The priest approached him with a blade in his hands which glowed golden, getting close enough he raised the dagger high up, ready to plunge it into him.
He inhaled sharply, forcing his pulse to slow. Panic was useless. Thinking was everything.
The golden chains binding him were divine constructs, reacting to his presence and tightening whenever he struggled. That meant they were attuned to him.
Which meant—
His lips curled into a smirk. "You know," he said, shifting slightly, "I never thought I'd get caught like this. Tied up, about to be carved open. Kinda poetic, don't you think?"
The priest ignored him, raising the dagger as the glow around it intensified, preparing for the extraction.
Alister's smirk widened. "But there's one problem."
The champion frowned. "And what is that?"
Alister leaned forward as much as the chains would allow. "I never steal something unless I have an exit strategy."
The moment he finished speaking, the gloves activated. The runes on them flared with a brighter glow, its power clashed with the bindings trying to take control over it.
For a split second, everything was silent. Then—
A crack.
The golden chains holding him destabilized. The divine energy within them flickered, as the gloves forcefully overrode their attunement.
Alister didn't hesitate.
He twisted, forcing his arms free just as the priest's dagger came down. The blade missed by inches, carving into the stone floor instead. The moment of distraction was all he needed.
With a flick of his wrist, Alister snatched the dagger straight from the priest's grasp, spun it in his fingers, and drove it into the chains at his legs.
The holy inscriptions shattered under the force of its own magic, releasing him completely.
"Oops," Alister said as he straightened. "Looks like your security's got a few flaws."
The paladins reacted instantly, swords drawn, divine auras flaring. The champion stepped forward, power radiating from his very presence.
But Alister had momentum.
He grabbed the closest golden artifact—a goblet blessed by some god or another—and hurled it at the nearest paladin. The armored warrior flinched, batting it aside, but that was all the time Alister needed.
He dashed forward, grabbing another relic—a golden shield this time—and flipped it like a coin. Mid-air, his foot connected with its surface, using it as a springboard.
With that momentum, he vaulted over the champion's head.
And then—
The Shard of Loki was in his hand.
"Thanks for holding onto this for me," Alister quipped, landing smoothly.
The champion turned, fury burning in his divine eyes. "You—!"
But Alister was already moving.
He ran towards the vault's door but before he could reach it, the champion had already arrived in front of him.
Time seemed to slow down as the champion swung his sword glowing with divine energy at him.
Driven by pure adrenaline, Alister moved the dagger in his hand fast enough to block the incoming sword.
The weapons clashed but neither Alister nor the dagger could hold up. He was sent barreling backwards to one of the stone walls of the vault.
The air was knocked out of him but he still tightly gripped the shard in his hands, not allowing it to fall.
"Ugh... W-what the fuck do they feed you champions?" He muttered "you hit like a freaking truck."
"I am Caelan Phoebus, a champion chosen by Apollo the god of sun, light, healing and music" the champion said as he slowly approached "did you truly believe your pitiful mortal speed would allow you to escape?."
"Well, it didn't hurt to try, right?" he groaned, only to wince immediately after. "Okay, I take that back—it freaking hurt."
"Hand the shard over or I'll make you wish you had willingly gone through the extraction" The champion threatened.
With a chuckle, Alister looked up at the champion and said.
"You know, I never intended to use this shard for myself," he began, his grip tightening around it. "I wanted nothing to do with your gods. My plan was simple—sell it, make a fortune, and retire. Leave all of this behind for good."
Caelan took another step forward, unwilling to hear anything else he was about to say. "This is your last warning, thief. Surrender the shard, and I may grant you a painless end."
"See, that doesn't really sound like much of a deal." Alister scoffed "I have a better idea."
Before Caelan could respond, Alister made his move.
The champion's eyes widened as he understood what Alister wanted to do. Time slowed down as he lunged forward to stop Alister but it was too late.
With a clench of his fist, Alister destroyed the shard in his hand which sent a blast of wind outwards, pushing the champion back.
A surge of green flames rose, covering both Reid and the splintered shards. The flames continued burning but strangely, Alister felt no pain from them just yet.
A pressure that eclipsed even that of the champion's, descended on their shoulders.
"No!" Caelan shouted and moved forward again to stop the thief before the assimilation completed.
He swung his sword at Alister but just like before, he was too late.
The green flames blazed before completely vanishing with the pressure.
And Alister?
He vanished with the flames.
Caelan skidded to a stop, his sword cleaving through empty air.
Silence filled the chamber.
The priest, still recovering from the blast, coughed. "Where… where did he go?"
Caelan gripped his sword tightly, his eyes producing a golden glow as he scanned the vault, checking to see if Alister was hiding anywhere in the shadows.
He was gone.
The thief had escaped.
For now.
Caelan exhaled sharply, a wave of fury burning inside him. He then turned to the paladins that had also just recovered.
"Tell the guards at the gate to initiate a lock down" he ordered "No one is allowed to leave or enter until I say otherwise."
"Yes sir" they replied and rushed to complete the order.
"And you" he pointed at one of the remaining paladins "get me Riven, she might be able to find the thief for us."
Riven had left as soon as she received her pay so she wasn't around to witness Ace's escape.
Soon enough, the city alarm was heard and everyone was forced into their homes as every paladin, guard, clerics and priests searched the town for a thief called Ace.
_________
In the city of Olympus, the grand dwelling of the Greek gods, there existed a forgotten corner—an abandoned place untouched by divine presence for centuries.
Deep within a cavern where light barely reached, a lone figure sat cloaked in darkness. In their hand, a single piece of parchment bore a solitary name:
Alister Vaughn.
The one known as Ace himself.
A faint chuckle echoed through the cave, low and ominous.
"And so it begins," the figure murmured.
For a fleeting moment, the dim light flickered, revealing a glimpse of their face—before the shadows swallowed them once more.