Unbound-Chapter Eight Hundred And Fifty Two – 852

The canopy of the Altissima Anima stretched for miles from the city of Hevaan, casting its shadow over Morva and the other nearby towns. Aside from its sheer size, the effect of its primary aura was undeniable, and as Felix led his people back to Yev Setan—Jaast’s Heart of Darkness—he could spot the difference it made. Temperance’s Plenty was thick in the air—nearly as palpable as smoke to him—a song sung through the Green Wilds that eased a piece of his heart he couldn’t name. His Perception caught on countless creatures, animal and monster both, that seemed less frantic, but otherwise normal. There was no sign of further god-touched monstrosities, either.

When they landed and all leaped off Pit's back, Felix felt better than he had in a while. He knew the Tree was affecting him, but he didn't mind. The peace it brought was momentary—it could never quell the urgency that roiled within him, just beneath the skin.

Felix strode into Yev Setan and unleashed his Skill.

Unite the Lost!

Power rippled through him, pouring into the surrounding structure.

Felix had previously restored Yev Setan, but after his fight with the Plagueblooms he’d found a few of its outbuildings still in disrepair. If he were to leave Jaast with a fortress city and a Spirit Tree, he figured it was only fair to bring the Heart of Darkness back to full utility. Compared to resurrecting an entire city, it cost him fairly little. The actual Heart of Darkness was in fine condition, the vaulted ceiling still immaculate and designed to look like the night sky, while statues formed next to pillars of gold-veined black stone. What he paid attention to, however, were the structures just beyond his sight.

The outbuildings were built on stepped platforms but were otherwise quite squat, and every right angle had been rounded by the ceaseless wear of time. There, the stone rebuilt itself, rising from the earth to clad itself in fine fronts of carved stone and delicately shaped metals. Even fabric curtains wove out of ancient memory, their fibers snagged upon doorways to billow in the jungle breeze. They unfolded around him like a puzzlebox. Ancient weathering was shaped away, proving itself to be merely a facade—a mask layered over their true form, now brought back to brilliant life.

There were even some changes to the Heart of Darkness itself. Subtle things that Felix had not noticed were missing now gleamed in his attention. Mosaics of beautiful vistas formed above the intricately carved Shadowgates, similar to how they appeared in his Void Sanctuary. Beneath his boots, upon the hexagonal tiles, a symbol a hundred feet in diameter formed. It was picked out in small bits of glass that rose from nothing at the very center of the chamber, as if they were baubles floating out of an opaque sea. It was a symbol he knew well: the glyph of House Nevarre, surmounted by a golden-leafed Spirit Tree.

"Cool!" Pit crowed, dancing on his paws as the changes around him settled.

You Have Fully Restored Yev Setan And Adjoining Facilities!

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Transportation Hub Of Hevaan!

New Options Are Available!

See The Control Node For Further Details.

Felix turned slowly, taking in the gates. Nine of them were there, all in perfect repair. A lot of significance had gone into bringing those back online when they’d first arrived in Jaast, and even still he could feel that they were only each only half fixed, save for one. That one led back to Elderthrone, while the others were portals into mystery.

"Well," Archie said, "That was pretty cool. Where do these go?"

Harn poked one of them with his axe. When the thin shadows at its center didn’t jump out at him, he grunted. "Nowhere I know. You plannin’ on fixin’ them too, Felix?”

“I was thinking about it.” He’d already noticed the silver roots of Altissima coiled just outside the base of Yev Setan. They were still well within the Tree’s influence, but it seemed it didn’t want to encroach on the structure for some reason. Felix walked out and knelt, placing a hand against the textured silver of the nearest root.

Altissima. Do you want to help me? Like your siblings did?

Curiosity met his questing Mind, and in response, Felix sent images of what Atlantes and Ourea had done. Before they had finished rolling out of him, the Spirit Tree eagerly agreed to help. Even when Felix explicitly sent sensations of recalled pain he'd felt both through his own body and his connection to the Trees, the young, newly born Tree did not seem to care.

"Brace yourself," Felix muttered before he reached for the Shadowgates, bringing the Spirit Tree into connection with it. As before, the two slid smoothly into one another, the power of the silver roots intertwining with the magic of the Shadowgates. They split, arcing among all nine gates and the purple Belais crystal that sat at the far end of the chamber.

Altissima screeched in pain, the sound invisible to ears, though all of his friends winced as their Affinity was scraped raw by its sudden agony.

"Jesus, what the fuck is that?" Archie shouted.

"Do they all hurt like that?" Pit whined, burying his head beneath his paws.

"No," Felix said. "This one seems rougher.”

There was a bucking from the Altissima Anima as it sought a place within the complicated construction of the Shadowgate network. The aggressive plant was unlike most Tree’s he had dealt with, but its commitment to throwing itself into the joining was working against it; the network was rejecting the Spirit Tree like a foreign contaminant. Strained melodies faded and grew, each verse trying and failing to join with the Altissima.

Until a familiar presence spread across the song, and the melody changed. A steadiness entered the magic, settling the chaos as the silver Tree scrabbled for purchase. Atlantes reached out along with the echo of Ourea, guiding Altissima through the hub’s convoluted system, placing it where it needed to be.

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Connections Between Shadowgates Strengthened!

Protections Between Paired Shadowgates Increased By 20%!

Your Heart Of Shadows Has Advanced!

Tier VI > Tier VII

The screaming stopped, and all of his friends hesitantly uncovered their ears.

“It’s done?” Beef asked warily.

Felix turned to the Shadowgates, all of which now had silver roots spread across their frames. “Yeah. It’s done.”

Harn ambled toward the Belais crystal and called up its illusory display. A map of the Shadowgate network appeared, reminiscent of a subway map back home, as each of the gates were outlined in different colors. Surprisingly, the map was laid atop of an image of the Continent, something that Karys and Felix had incorporated back in Elderthrone.

Apparently the upgrade brought that over too.

"The gates spread southward," Harn said. "Looks like it goes beyond the jungles and the mountains surrounding Ahkestria." He fixed Felix with a serious stare. "Into the Interior of the Continent."

"The Interior," Beef mused. "I've heard people talk about that before. What does it mean, exactly?"

“It's the rest of the Continent, where several large empires hold sway," Harn explained, "and where, if rumors are true, the average citizen are all Journeymen Tier at the minimum."

Archie grimaced. "I once heard a smuggler say that in the Interior, Grandmasters fill the streets. I always thought he was lying. So did everyone else."

"It's true enough," Harn gestured toward where eight of the nine Shadowgates led across the top portion of a vast landmass. "The Interior is filled with ancient forces that make Levantier’s Lucent Towers look like a bunch of Apprentices."

Beef swallowed. "Is this... should you have restored these, then? You said those monsters entered the gate trying to get to Elderthrone. Did we just open up a way for a whole bunch of dudes to invade?"

"No. Not unless we open the gates first," Felix said. He walked next to Harn and manipulated the illusory display. "We'll be fine."

He selected a new option that populated his authority screen at the moment Yev-Satan was restored.

Priority Locks - These lock the Shadowgates when not in use, providing extra protection to tampering and interference from unaligned parties.

Felix jabbed his finger forward, but before he could select it, a new option manifested.

Due To Binding Two Or More Spirit Trees To A Heart Of Darkness You Have Unlocked New Options!

Dissonant Cadence - By tapping into the powers of the Emperor and those of the Spirit Trees that have joined with the Shadowgate network, the Heart can protect itself from incursions with the power of Dissonance.

WARNING!

This is a fickle power. Not for the uninitiated.

Well, that sounds like just the thing. Felix thought. He selected it immediately.

All at once, the gates changed.

Each were specialized sculptures out of semi-precious stones and minerals, but the outer frame of every Shadowgate was the same shape: a large circle, wide enough to admit a company of soldiers. Where the silver roots tangled among them before, now they shifted entirely, until the circle turned to resemble a metallic bark. Sigaldry flowed across it, fitting between the cracks in the textured surface in fractal patterns that flowed with golden light, while drooping tendrils of golden leaves gathered at their zenith. In seconds, each and every gate sprouted a miniature Spirit Tree sapling from its top.

Before the golden leaves stopped fluttering, there was a ringing of soft bells as everything finalized.

Hidden Quest Completed!

The Stakes of Empire.

To claim an empire is synonymous with having to defend its borders. Many are the Banes that will rise up to breach the sanctity of what you have created. The ruler is beholden to those they rule. To be otherwise is to be stripped of your authority. The threats will end those who are unworthy of such responsibilities. But, by the same token, Boons will aid those that serve their people.

You have passed your first trial. You have defended against the incursion of outside nations..

+Increased Authority

+Upgraded Emperor’s Aura! Bonus is now 15% to all allies' damage output and defensive capabilities when within the same Territory as the Emperor.

Your Empire Is Secure!

For Now!

Seek Out Boons And Banes To Further Augment Your Domain!

Altissima creaked in clear pleasure, its tiny clones rustling in identical joy.

That's ominous, but strangely encouraging. I guess there's more I can do to strengthen things, but also more trials lie in wait. Felix shrugged off the notification. What else is new?

“Harn. Go and retrieve the rest of the Legion and the Chanters. Bring them back to Elderthrone." Felix tilted his head, feeling at that bundle of sensation that was his Authority. "This close to the city, I can practically feel Mauvim poking around Hevaan."

“Aye.” Harn gestured, summoning some of the lieutenants to himself.

"Use the elevated highway," Felix added. "It was part of Yev Setan’s transport hub, so it was partially repaired when I raised the rest of this place. It should provide a boost to the speed of anyone using it."

"Mauvim fiddled with that," Harn grunted. He gave the order. "Wasn’t fully workin’ before. She had to keep the spell runnin’ herself. I'm almost tempted to go check it myself."

"Feel free. I only repaired the highway from here to the crossroads near Morva. My Authority is telling me that there is a lot more roadway, but it's beyond what I'd like to spend right now."

Beef scratched his head. "A magic highway? What for? Trade?"

"Sword of the South," Archie said. "That's what this place is called, right? Gotta imagine they needed to move troops fast."

"Sound thinkin’, and likely right." Harn started walking toward the exit. "Could be useful to install everywhere. I'll get the Legion outpost to make copies of the designs and send them back to our Glyphworks."

"Perfect. Bring the rest back to Elderthrone as soon as possible," Felix gestured, activating the gate back to Nagast. "I'll take everyone else back to prep for the next step.”

“See you soon, kid."

Harn and his soldiers departed, leaving Pit, Fafnir, and the other Unbound alone.

Beef hefted Bedlam on his shoulder, and Hollow spoke from his chest. "Back to Elderthrone, then?"

Felix approached the gate. "Back to training. We have a lot to do."

"And then?"

"Then we beat the Hierophant's ass and rescue those kids." Archie scowled up at the gate. "And the other ones, too, I guess."