Hunger: A LitRPG Adventure (Unbound Book 3), page 49
And if the Lost Kingdoms are what I think they are, then I've also got a new angle on Nym lore. Felix lifted his head and stood. Time to begin.
The next eight hours had Felix perusing as much of Zara's private library as he could. Much of it was difficult, if not impossible for him to parse at first, but the more he read, the faster the mysteries of vocabulary, syntax, and structure were revealed to him. His Godeater Mind was powerful, and though he didn't know what else it might offer him, it had a voracious appetite. Information poured into him, and he found himself sorting it all into neat columns, easily retaining everything thanks to his Born Trait.
He'd started the night with a preschooler’s handle on the common language, but by the end of it, Felix had a stranglehold on it. He blazed through books, his Perception letting him easily read an entire page in seconds, and his Dexterity letting him flip the pages quickly and smoothly without ripping the books in half. He devoured tomes on myths and legends, on Mana and various Skills, and even found one about the Lost Kingdoms. He had been right in his assumptions: the Lost Kingdoms was the collective name for nations that were beset by the Ruin.
Strangely, the records of the Lost Kingdoms were all centuries or millennia after the fact. He'd read two or three written works by various scholars, most of whom relied on the testimony of adventurers who encountered ruins of said kingdoms in the field. Felix doubted people traveled the dangerous wilderness and spent much time excavating ruins for the history of it. Now, if those ruins held treasure, Felix was sure they'd at least be investigated. But what would treasure-hungry adventurers ignore during a violent foray into undoubtedly monster-infested ruins? Probably a lot, was Felix's guess.
All he could do on that front was sort the information in his mind, holding onto the useful theories and rumors until he could verify it all someday. Honestly, Felix wasn't entirely sure why he cared. He was Nym in name only, and that only if this bloodline thing didn't change that on him. Why did it matter? Still, thoughts of Vvim, the Geist back in Shelim reappeared. The wizened creature had a high regard for the Nym, which made sense based on the history of the two Races. Felix knew his curiosity would force him to find out more before long.
He found very little on the Unbound, either. Or rather, nothing that wasn't a child's fairy tale or recounted in books on religious myth. As he'd been told before, the Unbound were considered boogeymen, especially in the religious texts. Monsters meant to scare people into doing the right thing. Little to no concrete information existed, and nothing regarding what Zara herself had mentioned. He'd have to ask her more about the subject when he could; she likely knew a great deal more than she had said.
Regarding Mana and scriptwork, however, the library was a goldmine. Discussions on the nature of Mana, where it came from, what it was capable of, and a categorization of the types. Felix ate all of it up, and even tried some of the exercises described to increase one's control over internal and external Mana.
Fire Within is level 44!
Scriptwork was similarly effective. While the Primordial Dawn style sigils he used were different from the standardized sigladry in Haarwatch, they shared a common core. Both utilized a sort of manufactured Intent by creating a network of sigils around a primary glyph, each subordinate marking acting as a filter through which the purpose of the array would be realized. Mana was channeled through the array, and the network of sigils created the effect. Simple enough in concept, though quite complicated in execution.
Felix had no scripting tools, which would include a metal stylus and a suitable media to etch onto, but he poured over any examples he found. He had even run into a thin book that contained a limited selection of common sigils that he immediately set about memorizing.
Sigils of the Primordial Dawn is level 24!
Sigils of the Primordial Dawn is level 25!
Congratulations! You Have Achieved Apprentice Tier with Sigils of the Primordial Dawn!
You Gain:
+10 INT
+10 INE
+10 AFI
That, in particular, was an extremely satisfying result of his efforts.
The dark progressed to light faster than Felix realized. Having had plenty of rest before and his advanced Endurance meant he wasn't tired in the slightest. So, when he heard a banging on the front door, Felix stepped out from his ever-expanding collection of stacked tomes and poked his head out of the parlor. The sun was far brighter there, as the main entry was flanked by large, full-body windows that let in the growing light of morning. Felix blinked at the sunlight, clearing his vision in time to see the Hobgoblin servant Melle step forward to answer the door.
Two figures strode in, and even slightly distracted, Felix could tell that both were equal parts anxious and pissed. It fairly sang from their chests.
"Cal! Harn!" Felix called before stepping out of the parlor completely. "What are you doing here?"
"Felix, Noctis wept, you're alive," Cal looked as taut as a piano wire. "Is Evie here?"
"She's upstairs, probably asleep," Felix said. "She's totally fine."
"Thank the gods," she muttered, and turned to the Hobgoblin. "Take me to her, now."
Melle sputtered a moment. "Ma'am, I was told to have you wait here while I—"
"Take me to Evie Aren, or I will rip this place apart brick-by-brick," Cal hissed.
The Hobgoblin paled, her red skin turning an interesting shade of pink, before she nodded. They both quickly headed up the stairs.
"Did she just use her aura, or—" Felix began, but Harn just laughed.
"No, that's just Cal," Harn's blocky hand clapped Felix on the shoulder, pushing him down just a little bit. "It's good ta see you alive, kid. We thought you had been caught up in that mess down Crafters’ way."
"Almost. I'll—" Felix's stomach made an alarmingly loud gurgle at the same time he noticed a tantalizing scent in the air. "I'll tell you everything over breakfast."
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
The spread at Zara's house was impressive, nearly filling the twenty-foot-long table it had been laid out upon. Unfamiliar meats, cheeses, and baked goods were piled high, and Felix didn't wait to tuck in. Harn was only happy to assist. Felix gave him a rundown of their situation between bites, but had to start all over when a red-faced Evie and hard-eyed Cal came through the doors. Vess followed only a short while after.
With all three of them talking, Felix was able to put away the food far faster. Pit ate even more than Felix, taking two bites for every one the Nym could manage. The food soothed some deep sort of ache in him, something that Felix was only aware of once it had disappeared. He had pushed himself hard the past twenty-four hours, and his Body was reminding him that it needed more than a little light reading.
By the time breakfast was over, the explanations and follow-up questions were done. Harn looked concerned but interested, which Felix expected. But Cal… she had gone pale during their story, specifically the part about a corruption in the Domain. She had badgered them all for every tidbit of their conversation with Zara, of their interactions with the Inquisition, and, not surprisingly, of Felix's newly revealed experience with a dead body in a back alley.
Each answer sent her emotions shifting from anger, then disgust, until finally they settled on a dull sort of dread. Felix was sure no one else noticed it, but his Affinity was working overtime and feeding him the rapid-fire beat of sharp-edged anxiety within Calesca Boscal. It was very different from her usual steady confidence. He didn't like it at all.
Perhaps minutes after the final round of questions and suppositions, Zara swept into the dining room, followed by three Hobgoblin servants. The servants immediately began to clean up the ravaged corpse of breakfast, whisking away platters and soiled dishes with a speed born of what Felix assumed were highly specialized Skills.
"Good morning to you all." Zara smiled at them, displaying her sharp teeth. "I hope that morning repast was to your liking, and trust that you have shared all pertinent information regarding my request?"
The group nodded, and Cal cleared her throat. "We have, Zara. But I have some questions that need satisfaction before we go any further."
"Of course, Cal. That's to be expected." Zara nodded and sat down in a chair at the head of the table. "I'm ready to answer any questions you may have."
Cal frowned. "What do you mean when you say there is corruption in the Domain?"
"I mean exactly that. It's a perversion in the natural order. A… flaw in the melody, as it were. There is something within the Domain that is altering it on a fundamental level," Zara explained. "Soon, it shall be too much for the scripted shell to further contain."
"How can you know this?" Cal asked. "How can the Guild not know this?"
"C'mon Cal, that seems obvious," Harn said.
"I wanna hear it from her," Cal said before taking an unsteady breath. "Please."
"No need for that. For your assistance, I'll gladly tell you," Zara took a sip of tea that one of the servants had placed before her. "Thank you, Melle. As you well know, I was a Guilder for many years. I was the Archivist, one of the keepers of knowledge in the Eyrie. As a function of that position, I was privy to many secrets the Elders would have rather kept locked away. Piddling things, usually. Debts and grudges.
“But I also know that Teine, the Elder of Spirit in charge of magical research in the Guild, has engaged in reckless experimentation before. I know that something went terribly wrong during the Foglands operation. I wasn't involved in the decision to send our people out there, but I was aware of the attempt and was briefly included in the recovery process. I know that the threat of the Frost Giants, while not fictitious or overblown, were a convenient cover for something worse. Something that had started before the Risi ever found you all."
Zara and Cal had locked eyes. She leaned forward, pressing her elbows into the tabletop. "I know of the terror at the center of the Labyrinth."
A quiet pulse of unease spread through the group, though it was perhaps more eagerness in the others. Felix, on the other hand, felt his stomach lurch as he tried to keep himself breathing normally, naturally.
"The ruins were built by the Geist, an artificially Lost Race. Since they were only brushed by the Ruin, more is known of them. Although highly Skilled and proficient in a variety of areas, records of their civilization note two core competencies: their architectural brilliance and their intensely realistic illusions."
Cal shuddered. Evie put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed while Cal collected herself. "Yeah. I know about those."
"Forgiveness, Cal," Zara's voice softened. "This must bring back terrible memories."
"I can handle it," the treasure hunter grunted. "Say your piece."
"Very well," Zara leaned back. "The Geist clearly made the Labyrinth. I've read the reports given by many of the survivors, and what I know of them confirms this. The reason they made it, now that is a different knot altogether. The Geist were craftsmen, whether that was architecture or illusion, but nothing in their known history was built frivolously. The defenses are too strong, too varied for simply defending a treasured artifact. Clearly, whatever the Labyrinth held, it was of utmost importance that it stay contained. But that strength was likely too much, based on the preliminary reports I've secured. It was strong enough that I fear it could have affected others from within its cage."
Zara passed her eyes over the group, making sure she had their attention. Felix feared she would stop at him, but she didn't. He had started to sweat.
Does she know?
"This creature's corruption infected the Guilder team. I assume subtly at first, yes?" Her bright blue gaze landed on Cal.
"Yeah," Cal admitted, her face pale again. "It… they found something. A beast in the fog. It was twice the size of an avum. Except it was shaped like a massive weasel, only covered in erupted bone spurs. Horrible thing."
Cal clenched her jaw. "Something had nearly killed it, and the damned quill pushers wanted to study its body. They kept it alive, keeping it from dissolving, and pulled it into the center of the compound."
Cal's voice roughened, and she forced the next words out. "It took days before anything happened. The scholars were more reclusive than before, leaving the protection teams almost completely alone. Everyone thought it was the dark and the fog getting to ‘em. No one suspected the monster samples were contaminated. The scholars went first, then their scribes and porters. Anyone who made contact with it." Cal swallowed, more unnerved than Felix had seen her since the Risi camp.
"With its blood." Zara stated. Not a question at all.
"Yeah. The blood was… bad. Sick. It drove ‘em mad, then it… changed them. We had to put ‘em down." Cal looked up at Zara, an odd glint to her eye. "You're sayin' this is happening here?"
"Yes, that is what I fear. I have known what the Domain feels like for decades… it has changed, the vibrations it sends out are twisted from true in subtle ways. Subtle for now. That corruption is growing. Of that, I am completely certain."
"That is somethin' that needs to be stopped," Cal agreed, but she clenched her jaw so hard her temple pulsed. "But you expect us to do that? The things that… their blood—how do you expect us to fight that?"
"I have some protections for that," Zara said, and with a wave of her hand produced a triangular stone the size of her palm. The amulet was a deep blue color and shaped with criss-crossing ridges. "One of these, attuned to your Body, Mind, and Spirit will ward off the corruption for a time."
Name: Ward of the Willful Eye
Type: Wardstone (enchanted)
Lore: Designed to withstand harmful environmental effects such as caustic or dissonant elements for a maximum period of six hours.
Shell of Harmonius Will VII - A Song of protection that diverts dissonant environmental hazards. Has no effect on direct attacks.
Chanters Intent II - The Harmonic Song of a Chanter was used to enchant this item, and it bears their Intent. +20% Effectiveness of Shell.
"Damn," said Harn. "That's useful."
"Less than I'd like, I'm afraid," Zara admitted. "Under normal circumstances, the ward would last six hours. In an environment as hostile as the Domain… I fear it will be less. Perhaps far less. The corruption we speak of is degrading the Domain's shell. I imagine it would make quick work as a lesser ward. The only advantage I have here is the inclusion of Harmonics, which should counteract the corruption's nature."
"What about our own enchanted items?" Evie asked. "Will they be affected, too?"
"These wards will protect the whole of your person, including anything worn upon it. Once it fails, however," Zara snapped her fingers. "Your Rank I enchanted armor will likely be destroyed in short order."
"How long will it take to clear this 'threat'?" Cal asked.
"I don't know," Zara replied, with no little annoyance. "I truly wish I did. The danger grows with each passing day, but I have been unable to determine how much of the Domain has been corrupted. It is clearly hungry, however and once the Inquisitors have sentenced their 'heretics' and pushed them into the Domain, it will likely be too late. The shell will burst with that influx of power, and this city will be doomed."
"So you're sayin' our gear will get trashed, our lives are on the line, and we don't even know how long this will take?" Cal scoffed. "You better be makin' this interestin', then."
"Oh, I plan to," Zara agreed. "I wouldn't expect anyone to throw themselves into danger at my word. We have history, Cal, but I know we have never been friends. Instead, I offer this."
The Naiad produced a small scroll and tossed it to the treasure hunter. Cal caught it easily and unfurled it. Felix watched with interest as Cal's eyes went from half-lidded apathy to wide-eyed startlement. He couldn't see the contents from this angle, but that didn't matter as Zara started listing off the items.
"In addition to having rights over everything you collect in the Domain, I will give you enough Essence Draughts to bring each member of your crew to their next Tier. They'll be uncommon rarity, the best I can procure during this lockdown. I will also personally assist Evie in completing her Apprentice Formation. I have quite a few notes on her current advancement that I know could be improved," Zara smiled wide. "And a payment of a dozen Uncommon monster cores will be given to each crew member, to aid them in expanding their power for the future."
"Damn," repeated Harn. "Yer loaded. How's that?"
"I've done well for myself," Zara gestured at the manor around them. "But all of my wealth means nothing if I cannot keep this contained."
There was silence around the table, each of them absorbed in their thoughts. Felix considered what he knew of the dangers the Domain represented, as well as the wealth that Zara was offering. He needed to consider his Journeyman Tempering sooner rather than later, as his Skills kept rising, and the monster cores would only be beneficial to that process, at least for him.
More importantly, if what Zara said was true, then the Maw had a hand in all of this. Or at least, remnants of its power. The beast the Guilders killed was clearly one of its twisted children, those Geist it had mutated with its power. Felix felt a responsibility to do something about that… but also felt a distinct fear. How would this affect his bloodline progression? Would it—
A thought struck him like a lightning bolt. Could Zara cleanse him of the Maw? Permanently?
"What's the win condition, here?" Felix asked. He looked up at the others, some of whom were giving him questioning glances. "We go in, we destroy the corruption somehow, and then leave? Simple as that?"
"I doubt it," said Vess. "Nothing about this seems simple. Do you have a way to cleanse the Domain?"
