Pinging before his eyes in a series of alerts, Felix stared at nine (NINE!) Essences that he'd never seen before.

 

 

 

 

The others were the same, though the Aspect affected and Rarity all changed. Each notification glowed with power, informing Felix with a glance of their rarities. The first three were Uncommon Essences...and the rest were all Rare.

 

Did these come from the Ravager King? He'd eaten a Larval Ravager and taken a singular Essence from it back in the Domain, the Essence of the Primal Seed. But there are so many...

 

Beyond the notifications, Felix could see them swirling among his essence cloud, and watched as one disappeared into the abyss in his core. In a flash of incandescent light, it was consumed entirely. The blue box for [Essence of Knighted Steel], a Body Essence, flickered and vanished from before him.

 

 

The clock was ticking.

 

Felix could feel something about them, a nebulous sort of sensation that he couldn't pin down. Each Essence was composed of lesser Features, things that made up the Essence in some way. When selected, the Feature transferred to one's Aspect; if he took an Inferno Essence from a draught, then his Spirit would have some feature of an Inferno. He had been told it was only a minor, barely noticeable effect in Apprentice Tier. Each Tier thereafter, however, it grew more and more apparent. This was his foundation, the structure upon which his true strength was building. He Tempered very well in Apprentice, and he had to continue that trend.

 

Flipping through them, Felix fumbled at them with his Affinity. All of them thrummed with the barely heard vibrations of the Grand Harmony, but one felt deeper than all the rest. More resonant, he supposed.

 

 

As it sank into him, the feel of it was so opposed to the Ravagers that Felix knew it wasn't from the King. Like a bolt of lightning from the clear blue sky, he knew. The others must have come from the cathedral's vault.

 

 

 

 

 

Shock hit him harder than the System energy that unspooled into his core and channels. Normally there were no explanations during this process, yet now he was getting advice? In all the hubbub, Felix had forgotten about the bonuses his two Titles gave him, so perhaps the description was from them.

 

But there was only one thing that had called him ascendant before. Vellus, the not-quite-dead goddess. Still, he didn't have time to ponder what it might mean, just to work with it as best he could.

 

Jager was immediately tempting. Clearest, most fine state? How could that be beat? It sounded strong and focused. A leap to the end.

 

Yet Allotrope was about having multiple states. Though Felix didn't know what that meant, it sounded like it would give him versatility. The how, of course was unknown. If nothing else, it felt like it might have complicated effects on his Temper.

 

Despite it's silly name, Bort was compelling as well. Accumulation. Gathering. The grind to the top. Jager offered a path to the top, at least that's what it suggested. But did he accept the Systems definition of perfect and choose Jager, or did he devise his own by building from the ground up? Or should he expand his options in some way with Allotrope?

 

He had seconds to choose, as always. The "bonuses" from his Titles were hardly better than no information at all...but he chose. Felix selected what he believed would result in true strength. He only hoped he wouldn't regret it.

 

 

 

 

Energy pulsed through him, crackling around his Fire Within Skill in a halo of electric fire. A not insignificant chunk of his stolen essence vanished into that halo, sucked up like a sponge. A ribbon of blue-gold light shot out from his core ring and connected to the Skill as it raged. Felix felt the tingling pull of power, almost distracting him from the next notification.

 

 

 

Felix gritted his teeth and let the Skill Tier up without Tempering it. He'd considered this, and it hurt to do it. But he felt like it was the right choice.

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry bud. Our bond is powerful, but I need to chase down the strength we both need to survive. Perhaps next time he could Temper with Etheric Concordance again, but for now Felix was going to focus on directly enhancing his strengths and shoring up his weaknesses.

 

In his periphery, Felix sensed more Essences drifting toward his hungry core. He'd never make it if he had to wade through miscellaneous Skill ups; he needed to burn through those he needed to Temper. Taking inspiration from his wild experiments with sigaldry, Felix focused his Willpower and Alacrity, narrowing his Intent until he could visualize what he wanted.

 

Show me my Spirit Skills that have Tiered. He knew there were at least two more. Enough to fully Temper his Spirit.

 

The notifications before him shuddered, weirdly misaligned in his vision for the barest of seconds. Then a single, almost acquiescent chime.

 

 

 

Swallowing nervously, Felix grabbed at the one that burned brightly in his nebula. Cloudy power swirled around it like tiny rings, and as he seized the Essence it sent waves of intense energy into his everything. It hurt.

 

 

If the [Essence of Diamond Eyes] had felt serene, this felt jagged and raw, like the shaking extremis of adrenaline fueled rage. There was no question where this Essence had come from.

 

 

 

Wroth was...that had to be the anger inherent in the Profane Sigaldry, the messed up magic script the Envoy and Archon used. It was clear that wroth was monopolizing this Essence. Felix could feel it jolting through him, sparks of fury that made his insides twist. It was not something he wanted as part of his Spirit, he was certain about that.

 

Genesis was the same Feature he'd used to Temper his Body, back when he'd eaten the Larval Ravager. Should he use it again? Would that be a good thing?

 

Dominion was clearly control. If he was to focus on the way forward, then what Felix needed above all else was control. He fought like brawler, and only his powerful stats had carried him through many of his battles. If he'd had more control over all that, then perhaps he wouldn't find himself pressed against situation after situation, unable to escape the hardest choices.

 

And if that control was to be applied to his new, Legendary sigaldry Skill? There was no further debate needed.

 

He chose Dominion.

 

 

Yet another chunk of his essence cloud vanished as a second halo of thunderflame lit atop the Theurgist of the Rise Skill. A sucking emptiness opened up in Felix's gut, but it was swiftly replaced by the bloom of blue-gold System energy that radiated from his flickering ring, and another ribbon of light flared into life between it and the blazing Skill.

 

 

 

 

 

Felix was about to grab the Essence of Sage, the only other Spirit based Essence, when he felt it. The Tempering of two Skills had sucked away much of his stockpile, and now the bright, concentrated ingots of swirling potency were easier than ever to detect. What had once been hidden among the cloudy nebula was plain as day, and a new Essence joined the others. It shimmered more than pulsed in his dwindling nebula, colorless yet also possessed of the faintest tinge of something. A color he'd never seen before and couldn't put to words. Perhaps he would have missed it, even in the quickly emptying core space, had he not just tempered his Fire Within; his senses felt raw and incredibly acute in that moment. He used his Voracious Eye, and thankfully felt no more twinges of pain.

 

 

A Transcendent Essence, Felix boggled. And variable means...it can be used for any Aspect?

 

There was no question.

 

 

The indescribable color dropped into his ring of liquid fire...and nothing happened. As if he'd simple poured water on an intense heat, it was like it evaporated completely. Felix almost feared it wouldn't work.

 

 

 

 

Quiescent, to his knowledge, meant inert or passive. But rising above such a state was not worthless. Far from it, Felix's entire time in the Continent was being forced to rise above where he was, if for no other reason than he would die otherwise. He set that one aside.

 

The "Pull of Significance" felt like something, but Felix couldn't put a finger on it. What was "Significance"? Were they similar to the links and connections in sigaldry? He hadn't a clue.

 

The "Draw of Silence" and the word Veil suggested covert, sneaky stuff. That...really hadn't been his style so far, but he wasn't against the option.

 

What was the way forward then? How could he build a better Spirit with these?

 

Felix ground his teeth. As helpful as these new descriptions were, they didn't go out of their way to be informative. It was as if the world was intentionally being obtuse, blocking information from reaching people. Like how society seemed to be organized by secret factions and even simple things like standardized measurements of Strength or Vitality were not shared outside of them. It was enough to drive a dude insane.

 

Reign of Vellus was a staple of his fighting style, and it was linked somehow to Vellus herself. A literal goddess, dead or not. He had hoped that by choosing a Transcendent Essence that he could bring it up to snuff; it was excellent for mobility and crowd control, but the Skill was dangerous to everyone, even himself.

 

The Skill operated on generating kinetic blasts or implosions. If the Feature was to affect his Skill, he could focus on Surge, increasing it's power with a sudden rush? Or perhaps Veiled would quieten the ability somehow, let him cast it without all the lightning?

 

Gravity though...the pull of mass, of entire worlds. But it was also a profundity, a sense of magnitude and peril.

 

 

Perhaps he didn't know the way forward, but he knew where he wished to go.

 

 

Felix wasn't expecting much due to the Essence's quiet entrance, so he was nearly thrown onto his back as his core fire exploded with a cacophonous radiance. Leveraging himself back up from his elbows, Felix dipped his senses back below, utilizing his Fire Within. It was like a bomb had gone off.

 

Less a halo and more an aurora of crackling light surmounted his Reign of Vellus Skill. A ribbon of light, twice as thick as the others, was already wrapped firmly around his core ring, and the entire space sang with ethereal music. What's more, it was music that sounded nothing like the System and Grand Harmony. Nor did it sound like the discordant buzz of the Maw's old caterwauls. It felt...clean and pure, like a glacial stream. Like...What's that?

 

It was hard to notice at first, what with the light and sound and all, but as his Fire Within sharpened his focus he could make it out in the brightness. The convoluted pattern of his Skill had literally doubled in size.

 

 

Felix could feel the vibrancy that was soaking into the Skill, and though he had no idea what it might lead to, he was suddenly excited to find out.

 

 

Grinning despite the rising pain, Felix let out a joyous "whoop!" as the light inundated his senses.

 

 

The screaming kept going.

 

Evie swung her chain too high, accidentally wrapping it around one of the newly erected posts. A half instant later, she felt a sharp edge against her neck.

 

"Don't get distracted, Aren," Callie hissed. She pulled the dagger back and sheathed it in one blindingly fast motion. "Distractions get you dead. Or smash your pelvis. Again."

 

Evie grimaced and rubbed her neck, though the blade hadn't even scratched her. She still hadn't fully recovered from having her pelvis nearly pulped by that Bishop of Hunger, but copious healing spells from Portia and a few choice potions had brought her to the cusp of recovery in a few short hours. Still, Callie wasn't an Adept in Short Blades Mastery for nothing, and Evie never had a real chance against her. "How can you not be distracted? Felix's been in there hollerin' his head off for twenty minutes!"

 

She shuddered. Hitting Apprentice Tier had been painful and gross, not to mention she had to Temper her Body twice. But still, she hadn't made noises like that.

 

Callie only looked toward the other end of the warehouse, where the sound wards were trying and failing to keep the Unbound's screams sealed. Evie had seen her ask Vivienne to look at it, since Rory wasn't back yet, but the Bronze Rank couldn't see what was wrong with it. Or, to put it in her own words: "I see where the sound is escaping, but there's nothing wrong with the warding array. He's just...bypassing it, somehow."

 

Callie turned from the warded room to Zara, who was tracing a series of aquamarine sigils into the ground. She had created a complex, clearly arcane pattern of glowy lines, but Evie couldn't make heads or tails of them. When she'd asked, Zara had said something about "seeker nets" and "material filters" that made Evie's brain want to take a nap even now.

 

Zara's fingers didn't stop in their efforts, nor did she look up. She simply seemed to sense their gazes and said, "He'll be fine."

 

Evie let out a controlled breath. She wasn't entirely sure why she felt anxious. Felix certainly had fought weirder and stronger odds than a few ranked up Skills, right?

 

"Or he won't," Zara continued. "This is his struggle alone."

 

Evie closed her eyes in annoyance. Damn mysterious chorister. She still found it hard to fully trust a priest of Avet, no matter how helpful she had been. He was the god of change, after all. For good or ill.

 

"Can't you at least fix the ward?" Callie asked her again. She'd asked her before, when Atar had checked, but the Naiad had been as busy then as she was now. Again, Zara didn't stop.

 

"No," she made a weird little flourish, and a spark of blue-green light flitted into the air. It dissipated in seconds. "He's using a Transcendent ranked Essence. It'll only degrade the ward again. We can wait until he's finished."

 

"Wait, hold on," Evie said, at the same time Callie sputtered out a few choice curses.

 

"BurningTranscendent? Where'd he get that?"

 

"Perhaps it was something he ate," Zara said, and she smiled.

 

A grin for nightmares, Evie shuddered. Looks like a shark.

 

Felix's screams had changed in texture, but still they came, and Evie took a few calming breaths to focus. The breaths caught and stuck in her throat a moment before Evie forced it out. Was that what Journeyman Tier felt like? Would it feel that way for her, too?

 

A jab to her shoulder nearly sent her stumbling, and Callie clucked her tongue. "Your stance has gotten sloppy. We start again. Recall your chain and get out your side dagger."

 

Evie stifled the groan that wanted to escape from her throat and did as she was asked. Short Weapon Mastery was one of her worst Skills, and Callie knew it. Somehow, she felt Felix had gotten the easier task.

 

 

Felix wasn't sure when he stopped screaming, but he found himself lying on the cool stone floor of the warehouse, staring blankly at the warped and blackened ceiling. He blinked, and it felt like sand had crusted over his eyes.

 

"Ugh, gross," he rasped. A notification was blinking before him, and it took two tries to make his eyes focus on it.

 

 

 

Hot damn, Felix gasped as System power flooded his veins. It felt far more powerful and somehow smoother than ever before, flowing into his core and then out into his channels in a single, lightning quick moment. It was glorious, a fine recompense for the pain of Tempering in the first place. The sensation faded after several minutes, and Felix took a long moment to catch his breath.

 

Then he dove back in.

 

There were a few more notifications to get through, and he didn't have all day.