Brother Oblax Claré knew that he was destined for greatness. It had been written loud and proud on his soul before he was even born. It's why he was as lucky as he had always been, he was such. It was where he got his abilities from, both mental and magical. Blessed with a smarter brain than others, it was only natural that he thought better thoughts and made better plans than others.
So, it was always frustrating for him when someone got in his way.
When it came to Guan Po Daiyu and Po Kahn, Oblax was becoming increasingly adept at moving around them, facilitating their childish desires. Po Daiyu was easy enough to encourage into the labyrinth to search for her lost father where she would hopefully do everyone a favour and disappear for good. Po Kahn needed less sightseeing and more… worldly pleasures. His palette for debauchery and excess was nauseating but not so difficult to fill.
However, when it came to the other group of Guan children and their allies, Oblax felt unacceptably out-manoeuvred. It had been a risk, getting close enough to Ah Dan to heal him but Oblax had felt there was no other choice. Oblax was not sure why their suspicions had been raised at such an inopportune moment but he didn’t need to hold them off for very long.
He had done his best to talk the situation into a peaceful calm but there was no chance of that once Po Daiyu got involved. Though she had assured him that she would stay downstairs, Po Daiyu’s taunting started nearly the moment her cousin walked through the doors into the church. Once more, he found that making a decision today meant that something would get in the way.
He was tackled down the stairs by the heavy and solid lump which called itself Hyun Soon. Oblax had taken exactly no notice of the slow looking Guan child and it seemed that Hyun Soon was taking it personally. Their battle caused them both to tumble and fall down the relatively long once-hidden staircase. Following their tumble was the small Xiaomei, though she seemed uncertain of what to do. It was hard to keep track of her while the blob of mid-pubescent anger bore down on him.
With a casual swipe of his hand through the air, Oblax felt the resistance as he always did. Like he could push the air itself out of the way, as though the world were just an idea to shape, Oblax pressed his intent into the movement and space ripped open at his command. The calming squirt of blood from Hyun Soon’s neck and arm as the technique connected was rejuvenating.
Certain his attack had been debilitating, Oblax closed his eyes and signed deeply as the warm lifeblood that splattered onto his face tickled his cheek. With his eyes firmly shut, Oblax didn’t see the destructive left hook coming and did not dodge the blow even a little. Sent careening through the air, Oblax was stunned from both the punch and the fact that his own attack had not been enough to finish off the child. He had just enough time to be affronted before he collided with the wall of this small space at the bottom of the stairs.
Head spinning, Oblax frantically grasped at his consciousness and held on firm. Swimming as they were, his eyes managed to focus on the wide frame of his adversary just in time to roll away from his next attack. Clambering backwards, Oblax narrowly avoided the follow-up stomp and placed his feet under himself, stumbling up to a standing position.
His attack had carved away a pound of flesh but the boy was huge. Finally giving him the attention he proved to deserve, Oblax realised how intimidating Hyun Soon was. When he had seen him at the Barracks, the large boy was usually wrapped around the much smaller Xiaomei. He had been holding his bulk back, making himself smaller, but that was over now.
All over his torso, the glow of a dying ember burst into life. It solidified around him in a smoky, hazy mana that seemed a mix of armour and flame. “What’s in that door?” Asking in a deep voice, Hyun Soon jutted his chin towards Oblax. He had clattered into the door holding Guan Yo Shen and the precious soul relic. They were not the only things in that room right now, and Oblax did not want the door to open.
“Nothing you’ll ever need to know.” There was a temptation to trade barbs but Oblax was panicking and did not have the words. Today? Of all days? The pope was going to arrive at any moment and Oblax was desperate for his luck to kick in and relieve him of this situation. Stunningly, the opposite continued to occur.
“No, I think you should explain everything you can before this gets messy.” Fa Lian stomped downstairs. Oblax’s attention had been stolen for a moment and Xiaomei had apparently swapped for Fa Lian.
That was very bad news.
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If Po Daiyu was dealt with upstairs, then Fa Lian was stronger than he thought. Not only that, Oblax’s technique - the empty claw - was not strong enough to eviscerate. He was running out of choices and being left with the final resort always left a bad taste in his mouth. “Ah, Lady Guan, good to see you again.” Oblax defaulted to a faux politeness which normally fit his demeanour.
“How is it possible to sound so flat?” She asked, a look of disgust on her face. His long practised mask was apparently not holding up to the pressure of the situation. Fa Lian looked at Oblax with the same eyes others had. Judgemental. Ignorant. Scared. He hated that look of pitying disgust more than anything else. He would not let anyone who looked at him like that have the last laugh.
Closing his eyes and swallowing what little pride he cared to carry, Oblax reached towards the door behind him. “Answers? They are in this room, I assure you.” His hand reached for the small stone, the hidden button to unlock the door to the holding cell. Either Po Kahn had taken the soul relic or he hadn’t. Either way, he’d be happy to see Fa Lian.
The church above rocked on its foundations. Multiple heavy thuds occurred at once and suddenly Oblax’s heart was full. He knew what that meant. His luck had, of course, showed up right when he needed it most. Lowering his hand from the wall, it was impossible to stop the large smile that now cross his face. “Though, it seems you will get what you deserve, rather than what you want.” Oblax taunted, no longer worried about anything.
He was here and everything would be okay now. Footsteps hurried down the stairs, lighter than Oblax imaged. Hyun Soon looked to see who it was, turning his head and giving Oblax a fresh neck to assault. He would have taken the chance but Fa Lian’s eyes began to ignite with unholy flame and they never left Oblax for a moment. “What is behind that door?” She asked, full of misplaced arrogance and stepping forward.
The hurried footsteps continued to get louder and finally the source was revealed. It was Yurie, the other girl who had been fawning over the unconscious Ah Dan. Surprise turned into uncertainty. Had Oblax been wrong? Was his savior not yet here?
As though her arrival was some hidden signal, Fa Lian attacked. Oblax had barely a moment's notice, a flicker in her muscles before she was instantly in his face. A fist connected with his jaw, covered in a strange, hard material and Oblax was certain he had been decapitated. He found himself with a few moments to recover, which he gladly took, feeling like a thief. His eyes rolled back into place and focused, showing him Fa Lian’s fury. She didn’t know where the secret button was but she had clearly intuited something and punched at the wall with her fist wrapped in the unknown metal.
“No! Stop!” Oblax tried to stall her at all but his words did not form. His mouth did not cooperate and all he could manage was a groan. Reaching his hands over, he felt the reason and snapped the dislocated jaw back into place. It wasn’t fair. He was trying so hard and had gotten so close. How had the situation slipped from his grasp so thoroughly?
He could do nothing but watch as Yurie walked past him, a dirty look all the energy she spared in his direction before returning her sight to the floor. From her downcast gaze, her eyes traced upwards. “I can see it.” She said quietly, placing a hand on Fa Lian’s shoulder that she pulled back quickly as though burned. She smiled through a wince, her hand clearly in pain, while raising her other and as if she had always known, depressed the small stone button for the holding cell.
Which caused Yurie to scream with the most visceral terror Oblax had ever had the pleasure of hearing.
In his dazed state, it took a moment before he realised the inside of the next room was not the source of her fear. The heavenly weight of divinity exploded through the space. Hyun Soon’s armour was disrupted and he choked back a yell of his own. Fa Lian bared her teeth and snapped her wrist. The gauntlet on it shifted and became a longsword clutched in her palm. Yurie clutched her face with both hands and fell to her knees.
This final response was the correct one. The only true response when in the presence of the pope was to kneel. Oblax hadn’t been wrong, the great man had simply taken his time.
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Shin Boh Tahn would have avoided moving on his own if he could help it. However, it seemed especially true recently that if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself.
Standing in a dusty room, seven dead clergy upstairs, today had already been costly but none of that would matter if he grasped the spear.
Destiny awaits, Shin Boh Tahn. The voice of his god confirmed his holy purpose. Claim the next soul relic and the cascade would begin. He could throw away all of the conspiracy and trickery. The demons would fall first, then he would go for the elves and the dwarves. By the time he dealt with the foul majaal threat, he would be unstoppable.
Hestia, of course, knew this. He felt her response, the sceptre and whip in his possession vibrated in harmony with the sword, helm and recently acquired amulet she held. Far off, the elves’ bow and harp would quiver and sing. The dwarves would feel their hammers resonate.
The demon queen could bluster all she wanted. From the feel of her ping, she was not close enough to influence the labyrinth here. Boh Tahn would deal with the children in front of him and move on from there. The girl who hadn’t been frozen in terror grabbed her two companions and ran into the room beyond.
That was fine, there would be nowhere for them to go. Taking the time to stand over Oblax, Boh Tahn sighed and activated his sceptre, feeling the healing energy leap into the injured man. If only it could have healed the affliction in his mind, the old man thought to himself. It was this damaged psyche that allowed Oblax to do the things Boh Tahn had needed him to, though, so he thanked his god for sending the boy to him instead.
“Your eminence, we must stop them.” Oblax pushed to his feet and bounced his weight on his feet.
“Why the rush? These children can do nothing to stop what comes next.”
“Of course, your holiness, but they are not the only ones in that room. Guan Po Kahn-”
Boh Tahn held up his hand for silence. The sounds of shouting in the next room started and then combined quickly with the sound of violent combat. Boh Tahn felt a small thrill run through his body. He remembered those sounds. They made him forget, for a moment, his own importance.
Maybe he could afford to spend a little time focusing on nostalgic pursuits before world conquest began.