Silence - Chapter 01

"The Continent dwells within the Corporeal Realm. This is known. The Realms number three, as do our Aspects. Body, Mind, and Spirit. But who's Body? Who's Mind? Do we toil upon the literal shoulders of giants? If one were cast into the Void, what would they find?"

-Vilas Tern, Pagewright of the Violet Tower

Pit squawked in alarm and Felix stumbled back, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the Maw. That was easy, as the Void stretched between them, infinite darkness without a speck of light or life.

It appeared before him as a statuesque woman with long black hair and vivid blue-green eyes—the form of Lhel, a Nymean woman from thousands of years ago. Its face was cadaverous and gaunt, as if it hadn't eaten in weeks. The Maw snarled at him, and Felix noticed that its teeth were blunt and flat. Not a fang in sight.

"Why are you here?" Felix asked trying to keep his Perception spread out as wide as possible. Who knew what sort of tricks it would pull? "You're supposed to be dead!"

I am Unending, fool! I cannot die. The Maw looked around at the featureless darkness all around them in disgust. Though I may wish for it before long. The Void is not a realm I ever wanted to visit, let alone be trapped within. Why are you not dead?

Pit growled and shrieked angrily at the creature, while Felix frowned, having thought the same thing. More worryingly, he wasn't sure why both he and his Companion survived. He checked his neck, and a pulse still beat strong and quick beneath his fingers.

Does your heart still pump? The Maw snarled. Let me fix that for you!

With a furious yell, the Maw crossed the intervening distance, a blur of emaciated rage. Felix barely got his guard up and the Maw's chipped nails pierced right through his throat...and out the other side. In fact, its entire body sailed through Felix's like a ghost.

WHAT!

Felix spun around, facing the creature while running his hands across his body and throat. He was completely unharmed, his Health unmoved aside from his busted nose. The Maw laid upon the ground, staring at its hands in shock. It was wearing the same pale dress it had worn in its prison, and in fact looked exactly as it did right before it attempted to hijack his body. Right after—

"You gave up your power," Felix muttered. That had to be it: the majority of the Maw's Mana had been torn away and siphoned off into the Essence Anchor, as what little there was left was more than enough to deal with him. Or should have been.

YOU! You did this to me! You used that stolen Skill to...to...You consumed my power. The Maw paused, her luminous eyes wide. Blasted Affinity. We are...connected.

Felix couldn't argue. He felt it too, disgusted as he was. What's more, his new quest confirmed it.

Escape the Void!
You have saved the Continent from the Maw, but all choices have consequences. As a result of becoming the Maw's Vessel, however briefly, you have been banished to the Void!
Find a way out, if you can!
Rewards: Freedom, Title, Varies

He had become her Vessel, at least for a little while, and he had...eaten her essence while she attempted to devour him in return. Almost in response to that thought, a new notification flashed across his vision.

Hidden Quest Complete!
Defeat the Unending Maw!
Stop the Unending Maw's escape, by any means necessary!

Due to foiling its escape as well as banishing it into the Void, you have gained increased rewards!
Due to killing the majority of the Risi and their Chieftain, you have gained increased rewards!
Due to killing 3 of 6 Blood Beasts hidden in the Foglands, you have gained increased rewards!

You Gain:
+3 Levels
+3 Titles
+1 Bronze Chest

Be Aware! A Bronze Chest cannot be rewarded at this time, please return to the Corporeal Realm to receive your prize.

You Have Gained 3 Levels!
You are now Level 25!
+9 to WIL! +6 to INT! +12 to DEX! +3 to END! +6 to PER! +6 to VIT! +12 to AGL!
You Have 20 Unused Stat Points!

Your Companion Pit Has Gained 3 Levels!
+6 VIT! +6 PER! +12 AGL! +12 DEX! +9 WIL! +3 END! +6 INT!

New Title!
Titan Slayer (Epic) - You have triumphed over a foe that is double your level and advancement. +10% STR, VIT

New Title!
Indomitable (Epic) - Against all odds you rise, again and again. +10% WIL, END

New Title!
Primordial Slayer (Transcendent) - +50% All Stats - You have killed a Primordial, an ancient enemy of—

ERROR!
Primordial still living—
ERROR!
Primordial not alive—
ERROR!
Correcting Reward...

New Title: Cage the Beast (Epic) - You have survived the Maw's plan, becoming both more and less than a Vessel, connected by tethers of Affinity. A piece of the Maw now lives within you, forevermore. Be wary. +10% ALA, REI, INE

Felix's eyes bulged as another storm of power thundered through him, though this time it felt muted somehow. A flaring ring of luminous vapor poured off of him, spreading outward in a rapid pulse that vibrated the nothingness beneath his feet. The sensation vanished quickly, swallowed by the Void fast enough that Felix noticed Pit had briefly glowed with System energy as well, his wingspan growing another few inches. The Titles he'd received were...well, honestly appropriate for what he'd done. Far more strange, however, was the last two lines of his rewards.

+1 Bronze Chest

Be Aware! A Bronze Chest cannot be rewarded at this time, please return to the Corporeal Realm to receive your prize.

Return to the Corporeal—the Continent? Felix grunted. Of course. Why make it easy?

He turned back to the Maw, who had watched the two of them spasm with power with a sour look on its face.

There, you see? Connected, forevermore. Whether we like it or not.

Felix curled his lip in disgust, pushing aside the heady joy of his level gains. He looked over the Titles he'd earned, especially the last one, and started piecing it all together. When he had dropped onto the Essence Anchor, instead of killing him it had transported both of them into the Void. The sigils written on the artifact said as much when he'd translated them: Anchor The Beast and Draw Its Power Into The Infinite Void. The Maw was part of Felix now, the System itself confirmed it, so he was shunted off with it. And since Pit was connected via the Convergence ability, he came along for the ride.

"Damn," he muttered. He was glad not to be dead, but this was a wrinkle he hadn't expected. He looked at the Maw. "Why can I see you?"

The Maw looked at its own hands, Lhel's hands. I am a...projection of your Mind and Spirit, apparently. Fah! This is untenable!

"And you can't hurt me, or even touch me or Pit." Felix nodded. "Good."

Felix immediately ignored her and inspected himself, noticing he was still shirtless and wearing the same ragged boots and tattered pants. His belt was gone, as was his journal and sword. They had been left behind, he assumed, somewhere in the Maw's prison. He cursed inwardly and ran his hands through his hair. It was messy and too long, dangling about his ears.

"I need to find out what our new baseline is," he mused, bringing up his Status with a thought.

Name: Felix Nevarre
Level: 25
Race: Nym*
Omen: Magician
Born Trait: Keen Mind

______

Health: 852/864
Stamina: 861/861
Mana: 1458/1458

______

STR:    156
PER:    154
VIT:      172
END:    156
INT:      188
WIL:     272
AGL:     129
DEX:     123

______

BODY

Resistances: Acid Resistance (C), Level 24; Fire Resistance (C) Level 19*; Cold Resistance (U), Level 20; Heat Resistance (U), Level 21*; Pain Resistance (U), Level 42; Poison Resistance (U), Level 28; Lightning Resistance (R), Level 1*

Combat Skills: Axe Mastery (C), Level 5*; Blunt Weapon Mastery (C), Level 10*; Dodge (C), Level 25; Long Blade Mastery (C), Level 15*; Parry (C), Level 4*; Small Blade Mastery (C), Level 10; Staff Mastery (C), Level 7*; Thrown Weapons Mastery (C), Level 11; Unarmed Mastery (C), Level 25; Blind Fighting (R), Level 21; Corrosive Strike (R), Level 25

Physical Enhancements: Running (C), Level 21; Stealth (C), Level 25; Swimming (C), Level 6; Acrobatics (U), Level 25*; Breath Control (U), Level 22*; Free Climbing (U), Level 15; Relentless Charge (U), Level 9; Armored Skin (R), Level 38; Physical Conditioning (R), Level 23

MIND

Mental Enhancements: Intimidation (C), Level 8*; Make An Entrance (U), Level 10; Meditation (U), Level 33; Bastion of Will (E), Level 42; Deep Mind (E), Level 30; Ravenous Tithe (E), Level 1

Information Skills: Analyze (C), Level 25; Tracking (C), Level 13; Exploration (U), Level 25; Herbalism (U), Level 17

SPIRIT

Spiritual Enhancements: Dual Casting (U), Level 21; Mana Manipulation (U), Level 6; Manasight (U), Level 40; Etheric Concordance (L), Level 26

Spells: Cloudstep (R), Level 8; Fire Within (R) Level 33; Influence of the Wisp (R), Level 26; Invocation (R), Level 1; Mantle of the Long Night (R), Level 13; Shadow Whip (R), Level 26; Stone Shaping (R), Level 25; Reign of Vellus (E), Level 28; Sigils of the Primordial Dawn (E), Level 13; Wrack And Ruin (E), Level 26

______

Unused Stat Points: 20

Harmonic Stats
RES:    103
INE:     88
AFI:      57
REI:      60
ALA:     136

He checked Pit's Status as well.

Name: Pit (Companion)
Level: 16
Race: Chimera - Tenku

______

Health: 388/388
Stamina: 347/347
Mana: 462/462

______

STR:    52
PER:    69
VIT:      77
END:    64
INT:      50
WIL:     87
AGL:     110
DEX:     87

______

Bite (C), Level 24
Rake (C), Level 23
Cry (R), Level 24
Skulk (C), Level 25
Etheric Concordance (L), Level 26
Wingblade (U), Level 19
Frost Spear (C), Level 17
Cold Resistance (C), Level 16
Poisonfire (R), Level 13

______

Active Titles:
Survivor III
Butcher III
Unconquered
Face the Charge
Bulwark of the Innocent
Pactmaker
Work Horse
Blind Pugilist
Hero
Iron Will
Apprentice Magus
The Broken Path

Even omitting all his Titles and Apprentice Tier notations, his Status page was impressive and Pit's wasn't far behind. He felt strong and capable...and being alive was a heady rush far different than a System stat bump.

He'd survived. He hadn't expected that. Everything after this was gravy.

Though even gravy goes bad.

Felix noted that a number of his Skills had asterisks next to them. When he focused on them, he swallowed. Bad news.

Be Aware! The following Skills are damaged!

Acrobatics
Axe Mastery
Blunt Weapon Mastery
Breath Control
Fire Resistance
Heat Resistance
Intimidation
Lightning Resistance
Long Blade Mastery
Parry
Staff Mastery

Be Aware! Damaged Skills will not function optimally!

Ho ha! The Maw clapped its hands, a spiteful glee on its face. Just noticing that, hmm? So tasty, your Skills! A choice spread, haha!

Felix stared at the list, aghast. None were his foundational Skills, those with which he'd Tempered his Body, Mind, and Spirit, but they were all useful. Acrobatics especially. Felix looked up at the Maw, jaw clenched.

"Fix it!"

More laughter, cackling and mad. I can't! Haha! What's done is done! You'll just have to sunder them and start over!

The Maw couldn't touch him, but unfortunately that meant Felix couldn't touch the Maw either. Pit screamed at her, his ears laid back on his skull, no more than feathery tufts. Felix wanted nothing more than to punch its smug face in and...he took a breath. Then another. He could manage. He checked the list again, and only Acrobatics had made it to Apprentice Tier. That meant it wasn't too terrible, though he'd lost about half the bonuses for Tiering up. He'd survive. He had to.

Felix looked at Pit, who tilted his head, then nodded. The two of them started walking.

Hey! Where are you going? The Maw shouted after them.

"Away." Felix replied without turning. Sound didn't work the same way here as it did back on the Continent. Everything felt immediate, like it was ringing in his own head. "From you, if I can manage it."

Felix shouted in alarm when the Maw materialized before him. One moment it was twenty feet away, the next....

You cannot be rid of me, Felix Nevarre. We are one.

Felix pushed past it, not wanting to even touch their ghostly form. "Then leave us alone. We won. You lost. Go die in a hole, or something."

The Maw kept pace with him, not even walking, but floating beside him. Can't die. I'm dead already. But not...truly strange. I've met my share of Unbound in the past, and few managed to twist the System into such knots. I almost admire you, Felix. Her voice had gone soft again, a faint echo of the false persona of Lhel she had used on him. But aren't you curious?

Felix tried not to respond. Truly he did. But after twenty minutes of apparently pointless walking through the featureless Void, he turned in annoyance. The Maw still floated apace, smiling serenely at him.

"What?"

The Maw shrugged. Nothing important, I suppose. Just your Race.

"My Race? Why--?" He stopped mid-sentence as a blue screen was shoved in his face...by the Maw.

Race:    Nym*

"How did you--? Why's there an asterisk?" Felix focused on it as before, and a new notice came up.

Further Bloodlines Have Been Found. Processing 1%

"What?" Felix looked at the Maw, who was smiling innocently. "What does this mean?"

The Maw's grin widened, sharpening at the corners as it floated away and Felix's expression soured. He was about to say something when a sudden bellow shook the Void.

Above, a massive whale-like creature rolled across the sky, if the Void had such a thing. Distances were strange there, but it felt both impossibly far away and entirely too close. It was like a mountain, swimming across the black like a ponderous fish, it's body more like craggy stone than blubber or flesh. It had huge paddles in place of flippers, and a tail that fanned out in a spray of vibrant, multi-colored Mana streams. Felix gasped and flared his Manasight. The creature blazed like a sun in the darkness, a riot of color that exploded with power with each lumbering flex of its tail. It was too far to Analyze, but he tried anyway.

Analyze...

Target Out Of Range.

Tch. That was pathetic.  The Maw whispered over his shoulder and before he could flinch away, it shoved its hand into Felix's head.

Synergy Detected Between Nascent Bloodline, Born Trait, and Tempered Skill!
Primordial Essence Introduced To System!
ERROR!

Felix fell to the ground as his eyes burned. Literal smoke poured from his sockets, turning his vision into crackling static. Distantly he heard Pit shrieking at the Maw, while the latter laughed insanely. A notification popped up, visible despite his lack of vision.

Analyze has become Voracious Eye (Epic), Level 25!

Voracious Eye (Epic), Level 25!
Your avaricious quest for knowledge knows no bounds! You devour everything you see, committing it all to your hungry Mind. Can be used as long as the object or creature is within line of sight. Detail increases with Skill level, sensory input increases with Skill level.

Further Bloodlines Have Been Found. Processing 2%

Slowly, the burning faded and the pops of static turned into washes of blue and gold that quickly faded into the darkness of the Void. Felix felt tenderly at his face, but everything was pain-free again, though his hands came back wet with blood. He whipped toward the Maw.

"What the hell was that! What's Primordial Essence!?"

The Maw floated upside down, chortling. I guess I can touch you, in some ways...It leered at him, turning right side up again. Felix bared his teeth, ready to fight the thing to the death (again) if he had to, when a screaming cry sounded above them.

The massive creature was still close by, but in the light of its strange tail there cavorted thousands upon thousands of mottled...things. Without conscious thought, his eyes flared with a sudden heat.

Voracious Eye...

Name: Tenebril
Type: Voidborn
Level: 33
HP: 545/545
SP: 434/588
MP: 184/0
Lore: As all Voidborn, the tenebril love the light and power of Mana. They feed upon it and nothing else. Tenebril flock together by the thousands, usually following a Narhollow as it traverses the black.
Strength: More Data Required
Weakness: More Data Required

Felix blinked in surprise, the information flowing into his brain the instant he activated the Skill. He looked to Pit, who seemed to be enraptured by the swirling chaos of tentacular horrors. Their movements were truly mesmerizing, flowing and swimming among each other, their long tangled bodies mottled grey and black. They appeared to be lumpy masses of tentacles, and Felix couldn't spot a body among the appendages, only the occasional flash of rainbow light within them. Felix could practically smell the things just by looking at them, his new eyes somehow doing things his Perception never had.

Remarkable...and delicious. I've never tried Tenebril, they so rarely leave the Void! You absolutely must eat one. The Maw turned to Felix with bright eyes, spittle flecking its lips. Felix furrowed his brow and curled his lip again.

"The last thing I'm doing is taking dietary advice from you. What did you do to my Analyze Skill? Why is it...Maw-flavored now?" Felix demanded.

The Maw drifted higher, as if it were going to inspect the flock of tenebril. It turned back at him, head tilted at an unpleasant angle. You are what you eat, hmm?

Felix was viscerally reminded that this was a Primordial terror that had tried to kill him. To wear him, like a suit. Something about it kept easing his mind into complacency, something insidious. He checked his HUD but other than his slowly healing broken nose, there were no blinking icons indicating an ongoing Condition. Just like in the prison, when the Maw kept toying with his mind. Except now...

How do I protect myself from...myself?

The Maw began humming to itself from slightly above Felix, contemplating the dark not-sky. Hmm. You should run.

"What?" Felix stopped and looked up. He saw nothing. "What are you talking about?"

The Maw just smiled at him.

Then the darkness attacked.

It was fast and silent and utterly invisible. Felix felt a flash of awful heat as something tore at his unprotected chest. Blood sprayed outward as he fell back, which was the only thing that saved him from a follow up strike from another set of ebon claws.

Armored Skin is level 39!

Disoriented and in pain, Felix reeled, his head almost muddied after the attack. The darkness loomed, textureless and infinite, and he was blind to it all.

Pit leaped atop the shadow, wings wide in challenge and beak open for a trumpeting cry. Spears of ice and visible blades of wind crashed into a wide shape, delineating its form and allowing Felix to fire off his Skill.

Voracious Eye...

Name: Harrowing
Type: Voidborn
Level: 41
HP: 832/944
SP: 344/687
MP: 1384/0
Lore: Feeding off Mana, the Harrowings gather in small flocks to trace the path of the Narhollow, picking off any Tenebril that get separated. They are opportunistic and will attack anything they consider weak. Their attacks drain Mana and Health.
Strength: More Data Required
Weakness: More Data Required

Even with his evolved Skill, the creature practically vanished before his eyes. Still, he rolled to his feet, feeling his wound pull with every movement, and waited for an opening. Pit had crawled atop the thing, which flapped its angular wings in furious agitation and tried to buck the tenku. But his Companion had grown hefty, easily the size of a full-grown Rottweiler now, and it buried its beak into the Harrowing's nape.

Now, Pit!

Pit leaped aside, some sort of pale viscous fluid pouring out as he disengaged, and Felix flared his Skills.

Relentless Charge!
Influence of the Wisp!
Corrosive Strike!
Corrosive Strike!
Corrosive Strike!
Corrosive Strike!

Felix flashed through the intervening distance, which was no more than ten or fifteen feet, appearing instantly by the creature's side. A bloom of blue-white fire limned both of them as his wisp magic activated, Enthralling the Harrowing for 5 seconds. More than enough time for his fists to go to work. Felix unleashed Corrosive Strike after Corrosive Strike, acid splashing around the beast as parts of it were torn off and dissolved. It still got in some hits, as its talons were impossible to track, each one leaving a jagged gash in his body.

Then Felix noticed that while his Health took a hit with each slash, his Mana drained even more.

"Shit!" He sped up the pace, but so did the Harrowing.

At one point it broke free, and immediately it flew away. Wheeling through the darkness, leaking a bright fluid from its wounds, it was far easier to track than before...until it disappeared completely. Felix held still, extending his senses outward and feeling Pit do the same. The Maw floated nearby, watching with a sort of gleeful disdain.

It's invisible, you know.

I'm aware! Felix spun, checking behind him and activating Voracious Eye as often as possible. His eyes felt warm each time it discharged, like staring into a desert wind. Then he heard it, a faint, fleshy creak, and Felix pivoted quickly. He leaped into a sideways spin as the Harrowing swooped toward him, but his body spasmed mid-turn. Daggers of molten pain stabbed into his side and back, and Felix fell directly on top of the Harrowing.

It screeched in dismay and anger, and Felix tried to shake off the sudden agonizing spasms. By the time he did, the creature had brought its talons down on his exposed back, slashing him deeply. His Health dropped by 20%, and his Mana dropped by 30%; he was below half in both, which set his heart frantically pumping. Pushing with pure Strength, Felix threw himself up and out of the Voidborn's reach. Then he unleashed a kinetic blast directly into its center mass.

Reign of Vellus!

Lightning arced across the beast, tearing open its dark body and releasing a flood of shimmering fluid that boiled into the air. Abruptly, a wave of light burst from it, discharging into the not-sky like a lightning bolt.

You Have Killed A Harrowing!
XP Earned!

Panting, Felix stepped back from the pile of glowing mush and watched as remnant streamers of multi-colored Mana poured into the air. It was almost beautiful. Pit's anxious squawk drew him away from the sight, and when Felix looked over his Companion pointed with an outstretched wing.

Voracious Eye...

Six more were on the way. The Maw flashed him a smile.

I would suggest running, Unbound.