Chapter Three Hundred And Ninety One – 391
"Almost...there!"
The entire hundred foot long stone wall ahead of Felix exploded. Rock and dust and Mana expanded outward in an eruption he had handled three times before. Once again, he flexed his Will and seized it all. The explosion stopped, the stone and even misplaced air frozen under the force of his regard. Felix marshaled his Intent and burned Essence to fuel itbut the wall all but leaped at the chance to change. He wasn't creating so much as containing a vast force that simply wanted to grow and expand. Felix wrestled with that force, folding it into the design he held in his perfect memoriesand once given an avenue of approach, the wall transformed.
When the smoke and dust cleared, the wall was there once again. But instead of the huge stone blocks, the wall was now a single, monolithic structure that towered at least twice as high as it had before. Not only that, but it resembled the walls of his Stronghold in composition and coloration: a glassy, dark blue-black stone veined with a luminescent red-gold. The veins were more stark here than back in Nagast, but it otherwise looked the same, even the towers at each of the four corners.
Stone Shaping is level 80!
Rime Shaping is level 40!
Green Shaping is level 39!
Cardinal Flame is level 84!
"Damn that was hard," Felix said. "I think I used up more than half of my remaining Essence store...and I got a lot from those undead."
Karys stepped up to the wall and peered at it. He ran his thin fingers across its glossy surface. "It appears identical to the other three walls you've raised. The material is interesting...it resembles the construction in your Stronghold, but its texture is different. This is so polished as to have almost no friction at all." Karys nodded, seemingly impressed. "A force laying siege to this place would find themselves hard pressed to scale these fortifications."
Which meant his Mind was that much more protected, according to the logic of the Skill. Felix let out a relieved breath. He didn't entirely understand the underlying mechanics, but his Bastion had stagnated in its original form for too long, and part of the reason was that he'd not put the conscious effortread, Willinto its transformation. Karys had pointed out how the pattern of the Skill had become quite convoluted, but that complexity had not been reflected in the little world inside of his Bastion. Changing the fortress was the first step to rectifying that.
Bastion of Will didn't level at all, though my Skill related to shaping the walls all did, Felix noted. When he'd mentioned that to Karys, the Paragon had explained that he was simply altering the contents of his Bastion to match its current advancement. More levels would likely not result from the changes he wrought, but his capability would increase. The shaping Skills, however, were due to the process of creation...and fed by his Essence. The Essence provided the fuel necessary to level his Skills, cementing his progress within reality even as he ostensibly built an imaginary wall. Except...Felix placed his hand against the slick stone. It felt almost oily, though it left no residue. It feels real. More than the old Bastion did. Was that a result of Essence?
"Do you feel it?" Karys asked.
"...Yeah. I think so." Felix rested his hands on his hips and twisted to catch all of his Bastion in his gaze. "Feels...sturdier, somehow. More real. Did Essence do that?"
"Perhaps. Essence is an unfamiliar avenue of growth for me. But it is clear that it has changed your Bastion and you in very palpable ways." Karys pulled his hand back from the wall. "I feel a vibration in the stone now, where before it was all but inert."
"Why?" Felix asked.
"You have spent a long time undergoing challenges to your Will, Mind, and autonomy. It is no wonder this place is leaping at the chance to change itself, to evolve and become something more." Karys nodded to the grass beneath their feet, which had grown into complex patterns of lush, vibrant life. Stone, moss, small jewel-colored flowers abounded all around them, filling the inner bailey with a riot of color. Pathways were carved into that life, ones that resembled sigaldry, but not the somewhat limited form of modern written magic. Instead, they held a breadth and sweeping potency that echoed with his Theurgist of the Rise Skill. Karys' memory of it was patchy, but he claimed it was a precursor language, one that few Nym at the height of their power had known. "Do you know what this means?"
Felix shook his head. "Not a clue. It feels like protections, maybe a warding of some sort, but even my Theurgist of the Rise isn't clocking its meaning."
"A warding seems likely, simply from its arrangement. Assuming the language functions the same as normal sigaldry, that is."
Reminds me a bit of the Sigils of the Primordial Dawn I'd learned a long time ago...and even has echoes of the Archon's Profane Sigaldry. He could see pieces of both in the looping array, and more besides. "The new walls I understand. They're copies of what I've already made. But how can I do this?" Felix asked, pointing at the sigaldry.
"This is a manifestation of the Skill itself, if I were to guess," Karys said. "A common occurrence, once you reach the beginning stages of true power. Skills of all rarities have hidden depths that deep understanding may reveal, but those ranked Epic or greater will have a heavier history."
"Hm," Felix grunted. He walked down the most direct path, and focused on the tower at his Bastion's center. "And how'd this change?"
Where before the tower had been a pentagonal construction that barely rose above the tops of his walls, now it was easily twice the height and thickness...and had six instead of five sides.
Karys hummed in appreciation. "Curious. The array grows..."
"Array?" Felix asked. "The sigils?"
"Hm? Oh, no. I mean the Skill Array you created," the man's words trailed off as he watched Felix's confused face. "You...did you do this on purpose? Placing these other Skills within your Bastion of Will?"
"Not exactly. It was more of a 'react without thinking' than a conscious decision. I was fighting off one of many attacks by the Maw at the time, and there was a resonance between some of my Skills." Felix nodded at the tower. "Before I knew it, they were up there. Etched in light. That's why I came into my Bastion in the first place, really, because I'm interested in advancing my Relentless Resolution. It's all tied up in here, too."
Karys shook his head, but he had a smile on his Human-like face. "I do not know whether to chastise you or congratulate you, Felix. You have unintentionally created a Skill Array, which is a useful if dangerous tool."
"Alright, cool. Excellent," Felix said. "What's a Skill Array?"
"I had assumed you knew, otherwise I would have explained far earlier. A Skill Array is...difficult to form without mishap, but that is due to System restrictions that do not bind you. They are part System feature and part Chanter magic, actually, but even in my day they were not common despite their benefits." Karys took a breath, and couldn't suppress a smile. "That is nice. Breathing. Anyway, a Skill Array is accomplished by establishing a single Skill as the Primary or hub. This Skill is typically higher in rarity and level than the others, which comes into play later. Other Skills could then be linked to this hubthe number being determined by the Primary's level, rarity, and Tierand these were called Secondary Skills."
"Okay," Felix said. "That makes sense so far. What's the benefit of this arrangement? I honestly haven't noticed one so far."
"Ah. Well, the Primary Skill would, ideally, provided a measure of meaning and weight to the Secondaries to which it was connected. This would generate benefits for those Skills, ranging from increased leveling speed, greater efficiency or potency, even range. Each of them would in turn offer a measure of their own potency to the Array, but typically far less than the Primary. The actual benefits vary depending on the Primary Skill's purpose, while the rarity, level, and Tier affect the amount it affects the Secondary Skills."
Felix tapped his lips, thinking. "Okay, so my Bastion is concerned with fortifying my Mind with my Willpower. It was an evolution of Mental Resistance. All of my other Skills tied to it have a through line of being Mind Skills or concerning my Willpower. I haven't noticed any benefit, though."
Karys laughed. "Do you think it is common for people to survive encounters with a Primordial and a goddess? Even if both were restricted or restrained, your Mind should have popped like a grape. It is likely your Titles and this Skill Array saved your live many times over."
"Huh." Felix couldn't deny that he'd gotten out of more scrapes than was likely, especially considering the power level of his foes. He'd almost chalked it all up to being Unbound, really. "Huh," he said again.
Felix marshaled himself, flexing his Willpower to stay on task. As he did so, he thought he could hear a faint hum from the walls around him. "Okay. Alright. Well I can't argue that. But I doubt a Skill Array is all flowers and rainbows, Karys. Not on the Continent. What's the catch?"
Karys amused expression grew stilted. "The catch is if your Skills undergo any damage or significant changes, then the Array will unbalance and dissolve. The...consequences of such a dissolution could break your Skills, sunder them completely, or worse."
This time, Felix laughed. That felt more like the System. "So good benefits with potentially life-ending downsides. That's quite a risk to take. Why would anyone do this at all?"
Karys didn't answer at first. Instead, the Nym contemplated the sky, the walls, even the sigil-laden landscape. "I find myself with remarkable clarity within your Bastion, Felix."
"That's...that's good. Great, even. I know your memory has been troubling you," Felix said, a bit confused. He was tempted to ask where Karys was going with things, but held his tongue.
"Yes it isit is terrifying to see yourself slip away, to lose pieces of who you are..." Karys shuddered. In his Nymean form he appeared so...fragile. "But I've a focus within your Bastion that feels good. My memory remains foggy and distorted, but what I do recall has become sharpened. And I must tell you that the secrets of advancement are kept secret for a reason, Felix."
"What?" he asked. "Is this about the Skill Arrays? Why?"
"They are kept secret because the act of knowing hinders all attempts. Expectations cloud our Minds, frivolous details derail our Spirits, and our Bodies are weighed down by the impossible standard that lies in wait. Just as your core space was developed alone, subconsciously, the way forward is meant to be similarly uninhibited by those that came before you."
"That...is a convenient excuse to horde knowledge and power, Karys." Felix shoved away the anger that tried to bubble up at the thought. "I've seen way too many people struggling to survive to accept that reasoning."
Karys held up a hand, forestalling Felix's tone. "Assumptions shape our approach, Felix. I too believe in arming the people with the knowledge they need, but at a certain point the Paths toward true power are far, far more treacherous than I can accurately describe. Some is clear, while other bits are hazy or missing, but I know that much." Karys licked his lips, clearly considering something. He nodded to himself. "But...I know you are strong, Felix. Even if I was unaware of your history, this Bastion alone speaks to your unshakeable Willpower. So I shall tell you this: look to your core space. And since you have the ability, look to the core spaces of your friends and allies. Think on their similarities...and their differences."
Kary swallowed, and his dark skin appeared suddenly ashen. Bits of him flickered out, replaced by pitted pieces of bronze metal, before settling again as flesh. "I...anymore than that and I fear the consequences. For the both of us."
Felix let silence linger between them for a while. He knew Karys was neither malicious nor particularly secretive. If the man said he couldn't tell him, then Felix had to accept it. "Alright. I don't entirely get it, man, but I appreciate what you've been able to tell me so far."
Karys nodded, but his form settled back to that of an old man.
"Would it hurt to add more Skills to the Bastion's array?" Felix asked, partially to move the conversation on and because of an notion that began to percolate in the back of his Mind.
"Other than the dangers I've already outlined? Likely not. I would choose wisely however. Typically someone would group a Skill Array based on commonalities in the Skills themselves, but it is never a sure thing."
"Nah, don't worry about that," Felix said, letting himself grin. "I cheat."
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