Redemption Arc

Lucian and his of yet unnamed benefactor stormed out of the mausoleum moving at a high speed. He clung to their back tightly. He hoped that he wasn’t causing discomfort by doing so, but there wasn’t much else he could do. The person that he’d picked out seemed highly competent. Fortunately, they hadn’t been stopped just yet. Their journey out had provided Lucian time enough to heal his wounds. The spells couldn’t cure his utter exhaustion—mentally, physically, he was shot. But there was only one final stretch.

“Now, I need you to head for the place where the Mentor’s Seal is made,” Lucian said.

His trusty partner didn’t hesitate in moving. When this was done, he needed to get them something very nice. As far as he was concerned, he needed to spend the rest of his life to make up for what they’ve done. If his choice of ally had been anyone less stalwart, Lucian might be finding out what death meant in this new world. That wasn’t a prospect he was particularly eager to discover.

They proceeded without issue back toward the heartland of the monastery. Lucian kept glancing back, knowing what would soon be coming. He wasn’t wrong. Aurelia burst out of the mausoleum, moving twice as fast as his benefactor seemed to be. The only advantage the two of them had was moving first.

“Alright…” Lucian leaned down, calling out. “I need you to trust me on this. I swear to you that I wouldn’t do anything that would jeopardize this place. You people are some of the kindest souls I’ve ever met, and I wish you nothing but good fortune.”

He didn’t know how his words were received, because the divine beast kept moving without looking back.

“Please keep going. Just know that Aurelia is chasing us,” Lucian said.

His heart was beating quite fast. He expected to be bucked at any moment, whereupon Aurelia would find him and chomp his head like a swollen grape. But… his trusty ally didn’t even break stride. Whoever they were, they trusted him enough to take his side over Aurelia’s, even if only for the briefest moment. Maybe honesty was the best policy.

“Thank you for this,” Lucian said. “I promise you that you won’t—"

Lucian didn’t have time to finish his sentence as the divine beast braced on the ground and jumped up onto one of the rooftops. The maneuver was so sudden that Lucian bit his tongue, hard. He didn’t have time to complain—following only a few steps behind them was Aurelia.

It was only now that Lucian realized just how large Aurelia was in comparison to the others.

Lucian looked back, wishing there was something he could do to help. He could barely manage clinging on for dear life as his ally bounded over the rooftops of the monastery. Fortunately, it was sparsely populated because most people had gone to investigate the disturbance at the mausoleum. Nevertheless, as those few that remained behind took notice of the chase underway, Aurelia inevitably gained a few allies in her pursuit as an authority figure.

Lucian heard the clack of jaws, and looked back to see Aurelia very literally nipping at their heels. Without hesitation, his benefactor veered rightward and jumped across the street that divided two sections of buildings. Lucian felt himself falling off his partner’s back… but when they landed, he slammed back down painfully and cried out in pain.

Then, Aurelia landed right in front of them, gracefully and serenely. She didn’t take the first move. She didn’t need to—soon enough, others would show up to help the esteemed Prioress Aurelia, totally ignorant that she intended to seal their powers and slaughter them all. They entered a brief standoff.

Lucian looked around, trying to think of a plan. He wasn’t the type for any action-hero nonsense—bounding across rooftops, throwing himself from the roof into windows. He liked well-executed plans. Stuff like this was a last resort.

“Here,” Lucian said, reaching into his satchel. He produced a potion. “Drink this. Once you do, start running as fast as lightning. When I say ‘jump,’ you jump, keeping all your momentum.”

It was the same strategy that he employed after drinking this potion while fighting against Saltbelly. His ally opened their jaw, allowing Lucian to pour the potion in. Then, they took action. Aurelia moved to match their movements, but with the enhancements provided by the potion, she was too slow. His ally ran, ran, ran, and before the edge of the building…

“Jump!” Lucian said.

But Aurelia was still quite powerful. As they leapt, she did too. Her jaw slammed down on his benefactor’s hind leg, and though they were moving fast enough to break free of her fangs, it disturbed the jump and separated the both of them. They soared through the monastery.

“Élûn Šyrr,” Lucian managed, casting Second Sanctuary to shield himself before slamming violently against the pavement and rolling a decent distance. He was definitely getting tougher—that didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would. His satchel had come off of him, and he picked it up and slung it back over his shoulder.

Lucian looked around briefly, discovering his ally. “Get to safety!” he called out, hoping they’d hear. “She’s after me alone.”

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Now that he was actually in the monastery itself, he had considerably more options to rely upon. Aurelia wouldn’t readily shift away from her divine beast form. Her formidable size meant that she couldn’t enter many of the buildings unimpeded. Lucian didn’t intend to try some urban parkour to outmaneuver Aurelia. All he needed was a good, solid route to get where he wanted to go.

He didn’t know the monastery as well as some other places, because the Heavenwatch Monastery that he visited in War of Four was an utter ruin. Even still, he could definitely think of something. He ran for a building that had a door that he recognized.

As Lucian ran, he didn’t see Aurelia land behind him—he felt it. There was a small gale that hit him, followed by a drumming as her legs pounded the pavement. Lucian entered the building, then went left. Aurelia jammed her head in and breathed golden fire straight forward. If he had chosen to run forward instead of left, it’d be over.

Lucian didn’t squander the opportunity. He ran up the stairs. He’d remembered right—there was an enclosed bridge connecting two buildings. He ran across it, flinching when he felt it tremor from above. Aurelia was assuredly above him.

“Surround all of the exits of this place!” Aurelia shouted, barely audible.

Lucian arrived to the other building and went down the stairs quickly. Rather than try and beat his pursuers, he entered the basement and used its alternate exit to escape into an alleyway. He wove in and out of the buildings as quietly as he could, making his way to the ritual chamber that Aurelia had shown him.

Lucian chose his route right, and he avoided being spotted—those were the two things that enabled him to make it across the monastery unimpeded. But when he arrived to the grand square that contained the statue overlooking the ritual spot for people to create the Mentor’s Seal, Lucian knew that she’d be watching this place. She was probably perched far above, waiting for any sign of movement like a cat watching a mouse hole.

There’s only one way into that basement. All she needs to do is hold it, Lucian reasoned. Lucky for me, Jerry usually wins these games of cat and mouse.

Lucian stayed in the alley, watching above and below for any movement. What could he do?

Illusion magic would fool her. All her stats are based on her holy affinity—she doesn’t have any illusion resistance, he thought. But… I didn’t learn any, he despaired, almost laughing at himself.

Lucian went through his satchel, trying to see if anything would spark a neuron. He still had the ice magic scroll. He had a few potions to give him movement speed—definitely not worth risking. He had some potent combination potion pairs that gave weaknesses to an element and then hit them with that element hard, typically applying status elements that chained into one another. He’d definitely brought too many attack potions. He needed to bring more utility potions, next time.

First, he had to make sure there was a next time.

Maybe… maybe I’m overthinking this, Lucian realized. She’s going to be feeling just as desperate as I am. She’ll be jumpy, overactive. The slightest thing will set her off.

Lucian walked to where the alley forked. He pulled out one of the potions that increased his movement speed temporarily, holding it close to his lips. Then, he cast the slowest moving spell that he had.

“Vörr.”

A white scarab emerged from his hand and started drifting daintily down the alleyway. Lucian immediately drank the potion that increased his movement speed and took the other alley. He waited at his exit, waiting for a sign that he should move. When he heard a loud crash in the direction that he’d sent his scarab, he immediately ran into the central square toward the basement door that led to the ritual chamber.

He heard a roar, and Aurelia sped across the square as fast as she could. Lucian threw open the basement doors and threw himself in, tumbling down the stairs to the point he nearly fell. He was just swift enough to avoid a blast of holy fire pursuing him. Lucian walked over to her secret door, reaching for the lamp.

The ceiling shook as Lucian turned the lamp, and the secret door began to open. He looked to what the noise was. A bunch of bricks tumbled down, revealing light. Lucian realized she was breaking the ceiling to get at him. The secret door was moving painfully slowly. Lucian reached into his satchel, producing one of the pairs of potions he didn’t think he’d have cause to use.

When Aurelia slammed down a second time, the ceiling gave and she crashed down. Lucian threw the first potion—one of Charlton’s brews that provided tremendous cold resistance, but tremendous fire weakness. It hit her. He threw the second at the floor—an oil that combusted violently when lit, and could stun if it passed a certain damage threshold. Aurelia turned toward him, her jaw glowing with golden fire, just as Lucian held his hand out and said a simple incantation.

“Rhaum!”

A bolt of fire struck the oil, exploding violently enough that Aurelia was cast back. Lucian hit the wall too, but had wits enough to bumble into the ritual chamber. He fell to his knees and placed his hand upon it, and immediately felt a resonance within the Inquisitor’s Mark. He didn’t hesitate at all in using it to activate the ritual, praying on all that was holy that he possessed enough juice after slaying Metterand to trigger it.

The demonic runes in the room came alive, glowing red as they ate away at the demonic power he’d obtained from Metterand’s devil. He could feel a foul hunger coming from this ritual, and thought he might be consumed… but soon enough it projected a power back inside him that exploded out of his chest in a wave of light.

Then… quiet. Total quiet. Lucian paused, taking a moment to catch his breath, to calm his heart. Once both were in place…

Lucian rose to his feet and walked back into the now-open basement. He was worried that he’d see Aurelia untouched by what he’d done. Instead… she laid in the rubble, utterly flabbergasted. When her eyes met his, Aurelia’s expression shifted. There wasn’t rage, nor anger, nor malignance… but panic. Pure, unadulterated panic.

Aurelia stood and sprinted out of the basement as fast as she could—she was too close for Lucian to catch her. He gave chase, emerging back into the central square. What he saw… not a single divine beast. Every single one of them had their forms sealed. A great many had gathered, probably in pursuit of Aurelia and Lucian.

Heavenwatch Monastery was here in force. And Lucian had just sealed their divine beast form.