Chapter Six Hundred And Seventy – 670

Oof, you guys are heavy, Pit complained, as the Eidolons were strapped down to his back. Are those gonna hold?

Theyre sturdy, Felix said. Hed made the ropes with Green Shaping and Ferric Shaping, with a touch of Astrum Ascendence thrown in for good measure. Im more concerned that youll plummet down to the bottom of this hole.

Psh. Im big. Pit puffed himself up and stuck out his fluffy chest. I got this.

Evie leaned down and patted his shoulder. Youre a lot softer than I expected.

Fuzzier too, Archie complained. If I hold onto your fur is it gonna come out?

Doubtful, but lets not risk it, Felix said as more ropes of vine and steel wrapped around their legs and waists. Only Felix, Vess, and Yin werent tied down, but instead bore a tether in their hand to keep them connected to Pits broad back.

Ive never flown atop a Chimera before, Laur said with no small amount of excitement. I am quite eager.

Me too, Beef agreed. SworeLore had gryphon mounts but it was kinda lame. And not nearly this big.

Yourgame, correct?

Yeah. The one I told you about. With the uh, the magic scrying box that lets you fight fake monsters.

Archie snorted. Is that how you explained video games?

Oh, like you can do better? Theres like zero reference here for me to work with!

BeefThis entire world is a video game.

Beef lifted a finger, but stalled out as his Mind worked at that. Okay. One, no it isnt. Two, some stuff is similar but its likeTheres this His hands grasped, as if reaching for words that werent there. Fine. If its so easy, you do it.

Laur looked to the Delven expectantly, but Archie closed his eyes. Pass.

Pit stood up, eliciting a collective gasp as everyone wobbled. He stepped toward the cataract of the tunnel, forepaws just barely dipping into the churning waters. Everyone ready?

No, Archie mumbled, tugging at his harness. He caught Beefs grin and scowled. Yes.

Tzfell squirmed. I will admit to being a touch nervous myself.

Vess and I will be here to catch anyone who falls, Felix assured them, catching Vess eyes where she stood near Pits haunches. Youll be fine.

As you say, my Lord. Tzfell clutched tight to the shaped ropes. I trust your judgment.

Felix grinned, inclining his head at the honor. When youre ready, Pit.

Yes!

The air was rent by an explosion of wind so loud it drowned out several very panicked shouts. They shot outward past the rushing waters and into the empty void. For a moment Pit hung in the turbulent air, wings spread and a vibration of exultant glee radiating from his Spirit like heat from the sun.

Until they dropped into a harrowing dive.

Below them the pond had opened up into an abyss, hundreds of feet wide and filled with a fine mist that kicked off the walls. Pit descended like a stone dropped from a skyscraper, gaining speed with every second he hurtled into the dark. Felix squinted against the air and mist that filled his eyes, peering through it all toward the bottom.

Statue! he warned.

I see it! Below, the immense statue Vess had been standing on extended far deeper than they anticipated. Wings, each larger than Pit, filled parts of the misty tunnel. Theyre too close to fly around! Hope your ropes are strong!

Pit extended the wings on his left side and flexed his neck and tail, throwing them into a roll. With a grace Felix had never seen his friend exhibit, they bypassed the edge of one Dragon wing, rotating first his wings and then legs over its bat-like shape. He steadied his spin before rocketing down once more. Sideways, he slipped through the gap between two sharpened stone claws.

Pit screeched in triumph.

The waters stopping me! I need it off my wings! Pit screeched.

Below and directly ahead of Pits face, the final open space began to fill with threads of water. The net was closing on them.

Felix let his two Skills sing throughout his core, storm and cosmic flame feeding into one another until they reached a fever pitch. Im gonna burst it one more time. Be ready!

Do it!

Power tore from every part of his body, Mana backed by an immutable Will and an unwavering Intent. It fell upon the defensive ward around them and sank into it within the span of a second, and Felix suddenly was the water itself. He flowed, coursing with the might of a hidden lake, the pressure of depths unknown for hundreds or thousands of years. He was changeable but rigid, held in place by the bounds of a magic that hummed from all around him, descending from the very walls. Water must flow, it told him. Water must hold. The song was convincing, carrying a cadence that could have sung the very oceans into existence, and he sank into it. He flowed. He held. He was water.

IamFelix.

His Will and Intent slammed forward, into a crevice that he could feel but could not see. The song squealed, its timbre changing into something new. He drove through it, shattering the bonds that held it together. Water must flow.

So be it.

The net below them exploded, rendered into a fine mist as the water was freed of its shaped constraints. Almost immediately, the edges began congealing, but for a moment it was undone.

Pit seized his chance. Four wings flapped in time, surging through the imprisoning liquid grip as if through thick mud, his powerful Strength enough to combat the wards sudden destabilization. With a final push, he hurled free and soared through the gap.

Pits Ouranic Dominion is level 75!

Adept Tier!

He Gains:

+100 AGL

+100 DEX

+100 END

The air screamed around Pit as his power grew. A halo of white clouds formed around the Chimeras head and neck, and Felixs eardrums buzzed. Congealing tendrils grasped at them, but Pit ripped through them with the force of a speeding jet.

Descend No Further Or Face The Consequences.

Words ripped through all of them, accompanied by a plethora of vibrant, excruciatingly detailed images. Water and air and acid, dispatching beasts and men in strange, unfamiliar armor. Thousands dead over the span of Ages. Below and approaching rapidly, an enormous stone Dragon statue glared at them with glowing eyes and a threatening, open maw.

Vess stood again, brandishing her spear and holding onto her tether with the other. The world thundered with her words, louder than even the storming waters. Fortress Fenweld! I am Lady Vessilia Dayne! Daughter of Miera of Wyvarr! Descendent of the Wyvarran Royal line! Heir of PaxVrell! Dragoon apprentice and bondmate of Yintarion of the Cerulean Skies!

All went silent as Pit fell toward that open maw, until eyes the color of the deepest sky flashed.

Authority Recognized.

Limited Authority Granted.

Fortress Fenweld Welcomes You, Dragoon.

The water retracted and the Dragon statue dimmed until it was nothing but unfeeling stonejust in time for Pit to bank hard against the still-swirling air currents.

Crashing, crashing! he shrieked, before landing in a tumble of limbs and feathers on an elevated platform a few hundred feet above the bottom of the water tunnel. He slid to an inglorious stop just shy of a set of massive, Dragon-sized doors.

Woo, he said with a warbling whistle. I did it.

Felix, panting and sweating, laughed in equal relief. Good job.

Yes, yes, how sweet, said an angry, muffled voice. Archie was half buried in the crease of bunched fur near Pits foreleg, enough that only his floppy hat and goggles could be seen. Now can you please get us off of this furry trainwreck?