The trio stepped through the towering double doors, leaving the oppressive throne room behind. The air outside was heavy with lingering traces of Raziel's magic, a reminder of the battle they had barely survived. Kael wiped his brow, his hands trembling slightly as the weight of the encounter settled in.

  "That could have gone worse," he muttered, his voice strained but laced with relief.

  Thrax let out a dry chuckle, rolling his shoulder as if shaking off the tension. "Could've gone better too. The way he toyed with us... I've never felt so outmatched."

  Lorelai remained silent, her gaze fixed forward as they made their way down the dimly lit corridor. Her thoughts swirled with Raziel's words. Protecting Aeryn wasn't just an obligation anymore; it was a responsibility with far-reaching consequences.

  As they descended another flight of winding stairs, the sound of heavy breathing reached their ears. In the vast chamber ahead, they found Aeryn collapsed on the cold stone floor, her plum hair clinging to her sweat-drenched face. The grueling training she had endured was evident in the ragged rise and fall of her chest.

  Lorelai rushed to her side, kneeling beside her. "Aeryn! Can you hear me?"

  Before Aeryn could respond, a figure emerged from the shadows. Tall and composed, clad in an ornate dark coat, her fiancé, Valen, strode toward them with an air of disdain. His crimson eyes flicked over Aeryn's exhausted form with a mixture of annoyance and concern.

  "You push yourself too hard, my dear," Valen said smoothly, reaching out to lift Aeryn. "This is why you should remain under my care."

  Lorelai's hand shot out, blocking his advance. "Don't touch her."

  Valen arched a brow, a smirk playing at his lips. "Who are you to command me? This is between Aeryn and me."

  Lorelai rose to her feet, her sword flashing with divine energy. "If you want her, you'll have to go through me. I challenge you to a duel."

  Kael swallowed hard. "Lorelai, are you sure about this? He's no ordinary noble."

  Thrax grinned, cracking his knuckles. "She’s sure."

  Valen chuckled, drawing a sleek rapier from his belt. "Very well, but don't expect me to go easy on you."

  The chamber fell silent as Lorelai raised her spear, the divine glow intensifying. Valen moved first, his rapier a blur as it sliced through the air. Lorelai barely deflected the strike, the force of it sending vibrations up her arm.

  His movements were almost too fast to track, his blade weaving an intricate dance that forced Lorelai onto the defensive, his blade weaving an intricate dance that confused Lorelai. Her defensive stance more easily broken than she cared to admit, she gritted her teeth calling upon her gravity magic [Weight Manipulation], anchoring herself to the ground and parrying his strikes just enough to defend properly.

  Her spear found its mark, slicing through Valen’s coat and drawing a thin line of blood. He hissed, stepping back, his eyes flashing with irritation.

  Just as Lorelai prepared to press her advantage, Valen twisted suddenly, his rapier flicking out with a speed she couldn't counter. Her spear was sent flying from her grip, clattering across the stone floor. Valen lunged, aiming for her exposed side.

  Without hesitation, Lorelai reached for her sword within her spatial storage, spinning it into position just in time to parry his strike. The clash of steel sent shockwaves through her arms, but she held firm. With newfound agility, she flurried the sword, keeping Valen at bay with a series of rapid thrusts and slashes.

  Valen's eyes gleamed with newfound interest. "Adaptable. I like that."

  Lorelai shifted her stance, channeling crimson lightning through the sword's blade. The crackling energy surged forward, forcing Valen to retreat a step. She pressed the attack, sweeping the sword in wide arcs that forced him on the defensive.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Valen, realizing her newfound speed was problematic, darted in close, attempting to disarm her again. Lorelai's combat ability improves with every encounter, she altered her own movements to counteract his, utilizing her greater mobility she powerskid and slashed at his legs to trip him up, sending him stumbling backward as he ungracifully dodged the unconventional strike. A pulse of divine energy surged from her weapon, driving him further away.

  She gritted her teeth and activated [Lightning Clad II], electricity arcing along her limbs and sword, enhancing her speed and strength. The added power allowed her to parry Valen's next strike and retaliate with a [Bolt Slash], sending a wave of lightning-infused energy toward him. Valen dodged, but the attack grazed his shoulder, causing his muscles to twitch from the brief paralysis. The dark chamber illuminated witih flashes of crimson and golden light, a light show to their deadly dance of combat.

  Using the momentary advantage, Lorelai dashed forward with [Dash II], leaving an after-image in her wake to confuse him. She followed up with a rapid succession of thrusts, each one faster than the last, her AGI stat pushing her beyond normal limits. Valen managed to deflect most, but a few strikes slipped through, leaving shallow cuts across his arms. The divine energy singing his skin as the energy burned him.

  Valen growled, his dark aura flaring as he unleashed shadowy tendrils toward Lorelai. She countered by invoking [Aura of Purity], the protective light repelling the dark magic and curing minor wounds on Aeryn nearby. As the tendrils recoiled, Lorelai seized the opportunity to cast [Oppression], a gravitational waterfall slamming on top of Valen, nearly dropping him to his kneest. He struggled against the increasing force, his movements slowing as he tried to escape the area of effect.

  With Valen hindered, Lorelai invoked [Lightning Animus: Scarlet Thunderbird]. The ethereal bird materialized above her, its wings crackling with scarlet lightning. With a piercing cry, it dove toward Valen, releasing a massive bolt of energy that would inflict immense damage even to him.

  Breathing heavily, Valen managed to break free, retaliating with a dark energy blast that Lorelai narrowly dodged. She responded with [Zakir], channeling a concentrated bolt of lightning through her fingers. The high-piercing attack shot toward Valen, striking him in the side and sending him crashing into the chamber wall, the bolt of lightning breaking the stone wall behind him.

  Valen staggered to his feet, his crimson eyes burning with fury, the wound healing rapidly. He charged, his rapier aimed at Lorelai's heart. Lorelai read the movement correctly, activating [Counterstrike], parrying his thrust and delivering a powerful retaliatory blow that sent him sprawling across the floor, the divine energy making him slow to heal.

  Wounded and breathless, Valen struggled to rise. Lorelai approached, pouring as much of her divine energy into her blade glowing for [Smite II] as she could muster. "This ends now."

  The air was heavy with radiant energy, Valen rallied and struck with a blade darkened by his magic. Sshe countered with a swift thrust of her own, channeling her [Smite] ability. The radiant energy clashed against Valen's dark magic and overpowered the dark energy, sending Valen's sword flying across the chamber.

  Valen's mouth opened widened. "Impressive...."

  Breathing heavily, Valen studied her for a moment before sheathing his rapier. "Enough. You've made your point. Aeryn stays with you... for now."

  Lorelai held her ground as Valen disappeared into the shadows. She turned to Aeryn, offering her a hand. "Come on. We're leaving."

  Aeryn took it, her strength returning bit by bit. "Thank you Lorelai, you saved me,” Aeryn said, her voice quieter than usual, laced with a rare vulnerability.

  Lorelai returned her weapons to her spatial storage and crossed her arms. “Yeah, well… you’ve saved me plenty of times. I figured I owed you one.” She smirked slightly but then grew serious. “You alright?”

  Aeryn exhaled, shaking her head. “I will be. But—” She hesitated, her expression tightening. “If you hadn’t come when you did… I don’t know how long I would’ve lasted.”

  Lorelai tilted her head, studying Aeryn for a moment. “You would’ve survived.”

  Aeryn blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

  “You’re stronger than before,” Lorelai said, nodding toward her. “I can tell. That training’s paid off.”

  Aeryn scoffed. “Felt pretty useless back there.”

  Lorelai shook her head. “You weren’t. You held on. You endured.” She stepped closer, lowering her voice. “I saw how hard you've been working, makes me want to step up my own training. I dont know if I have evert trained to the state of exhaustion you're in now. You’re faster, sharper. You anticipate and manipulate to fit your style.”

  Aeryn looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers. “I’ve been pushing myself, but I didn’t think it was enough.”

  Lorelai gave a small, approving nod. “It is and next time, you’ll push even further.”

  Aeryn let out a breath, a ghost of a smile appearing. “Next time, I won’t need rescuing.”

  Lorelai smirked. “We’ll see about that.”

  Kael cleared his throat behind them. “Not to interrupt the moment, but we should really go before Valen decides to change the terms of our truce.”

  Thrax chuckled. “Yeah, let’s save the heartfelt talks for when we’re not standing in enemy territory.”

  Aeryn pushed herself up, her stance more solid now. She glanced at Lorelai. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Lorelai nodded. “Agreed.”

  With that, they turned and left the chamber behind, the echoes of battle still crackling in the air

  Kael let out a relieved sigh. "Let’s get out of here before he changes his mind."

  Thrax smirked. "Agreed."

  With renewed determination, they stepped beyond the castle’s cursed walls, into the unknown dangers awaiting them.

  class: Martial Force

  Agi - 24

  Will - 22

  End - 21

  Int- 20

  Lightning Animus: Scarlet Thunderbird

  Aura of Purity - emanate a protective aura that radiates from you granting allies protection and curing against poison, charm effects, and status ailments such as paralysis and petrification. Cures minor curses.

  Bolt Slash/Piercer: A slash(sword)/Punch (Spear) that sends out lightning/radiant magic attack from a weapon. Small chance of paralysis effect, duration 1.5 s

  Gravity Slash/Piercer: The slash presses down, the punch presses to a wall or other object. Str of gravity effect coordinates with WILL stat.

  Daylight(light magic)- illuminates dark areas, weakens undead, and dispels magical darkness below a certain level/tier

  Zakir- large bolt of lightning shot with two fingers, high piercing effect

  Oppression- greatly increase the gravitational force in an aoe

  Gravity Centrifuge-you create a focal point to create your gravitational pull point. Any enemy within a fifteen meter radius is pulled towards the center. The closer to the center, the stronger the pull. The ball of gravity explodes at the end of the spell dealing damage proportional to proximity to the center

  Repulse- can repel or pull any metal object under the effects of lightning clad

  Weight Manipulation (upgrade pending)- Alter the weight of yourself or target, concentration required. Drastic changes are available at a higher tier

  Spatial Storage: Provides a pocket dimension to store non-living things in, the size of the space is dependent upon your INT stat.

  Rapid thrusts - Give numerous quick thrusts, number of thrusts dependent upon AGI stat power of thrust dependent upon STR stat

  Dash(Rank II)- rapidly increase movement speed for up to 2 meters cd 15 seconds. Speed of dash is dependent upon AGI stat, distance is dependent upon STR stat. At a small mana cost create an after-image to confuse enemies

  Counterstrike- Parry and counter strike with a higher chance to critical. crit chance dependent upon WILL stat, damage dependent upon STR

  Smite(Rank II) - coats weapon in radiant energy and provides a minor heal/stamina to allies within 60 feet when an enemy is slain by smite. Radiant dmg is scaled off of STR and WILL

  Affinities: holy, radiant, light, lightning, gravity, spacetime, electromagnetism

  basic skills- dash unarmed combat

  Swordsmanship: Diamond Cutter: Dragonslaying Sword (second form)

  Spearmanship: Spear of the Divine: Precision and Punishing (second form)

  unique talent - shapeshifting (human only)