Unbound

Chapter Seven Hundred And Eighty Nine – 789

Chapter Seven Hundred And Eighty Nine – 789

Pit was among the first to greet the Chimera. As his friends disembarked from the ships, Pit and A’zek approached the line they made around the star-shaped platform. Lots of sniffing and excited jostling marked the line of Chimeras as they came close, but not too close, to the Manaships, as if there were a line in the sand they were unwilling to cross.

“Welcome brethren!”

“A tenku and a harnoq from away. That is amazing!”

“Hello there!” Pit shouted, tromping up to their line.

The tenku ranged in sizes, though few were smaller than Scylla. Most were larger, though none approached Pit’s massive dimensions. Their furs ranged in colors from creams and whites to darker purple-blacks to even subdued browns and greens. Their beaks were every shape imaginable, from long and needled to stubbed, and their limbs varied in the details. Some had paws, others had bird-like claws, and some even had hooves like a Minotaur. Their wings were mostly feathered, though a few were more bat-like, but all of them had tails that shook vigorously as Pit greeted them all.

The wyverns were different. More uniform, though they still seemed a hodgepodge of Dragon and some sort of bird. They were very long, their feathered tails twice the length of their bodies, and from what Pit could tell, about equal to their wingspan. They, too, were excited to meet the both of them, moving forward with their forelimbs that were also the folded edges of their wings, like a bird taking to all fours. Their scales were iridescent green, black, white, even silver and red, while their feathers were more varied still. Crests like lion manes framed their Dragon-like faces and horns, while their wings were coated in similar striking plumage.

“Who is that?” A’zek asked the crowding Chimera, just moments before a shadow laid over them all.

The Chimera backed up at once, their excitement quieting as a large tenku landed among them, shaking the earth with his arrival. He was heavily muscled across the chest and shoulders, and his head was shaped like a blunt hook. His fur was green, chased by silver, and scars marked his face and throat with pale patches. He stared Pit down, despite being half his size.

Pit stared right back.

"Who have you brought before us, Wayfinder?" the tenku asked, addressing Scylla.

The words felt formal to Pit, as if the guy knew exactly who they were and was just asking for show.

"Bearer of Harmony," Scylla said with a bow, "allow me to introduce A'zek, Traveler of Lost Light, and Pit, Shaper of Chaos. They are brethren, lost in the storm."

"Do they seek refuge?" the bearer asked. There was a beat of silence before Pit realized he was expected to talk.

"Oh! Yes, for me and all my friends."

"Yes," A'zek added.

The Bearer of Harmony regarded them like the face of a cliff given life. There was nothing there but a stern solemnity, and Pit could hardly stand it.

Gah! Say something.

"Pit and A'zek, Chimera from lands beyond..." The Bearer's empty face split, and a bright smile marked his cheeks. "Welcome home.”

Authority Recognized, Bearer of Harmony.

New Arrivals Have Been Offered Guest Privileges.

Screeches and roars tore into the sky as spirits were unveiled. Pit was buffeted by waves of joy and elation as the Chimera stomped their feet, and even Scylla had a grin on her face.

"It is good to have you among us," the Bearer announced above the din. "We had feared for a long time that no more Chimera existed beyond the shelter of our storms."

Pit started. "You've never met another Chimera at all?"

"You two are the first in all the long years the Enclave has existed. In fact, A’zek, you’re the first harnoq we've seen in living memory. We’ve not seen a wendigo in just as long. We do not know if they even still exist."

“That’s...there aren’t very many of us left, are there?”

“Not as many as there once was,” Bearer said, his joy tempered by a returning solemnity. “The Fall hurt us almost as much as the Nym themselves.”

Right. Because of the Ruin. Pit shook the thought away, though, and focused on the eager faces around him. "It is good to see so many of our kind, though.”

“That it is,” A’zek agreed. “Are there truly no harnoqs in this place?”

“Sadly not. Sunara is a realm of flight, owing to the eternal storms that ravage its lands. Those same storms are all that have sheltered us through the long Ages, allowing us to retain as much of our culture and history as we could. The harnoq...Perhaps our elders know of what lands they favored, before the Fall.”

The dark panther nodded, and Pit felt him emanate gratitude. “I would like that.”

"I have some questions, if I may ask them," said Vess as she stepped forward through the crowd. A contingent of Legionnaires, giants, Henaari, and Chanters stood at her back—not even close to all of their troops, but enough to make a statement. The Bearer looked at her with caution, but Pit was quick to pull her farther into their group.

"This is Vess,” he said eagerly. “She's the leader of our group. She's good.”

"Vessilia Dayne, a Lady of Nagast and Dragoon of Pax’Vrell," Scylla offered to the Bearer.

The larger tenku bowed his head slightly. "How might I help you, Lady Dayne?"

"You call this the Enclave of the Chimera, and while I noticed many tenku and wyverns, I also see Korvaa and Sylphaen.”

“And you wonder why.”

“I do.”

“The Enclave is sheltering them against the shadowbeasts." A rumble of discontent rolled through the crowd at his words. "They fled to us after the Sylphaen city had been attacked. Here, hidden behind ancient wards and powerful magic, they are safe.”

“For the moment," a resonant voice called, and it was almost drowned out by the thunder of wings from above.

Pit whipped his head up, watching as a small army of armed and armored Chimera, Korvaa, and Sylphaen landed on the dome just beyond the Chimeric crowd. Their wings were wide, casting shadows upon the platform as the sun blazed behind them. Among them, much like the Bearer of Harmony, was a massive Chimera, this one a wyvern.

The Bearer bowed, as did the rest of the crowd, the Chimera. "Thalgrym, we have welcomed our brethren into the Enclave."

Thalgrym scoffed. "It is yet another mark against anything you say. It is an act of selfishness and the road to Ruin. No Chimera of this Enclave would willingly enter into a pact bond. We've learned our lessons from our forebears all too well."

Another Korvaa, this one resembling a large heron, lifted her tall neck. "I wish for clarity on a previous statement, Lady Dayne. You said we are better off than you feared. How could you know of our plight?"

"Our leader has a unique perspective into things. They have witnessed the gods come after you. Specifically, after one of you," she said.

Not only Thalgrym, but all of the counselors leaned forward, their Spirits veiling even tighter than before. A’zek growled, and Pit spread his paws a little wider.

C’mon Vess, talk us through this. I really don't want to fight this whole place.

"Let me be clear," Vess continued, "so that there is no misunderstanding, either now or in the future. We know that an Unbound lives among you."

Fear and anger rolled through the Enclave, and the armored Chimera around the perimeter of the Hall of Songs tensed, as if expecting battle. Pit groaned and readied the edges of his Mantle.

"We know this," Vess continued, "because we are led by an Unbound of our own."

Thalgrym's eyes widened, a brief but truncated refrain of—Was that hope?Or fear?

"What proof could you possibly offer to support your claim?" Thalgrym asked, covering up his outburst.

Vess simply looked to Pit.

"Do any among you have the ability to delve?" Pit asked, standing tall and turned so that he faced all that would judge him. "To cast yourself into a core space?"

One of the Sylphaen counselors nodded. She was older, but her eyes were firm.

"Then you can check me right now, and I will offer you all the proof you need."

After a moment of barely audible discussion, the Sylphaen flew down from the seats, with a grace Pit wouldn't have expected from her frail form. She spoke, and over her whistling tones, another Korvaa spoke at her side.

"I will delve your core space. Offer your evidence, and I will display it for all to see."

With gentle care, she laid her hand across Pit's chest, her power pressed against him questioningly. Pit allowed it in. He looked to the counselors.

"You've complained about me having a Companion. You've said it makes us untrustworthy and weaker."

The Sylphaen gasped, her eyes wide but unseeing as her hand rested against his feathers. The Korvaa spoke over her staccato language. "Such power."

Pit flared Exalted Conjunction, and the Sylphaen screamed. Several counselors rose to their feet, their voices concerned.

"Release her!" one demanded.

The Sylphaen lifted her free hand, and from it poured an unspooling violet mist. Flashes of gold coalesced within, sparking off one another until a shadow emerged from the center of the image. It blazed with blue-white fire as it was defined into the shape of a man.

Pit raised his voice above the sudden turmoil. "My Companion is Felix Nevarre, Autarch of Nagast, Colossus of Khalheim, Primarch of Gharion, and King of Pax’Vrell and Ahkestria."

A crown anointed the figure's dark head, made of Crescian Bronze as red-gold flame joined the blue across his chest and arms, highlighting his sharp features and the eyes that burned.

"He is Nymean, the last of his kind, and he is the strongest Unbound in all the Continent. He has faced down monstrous enemies that have threatened entire Territories, if not the world. He is worthy of your respect, and so am I."

The Sylphaen woman gasped, and the illusion dropped. Immediately, the Korvaa beside her helped her up, and Thalgrym snarled. "What was that?"

The elderly woman spoke in halting tones. "Companion," she said in the common tongue. "Strongest bond...these eyes...have ever seen."

She kept talking, but her words lapsed back into her native tongue. The Korvaa at her side translated.

"The Seeker Jinar says that their bond goes beyond the Spirit. It is complete in all Aspects." She kept speaking, and the Korvaa swallowed fearfully before looking up at Thalgrym. "She felt his Companion. No other has felt so strong since she first witnessed the Princess."

A concerned grumbling filled the counselors. Conversations erupted between Sylphaen and tenku, wyvern, and Korvaa. Pit glanced at Wonderment, and the Korvaa stared back at him, his beak agape as if he’d just realized something.

Took you long enough.

Vess put a hand on Pit's shoulder. "Thank you, Pit."

To the counselor, she lifted her chin, and her voice was powerful and commanding. "We came here to save you all. These shadowbeasts aren't here for any of us. They were sent by Noctis and Vellus to catch the Sylphaen Unbound in order to turn her into a Vessel for their Divine might."

The counselor's muttering increased, but Thalgrym slammed a clawed wing to the table. "Silence." Their voices drew to a close. "Do any offer supporting testimony to what has been seen here today?"

"I do," said Wonderment.

Pit looked up, eager to hear what the Korvaa said. The raven-like Korvaa cleared his throat, adjusting his silver stole.

"I know this tenku. He and his Companion saved us from certain death at the hands of pirates. They are the reason I am alive. He is the reason any of us from Echo's Reach are still alive."

"Truly?" Thalgrym asked. "This is the one?"

"Yes. I was unsure at first, for he has changed considerably. But there is no doubting it now."

Thalgrym frowned. "Understood. We have heard what we have needed. The tribunal will retire to process your testimonies. We shall reconvene at dawn."

His claw slammed against the table again. "Dismissed."