Chapter Three Hundred And Eighty Five - 385
Aside from being out of sight, the Latticeways greatest feature was their utterly flat design. No more rolling dunes to contend with or constantly shifting sands. The solid footing let the Claw move with blistering speed. So fast, in fact, that Atar had to bring them to a halt several times to consult the Mana flows in the earth.
The speed of their travel allowed Felix to contemplate the advantages of building real, quality roads. Vess had told him most nations had their own network of roads, but maintenance was rarely done except in the more prosperous areas, such as around the various capitols. The bigger empires and kingdoms in the far east were said to have brilliant roadworks...but little could be trusted of those rumors. It was too far away.
That's part of the problem, he mused, idly tapping Pit's saddle. Everything feels so...disjointed. The sheer size of the Continent, as it's been explained to me...it's bigger than any landmass back on Earth. I'm worried about the Hierocracy, but what else is out there? God, I need a map.
He'd never had the chance to peruse the Archives back in Haarwatch, and there were no "world maps" available for sale at the few cartographers that existed in the city. Maps of Haarwatch? Yes. Map of the Verdant Pass? Yes. They were also poorly made and wildly different from one another; it had been clear that neither of the shops he'd visited had any levels in Scribing or Cartography. If those Skill even existed.
Atar says there's a great library in Ahkestria. Maybe I can find better maps there.
A pained grunt came from his side, where a blue-skinned giant was running alongside them. Others were there, but the two Risi Warriors had been running the entire time, and keeping up with Pit's Agility was tough for anyone. He was riding atop the tenku at the forefront of the group still, and Pit raced forward with unflappable energy. He was pretty sure the guy was loving it, running so freely. Even the giant's vaunted Stamina was bound to run out eventually though, and from the way they were sweating it was close to bottoming out.
At least two of the Fiend's Shadows kept wherever Felix roamed, running alongside Pit in shifts. They had claimed Harn had sent them, but Felix soon discovered that was only partially true. His honor guard had been mobilized by the members of his company after rumors went around the Wraiths were specifically targeting Felix. Apparently a few people heard them speak about needing "him" and assumed they had meant the Autarch. A complete stab in the dark on their partFelix wasn't even sure who the Wraiths needed, only that it was a "him."
Regardless, formed of their own volition, members voted by all of his Claw, the twelve men and women took their job as honor guard very seriously.
"Hey, both of you. Go rest," he said.
The big blue warriors looked askance at one another, their sweat soaked beards sticking to their breastplates. "My Lord, the others are resting. We cannot"
"It's fine," Felix cut in. He patted Pit's neck. "Pit will take care of me in the meantime. Cool?"
This time the giants traded genuinely confused looks and Felix had to bite back an annoyed sigh.
"Just...go. That's an order."
Perhaps the steel in his voice did the trick or it was as simple as ordering them, but the Frost Giant Shadows dropped back without another word. Felix let himself groan in relief. He wasn't a fan of having people watching over his shoulder all the time. It was eerie.
"Pit, you good to keep running alone for a bit?" The mental equivalent of a shrug came back to Felix, and he patted his friend again on the neck. "Alright. Gonna go talk to Atar for a sec."
Riding at the front, Felix was parallel to Atar and Alister's wagon, where the mages sat testing Atar's Mana Gauge every few minutes. He urged Pit toward the team of avum and very carefully climbed atop his saddle. The Master Tier barding creaked a bit as he jostled around, but it held just fine as he leaped gracefully up and through the air.
He landed in the wagon, with a muffled thump, sending the whole thing tilting dangerously to the side.
"Ahh!" Atar screamed, almost wrenching on the reins before Felix grabbed his wrists. The wagon slammed back onto all four wheels a moment later.
"Ooh sorry! Don't do that!" Felix laughed. He released Atar's hands once he knew the mage wasn't so spooked. "Didn't mean to tip the thing...or scare you."
"Didn't mean! You jumped out of the burning air!" Atar sputtered.
Alister, however, looked around Atar and saw Pit's departing form. "Did you jump from Pit's back? At full speed?"
"Yeah," Felix grinned. "Pretty cool, right?"
His time on the Continent had been rife with death-defying stunts that he miraculously had lived through, but every once in a while the extent of his physical abilities made him giddy. Jumping between what amounted to two cars driving down the highway sat firmly in that area of his mind.
Alister copied his grin and shook his head. Atar, however, snorted. All evidence of his earlier panic was gone. "At least warn us, next time."
"Sure. Sure. Hey Atar, I've been wondering something. What exactly are Blessings?" Felix asked. He'd meant to broach the subject earlier, but things had been chaos. "They looked basically the same as Skills in your core space. And the way the Henaari talk about them...well."
He let that last sentence hang out there, hoping that Atar would sense his unasked question. Felix wasn't sure how rude it was to accuse one's friend of worshiping an Urge. Vess didn't seem to like it, at any rate.
"Blessings," Atar said. He took a deep breath, as if to launch into some lengthy explanation, then let it all out as a weary sigh. "You know."
"Hard to hide it from the guy who fixed up your core space," Felix said with a shrug. "Mind you, I'm not judging. I certainly don't give a crap about where your abilities come from."
"That is...a relief, I suppose," Atar said.
Alister looked between the two of them, confused. "Atar? What's he talking about?"
"I...no reason to pretend anymore, Alister."
Alister's face eased from confusion to acceptance. "I see."
Felix glanced at their faces. Clearly not many secrets existed between them, but this was not the reaction he'd expected. "Do people hate Urges so much?"
"Many do. It is seen as...false power among the upper Tiers," Atar explained. "Blessings are the same as Skills, but they originate with the Urge one has made an accord with...and if the accord is violated, those Blessings may be removed. Forcefully."
Felix grimaced, recalling the anguish he had felt from the former Matriarch. The Raven had pulled its power from her entirely. Or at least, it hadn't resisted when Felix did it.
"Yeah. Those among the conventional powers of the Continent do not condone an accord with an Urge, no matter how benign they may be. The Protector's Guild is one of the few places that are relatively egalitarian in their views. To them, only coin and the influence of status has any weight, and power brings both." Atar shrugged. "I've never been embarrassed about my abilities, or their origins, but caution sealed my lips."
"Believe me, I know the feeling," Felix said wryly. "But I need some understanding of your hometown. Of the people who rule it, and the Urge. The Highest Flame, right?"
"Yes, that is her name. She has an accord with many in Ahkestria, but not all. Still, she is very, very powerful. Were she not, the amount of accords she could maintain would be far less."
"What do you mean?" Felix asked.
Alister answered that one. "Urges are a finite conglomeration of power, and an accord borrows a piece of that power, enhancing your own. Mana and other things that aren't well understood compose their beings, which are largely Cognitive and Ethereal in nature. The strongest of them have a presence here on the Corporeal, but they are rare beings who have amassed some form of sustenance to fuel their being. I doubt even the Endless Raven can manifest itself outside of that little Domain the Henaari carry."
Felix nodded along with Alister's words. It made sense. Urges were born from the collective Intent of beings the world over, and so long as some of it existed, so too would the Urge. "Okay, so that would mean they're diminished by making these accords with people?"
"It does," Atar said, but waggled his hand back and forth. "But there is a return. When someone with their Blessing advances, a portion of that energy is siphoned back to the Urge. So for those like the Endless Ravenor the Highest Flame, in my caseit behooves them to set up a supportive community, and to treat them fairly." Atar grimaced. "That said, it is not...unknown for particularly nasty Urges to prey upon a community and use them up like matchsticks."
Like the Urges I ate. "Why would that be a good idea?" he asked.
"Depends on the Urge. Some revel in despair and bloodshed, and driving a Blessed toward such an end would strengthen it. From what you told me of the Urges you defeated at the Waterfall Temple? Sounds right up their alley."
Felix nodded, putting pieces together. "They were ravaging the populace and growing stronger by it." Felix curled his lip in disgust at the near-perfect memory that flashed through his Mind. Their water-logged and bulbous forms were something he'd rather not recall in detail. "Glad I ended them."
"Might want to keep the 'Urge-ending' part of your accomplishments quiet once we're in the City," Atar said in a low voice. "The Highest Flame doesn't necessarily rule Ahkestria, but it is a great power and holds sway over half of the Council of Masters."
Felix leaned toward the two mages, eyes intent. "Tell me more about this Council."
They ended up talking for another hour or so on the subject of the ruling Council of Masters, as well as the secondary governing bodies in the City of Embers. Turned out there were merchant guilds (four of them, actually) that headed up a Trade Council, and the Priests of the Highest Flame had the Court of the Flame. The former dealt only in economic issues and the latter only in matters of worship, but both were tied intrinsically to the Council of Masters.
Unlike the Gold Ranks of the Guild, the Council was composed entirely of true Master Tiers. Or as Atar called them, "old monsters." Atar's own former Master was apart of the Council, and was confident they would treat with them fairly. Felix certainly hoped so.
The Latticeways extended for miles. Even with his senses, Felix had no clue how close they were coming to Ahkestria. Seven hours in and rapidly approaching sunrise, they still traversed the endless roads. It was not an uneventful journey, however. There were many places where the Latticeway was broken or disrupted, and often those were cave-ins or the like, but sometimes it was crystals. Huge, faceted growths would overtake swathes of the road, slowing their progress for a few miles each time. They were all a deep, fathomless blue and shined bright enough to banish shadows completely, while small creatures flitted at the edge of Felix's senses. Bugs and mice, it had felt like.
"Crystallized Mana," Zara had pointed out, the first time they encountered them.
"Really?" Felix had asked. He had felt their potency as a buzzing hum against his skin that only intensified the closer they came. The sense of those tiny creatures also came into focus. There were a lot, but they were all low leveled and seemed entirely passive. Just beasts living their lives. "Wait. What's the difference between solid matter and crystallized Mana? I thought everything was made of Mana?"
"It is, but what you call solid matter is joined by Essence and the ineffable movements of the Grand Harmony. That is what defines the Corporeal Realm." Zara had gathered up a measure of blue crystals in her hands, floating them on currents of her own liquid-like aquamarine power. "Pure Mana is a distinct vibration of that Harmony, similar to what we all generate within our cores. The more pure it is, the more steps toward solidity it can take."
"So the advancement of our cores from a vaporous shape to more liquid is the same thing? Mana...condensing?"
"Precisely. The Ring Stage is a stage of condensing power, though in practice it functions a bit different for everyone. Eventually, your core will harden to a true solid core, increasing its potency once again." The blue crystals chimed in her hands. "Much like this."
Felix had seen solidified Mana before, from the Archon most recently. Before that, the Farwalker had a construct of crystalline Mana in his hut. Is that the same as these crystals? No, but his construct moved, like the Archon's manipulated Mana. When he asked for clarification, Zara had only said the truth of it would unveil itself with time. To tell him outright would be to spoil the process itself, she had said.
She did, however, suggest they gather what they could of the crystals. They were condensed water Mana, and could be used as a source of hydration, which was a relief to their already straining supplies. A few crystals dropped in their water barrels and the things had slowly began to refill. How they sensed the limits of the barrel, Felix had no clue, but the water stopped right before it would have spilled over.
They grabbed as many as they could, and Felix personally snagged a particularly large sample. About the size of a basketball, it barely fit in one of Pit's saddlebags, but he managed to strap it down. His friend was already piled high with Spirit Fruits, Essence Draughts, potions, and his massive Blade of the Fang. Felix supposed the saddle was reaching the limits of what it could store, even on a creature as large as Pit.
For his part, Pit never complained. He was strong and durable enough that the extra weight was barely an inconvenience. Even Felix atop his back didn't bother him anymore, and Felix knew he was heavier than ever. Despite his reassurances that he was "fine" and that Felix should "stop worrying," the Autarch hopped off his Companion as the seventh hour rolled into the eighth. He was more than able to run the rest of the way.
"Converge if you want a rest, bud," Felix offered, pulling his Blade of the Fang free of its saddle-sheath. Pit chirruped warmly at him, but refused. "Alright. I'm gonna check our perimeter again."
As he had at least a dozen times now, Felix sprinted back among the column, senses extended in case any more undead had decided to chase after them. And as he had discovered every single time before, there was nothing. The Latticeways, like Klzix had said, were free of monsters.
"Just a little longer," Atar said, flicking the reins as Felix returned to the front. He jogged beside the mage's wagon, keeping pace without much issue. "Ahkestria is close. I can feel it."
Miles back, the last crystal colony in the tunnel glowed with a lush vibrancy. Small creatures, insects and mammals both, drank from the moisture beading along those crystals. The scent and wafting vapor of life hung around the area, richer here than anywhere outside an oasis.
Or it should have been.
One by one, the crystals dimmed. The glow of their power faded from brilliant to merely bright...until the furthest crystals went utterly dark. There, in the fading light, clawed hands and withered limbs prowled.
Jaws of bone and teeth of iron shattered one of the largest growths, sending a ripple of hot air flowing across the colony. More lights flickered and died, their moisture boiled away by an intensifying heat.
"Find...him..."
A Dustborn Wraith, twice as large as those behind it, lurched into the growing dark. The crystals all failed, water vanishing beneath the pressure the creature exuded, and shadows claimed the path. It hissed, and began to run. Trailing behind it, the roadway shuddered beneath the tread of many, many more.
"Find...Fe-lix..."
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