Chapter 7 #2
Harald raised an eyebrow. “My being treated like a rabid dog?”
“From their point of view?” She took a step closer.
“You are. It’s the Demon Seed, obviously.
They see you as being infected by it. And we’re asking them to take it on faith that you’re both strong enough to resist and will continue to want to in the long run.
Seraphina and I—well. We’ve had… arguments.
I’ve vouched for you, time and time again, but her fallback position is simply ‘wait and see.’ You’re not the first demon-kin to swear oaths about their pure intentions.
She wouldn’t say it’s common, but apparently…
many demon-kin see themselves as rebels, or swear that they’ll defy their masters right until they can’t keep fooling themselves any longer and go completely over to the dark side. ”
“Heh.” Harald shook his head. “So, my very protests are just part of the same pattern.”
Kársek had drawn out his pipe, taken the time to tamp down some herb, and now exhaled twin plumes of smoke like a yellow-clad dragon from his nostrils.
“Amongst my kind, stating one’s intentions is a respected practice, but it is the deed that carries the honor.
You should not waste your time trying to convince them, Harald. ”
“Right.” Harald glanced at Exeros’ hovering white mote once more.
“I guess that’s all I can do regardless.
” With great effort he put his resentment aside and forced a smile.
“How about you, Sam? While I’ve been manifesting all their deepest fears about what I’ll become, how have you fared under Seraphina? ”
Sam hesitated, clearly unhappy with where they’d left matters, but then allowed herself a slight smile and stepped back to sit on the settee’s arm.
“Good. Seraphina is… well. You already know. Amazing. She’s not ranked the number one raider in all Flutic for no reason.
Training under her has been…” Her smile widened to become radiant. “Incredible.”
“So, you’ve been having fun.”
She scowled at him. “Yes. I have, actually. Training with the blade, meditation, and lots of conversation. There’s so much to learn. Things the Church of the Fallen Angel never says out loud—if they’re even aware of it. But, most excitingly, I’ve been able to work on my new powers.”
Kársek let out an oily metallic puff of smoke. “Your Level 5 Abilities?”
Sam nodded with a grin. “Right. I manifested them during our fight at the Celestara estate but never got a chance to explore them. But now. I can’t wait to try them out.”
Harald’s smile was genuine now. “What have you got?”
Sam smoothed down the fabric over her thighs.
“Well, my powers so far have been almost entirely reactive, right? I shield, I heal, I can punish enemies that transgress against my wards. In many ways I’ve been a fortress—a place where you all can fight from.
But I’ve had no way to take ground, to move into battle, to hunt the enemies my Netherwarden Knight Class is sworn against. That’s finally changed. ”
“I like the sound of that,” smiled Kársek.
“My Active is called Hallowed Advance. The description reads: Step forward and the light steps with you. Where the Netherwarden treads, the nether recedes. Basically, this allows me to project my protective aura forward, creating a moving corridor that designates parts of the battlefield as sacred space. Think of it as a mobile enhancement for Starfire Bastion. It’ll allow me to act like a spearhead, pushing into the enemy, and make it so that we’re not tied down to one place during a fight. ”
“Excellent,” said Harald. “Wonder how that will play with my Crown of the Abyssal Tyrant.”
“Guess we’ll find out.” But Sam was too excited to stop.
“And my Passive is Steadfast Luminance. I love this one. Your radiance cannot be fully quenched. Where others’ light would gutter and die, yours dims but persists, finding purchase in the deepest dark.
It means my light-based Abilities can’t be suppressed or nullified any longer, though obviously I don’t know how well I’d stand up to a truly powerful demon, but it means that nobody can just end my role in a fight like snuffing out a candle. ”
“Unstoppable,” smiled Harald.
“And!” Sam beamed. “It’s—Seraphina pointed this out—my Soul Nature is Brightest Star.
Steadfast Luminance means my essence, the very nature of my being can’t be dispelled.
It means I’ll be able to fight by your side without being overwhelmed by your powers.
Together, these two new powers make it so that I’m not just a healer who stands in the back and struggles to protect everyone, but that I’m a protector who now advances and endures.
And…” She trailed off, suddenly nervous, almost shy.
“Where you break people and groups down, I provide cohesion and stability. Making us like opposite sides of the same coin. There’s a symbolism there, right? ”
“True.” Harald wanted to step close again and embrace her, but Kársek was right there, puffing away merrily. “Perfect. And that’s just at Level 5.”
Sam suddenly wilted. “And you’re Level 9 now?” She shook her head. “So unfair. How are we supposed to keep up?”
“You’re an angel-kin,” said Kársek. “And your Soul Rank is Divine. Don’t fret. You’ll catch him up soon enough.”
“True.” Sam considered. “Oh! And have you spoken to Nessa yet?”
Harald shook his head. “She all right?”
Kársek grunted in amusement.
“She…” Sam’s grin was practically conspiratorial. “She and Rovarik have been getting along very well.”
“Oh?” Harald frowned, then understood. “Oh!”
“Right? At first she loathed him. It was so romantic!” Sam clasped her hands under her chin and fell off the arm onto the settee proper.
“She’d show up after a day of training just spitting with spite.
He’s a better fencer than she is, and she just couldn’t forgive him for it. I’ve never seen her so motivated.”
“And then about a week ago,” prompted Kársek.
“A week ago, she just disappeared. Didn’t come back that night. If we’d been anywhere else, I’d have been worried, but when we saw her the next evening, she was…” Sam glanced to Kársek for help.
He considered, then cracked a smile of his own. “Content.”
“Content?” Sam pretended to throw a pillow at him. “Like a cat that’s gotten into the creamery. When I asked, she told me it was an adult matter, and that it’d be inappropriate to share with someone so young. But she was smiling as she said it, and she’s been… well, she was. For a few days.”
Kársek nodded, expression turning grim.