If it hit the ground, that would be it for us. The crack would be loud enough to alert anyone inside, and our job would be over before it even began. I had one chance, and as the chunk of thick tile fell by me.
I kicked with all of my might.
My foot connected with the slate. The vibrations shook though my bones, and I accidentally bit my tongue. But I sent the tile flying dozens of feet away from the cathedral. It landed far enough away that only the hushed echo of the stone shattering reached my ears, and I sighed in relief.
“Are you okay?” Raven asked in a hushed tone.
“Peachy-fucking-keen.”
“Then stop hanging off the building like an asshole already.”
I hastily climbed back up and slid over to make room for Raven. She slid down on her back, and as soon as her feet touched the lip, I thrust my arm out to stop her from going over the edge.
“Holy crow! Maybe your method was better, though I’m not complaining.”
“Why?”
“Look where your hand is.”
My hand was holding quite firmly to Raven’s right breast. It was a complete accident, and I pulled away quickly, not thinking about how incredibly soft it was or how it filled up my hand far more than Eris’s petite chest.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.”
Raven smiled at me. The light from the dim mana crystal shimmered off her midnight hair as it fluttered in the stiff breeze. I ignored how radiant she looked and focused on getting into the cathedral.
I couldn’t think about her words at that moment, not when I was about to infiltrate and attempt to steal Lachrymal’s Heart. Don’t think about how pretty she is or the fact that we actually get along really well. This is really not the time.
I was really tired of having only two inches separating me from death. “Get your head in the game.”
“It is in the game,” she replied. “I think you’re the one who’s flustered.”
I didn’t have a retort; she was right. I shook my head and focused on the job. Anything less, and we would die.
We lapsed into silence and skirted the edge of the cathedral until we came to the stained-glass windows that looked down into the Vault of Tears.
The ledge widened to allow for room to change any chipped or cracked panels in the stained glass. I paused and pulled out both my burglar’s kit and wraithsight potion. There wasn’t enough room for both of us on the windowsill, so Raven still had to cling to the side like a frightened animal while I unrolled the kit and drank the potion.
Wraithsight went down sweet. Caramel, honey, and vanilla formed the base with the bitter aftertaste of gin. My sight slowly dimmed, darkness creeping in from the edges, but an ethereal green leapt from the shadows as the potion took hold. Figures in the main room of the cathedral stood out from the backdrop.
Six guards in the next room, two right by the door. If we make any noise, they’re liable to come running. I focused on the window, and nothing stood out to my enchanted sight. No enchanted traps—or physical ones, for that matter. All right. I’ve got five minutes. I want to make sure we’re in safely before it runs out.
I selected a blade specifically designed to cut glass from the oilskin tool roll and began the painstaking task of removing each pane of glass from the grooved lead pattern with the knife to make a hole wide enough for us to climb through. Once the glass was out of the way and safely stored in my inventory, I began knocking the cames out by wrapping a cloth around the lead and breaking it apart.
It took over two minutes to do, but we had our way in.
I slipped in while Raven perched on the sill waiting for me to move. I had no room to maneuver. If I stepped an inch forward, I’d hit open air. My target was the beam directly to my right. It jutted out seven feet away and just over my head. If I miss, it’s game over. Well…let’s roll the dice. I crouched and jumped.
For a second, I hung over open air. Twenty feet below me lay my death if I crashed to one of the pews, but I’d timed it right, and I hit the stone beam.
My fingers gripped the coarse stone, and I hung there by just my fingertips. Once the jarring stop settled, I pulled myself up and over the edge. My feet found holds, and I was about to haul myself onto the beam when a soft prickle ran over my left hand.
I leaned up, and with wraithsight active, the six magic traps were visible to my heightened eyes. My hand was mere centimeters from touching one and spelling our doom. I didn’t think they’d have trapped the beams, but it’s what I’d have done. I’m just lucky the vibrations from my jump didn’t set them off. I had to deal with them before I could climb up; there wasn’t any room where I could ascend that wouldn’t set off the traps.
“What are you doing? You need help?”
“Stay there!” I said, panic nearly causing me to shout. “The beam is trapped; likely all of the others are as well. Need to deal with them before I can climb up.”
Raven glanced around trying to see what I could and failed. She huffed and crouched down, her raven wings coming out to rest around her like a cloak. “I’ll catch you if you fall.”
“Be careful! The gusts from your wings could set off the traps, and from the Scriptwork, these are nasty little bastards. Paralysis fields. Petty black magic, but effective this high up.”
“Can you nullify them? Do you even have magic?”
I’ve got something better. I smiled to myself and activated Aura of the Antimage. The invisible bubble expanded in a flash, and as it touched the magical traps, they popped with a subtle hiss as the antimagic wave swept through the room.
I don’t think I got all the traps; the radius wasn’t enough to go through the entire room, but it was enough for us to reach Lachrymal’s Heart.
I swung up and onto the ledge and crawled forward to let Raven get on. She extended her wings and jumped, rising to smirk at me before lowering gently onto the beam.
“Do you want to do the heavy lifting?”
“You’re doing a fine job all on your own, darling.”
I tuned her out and focused on my prize. The Heart was in the center of the room, only a couple dozen feet in front and below me. I slid around the support beams and crept along the spider’s web of stone until we were right above it.
“We need to hurry. If the person who set those traps is awake, then they felt their mana return to them. I’d rather believe they’re awake and are on their way. So that speeds us up.”
Raven nodded. “What do you need from me?”
“Stay up here while I grab the Heart. I’ll need you to pull me back up when I have it.”
With a final glance around the room and beyond to get a read on the guards, wraithsight faded, and the darkened room lit up once more as my normal sight returned. A slight pressure settled in my head before fading away. Any more potions, and I’ll get sick. Won’t risk it unless I have no choice. I pulled out my burglar’s kit and about fifty feet of rope.
I measured the distance and cut the length I needed. Lying down on my stomach, I tied the rope around the beam and knotted it tight. I gave the rope a few tugs to test the weight, and then I added a loop for my foot to rest when I descended the rope.
When the preparations were complete, I tossed the rope over the edge and gripped it tight. My nerves stood on end.
“Ready?” Raven asked.
“As I’ll ever be,” I said and lowered down.
The coarse rope dug into my palms as soon as my weight pressed into it, but I grunted away the agitation and began my descent. Heights had never been an issue for me, but as I lowered down at the slate floor far below me, I could understand the fear that plagued people. I ignored the urge to close my eyes, fought down my nerves, and before I knew it, I was at the end of the rope and Lachrymal’s Heart was right in front of me.
It was even more beautiful up close and twice as terrifying as from afar.
As if knew my intentions, the insidious infrasound broke through whatever resistance the Aspect had giv
en me. It increased in pitch until it vanished for a second. Pain vibrated through my brain, and warm blood poured from my ears, my eyes and nose. It began to descend, and it went after my own heart. Something tore inside me, and blood filled my lungs.
What the hell is happening?
The torment pulling apart my organs only continued, and my strength abandoned me. I was being torn apart from the inside, and I had to hurry, or I was going to die.
I reached out and put my hand on the Heart.
Something popped into existence in my interface as whatever force that was rupturing my body stalled for a time.
Do you wish to take Lachrymal’s Heart?
Yes/No
Yes!
Do you accept The Weeping God’s Curse?
Yes/No
What? A curse? Then it clicked. This is why the others failed. This is the surprise I wasn’t expecting. The prompt hung in the air in front of me, just waiting for my answer. I had no clue what it would do, but I knew it would only hurt me. But I had no choice, I had to accept it.
Yes.
Warning! Curse of The Weeping God Active.
-25 to all Main Stats for the duration of bearing Lachrymal’s Heart.
-50% Battle Fatigue
Acquired the Wrath of the Chosen: Lachrymal’s Chosen deal 100% damage to the bearer.
Well, shit. The emerald shank to the size of my palm and vanished into my inventory. As soon as it vanished, the infernal whispering disappeared, and the Weeping God’s Curse activated.
I tried to get ready for it, but I was woefully unprepared for the further drain on my stats. Weakened from the damage to my organs and the loss of my strength, the rope slipped from my fingers, and I fell.
The ground came for me faster than I could blink. I tilted when I fell off the rope and sideswiped the rising obelisk that formerly housed the pilfered gemstone in my pocket.
My ribs broke upon the stone, and then I tumbled off and smashed into the thick pews, bashing my head in the process.
The world didn’t matter anymore, the job didn’t matter anymore, all that mattered was the agony that ripped me apart. I forgot how to breathe, or my lungs forgot for me. I might’ve blacked out for a second, but the pain was so intense that it woke me back up.
My health bar flashed a bloody crimson in my eyes, the sliver of my life draining to the abyss.
Let it. I just wanted the pain to stop.
A floodgate opened in my mind. It was Eris, and she’d broken through the block I’d placed on our connection. The mere thought of Eris was enough to snap me out of my pain. I could barely move, but I’d have crawled through the nine hells themselves for her.
I brought a health potion to my lips and downed it, not caring that I would mostly likely trigger potion sickness. I had a job to do, a wife to return to; death would only get in the way.
My health stopped just before death came to collect and returned to the green after a second or two. My bones and organs stitched back together, and the pain vanished as a timer appeared in the corner of my vision, counting down from three hours.
Knew I’d hit it. Oh, well.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah I’m fi─“
My heart stopped.
I sank to my knees, not understanding how the potion failed. My world went sideways, and as my body shut down, I realized it wasn’t my body that was dying.
It was Eris.
I was just along for the ride.
Terror struck like lightning through me, but I wasn’t concerned for myself. I didn’t care about my life, not when Eris’s was also on the line. I could come back if I died—she couldn’t.
No, no, no, no, no. Not again, please not again. I’ll do anything. I can’t take anymore, please, just take me!
I begged. I didn’t care who I begged to, the gods, Ouroboros, or even the god that abandoned Earth and left us to die. I pleaded to them all to spare her and take me instead.
I fell back to the ground and stared up at the ceiling, at the intricate stonework and stained glass. I stared at Raven and her panicked face as her eyes filled with worry, for my sake.
I was wrong to mistreat you the way I did. And for that, I’m truly sorry.
Raven jumped and used her wings to glide down to me. she dropped to her knees and pulled my head into her lap.
“What’s wrong? What can I do?” she asked, pleading.
There was nothing to do, I couldn’t rescue Eris, could only hope and pray for a miracle to save my beloved.
“I’ve done what I can to slow the progress, but I can’t stop it. If she dies, we both follow,” the Aspect said.
For too many long moments, I hung in a state between life and death, one foot in both.
And then my heart started beating again.
My body started working properly, and I took in a heaping gulp of oxygen. I sat up quickly and coughed until my throat ached.
It was subtle, but her presence was still in the back of my mind. Eris was still alive.
She was healing and would be okay.
I nearly fainted as relief washed over me. I was lightheaded and took a knee as my mind tingled with the rush of chemicals flooding it. Thank the gods. Whoever or whatever saved her. Thank you.
I sat up off the ground as my breathing returned to normal. Raven’s concern turned to relief as I stood on my own.
“What just happened?”
“A lot, all at once. Eris nearly died, and I was cursed by this fucking bauble. But talk later, let’s get the hell out of here.” I looked up at the rope dangling a dozen feet above us and had to reconsider our escape plan. “Can you lift me up?”
“Not in this form, and there isn’t enough room for me to transform right now.”
I cursed and tried to figure out how I was going to climb up to the rope, when a thud echoed through the Vault of Tears.
I whirled around to find that we hadn’t been as quiet as I’d have liked when my broken body landed. Shit. They’ll unlock the door in seconds. I ignored the pain wracking through my body and sprinted to the door and shoved the nearest pew in front of it.
Won’t hold them for long. We need to leave.
But I quickly realized one thing.
There wasn’t a way for us both to escape. But there was a way for one of us to.
“Take this,” I said, passing Raven my invisibility potion and lowering my voice. “The Heart curses the bearer. Can you handle it?”
“If you can bear it, then so can I.”
I passed it to her, and she took the palm-sized emerald without hesitation.
Alert! The Weeping God’s Curse has been removed.
Alert! The Wrath of the Chosen has been removed.
Raven grimaced and slumped her shoulders as she accepted the curse. But she kept standing. “Don’t worry, my level is in the upper eighties. I’m probably stronger than you.”
“Good, now go. Fly out of here and use the potion to escape Aldrust. Take the emerald back to Magnus.”
Her grin slipped from her lips. “What about you?”
I turned away from her to the door that would open any second. “If you get the chance, find Eris and tell her I love her, and I’ll see her as soon as I can.”
“I’m not going to leave you to die here!” she shouted, running over to me.
“Go! Now. That’s an order from your master!”
As if I’d shocked her still, she froze. Distress twisted her face as tears welled in her eyes. She bowed to me and shot up into the air. With one lingering glance, she flew through the broken window and out into the night.
“All right. Aspect, let’s give them hell.”
“I’m not one to take orders, knight. But I happen to like that one. Let’s feast on their blood!”
The door burst open, knocking aside the heavy pew I’d shoved in front of it.
All six of Lachrymal’s Chosen stood before us as they swept into the room, weapons drawn.
Oh, hell.
The
y took one look at me and then at the obelisk.
“Defiler!”
“Thief!”
“Forsaken!”
They all shouted at me, wide-eyed that the relic of their god was in the hands of a human. My hand went to my sword. This isn’t going to be easy.
I’d fought similar odds before, but my past foes were chumps compared to Lachrymal’s Chosen. They were the elite of the elite, warriors through and through. They deserved my respect, but I was about to give them my blade instead.
Warning! Forceful activation of Ability.
Chitin Armor.
A burning itch spread over my body as the chitin poured from beneath my skin. As black and glossy as an oil slick, it covered my body and wormed over my head. As it slithered over my hair and ears, a bright green slid over my eyes. The dim room lit up like I’d lit a torch, and I could make out every individual face of the warriors in front of me.
Most of them were men, but two of them were women. All of them held the rugged confidence only years of combat could grant.
They took a step back, surprise blossoming on their faces as I changed.
The Aspect took control and laughed, a grating, malicious laugh that only hinted at my actual voice. “Come to me, mortals. Let me taste the marrow of your lives!”
I drew my sword. Its muted black blade slid wordlessly from its sheath. The leaves of my hilt danced ethereally as the light hit it, and together, me and the monster in my heart went to war.
Chapter 18 - Another Time, Another Place
Eris
I wanted to sleep, but screaming and violent shaking wouldn’t let me rest.
Every time I closed my eyes, I was roughly shoved awake. I opened my bleary eyes to Gil kneeling over me, the others in the background.
“Eris, godsdamn it, stay awake!”
“Don’t wanna,” I said, waving him off, or I tried, but I couldn’t move.
Something lifted me off the ground, and then the cold blanket that draped around me was yanked off and replaced by a burning pain radiating from my stomach.
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