Ch. 23 – Invictus (IX) (Patreon)

The group made their way out into the capital and spent a goodly number of coins at the various restaurants and taverns, just enjoying themselves and the stress-free environment. For Felix, this was the first big fantasy-universe city he had ever seen, and it matched everything from his expectations. The matching buildings were interspersed with humans who roamed here and there doing their various business dealings or just having a usual day. The bars were full of laughter and inebriated folks who were sharing stories of fantastic creatures they had heard of or read about. He saw people from all walks of life who were milling about, and plenty of citizens were using Magic to some extent for minor tasks.

Tinuriel took Felix aside several times on their bar crawl and restaurant crawl to engage in some flirtatious and – if they weren’t keeping it subtle – salacious behavior. The whole group had a good time out, and they went back to the palace as the sun set, retiring to the luxurious guest chambers. Tinuriel pushed Felix into the bed, and they shared a very passionate evening.

There was a knock at the door that roused Felix from his sleep. He slipped on a robe and went to the door, opening it. Lionel’s sister, Lessira, stood there. She glanced past him to Tinuriel who had sat up and was staring at the intruder. “Ahem. My apologies. May I come in briefly?”

Felix glanced back at Tinuriel who nodded tersely as she sat up in the bed, obviously comfortable with showing off her physique to anyone who wanted to look at her. That’s some body confidence, Felix thought as he chuckled. “What do you want?” he asked as Lessira came in.

“I spoke with my brother. I figured you should know a bit more about what’s going on.” She shut the door behind her. “We want the Dark Lord to return because we see what’s happening on Invictus. People are growing restless. There are rumors of a rebellion. Those rumors have quieted since the pre-collapse quakes, but there were stirrings that Cowler was following up on. Something about a possible rebel uprising during my father’s birthday celebration.”

“And let me guess,” Felix leaned against the door, “You want us to thwart it?”

I’m not normally against rebels. But, since we have plans to work alongside Roy to make everyone equal, I suppose I’m okay with quashing a rebellion. For the greater good.

She nodded, “Yes. Only if it happens. Just be wary, and please be near the emperor. I’ve arranged to have you sit at a place of honor at the banquet, right below his table.”

Tinuriel shook her head, “Too easy. Is that all?” Lessira bowed slightly and Felix opened the door for her. Tinuriel slapped the bed next to her, “Since you’re up, I’m going to make use of you.”

Felix smirked and went back to his lover.

The next day passed in a rush of activity. Tailors came to their rooms and measured out, styled, and had them try on various outfits that were suitable for accompanying royalty. That took up half of a day, and Felix was thoroughly drained mentally from the tedium of it all. How do royals deal with this type of crap?

Being nobility is 30% boring meetings, 20% actual decision-making, and 50% kicking back with other nobles.

Kicking back? Are you using my ‘Verse’s slang now?

Hey, it’s a catchy phrase.

The afternoon and evening were spent out in the town once more. As the evening ended, He used Fallen Flight and picked up Tinuriel, taking them to the very top of the palace, landing on a spot that was flat enough that they could sit. The whole of Hearthstone stretched out beneath them, and the enormous walls flanked all sides. Beyond, though, they could see the deep azure skies of the expanse that lay beyond Heficyre. The bright, silvery-white moon rose past the sun and took its place in the sky, illuminating Tinuriel’s gorgeous face.

I am lucky I met her, Felix thought. He had dated in his past, sure, but he had never really fallen for someone. Most women were put off by his straightforward and pragmatic side that just cut to the chase. But Tinuriel was just as forthright, and he held her hand gently as they leaned on each other just watching the moon crest the skies above.

The day of the emperor’s birthday arrived. Felix and Tinuriel put on their new clothing and looked at each other, giggling slightly at how ridiculous they looked in dress robes. They looked fancy, but the attire didn’t fit either of them, and they agreed to swap to their armor instead and just throw the robes aside, tradition be damned. They joined Roy and Melanie, the former of whom had followed suit and kept his armor equipped instead. Melanie was dressed in the most ornate dress that Felix had ever seen, with a small tiara. The four were escorted by a group of guards to the emperor’s throne room.

The party began shortly after. The flood of people was seemingly untenable, but the servants and the other personnel in the palace were able to handle the crowd. The affair was split into several sections of the palace: effectively, the lower class in the main entryway and spilling out into the front courtyards, the middle class in one of the massive dance halls, and the upper crust of society in the ballroom adjoining the throne room. Felix and Tinuriel stood up with the emperor, and Felix had to contend with a crowd of people waiting to shake his hand and thank him for stopping the collapse.

Melanie was being escorted around the main room by Roy, and she was making plenty of new acquaintances and contacts as she worked her way around the room. She was the belle of the ball, and everyone wanted to meet her. Roy ensured that none got too close for comfort, and almost instinctively people kept their conversation with her short.

Tinuriel and Felix had split the room in two, and each were scanning a different part. He had already determined that Detect Hostiles would only work if the hostile or aggressive intent was directed at him, and since he had just saved the Tier, no one seemed to want him harmed. It was the old-school method of just waiting, watching, and reacting when something did happen.

It did not take too long before the inebriation truly began to set in, and several nobles got into minor squabbles that began to turn into fisticuffs. Guards rushed over to try and break up the situation. And this is where an assassin would strike, Lucifer thought to Felix.

I was thinking the exact same thing. That could be staged. Felix walked behind the emperor’s throne and waved Tinuriel to cover his front. He had houseguards present as well, ornately dressed men with large pikes. Servants began bringing out plates of food and setting them out on large tables as the fight broke up, and some of the offending nobles were booted out of the party.

Felix relaxed a bit. False alarm, he thought, glancing around once more, and trying to find any sign that something was ‘off’.

Tinuriel came around next to him and whispered in his ear, “There’s something off about the food. It’s got a weird smell.” She pointed at her nose, “Elves can smell poison.” She pointed to the food taster, “Might want to stop him.”

Felix turned to the emperor and leaned over to him, “Your Highness, something is poisoned. May I use Magic to determine which dish?” The emperor maintained his stoic expression, but Felix could tell from the way his mouth tightened that he was frightened. Felix put his arm on the food taster’s hand and stopped him from taking a bite. The emperor nodded, and Felix held his hand over the table.

I need you to use Affinity Empowerment to increase the radius, he thought to Lucifer. Detect Substance.

Affinity Empowerment.

The golden glow spread over the table – only visible to Felix and Lucifer – and quickly cycled through the different dishes, identifying two that were poisoned. The platters were served to Lionel and the emperor. Felix leaned over and grabbed them, handing them to one of the household guards and informing him of his findings. The guard nodded and whispered to another man who ran down the servant corridor.

“My thanks, Versewalker,” the emperor muttered.

“It’s what we’re here to do.”

The older half-elf chuckled, “This was supposed to be a celebration of my birthday, and a chance to celebrate your saving of the Tier. Having it soured by near poisoning does not bode well.”

Tinuriel leaned over, “You have my nose to thank.”

The emperor looked over at Tinuriel and a shadow crossed his vision, “Well…I suppose…thank you as well.”

Tinuriel stood up and haughtily glared at the man before walking over to Felix and wrapping an arm around his waist, “That was a pretty weak rebel attack,” she whispered. “I also saw the golden glow this time.”

“How?”

Lucifer whispered just loud enough that Tinuriel could hear also, “I’ve been trying to figure out how to confer more benefits from a Versewalker to their Escorts. She can see your Magic/Powers and Skills. Even when you’re using Ghostwalk.”

“Handy,” Felix muttered.

Tinuriel frowned, “I was hoping for a bit more explosive action-” An enormous crack echoed through the halls and the nobles went stock-still as guards readied weapons, looking around for any sign of hostiles. The noise was, to Felix, the sound of an explosive. He had no clue what kind, though.

Felix pulled out his Wyrmtooth Knife as Tinuriel hefted Valiant Edge as the blade glowed faint blue. An enormous crack spread across the ceiling, and the emperor’s guards escorted him out of the room and away. Roy ran up with Melanie and followed right after, shouting at Felix, “I’m getting her to the safe room!”

Felix nodded and held up his open hand, “Detect Hostiles,” using extra Anima to fuel the radius. Lucifer read his mind and activated a Skill at the same time.

Fallen Flight.

He saw several figures limned in faint, golden light amongst the crowd. But what stood out more was that the whole crack in the ceiling was ringed in the same golden light. “Everyone clear the room!” he yelled. The nobles began to scatter, and he was able to track the hostiles as they joined the crowd. “Tinuriel, let’s go!”

He ran after them, catching up easily with his high Stats. He tackled one of the disguised nobles and clocked them in the side of the head with his dagger’s pommel, knocking him out. Tinuriel grabbed another one and threw him against the wall, his body impacting with a sickening thud before he slid down, bleeding from the mouth. The two chased down the remaining rebels and heard an enormous CRASH followed by a bellowing roar.

Great, the rebellion brought a big monster.

Think of the positives. More Experience.

Felix ran back to the main ballroom with Tinuriel and stopped. What he saw shocked him into standing still. It was some type of humanoid, a cobbled-together monster made of various bits and pieces of flesh from different bodies, covered in metal plates, and wielding an enormous, spiked club. The thing dwarfed the two of them, and it bellowed in an incomprehensible rage. The head was helmeted save for two small slits, and it was heavily protected.

Detect Weakness.

The eyes of the creature were ringed with golden light, along with the small of its back at the base of the spine. “Tinuriel, you see those?”

She nodded and grinned, “Use that Netherlight stuff like Roy did down below.”

I got it. I need to use Vigor Conversion for 5. Netherlight Arena.

The room’s exterior, roof, and floor exploded in the same grey-silver light that Roy’s power was colored. “While you both are in the area, it will have difficulty targeting you. Should make it easier to dodge.” Lucifer’s voice sounded confident, and the confidence bled over into Felix’s mind, bolstering his courage. “This will only last a minute for 50 Anima.”

Tinuriel grinned, “No time to waste.” She charged forward and ducked the creature’s mace swipe as she chopped at the thing’s wrist. It was fast, however, and brought the mace back, and she had to stop her swing to block, holding the flat of the blade with her hand as the blow pushed her backward. Somehow, she kept her footing and pushed the mace away.

Felix used the opening and his flight to dash up to the thing's face. He stabbed the dagger into one of its eyes, the small blade finding its way between the armored helm’s gaps.

The poison released, the creature screamed, and Felix floated back and away. It swung the mace up much faster than Felix thought possible, and he barely dodged, seeing some of the Netherlight flicking away from the strike as the Magic/Power had prevented the blow from hitting him directly. The force of wind generated by the strike blew him back a few feet.

Tinuriel used the opening to get next to the creature’s leg, slicing along the heel and several tendons as the enormous sword bit into the flesh and sinew, flashing blue as some Skill activated. The blade tore free, and she deftly jumped back as the creature collapsed to a knee.

Felix dashed forward and snaked his dagger into the other eye socket, once more releasing venom into the eye as he pulled back. The mace swung up at him again and he barely dodged, feeling the rush of air as the massive calamity threatened to smash him.

The creature growled and roared, its metal armor growing more dangerous as spikes grew out of it and elongated. The room began to heat up to the point that Felix could see the heat waves in the air and his sweat instantly evaporated. The creature was turning hot red like a furnace. We have to end this now! “Execution. Dragon Dance.”

His blade glowed with a slight golden hue as he seemingly teleported to its weak spot at the small of its back. His dagger found just the right gap between the spikes and plates of armor as he thrust in, releasing the poison once more.

The monster rolled back, but Felix was faster, and mid-flight grabbed Tinuriel, dragging her out of the area of impact. He set her down, reached into his inventory, and pulled out the Photon Blade. Let’s see how this works. He put a charge into the hilt, and the grip buzzed with electricity as a blade of deep, oceanic-blue light emerged from it. The blade was the size of Tinuriel’s weapon but was much, much lighter. Felix once more activated Execution and Dragon Dance as he descended from the sky, a falling star ablaze with gold, crimson, and azure light. He brought the blade across the prone creature’s neck, severing the head.

As the head rolled away, the body collapsed and the bits and chunks that were held together with some unknown energy dissipated – the whole jigsaw coming apart into a steaming, rotten, putrid mess. The hilt Felix was holding grew too hot to touch and he had to deactivate it. The charge pushed against his palm, and when he twisted his hand it ejected from the hilt before the object cooled, and he put it into his inventory.

[Experience Awarded = 50]

[Experience Bonus from Execution Skill = 10]

[Congratulations! You have reached the Experience threshold to level up! Speak with your Versewalker Core when you are ready to Choose your next Class.]

Felix panted with exertion and held his hand over the creature, activating For the Hoard! for 30 Vigor.

[Loot Bonus from For the Hoard!]

·         500 VC

It didn’t have any Loot. But For the Hoard! still gave me ‘Verse Coins.

It appears that the System just generated them because you use the Skill.

Good to know. Felix looked over at Tinuriel. She smiled at him before waving for him to follow. They gathered the rebels in noble disguise and dragged them next to the slain monstrosity. Guards began to enter, and Felix instructed them to restrain the prisoners. The one Tinuriel had thrown against the wall had an arm bending in a direction it really should not bend, and she chuckled as they tried to tie his arm behind his back only to give up and tie him to another prisoner.

The emperor returned with his household guards, Roy and Melanie in tow, and he looked to the two that had just stopped a rebel attack, “Once more you save us. My thanks.”

Felix gestured to the steaming corpse amalgamation, “Any idea what this is?”

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