Unbound

Grandmaster Lusk of the Carmine Tower hovered on a plume of flame. His mages were arrayed behind him, busy erecting orange-red tents around burning braziers. Columns of sweet-smelling incense wafted on the summer breeze, masking the scent of burnt dust. Behind them, the ground was blasted and barren, a result of a battle he still could not believe had occurred. Ahead of him, however, was a new, miraculously built structure.

The Wellspring Keep. Where did you come from?

Wards had been erected around the perimeter of the Keep, and though they shimmered with rainbow hues they were largely transparent. They were sophisticated, but not nearly strong enough to withstand him if he truly wished to enter. They would, however, keep out Adepts and lower Tiers with little difficulty.

Wards such as these are complicated to build, let alone entire structures. How was this place made, and so swiftly?

If he hadn't been there, the Grandmaster would not have believed the reports that the Keep had been built. The Keep rose from the earth in a mere fraction of a glass. Just as he wouldn't believe the reports that such a small group had accomplished it.

Or was this always hiding in the earth, he wondered. Waiting for the right person to find it?

It was frustrating to think that such a treasure had been here all along, beneath the city in which he once claimed dominion. But what truly frustrated him was the presence of that vile Atar V'as. A mage that had rendered his Tower's mages moot during their battle. To have one creature best all of the Carmine Tower's flames was an indignity that could not stand. Lusk desired recompense. It was, of course, why he had his mages follow them, watching their every move.

However, the audacity of V'as was outmatched by this monstrous Warden that claimed not just the city, but the entire Territory.

Though he did bring down the Violet Tower. I can appreciate that.

He followed its clean lines up as the thing dropped a heavy anchor onto the earth. A woman stood at the prow, framed against the clouds and posing regally in bright blue battlerobes, slashed with white. On the deck behind her were over a hundred mages, all of them wearing copies of her outfit and each carrying a spear, stave, or sword.

With a gesture, a wave of water rolled off of the deck, bearing the Grandmaster Aquamarine atop its swirling white foam until she descended to hover beside the burning Lusk.

"Grandmaster Carmine, what a surprise to see you here. I would have thought you'd be cowering in your Tower.”

“As you did when this threat announced itself in our city?"

Laverne, Grandmaster of the Aquamarine, sniffed. "My Master Tiers led our mages into battle, same as yours.”

“Yet you were safely ensconced in your chambers.”

"Overseeing the distribution of my people, as any true leader should."

He snorted, "A leader's place is at the front.”

“How did that work out for you, Lusk?" The Grandmaster Aquamarine grinned as his expressions soured. "How many did you lose to that mad skeleton's attack?" ℞𝐀ŊỔＢЕŠ

Grandmaster Carmine stilled his Spirit, but couldn't keep the edge from his voice. "Far more than if you had worked in concert with us, as I had suggested."

"Fire and water don't mix," Laverne flicked an imaginary piece of dust off her pristine shoulder. "You cannot expect years of rivalry to set aside in an instant."

He could not argue against that. He felt the same. Too long had their Towers been opposed, fighting over the scraps left by the Violet. With them gone, however, the opportunity to rule over Levantier was open once again.

Or it had been.

"You plan to enter the wards surrounding this Keep," Lusk asked, after a moment, "to face down this Warden?"

Laverne sneered at him. "I am not afraid.”

“You were not there when he laid a restriction against us. He wielded true Authority, Laverne, as in the tales of old. None were unaffected, and there were thousands approaching him."

"A trick. Same as that malformed beast this Warden paraded as. A seeming of shadow and sound.”

“How, then, did he devour entire city streets? That beast was unnatural, immune to even my Analyze Skill—but I do not need the System to tell me the threat it poses. You cannot fake Authority."

Laverne clucked her tongue. "Whatever that boy did may have fooled you, but it is nothing compared to the assembled might of the Aquamarine Tower."

"You are a fool."

"Perhaps, but I shall claim this Keep for my Tower, as well as whatever treasure lies in those conjured halls.”

Lusk clenched his jaw. The Grandmaster Aquamarine was too proud for her own good. If the Warden could summon a palace from the center of Levantier, what else could he accomplish? “You will die in there.”

Laverne sneered at him. "First it’s ‘don’t be a coward,’ and now it’s ‘don’t be brave.’ Make up your mind, Lusk!”

“It’s not bravery when it accomplishes nothing. You enter there, alone, and you will be condemning your entire Tower to oblivion." He paused, a smile curling his lips. “Ah. Perhaps I was too hasty. Feel free to charge ahead.”

“Pissant.” Laverne spat at him, but his flames burned away before it touched his robes.

"Watch yourself, Aquamarine.” He smoothed the panels of his orange-red robes. “Lest you begin a war you cannot hope to finish."

Laverne moved closer, her wave of Mana hissing as it met the aura of heat around him. "Perhaps we should settle this now, once and for all. Let the greater power face the warden."

On the ship, mages began to gather their power around their palms, while behind him, Lusk's own rank and file lifted scepter and staff. He allowed himself a smile as his Spirit marshaled behind his Will.

"Perhaps we should." Fire rose in his channels, spinning outward from his center. His temperate Skills roared, their flames licking upward in unison. “Scouring—!”

Before the words could escape his throat, a wave of invisible force slammed into the both of them.

Lusk fell back, his flames guttering beneath a mighty wind. He landed in an ignoble heap on the earth, only to be joined by a sprawling Laverne a half-heartbeat later. The earth quaked beneath them, until the field of barren dust was cast straight into the air, forming clouds so tall that they dimmed the sun. Darkness swept over them, but it did not abate.

That is not a cloud.

Rising above them all, a vast canopy of leaves blocked out the afternoon sunlight, filtering it into an emerald glow that poured atop the barren expanse at the city's center.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

No. No, it is far larger than just this place.

Lusk turned, still on his knees, witnessing the rapid expansion of hundreds of branches. Those emerald leaves budded like living jewels, and the bark itself looked chiseled from obsidian. They stretched wide over the entire caldera.

"A tree as big as a mountain," Laverne gasped.

"Not just any Tree," Lusk corrected, "a Spirit Tree.”

“Impossible, they're all but extinct!"

Grandmaster Carmine stood, tracing the branches back to its immense trunk. It rose from the very center of the Wellspring Keep, the many towers and spires of it wound around and through the obsidian bark, as if the Keep were built to flow in perfect balance with its natural form.

“Did the Warden do this, too?” he muttered.

Another force rolled across them again, near-physical in its intensity, but this felt different. It sank into him, bypassing his Aspects, no matter how he tensed the significance within himself. Its nature unfurled before him, and Lusk gasped.

You Have Been Affected By The Ourea Anima!

Two Auras Are Active!

Name: Primordial Shelter

Type: Aura (Passive)

A deep sense of safety permeates the reach of the Ourea Anima, which extends across all of Levantier, growing stronger as you come to the roots of the Spirit Tree. Attuned to the Aria of the Green Wilds, it conveys its gentle power. Here, predators are more cautious, violent storms dissipate before causing harm, and harmful magic struggles to penetrate the zone.

Name: Breath of the Beast

Type: Aura (Active)

He that raised the Ourea Anima has greatly affected its development---his nature is now intertwined with the Tree itself. Renewed are the connections that once dwelled within Levantier. Power flows again, for bonds are the breath of the Beast.

"Lusk!" Laverne pointed to the sky, just as Towers and their outbuildings rose from all around the city. Thick tethers of transparent blue extended between the Trees, branches, and every single structure, even Lusk's own Carmine Tower.

"How is this possible?” Wards flickered back into place atop his Tower's walls, sheathing many in panels of deep orange red. "The Vent is gone."

Laverne licked her lips, momentarily unconcerned with the dust that marred her azure robes. "Lusk. For once in your life, you may have had a point. This Warden is dangerous."

The words were enough to punch through the awe that threatened to overwhelm the Grandmaster Carmine. He closed his mouth and mustered some measure of moisture to banish the dust that had coated his tongue.

"Yes," he agreed. "Yes, he is.”

“What do you propose we do about it?"

The sepia-sheathed Umber Tower floated through the air, moved atop pale blue lines tethered to the Spirit Tree ahead. Slowly, it was drawn inward toward the Wellspring Keep. Aboard its grounds and parapets were Darius and a great many blue-cloaked Legionnaires. Many were grinning as they floated across the sky, but most were too busy guarding the sides to keep some of the more curious Umber mages from crowding the edges.

"It is remarkable that an aura’s effect can so easily replicate the tethers of the Vent," Tern said, leaning over the delicately curled railing. "Is the manipulation of this Breath part of the Spirit Tree's Skill?"

"It is," Felix replied. He had only to leverage a small piece of his Will and Intent to direct the Umber Tower to where he wanted it, even from across the entire city. He could feel all of the Towers, in fact, small blips in the Ourea's awareness. She was more animated than the Atlantes, though both retained that slow, careful regard Felix associated with Spirit Trees.

Growing the Spirit Tree at the heart of the Wellspring had been a bit of a risk. There were quite a few moments where Felix had thought he'd killed them all as the rising trunk had demolished entire sections of the fortress. It had been more than worth it, however. Her roots now covered the entirety of the Wellspring Keep, intertwined with spires and courtyards alike, as if the Tree had been growing there since the very beginning. Unite the Lost had bound the two, Tree and Keep, as one.

Plus, he'd gotten a couple of pretty great Titles out of it.

New Title!

Keeper of the Wilds (Legendary)!

You have raised two Spirit Trees from Seed to Elder, and saved another from the brink of oblivion. Rare are they who walk with the Green Wilds, and rarer still are those with the aptitude for its gentle violence. Your Aspects sing with the dichotomy at the heart of Creation.

+All Harvests Beneath The Influence Of Your Spirit Trees Provide 400% Greater Yields

+All Effects Of Spirit Trees Nutured By You Are Doubled

New Title!

Architect of the Lost (Mythic)!

You have pulled back the veil of the Ruin to bring forth wonder long Lost. The Realms shake with your deeds this day, and the ripples of your song will echo for many years to come.

+Decrease Significance Costs By 2% When Using Unite The Lost

+Increases Chance Of Restoring Lost Enchanted Items By 10%@@novelbin@@

Zara leaned back into a plush chair she had brought onto the balcony. "Your goal to restore your significance. Did this Tree not set you back again?"

"It actually helped me out," Felix admitted, turning away from the Umber Tower. "I was so packed with power that venting some of it through the Tree relieved the tension. I can only offload so much through my links."

"Yes, Alister and Atar both mentioned how they had felt an influx of potency during the hectic aftermath of your battle."

Felix narrowed his eyes. "They're feeling okay?"

"Wonderful, by all accounts, though tired. Atar's Urge pulled a new Skill out of one of the abominations you failed to fully consume. They're both fine," she added quickly, seeing Felix's pinched expression. "Flame is more than capable of defending that boy, it seems."

Felix closed his eyes. "Good."

"Why?"

Felix and Zara both looked at Tern. The old Elf was still watching the Umber Tower as it settled into one of the Keep's spires. Obsidian roots grew outward, wrapping both together before digging deep into its foundations. Soon, it was held as securely as any brick or mortar supports, and Legionnaires streamed off of it and into the Keep.

"Why what?" Felix asked.

"Why can this Tree mimic the Vent?"

"It's not mimicking the vent. It's mimicking me." Felix gestured, and lightning crackled across his fingers as he caressed a number of thin blue lines. Lines that had, until now, been entirely invisible to the others. "It's accessing the connections between things, just like my Skill does."

Tern shook his head. "I don't think you understand quite how impossible that is. The vent worked as a source of Mana, and it took years of innovation to devise a way in which to elevate us upon its flows. Sometimes I think the sheer amount of sigaldry buried at the root of every Tower would blind a man. But this," he gestured at the other Towers, each floating at varying distances beneath the canopy of Ourea. "This holds them aloft with none of that. There's no fuel for sigildri, so none of the enchantments should be active. The Tree is simply lifting them up."

"Like I said, connections."

"That is not how magic works, son."

Felix just shrugged. "It's how I do it."

"Spirit Trees are known for drawing influence from their surroundings," Zara said. "That's why they have unique attunements, too."

Felix nodded. Karys had told him something similar once.

"And it was planted in a garden of captured monsters,” Zara continued. “The forces of their influence cannot be completely eradicated, not without clearing out this entire mountain, soil and all. Who knows what having a bunch of abominations and Urges and Primordials would do to a Spirit Tree."

Tern stroked his chin. "And since you planted the Tree and engendered its rapid growth, you've had an additional impact on it. I see. You nurtured it, provided sustenance through your stolen power, and so it has taken after you."

"Me and the Green Wilds. Makes me curious if this happened with the old Spirit Trees, back during the Golden Empire. Did their keepers influence them?" Felix wondered.

“Perhaps, though I doubt so dramatically. What little I know of them indicates that they grew incredibly slowly, across centuries.”

“Maybe.” Felix smiled at a memory that rolled through him. "But the Nym used to sing them from the earth." He shied away from the memory before it reached the end. Felix had no desire to relive that vision again. "Anyway, I figured it'd be a good thing to place in the Wellspring. I'm just glad it's worked out."

He glanced down at the Chalice that hung from a loop he'd formed in his Garment.

Name: Wellspring Chalice

Type: Empyrean Regalia (Enchanted)

Lore: Once borne by the rulers of the Golden Empire, the Wellspring Chalice is far older than the Nym. Grown within the heart of Creation itself, it echoes with the deep strains that once molded all three Realms. It is a symbol of the connection between all living things.

Without binding to it, he couldn't see its other features, no matter how hard he strained Unseen Beholder. It wasn't like pushing against a wall or even a fortress. It was like trying to move the planet beneath his feet by flexing his knees.

"You have five more seeds, do you not?" Zara asked. "What do you plan to do with them all?"

Felix smiled. “I think—”

"Lord Autarch, sir," interrupted a mousy Human. She was clad in silver-green mithral armor and had a blue cloak thrown over her shoulder, bearing a brutal-looking mace at her hip. "The Grandmasters have assembled, as you requested."

"Oh, perfect. Thanks, Hilde. Dismissed." The woman saluted once more before walking back through the doors of the balcony. Felix turned to the others. "Well, are we ready to go change some hearts and minds?"

Zara stood up eagerly, but Tern groaned. "I know they're all tedious, but bringing every Tower's Grandmaster together at once is a recipe for disaster. You should be meeting them one on one."

"I don't have time for that," Felix said, walking to the doors. "And neither do they."