Unbound-Chapter Eight Hundred And Eighty Three: 883

Vess had promised Felix she would rest, but she never specified when. Shortly after he had departed with Karys, she and Yin made their way up the Spirit Tree. Along the journey, they encountered a few Menders who bandaged them and applied salves, leaving them in slightly better condition than before. Vess' limbs still ached, and her head throbbed with a persistent pain she could not ignore, but Yin had it far worse.

His movements were slow, careful not to reopen his wounds where the fangs of conjured Dawn Dragons had torn into him. They walked the entire way, ascending the Fiendstone steps around the trunk of Atlantes. Neither were able to use their Skills without experiencing a healthy dose of pain. It was not the agony of sundering or of botched weaving, but the pain of overtaxed muscles—a soreness that promised growth and greater strength. Or so she hoped.

"That was a close thing, my friend," she said later, enjoying the strident breeze that wrapped around the stairs.

"It was nothing of the sort," Yin protested. "You had the weaving in hand, just as I held the beasts at bay."

She laid a hand on his side, careful of his bandages. "You have my greatest thanks for that, Yin. Without you, they would have torn me apart."

The Dawn Drake puffed out his chest and lifted his chin, his crystalline antlers catching in the fading light. "Yes, I am integral to our foundation, as it should be. Just as you helped me rise beyond my former limits, I am here to help you. Our bond is deep, and it deepens by the moment, little Dragoon."

Vess smiled, but she could not help feeling her Companion's emotions. The Dragons had brought out a lot of dark memories for him. She could almost feel them swirling on the surface of his Spirit. She didn't press him, even though she had no doubt that his Mind lingered on the last time he saw true Dragons. Back when the Dragoons betrayed them, and when his people were slaughtered. That wound had been fading ever since the Hatchlings had been born, but it was still there. She put a hand to the bandages on her shoulder. Merely scabbed over.

"What is this?" Yin roared.

Vess crested the top of the tree where the branches split outward to cradle the Shaper's Sanctum. Nestled around the elaborate Sanctum were strange, root-like sheathes, clinging to the bark in all directions.

Exactly ninety-nine of them.

No. What’s happened to them?

The two of them split apart, Vess hurriedly using her Analyze against each lump. All of them resisted, giving her little information other than the fact that what the Hatchlings were wrapped within was called a chrysalis.

"They seem healthy, but these roots are powerful,” Yin said.

“Chrysalises. I have not heard of such a thing. What is this?”

The Dawn Drake stood among them, staring in thought. "I do not know…but can you not feel it? They’re Evolving."

Vess jerked her head back. "How?"

The branches around them creaked in the breeze, the large trefoil leaves rustling, like a vast audience roaring their approval. The sound went deeper than her ears, though. It plucked at her Affinity, and for the first time she heard the Spirit Tree. Images of the Nascent Fruit tumbled through her Mind, followed by flowering buds on strong branches. Those buds turned to new shapes, distinct from any Fruit she’d seen the Tree produce. Vess blinked, and the images changed to caterpillars wrapping themselves in chrysalises before they settled against its trunk and branches.

"Are you suggesting," she said to the Tree, "they're Evolving due to the Fruit you gave them?"

The branches creaked. Somehow she understood that the sound meant ‘yes.’

"Remarkable," Yin said. "Truly remarkable. But they’ve eaten the Tree’s Fruits before. What changed?"

Atlantes stopped moving. Her Affinity quivered, picking up on something she could only describe as…weariness.

"No," Vess told the Tree sternly. "You can sleep when you explain what you have done to these children. Now."

The branches shuddered, recoiling from around her. A trefoil leaf floated down into her hand. It wavered in her grip, like a miniature flag.

Yin laughed. "You've forced a tree to surrender. Now I have seen everything."

Felix eventually made his way to his Shaper's Sanctum, intent on inspecting his Tree, and found Vess and Yin already there. Vess had her shirt sleeves rolled up her arms and she was busy cataloging each of the chrysalises that surrounded his Shaper’s Sanctum while Yin paced nervously between them. They explained quickly enough to him what had happened, as well as the snippets the Tree had been able to tell.

"So they were fed more of the Nascent Fruit. How much more?"

"A lot," Vess said. "According to your Tree, it provided piles of them."

"Oh, jeez. Wait, Atlantes talked to you?"

"It did," Yin said, proud as any father. "My Dragoon speaks Tree."

"Huh." Felix tapped his foot against the bark. "I thought you only talked to me." There was a tired, grumbling impression from Atlantes, as well as a sensation he'd never really felt before: a distinct wariness.

For Vess.

Felix laughed.

Vess narrowed her eyes at him. "What?”

"Nothing. I'm just wondering what you may have found about their Evolution. Do you know what they're going to become?"

"I haven't a clue," Yin said. "This is not the path I designed for myself, but another entirely new development."

Stolen story; please report.

"New isn't always good," Felix said, cautiously.

"No, but the power they are radiating is," Vess countered. She sighed and stood back up, her notebook tucked into her waistband. "I'm more concerned with how this affects their growth. Will they become true Dragons, or will they instead be shunted off as something else?"

"A worry we share," Yin growled, "but I find myself trusting your Atlantes. It shares our connection to the Green Wilds."

"Ah, speaking of that. Reminds me why I came here," Felix raised his voice, finding that odd intonation within himself he'd used once or twice. "Paxus."

The air blurred before the Nymean man materialized beside his Shaper’s Sanctum, looking as real as anyone else. Yin blew smoke out of his nostrils, but the hot air passed straight through the spirit. He smiled at Felix. "I am here to serve, your Highness.”

"Paxus, how nice to see you," Vess said, smiling with an unusual edge to her Spirit. "I understand you were the one who sent the Hatchlings into battle.”

“Without us," Yin growled.

The spirit's dusky skin paled. "It was not my inclination, but the Hatchlings themselves were chomping at the bit to fight. They would have rushed out regardless, and I could not stop them. However, I was able to augment them."

"Augment?" Felix asked.

"Explain yourself," Vess demanded.

"Atlantes offered a greater piece of itself to them in exchange for the defense of its Grove. As Caretaker of the Grove, I was able to facilitate it."

"Grove?" Vess looked to Felix. "What's this?"

"A collection of Spirit Trees united under the Eldest," Yin explained. "You've connected the others together?"

Felix offered a helpless smile. "I did, through the Shadowgates.”

“An ingenious solution, truly. I've never known a Grove to be spread so far or to have Spirit Trees of such varying lineages unite together. I can feel their powers mingling already, enhancing one another. Soon they will grow well beyond my wildest dreams."

Vess lifted a hand, calling for quiet. "I need clarity, Paxus. What did Atlantes offer my Hatchlings?"

"You know about the Nascent Fruit. There is a new one, far smaller and more dense. The tree was only able to make enough for your Hatchlings, and even then it pushed itself, consuming a great many resources.”

“This fruit—”

“The Anima Bounty.”

“The Anima Bounty. Right. It empowered them?"

"Yes, it gave them a boost to their stats and a bit extra protection from the Atlantes. It was an aura that reduced all incoming damage by fifty percent."

Vess and Yin exchanged shocked glances. Felix whistled, impressed.

"They were in as little danger as we could manage," Paxus finished, before placing a hand against his heart. "I swear on the Stars."

Vess' expression softened. "I am sorry for the accusations. Trapped as we were in our weaving, I fear anxiety and anger got the better of us. I still do not like that you Tree has interfered with the children, but I accept it was for the best."

Yintarian curled his lip as he stared down at the many chrysalises. "They are willful and combative monsters, this is true. Would this Evolution serve them well? And will that protection continue?"

"The protection was a temporary boost, the aura only lasting so long as they remained awake. Its power was folded into them, however." Paxus knelt by one of the root chrysalises and placed his hand upon it. Where his illusory flesh met rough bark, it was illuminated by an internal radiance, a golden green that pulsed through the roots. "But I believe this Evolution will be potent."

“Can Atlantes make more of this Anima Bounty?” Felix asked. “Fifty percent damage reduction is huge.”

“The Tree is spent. Frankly, I’m surprised it had the energy to make so many in the first place.” Paxus looked proudly up at the branches. “It is a remarkable specimen.”

"What will they become," Yin asked, his gruff tone threaded with a nervous lilt. “The children.”

Paxus's solid blue eyes met Yin's matching golden ones. "Something ancient… and something new. The Green Wilds had found a deep resonance within the Hatchlings."

"Truly?" Yin sounded suddenly eager. Vess gripped his shoulder and they exchanged a look.

"I feel like I'm missing something," Felix admitted.

"The aim of my pact with the Grim Nightshade was to empower this Evolution," Yin gestured to himself. "A Dawn Drake can be made no other way. Since I and my Companion were intrinsically involved in the Hatchlings' birth, a piece of our significance was transferred unto them.”

“Providing the connection to the Grim Nightshade," Vess added. “And, by extension, the Green Wilds.”

"Right. The big sloth guy.”

Vess quirked her head. "What?"

Felix waved his hand. "Not important. So the Hatchlings are vibing with the Spirit Tree's magic Fruit because they have a piece of your pact in them. But..." Felix paused. "Let me try something."

Unseen Beholder.

Details filtered across Felix's sight, and for a moment, he could peer beyond the chrysalis' edge to see how the Hatchling's new form was changing. "Huh. Grove Wardens," he read off.

“Grove—” Vess looked at Paxus. "What have you done?”

“They are defenders of the Tree?" Yin asked, a growl making his words hard to understand. "You have enslaved them to the Will of a plant?"

"Let me finish," Felix said, loud enough to cut through their sudden anger. He swiped his hand outward, sharing the notification with them all.

Name: Grove Warden

Type: Dragon

Lore: The Hatchlings have chosen to imbue their cores with the power of the Atlantes Grove. Due in part to their deep connection to the Green Wilds, the Grand Harmony resonates with their cores. In return for protecting the Grove, they are granted great power in accordance with their progenitors: Vessilia Dayne, Yintarion of the Cerulean Skies, the Atlantes Anima, and Felix Nevarre, Emperor of Nagast.

Skills: Developing…

"Great power," Yin muttered, and his troubled spirit seemed mollified. "That is good."

"Power is one thing, but what of their freedom?" Vess demanded. "This Lore entry speaks nothing of their Will. Shall they remain bound to the Spirit Trees for all time?"

"I really don't know," Felix admitted, "but none of the Trees seem malevolent, even if they seem to make decisions all on their own sometimes."

“Their Type. Dragon, not draconic,” Yin grumbled, nudging one of the chrysalises. "Will they be true Dragons when they emerge, in a single Evolution?"

"I do not know," Paxus admitted. "This is beyond anything I've ever experienced, and even Abundance has no recollection of Grove Wardens."

"Perhaps sitting here a while will inform us," Yin said, looking around the Shaper's Sanctum. "There is a vibrancy here that I appreciate. The Green Wilds are palpable."

"That's actually why I came up here," Felix admitted. "My plans have evolved since the battle, and I need to discuss a bit of strategy with you both."

Vess folded her arms. "Strategy? Is that not a meeting worthy of the full Chorus?"

"They'll get their updates soon enough, but this is something you three have the most authority on. I need you to tell me everything you know about the Grim Nightshade. Most specifically," he said, leaning close, "how do we go about summoning it?"

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