Unbound

Chapter Seven Hundred And Five – 705

Chapter Seven Hundred And Five – 705

So the mouse I saw was real?" Felix asked.

"Very much so, I am afraid, Vess said. The two of them sat together on an overturned stone atop the destroyed walls of Fortress Fenwald. Almost every structure, aside from the central keep, was half-collapsed. In the past twelve hours, they had done little except recover. Felix eyed the broken masonry, thinking about how he could fix things.

"No, no, thats a relief. I thought I was going crazy a little bit." Felix rubbed his neck. He was still a bit sore from his fights, but things had healed well enough over the past day.

"It was an eventful afternoon," Vess agreed.

"The Grim Nightshade, huh?" Felix was surprised to learn things like that existed. Well, surprised wasnt the right word. In a world of Elementals, gods, and Dragons, a spirit of nature was hardly groundbreakingand yet it suggested a new facet to the world that Felix hadn't known existed. Hed always thought Urges were like miniature gods: not yet powerful enough to rule, but very potent. All he knew about the gods came from snippets hed pieced together and its own words. They weren't always gods. What they were before was a mystery. Mortal? Monster? Urge? The Grim Nightshade, though, was something else. Based on what Vess told him, it was a manifestation of the Green Wilds itself.

Nature has a spirit? Or is it a spirit of the song? Yet, the more Felix thought of it, the more it made a convoluted sort of sense. The Grand Harmony was everything according to the Chanters, with each and every piece of Creation vibrating at varying speeds and patterns. Mana, Essence, even significance fell under its umbrella. The Green Wilds then, with its Aria and Threnody, were a facet of that larger and more complex song. Felix wasnt sure how much of that he believed, but it was a compelling idea. He was also positive that he was missing many pieces of the larger puzzle. He hadnt known about Entropic energy either until recently, for instance.

Is there a spirit for Dissonance? Felix chewed the inside of his lip, mulling that overonly to realize hed been silent for entirely too long. Uh, so. The Grim itjoined with you and Yin? Like a Companion?

We entered into a bargain. It shares similarities with a Companion bond, but it is distinctly different. I cannot call upon the Grim for aid, nor can it summon me, but there is a mutual benefit nonetheless. Vess rolled her glaive in her lap, and the heavy speartip flashed in the sunlight. Its presence has affected me already.

Felix frowned. Like when I sent you the Withering Dusts power?

No, thankfully not. My Skills remain unchanged but they are boosted, along with a significant bonus to two separate stats.

"Oh, really?" Felix said. "I received something similar when the grim gave me a title. I assume because I ate a piece of whatever it had done to the Janus Hydra. Show me yours and Ill show you mine?

How bold, Lord Nevarre.

Felix smirked. You know me

Simultaneously, they sent their Titles and recent notifications to one another.New novel chapters are published at novelhall.com

Bargain Of Bark And Bite (Unique)

You have entered into a bargain with the Spirit of the Green Wilds! As such, a portion of all significance you earn henceforth will be sacrificed to the Grim Nightshade, and in return you gain access to the power hidden in the Wilds.

+200 AFI

+100 INE

+50 Levels To Draconic Bond!

+5 Levels To On The Wing

+5 Levels To The Spear Of Tribulations!

+5 Levels To The Fang Of Havoc!

+5 Levels To Draconic Stormfall!

+5 Levels To Matriarch's Lament!

On the Wing is level 98!

Spear of Tribulations is level 94!

Fang of Havoc is level 94!

Draconic Stormfall is level 93!

Matriarch's Lament is level 91!

Draconic Bond is level 22!

Felix flinched, feeling a stab at his own core space that had nothing to do with his bondand everything.

As This Final Evolution Involves You, Felix Nevarre, You Must Agree:

Do You Wish To Evolve Etheric Concordance (L)?

Y/N

HolyPit, you shouldve mentioned that. Felix winced as more power stabbed into the Skill he shared with his friend. Yes. Evolve it.

Evolution In Progress!

System energy burst through both him and Pit, scouring them across their bond, and Felix couldnt help but double over in agony.

Felix? What is happening? Vess asked, coming to her feet.

PitSkill evolution, he managed through gritted teeth. Illbe fine!

He fell within himself, following the coursing surge of golden light, heavily streaked by deep black and vibrant crimson. A line of light had become visible, connecting Felixs Etheric Concordance with its distant twin across the gulf of core spaces. The same aurora from his Mantle extended here, though it stopped somewhere in the middle, spitting sparks and thunder as if held back.

As if waiting.

Felix reached out, his Will and Intent shaping the thrust of his Skill as an answering flow of opalescent colors shot across the gap. They collided in the black and exploded into a perfectly circular shockwave that ripped backward across their bond, until it swept through Felix and Pit both.

Evolution Complete!

Your Companion Has Evolved Etheric Concordance (L) Into Exalted Conjunction (T)!

Level Has Been Retained!

Exalted Conjunction (Transcendent), Level 98!

Through trials and tribulations, your connection with your Companion has deepend beyond the domain of concordance. Using one anothers Skills is easier than ever, but consequences are the price of power. Your Aspects intertwine in ways as irreversible as they are potent. Whatever targets one of you, it is considered an attack on you both. Whatever injuries or Status Conditions are suffered are endured by both. However, all defenses and regenerations are determined by whomever has the higher total value.

All previous abilities of Etheric Concordance are retained.

All Choices Have Consequences.

A spike of pain followed by a release of joyful music hit Felix as Pit came out of his extended meditation. The Chimera chirruped and looked right at him.

"I did it!"

"So I saw. Felix rubbed at his chest, though it did nothing for the lingering sting within. You didn't tell me you were going to evolve our bond."

"It was a surprise," Pit said, tongue lolling from his giant beak. "It'sgood, right?"

Felix glanced over at it again. "Goods an understatement, bud. With this, we'll be harder to stop than ever."

"Youre not worried about the risks?" Pit asked. He dug a claw into the stone beneath him, scoring a hole with its sharp crystalline talon. He looked like a kid who got caught breaking a lamp. "If we get hurt, itll hurt both of us. I didnt think that would happen."

"Thats a big if, bud. If this means we're sharing our highest defenses, then the chances of that are pretty slim. In Felixs estimation, it meant he had to worry about his friend even less than before.

Not to mention, sharing your Skills is a potent boon," Vess added. "It is little wonder the gods are worried about you two."

Felix shared a grin with Pit, who trilled happily. "Well, we had enough trouble dealing with the Janus Hydra, and that wasn't even a real Paragon monster. Vess had explained to him that the Grim Nightshade had temporarily boosted its power somehow, but even a false Paragon had taken all they had and more to defeat. "Im not ready for gods. Yet."

Vess expression hardened. "What about the Grandmaster Hierei?"

"Him?" Felix squeezed her hand. Piece of cake.