its a magical ritual meant to transfer my binding point from the spring to the fey-primed Skill which manifests in across your body.

That explanation literally included both the words ritual and binding in it.

Did it? Hmm. Well, thats on your language for not having adequate vocabulary, then.

We dont he sighed, Never mind.

It may not have made Edwin feel any better, but he was already sitting half-reclined in Inions pond, Feys Caress at full bore turning his skin and hair to water, while the fey was flitting around, arranging floating plants in an approximate circle around him, And youre certain this wont have any negative consequences for me in the long run?

No matter how many times hed done it, he wasnt sure if hed ever get used to being able to see his muscles exposed through his skin. Anatomy loved it, naturally- in the week it had taken to get him prepared for this, it had already passed level 20, higher than even Flying had reached and he used that constantly.

Yes! Now, calm down or something might actually go wrong.

Youre not doing a very good job of reassuring me, you know.

Oh, youll be fine. Its only for a few hours anyway.

The idea was simple, apparently. While Inion was bound to her spring, sharply limited in power anywhere else, she could change the exact target for her binding relatively easily if it wasnt a major change- namely, something of the same type of material and in close proximity. With a Skill that allowed him to change the composition of his skin, Edwin could sit in her pond and be about as minor of a change as possible. Theoretically. Assuming nothing went wrong.

Of course, that still meant that Inion would be literally bound to him, physically as well as contractually, which Edwin still wasnt sure how to process. Still, once they left the Verdant, and the magic-disrupting barrier which surrounded it, Inion planned to bind to a river, possibly even the Rhothos itself, and leave him once again to his own skin.

Hed even required an oath as binding as he could sufficiently wrangle that Inion would not harm him in any way during the transfer, and that she would leave him as soon as she could, making all reasonable effort to ensure that as soon as she could came around quickly. Friend or not, Inion was not human and it was a constant struggle to remind himself of that, despite how critical it was that he did.

Even so, he was nervous. Inion may have been his only friend in the world and even seemed to genuinely care about his well-being, and was magically obligated to not harm him, but none of those precluded accidents.

He screwed his eyes shut as Inion sang a melodious song without lyric or rhyme, keeping them closed as tightly as possible until the itching in his watery skin and the sound around him faded away. He peeked out with a single eye, Did it work? he hazarded.

Ya! Youre good! Inion cheerfully exclaimed, pulling him from the water.

Edwin breathed a sigh of relief as Feys Caress faded away upon his exit from the pond, returning his skin to its normal, solid and opaque state. He could feel power coursing through him, magical strength flowing through his limbs and torso in a new way that was both disquieting and reassuring at the same time.

Congratulations! For willingly serving as a Bind for an ancient fey, you have unlocked the Fey Supplicant path!

Congratulations! For fusing yourself with an ancient fey, you have unlocked the Feykind path!



Level Up!

Feys Caress Level 16 28

He mentioned how he felt to Inion as he dressed, and she nodded thoughtfully, That that sounds about right? I know there are some fey- we call them fairies- who choose to bind themselves closely to mortals. Those they tie themselves to tend to get some interesting abilities. Ive heard of eternal youth, the ability to fly, some transformations, that sort of thing. I doubt youll really get too much that way, cause youre not a true Bind and it wont last for very long, but its not impossible either. Just part of the magic involved- I become more like you, you become more like me.

Edwin nodded. Sounded rather fun, all told, and trying to call up his mana was significantly easier than it had been previously. At the mention of flight, he took to the air, reveling in the comparative river of mana he was able to call upon, letting him rise some two meters into the air, a good four times higher than his normal limit, Pity! he called back down, I could get used to this.

Oh? You want me to keep you as a bind?

Sure but last time I wasnt half fey.

Youre not half fey. Youre fey-adjacent.

Still not sure how much of an impact that has, though.

Edwin vaguely mumbled some kind of agreement and brought his hand up towards where the barrier apparently was and felt no resistance.

Huh. Guess it still doesnt affect me, he noted, uneventfully stepping out of the forest. You having trouble there? he asked Inion, who was slowly struggling against the fierce wind keeping her penned inside.

I can got it! she stumbled forward as she pushed through the resistance, recovering her balance before she fell in the dirt, fortunately without needing Edwins help- if he had tried, who knew how his backpack would react, and he did not want to have to repack it all. It was easier that time, she remarked, brushing imaginary dirt from her arms.

Glad you have it so easy, Edwin wryly replied, Id hate to see you have to work.

Inion stuck her tongue out at him as they floated to the road, and Edwin drew his tone into a more serious one, checking in on his friend, But youre feeling alright? No water deprivation or sensation of slowly dying?

She shook her head, Nope. It feels more like Im in Obairlann, other than the lower magic out here.

Edwin frowned, trying to sense the mana in their surroundings. It did feel rather anemic, and was only made more obvious by directing his Perception towards the task. Using Ritual Intuition, too, there was little of the feel of nature he had come to associate with his surroundings. Instead, it felt more like a faint breeze tapping at the edge of his senses. There was still a hint of life and nature, but it felt like sprawling grasslands rather than the greenhouse-like sensation within the Verdant, Huh. I think I can feel what you mean.

As they reached the road, Edwin sank back to the ground, taking the strain off of Flight.

Level Up!

Flight Level 18 21

Ritual Intuition Level 14 16

Fast leveling or no, the Skill still had a strain on him that was just tiring. Granted, he could probably keep it up for most of the day thanks to his Stamina and Mana, but doing so would be like if he spent the entire day hiking pre-System. Meanwhile, walking essentially didnt tire him in the slightest. He had plenty of time to level Flight, after all.

He wasnt planning to try and reach Tier 3 until his Alchemy was at least level 120 and he got Alchemy Specialist. By then, Flight and what it evolved into would have had more than enough time to hit level 60, he was sure. Hed make sure to use it as much as possible to help speed it along, but he wasnt pushing himself that fast anymore.

Besides, he could use the Skills existence as a Path lightning rod to give him security when completing Attribute-granting Paths, giving him another shot to unlock them before he went for the full Tier 3 jump.

He felt much more confident now in his ability to take care of himself. Not only did he have an actual defensive Skill- two if he counted Feys Caress- but he had Health, First Aid in the 80s, and a whole suite of health potions. He could take a few bumps, even if he couldnt return the favor.

So how does it work, when you bind to something like the Rhothos? How does it compare to your pond? he asked as they walked down the road.

Ill be stronger once Im bonded to it than with my pond, but itll also be less localized. Basically, I get more freedom and more power!

Edwin raised an eyebrow, Then why werent you bonded to it before, if its so much better?

Eh, she waved her hand dismissively, Aenliss had bonded to its spring so she had a strong claim to it. With whatever is keeping the Verdant separate though, the main riverll be unclaimed, just for me!

What if another naiad is already bonded to it, though?

No big deal. The river is big enough to support loads of fey as proper river spirits. Itll just mean the power is divided up some. Still great for me, and still with loads of mobility.

So again why didnt you do this earlier?

Because I had people visiting me, thats why. I enjoyed having my own little cult who came and asked me for wisdom and stuff. I was a big deal back when, Ill have you know!

Sure you were. Edwin replied, placating her in a manner he knew would irk her pride, speeding up as he did so.

I was! Oh, come on. Dont be like that. Edwin! Edwiiiinnnnn!