Bazren: Look, this still seems insane to me. How are we even supposed to get any hits in? We would need a distraction.
Raxyas: I have a plan... But it's a bit unorthodox. It would involve straining my current vessel to the point where-
Bazren: Stop right there. That is NOT happening.
Raxyas: Bazren, how else will we distract him? The moment he gets his hands on a new vessel, he will surely lower his guard the most.
Bazren: But what about your soul?!
Raxyas: That's where Tentoria's help comes in! I cannot activate the soul sphere... But I think you might be able to. It must require a certain amount of power to be activated. Here.
Raxyas hands the sphere to Bazren. The moment she touches it, it begins glowing and humming.
Raxyas: I figured as much. Try channeling some energy into it.
Bazren does so, and the sphere starts rotating and shooting out electricity. A pulling force could be felt towards it.
Bazren: Are you really sure about this?
Raxyas: It's our best shot... I'll strain my vessel until my soul unlinks from it, then you'll store it inside the sphere. Before you hand the vessel over to Xi, be sure to mangle it somewhat. He didn't pay much attention to us, but I would rather not run the risk of him recognizing it.
Bazren: What am I supposed to say if he asks for you...?
Raxyas: Just tell him we split up when looking for vessels, and that I should be returning soon. Also, don't forget to leave the sphere outside. If he was to notice it there is no way he wouldn't get suspicious...
Bazren: This is going to be pretty stressful...
Raxyas: I know it seems reckless, but trust me when I tell you that if anything is going to allow us to catch him off-guard, then this is it. Now, don't think too much! Let's just get it over with.
Raxyas channels all his power into materializing his weapon. He does so for several seconds, until his vessel starts cracking. His weapon's appearance was faint, as if at any moment it could de-materialize. Moments later, the weapon disappears with an explosion of energy, and his vessel falls motionless onto the ground.
Bazren: Alright... It's all or nothing then...
Bazren waits until Raxyas' soul exits the vessel. When it does, she activates the sphere, and it is sucked inside. She then proceeds to tear an arm from the vessel and smash in its chest and head, to make it less recognizable. She makes her way to the cathedral's doors.
Bazren: Damn, almost forgot...
She leaves the sphere on the ground and conceals it with some dirt and rocks, before heading inside. The doors creaked as she entered. Xi seemed occupied with breaking some limbs off of a vessel.
Bazren: Master Xi...? I've found one for you.
Xi: Oh, marvellous.
Xi turns around and looks at the vessel Bazren carried in her arms.
Xi: But... It is already empty? Where is the soul?
Bazren was paralyzed. In the adrenaline of preparing to destroy the master, they had forgotten a crucial detail of the plan.
Bazren: I... I don't know. It was already like this when I found it.
Bazren tried to sound as confident as she could.
Xi: Oh my. Those redeemers... I told them to clean up before reporting to me to hand their vessels over. I'm terribly sorry, had I known there were still empty vessels lying around I wouldn't have bothered the two of you. Speaking of, where is your friend?
Bazren was getting more and more anxious as Xi asked more questions...
Bazren: We split up, he must still be looking for vessels over on his side.
Xi: Ah, great! With some luck he, too, will find an empty one lying around. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get to this one as soon as possible... It seems to be in a rather poor state.
Bazren was relieved. Yet now came the hardest part... She slowly summoned her weapon, trying to be as discreet as possible.
Xi: This is rather peculiar... The joints of this vessel are not as stiff as I expected. I have worked with many vessels... For one that should have been empty for as long as this, it should not be nearly this mobile.
As Bazren prepares to send her flail towards Xi, he rapidly turns around and morphs his vessel's arm, extending it to reach Bazren's neck. He grips it tightly.
Xi: Ah... So that's what this is. Tell me, redeemer, your friend isn't coming back now, is he?
He takes a closer look at the vessel's appearance.
Xi: As a matter of fact, his vessel is laying right there, with the face and chest caved in, so that I wouldn't figure out it was his. Am I mistaken?
Bazren struggled aggressively to free herself, but Xi's grip was too strong.
Bazren: GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME! We won't let you keep using these undead as research subjects!
Xi: And why not? Why do you care for the souls of criminals? Of society's scum? I am doing the circle of life a favor by culling them from the pool of rebirth. That is if they were ever lucky enough to find their way back into it...
Bazren: You don't get to play with their souls just because you don't think they deserve to be reborn, Xi!
Xi seemed amused.
Xi: ... I'll ask again -- why not?
Bazren remembers Raxyas' words. It seemed that now that she was face to face with true evil, with the despicable acts that could only come from an utter disrespect for the lives of others... Reality had caught up to her. Those words made much more sense now than when she first heard them.
Bazren: They may have been horrible people in life, but... We can't know for sure that they won't mend their ways. It's not right to use them like this!
Xi shakes his head.
Xi: Who cares about potential change...? Who cares about your hypothetical perfect futures? All I care about is the now, redeemer, and in the now these are nothing but worthless souls, for me to do with as I please. I am the master of this citadel, I make the rules here...
Bazren: You may not care about their future, but that does not make it so that you can rob them of it! These people were already paying for the crimes they committed, they don't deserve to live their unlives as slaves to your curiosity!
Xi: ENOUGH! It is thanks to my curiosity that the worthy undead of Mortmundus will ascend, with vessels capable of feats never seen before! Our bodies shall be better than they were in life, all thanks to the sacrifice of those that aren't worthy of stepping on the same ground as us. But worry not, redeemer, because since you empathize with them so much, I'll let you go and join-
Bazren completely extends the chain of her flail in the blink of an eye, shooting the ball straight through the master's head.
Bazren: Yeah, keep blabbering... The chain extends, you fool. Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with your delusions you could've seen that coming...
Xi's vessel falls to its knees, then onto the ground.
Bazren: Defeated already...? As if I'm falling for that!
Bazren shoots the ball of her flail in the direction of the cathedral's ceiling, wrapping it around the wooden truss. She then retracts the chain, causing the wood structure to come crashing down onto the fallen vessel, destroying it further. Still, Bazren keeps her guard up, despite the vessel's mangled, unrecognizable state.
Bazren: Come on, Xi! Is that really all you can take...?
The pile of rubble on top of the vessel remained immobile. No movement came from underneath. Yet, Xi's soul still hadn't exited the vessel.
Bazren: Fine... Guess you leave me no choice.
Bazren retracts the chain completely and then holds the ball of the flail firmly in place. She adopts a stable stance as if her feet were one with the ground beneath. Then, she channels as much energy as she can into extending the chain, while keeping the ball from moving with her other hand. The flail vibrates and sparks violently, as Bazren struggles to keep it contained. She aims at the pile of rubble, as the flail shakes uncontrollably. She prepares to release it. As she removes her hand from the ball, a flash of light is emitted from the tip of the handle and the ball shoots forward, traveling faster than her eyes could keep up. At the same time, the sound of the rubble shifting could be heard faintly, as a silhouette came out of it and shot toward the ceiling. When the ball connected with the rubble, everything in the area was disintegrated, as if a burning meteor had come through and obliterated all in its path.
Bazren: Don't think I didn't see that!
She jumps back as the silhouette fires itself from the ceiling onto the ground below, exactly where she just stood. The ground completely breaks apart, with stone and pieces of broken vessels shooting outward from the point of impact.
Xi: I'M GLAD YOU DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME.
Bazren quickly places herself between the entrance of the cathedral and Xi.
Bazren: I'm not making that mistake again.
Xi: GOOD.
Xi dashes at her faster than she could see, charging at her vessel and connecting with it, making it shoot forward and embedding it into a wall right next to the cathedral's doors. Despite the violence of the hit, Bazren did not seem like she was harmed too much.
Bazren: Hah... Trading strength for speed, huh?
Xi: TRADING MY ANNIHILATION WITH YOURS.
Xi dashes at her once more, hitting her and further embedding her into the wall. This time, the damage was greater.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Bazren: So... This is how it's going to be... Not giving me a chance, Xi...?
Xi didn't answer... He just kept repeatedly punching Bazren, harder and harder. The wall was beginning to crack.
Bazren: That all you got, Xi...? We're gonna be here a while...
Xi punches with even more strength. The wall was severely cracked, but he didn't seem to mind it. Bazren's vessel was in a sorry state...
Bazren: I... Expected more... Out of someone who has devoted so much... To obtaining the perfect vessel...
Xi charges and delivers one last, powerful punch. The wall breaks, and Bazren falls on her back onto the ground just outside the cathedral. She could barely move, her vessel was severely damaged.
Xi: PERHAPS YOU CAN HELP ME IMPROVE MY VESSEL.
Bazren: Perhaps... But I sure hope not...
Xi: ALL HOPE IS GONE FOR YOU.
In the meantime, Raxyas chatted with the curse inside the sphere.
Raxyas: Fuck...
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : ... and you haven't seen all. more. she will suffer more. even if you break free, you cannot win...
Raxyas: I have to win! Even if Bazren is defeated, as long as she sets me free I should be able to destroy Xi...
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : ... you? ha... HAHAHAH̵̢͇͎̜͂͒A̶̡̜̣̤̳̞̗̓̆̓͑͛͌͒͌͆̍H̵̛͔̩̻̹̼̖̤̤͆͛̄́̅͐̈À̷̢͆̿̑̈́̓̔͗͂H̷̰̗̫͎̩̥͚̼̣̗̅͝͝Å̸͉̈́̒͑Ḧ̸̢̠̪̖́̊̉̒̈́͐̇͆͝Ǎ̸̧̨̺̝͇̮̞̤̘̪̐̉H̵̘̤̺͙̓̄̀̚͝A̸̹͚̼͓̿̑̕H̶̨͔̦̦̭̟͖͛̒͆͠A̴̠͉̼͑͌͝H̴̢̢̺̝͚̦̆͘A̷̲͛̓̄̿̋̕H̸̛͕̋͌̈́͗̓͐͠A̷̢̻͖̣͚̪̓̈́̋̂̎̏͆̊̓...
Raxyas knew the odds were low... Very low. But what else could he do...?
Raxyas: It's all I can hope for now.
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : yes... because you risked too much, again! but today, you will pay a harsh price. okay?
Raxyas: What are you talking about...?
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : two choices. you fight Xi alone, and die. bazren die too. your vessels to be used in vile experimentation, and your souls eternally confined to spheres within Xi's cathedral. other choice... you make oath
Raxyas: An... Oath...? But that's...
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : White magic. white, dark... i know all. you will make oath, and i will help
Raxyas: What kind of entity even are you...?
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : the beginning of the end. okay?
Raxyas felt it was hopeless. Without the curse's help, there was little hope for victory.
Raxyas: And... What would this oath be?
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : that you answer my commands, when i give them
Raxyas: No... That is too much. I cannot possibly concede to that!
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : what do you fear? that i harm friends...? i would not ask for that. you will only harm material goods. goods that will not directly kill anybody if destroyed
Raxyas: Only goods...
Outside, the battled raged on. Xi continued pummeling Bazren relentlessly. She mustered the last of her strength to point her flail towards the soul sphere that was left near the entrance.
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : she will die soon. not without freeing you, first. will you succeed, or will you fail?
He could not risk defeat... Not without seeing Xayn again. Not without completing his mission.
Raxyas: Shit... Alright. I'll make the oath.
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ :G̷̨̟̱̮͇̣͉͈͒̈́̔̉̇̽̊̀̆͝O̷̧̥̹͍͉̹̬͊̒͜Ǫ̴̢͙̘̖̹͈̥̆͂̅͘D̸̡͓̼̬̳̗͖̭̤̦̈̔̆̓̽̃̓̀̆. repeat...
The curse begins chanting.
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ :
"Father of Light, hear my oath:
Let your watchful eyes be witnesses both
That I shan't overcome this curse's will
If those dear to me are not harmed, when it is fulfilled."
Raxyas repeats the chant. Immediately, he feels something grasp at his very essence, as if chains were being wrapped around his soul.
t̴̤̟̜̬̲̥͈͓̫̏͒͒͜r̶̥̫̗̯͔̟̜͖̀̌́͂̋̅i̸͇͇̠̐̾̉̔̇̔͒͝n̵̙̤̿͂̽͒̚͠͝ͅi̸̡̧̧̼̼̞̩̯͐͑̈́́̀͊t̸̢̡̨̨̨̤͎̠̗̯͋̔̐̾́̌̕y̸̡̨̨̹̭̰̟͙̾̅̓̚ : the wheels are in motion. the fate of Mortmundus one step closer to being sealed. you will have your victory...
Then Bazren, in a desperate move, channels energy into the ball, shooting it straight at the sphere. Xi didn't seem to mind, he was sure Bazren could not harm him in her condition.
Xi: HAVE YOUR EYE SOCKETS BEEN DESTROYED? I'M RIGHT HERE.
Bazren: Thankfully... They... Haven't...
Xi looks at where the ball was shot. The ball had connected to the sphere, activating it. Raxyas' soul came flying out, as did the soul shard that was inside. They were both heading into the cathedral. Xi seemed alarmed.
Xi: YOU... I'LL FINISH YOU LATER.
As Xi stopped pummeling Bazren and turned to go into the cathedral, she shot her flail, entangling it around his legs. Xi was caught off-guard, and fell to the floor. He struggled to get up.
Bazren: Heh... I'm not done... yet...
Bazren channels energy into the flail. The chain constricts Xi's legs even more, making it harder for him to get up. Shifting sounds could be heard inside the cathedral...
Xi: NO... NO...
Xi lets out an ear-piercing growl, shattering the chains. This seemed to have consumed a good portion of his energy. He quickly dashes towards Bazren, smashing her skull in, destroying it beyond recognition. She could no longer move. Then, he quickly goes inside the cathedral.
Xi: COME OUT. YOU CANNOT GET ACCUSTOMED TO A NEW VESSEL THIS QUICKLY... I'LL END YOUR EXISTENCE PAINLESSLY.
The inside of the cathedral was completely silent. Something menacing was waiting, lurking above...
Xi could feel something in the air. An overpowering aura.
Xi: WHERE ARE Y-
From atop a pillar, an undead came crashing down. It pinned Xi's body down easily.
Xi: NO! THIS CANNOT BE THE END... IT CANNOT END HERE!
The vessel summons the whip-gladius. It begins spinning rapidly, like a saw-blade.
Xi: PLEASE! I BEG YOU, NOT NOW! PLEASE!
The weapon comes into contact with the vessel, shredding it to bits. As it does, Xi screams in agonizing pain. After he was done, nothing but dust and a floating soul remained. Raxyas was finally able to defend himself once more.
He invokes the black absorption circle, and the soul is sucked into it [https://img.wattpad.com/74f2311c03778f2f4a8c7ac639a113e9459ee172/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f39546876483278696137622d51773d3d2d313238373231383830382e313732383664623031393161633061353433363938373930333135352e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
He invokes the black absorption circle, and the soul is sucked into it. Yet, the soul's core was gone. No yolk, only white. As it connects to the circle, black lightning explodes from it, and Raxyas begins absorbing the soul's power. However, acquiring a new vessel and exerting so much power with it had greatly drained him. He drops to the floor.
Some time passes...
Bazren: Raxyas... Raxyas! Wake up!
When Raxyas came to, he was greeted with Bazren's mangled vessel. She had had some time to recover, but still was barely recognizable. It was a miracle she could still talk, let alone stand.
Raxyas: Ugh... You really don't ever get used to getting a new vessel...
Raxyas was still groggy.
Raxyas: So, what happened? Things seemed pretty grim there for a while.
Bazren smacks his face in. As she does, what was left of her arm breaks apart.
Bazren: YOU IDIOT! We forgot to come up with an excuse as to why an empty vessel was just laying around inside the citadel's walls!
Raxyas: So?! There are no perfect plans! Still, it all worked out in the end, didn't it?
Bazren: Xi may not be a threat anymore... But what are we supposed to do now? What do we do with all these other spheres? And what do we tell Incola?
Raxyas: Well... I think this was actually the perfect opportunity for me to power up. With Xi's soul.
Bazren: ... No way. You can't be serious.
Raxyas: Linvaes said it himself that the method he taught us was inefficient, right? Well, we couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. Plus, that would ensure that even if Xi was to get free, he wouldn't be strong enough to abuse other undead anymore. Although... He won't ever get free. Xi was... He wasn't even here. His soul was broken.
Bazren: Broken...?
Raxyas: Yes. There was no core. His soul was just the same as the souls of the mindless beasts roaming the lands outside the citadels... This black blood that he was experimenting with... It must have damaged his mind. He was no longer himself.
Bazren: But what about this new vessel of yours...? How was your soul powerful enough to inhabit it?
Raxyas: That's... An interesting story. You see, the other shard inside the sphere fused with my soul shortly after it flew out of there, giving me far more power. That's why I inhabited this bigger vessel. It seems like I won't be needing your protection anymore, Bazren.
Bazren now had to look up at Raxyas, with how much bigger he was.
Bazren: It just... Fused with your soul...? No ritual, no nothing? Hmm...
Bazren didn't seem fully convinced. What happened seemed... Unnatural somehow.
Bazren: ... Just don't get too full of yourself, or some other organization might end up kidnapping you. Are your powers entirely back?
Raxyas summons his whip-gladius once more, with his right hand. With his left hand, he begins summoning a new weapon.
Bazren: Get outta here...
From the golden flames enveloping his left hand, a gauntlet had formed around it.
Raxyas: ... What?
Bazren: What? What is it? Where is it?
Raxyas: It's... There, it's the gauntlet. It's a gauntlet.
Bazren: ... HAHAHA! So much for that, Raxyas! Out of all the weapons you could get, you somehow manage to get an accessory. And they couldn't even give you a matching pair! Oh my... This is too good...
Raxyas: I don't get it... What's even the point of this? I'm trying to channel energy into it but...
Suddenly, the gauntlet begins glowing as Raxyas channels more power into it. It was a warm, inviting golden glow.
Bazren: Wait, it's actually doing something... Try touching something with it, maybe it'll explode!
Raxyas touches a stone pillar nearby. The glow interacts with the pillar, but the pillar remains unaffected.
Raxyas: Come on... Was I given a glorified lantern?!
Bazren: Poor you! I can't wait until Ilka and Linvaes see this, they are going to have a ball.
Bazren's voice fails and she crashes to the ground. It seemed like her vessel wouldn't last much longer
Raxyas: Bazren... I don't think your vessel can fully heal. I mean, look at how mangled it is.
As Raxyas touches a destroyed part of Bazren's vessel with his gauntlet, the area around it begins healing rapidly, with bones and matter quickly regenerating to cover it up. In a matter of seconds, it had completely healed. Bazren could speak and move again.
Bazren: That... Is actually amazing... It seems to have fully restored and even accelerated my regenerative abilities...
Raxyas: So it seems. I wonder if...
Raxyas reaches out for a nearby mangled vessel. As he touches it, it begins glowing and repairing itself.
Raxyas: Even without a soul inside, it can still repair vessels...
Bazren: That's actually amazing! We can give these people their bodies back, at least.
Raxyas: I wonder what effect it will have on Xi's "perfect" vessel...
Raxyas touches the decapitated vessel. It begins glowing, and shaking violently.
Raxyas: That doesn't look good. Get behind me, Bazren.
Raxyas quickly spins his whip-gladius to form a shield in front of them. The vessel then explodes, splitting into four distinct parts. Some debris hits the gladius' blades, but is destroyed before touching the redeemers.
Bazren: Look at the parts... It seems like each of them belonged to a different vessel.
Raxyas: So we can also use this to undo Xi's experiments. I'm guessing that if I use this on one of the parts that broke off...
Raxyas touches one of the parts, and it begins glowing. From across the cathedral, the remaining parts of the vessel glow as well. They accelerate towards each other, clashing violently but repairing the vessel fully in the process.
Bazren: Amazing... So if the damaged parts are intact, they are joined together instead of being regenerated. This gauntlet is actually not so bad, Raxyas!
Raxyas: It should come in very handy... Alright Bazren, this is great news. So, here's what I'm thinking: we repair every vessel in Slynvha, and then free the souls inside the spheres. When we're done... We'll pay master Za a visit. Although... I'm hoping we don't leave there empty-handed.
Bazren: What are you thinking?
Raxyas: ... We're enlisting Za's help. To make up for our failure in recruiting Xi.
Bazren's eyes widen.
Bazren: Hah... Wait. You're serious?!
Raxyas: Of course I am! I'm sure he'll understand.
Bazren: Well... Even if he doesn't, it'll be quite the spectacle. For me, at least! I'm sure it will be quite unpleasant for you, though... But alright! No objections from me. Shall we clean up around here and go?
Raxyas: Yeah.
Raxyas proceeds to repair the vessels Xi had laying around the cathedral. When he is finished, he and Bazren begin activating all the soul spheres, so that the souls could be released and inhibit the vessels. After all souls were released, they destroyed the spheres. All but three were destroyed.
Bazren: What are we going to do with these?
Raxyas: One of them I'm bringing to Za. I think this will shed some light on what could have happened with the Thirteen. The other ones... We should probably keep them. We may meet more powerful undead like Xi on our travels, and this would be the best way we have to contain them.
Bazren: Alright... So, we're off to Halgorth, then?
Raxyas: Yes. It's time to go home...
The redeemers exit the cathedral and make their way to Slynvha's gates. Once there, Raxyas insists that they use his planeswalker, Morthol, to make their way to Halgorth. He summons him.
Bazren: A mammoth, huh? Impressive, I think it's larger than my planeswalker. Za must really like you to trust such a creature to you!
Raxyas: Za has always loved a good fight, and I was the citadel's best fighter... I guess he always liked me more than other redeemers. But, that's not to say he gave it to me just because of that. According to Za, fighting is not everything. He's also looking for something else... And I proved that I had what he was looking for. Potential... He said I had more potential than any of them, which is why Morthol was entrusted to me. Now let's go, we've got quite the journey ahead.
They enter Morthol's fortress, and take a look at the map.
Raxyas: Halgorth should be a couple of days away from Slynvha. I got just the perfect way for us to pass the time. Come with me, Bazren.
As Morthol began making his way to Halgorth, Raxyas took Bazren to the chamber where he and Xayn had practiced last time.