After leaving the treasure room, Garox had led their boat down several rivers, each of them flowing over the remains of grand staircases. The water moved far more sedately than the rapids Felix and his people had traversed in the past, moving more like a lazy river than whitewater rapids. It was...kind of pleasant. In short order they descended the faux rivers and passed through a high, star-shaped archway utterly was filled with dangling vines. The vines were covered in pale white flowers, sharply scented in the humid air, and they tingled wherever they touched Felix. Status Condition: Warm Embrace Duration: 3 seconds Warm Embrace A layer of heat and life Mana clings to your Body, regulating your temperature despite outside conditions. A warmth followed after that tingle, though it quickly sputtered out and faded for Felix. He glanced at his friends, their faces a range of surprise, excitement, and suspicion. Isla glared at the vines as they passed through before shaking herself. Felix's Manasight caught the faint pop of yellow and green-gold light scatter from her figure, the same Mana that clung to his Companion and friends. "I would appreciate a warning before inflicting Status Conditions on us all," the Chanter said to their guide. Garox rolled his shoulders. "It is a boon, to better insulated you from the chill depths." "I can do fine by myself, thank you." Felix frowned. His Status Condition had lasted all of three seconds; not exactly useful. He turned to Beef and Vess. "How long does it say it'll last for you?" "Sixteen glasses," Vess said. "A hefty length of time." Beef pouted. "Mine's only ten hours. Same for Hallow." "Three hours!" Pit chirruped. "The effect is ameliorated by your Body Temper," Isla explained as Garox led them deeper down a winding corridor. "That is why Felix's has already ceased." "I wouldn't mind it, if it helps," Felix admitted. Water got very cold, after all. "I have Sunken Ward which does something similar, but a Warm Embrace is nice over top of it." "Hm." Isla considered their guide through her heavily lidded eyes. Soon the corridor opened up into yet another room, this one far more modest than the Chapel of the Eye. It was vaulted and domed, tilted askew but not nearly as badly as some of the portions of the Temple. A team of twelve Nagafolk were waiting, all of whom were built in a similar vein as Garox himself. A humanoid form sat atop a long, serpentine tail; though that was where the similarities ended. Unlike Garox, they were not Spirit Naga, but something called a War Naga. According to his Eye, it was an Evolution that derived its potency from battle itself—whatever that meant. Thick scales covered their brows, head, and the majority of their Bodies, humanoid and serpent alike. It gave them the appearance of wearing armor, and they were bulky where Garox was sleek. Their faces were far less expressive than Garox's too, which was saying something. Aggression wove through their Spirits, more than any other emotion, even at rest. A variety of weapons were in their hands, from hooked knives to densely woven nets. Each of the twelve also bore a twisted metal trident, each of which gleamed with a dark light. Shadow and lightning Mana flickered among the tines. The tridents were crude looking, powerful but clearly confiscated like all of their crafted items aside from the nets. Garox caught Felix's gaze and nodded. "Taken from the more advanced Hatchlings that have assaulted the Temple. They are roughly formed, but the unstable enchantments on them are potent." "Lightning blast and...something with shadow?" Vess said. "I cannot tell at a glance." "The tridents have two Skills. One is called Levin Bolt and fires off a single bolt of lightning Mana at a target, while the other is called Inkshadow and releases an obscuring cloud of shadow Mana to hide within. Both are effective if...dangerous." Garox bobbed his head—a distinctly snake-like move. "As I said. Unstable." "To say the least," Isla said. "A tool that turns against the wielder is one they should cast aside." "Or we just make use of what's available to us," Felix said, shoving more than a little annoyance into the words. Isla's mouth thinned, and he hoped that meant she caught the hint. "Introduce us please, Garox." The War Nagas were terse but nice enough. Felix thankfully had his Keen Mind to memorize their names, though he only focused on the three leaders: Toa'ut, Rou'd, and Lavix. They were differentiated by painted patterns on their scales; glyphs that designated their positions as leaders, apparently. While his team introduced themselves to their soon-to-be escorts, Felix felt a humming noise snag against his Affinity. He pressed outward from himself, feeling at the air, the water, the stones all around him. It was the Temple itself, thrumming across the surface of the world. Just like the one in the Foglands, there was a potency in the walls, packed into the stone and seeping into the water. How much Essence and significance would it cost to restore this whole thing? Likely far more than he had currently. He didn't want to waste either resource; Felix still had to weave his other Pillars, after all. That was one benefit of going into another big fight. Plenty of fodder to feed his core space and finish establishing his foundation. Eventually. Felix's core space still wasn't ready for more Pillars yet, and it wasn't just a matter of being a perfectionist either. The vision he had for his cores and his Hunger was distinct now, his goals solidified—Felix simply had to bring them into being. He was getting better, but it was slow going. Already Felix had identified a few Skills he'd need to band together, forming several Skill Arrays like the one around his Bastion of Will. That alone will take time and power that I don't have right now. He'd made plenty of plans however. Some confluence of the central Skill's rarity and Tier seemed to influence how many Skills he could include in an array. Bastion held seven now, though it had started at five. It was only Epic rarity. Apart from being a high level, high rarity, and high tier, each Skill Array had to connect on some level. It was like combining Skills, where the patterns of light and music had to flow into one another, overlapping in crucial parts to lock together. The difference between combining and making an array was the distance; combining fused the Skills as one, and the Skill Array made them into small star systems, each secondary ability rotating around the central one. Bastion of Will caught his eye. The Skill looked like a collection of intersecting vibrating lines that, if he squinted, could look like a green-ish planet. Felix had worked to solidify that impression, retaining the distinct pattern of it while enhancing the idea of each of his Skills as celestial bodies. Around it, the other pieces of his Skill Array floated, orbiting the Bastion like moons...except unlike moons, they were all nearly the same size. Some even larger. Easy as breathing, Felix named them all. Meditation, Deep Mind, Relentless Resolution, Skein of Fate, Voracious Eye, Aria of the Green Wilds, and Chthonic Tribute. Bastion of Will was the Primary Skill, or hub of the array. Typically it should be higher in rarity, level, and tier than the others but according to Karys that wasn't a requirement. The other Skills were linked to his Bastion, called Secondary Skills. The Primary Skill would, ideally, provide a measure of meaning and weight to the Secondaries to which it was connected. The meaning and weight had a lot to do with significance, but also the Essences with which folks Tempered themselves. That would generate a slew of benefits for the array, ranging from increased leveling speed, greater efficiency or potency, even range. Each of them would in turn offer a measure of their own potency, but typically far less than the Primary. The actual benefits vary depending on the Primary Skill's purpose. Skill Arrays, something no one had told him about until Karys, seemed almost too good to be true. Because they were. There was a catch. If any undergo any damage or significant changes, then the Array could unbalance and dissolve. When Oathbinding had become Skein of Fate, it was because of the influence of his Chain-Breaker Title, and according to Karys that was likely the reason he'd been protected from any real fallout. Without it, the consequences of such a upset could break one or more Skills—or even sunder them completely. Which meant that he had hesitated on forming any new Skill Arrays. He had the one, but the rest he had to be sure. Felix had made a list though, prodding them all for commonalities in their vibrational patterns. First among them was Sovereign of Flesh as Primary, which was a Transcendent Skill at Adept Tier, meaning it could hold around ten other Skills in its orbit. Cardinal Flame, Green Shaping, Auroral Forge, Rime Shaping, Manasight, Theurgist of the Rise, Invocation, Dual Casting, and Manaship Pilot were all good matches. Each of them dealt with the manipulation of fundamental forces, and that through line burned across the combined song they sang. It was the one he was most sure about, and likely the next to be attempted. Adamant Discord also was begging to be put into an array, and he was almost certain that Wild Threnody, Manifestation of the Coronach, Ephemeral Evocation, Unite the Lost, Last Cry of the Chthonic Host, and Etheric Concordance would function as perfect Secondaries. Felix even suspected that Skein of Fate would work even better in such an array, but the process of removing it from his Bastion and adding it to another was daunting. Karys had suggested it was possible, but it would surely be difficult and painful. What else is new? Next was the Song of Absolution as Primary, with Dodge, Blind Fighting, and Armored Skin as Secondaries. Technically he could add more, but he hadn't any other Skills that sang in quite the right way with Absolution. Others like Abyssal Skein, Mantle of the Infinite Revolution, Rain of Cataclysm, and Sunken Ward were all about large scale applications of power, affecting allies and foes alike for good or ill. Felix wasn't certain that was enough of a connection, and the commonalities in their patterns were among the weakest. The absolute weakest were what he considered his standalone Skills: Arrow of Perdition, Shadow Whip, Cloudstep. Even things like Negotiation and Deception. All useful Skills in their own right, but not quite cut out for a Skill Array. Not unless he started stealing more Skills to match them up. "Felix?" Vess prodded, and he blinked back to attention. "Hm?" He drew himself up, realizing the War Naga had been talking to him for the last thirty seconds, detailing the path they were going to take. "Oh. Yes, please let us know more about the terrain." Toa'ut jerked his head in an awkward bob. "Through the Temple, it is safe. Warriors prowl these stone nests, and few are those Fathom spawn that would dare assault the king. Once we leave the Temple and enter the Tangle, it will be far harder. Ambushes are encountered there on a regular basis, and while the Hatchlings and lesser spawn are trifling foes, in large numbers they are deadly." "That shouldn't be a problem," Felix said. The warriors shifted as if restless, but approval washed through their Spirits. "What then?" "The Tangle goes on for many leagues, descending deep and deeper, until it stops at the edges of the Yawning Mountains. Beyond them and their howling tunnels we will see the first inkling of Khasma." Tao'ut paused, and Felix could hear his Spirit undulating between fear and pain. "The Abyss." Garox cleared his throat. "The journey into the deeps will take days, a full week at most, and then only if the Dens along the way have disgorged more of their vile brood." "Dens. Do you know how many?" Vess asked. "And have any progressed into the formation of a Nest?" "I would be greatly surprised if they have not," Garox admitted. "The Fathom has spread far and wide thanks to the advancing floodwaters, which allowed its reach to move around us. Once we were enough to hold them at bay, if only just. No longer." Grumbles rolled across the twelve warriors, noises that silenced as Garox's tail lashed the water. "Our greatest threat is to be found and overwhelmed. God of Thunder and Flame, I know that you are mighty and perhaps you could lay waste to all of them...but not without drawing the Fathom itself down upon you. I would suggest...caution." "Wise," Vess agreed. She gave Felix a nudge. "You have gone toe to toe with Primordials and gods, but perhaps a quieter approach is best." "Wait, won't we have to fight our way out anyway?" Beef asked. "These spawn thingies, they're not just gonna lay down after we kill the dragon, right?" "That is the double edged sword of the draconic Type. They pathologically serve those that have a greater concentration of draconic nature, but when those masters die their allegience shifts as well. The Annals of Kehla spoke of a great horde that broke into dozens of warring factions the instant the Firedrake that led them was vanquished." Vess grimaced. "That could lead to a great many more problems, but it would give us ample opportunity to lay waste to as many as we could." The War Naga grumbled again, but this time it was an appreciative noise. "I like this one," Lavix announced. Vess grinned. "The nature of Manawarping may also provide other oppotunities as well," Isla said. "It is likely the entirety of its enslaved horde will scatter and that ooze will break apart, reducing their strength by a great deal." "Let's hope for that and plan for it all to go wrong," Felix said. "That's always served me best." "Because it always goes wrong," Pit added. "Yeah. It does, doesn't it?" Garox slid forward, still coasting atop the surface of the water unlike the War Naga, who were all half-submerged. "Lower yourselves, warriors." They did. "You are hereby charged with ensuring the success of the Returned God's mission and are to obey him as if he were the Deepking himself." "We hear and we obey," the said as one. Odd wording, Felix thought. Or maybe I'm just surprised at how much they love their king. Trixie isn't the lovable type, but he is here, protecting their young while they fight in their neverending war. I suppose I'd like the guy that did that, too. "Rise, warriors. You shall leave at the Returned God's pleasure." Garox gestured to the floor, where a circular moon pool could be seen. It was twenty or so feet below water, but once it was pointed out Felix could feel the warding that covered its open surface. "My Lord, below you is your way out. Leave whenever you are ready." "Thanks, Garox." To the others, Felix raised his voice. "Recheck all your equipment and supplies. We'll be gone a while." Vess, Beef, and Isla did a quick check of their persons and packs, while Pit sat on his butt and nibbled his beak at his forepaw. Hallow, both forms of her, sat perfectly still and staring off at some middle distance. Felix did a quick examination himself, but before he got much farther than his new magic items, the hooked sword at his waist flared to green-gold life. "Felix?" "Karys, yes. I'm here." Felix grasped the hilt of his blade and frowned. "What's happened?" "What's happened is that you are not here, my Lord. That is why I am reaching out." Karys' voice was more sour than Felix had ever recalled hearing it. "Zara and a great many others have arrived, but you have not. What has happened?" Felix smacked his forehead. He'd forgotten to call Karys and tell him what was going on. "I'll explain it all later. For now, get the teams rested and have them start construction on the additional Manaships." "...as you wish, my Lord. Zara mentioned such a thing already. I am unsure how it shall be done, but I will see to it." Felix grimaced, disliking the subservient tone Karys had taken. "Can I speak with Zara?" "Of course. The array focus is easy to shift here." There was the sound of descending tones before it ascended again and he heard a new voice. "Felix?" "Zara. Everything went well?" "It went...as expected. Some injuries, a few complications, but all in all a solid journey." "Injuries?" "As you did not enter with us, the Shadowgate latched onto one of my Mind Skills instead of your Bastion. We made it through without any deaths, and the voidbeasts were only a minor inconvenience." What sort of Mind Skill does a Master Tier Chanter have? Felix wanted to ask a dozen questions, but focused on the important things. "The Whalemaw?" "Unseen. I believe the power dampening array was far more effective without you along for the trip." That was good news. The Whalemaw had attacked Zara previously, having been drawn to what he believed was his connection to the Chanter, and the possibility of that happening again was not inconsequential. The dampening array they'd developed had worked though, which meant that in the future they would have to make more for other groups using the Shadowgates...just so long as Felix wasn't with them. "Alright that's good. It's been only forty minutes since you left here," he said, before correcting himself. "Uh, like three quarters of a glass." "Better time than previously," Zara said, a note of approval in her voice. "We can compare notes on the journey later. For now, can you oversee the construction of the new ships? Karys has one Manaship in dock right now, but we'll need at least three more to accomodate all of our—my—soldiers." "I'll see it done, Felix." "And Zara." "Yes?" "Thank you. I'll be there as soon as possible." "You're welcome," she said. "And you better be." The connection died out, and Felix turned to the expectant faces of Naga and Minotaur and Humans alike. Pit had worked his way to his back paws. "Let's go for a swim."