Two men and a bird approached Emilie, Serena, Forala, and Jenora laughing and joking with each other. “CAW CAW HAH! YOU DIDN’T EXPECT ME TO BLAST YOUR ARM! IT GAVE MY MAGE AN OPENING!”
“I hadn’t been hit with that spell before. It almost completely removed my regeneration. I am impressed that a familiar managed to achieve such an impressive feat.” Zolvorn reached out to stroke Cawthorn's head.
“ONLY MY MAGE MAY DO THAT!” Cawthorn protested as his finger gently stroked Cawthorn. “Only… my… mage…” Cawthorn closed his eyes as Zolvorn gently stroked his head.
Victor smiled joining in a motion with both gently petting Cawthorn causing him to lean against Victor with a gentle coo coming from him constantly. “Cawthorn is the greatest bird to ever live. He’ll be the best familiar too. You’re a great fighter. Why not put that toward a good cause?”
“There are no good causes just outcomes. If you want your outcome to become reality you need enough strength to achieve it. If I had killed, you and saved those men, they’d be alive, and you wouldn’t. I’m sure you’d consider that evil, but their kids might see it differently.” Zolvorn shrugged.
Victor had almost forgotten how this started. They killed a lot of people, and he knew Zolvorn was right. At least one of them probably had kids. Victor shook his head. “I’m not trying to convince you. I’m just trying to understand that’s all.”
Forala growled baring her teeth as Zolvorn approached. “Oh, right the half-drake. Listen I’m not going to kill any of you. I had two fun duels. None of you have to die if you’re capable of calming down.”
Forala kept a wing out in front of the other three. “You nearly killed me in a single swing.”
“I barely tapped you. There are limits to how much I can pull my strikes.” Zolvorn shrugged.
Emilie shuddered underneath Foralas’ wing. “How are we alive? That battle leveled miles of the forest.”
“I made sure to steer the fight away from the direction Forala was slashed. I was also trying to juggle this guy midair as long as I could. I was sure that would be enough to finish you.” He turned to Zolvorn nudging him.
“If it weren’t for your feathered friend I could have reached the ground faster. Having to manage both of your mid-air at those speeds was difficult. By the time I landed, I had counted 15 seconds remaining on the debuff when Gizixil showed up. You might have been able to finish me or possibly not. You wouldn’t have survived the cooldown on that ability though a few more strikes and I’d-” Jenora cut off Zolvorn.
“I’m sorry did you just say Gizixil showed up?” She drew her blade.
“What did I say about calming down?” Zolvorn menacingly looked down on her in his long crimson coat.
Emilie tackled Jenora. “Please stop he’ll kill us for nothing.”
He switched back to a smile on his face. “Oh, come on now I’ve been explicitly instructed not to do that by Gizixil himself. You all get a free pass today.”
Forala returned to her childlike form. “Why?”
“Well, those two get a pass because” He breathed out deeply emptying his lungs. “Whoa they are something else and I’m looking forward to a rematch. The rest of you get a pass because you are in their party. I see two of you are boring worshipers of the Golden Goddess so I’m guessing you won’t be of any help finding Lightbringer Luke.”
Emilie turned raising her eyebrows enraged. “You’re going to kill Lightbringer Luke?!”
“Yeah. When I find him, Luke is dead.” He nodded with a smile.
Victor shook his head and slapped him on the back. “Zolvorn man I wanted to ask something. If you follow Gizixil how are you ever going to surpass him?”
“What do you mean? Who else would I follow if not the strongest?” Zolvorn answered.
“You can’t get ahead of someone by following them. Wouldn’t it make more sense to follow your path and tell him to go to hell?” Victor quizzically inquired.
“I hadn’t thought about that but that isn’t going to save Luke.” Zolvorn shook his head saying no. “I’ll leave your party. Feel free to loot those bandits. They sucked so it’s not a big loss. I’ve got plenty more.”
Forala walked right up to him and looked him in the eye. “Gigantify.” She looked down at him trying to intimidate him. “Fight me with that skill.”
“Nah. Not worth the time. I’m on a mission from Gizixil himself so I am under no obligation to take that challenge. I had hoped to find Luke on this road but by now I’m pretty sure he will never come by so I’m off to Panos. He was supposed to be there and travel along this road to Wonora after hunting some undead, but he never came. I was hoping part way through our fight you were Luke, but you weren’t.” Zolvorn turned around and started walking the way they came. “We will meet again. Don’t die before I can kill you. You crazy idiots!” He waved walking away before vanishing from view.
Victor asked turning to Serena lying unconscious on a backpack. “Is she alright?”
Emilie answered “It’s fine she’ll be out until her exhaustion recovers. She’s at full health.”
Forala stomped her feet and snorted through her nose audibly angrily ready to kill something before shaking her head and snapping out of it. “What happened? It was like two gods clashing.”
“Swordie would you like to explain it?” Victor asked not wanting to reveal too much to them.
Swordie glowed pride in his voice. “Victor took up the challenge and used the title I bestowed upon him to great effect. I am filled with pride for my foolish apprentice.”
“Wait you can bestow a title,” Jenora asked sheathing her weapon. “What title?”
“Angelic Knight,” Swordie answered with such pride in his voice few fathers could replicate it.
Emilie turned to Jenora with hopeful curiosity. “I thought only angels could grant that title and only Lightbringer Luke had it.”
Jenora took a step back uneasiness in her voice. “That’s right. Only angels can grant that title. Does that make the book an angel?”
“For this conversation yes,” Swordie replied.
“Wait what does that mean?” Jenora followed up confused.
“It means as far as mortals are concerned, I am an angel. My role as part of an angel is complex and difficult to explain. I am in essence an angel in every way. However, in order to permit my form to exist here with you I had much of my power sealed to accompany this brave fool to Verdan.” Swordie explained with pride and playful jabs. If he had a face, he’d be beaming with pride so instead, his cover beamed brightly.
Emilie pointed and bounced a little with a big smile. “I KNEW IT! I thought he was an angel, and I was close! He was chosen by an angel! May I hold the angel?”
Victor shrugged. “It’s fine by me if it’s fine by you Swordie.”
Swordie agreed happily. “A follower of the Golden Goddess always deserves to meet an angel.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Victor handed Swordie over. Jenora took a step back hesitantly. Emilie opened Swordie asking a question. “Could you tell me about the Golden Goddess?”
A single cold word appeared on Swordie. “No.”
“Wait do you not know her? I thought all angels were born from the Goddess.” Emilie asked.
“We are but I cannot speak of the Golden Goddess to those who lack a hidden truth.” Swordie insisted. “I am deeply sorry devout one.”
Emilie tapped her feet excitedly running in place. “He called me devout!”
Forala stepped toward them frustrated. “Why did he fight the two of you?”
“He only fought me because I was stupid enough to slink off to try and support Serena. She earned his respect from how cleanly she moved and how efficiently she killed those men. You used your impressive brute strength but if the fight is fair then what does it matter how strong you are?” Victor noted. “Skill is all that matters if the fight is equal in most other respects. Well, skill and gear.”
Forala protested annoyed. “I’m highly skilled! I don’t need any equipment to beat someone to death.”
“If Serena had a slightly better weapon she would have killed him without a doubt.” Victor shook his head disagreeing strongly. “Equipment is a key part of power and while he does follow an evil Void Lord he has a point. He was far more skilled than me but the angel on my shoulder kept me alive. It’s part of why I wanted to make our guild about hunting artifacts.”
Swordie added with incredible pride. “It is only natural that my instruction and assistance would lead to such a result.”
“Forala can you carry Serena?” Victor asked hopeful that she would. “You’re the strongest amongst us.”
“I will carry her.” Forala sighed.
Emilie put a finger up. “One moment shouldn’t we go loot those guys? He told us it’s fine.”
Jenora smiled. “Oh yeah! We should get their equipment too if we can carry it.” They began heading toward the site of the slaughter. They passed by a massive crater and a hole dug deep into a cave. Hundreds of trees that had exploded from the lightning left them to walk over blackened smoldering wood. They reached the site of the massacre where about 40 bodies and started rifling through the corpses. Pouch after pouch of gold, a few hundred throwing daggers. Jenora bagged small weapon after small weapon. “Leave the bows they’ll be too clunky to carry. Just take the metal weapons you can carry.”
After collecting their loot they gathered in the road amongst the devastation and took a quick assessment of gold. Emilie noted eyeballing it. “I’d say around 1000 gold and another 500 in miscellaneous metal weapons. That’s a huge payday! More than half of it was on that one guy too.”
Victor put his hand to his chin thinking. “Yeah. That feels like an almost unreasonable amount of money even for 40 people. Why would they have so much?”
“They could have just been robbing people for days and never returned to camp,” Jenora noted.
“I suppose that is possible.” Something didn’t sit right with him. Were they part of Zolvorn’s plan? Victor couldn’t decide but Zolvorn was headed in the opposite direction to find someone they had never even met so Victor shrugged. Zolvorn was outside his level range so it’s not like he could do anything anyway.
Jenora looked to Swordie seemingly wanting to ask him a question but deciding against it. Swordie noticed and asked in a calm soothing voice. “What is it you’d like to know Jenora?”
“Have you ever killed any devils or demons? Are you the type of angel to crusade against the forces of evil or the administrative type?” She paused before taking on. “Or undead and monsters.”
In the same calm voice, Swordie answered. “For many years I was one of the blades of heaven fighting undead, demons, devils, monsters, and even the occasional evil mage but after year 0 I was reassigned. I cannot discuss year 0 events as I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
Emilie cut in. “We understand. Mortals cannot always meddle in the affairs of angels. Isn’t that right Jenora?”
She seemed immensely disappointed by the answer giving a half-hearted. “Yeah.”
“Awe cheer up darling! I want to know too but angels have secrets they can’t always tell us.” Emilie gave a bright smile and a slap on the back cheering up Jenora.
“You can always make me smile.” Jenora hugged her closing her eyes and taking a deep breath trying to center her mind.
Forala put the sack of gold around her shoulder. “Come on. We can walk and talk.” She began walking through the devastation carrying Serena and the others followed behind her at a brisk pace. “So Swordie can Victor still use that form he was flying around in?”
“When he reaches level 80 that will be available once more. Until then it will remain unavailable. Much like boost spells being limited to 5 to protect the body of the user the level 80 requirement is designed to safeguard him. If I wanted, I could transform, and he could say the words, but the light would vaporize him even with the title. His body is not ready.” Swordie explained.
“Yeah, I don’t want to be vaporized. So, I’m good.” Victor chuckled at the thought.
Emilie continued her eager inquiries. “How did you find Victor?”
“As part of my duties, I identify individuals with excessive bad luck and I can correct the karmic scale,” Swordie noted.
“Wait, he’s just unlucky? We’ve all been unlucky before that seems like a really silly and arbitrary way to pick someone.” Emilie seemed skeptical.
“More than 99.99999% of life in the universe does not reach luck above 90 or below -90 for more than a week. To be sure some people have an absurdly lucky day or week but sustained bad luck like that elevates the chance of death. His luck remained below -90 for years and hit -100 for almost 18 hours. I was tasked with correcting this.” Swordie explained as his voice swelled. “I’ve never been happier to be tasked to aid someone. Despite his truly foolish choices at times, he is at his core worthy of the title I bestowed upon him.”
She seemed almost giddy. “So meeting an angel made him a hero! I hope someday an angel will come for me too.”
Jenora apprehensively commented. “Well angels are very busy you may have to find other help to gain levels.”
“Oh don’t worry! You know you’re my angel.” Emilie leaned up for a kiss.
Jenora leaned down and kissed her with a satisfied grin. “Yeah I know, but I can’t do what that book can.”
Swordie cut in. “He was always a hero. I merely gave him the chance to prove it.”
Cawthorn crowed loudly. “A BRAVERY ONLY MATCHED BY THE GREATEST CROW TO EVER LIVE MY MAGE FLIES AMONG THE ANGELS! AFTER ALL WITHOUT WINGS HOW COULD FLY WITH ME?!”
Victor laughed with a bright smile at Cawthorn raising his arms joyously. “I LOVED FLYING! That part was incredible. Having a pair of wings was a bit disorienting at first, you’ll have to show me when I get them again how to best use them, Cawthorn.”
“CAW CAW HAH! MY MAGE WE WILL FLY TOGETHER AGAIN THE MOST POWERFUL FORCE IN THE SKY TO EVER LIVE!” Cawthorn threw up his wings laughing.
Victor aggressively agreed fist pumping. “Man, I can’t wait to get those wings back they were great. The armor broke practically just from him grabbing onto it though. That doesn’t seem all that useful Swordie.”
“Sir Victor that man's strength was abnormal he likely had Gizixil’s Anger rank 10, barbarian strength boost, rage, and several other bonuses active. His total strength score may have been above 40,000 or even higher. The cursed Void Lord skills are incredibly powerful because at maximum rank they provide a 100% increase to a stat.” Victor slyly reminded him almost sarcastically adding. “I am sure you didn’t forget that from the last time you asked about it.”
Victor laughed nervously scratching his face. “No Swordie I did not. I just meant that he cracked them with his hands. The armor seemed fragile.”
“FRAGILE!?” Swordie seemed deeply offended. “His swing unmitigated would have been able to cleave a mountain in two and yet you are in one piece. Did you not see the scale of two rank 10 spells clashing? The sky lit up for thousands of miles and the blast likely could be heard through the entire country. It was so huge that GIZIXIL showed up just to watch. Just because one was a skill and the other a spell doesn’t mean the strength of one was vastly weaker compared to the other. In fact, I’m guessing we will meet a group coming to investigate this before nightfall.”
Victor’s eyes grew wide. “Uh… How the hell will we explain this.” All of the girls and Cawthorn turned to him as if to say ‘That’s your job.’ He could only think ‘Great. Just great,’
Swordie added with a cheerful tone. “Sir Victor do not worry, if you die you will not need to face Gizixil.”
Victor sighed exasperated. “Sometimes you have the most uplifting words Swordie, and then there is this moment here right now.”