Unbound - Chapter 626

Archie was trapped. He wasn’t used to it, but then again, there was little he was used to in this screwed up world.

He had almost made it up the mountain when he’d had to slow down because of the stupid Arcane Sentries. He’d even been forced to fight one, and it was tough. He beat it, sure, which got him that damn Quest to destroy them all. That had been too tempting to pass up. It would’ve meant he could race through this last area with impunity.

So he followed the things, tracking the slow movements of Sentries before catching a weird rhythm coming from this place. His Blindsense told him there was a big creature nearby…but all he found were the damn Vault Wardens.

“Listen, I’ve had about enough of the beard brigade, I’m just passing through okay?”

“Your trespass stops here, child. We have locked down your curious gift,” one of the Wardens said. “Do not fight us.”

Archie rubbed his nose. He had bruised it when they stopped his Stoneswim from functioning. “Yeah, thanks for that.”

The mountain shook, and the Wardens traded glances. They looked afraid, and it was definitely not because of him.

“The Hierocracy threatens our sovereignty. You will come with us to fix it,” another said.

“Threatens you how? Fix it how?”

“The Titan ascends the peak.”

For a second, Archie’s heart felt like it wanted to claw up his throat. “What?”

“She and an army of sycophantic light-lickers have invaded our most sacred realm,” another Warden spat. “She will stop when she has you.”

The mountain shook again.

“She is coming regardless of what you decide…and we are not enough to stop her. At least this way you help someone with your miserable, thieving life before you are taken.”

“So I just roll over?” Archie barked a nasty laugh. He licked his lips, eyes still scanning for an opening in their guard. He needed to get out of there. “Never done that before. Don’t see a reason to start now.”

“Then you will die.”

Archie bolted, flaring his measly Agility as hard as he could, but he wasn’t fast enough to out-race a sudden wall of molded earth and slammed face first into it. “Fuck! My nose!”

Before he could do more than reel back, a flash of blue-white lightning surged across the sky. Archie flinched, fearing the storm had opened up again…but nothing came of it. Until he realized that none of the Vault Wardens were doing anything, and he glanced at the bearded bastards.

All six of them were staring up above the weird building behind Archie, with expressions that ranged between angry and terrified.

“You fool! What have you done?”

Archie looked up, just in time to see a massive, house-sized spider leap from atop the roof.

Holy shi—Hey! I know that guy!

Felix quickly learned that there were two things massive, mithril spider constructs don’t like. The first is when someone messes with their web. The second is when you punch them very hard in the eye. In order to get its attention, he had done both.

It worked.

Was this the best idea? Pit asked, still riding shotgun in his Spirit.

Nope!

Felix straddled the enormous construct, arms clutching at a delicate seam between its thorax and abdomen. The thing bucked and slammed itself into the bronze pillars around its ethereal lair, trying to dislodge him with all of its might. It was only when he snapped a second Oath thread that the thing skittered out of its dark den and leaped into the light.

Directly onto the Vault Wardens.

Before Felix had soared over Archie and the Dwarves, he’d spotted the spider construct hiding in its little nest. His Voracious Eye had told him many things about it, like that it was called an Oathweaver, that it would defend the Oaths under its care with a wild ferocity, and that it was a Tier VI construct.

Or, in mortal terms: a goddamn Grandmaster.

The Wardens raised shields and summoned fantastical metal and stone armor around themselves, bringing all of the power of their high Master Tier to bear. When the Oathweaver landed, its careless legs slammed into only one…and ran the man through, killing him instantly.

You Have Killed A Vault Warden!

XP Earned!

The Dwarves rallied, their screams less frightened and more pissed off. Spells and Skills surged, ricocheting off of the Oathweaver’s carapace as they tried and failed to hit Felix. Ducking his head so he didn’t get it blown off, Felix reached back to his belt, fumbling with a buckle before realizing he could simply will the strap to dissolve. When it did, he grasped the horn of a large, monstrous skull and slammed it down onto the Oathweaver before funneling a stupid amount of Mana through it.

The Vault Wardens screamed, and the air positively vibrated with their fear as the giant mithril spider split into four identical copies. Each one was just as imposing as the real thing, carrying the weight of its presence that confused even Master Tier senses.

Skein of Fate!

Felix snipped another handful of threads, and the Oathweaver—and all of its copies—went absolutely nuts.

Dwarven curses split the air just as readily as blazing Skills and conjured boulders. The Oathweaver started leaping about and rolling, trying with every ounce of its being to kill Felix. He held on grimly, claws digging into metal with a tortured screech, and healing the brutal damage each slam and roll did to him.

“They are false copies! They have no substance!” one of the Wardens shouted. The ruse was up, but then, it was never about fooling them. It was a distraction.

“AAGH!” another screamed as the sound of electricity and crackling ice pierced the general tumult of a raging spider. Felix got a look as the Oathweaver reared back again, and grinned through the blood on his face.

“Array keystones are on!” Harn shouted. “Light ‘em up!”

Felix activated his suppression array.

Theurgist of the Rise is level 93!

…

Theurgist of the Rise is level 95!

Cardinal Flame is level 95!

On the back of each of the Vault Wardens, a dinner-plate sized hexagon of Leviathan bone and ice-ore seared into their flesh with light and a debilitating Intent. Sigils spread out along the ground, circle after concentric circle centered around the Dwarven Masters. Immediately, the auras around them flickered and one even stumbled as if dizzy.

“Now!” Beef yelled, and zipped forward in a reckless charge. The Warden took the hit in the chest, his rock armor splintering, but recovered quickly. Others hit their own targets, Spears, chains, flames, and crystalline darts all harrying the powerful warriors. Chanted spells and blazing axes met shields of stone and steel, denting them if not breaking them apart.

His friends were strong, but the Vault Wardens were still Master Tier after all. Except as the suppression array wore on, draining primarily their Health and Stamina, they couldn’t recover as fast.

The fight was on.

Felix couldn’t watch though, because he had a separate issue as the Oathweaver slammed him into the bronze pillars of its home. That one hurt far more than the rest, and Sovereign of Flesh had to pulled a great quantity of Essence to heal himself.

I can’t keep this up. His only saving grace was that the construct wasn’t very smart. It had all the power of a Grandmaster and nothing to do with it except slam and trample. But I don’t need you anymore.

Skein of Fate!

This time, Felix reached up into the glistening silver canopy of threads above him and spread his Will across all of them…and tore them apart.

Skein of Fate is level 69!

…

Skein of Fate is level 81!

Adept Tier!

You Gain:

+10% RES

+10% REI

+10% FEL

A great cacophony sounded around them, like an entire orchestra falling down a mile-long flight of stairs. Dissonance surged, the buzzing stink of it tearing across Felix’s senses. The Oathweaver seized up, its cold metal body losing the little flexibility it had as it stiffens and falls over. The clang of it hitting the stone building below hurled Felix from its back like a sedan hitting a telephone pole. He smashed into the far wall, his flight cushioned by bronze.

You Have Defeated The Oathweaver!

XP Earned!

Defeated, not killed, he mused, wincing as he found his feet again. Felix supposed the thing had never really been alive. It had clearly been powered by the active enslavement of Lesser Elementals, all of them…feeding Mana back into its body. His hands itched, wanting to pull apart the Oathweaver and see how it functioned…but they didn’t have the time.

Quest Complete!

Break the Bonds!

Sever the Oaths the Lesser Elementals were tricked into and free them from their imprisonment! Find the source!

Rewards: Varies

Reward Increased Due To Finding The Source!

Reward Increased Due To Freeing 10,000 Arcane Sentries!

…

Reward Increased Due To Freeing All 30,000 Arcane Sentries!

New Title!

Bondbreaker (Unique)!

An evolution of Chain-Breaker, you have spat in the face of Fortune once again! Your defiance is seen and recognized, Felix Nevarre! Those that are bound against their Will are easier to spot for you now.

+1 Skill Evolution

Now that’s awesome. Felix picked up the horned skull. It had fallen after the spider had died. tucked it back into the straps at his waist. helped Pit back to his feet, and they walked to the edge of the building together. You get that too, dude.

Pit trilled happily. Hell yeah!

Language.

Hmph.

Down on the ground below, each of the Master Tier Vault Wardens had been killed. He winced not only at their needless deaths but also at having used up five of his array keystones. The additional bindings Felix added apparently meant that the hexagonal constructs were essentially one-use items. Only eight left. Shit.

Language, Pit sent.

Despite the suppression array, they had clearly not gone down without a fight, as the flagstones were torn up into spikes and grasping hands, while other parts were scorched black or even still glowing with heat. His friends were gathered close, almost all of them sipping on Health and Mana Potions in equal measure.

Archie was there, surrounded on all sides by weary and fairly angry people. Felix had to admit that it was cathartic to see him pale when Beef snorted and Yintarion growled.

The guy all but crapped himself when Felix and Pit landed nearby with a thud.

“Oh hey, fancy, ugh, fancy meeting you here,” he said weakly.

“Uh-huh.”

“Listen. Thanks for the assist, I’ll admit I wasn’t gonna escape those guys alone—”

“You would’ve died,” Evie said.

“Right. Right, exactly. So I owe ya. I do.” Archie swallowed. “But I can’t leave. Not until I’ve gotten what I came here for. It’s too—”

“I agree,” Felix said. “That’s why I’m gonna help you rob the vault.”

“I—oh.” Archie brightened, thick eyebrows lifting above his dark goggles. “Really?”

“Yeah really. So put your game face on, dude, because we’ve gotta run fast.” Felix rolled his shoulders. “The path is clear of Arcane Sentries now, I’ve completed the Quest. So the straight shot to the top should be a lot easier now.”

Archie gaped. “That was you? I saw it was complete…but I didn’t get anything.”

“Did you actually help?” Vess asked, voice harsh. “Or did you cower while we did the work?”

“Uh, I couldn’t, um…”

Felix sighed. “That doesn’t matter. We’re going. Now. Archie, how fast can you run?”

“On the ground? I’m slow as hell. But my Stoneswim can keep up.”

“Good. I’m not holding back anymore,” Felix gave Pit a quick scratch by his ears before the tenku vanished in a flash of light.

“Wait, wait. That guy,” Archie said, pointing to one of the Dwarves. “He said the Hierocracy was here. On the Undermount. Is—is it her?”

“It is.”

Archie deflated. “We’re dead.”

Felix pulled the guy up onto his feet. “I have a plan for that too.”

The mountain shook, and Imara fell to one knee, forced to plant her bare hands onto the cold stone steps so she wasn’t thrown free. Behind her, the Inquisition forces staggered, many falling to their deaths hundreds of feet below. Others fell to the Grave Trolls that hounded their steps in ever-growing packs, or the far deadlier Tomb Guardians that lunged out of the shadows.

“Chosen! We must regroup!” Bellar said, not for the first time. He eyed the low layer of clouds ahead with blatant fear. “We do not know what lies within, and my people are too spread out along the mountain, we must—!”

Imara grabbed the Inquisitor by the neck, her hand more than large enough to wrap entirely around it. His words—his breath—cut off. “The only thing we must do is find the Gnome. All else is inconsequential.”

Bellar pulled and pried her hand, unable to budge it. “If–if we die, then the Gnome will escape! The Fiend will interfere!”

Catch…Him. Or Kill Him. The Fiend Cannot…Have Him.

Imara shook her head, more than a little troubled. The further up the mountain they climbed, the more…interference she could feel between her and the Pathless. She gritted her teeth. “No. The Fiend knows my power. He will—”

“He hurled you across the sky!”

Imara sneered and dropped the man. He clattered to the steps. “A display of desperate strength. He cannot withstand the unveiled might of the Light.”

“Are you…your voice—” Bellar stood up slowly. “You’re angry.”

She stepped closer to the man and he flinched, but he didn’t back away. “I hold nothing within me but the Light. And we waste time here.” She marched up the steps again, feet barely fitting into the ill-sized stairs. “I should have kept Faer with me. At least he holds to his convictions.”

“Halt!”

To the right, one of the Inquisitors thrust out their hand and translucent golden panels manifested atop one of the mausoleums. Caught within that golden glow was a squat figure with dark goggles, a black beard, and a vicious, mocking smile.

Seemingly without effort, the Gnome vanished into the mausoleum beneath his feet.

“THERE!” Imara shouted, and braced her legs—before another Inquisitor spotted the Gnome. And another. And another.

“Illusions!” Bellar snarled. “They’re false trails!”

“They do not feel like illusions. All of them feel true.” Imara spun, her powerful vision piercing through the gloom and catching double after double. “He must be among them…but which one?”

Ahead, just below the bank of clouds, the Gnome stood. He grinned and waved, before scurrying up the stairs and into the fog.

“Chase them all!” she demanded, before following her own advice.

“Chosen! No!” Bellar screamed after her. “Imara!”

Yet she had already plunged into the storm.