Chapter 47: Jack; Shauran 46th, 344SR; 6:30
"The bite of our noble steel will split their skulls, and the flames of our envy will raise their towers to the ground!" Thousands of druids shouted all at once.
Jack turned to the south, the gondola had stopped over the forest.
"Repenting fickle envy on hands and knees, their sight shall not be blessed and mercy will not save them!"
"Sounds like it's starting... Heh," Dariel grinned.
"With the strength of the divine, on the graves of our fallen!" the crowd shouted again.
Jack's heart skipped a beat as the crowd's roar reached his ears even from that distance. The ground rumbled slightly from the torrent of steps outside the city, the druid forces advanced through Roverswood. Jack looked off the edge of the stairs where Dariel dropped the angel, his body had landed on a roof down below and hadn't moved since. The lower city was comprised of flat-roofed buildings that surrounded the inner wall, the curving path ended at a grey archway stretching high above the city. The party of druids and Lector passed through the gateway into the inner city. 'This gate isn't guarded?'
"So... This is Helios..." said Vincent, his coat whipped around as he turned and looked up at the wall. "Who are these two?"
Jack was at a loss for words upon seeing the massive urban environment, duller in color than Andurill, but the buildings had much more majesty and distinction. 'It doesn't seem that big from the outside... But this place is enormous...' Dariel stared off at the gargoyles sitting on the corners of pyramid-shaped rooftops. There were many rectangular-shaped buildings with flat rooftops towards the center of the city and the southern gate.
Jack walked through the gate and noticed the two Vincent mentioned. To the left and right of the entrance, inside the wall, two massive statues that resembled people towered over the city. The one on the right had a strange crown on their forehead, the other held a sword. The crown almost resembled horns that stretched to the left and right side of their head, it made their eyes look stern and unwavering. Wren looked around with her mouth hung ajar, she was dazed by the sight.
"The king of angels and the king of demons, each gate into or out of the inner city has their statues side by side... I always thought it was funny they're technically only watching over the middle to high class," Lector laughed.
Jack was awestruck by the world around him, he had only ever dreamed of what it would look like. His eyes followed the edges of the rooftops before he noticed several figures within one of the windows. 'Huh... They're- They're looking at us...' Jack raised his hand to tell the others, but he hesitated.
"The- The windows..." Jack pointed up.
Elisia's eyes widened as a green blast fired from the window. Dariel's head whipped around toward all of the buildings. 'We're in their territory-'
"Jack look out!" Lector shrieked.
Elisia dashed forward and tackled Jack out of the way, her shoulder pad pressed into his stomach as his feet left the floor. The green blast struck the ground where he stood and they were launched off the path toward a building. Jack and Elisia spun through the air, they slammed into the step and tumbled down the path. Jack rolled against the concrete and came to a stop, his arm and leg were covered in scratches and tears.
"Ah- I was naïve!" Elisia cursed at herself as she drew her blade and looked up.
Jack quickly looked around, they had landed on the wide-bending road at the bottom of the steps. Elisia looked up at the roofs while Jack slowly rose. 'There's no cover-'
"Fire!" an angel inside the building shouted.
"Get up!" Elisia dragged him to his feet as orbs of green flame rained down on them and the stairwell.
Jack limped to his foot, he tried to stand on his left side but his knee took a hard impact. He looked up at the approaching blasts. 'We're dead-' A black mass of tendrils surrounded Jack and Elisia, blocking the blasts. Wren held her arms high as the shadows she manipulated spread with each blast.
"I can't hold them back long!" Wren warned.
"Get out of the street!" Dariel shouted.
Lector hurried down the stairs with his head low, he jumped off the steps before reaching the bottom and crouched. He looked toward a manhole in the center of the street, but then up at the buildings. Lector quickly turned as another rain of fire poured down on him, he jumped through the window of a one-story building and narrowly evaded it.
"Follow the blonde one!" Vincent shouted as he jumped into the building Lector ran for.
The black tendrils wrapped around Jack and Elisia, and the entire mass of shadow moved with Wren toward the building. They dived through and Jack fell against the shards of glass on the ground. He quickly crawled toward a wall and stayed low, his heart was beating out of his chest. 'Ah!' He grasped his leg as it throbbed from the pain, it was slightly burned as well. 'We just reached the city and we're already getting overwhelmed?!'
Dariel jumped through the window, as he got through, Wren manipulated the shadows and formed a barrier to keep them safe from outside. Elisia dusted the pebbles off her shoulder as she took a deep breath.
"Fuckin pricks... I can't see anyone in the streets, they must be countless angels taking point at the windows..." Dariel rambled.
"Dariel, can you take out a group of them in one hit?" Elisia asked while she caught her breath.
"Maybe, but... I have to hit them directly, it's too risky if it goes wrong... And we don't know how many of the bastards are up there as well!"
"Wait- We don't have to take the streets!" Lector spoke up, the druids turned to him. "The manhole in the middle of the street, we just need to get in there, hopefully without being noticed... Once we're there then we can get around most of the city through the sewers, it would take longer, but it's way safer!"
"Down there! Multiple targets in the convenience store!" an angel yelled from outside. "Focus fire on that building!"
Wren turned to Elisia with a look of concern, Vincent stood up and grasped the golden scepter as he started to conjure a weapon. The green light from the logorite gem embedded within it flowed outwards and towards his hand, taking the shape of a curved greatsword. 'Didn't that short hybrid who fought Ajal in logos use a weapon like that... He must have seen it back in the ruins... He really can create any weapon from his memory...' Vincent spun it by the handle before clutching it tightly.
"They don't know our gifts, the less they learn the better... I'll direct their attention and draw as many as I can. I want the rest of you to proceed with the task we came here to complete, it takes priority, these weapons the angels have... If they are what I think they are, the same weapons they used to defeat us in the past... They absolutely cannot be deployed," Vincent ordered.
"I'll come as well, you could use some help-"
"Don't even think about it, Drake!" Vincent shut him down quickly, he glared him down from behind his collar. "Stay with Elisia and Wren, their gifts are far more conditional than ours..."
"Tsk... You say that but I get the feeling you just don't want me tagging along..."
"I don't. Wren, release the barrier... Once I move out, take everyone into the sewer, the shadows should allow you to do it easily..."
Jack looked at Vincent's back as he exhaled and tightened the grip on his staff and greatsword. The moment Wren lowered the barrier he raised the staff.
"Divine Art! Jealous flame!" Vincent shot a blast of fire from his scepter.
"They're up to something! Open fire!" an angel in the building shouted.
The even greater projectile made from green flame struck the building across the street. A field of smoke spread out from the impact. 'He made a smoke screen!' Wren pushed her hand forward, the shadows spiraled into a tunnel toward the manhole. Jack tried to stand but he grasped his left leg once again. To his surprise, Lector lifted him under the shoulder and helped him stand.
"Ah-" Jack winced.
"Come on, we can't stay in here!" Lector gritted his teeth as he struggled to pull Jack along.
'Dammit... I'm already holding them all back- All because I hesitated! Dammit! Dammit!' Jack focused on breathing as he limped over the short wall. The sound of clashing metal came from outside as Vincent battled the angels. Dariel crouched at the manhole and tried to lift it, however, it was bolted to the ground. The sharp-toothed man kissed his teeth as he begrudgingly used the jagged side of his hammer to pry out the bolts.
Jack focused his spirit on his leg as they reached the manhole, he noticed a plastic bag full of stuff in Lector's hand. 'Huh? What is that?' Dariel flipped the manhole cover off and jumped in without hesitation. Elisia followed while Wren turned to Lector and Jack. They looked down the hole, Jack was ready to jump, not even considering where it could lead. He was waiting to step forward, but Lector was hesitant.
"What are we waiting for?!" Jack asked.
"There's- Nothing but filth down there..." Lector cringed in disgust.
"Ah shut up! It was your plan and it's a better plan than burning alive!" Jack stepped forward and dragged Lector with him.
"No- no wait!"
They both fell through the manhole, rolling down a slope and tumbling into Elisia's back. Jack was immediately reminded of the putrid scent in the sewers beneath Andurill. Lector groaned as he opened his eyes to his hand smothered in a green paste.
"Ew! Ugh!" Lector quickly sprung up to his feet but hit his head on the top of the narrow tunnel. "Ow!"
Jack looked up as he heard metal shake. With each strike, Dariel repeatedly planted his foot into a metal grate, igniting his spirit. One more kick launched the steel grate off, Dariel jumped out and the rest of them quickly followed. Wren slid down the hole, seated in the shadows.
"Wee!" Wren childishly laughed as she soared down the hole quickly, colliding with Jack and Lector before they could exit themselves.
"Ah!" Jack fell into a puddle of dirty water, and so did Lector.
The bag in Lector's hand dropped onto the stone and the contents spilled out. Wren gently stepped on the ground, not a single crease on her elegant clothing. Dariel knelt down and picked up one of the silver packages that fell out of Lector's plastic bag.
"What the..." Dariel lifted it up and looked at the small handheld package. "Crunchy Oat Crunch?"
"Ptoo! Ptoo! Ack-" Lector spat out any dirty water that got in his mouth. "Ugh... I grabbed some rations from that store... I don't know how none of you are hungry, I'm starving..."
"We thrive off logorite, can't eat this... I hope you know your way around here... This place looks difficult to navigate..." Dariel mentioned as he looked down the dark tunnel.
"Huh..." Lector looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. "You think I hang around in sewers?"
Jack's stomach growled, and he looked down awkwardly. 'The last time I ate was... That ice cream at the festival...' Dariel glanced at Jack and threw the bar his way. The crinkling aluminum was smooth, it incased a rigid object inside. Jack looked at Lector and noticed him tear open the aluminum package, revealing a brown bar. Lector quickly took a bite before shoveling through the bag for more.
Jack opened the package and pulled out the contents. He observed the chocolate-coated bar, he brought it to his face and bit it. His teeth sank through the hard chocolate surprisingly quickly, but then he bit into sweet and crunchy oats. 'Hm...' Jack felt a satisfying sweetness spread across his mouth as he chewed the oats. 'I thought oats tasted like nothing... This one is really good, why is it sticking to my hands though?'
"Lector, where do we need to go to find the weapons..." Elisia asked.
"House Lightbringer... That's the only path I know that should lead there... But the problem is, that the noble houses use a separate sewage system internal to the inner city of Helios... The lower city uses these, come on, we've got a long way ahead of us..." Lector explained.
Lector started through the tunnels, Jack slowly stood but he struggled to walk without limping. Elisia took notice. Jack avoided eye contact, he tried to walk normally but he couldn't.
"We'll rest for some time, Wren, help me and Dariel map these tunnels, the more we know of the city the better," Elisia suggested.
"Rest? The hell? Vincent's giving them hell for us and you want to rest?" Dariel argued.
"Since your memory is so pathetic, let me remind you that I used a Spirit Bloom to get us all here, I need to recover my spirit..."
Jack looked down while the two bickered, he knew Elisia was slowing down for him. 'Dammit! If I just moved at that time...' Jack shut his eyes as he cursed his own weakness. A package bounced off his head and shook him out of it. 'Huh...' He looked to Lector who was chewing the oat bar and looking at Jack.
"Eat, apparently they don't eat regular food so we can split more between us..."
Jack glanced between the oat bar and Lector, he shook his head as he leaned against the wall. His gaze moved to the path above that they came down from.
"Will that guy be okay?" Jack asked nervously, his face covered with guilt.
Wren looked down at Jack and then towards the hole in the ceiling.
"Yeah don't worry! Vincent is really strong, he's the fourth strongest after our cousin Reygar," Wren mentioned, she glanced toward the other druids walking off. "Dariel is sixth, but he doesn't like when people say that," Wren whispered
"Fourth..." Jack rested his head against the stone.
'I need to pull my weight or our numbers will keep dwindling the more I screw up...' Despite the rough ground and putrid scent, closing his eyes felt nice.
***
"Jack, hey wake up already!" Lector shoved him.
Jack slowly opened his eyes, his nose was blocked and he felt something stuck at the back of his throat. 'Huh... I slept?' He pushed himself up off the ground and got to his feet quickly, 'The pain is gone...' Lector reached into his pocket, pulled out another packaged oat bar, and offered it to Jack.
"Th-thanks..." Jack took the ration. "How long have I been out? I didn't even want to sleep..."
"You slept like a baby in a dump like this... Honestly, I'm kind of impressed, it's been over half a day... We found the way to House Lightbringer, come on, the others are waiting..."
Lector started through the tunnels, Jack looked at him awkwardly. 'Was I here all alone?' He quickly followed after the blonde angel, the ground occasionally rumbling, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. 'The battle is still going on...' Jack and Lector walked through the narrow and putrid tunnels for what seemed like forever.
"Achoo!" Jack sneezed, the scent of sewage and lack of fresh air made it hard to breathe.
"Cover your nose..." Lector pulled his collar up as he looked at Jack. "Well, maybe it doesn't matter, everything in this tunnel could give someone a fever..."
Jack's eyes wandered around everything but Lector. The two continued through the tunnels without sharing a word. They turned a corner, however, Jack thought he noticed movement in the darkness, he looked carefully and noticed a ball of fur suddenly move towards a wall. 'What the heck was that...'
"Wren stayed with you for a few hours, but she fell asleep as well, then I waited and watched both of you, well... Maybe life underground or in Logos makes you a bit more inclined to sleep in a place like this..." Lector rambled.
Jack twitched after Lector said that, but he continued ignoring him.
"That girl Wren is really cute, she seems nice too, right?" Lector looked at Jack.
"Huh? Why are you talking to me?" Jack replied coldly.
"Oh... Well, we are on the same side until the Lightbringers are taken down..."
"I don't want to talk to you... I despise you, all of you angels... You may be used to it, but seeing that city... Seeing what our people aren't given credit for..." Jack spoke down to him.
They continued through the tunnel without exchanging words.
"Well... To be fair, it wasn't logorite that made this city, but you're still right to be upset... We do use the logorite..." Lector replied. "But Wren is cute, right? It's not just me?"
"What? I mean, she's kind... But you can't even see her face?" Jack asked.
"She's probably cuter under the mask," Lector asked gleefully.
"What is up with you...." Jack asked with a confused tone.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You act weird... Sometimes..."
"Huh-" Lector stuttered awkwardly. "Shut up! I'm trying okay!"
"Huh?! Where did that come from?" Jack shook his head.
"Ah just don't talk to me for the rest of the way..." Lector grumbled.
"You kept trying to have a conversation!"
The two bickered until they eventually came to a gate that had been knocked down, Jack walked through and the cold chill of fresh air brushed over his skin. Lector climbed up a ladder towards the surface. Jack grasped the rusty bars, pulling himself up one step at a time. As he reached the exit, he was met with the night sky above him, the fresh air flooded his nostrils and made him sneeze again. He looked down the ladder and noticed strange wavy strands along the bars near the top. 'What the? What kind of string is this?' Jack paid them no mind as he grasped the clean stone at the surface and pulled himself up, he deeply inhaled the pure air and released a satisfying sigh as he opened his eyes and looked up.
House Lightbringer was a short distance away, a sinking feeling in Jack's stomach caused him to skip a breath. The cathedral was covered in gold aesthetics, dimly shining in the white light from lamps all around. Above the lights, and wherever the rays didn't touch, was lit a soft and gentle blue, matching the early morning sky. Jack peeked out from behind Lector, they sat underneath the stairwell at the other side of a beautiful garden. The gentle splash of water droplets against the green foliage within the garden, the sound overlapped the distant murmurs from guards defending the front door.
"Alright, it'll be easy to breach, let's storm them..." Dariel stood up.
"Wait..." Lector raised his hand. "We could sneak in through the back-"
"Again with passivity..." Dariel shook his head and rolled his eyes at the same time. "I'm getting tired of this! Let's move already! I want to smash some heads!"
"Sorry... I'm a spy, I don't fight much..."
"Calm yourself Judicator, the boy hasn't failed us yet," Elisia advised.
"Can't we just sneak into the building with you two using the shadows?" Jack asked Elisia and Wren.
"We can get closer undetected, but getting into the building is impossible, in order to pass through a shadow, the space is parallel in size to how large the space in the real world is."
Lector and Jack looked at the armored woman crouched next to them. She tilted her head as she noticed their expressions.
"What?" Lector and Jack both asked.
"Nevermind..." said Elisia.
"Point is, we still need an open door..." said Dariel.
Two guards patrolled around the corner, they walked to the front of the building, one of them took a seat on the curb as two of the four guards who guarded the door made their way around the building. 'What the...' The angels guarding House Lightbringer's cathedral weren't dressed as regular guards that Jack recognized. These guards had gold masks with just two holes for eyes, they wore similar armor underneath the robes. Lector kissed his teeth in frustration.
"Who are they?" Jack asked.
"Royal Guards... You wouldn't have seen them, they only patrol the inner city...They have eyes on the side entrance too..." Lector grumbled. "I'm confused... Arid should have arrived here yesterday... Realistically speaking... They should already be gone..." Lector deduced.
Lector continued to watch the building. Dariel sighed and then stood up, he reached behind his back and pulled out a short silver-handled hammer. The eye of the hammer had a plate shaped like a triangle, it was much shinier than the silver wood on the handle. The head of the hammer was made of black metal, it was similar to that of armor from Baltin.
"Well, that just kicks me in the bollocks doesn't it then..." Dariel stepped out from hiding.
"Hey- What are you doing- wait!" Lector whispered hesitantly.
Elisia sighed and stepped out of the hiding spot as well, Jack gulped nervously. The angels immediately noticed Dariel and Elisia charge forward across the garden. Dariel slid against the stone as he came to a stop, lifting the hammer above his head. One of the angels turned, his body tensing up as he spotted the two druids.
"What the!" the guard quickly blocked the hammer.
The moment the hammer struck the guard's staff, a black wave of energy rippled outwards and knocked the angel off his feet. The other six guards all turned their heads in shock as the seventh struck the wall of House Lightbringer, he dropped onto his front and groaned.
"Hey-!", "What was-" the other guards were all shocked. "Eye's up! Enemies incoming!"
Jack ran out from the cover as all of the guards came around the corner. Wren followed Jack, she floated over shadows that seemed to stretch out of her black dress.
"Ah! Not you two as well!" Lector stammered from far behind.
Jack charged forward while the six remaining guards got ready to engage Dariel and Elisia. The angels each reached behind their backs with the left arm, pulling out arm cannons that were attached to their forearms. Jack continued forward as Wren slowed down, Dariel and Elisia both stomped their feet and dragged themselves to a stop, the two immediately crouched and dived over the bushes.
Jack continued forward, the angel farthest to the left pointed the arm cannon towards him. 'Oh, shit-' Jack quickly rolled as the soldier fired a large green blast through the air. It struck the spot he just stood, and Jack's whole body was launched to the side with the foliage and concrete.
"Ah!" Jack cried, his arm scraped against the ground.
Jack was on his back, breathing heavily as his left arm stung, and his shoulder throbbed in his hand. 'Dammit! Are those cannons powered with logorite?!' His heart started to beat faster, 'What the hell am I supposed to do if I can't get close?!' Jack rolled onto his back, the angels stopped firing. He glanced above the hedge and saw all of them pointing their cannons at him. 'Shit-'
"All forces! Volley!" the angel in the middle pointed at Jack.
A black tendril wrapped around Jack's waist and pulled him away from the bush, and a torrent of green blasts hit his cover. Wren pulled Jack behind a shield formed from shadows. The blasts hitting the wall of liquid shadow couldn't pierce through.
"Are you okay?" Wren leaned forward and looked at the scrape on Jack's arm.
"Ah, I'm fine... Thanks... Will this hold?" Jack asked as he looked at the wall of shadows they hid behind.
"Yeah, shadow magic is stronger during the night!" Wren smiled.
'Right... Ajal told me something similar...' A tree root sprouted off the ground near Elisia's cover, it stretched upwards like a tendril before smashing into House Lightbringer. The branch cut off two of the angels. Dariel jumped out of the cover with a reconjured hammer and dived behind a pristine white fountain.
"Hey, Wren! Do something dammit!" Dariel shouted.
"Do what?" she replied with a puzzled tone.
"Kill them!"
"That's not nice though..."
"Of fucking course it's not!"
"Why are you yelling?"
'What the hell is she saying? What does she think we even came here to do...' The green energy continued striking the shadows, and as they dissipated, even more shadows formed to replace them. 'Wait...'
"Wren, are you able to get me closer, just move this wall forward?" Jack requested.
"Sure, since you asked nicely," Wren smiled happily, but then turned and stuck her tongue out at Dariel.
Wren lifted her hand and pressed forward, and the black shield moved with her. Jack gulped as he followed close behind, focusing his spirit into both of his fists, a red mist bubbling around his hand, becoming a deep red hue. They got closer to the front of the building, Dariel peeked out from his cover and started moving closer as well.
"Focus fire on the shield! We can break it!" an angel yelled.
Wren lifted both her hands.
"Stop!" she shouted as the shield split into five tendrils and stretched forward.
The guards weren't ready for the sudden switch between offense and defense. The black tendrils slammed them against the walls and stunned them. Jack charged forward from behind the shield while they were down. As the closest guard was getting up, Jack ran forward and slammed his foot into his chin. The guard's mask fell off as he hit the ground.
"Nice one kid!" Dariel laughed as he charged forward.
The guard's skin was dark brown, his eyes yellow, and his nose slightly bent. 'Spirit Ignition!' Jack slammed his foot into the guard's face, cracking his nose even further. Jack turned to the other guards. Three of them were cowering from Elisia as she stood over the branch in the wall with a bloodied blade. Her bright yellow eyes glared down at them as she kicked off with a spirit ignition. One of them stood and raised his blaster at Jack, only for Dariel's hammer to come and strike him and launch him back into the wall.
"We-" the guard Jack had kicked whimpered as he held his nose and stood up. "We need backup!" the angel screamed.
"Shit!" Jack cursed as he charged forward and tackled the guard back to the ground, 'I should've finished him off!'
Jack pinned the angel to the ground and held their left arm down with his knee. With his left hand, he grasped the guard's robes and pulled him forward. 'Spirit Ignition!' Jack punched the guard in the face. Strings of blood from their nose dropped off of his knuckle as he pulled his fist back. The guard tried to reach for Jack with his right hand, but another punch disoriented him further. Jack clenched his teeth and kept slamming his fist into the guard's face. He felt rage bubble within him. He ignited his spirit as he punched the guard again. Again, and again, the cracking strikes became all Jack could hear for a moment.
"Woah there," Dariel grasped Jack's wrist before he could swing again. "I think you got him..."
Jack breathed in and out heavily as he let go of the guard's robe, his fist ached, and his knuckles were warmed by the blood dripping off. He breathed heavily as he stood up, the guard's face was covered in blood, his nose even more distorted than before, and both of his eyes battered closed. Jack glanced over at Wren whose jaw was slightly open, he couldn't see her eyes, but something told Jack she was deeply shocked.
"Great job breaking their defense Jack, Wren. Elisia was already on it, but you still did well nonetheless," Dariel praised.
Jack turned around, and Elisia was wiping the blood off her blade. The rest of the guards had bludgeoned masks or were riddled with slices. 'She cut off the group and dispatched the two on the right when that branch hit the building... She's ruthless...' Elisia quickly turned to Wren who continued to look down on the guard Jack beat.
"Wren, were you hurt?" Elisia asked, walking past Dariel and Jack.
Wren didn't respond, she just kept staring at the body.
"Oi, Wren, do us a favor, there may be more guards on the way, keep a barrier up alright?" Dariel asked.
Wren snapped out of her daze as she looked at Dariel and nodded. Lector approached while biting his nails, his eyes glued to the corpses littered around the entrance. His teeth jittered, and strands of his blonde hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. Dariel walked forward towards the door of House Lightbringer.
"No, wait!" Lector shouted.
Dariel pushed the door open and they all were caught off guard. An entire battalion of guards inside waited, all of them holding the same white arm cannons. Wren quickly raised her shield and blocked multiple incoming blasts, as more came she focused even more shadows while gritting her teeth.
"Get to cover!" Elisia ordered.
They all moved away from the door, getting behind the tree Elisia had made. Wren held her defense up.
"Let's take the back! We can flank them!" Lector revealed as he ducked under the tree root.
"Go! My sister can't distract them forever, hurry!" Elisia ordered hastily.
"Huh... Guess that's where most of the guards were..." Dariel sighed. "Looks like you had the better plan..."
Jack and Dariel ran passed Lector. They turned the corner and ran parallel to the windows. The city's buildings towered over them but were dwarfed by the height of the Lightbringer's cathedral. The highway almost appeared like a slanted hill from the level ground they were on. The streets across the garden were devoid of life, and the multiple shops had been evacuated.
"That girl... Was she upset?" Jack asked Dariel.
"Wren? Oh don't worry, she's lived in a hole er' whole life, it's probably the first head she's seen bludgeoned in front of her," Dariel answered with unnerving optimism.
Jack looked down and his focus left for a moment, he breathed heavier. His attention was stolen by a glossy arm cannon one of the angels dropped, after Elisia killed them it had rolled a short distance away from the corpse. Jack snatched it up as he was running. 'How do I use this thing?', the right side of a staircase around the corner. Dariel turned his head to Jack, and then to Lector, but then turned around fully and came to a stop.
"Hey! Where did he go?!" Dariel shouted.
"Huh?" Jack turned, and Lector was gone.
"Just a second!" Lector yelled from a short distance away.
"What the..." Dariel uttered in shock. "I didn't even notice him slip away..." he muttered.
Lector was squatted down by a bush and fiddling with something by the second row of hedges. He quickly stood up and hurried back over while keeping an eye out in each direction, metal jingled in his hand.
"I really thought he'd have run..." Dariel whispered.
"Sorry about that," Lector caught up while panting, "Let's go."
"What was that?"
Lector ran toward the stairwell around the corner which led to the rear entrance into House Lightbringer. Jack followed behind until he heard a loud whir from far behind him. Two bright lights spun from the top of the two towers by the docks of Helios. The lights began to spin simultaneously, rotating at a steady speed. Jack raised his hand and covered his eyes as the light passed over him.
"I keep a spare key nearby," Lector answered.
"You keep the key to this place in its garden?! How are you a good spy again?" Dariel mocked.
"Well, that's what other people usually say-" the light passed over Lector and Dariel.
Lector turned around immediately and looked to the north, the whir grew louder and more intense as the three of them stared at the sky.
"Oh, shit..." Lector muttered under his breath.
A strange object shaped almost like a circle started to rise out of the sea, it floated above the edges of Helios's buildings and architecture. 'What...' Jack lost words as he watched the massive object float upwards. It hovered high above the coast of Helios, higher than the buildings and walls. Jack froze in terror at the sight, 'That's! That's definitely a ship!' The craft was glossy white, its center a massive oval with dome spheres on the top and bottom. Each side possessed three curved pillars which almost resembled wings, but also like a cage. At the front of each wing was a large cannon, each of those cannons secured an even larger cannon in place that protruded from the center of the ship.
"What the fuck is that?" Jack shivered as he fell backward.
"Shit! We need to hurry!" Lector demanded impatiently. "That's the weapon I was talking about!"
"Ah-" Jack quickly stumbled to his feet.
"That's the Michael class! The defense cruiser! The other one may be launching soon!"
"Defense cruiser? What the hell is-" Jack paused as the battleship hovered over the city.
Jack, Dariel, and Lector all stopped as the winds almost picked them off their feet, 'What the fuck!? The ship Ajal flew in on was nowhere near that size?!' Jack shielded his eyes as he looked up, the bottom of each wing was covered in smaller cannons, and green flames spewed out of the rear thrusters. Jack looked at the glossy white arm cannon he held, a compartment in the middle housed a chunk of logorite. 'Is that thing running on logorite too?!' Jack felt more anger boil within him. The battleship reached the other side of Helios in a matter of seconds.
"Hah... Aha!" Dariel started laughing maniacally. "It's true! Vincent was right! They still had the weapons they used against us all those years ago! After Oaraun stopped our annihilation, they used those ships to devastate what was left! If only it was mine... What could I do... Where could I go?!" Dariel muttered to himself.
Jack and Lector weren't listening as they turned the corner and noticed two garage doors a short distance away. Lector ran up the steps and stuck the key into the door at the corner of the building. They entered the building and found themselves at one end of a long hallway. The carpet was a deep red, and the left side was evenly divided with windows that peered out to the garden they had just run through. On the right, were several sets of doors that lead elsewhere into the house.
"The front is this way," Lector whispered as he pointed to the end of the narrow hallway.
They hurried through the hallway, passing the open doors on the right. The first and second led to a strange large room which the garage doors should have been for. The third and fourth lead into a rather spacious kitchen. Jack put his hand into the arm cannon, he felt soft but cold padding on the inside that wrapped around his arm. His fingers touched a bar, he reached further in and coiled his fingers around it.
"Did you take that from the angels?" Dariel asked Jack.
"Yeah, I thought it could help..." said Jack.
"Do you even know how to use it?" Lector turned and asked while running backward.
"No..."
"You press the trigger on the inside for a few seconds to charge it, then release the trigger to fire. Are you sure you can handle the recoil?"
"Recoil? What's that" Jack asked as he turned the corner.
"Nevermind... Have fun with that..."
They turned the corner and Lector came to a sudden stop, raising his palm first, and then turning and putting a finger to his lip. Jack and Dariel stayed silent as they listened to the voices coming from the entrance. The hallway was mostly dark, there were more doors to the right. However an amber light flooded in from two paths on the left, one path was close, while the other was across the hall.
"Wait for about ten seconds after I go in... And be ready to cover your ears..." Lector whispered to Jack and Dariel.
Lector crept up the path on the left, he peaked past the corner before quickly darting past the path and running to the next. Jack noticed Lector run on his toes, he barely made much noise. It was easier to hear the quiet mumbling of soldiers in the front hall.
"What is this stuff?" one of the guards asked.
"Just keep your weapon up! They can't get through the back without us hearing it, they'll have to lower it sooner or later," the guard in command replied.
"Have the reinforcements shown up yet? We can't hold them back without troopers!"
"Stop complaining, recruit! Their main priority is to defend the entrance to the city! We are the elite guard! We have our orders! They won't get past us!"
Lector turned and raised up four fingers on each hand, 'What the...' Then pointed to the right and kept three fingers raised. Jack tilted his head in confusion. Then Lector opened one whole hand, whilst pointing at the ceiling with the other.
"What is he doing?" Jack whispered.
"He's communicating..." Dariel replied, "There are three guards near the door, but the other five guards are on the level above."
Lector looked at the two of them and started to close his fingers, going from five to four to three. 'He's counting down... He's going in...' Jack's heartbeat started to rise.
"You use that cannon and aim for the ones on the stairwell, I'll go for the ones by the door, come on, stay quiet..." Dariel crouched as he walked into the light. Jack followed as he gulped nervously, his finger jittering on the trigger of the cannon.
Lector turned the corner and went down the path on the other side.
"Hey! What happened at the front!" Lector shouted with a hasty tone, 'Ten...'
"Lector?" the guard captain sounded confused.
"Yo, are you in charge here?" Lector asked, 'Seven...'
"I am in charge... House Rael was tasked with defending the front, why are you here?"
"I'm not very useful on the front lines-"
"Our troops have no communication, where have you been?!" the guard captain shouted angrily.
'Five...'
"Arid- just asked me to set up the network here-" Lector hesitated slightly.
'Three...'
"Arid? Arid was here with Leanne and Laris..."
Lector paused. 'One!' Jack breathed in and held down on the trigger. The compartment housing the logorite started to spin rapidly.
"I'm- really sorry about this..." Lector put his hands together and an ear-popping frequency rippled through the building.
Dariel and Jack ran forward into the front hall, the staircase was to the right, and an unoccupied front desk. The red carpet ended as they ran over a glossy marble floor, any wood was painted white. The room The ceiling was made of glass, and golden aesthetics decorated the front hall. Each of the guards held their ears, they were all distracted at that moment.
"Ah, what the hell did you do that for!" the six-foot tall captain yelled, but was surprised to see Lector diving behind the couch.
Dariel's feet slid over the marble as he whipped his hammer at the guard captain, two other guards were right next to him. The hammer struck the guard captain and released a massive wave of black energy, knocking them all off their feet. Jack turned and pointed the arm cannon at the top of the stairs. The guards behind the rails noticed him and hesitated. 'Now!'
Jack lifted the cannon up and held the trigger, however, the weapon shook as the energy focused. 'What the!' Jack tried to hold it steady but couldn't. 'Stop shaking!' The guard on the balcony pointed his cannon down at Jack, and a wave of panic flooded over him. Jack released the trigger, the recoil pushed him off his feet. A green ball of flame flew upward and struck the balcony to the right of the stairs.
"Ah!" Two of the guards grunted in pain as they were launched back by the charged blast.
Smoke from the blast filled the room, and glass from the ceiling rained down from above. Jack shielded his face as the shrapnel hit him. A few shards lightly grazed his skin, but nothing too deep. The cool padding on the inside of the arm cannon was much hotter than before. Jack opened his eyes and looked up, the balcony was smoldering, shards of glass broke off the remaining ceiling and tapped against the ground. He tried to push himself up but felt a sharp glass slightly embedded into his palm. Jack flexed his abs and sat up slowly, reaching behind him with his right hand for a spot that was clear of glass.
"Take aim! Down there!" a low-rank angel took command.
Jack's heart froze. The remaining angels from the top of the staircase pointed their weapons over the rails.
"Shit!" Jack quickly stumbled to his feet.
"Fire!"
The logorite blasts crashed into the ground, Jack jumped and was launched again by the force. He dived headfirst over the front desk and fell against a chair. He slammed into the wheeled seat with his shoulder and sent it tumbling, it softened his landing on the wooden floor. Jack's heart was beating rapidly once again, he could almost hear it.
"Ah!" Jack cowered behind the desk, 'What do I do, what do I do?!'.
"One more time! He has nowhere to run!" the same angel ordered.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Jack repeatedly whispered to himself as he looked left and right for where to dodge next.
"Fire!"
Jack quickly held his head and curled up into a ball, the cannons fired. Visions flashed through his head, visions of Sarah and John, Reinhardt, Adam, and even Franklin and Ben.
'You're a good person Jack,' Ajal and Carol's words echoed through his head, causing it to throb.
Jack's eyes burst open, he quickly scurried to the right, but he stopped as he realized the blasts didn't hit.
"What the?!" the angels shouted.
Jack peeked out of the cover to see the black shield formed from shadows, he turned his head to the left and saw Wren holding her hands up. Elisia dived out of the shadows and jumped up the stairs quickly, she cut down one of the two soldiers on the third step, then quickly lunged for the next. The angel quickly raised his arm cannon and blocked the blade. Elisia pushed her blade up and redirected his guard, then promptly spun and slashed his stomach open. The angel curled up into a ball and stumbled down the steps before he fell and joined the other corpse at the bottom. Jack watched as the last guard raised his arm cannon and started to charge it. 'No you don't!' Jack held down the trigger and pointed his weapon up.
"Eli look out!" Wren warned as she pointed to the balcony.
Elisia turned as the angel fired, Wren moved the shield and managed to block in time. Jack aimed the cannon at the angel, and without overcharging it this time, he released the trigger. A green blast shot across the room, Jack's arm flew above his head from the recoil as he stepped back. The logorite blast struck the last angel directly.
"Aaah!" the angel cried in pain as his entire body was engulfed in green flames, he struggled to put it out, only spreading the flame more as he leaned over the railing and fell to the lower floor.
Jack breathed in and out heavily, he sniffled as his heart felt like it was going to burst out of his chest. The once pristine room was now a mess of debris, glass, and smoke.
"Is it over?" Lector called out from behind the sofa.
"Yeah... You can come out now," Elisia confirmed.
The smoke from the room cleared, and the three angels Dariel went after were on the ground with bludgeoned heads. Jack looked around for the man's frightening mask, but he couldn't spot him.
"Where is Dariel?" Elisia asked while looking around.
"He was just... He was just here a second ago..." Jack stuttered in confusion.
Lector hopped over the couch, he gulped as he slowly approached the guard who gave orders, the one he distracted. The mask was shattered into pieces, his head had been completely crushed, and a pair of bloody footsteps led away from the corpse and out of the front door. Jack's heartbeat was still high, he took deep breaths as he tried to calm down. 'I would've died If I didn't dodge that... How many times have I almost died today alone...' Jack felt a chill roll down his spine as he contemplated that.
"Forget that trifling fool... Wren, keep this front lobby blocked, we'll have difficulty getting out of here if we get cornered," Elisia commanded. "Lector, how long do we have till the next ship launches?"
"They can only launch one at a time, the next one will take off in less than an hour..." said Lector.
"Then come, hurry Jack, there's no time to dawdle!" Elisia shouted.
Jack snapped out of his daze, he quickly stood up and followed Lector and Elisia up the stairs. 'I would've died without them...' Wren started to wave her hands through the air slowly, the viscous shadows flowed and moved around the room, sealing the different possible entrances. Jack turned.
"Uh... Thank you, you saved me twice back there Wren," said Jack.
Wren glanced at Jack while the shadows moved around, creating an orb that surrounded her but kept the door barricaded. It was hard to read her expression, Jack could only see her frown. Before the shadows fully closed, she smiled and waved. Another wave of shame flowed over him, 'Huh...' Jack felt his stomach turn from a sense of guilt. 'Why do I feel like this...' Elisia and Lector walked in front.
"I haven't seen them myself, but I know the path is in the noble's hall... I've only been in that room once," Lector turned the corner before Elisia, "I just also happened to see it once-"
"Sir Lector?" A woman's soft voice came from around the corner.
Elisia came to a sudden stop as she passed the corner, her eyes widened. Jack rounded the corner as well and saw the source of the soft voice.
"Priscilla..." said Lector, "uh," he stuttered awkwardly.
Priscilla stepped back as she saw Elisia and Jack, almost tripping on her heels at the same time. She was a skinny maid, her frail fingers shivered as she looked left and right at everyone. She was shorter than Jack, standing in the middle of the hallway. The glossy gold studded broom slipped out of her hand and bounced on the red carpet floor. Her teeth and legs jittered. Her short white hair matched her apron, and her sleeves ruffled at the wrists but were puffy at her shoulders. The loose black dress covered her neck and bosom, with long white stockings hugging her legs. Her yellow eyes widened as Elisia drew her sword and walked forward.
"Wait, wait!" Lector shouted.
"Ah!" Priscilla screamed as she tripped on the fabric of her skirt.
Elisia lunged forward with her sword, Jack saw the terrified eyes of the girl and felt even more shame.
"Stop!" Lector screamed, panting heavily.
"Eeee-!" Priscilla squealed and tried to crawl away, Elisia pinned her to the ground with one hand and looked to Lector.
"She may not be a threat, but she may call for reinforcements..." Elisia glanced at Lector.
"She's not a bad person I swear, don't kill her, please!" Lector dropped onto his hands and knees and begged.
"Please don't hurt me!" Priscilla whimpered.
An explosion outside shook the entire cathedral. The vases in the hallway shook. Lector breathed in and out heavily, loud enough to be heard through the rumbling.
"Please, just put the sword down," Lector begged hysterically.
'What the...' Jack squinted as he looked at Lector, and so did Elisia. Jack recalled Ajal's words as he watched the spirit around Lector, the red mist around his upper back was in dramatic flux.
"Calm yourself, Lector," Elisia asked as she stood up and sheathed her blade. "I won't do anything... However, she isn't leaving yet..."
The frightened girl was bewildered by the knight's patience, she sniffled as she tried to calm her breathing. Elisia knelt down and grasped her arm, she rose and gave her hand a light tug. Elisia pulled her forward and looked her in the eye.
"You angels have strange gifts, show me yours, now," Elisia threatened.
"I-I," Priscilla nervously stuttered.
"She doesn't have a gift..." Lector mentioned he was a bit calmer than before. "Angels with gifts are given noble positions as they have the Celestials' favor"
"Why is she even here? The entire entrance was barricaded with angels... Yet the maid is still on duty?" Elisia questioned.
"I don't know, she should've been evacuated... But the Loyar family has served the Lightbringers for generations..." Lector pointed out.
"Barricade?" Priscilla looked around in confusion. "What barricade? What's going on outside?"
"What?"
"Sir Lector please, I have no idea, I was resting in the bed chambers but heard a loud noise, I-" Priscilla sniffed uncontrollably as tears flooded down her face.
Elisia let Priscilla go and she ran into Lector's arms, sobbing heavily.
"Please! Please don't hurt me! I swear I don't know anything! I swear on the Celestial!" Priscilla cried.
"It's okay, we won't hurt you. Everyone should've been evacuated, after we're done here, I'll get you out of here too," Lector assured her.
"What's happening? Who are these people, sir Lector?" Priscilla nervously whispered.
Elisia sighed as she turned and continued down the hall. Priscilla sniffled, Lector comforted her as he followed behind Elisia. He turned right and walked down the hallway, pictures of blonde children decorated the walls. The pictures were drawn with stunning realism and detail. Each child smiled happily, they had varying shades of blonde hair, but their emotions were caught in the perfect moment and illustrated on a large white canvas. 'What the hell...' Jack followed them while he gazed at the large picture frames.
Jack reached the end of the hall, turned the corner, and was met with two paths. One just to the left, leading upwards towards a door, the other path leading back around towards the front hall. The large door was gold with black painted figures, on each side engraved into the shiny carvings. Elisia walked towards the door and put both hands against it, pushing with a bit of force and entering a room dimly lit orange.
"This is the noble's hall... Normally only the nobles of the four houses and Lucifer can get in here, but I once saw the secret entrance-"
"Sir Lector, you're helping them?!" Priscilla gasped.
"I am, er- sorry about that," Lector apologized.
Priscilla shivered as she backed up into Jack, jumping immediately as she made contact, "Eee!"
"I promise I will get you out of the city safely... Just don't cause us problems, please..."
'Her spirit is so minuscule... But it's erratic and flimsy... Even those other angels had some spirit...'
Jack walked past Priscilla and entered the dark room lit by the light from the hallway and the orange street lights outside a window adjacent to the entrance. 'This is where they have meetings?' The room was spacious, with a single desk in front of the window. To his left and right were shelves stuffed with rows of books, on the right between the two shelves was a large map of Grelt. There were four chairs in front of the desk, two on each side. Several pages lay flat on the desk in front of the golden chair with an orange cushion for a backrest. The edge of the black rug had a pattern of orange lines weaving together in a double helix. On the desk, next to the two sheets of paper was a golden scale. One side possessed a purple crystal, and the other side had a small orange stone that was strangely long. Jack took the purple gemstone off of the scale, causing it to dip to one side.
"Help me get this shelf out of the way," Lector asked Elisia.
"This is... Ajal's?" Jack held the gem up to his eye, looking through its purple prism toward the paper on the table. "Huh?"
One of the sheets looked old, the page was worn down to a faded beige. It displayed a strange map, one Jack had never seen before. 'What is this-' Jack's thoughts were cut off as the bookshelf on the left side of the room smashed into the floor.
"Holy-" Jack jumped, startled by the sudden crash.
Behind the bookshelf was a hidden door, Lector stepped over the shelf to open it. Jack looked back to the paper on the table. The top of the page read: 'To whoever might find this,' Jack looked at the lengthy paragraph with squinted eyes. 'What the...' Jack nervously picked up the flimsy page, where the upper was handwritten neatly.
"To whoever finds this
My name is Ymir Lightbringer, if you are reading this, I am already dead. We Lightbringers have enjoyed lavish lives, filled with luxurious delicacy and lush wealth. It is a part of our legacy, as descendants of Leamas, conqueror of Patheon. However, in truth, our gift is merely the work of the Lightbringer, and Darkeater, the gifts of the two harbingers of Jalrog: Leamas and Leazra. And while we may call them gifts... The harbingers live on through us like curses. The other nobles are unaware, it may even be too late for you... Our legacy is one that requires much to uphold, much we cannot provide on our own. We require the last of the druid races' assistance, so we subjugated them. However, so long as we respect their rights as people, and allow them to prosper similarly to ourselves, we may yet return to Jalrog one day. We may yet defeat Ragnarok, and reclaim our home amongst the brethren we left behind."
The handwriting became messier.
"It has been several months since I heard Leamas's voice come from Lisa, the sick bastard took root in my beloved wife, and I suspect he will take my son next. Leazra took root in the wife of Abaddon, he's going mad. Those creatures... They are nothing like the great titans of Grelt... They are fickle... Possessed by their own gluttony, perhaps it's due to the leniency of Ragnarok, perhaps it's due to our kindness and guilt... Whatever sins we commit that have damned us to this fate, we must correct the past. My final request before my eventual end, set the angels and demons free, free from their curses. Or else our sins will damn the world around us."
"What is that?" Lector walked over quickly, he looked at the sheet and then leaned closer before taking it from Jack.
"What the hell is this?" Jack asked. "Isn't Ymir the king?"
"Where'd you get this..." Lector uttered with an odd tone, he sounded bewildered.
"It was on the table..." said Jack, he squinted as he noticed Lector's expression.
Lector squinted as he quickly scanned through the document, his jaw slowly starting to drop the further he read.
"We don't have the time to waste right now!" Elisia scolded.
Elisia shoved Priscilla through the hidden door, and the sound of them walking down stone steps could be heard. Jack walked over to the path and peered into the darkness, he stepped over the shelf. The echo of Elisia's footsteps slowly got further and further away, Jack turned to Lector. The angel stood still, looking at the paper.
"Hey," Jack called.
Lector glanced at Jack quickly before folding the sheet of paper. He put it into his pocket carefully.
"Yeah... I..." Lector took a deep breath, "I'm on my way..."