Chapter Six Hundred And Eighty – 680

Chapter Six Hundred And Eighty – 680

The inner bailey of Fortress Fenwald was the largest portion of the structure by far, easily taking up six football fields worth of space at the base of the mountain. Raised up from the swamps that clung tight to the broken walls, it was one of the few places dry enough to accommodate the sheer number of tents, cookfires, and people that had followed the Daynes into the mountain fastness. Yet despite their numbers, a large portion of the inner bailey was left completely empty.

Felix had learned that the Dragoons had been using the space to perform drills and spars, but for the past few days, the venerable warriors had withdrawn into themselves, meeting in closed-door conferences as the machinery of war began to turn in earnest. The Daynes were already dispatching scouts, and Harns work in the forge had grown as he and his helpers got busy repairing everything from breastplates to wagon axles.

On this particular morning, the fourth since coming to Fenwald, Felix had claimed the field. Or rather, his students had.

Two spars were underway, each of them ferocious. The first was well beyond the capacity of the refugees to even perceive, except when the two Companions came to a momentary stop between movements.

Pit versus Hallow. Its an interesting match up, Felix mused. He sat atop a high wall on the central keep, watching and providing input when needed. That wasnt often.

Pit was in his Dire Hound form, mostly out of convenience. He could still access all his stats and Skills with his Mask on, but his maneuverability was much improved. As a Primordial Storm Tyrant he could turn on a dime, but the chances of him swiping his foxtail into a row of tents was too high to risk. Now he dodged around a hail of crystalline dartseach of them larger than his entire false Body. Pit was managing with ease, however, and his Spirit thrummed with confidence.

Hallow was a bit more frenetic. She had grown by over a foot thanks to all the Mana crystals theyd found in the False Nests, not to mention the other materials she'd scavenged in the swamp. Since Harn had discovered a bounty of precious metals in the forge, shed also been fed a steady diet of mithril and orichalcum chips. Whatever small pieces Harn could spare.

All in all, she had cracked five feet just that morning, and the effect on the rest of her physique was impressive. Her normally lumpy and vaguely humanoid form had been refined. Smooth, metal-flecked stone stretched across her torso and down her limbs. Her hands, normally large clubs, had become stubby fingers and a rudimentary thumb. Her face, of course, was still roughly oval, but a vague face had been shaped into it. Her mouth was a simple slash in the stone and her nose was an overly large lump, but her hair and eyes were formed of delicately shaped Mana crystals. Glowing blackened-green, they were the most striking thing about the Homunculus, at least until she ejected a fan of darts from her forearms.

Pit dodged them again, hopping continuously as the daggers embedded themselves into the soft soil of the inner bailey.

"You'll have to do better than that," Pit taunted.

Hollow did not answer, but her glowing eyes narrowed as dart after dagger-sized dart followed the agile hound. Finally, Pit stumbled, stepping on the ground and finding only jagged crystal everywhere.

Felix leaned over, peering down. Clever.

Pit, clearly realizing that he'd been cornered by his own evasiveness, rushed toward the Homunculus. But Hollow wasn't done yet.

"Hollow Call!" she shouted.

Her voice was an echo of many, a hundred tones all at once. At the edges of the inner bailey, where the swamp still reigned, five Lurkwood Crawlers emerged. They were still very slow, especially compared to Pit, but their vines were long and far faster. They shot at the tenku, five dozen all at once, and Pit had

Dawns Advent!

Crescents of golden light burst from the Dire Hounds mouth, huge arcs of solid Mana that sliced easily through the tendril vines. Pit landed, dodging three more before biting through a fourth. He ran to the side in a burst of speed, chased by another volley of vines.

Pits Dawns Advent is level 83!

Oh, but Pits clever too.

From his vantage point, Felix saw what Hallow could not; the Crawler vines blocked her view. Under the cover of the swarming tendrils, Pit activated his Gloaming Shroud and all but vanishedbefore racing under them entirely.

Tap.

Pits paw met Hollow's chest gently, and his shroud dropped. "You lose," he said, grinning cheerfully.

All at once the tension in Hollow's frame evaporated and she sagged to the ground. "You are too fast.

I am, Pit said, puffing out his little doggy chest. But you're getting better.

Her lumpy head looked up at him, hopeful. "Am I?"

Pit nodded. Totally are. Your tactics are smart and youre faster at using them. I had to use three different Skills to get close to you. When we started, I didnt use any.

Hallow straightened slightly. Oh. That is encouraging to hear.

Archie moved at the same time the Beef stomped his hoof.

"Entropic Paradigm!"

"Stoneswim!"

A wall of chitin burst from the ground, six feet thick and ten feet wide, but Archie slipped through it. Clearly expecting that, Beef swung his hammer, activating one of Bedlam's key features.

The hammer's icy head shot out a wave of force, striking Archie head on. The Delven blanched as he turned instantly solid and the chitin wall behind him flexed dangerously...before spitting him out like a rocket. Directly at Beef.

"AH!" Beef slapped the flying thief out of the air and into the soft ground, where he bounced once and went still. "Oh shoot, Archie are...are you okay?"

For a long, terrifying second the man didn't make a sound, forcing Felix to activate his Voracious Eye. He wasn't gentle about it either, raking his attention across the man's Aspects and subsequently drawing a shuddering gasp from his shell shocked lungs. Felix sighed in relief. Alive, just hurt.

"GAHH!" Archie managed, flopping on the soft grass like a fish. "EUGH GRAH!"

"Wh-what?"

"You hit me!" Archie wheezed. "We said no hitting!"

"I didn't mean to! You shot at my face!"

"Bah." Archie rolled to his feet, his breathing ragged but under control. It was clear that Beef had knocked the wind out of him. He looked back at the half-collapsed wall of chitin. The spot where he'd passed through was blown outward, as if a cannonball had shot through it. "What the fu"

My Disruption activated, Beef explained. It only has a forty-five percent chance of working, but I hoped it would. It interrupted your Skill.

While I was in the middle of a wall? Archie spun back on Beef. I couldve been cut in half!

Beef paled. I didnt even think of that.

Huh. Does that happen every time its canceled with him part-way through? Felix chewed his lip. Can we test that?

He mentally marked it down on a growing list of training exercises for the Unbounds. The list had grown substantially since hed made the decision to accelerate their growth back in the swamps, and they were both doing well. In just the last day, Beef had hit Adept Tier with his Mind and Spirit, and he was a few short levels away from completing his Body as well.

For his Mind, his taunting skill Desperate Provocation, Hallow Call, and Mental Resistance had been Tempered. Whats more, Mental Resistance had evolved, becoming Necrotic Insight, a Rare Skill that provided him mental protection, insight into the provenance of other necromantic creatures, and even how suitable a corpse was to Raise. It was a great Skill, and tailor made for the musclebound necromancer.

The System called it a Malignant Mind, which didnt sound good, but it had boosted Beefs Intelligence and Willpower immensely, as well as his Perception, Vitality, and Alacrity.

His Spirit was Tempered with Hallow Rise, Entropic Paradigm, and Seismic Shatter. The potency of his new Transcendent Skill had impacted his Spirit Formation far more than the Rare Necrotic Insight had affected his Mind, and he had formed a Deathseeker Spirit. It had greatly boosted his Willpower, Vitality, and Strength, while also increasing his Might, Intent, and Affinity.

All of that had made Beef a force to be reckoned with, as Archie had seen.

Archie, meanwhile, had pressed his Body into Adept Tier, but his Mind and Spirit lagged behind considerably. His Body was composed of Fanblade, Evasive Gait, and Scale the Castle, the last of which was a specialized climbing Skill that he apparently relied on when Stoneswim ran outta juice. All in all, they were solid Skills, and resulted in the guy forming a Labyrinthine Body, which mainly boosted Archies Strength, Endurance, Perception, and Dexterity, while minorly improving Agility, Might, and Felicity.

It was a good Body, especially as it bolstered stats that Archie had neglected for far too long. The Endurance boost alone had ensured that the Delven had even been able to keep up with Beef today, despite the fact that his Strength wasnt enough to compete with the Minotaur.

They both have a long way to go, but were getting there. Just a few more days and they would fully Temper into Adept, Felix was sure of it. After that, the others would be ready and theyd head down into the lowlands. Toward PaxVrell. If nothing else, fighting a few thousand Hierocratic soldiers would get the levels flowing.

Felix found pushing the two Unbound to be extremely rewarding, but it had the distinct effect of delaying his own experimentation and growth in favor of theirs. It was necessary and very worth it, but there was a part of him that chafed at how slow Beef and Archie were leveling. Not only that, but hed hoped to foster a sense of camaraderie between the two of them; he hadnt been blind to the way Beef tended to mope around, or how Archie was just a general dick to everyone. Trained together, he hoped they could find common ground.

Or maybe even a friend.

Down below, the two Unbound had been invited to share a meal with a few of the displaced villagers. Felix was surprised at first, but entirely happy to see it. Beef was saying something that had the men around him laughing, and several of the children were staring at Archie like he was a ghost. Yet instead of getting annoyed, as Felix expected, the thief smiled at the kids and showed them his molten daggers. Their faces lit up.

Huh. Felix sat back, listening to the pleasant hum of Archies Spirit. The guy was annoyed, but it was a thin veneer atop a deeper rhythm ofcontentment. Well, thats encouraging.