Divine Inspiration
Logan, chaining together as many teleports as he could while still seeing straight, made his way to the streets right outside the docks. As he was running out, Logan overheard the conversation between the Captain and former Major once again.
“It’s about to roar again, the Recruits won’t survive that regardless. Your little game is up Micah, and it looks like it's just gonna be me and you.”
“Ah, unfortunately, it does appear that way. This was not the outcome we were hoping for, but it was within reason. Very well Reena, it looks like our showdown will have to happen now, after all.”
Logan could see the Depth Wyrm’s soul, and similarly to the unnamed spiders in Alteep, Logan could sense the shape of the blessing within it’s Spark. It wasn’t as clearly distinct, but Logan felt an underlying affinity for the Blessing, even at a distance.
Rounding the corner to come out on to the docks, Logan opened his mouth only to get immediately silenced.
“Cap- Aghghhha-” A wave of water smacked into Logan disorientating him, before ground seemed to roll out from under him. Landing flat on his back, Logan looked through the spray to see the Depth Wyrm had heaved its bulk back onto the docks, body tensing up in challenge. It was definitely about to roar.
“Logan!?” The Captain exclaimed.
On his backside, Logan saw Gregor, glowing golden and floating down towards the Abomination from above it in its blind spot. Puzzle pieces started to whirl together haphazardly in his dazed head.
“No time gotta go!”
Giving it a shot, Logan teleported directly in front of the Depth Wyrm. Shaken, he started weaving his most comfortable pattern with three of his tentacles. Then, just as it was about to unleash another soul shaking screech, Logan called out for the Abomination’s attention, buying vital seconds.
“Hey you butt-ugly sack of rotten teeth!” Then Logan took a deep breath, and spoke in a much lower voice.
“I didn’t say you could do that, did I?”
Then he reached out for the Abomination's soul with his tentacles, and all hell broke loose.
----------------------------------------
As Logan was desperately wrangling the Abomination for a piece of his soul, while Gregor was preparing his strike, Logan heard a final scrap of the conversation between the Captain and former Major.
“Ah, it looks like we both get to witness a much more satisfying outcome after all, eh, Reena?”
“What are you playing at here, Micah? Who has their eyes on that boy?”
The former Legion officer looked uncharacteristically serious for a second. “We both know there’s only one player with enough power to make these moves. This one goes all the way to the top.” Then, his demeanor shifted back once again. “Why else would I kill my friends, and blow the cover that I worked an entire decade for?”
There was silence for a beat, then Micah resumed speaking.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
“I… Well, believe it or not, I enjoyed this time greatly. I’ll end this stalemate here, and let you go help out those young Legionnaires, how about? Sounds good?”
Logan didn’t get to hear her reply, as Gregor’s strike came just then. For half a moment, the young man’s sword bit into the flesh of the Depth Wyrm, and everything froze. Then, a massive explosion came from the point of impact, radiating outwards.
As Logan saw the approaching blast, he was left with a dilemma. Logan only had enough time to claim his prize from the newly deceased Depth Wyrm, or teleport to safety, not both. Logan desperately wanted the new Blessing, so he grit his teeth and stood firm. After all, a little pain was to be expected in growth, right?
As the new Blessing hit Logan’s core, he underwent a massive spiritual shock. Then, the explosion hit, and the shock was more than spiritual.
----------------------------------------
As Gregor slowly drifted down towards the Depth Wyrm, all of his focus was on his blade, and Aura Ability. Feeling his being slowly ripple outwards from his body, he refocused that power and condensed it over and through his sword, causing the ordinary steel blade to glow with the same inner light as Gregor. Still, he pushed harder, trying to ensure the lethality of this next strike.
He was vaguely aware that the Depth Wyrm was in the process of doing something, but he couldn’t spare the mental space to consider what that meant beyond where his swing should land. The inches mattered, as Gregor was trying to perfectly align his swing with the one chink in the Depth Wyrm’s armor, where a scale was half bent out of place.
Gregor kept his eyes centered on that one spot, and brought his sword over his right shoulder. Gradually, he let his pace pick up as he controlled his descent towards his destination. As his pace increased though, so did the strain on his Spark.
Holding all of the excess Aura Gregor had created in his sword while also controlling his fall was pushing Gregor’s Ability to the brink. Though his mind felt like it was burning through its capacity, Gregor couldn’t afford to pay attention to his own condition. Too many people were relying on him here.
But it looked like it was all in vain. Below him, Gregor could see the Abomination’s maw open up for another roar. It was too late.
Then, at the last second, Logan showed up, shouting some incoherent nonsense. For some inexplicable reason, the appearance of the man was enough to delay the creature’s cry for just a few moments longer.
It was all Gregor needed. Keyed in on his target, his horizontal swing launched like a comet. All the Aura that Gregor had packed into his steel coated the edge and gave it all the strength of Gregor’s very soul. The enhanced sword sliced straight through the exposed flesh of the Depth Wyrm, before the Aura Blade, as Gregor had taken to calling it, reached the same critical failing point as it had on previous attempts.
All the Aura that had been contained in the steel exploded out un-corralled as soon as Gregor’s Ability entered his opponent’s flesh, and he lost control over it. The result was a shaped explosion a dozen times stronger than any attack Gregor had previously created, obliterating the Depth Wyrm’s neck, and leaving its head attached by only a thread.
----------------------------------------
Gregor descended to the docks,and rushed to his friend who had been so close to the blast radius. Gregor ran over, but he was second to arrive behind Captain Reena Frear, the last surviving and true officer.
Saluting her on approach, Gregor acknowledged her as, “Acting Major.”
“At ease, young man. Do you know Recruit Logan Brewer?”
“Yes ma’am I traveled to the Legion with him.”
“Then do you know how to help him?”
At this, the Captain stepped aside, and let Gregor see Logan’s body. Underneath the man’s pale skin, his veins were periodically glowing a brilliant magenta, and blood was coming from every orifice. Slight convulsions were also running down his back and arms, making it almost look like Logan was trying to… push something off of him.
Whatever was happening, was completely, and utterly outside of Gregor’s wheelhouse. He proceeded to say as much.
“I don’t have the faintest clue.”
Then, another voice besides the Captain’s pulled Gregor’s attention. Looking up, Gregor found someone familiar, and yet completely changed.
“Allow me.”
Amar’s always white hair, now glowed with a potency that dwarfed Gregor’s own Aura Ability. Her skin now seemed to shimmer, as if it were metallic. And beyond even that, she was levitating slightly off the ground, almost half a foot or so.
“A-Amar…?”
She let out a laugh that seemed to contain the weight of ages.
“In some fashion, yes, I am Amar. But I am not just the girl you know. I needed to ensure my insurance plan stays viable, so I co-opted a bit of her time, you could say.”
Gregor was confused, if unsurprised, that this strange version of Amar was not entirely her. He was even more dumbfounded, when the strange version of Amar just waved a hand at Logan, and instantly the abnormal symptoms began to disappear and start to fade. Within a minute, Logan had settled into a more peaceful sleep.
“Who… are you, then?”
Not-Amar looked over.
“I am often referred to directly as Selerys by my priests, but most know me as the Goddess of Life.”
----------------------------------------
End of Act II