Forged Legacy

Steve and Cassandra rushed into the garage not long after Celeste left. “What was that about? Is everything ok?”

“Everything’s fine,” Harvey responded, not looking up from the coal he was shoveling into the forge.

“It didn’t sound like it. We could hear her shouting through the walls. What did she mean when she said it was you?” Steve asked, his tone making it painfully clear that he expected a real answer. Harvey debated if he should just let it all out, but figured he’d start vague and see what he could get away with.

“Stella, that other angel who came with her, caught me sneaking out onto the battlefield.”

His mother looked genuinely shocked. “What? How? We never even saw you leave the house?”

“I’ve been flying over the wall in the middle of the night and camping out until the fights start. You guys are usually at church by the time I get back.”

“I thought you were just sleeping in,” Steve groaned, rubbing his eyes with his palm. “That wasn’t smart, son. What if they confused you for a spy and started shooting?”

“They wouldn’t do that,” Cassandra replied.

“They might have! Brutus specifically ordered us to stay home. It wouldn’t surprise me if they had orders to kill anyone impersonating the Faithful to try and sneak their way into Heaven. It’s how we killed one of their lieutenant’s.”

“Is that why Celeste was so mad? Did someone attack you?” Cassandra asked, her worry cutting through Steve’s mounting anger.

“No. I wasn’t attacked. She’s upset because she stuck her neck out for me and I almost got her in trouble again.” He gladly omitted the fact that the reason she was in trouble was that the demon she’d been tasked to hunt had been him all along, but if they weren’t going to ask, then he wouldn’t tell.

“Why would you risk that in the first place?” Steve pushed.

“I needed the levels,” Harvey shrugged.

Steve threw his hands up. “So not only are you reckless, but selfish too? Celeste put her reputation on the line for this family, but that wasn’t enough for you?”

Harvey knew from experience that those questions were rhetorical, and he needed to let his Dad vent until he decided what his punishment would be. Grounding your 25-year-old superhuman son was an outlandish idea, but Harvey would accept it if he had to.

In the end, Steve just sighed and said, “Don’t do it again.”

Harvey agreed and apologized profusely until they finally left him alone. He spent the night dutifully working on Stella’s armor, happy to turn her extortion into another opportunity to level his Profession. Plate armor might not have any more new creation bounties for him, but such a large project still netted him a decent chunk of essence. He worked late into the morning, still hyper after finally getting caught. Every night inside Legacy’s Redoubt had become a pressure cooker, and Harvey hadn’t realized how much the stress had built over the last two weeks.

Still, the mad dash for levels had worked, with his Class at Level 72 and his Profession at Level 71 by the time the notification updating his quest finally arrived.

Quest - Crusade of Dusk and Dawn - Integration Trial

Current Affiliation: Heaven

Goal: Kill the Commander and Lieutenants of the opposing faction to open a portal home

Angelic Commanders Killed: 0/1

Angelic Lieutenants Killed: 1/4

Demonic Commanders Killed: 0/1

Demonic Lieutenants Killed: 3/4

Reward: Variable depending on performance.

[Good thing we slowed Heaven down while we could. There’s no way the last lieutenant survives the week now that we’ve got such a big lead.]

He was just finishing the final round of tempering with the help of his Perfect Finish skill when the notification appeared. It had taken an all-nighter to finish the armor in one sitting, and he couldn’t wait to crawl into bed. Steve and Cassandra had come to check that he was actually home when they left for school, and he guessed they’d assigned Tyler to act as the warden over his house arrest since his brother came to chat every hour or so.

The door leading inside the house flew open, and Tyler stuck his head out. “You see it?”

“Yeah. Pretty crazy.”

“Should we go out and celebrate?” Tyler asked.

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Harvey looked perplexed. “By doing what exactly?”

“I don’t know. We can go grab some food at John’s and toss a ball around.”

“I’m gonna pass. I’m exhausted.”

“Come on!” Tyler pleaded. “You’ve been holed up in here all week, and I’m bored out of my mind.”

“Sorry, bud. Hopefully we’re home soon and can get back to hunting.”

“Fine.”

He knew he should be happier about another one of Hell’s lieutenants kicking the bucket, but he was just too tired to care. The clock on the wall said it was already almost 2:00 PM, meaning he hadn’t slept in a day and a half. Grabbing a snack from the kitchen, he scarfed it down, furiously scrubbed all the sweat and soot off his body in the shower, and let his wet hair soak his pillow.

When he finally woke up, it was to his mother pounding on his bedroom door. “Get dressed and come down for breakfast! We have visitors.”

He stretched so hard he nearly rolled off the bed, then threw on a pair of basketball shorts and a white t-shirt before stumbling down the stairs. He’d barely made it halfway when he froze in his tracks, a familiar voice coming from the kitchen.

“You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Thorne,” Brutus said congenially.

“Well, that’s all thanks to Heaven’s hospitality. It’s been good to us, but I have to admit I’m excited to get back to our place in Arizona,” Cassandra replied.

“We’ll have to visit once we get back to Earth. Our planet doesn’t have any deserts, so it will be a first for me.”

Tyler shouldered past him, hurriedly cinching the blue striped tie looped around his neck. “Mom’s gonna make you change.”

Harvey dashed back up to his room and struggled to put on something nicer. His fingers kept missing the buttons as his mind raced to find a good reason for Brutus to be here. Had Celeste told him that he’d been the one killing Heaven’s beasts from the shadows? No, that would only make her look worse.

[I’m sure it’s fine. Use Awakened Armament on the revolver just in case, and I can float in from the other room to help out if he attacks you.]

Should I put on my armor?

[Not unless your plan is to start swinging.]

Harvey nodded, finished changing, and made a pit stop in the living room, where he had Rupture float along the ceiling near the back entrance to the kitchen. Everyone else was already sitting around the table, and he was relieved to find Celeste sitting beside the Commander with a polite smile on her face.

“Harvey! It’s good to see you again,” Brutus beamed.

“Brutus,” he nodded. “Celeste. Congrats on your victory over the third lieutenant yesterday.”

“Thank you! I was pleased to see our forces managed to do it even without your help,” Brutus chuckled.

Harvey didn’t know if that was the dig Brutus thought it was, but kept his mouth shut.

“That’s actually part of the reason we’re here. As much as I love a good breakfast, this isn’t purely a social call. I actually came to extend an offer to you, Steve.”

His father looked shocked, seemingly assuming that whatever brought Heaven’s most important angel to their door had something to do with Harvey. “Me?”

“Yes. It may have come through unconventional means, but you are the first of the Faithful to reach F-Grade using Heaven’s methods. I mean no disrespect, Tyler. Your Father is just more of what we’re looking for,” Brutus explained.

“Look for what exactly?” Harvey asked.

Brutus looked slightly annoyed at Harvey’s accusatory tone, but Celeste jumped in before they could bicker. “A position in Heaven’s command structure. It’s not something we normally do, but I think it’s a brilliant idea.”

“Yes. I want you to serve as our First Steward of the Faithful. Their voice in my ear. Our crusade against hell may be over soon, but this is only the beginning of our fight for your planet. The angels and I will be busy fighting the other factions seeking to claim Earth, so I need someone like you to oversee the affairs of the Faithful. Settling territory, building homes and fortifications, and training to become powerful warriors like you and your sons.”

Harvey expected an altercation, but what they’d gotten was an olive branch. It almost sounded too good to be true, but he couldn’t see how giving humanity a voice in Heaven’s highest circles could be a bad thing.

“I mean, I’m flattered, but why me?” Steve asked.

Instead of answering, Brutus asked a question of his own. “Do you know how many names among the Faithful a Commander is supposed to know?”

“I’d assume not many,” Steve replied.

“None. My job is to win the war at any cost, and it’s very rare for one of the Faithful to contribute enough for someone in my position to know their name. I’ll concede that a large part of that is because of your sons, but it was you and your wife who raised them. I see you as the prime example of what humanity can become by following Heaven’s path, and I want them to see you standing by my side as we liberate Earth from those who seek to take it for themselves.”

[Like you?] Julius scoffed, the barrel of the revolver peeking out around the doorframe.

Chill out! And get out of sight. It’s not like the gun’s got eyes!

“I don’t know what to say,” Steve said, unable to hold back a smile.

“I do!” Cassandra beamed. “He’d be honored!”

“Are you certain?” Brutus asked.

“Yes. Yes, I’d love to accept.”

Brutus clapped his hands, rocking back in his chair with a wide smile across his face. “Perfect! We’ll announce it when the rest of Heaven gathers to enter the portal back to Earth. I’d appreciate it if you could prepare a short speech to share when we finally get to celebrate our victory.”

“What should I say?” Steve asked.

“Just tell your story. How you felt when the trial began, and how you managed to grow so much while you were here. I read the transcripts of what you said before your evolution, and something like that would be great.”

Steve nodded his head enthusiastically. “Ok, I can do that.”

“Perfect. Then the last thing I wanted to say is that if you’re going to help me lead Heaven to victory on Earth, I probably shouldn’t keep you holed up in your house any longer. You obviously don’t have to, but I’m inviting you to join us in the final assault tomorrow morning.”

Alarm bells started ringing in Harvey’s head, but Brutus rushed to clarify before he could speak. “And by you, I mean all three of you. We could use all the firepower we can get, and you boys have shown just how strong you are.”

“Finally,” Tyler exulted. “I can’t tell you how boring it is just sitting around all day.”

“Well, thank you for following orders,” Celeste said, subtly glaring at Harvey.

Ignoring her, Harvey asked Brutus, “Does that mean you’ll be joining the final assault?”

“I’ll be nearby in case I’m needed to tip the scales, but things get complicated if I die before Hell’s Commander does. With a two-lieutenant lead, I’m presuming we’ll have everything we need to finish the job without me needing to step in.”

Steve turned to his wife. “Honey? What do you think?”

“Every good leader should lead from the front, right? I’m fine as long as the boys are with you.”

“Alright,” Steve smiled. “I guess we’re in.”

“Perfect! Celeste and Cash will come by to get you three in the morning. Until then, enjoy the rest of your sabbath and get some rest! If all goes well, you’ll be back on home soil by the end of the week!”