Chapter Three Hundred And Eighty Four – 384
Two hours later, Felix saw the Henaari and mage off to a meal and bed, the lot of them too drained of Stamina and Mana to do much more than shovel in food and pass out. Palin was still up, serving her food and ensuring everyone had gotten something. That included Felix, apparently, as the stout woman shoved a bowl of stew roughly into his hands before prowling away.
Still mad at me for the Paladins, he thought as he sipped his stew. Well let her be mad. At least she's aliveoh whoa. This is really good.
The stew was a savory mix of blue root vegetables and marbled meats, worked heavily with some sort of earthy spice. The broth was a pale orange which was weird, but so long as he closed his eyes he couldn't deny its delicious flavor. Felix managed to wolf down four entire helpings before his stomach began to protest and Pit, of all people, dragged him away to bed.
Which is how Felix found himself lying atop a snoring chimera, entirely wide awake in spite of his aching Body. Pit was dead to the world, stuffed even more than Felix and taxed by their use of the Fiendforge. It hadn't been too apparent in the moment, but all the strain and struggle Felix had undergone within Atar and then Evie's core space, Pit had experienced as well. In fact, it was thanks to their Etheric Concordance that Felix had the Intent and Affinity available to spare. And though the tenku had been protected within Felix's Spirit, the burden of all those forces was impossible to deny.
Long story short, Pit deserved his rest. And so did Felix. He just couldn't get any.
"Fuck." Felix stood up in a frustrated huff, careful not to jostle his Companion too much. Pit merely grunted and tucked his huge wings a little tighter into his sides. Felix spent a moment, just staring down at him.
You're up. Go do something useful.
A voice in the back of his head urged Felix toward action. It wasn't a real voicehe'd had enough of the Maw to be an expert on thatbut behavior that he couldn't quite shake. He'd spent nearly every moment of his life on the Continent in some sort of peril, bouncing from conflict to conflict, dire straights to crumbling precipices...it felt strange to sit still. He'd had the same issue back in his Stronghold, and he'd often find himself working on alchemy or tweaking their defenses. Here, in the middle of the wilderness, Felix didn't have those options, not in the same way at least. But there was something he had been putting off.
He walked out of the chamber, tossing aside the thin cloth doorway. Two Henaari Dawnguard, eight Legionnaires, and two Risi were standing guard in the corridor outside, and all of them snapped to rigid attention as he walked out.
"Why...what are you doing?" he asked.
A four foot tall Goblin in boiled leather armor saluted him, fist to heart. "Sir. We were told to keep you safe by Commander Harn."
"Really." Felix Eyed them all, noting their levels and feeling the shape of their advancement. All of them were pushing into upper Apprentice Tier, though the Henaari and giants were closest. The Goblin, named Rog, bore a blue eye outlined in red-gold flame on his breastplate. It sat opposite the insignia for the Bones society of his Legion. "You're the...captain?"
"Aye sir. Captain Rog, sir," the Goblin saluted again, harder. "Commander Harn told us to stick close to you, sir. We're the Fiend's Shadows."
Felix looked at everyone else. He felt a vague sense of annoyance from the Risi and amusement from the Henaari, but not much. The other Legionnaires, another Bone, two Blades, two Fists, and two Arclights. Two of every group...Fiend's Shadows. Who came up with that name?
"Fine. Just keep up," he said, and started moving.
Felix's Agility was quite high, and while it meant his body moved easier and with greater speed, he would not be able to use it properly were it not for his enhanced Perception, Intelligence, and Dexterity. Moving fast, after all, meant his ability to react and adjust had to keep up, otherwise he'd end up face first in a wall somewhere. Thankfully, the use of stats was a lot like a muscle in that you had to "flex" it to enjoy the maximum affect of all the points you'd invested. That meant most folks could walk around and interact with others without issue, no real fear of crushing hands in greeting or leaping over a house when you meant to hop a puddle. Felix...Felix's stats had risen quite high however. So while Felix only meant for a brisk jog toward his destination, it wasn't until he stopped outside a switchback path deeper into the Warren that he realized his Shadows were several turns behind him.
Ugh. "Down here," he called out, before descending the path. They'd either catch up or not.
Down below, the pressure from the Leviathan was more pronounced, even for him. He slowed to a walk, unwilling to further strain his Body, but there wasn't far to go.
"Klzix," Felix said. He walked into a rib-vaulted chamber, the same one he'd desperately fought the transformed shaman in, and found the Yttin clicking excitedly to a group of his bandaged brethren.
"Felix," the shaman said in greeting. Then he bowed. "Or perhaps I should call you Autarch? How might I help you?"
Casually letting his senses drift over the Yttin assembled, Felix smiled. "Funny you should mention that. You've told me that you struggle out here. Supplies, relations with Ahkestria, fighting off the undead...what if I could make that easier?"
Klzix tilted his head and his copper eyes gleamed. "Please explain."
"Have you ever heard of the nation of Nagast?"
Congratulations, Autarch!
You Have Recruited A Faction!
The Yttin (Beastsworn) Have Joined Your Fledgling Nation!
+25% To All Positive Relations With Yttin!
Negotiation is level 27!
...
Negotiation is level 33!
Oathbinding is level 36!
Felix walked away from the shaman about as happy as he could be; recruiting them into his loose federation of peoples was a goal the moment he realized their vulnerability and worth. They might have been creepy, but he'd noticed quick and precise movements were consistent among every single one. They were all high Apprentices, and quite a few had broken into Journeyman Tier. The shaman himself had settled into near-Adept after recovering from his mutation. They were strong.
More than that, they knew the desert better than anyone. That would help them now and into the future, when trade was more of a concern for their growing nation. Now was the more pressing concern, of course. Atar had been guiding them capably, but only moments after affirming their new relationship Klzix had dropped knowledge that had changed their plans entirely.
There were tunnels under the desert.
"And they're safe?" Felix asked.
The shaman shrugged his thin shoulders, each of his back-bound limbs wriggling. "Nothing is truly safe. The tunnels were built long, long ago, before the sea vanished and our people were slaughtered. Many have collapsed, but those that haven't are warded by ancient sigaldry to remain water tight and dry even beneath the waves."
Now they all ran beneath the sand dunes, but that made little difference. "And they will lead us to Ahkestria?"
"Yes. The Latticeways were trade roads, and all roads here lead to the City. That does not mean they are easy to navigate, however. The tunnels are a dense web, tangled in many cases, and collapses have made that worse."
"Can you guide us, then?" Felix asked.
"No." The denial had been swift and emphatic. "We do not near Ahkestria. Not any longer. It is unsafe for our kind."
Felix froze in mid-step and stared at the shaman. The guy barely came up to his waist, but the stone-certainty that poured off of him was unnerving. "Why is it unsafe?"
"We are a memory of what once was," Klzix said. He sighed, an exhale filled with rapid clicks. "A few of my kind live beneath the City, but it is not a life any should desire. The comforts of the City are denied us, for our cores swirl with the ancient waters, and That Which Burns does not appreciate the reminder."
Urges. I need to ask Atar about this Highest Flame. I have a feeling they will be a problem.
"But if you have one that can read the earth veins, then that will guide your way to Ahkestria."
Atar could do that, Felix thought. "Thank you, Klzix. I appreciate the information."
"And I appreciate the offer of trade and resources...my Lord." The shaman bowed again. "We will serve as we are able, until the Beast comes to render our world undone."
"...Right." That had been a sticking point with the Oath he'd had them take, and was likely the reason he'd earned a level in the Oathbinding Skill. He didn't usually for these oaths of service. The Yttin would serve in honor and Skill in exchange for protection and resources, following him until their dying breath...or until the Beast arrived, which would sever all bonds and "forge them anew." Whatever that meant. Felix had a sneaking suspicion the Beast had something to do with the Primordial, though. "We are looking to leave the moment the sun sets. Where is the entrance to these tunnels?"
The shaman pointed down.
"Into the belly of the Leviathan, I suppose," Felix said, and laughed.
Klzix did not. He merely nodded. "Yes."
Shortly before dusk, the company set out. Or, the Fiend's Claw, as nearly everyone was now referring to their group. Felix hadn't the foggiest who had come up with the name, or how it had spread so fast, but he had to fight the urge to roll his eyes every single time he heard it. Each group within the Claw was further identified as a Talon: the Dawnguard, the Risi, the Legion, his original team, and Felix himself. Pit was included with Felix, for obvious reasons.
If nothing else, I haven't heard nearly as much bickering from everyone, Felix mused. He'd take his victories where he could.
The Claw followed Felix and the Yttin shaman down into the deepest levels of the Warren, where the pressure from its ancient significance was a literal assault on their Aspects. The majority of the Talons had to be carted in their wagons, and those wagons had to be pulled by Harn or Vess or Felix himself as someone led the trembling avum by hand. The passages were barely wide enough for said wagons too, and they had to disassemble them several times to get through the narrower corridors in the depths. Eventually, Klzix brought them to a large door approximately thirty feet wide and twice that in height. It bore carvings of beautiful aquatic creatures swimming across its surface, with a complex insignia emblazoned in the very center. It looked like three waves chasing themselves in a circle, centered atop a spiraling shell.
Klzix ran his fingers across the door's surface, setting hidden sigils alight. Felix's Manasight tracked them as they activated and sent pulses of power through the stone's surprisingly complex interior. Mechanisms moved within, turned by magic but very much mechanical in nature, until the doors cracked open with a soft boom.
Their torches fluttered wildly as the air was sucked into the yawning darkness beyond.
Exploration is level 64!
"What're the odds that we fight a shiny new abomination tonight?" Evie asked. "Two silver says we get attacked."
"Two silver on it not happening," Atar said, sounding a bit tired.
"Five silver on more undead," Alister offered. His voice had an edge, an echo of their sparring matches. "I hope so at least."
The shaman shook his small, bandaged head. "No, beasts and monstrosities are kept from these tunnels by the wards."
"And the collapsed sections you spoke of?" Vess asked. "The wards would have failed there, yes?"
"That is true, but there are few fallen tunnels near us. To have wandered so far afield as to threaten your journey..." the shaman shrugged. "It is not impossible."
The lot of them pushed into the tunnel, which proved to resemble nothing so much as a modern highway. The floors were a pale stone, formed so seamlessly that Felix was certain they were Shaped, and the walls were made of an identical material interspersed every dozen feet with thick, dark metal arches. At Felix's approach, the arches glimmered, revealing a smattering of sigils inscribed along their lengths. Together they released a soft glow that approximated a dim sort of sunlight.
"Wow," he said.
The remainder of the Claw was brought from above. The most significant feature of the Latticeways was an incidental one: the moment any of them passed through the threshold, the pressure from the Leviathan's bones vanished completely. Arrivals were announced with gasps and groans of relief, until the entire Claw was once more whole. Wagons reassembled and teams re-hitched, Felix bid farewell to the shaman.
"I appreciate the help," he said.
"It costs me nothing to aid you, my Lord, and I owe you a debt of gratitude that cannot be repaid lightly." Klzix touched his chest gingerly, where once chitinous monster flesh had adorned him. "Until the Beast ends it all."
"Until then," Felix said with a nod.
Their journey continued, into the dark Latticeway tunnels at full speed. Thankfully, the glow of inscriptions provided a constant illumination that followed their company as the progressed deeper along the path. Ahead arches would ignite, while behind the last of the the arches would persist with their radiance for perhaps two minutes before fading to shadow. Though many of them could see quite well in the dark, the constant light was like traveling in a bright bubble through murky waters, obscuring observational Skills with the glare of weak sunlight. Felix kept to the front to address any unforeseen issues, while Evie and Vess hung in the back along with a rotating squad of Legionnaires.
Their injured were in the wagons, Darius among them. The wounds among them all were many, but every single one was on the mend. So many of their potions were used, though. Thankfully Felix and his team had made a lot before leaving...but they'd run out sooner rather than later if the battles kept being so costly.
Atar led them as before, sensing the flow of earth Mana in the sands above them, and parsing which tunnels they had to follow. The tunnels themselves forked quite often, heading in many disparate directions while also reconnecting in complex intersections. They were well named. Felix couldn't imagine the Continent ever needing so many roads though, and Atar seemed impressed as well.
"I cannot believe all of this was down here, below our feet," he murmured in wonder as more arches lit up around them. "Such perfect pathways...news like this would bring joy to the Council. Trade has always been the goal in Ahkestria, but the costs for overland travel could beggar a modest merchant. Factoring shipments through Manaship was even more expensive. If they had this Latticeway to make use of...trade could expand. Boom, even."
"Why do you think the Council does not already know?" Zara asked. She was once more on her ugly avum Grouse. The bird squawked, keeping up with Pit's loping strides.
"What do you mean?" Felix asked.
"Yes, just what are you insinuating?" Atar demanded.
"Only that you look before you leap, Atar," Zara said mildly. She nodded at the exquisite, if worn, workmanship of the tunnels. "Do you think these have remained completely unknown for Ages? Or is it more likely the Council knows and chooses not to utilize them?"
"I" Atar sat back on the lead wagon. "You may have a point," he grumbled.
"Why wouldn't they use them? Threat of monster attacks?" Felix asked. He flared his Perception again, as he'd been doing the past hour, but he sensed nothing ahead of them but rock and dust.
"Perhaps. Protection is an easy answer," Zara said. "And perhaps they do not want trade to be so easy with the outside world. The products of Ahkestria are renowned for their craftsmanship as much as their rarity. If the market were flooded with work, then..."
She let herself trail off, but Atar frowned and finished the thought. "Then prices would drop. An understandable tactic, I suppose. Hardly sinister."
"I never claimed to know their agenda, Atar," Zara said softly.
Price fixing, basically. Slimy, but no different than what people did back home, Felix thought, trying to remember his old economics lessons. The exact term evaded him. His Mind, however, whirled on ahead. Societies keeping knowledge a secret was par for the course on the Continent...but if they kept something as simple as trade routes classified, then what else were they hiding?
One way or another, Felix had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer.
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