Redemption Arc

Once the game got going, there were plenty of ways for someone to punch beyond their weight class in the War of Four. The reason that Lucian was so adamant on pursuing the Inquisition in the Fifth Canton immediately was because one such opportunity waited within there. After all, the Inquisition was once an institution of the church—it stood to reason they’d have mastery over holy magic.

In the week leading up to events, Lucian’s schedule was quite packed. When the Collegium was open, he dedicated almost all of his time to learning new spells. The holy magic instructor was surprised that his magic had advanced far more quickly than she expected. When he explained to her that he obtained a blessing, she was quite excited on his behalf. It was nice to be supported. The more days passed, the easier it was to come to terms with what had happened in that bandit camp.

Elsewhere, though, Lucian seemed to be only more disliked. People thought mole rats were disgusting, but they could tolerate them so long as they stayed below the ground. If the mole rat starting poking its head up and making noise? People would go crazy. Lucian, handsome as he was, still endured being treated rather like a mole rat.

But Lucian didn’t just learn holy magic. Lucian’s elemental proficiencies weren’t as terrible as the rest of his stats. They were adequate, some even good. There were a select few spells that he needed to learn to balance out his build. Magic was the cornerstone of his build, and the great equalizer for weakness.

On other fronts, he didn’t press Metterand further about the fiancée thing, hoping that it was merely an offhand remark that had no bearing on his decision-making. There was nothing like that in the original game, but considering how far Lucian was diverging, didn’t seem outside of the realm of possibility.

After ample preparation… the day came.

“I didn’t realize how terrifying this would be,” Helen said.

“Looking in the water?” Miriam asked.

“The ocean,” she explained, looking over. “It just seems so terrifying and unknowable.”

They had chosen their party of five with which to explore the Fifth Canton. It consisted of Rowan, Helen, Lucian, Miriam, and Olivia Vantz-Leon. Her inclusion had been a surprise, but Rowan had insisted upon it. All of them wore gear that was much more suited to being wet than they had worn during the assault on the brigand camp.

“I think that the potions I prepared should help mitigate any of your fear,” Miriam said. “They allow greater mobility in the water, enhanced sight, water-breathing, and, well… the list is long.”

Rowan looked at her. “Have you tested it?”

“Mr. Lowenthal said they’d work,” Miriam said.

“That means no,” Lucian translated.

Olivia stayed silent, watching them all. He’d thought that she would back out after discovering that he would be taking part in this, but here she was. Perhaps this was an opportunity to mend fences with both Helen and Olivia. He’d saved her life, ostensibly, which could hopefully outweigh any prior issues. Maybe not, considering how emotional the issue was to her.

“Like most of Mr. Lowenthal’s potions, these have a side effect,” Miriam continued. “Apparently it’s excruciating if we drink it in the open air. We’re supposed to drink it underwater, elsewise we might faint.”

“That’s concerning,” Olivia said.

“On the bright side, it lasts indefinitely until we’re exposed to the air once more. So… drink it underwater, and don’t emerge until we’re fully done,” Miriam explained.

“I think that it’s our best option,” Lucian said. “It’ll take a while to reach the Fifth Canton.”

Everyone concurred, though Helen and Olivia seemed a little bit reluctant. After that, they started wading into the ocean. Miriam removed her prosthesis and strapped it to her back. Lucian held the bottle to his mouth as he went under, ready to inhale. Once the saltwater started to sting at his eyes, he threw the bottle back and downed it all. For a few moments he felt nothing… but as the potion started to spread throughout his body like icy tendrils, it was as though his reality began to shift.

The ocean water, which before had been clouded by haze, immediately gained a sort of clarity that made it seem as though the ocean itself was lit up. He could see as far in the water as he could on the surface. He could see the ocean floor, the countless creatures moving throughout the sea, all with such clarity that it felt inhuman.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” he heard the panicked mutterings of Helen.

“Relax,” Rowan said. “You’re fine.”

“How can I… how can I hear you?” Helen asked, looking at him.

Miriam swam out ahead, one swipe of her arms sending her a great distance. “That’s one of the effects of the potion. I’m told Mr. Lowenthal went through a great deal of effort to work out how to make this function.”

“We can speak to each other underwater? Not even magic can do something like this,” Olivia declared in wonder, her red hair billowing around in the water. It made her look like some kind of exotic jellyfish.

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“Alchemy is magic,” Miriam said proudly. “As a matter of fact, it might be the most magical discipline of all.”

Lucian swam out ahead, testing the function of his changed body. It truly was a wondrous experience. Water had always been a place of unparalleled freedom of movement, but Lucian felt as though he could move through it as smoothly as he could a dream. One swipe of his hand could send him surging through the water like a shark. He could breathe as easily as he could on the surface.

“I trust you can guide us to the Fifth Canton?” Lucian asked Rowan. “You’re the local, after all.”

Rowan swam out ahead of Lucian. “I can,” he said. “When I was younger, I tried to swim out here on my own. They have some guards patrolling the water to make sure that no one gets in by boat. So long as we stay underwater, we shouldn’t have any issue making it to the church we’re looking for. Technically we’re permitted to pass… but no need to test that theory. Come on.”

The five of them set off swimming through the ocean. For a little while Lucian checked on Miriam to make sure that she wasn’t having any trouble, but she was as agile as anyone. Rather, the one who seemed to be having trouble was Helen, who kept letting out little yelps of fright whenever she saw a sea creature that was mildly creepy.

Helen decried crabs as ‘sea spiders,’ and more than once scared herself when she saw Olivia’s long red hair flowing in the ocean after losing sight of her. They elected to slow down to help her avoid a heart attack.

“Maybe you want to talk,” Lucian suggested. “Get your mind off it. If you focus on something else, what you see might be less scary.”

“Oh. Oh, yes. Yes, maybe,” Helen managed, speaking too-quickly. “Umm… well, what’s on my mind? Perhaps we can talk about our childhood. What was your father like, Lucian?”

Lucian didn’t know why she had immediately jumped to that, but said, “The idea is that you talk.”

“I think I’d rather focus on anything and everything around me,” she said.

Lucian could only continue along with the underwater voyage. After a time, they passed beneath some gondolas that had been stationed around the Fifth Canton to be sure that no travelers or adventurous children like Rowan would explore the ruins. That was a sign they were on the right track. They stuck low, and they weren’t spotted.

The sunken canton came into view after a long swim. Lucian had seen the graphics for it before in War of Four, but seeing it in person was an incomparable experience. It was like a little portion of Atlantis brought to life. Looming above them all was a gigantic marble building, remarkably similar to the grandest cathedrals one could find in Europe. It made the Apostolic Palace look like a hovel. It had a huge belltower in the back, and the stained-glass windows persisted largely unbroken. It was large enough it nearly poked up out of the water on its own.

Beyond the cathedral, there were countless other buildings that surrounded it. In many ways, it was similar to the Fourth Canton. It had a wider open area, and several apartments that had once probably been used by the Inquisition members and the clergymen. All manner of sea creatures darted in and out of enclosures in the miniature city.

“Why was this place built?” Rowan asked. “I mean… what purpose did it hold?”

“I thought you were the local,” Miriam pointed out.

“People I talk to today are more focused on the fact that it fell than what it was meant to do,” Rowan said.

“The sad fact of reality,” Olivia noted. “This place was meant to be an imitation of the Collegium. It was an institution designed to foster and train clerical talent for the next generation, alongside sowing unity for the faith continent-wide. It was unpopular from the beginning… the faith takes many forms throughout the continent, and none of the four great powers wanted anything resembling a union of churches.”

“Yep.” Helen finally gathered courage enough to break away from the pack, approaching the cathedral. “When the idea of unifying faith failed, this place was transformed into the headquarters of the Inquisition. That was the crisis of my aunt’s day in the Collegium. The Inquisition became a debased and corrupt institution which recklessly targeted people that had no connection to demons. Lorenna helped solve that crisis.” She looked back at them. “But they solved it peacefully! Well… relatively. There was no war, just a huge purge. That should provide us with some optimism as to our present circumstances, no?”

“Maybe you’re right,” Lucian said, trying to join her in optimism.

Miriam swam ahead. “What exactly are we going to be looking for here?”

Lucian could tell them exactly what they were looking for. It was a bit odd, but he knew where everything was. Did he really have to act like it was his first time being here?

“I don’t know,” Helen admitted. “Anything, everything. Like I said, this place was much like the Collegium. That means knowledge of great importance is probably stored inside here.”

“What if they took out anything dangerous?” Olivia asked.

Everyone went silent at that, especially Lucian. He knew, so it was hard to act dispirited.

“Apparently, deep inside the cathedral, there’s air,” Rowan said. “You can walk, stand, just like normal.”

Helen nodded. “Some protective magics established by the Church could easily keep the water out.”

“And some amphibious creatures have taken it as a nest for that reason,” Lucian said. “I think we should look around the outer area, and when the time comes, start exploring the cathedral.”

There was some loot in the outside that he needed to get, after all. For them, this was a totally novel experience. For Lucian, this was only a partially novel experience. He needed to move fast so that no one else got the thing he was looking for in this place.

There’s a blessing here… Lucian remembered. But it’s best-suited for physical attackers. I’m intending on specializing in magic. I could still get it, but…

Lucian looked over to Olivia. Excluding Rowan who was already a powerhouse, she was the character best suited to getting it. It helped out with defense a great deal, which was her weak point. Olivia met his gaze, looking confused. Lucian had come here to get the best defensive item that any mage could ask for. He didn’t necessarily need the blessing.

Still… it would be nice. And it raises stats a little. Olivia could use it better, but… am I selfless? Lucian wondered. I suppose I’ll figure it out.

Lucian swam toward the first item that he came here to get.