It is a universal truth that every Martial Pathbearer has imagined themselves breaking free from prison at least once—if only for the novelty of doing so. As someone who has escaped from multiple prisons, dungeons, and slaughterhouses, I strongly recommend against it. A common thing, as the prelude to breaking out, usually involves some amount of capture—and potentially torture, if you are unlucky. Even in the situations where you are deliberately trying to be placed in prison, you will suffer some harm, and that often marks you deeper than you think. Such is where the fantasy dies and the true task of escape begins. No prison is the same. I have been inside many. Some are easy to break free of, made from stone walls and guarded by feeble Adepts. Others are built personalized. I have departed no less than twelve dungeons designed specifically to cage me and only me. The acts of breaking free were ordeals like no other. But I also rose from them greater than ever before. The main thing that will aid you in escape is breadth and depth. The more simplistic and straightforward your skills, the more vulnerable you are to containment. Legendary Physicality is tremendous for many things, but if you are locked in a sphere of shifting Dimensionality with no point of leverage, how does boundless might serve you? That is the question. You must understand your cage—and master it well. And if there are other prisoners present, it is best to recruit them as well. If nothing else, you will be able to learn the prison’s flaws and strengths from their failures. It took six accumulated ripples for Shiv to finally peel the Orichalcum wall open. Once that was done, the insides of the crawlspace were revealed to the wolf-man and the Rebis. Shiv stepped aside and let out a breath. His muscles ached, but as another pulse of force vectors washed through him, his strength began to return and grow. "There you go,” Shiv breathed. “You wanted to take a look at the mithril supports.” He quickly glanced around, preparing to leave context if the Ascendant showed up. Cripple remained absent, still handling the other Legendary-Tier prisoners. While the Rebis twitched and shuddered, muttering things about not wanting to go back into the hole again, the wolf-man's mouth was slightly agape. He shot Shiv a look, and an awe-struck gleam lit his onyx eyes. "You are not lying, friend. You are a Legend in terms of strength. But that skill disrupted some of the magic as well. What is that skill?” “Something most people won’t ever get to have,” Shiv replied. The wolf-man gestured, and one of his drones whirled through the air. It pointed its crossbow at the nearest Orichalcum support, and Shiv noticed how some of the spell patterns infused within it had been severed along the middle. They bled mana into the air, like blood seeping out from a slit branch of veins, and Shiv wrinkled his nose. He resolved to be more controlled next time. “This must be a blend of Physicality and Magical Resistance,” the wolf-man muttered. “An odd fusion.” "Let's just say all the bad experiences I had with magic built up to a point of no return." "And I am all the gladder for it," the wolf-man declared. "This is a skill that will aid us well." He took two steps closer to the mithril beam, and his drone's crossbow suddenly projected a beam of light. Shiv narrowed his eyes as he observed the wolf-man's construct. It flapped its wings quickly, and flowing circuitry of mana danced along its chassis, infusing it with several mana types. Shiv counted the translucence of Psychomancy, the dense, rippling gravity that was common with Dynamancy, and the electricity that pulsed in sparks with the art of Aeromancy. The wolf-man was an accomplished mage. More than that, he was likely a magical engineer on top of that. While the wolf-man examined the magic flowing through the mithril, Shiv studied him more closely. The automaton skulls lining the wolf-man's back were all well-preserved. Their optics were on, but they said nothing. Shiv listened quietly and heard the faint hum of electricity passing through each of the skulls into the wolf-man's armor. And then all of a sudden, electricity sparked out from their eyes. A flash of forking bolts extended from the automata as they let out a unified drone. Shiv wasn't sure if the mechanical life forms were screaming, if they were still alive at all. But something told him that they were serving as conductors for one of the wolf-man's skills. The lupine prisoner had his hand against the mithril now, and a flowing chain of spells danced along his arms and down the length of his spine. Soon, the spell patterns were circulating through each of the automaton's skulls. And as they flowed back into the mithril column, they returned changed somehow, with several spell shapes altered, and new extensions added to the overall pattern. Even the part that Shiv had accidentally split earlier had been repaired. "What are you doing?" Shiv asked. "I'm trying to analyze the spells infused within the overall architecture," the wolf-man said. "Now, please give me a moment. Talking is distracting." Shiv fell silent, but he turned his attention to the Rebis. He studied the horrific amalgam of man and automaton from the corner of his left eye and found the Rebis glaring straight at his face. He might have a problem with other people looking at him, but he clearly didn't hold himself to the same standards, with how intensely he was glaring at Shiv's forehead. The Deathless could see his own reflection along the middle half of the Rebis's face, and the experimental life form's human side was doing something between a grimace and a snarl. Shiv couldn't fully read his expressions, but he seemed well past the border of madness, as if he were always trying to capture where his thoughts were going, trying to catch up to what he was actually thinking in the moment. "I am—sorry," the Rebis forced out. His voice was a sibilant whisper, and it ended with the faint hint of electronic distortion. Shiv almost met his eyes, but caught himself before he could make that mistake. He offered him an understanding nod instead. "About what? You haven't done anything wrong to me." "I pointed my wing. At you." The Rebis shook. His words were fragmented. His human side twitched, and he clenched his remaining teeth together. "That was rude, but you surprised me. I don't like to be surprised–surprised… surprised DON’T DO IT!” "Neither do I," Shiv agreed, raising his hands placatingly as the Rebis’s agitation suddenly surged. "So I can't blame you, especially considering our circumstances." His instincts and Psycho-Cartography guided him, commanding him to say the following words to scout out the Rebis’s deeper nature. "We're both in the same hellhole anyway. If I can't understand you, who can?" The Rebis didn't say anything at that. Instead, he stared even harder at Shiv before finally looking away. His movements were abrupt, as if he lost track of what his body was doing every few seconds. And with every motion he made, a flash of pain danced across his face. It might be because his human brain is partially fused with an automaton's processing system, Shiv guessed. He wasn't that versed in Practical Metabiology yet, but one thing he'd learned about most organic structures was that they were hellishly complex, with a great deal of variability between each individual, down to the cellular level. Shiv wouldn't even know where to begin if given the task of melding flesh with metal to such an extent. Maybe if one were a vampire, and they had a Lineage Core to help cheat the harder parts, they could do it. But the odds of transplant rejection were far too high, along with the constant danger of infection. Prosthetic limbs weren't unheard of among Pathbearers, but a fusion this insidious… Somehow, the Republic had managed it with the Rebis, but they clearly didn't succeed all the way. Once again, Shiv found himself wondering what this poor bastard had done to deserve this fate. Or what these poor bastards did, he corrected himself. The Rebis had been two Pathbearers before, after all. At least that was what the vampire had claimed. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "I got it," the wolf-man declared, pulling Shiv from his contemplations. He took a few steps back and held up a hand. Atop his palm was a swirling, eight-sided pattern of Dimensionality. Shiv observed the pattern in detail and saw very specific symbols lining its length, and what looked to be a faint map of lines and dense clumps of mana forming micro constellations in between. "Alright," the wolf-man breathed. "Time to go through a few things." First, he held up the dimensional spell he'd stolen from the mithril pillar. "I have the position of the nearest guard cube. There is a great deal of chatter flowing through the architecture. They managed to surround the Zenith Cube and the Zeroth Cube with supplemental units, meaning we're technically boxed in, but they still need to work their way through the surrounding blocks before they finally collapse in on us. However, one of the guard cubes, and that is the nearest one, is trapped out of position. Apparently, the Zenith Cube is lodged in place for some reason." And that made Shiv grin. He folded his arms and shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, sometimes things just get stuck. Wear and tear and all that." The wolf-man regarded him for a long moment before he barked a howling laugh. "Truly? Well, fortunate for us, then. So, here is my plan. I have usurped some of the magical spellwork connecting this section of the prison to the displaced Guard Cube. I will try to tap into the surrounding architecture once more and use the ambient Dimensionality mana stored within to help us transition directly to the guard cube. After that, we will try to seize it by force. I’ll see us teleported directly outside so we’re right next to one of its anchors." The wolf-man regarded Shiv and ran a long, red tongue across his pointed teeth. "I have a request." Shiv had a feeling he knew what that request was. "You want me to go in first because of my Physicality?" "That, and you strike me as someone with reasonably impressive Toughness as well. Our friend the Rebis here is blindingly fast and an absolute terror against any target he can see. However, he is exceedingly vulnerable to both Psychomancy and Technomantic attacks. And I wouldn't want the poor fellow to suffer an unjust demise after all the torment he's already survived." Technomantic, huh? Shiv noted the wolf-man’s affinity. He was starting to have a guess as to why the wolf-man and Rebis got along so well. Shiv had no problem with going first, but a feeling of suspicion was beginning to build inside of him. He didn't know the wolf-man or the Rebis much at all, and this was still a prison. A lot of people could be here just because they were simply potentially dangerous, or because they'd offended the Ascendants somehow. However, not everyone was going to be that way, and Shiv would place good mithril on the odds of most people having done something to earn their imprisonment here. Gotta tread carefully, keep as much of an eye on them as I do on the guards or Cripple. He found himself not quite as stressed as he thought he would be about the whole paranoia thing. Learning to wrangle the orcs had really helped with his anxiety, or simply given it a new standard no one else could meet. "Fantastic," the wolf-man hissed, clapping his hands together. There came a clamor down to the right, and a series of shouts filled the air. Human shouts intermingled with sounds of battle. "No more time to waste," the wolf-man said. "Come then, let's see us away." He lashed his Dimensionality spell against the mithril pillar and immediately began weaving new shapes along its length. "Hey, listen, you got a name?" Shiv asked. “Don’t want to keep thinking of you as wolf-guy.” The wolf-man continued working, but he replied nonetheless. "You can call me Five. Five of Spades. As for the other details, you can think of me as a dabbler of many fields, but ultimately I am a thief, purveyor of rare goods and rarer individuals. And I only found myself trapped here because I went for the wrong score." That gave Shiv something of a backstory to work with, but he still wasn't sure if he trusted him. Not until I have his full measure, Shiv decided internally. "And if you're wondering why we simply cannot teleport out," Five added as he plucked at his dimensionality spell, "that's because we are caged by what I suspect to be among the greatest Chronomancy workings that exist on Integrated Earth. The prison itself is locked inside a massive sphere of recursive time. If we impact that without disabling the loop, we will simply find ourselves launched backward, with no way to break free." At once, a pulsing waterfall of Dimensionality began spilling out from the mithril pillar as if the wolf-man had turned a series of faucets on. Static mana washed over Shiv and the Rebis, and Five was the last to be swallowed. A layer of pressure settled against Shiv, but he managed to keep it off of him using his pointed vectors. The Leviathan of Shapeless Tides cast his body alight. In seconds, the pointed stripes that lined him were black static as well, matching the Dimensionality. A groan of effort came from the wolf-man. "Friend, just a request, but can you please let your skill recede for a moment? I don't think I can quite overcome your Magical Resistance." Shiv winced as he realized he was instinctively resisting Five’s skill. "There! There's something up there!" The voices of the wardens were close now. Shiv took a chance and let his vectors go slack. He continued cultivating more overflow, while also concentrating on building up his Toughness. An Orichalcum pillar shot up from him and pushed through the ceiling of the Dimensionality. If that caused Five any difficulties, he didn't say. With a final clench of force, Shiv found himself drawn across space and surging upward. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝘯𝘦𝘵 Suddenly, he felt tighter, tighter than he'd ever been before. Shiv had never feared claustrophobia, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it much. And this teleportation was among the most claustrophobic experiences he ever had. He was circulating along the insides of the mithril supports, and every few seconds, he found himself lurching at hard angles. Despite the erratic movements, he had a faint sense of where he was. His recently gained Portomancy skill offered him another layer of spatial senses, and he felt at the dimensional pathways lining the mithril. It was through this observation that he also understood why focus crystals were so efficient. They prevented any ambient mana loss. Every time someone cast, there was always a faint shimmer of magic, especially if they were channeling a lot of spellstuff. And that brightness wasn't a display of power, but a revelation of inefficiency. These focus crystals were like conductors and thresholds all at the same time. Mana didn't escape from them until a mage decided to finally unleash the spell. And that had Shiv a little excited, for he had a new blade that needed to be tested as well. He hadn’t even gotten to regard its status sheet yet. He tried holding it up to where his face was, doing is best not to stab himself with how turbulent this spatial transit was. Equipment Obtained: [Bladewand of Fire’s Path] Composition: Focus Crystal; Orichalcum Enchantments > Beamcast; Pyromancy 100; Dimensionality 100; Minor Plane of Fire; Will-Sharpened; Binding; Magic Amplification Beamcast? Wonder what that does… Minutes passed. Shiv found himself gliding from support to support, turning angle after angle, as he wondered how much longer it would take before they finally reached the guard cube. Without warning, a spatial pocket suddenly opened, and Shiv found himself dumped out within a new crawlspace. As he landed in a crouch, he found himself staring at a dislocated gear that had been knocked out of place for some reason. Shiv guessed that was because he broke both the Zenith and Zeroth cubes. And so now this Guard Cube was lodged stuck here. A second thereafter, the Rebis arrived right beside Shiv. As he turned, he accidentally looked the man-machine hybrid in the eye, but only for a moment. He turned his gaze aside as soon as he could. The Rebis twitched once. His wings quivered slightly, and Shiv prepared to face the consequences. But no strike came. The Rebis turned away from Shiv, and he glided through the air, flicking his automaton wings more than his human ones. It seemed to prefer the right side more, and Shiv guessed that the mechanical part of him was probably more stable than the organic tissue. Finally, Five arrived, and as soon as he did, he turned his head toward the Orichalcum walls separating them from the guard station proper. Before Shiv could say anything, Five's eyes flashed, and one of the automaton heads lodged upon his spine blared in tandem as well. Suddenly, the automaton head disappeared and fused over Five's vulpine skull. It was like the wolf-man had merged with the machine briefly, as a single, blood-red orb replaced its eyes while its teeth glinted, becoming pieces of pointed alloy. That optical orb he'd stolen from the automaton projected a beam into the wall, but not a destructive one. Instead, Shiv saw life signs highlighted behind it, silhouettes of people standing in what looked to be a circular chamber. "Six Pathbearers," Five said, "a full team of wardens. Looks like they just got back from a raid." Shiv wanted to ask how the wolf-man knew that, but he decided to test his own Awareness more. He studied the postures and bodies of the Pathbearers, and he found some of them clutching their arms, one of them half bent over. He noticed how one had strings swaying from their limbs, strings that sparked. Wires, he realized. A damaged automaton. Five directed his cybernetically enhanced gaze elsewhere and began to sweep the surrounding walls. More silhouettes were revealed, but there were fewer wardens here than Shiv expected. Beyond those within the teleportation anchor, he counted four in a nearby room, equipping themselves with armor and weapons. And there were two more on the floor above. Shiv briefly thought they were sleeping, but when he saw the way that they writhed, he guessed that they were looking at an infirmary. "We have a few options," Five said, sounding hesitant. "With this skill, I can also try a few other configurations. I have a skull capable of sonar-based detection, but it makes quite the loud noise. And once we use it, it will draw attention. Might you have any high-Tier Awareness abilities, perchance?" "Farsight," Shiv said. Five lowered his head. “I suppose we can't be good at everything,” he muttered. “How about stealth?” “You know what Creeping Void is?" "Creeping Void?" Five said, surprised. "But that's..." He sniffed at Shiv, paused, and sniffed even harder. "I always knew there was a peculiar smell about you." A slight grin pulled at his bestial face. "Look at us. All three of us, somewhat human, but not quite. If we survive this, I must be bold and ask, how did one such as you come to gain the scent of a Tarrasque?" "Seriously, you can smell that off of me?" Shiv asked, stunned. The wolf-man flicked his middle finger against the tip of his alloy-fused nose. "I have special gifts, more than even most of my kind. But even without it, you stand out. You have been marked by the System in a most dire way, friend."