Forged Legacy

Chapter 172 - Devotion

“I know I’ve said it before, but your Class is really coming together,” Harvey smiled, patting his brother on the back.

“Yeah…” Tyler hesitated.

“What? You’ve gotta admit this is a great skillset you’ve built,” Harvey pushed.

“I know. I’m just a little worried about how many of my skills dropped in rarity after they evolved. I mean, Perfect Pitch is Common now. Can it even get any lower?” Tyler asked.

“Technically, you can break a skill to the point it becomes Inferior, but that’s almost impossible unless you completely ignore the Loom’s input,” Cash explained.

“Who cares about one Common skill? Let’s be honest, you barely ever used it, and that was only because you blazed through G-Grade in less than a week. I don’t care how many brimfiends you kill, you’re not going to do the same with F-Grade. Now everything you fight will be the same grade as you, and you’ll get a chance to gain some more experience with your skills before it’s time to evolve them again,” Harvey assured.

“I’m more worried about the holy resonance you lost,” Steve interjected. “What happened to becoming a Templar? Aren’t you going to need some holy skills to kill demons?”

Harvey knew that killing demons wasn’t really his father’s main concern, but he wasn’t going to have that discussion now. Steve might be fine letting his son abandon his Profession if it meant prioritizing his role as one of God’s Holy Warriors, but he clearly wasn’t happy to see his Class moving away from that path as well.

“We can make up for that with inscriptions,” Harvey replied. “His bat was already the source of all the holy resonance for Contact Hitter, and I can add some Heaven’s Wrath ink to supplement the change to Fast Break.”

Cash, also seeing the shame flashing across Tyler’s face, added, “Heaven is happy when the faithful find their own way in the world. We teach everyone our paths because most people struggle finding one of their own, but you’ve already proven that yours is powerful.

“I’m sorry,” Steve stammered. “I’m not trying to be overbearing, I just…”

“It’s ok, Dad. I get it,” Tyler smiled, pulling his father in a big hug. Steve’s shoulders relaxed as he held his son tight. Harvey was happy to see this wasn’t going to be a lingering problem between them. His own relationship with his father had taken a while to smooth over, as they both danced around the subject of religion for far too long instead of just sitting down and having a solid conversation about it.

When they finally broke away, Tyler nudged his father towards the Loom. “Your turn! I know you’re not evolving yet, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make your Capstone skill!”

“That’s right!” Harvey beamed. “Have you thought about what you’re going to make?”

Now it was Steve’s turn to look embarrassed, his eyes darting away from Harvey’s as he looked at him expectantly.

“Umm… yeah. I think I’ve got an idea.”

Harvey waited, growing concerned when his father refrained from elaborating. “Well, come on! Spit it out! You should know how this goes by now,” Harvey laughed.

Steve fidgeted for a moment before looking sheepishly up at his son. “Before you got here, they taught us about skills that conjure weapons.”

“And? Why the hell would you need a skill like that?” Harvey asked.

“Powerful weapons, with extra effects baked in. Hammers that shoot lightning and swords coated in smiting fire,” Steve continued.

“So what? I can do the same thing with inscriptions! I literally have a hammer that shoots bursts of lightning,” Harvey urged, pulling out Aftershock and handing it to his father. Steve took it, examining the arrays carefully painted onto the steel before handing it back.

“I know you can, and I know you can make me something better than anything I can get from a G-Grade skill. I just…”

“You just what? If you trust me to make something better, then don’t waste your Capstone skill!” Harvey snapped.

“I just think you have better things to do than worry about my weapon!” Steve exclaimed. “You’ve got your hands full as it is! Look, I’ve been fighting with an old hand-me-down sword and a dented shield for days now.”

Harvey’s face went flush, his cheeks burning hot with embarrassment. “I know, and I’m sorry about that! I promise your stuff is next on my list.”

Guilt had been eating away at him for days now, but he’d kept pushing it away. He’d told himself it was fine since he’d finished their armor first, but something more important always came up whenever it came time to forge his father's shield. Finishing Rupture, designing his new bullets, and even inscribing Tyler’s bat. Intentionally or not, he’d neglected his father to focus on himself.

“Wait, you didn’t let me finish,” Steve interrupted. “My stuff should be nowhere near the top of your list, least of all my sword. You’ve got enough on your plate already. The things you create astound me every day, son. I always knew you had a brilliant mind, but actually seeing the fruits of your ingenuity and holding them in my own hands has really opened my eyes. You always told us about your work at the engineering firm, but it was hard to understand what all that code really meant. Now you're building things to literally save Heaven, and I don’t want you wasting your time on a simple sword for me.”

“Well, tough! You’re worth it, and I’m going to forge you one whether you like it or not!” Harvey rejected.

“Listen, I’m a Sentinel, through and through. What I really need is a top-notch shield, and I’m going to leave that to you. A perfect weapon doesn’t really matter as much, so why don’t we leave that to the System?”

Harvey wanted to argue, but his Dad was right when he said he had too much on his plate. Even now, he had too many projects and not enough time. His desire for an aethersteel pump-action shotgun grew with every poorly-timed reload of his revolver, and he knew he needed more firepower if they were going to have any chance of assassinating a demon lieutenant. And, for that to even be a possibility, he needed to forge the aura-transmuting jewelry for Cash and Celeste to hide the fact that they were angels casually strolling into Hell. Even that was assuming they survived the demon’s inevitable assault, which was a herculean task in and of itself. One that necessitated Harvey spending a bulk of his time over the next day and a half building traps to thin out the army of Helltaurs, Mortarhorns, and whatever else the demons decide to throw at them before they reach Heaven’s gates.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

“I don’t want you to think you’re not important,” Harvey stammered. “Everything I’m doing is to try and keep you safe.”

“I know,” Steve smiled. “You put the weight of the world on your shoulders, and I wish I could help you lift a little more of it. If I was a little stronger, then maybe I could, but for now, all I can do is try to take some of that pressure away.”

Cash and Tyler said nothing, both watching as the two men stared at each other, teary-eyed.

“Ok,” Harvey finally relented.

With that, Steve clapped a hand on Harvey’s shoulder before moving to the Loom. The hiss of rainbow haze filled the air, leaving no more room for argument.

“You’re killing it, Harvey. Sorry if I don’t say that enough,” Tyler encouraged.

“Killing what?” Harvey chuckled.

“I don’t know… life?” Tyler replied.

“Heck yeah. I’m totally killing life right now,” Harvey mocked.

“Shut up,” Tyler groaned.

Harvey watched as his father sifted through memories, testing various combinations until he found one he liked. Harvey had no idea what kind of experiences someone who’d never actually forged anything would use to make his magic sword, but he assumed the angels had accounted for that during their lessons.

The first vision to make the cut showed Harvey using a Flamestrike empowered Sentinel’s Arcblade to hack through the haft of a Helltaur’s battleaxe. He was happy to see that even if he wasn’t going to be the one making his dad’s weapon, at least one of his skills would be included in its inspiration. The gouts of flame erupting from the sword had been one of his first offensive skills, and had been the difference in many of his early fights back in Veils End. It helped him push past the iron elementals' strong natural defenses, allowing him to damage their cores even when his strikes couldn’t crack through the metal.

Next, Steve added another vision from his time lounging around in angel school. Harvey liked to give his family a hard time about trying to learn to fight in a classroom instead of surviving in the wilderness like him, but he had to admit that those lectures led to good results. They’d played a large part in many of Steve and Tyler’s skills, and was it really that different than the guides Harvey, Hannah, and Elena used to get their Professions? The only real difference was that, instead of being taught by a living person, they learned from a book.

[Isn’t it weird how John’s shops are here in this trial too?]

I hadn’t really thought about it, Harvey admitted.

[Everyone just acts like it's normal, which wouldn’t be weird if he didn’t plaster himself and his bad jokes all over the store.]

Third, Steve added his memory of Celeste cutting down the minotaurs with her longsword. The silver blade was a blur as she parried crushing blows and turned their momentum into exquisite ripostes. Harvey hadn’t been able to watch her destructive dance, too busy fighting off his own pair of Helltaur’s, and found himself stunned.

[You’ve got a crush on the bossy angel lady, don’t you?] Julius mocked.

What? No! Of course not!

[Oh, please,] Julius laughed. [Then why do I keep catching you staring at her? You know we share the same set of eyes, right?]

I’m not staring! She just… moves fast.

[Moves fast? What does that even mean?]

She moves fast, and I need to make sure I stay out of her way! I don’t want to get slashed because I’m not paying attention!

[Sure,] Julius replied with a knowing tone. [Keep telling yourself that.]

Realizing he was watching Celeste’s fight for the fourth time, Harvey finally broke his eyes away to the next memory. It appeared Steve’s newest skill was going to be a highlight reel of their assault, this vision showing Steve switching places with Harvey after he’d been kicked over the side of the platform. A gold and silver chain shot out of his wrist, wrapping around the minotaur and giving him the perfect leverage to sink his sword deep in the monster's chest.

Finally, Harvey saw a vision of his father back when he was a little younger than Harvey, sitting alone during a Sunday service. Harvey had heard this story a thousand times. His father had just gone through a bad breakup and wanted nothing more than to go home and sulk. He’d gone on a few first dates, but hadn’t felt a connection with any of them. In his own words, Steve was still too hung up on his ex and couldn’t get over the fact that he was back at square one when he’d been planning to propose soon.

Just as he was about to get up and leave, he felt a strong impression that if he sat back down, stopped worrying about women, and focused on the Lord, everything else would work out.

“And that’s the day I met your mother,” Tyler and Harvey said in unison, erupting in laughter.

“What?” Cash asked, confused.

“Our Dad thinks his entire life changed at this moment,” Tyler explained.

“Put God first, and everything else will fall into place. That’s exactly what I did, and look where we are now!” Harvey exclaimed, doing his best Steve impression.

“Why is that funny?” Cash pressed as the others continued trying to stifle their laughs.

“It’s not the first time you hear it, but it gets old,” Harvey explained.

With a nod, Steve’s memories floated into the Loom. Gold, silver, and white thread cascaded down, weaving into the shape of a simple silver longsword wreathed in golden-white flames. The sword had a golden crystal embedded in the guard, reminding Harvey of the essence crystals powering the healing brands on Aftershock and the Sentinel’s Arcblade. The sigil floated through the air, settling on the inside of Steve’s right forearm. They saw him groaning in pain, but couldn’t hear as the rainbow smoke enveloping him retreated.

“What are you chuckleheads laughing at?” Steve grumbled as he walked over.

“Guess,” Tyler replied with an eager grin.

Steve glared at them both, making them burst out laughing all over again. “It’s a great story! Your mother loves it when I tell it to you kids!”

“Of course she does! She hated your ex more than anyone!” Tyler laughed.

“It is a good story,” Harvey added. “It’s just funny to see it get turned into a magic sword, that’s all.”

“No. You’re laughing because you think I tell it too much,” Steve grumbled.

“Who cares?” Tyler laughed. “Just show us the skill already!”

A screen appeared in front of them, and they all leaned in to read the description.

Devotion | G-Grade | Rare:

Devotion manifests in many ways. In the past, your unwavering commitment to your faith has helped you guide and protect those you love as you all wandered through the uncertainties of life. Now, your devotion has become a sword sanctified to cut down all the denizens of Hell who stand in your family’s way. Conjure a silver longsword wrought in holy flames. Part of the essence used to conjure the weapon is stored in a holy resonance crystal and can be used to shoot bolts of divine wrath from the point of the blade. The weapon’s quality and its divine power scale with Strength and Willpower.

The silver blade appeared in his hands, its pristine surface reflecting the light of the chapel. The holy resonance crystal shone like a radiant star, nestled securely in the center of the guard. There was nothing ornate about the sword, yet it exuded a quiet authority that reflected the quality of its construction.

Stepping back, Steve tapped into the power stored inside the crystal to wreath the blade in golden-white flames that danced along the razor-sharp edge. Taking a few careful swings, the flames clung to the silver like glue, meaning he didn’t have to worry about accidentally burning himself.

Steve smiled with satisfaction before shooting a nervous gaze towards Harvey.

“It’s a great sword,” Harvey encouraged. “If the quality scales with his stats, does that mean it will get stronger as he levels up?”

“Exactly,” Cash answered. “It’s one of the main benefits of using conjured equipment.”

Damn. My stuff doesn’t get stronger as I level.

[Don’t worry about it. Sounds like a waste of a skill slot to me, and your blacksmithing skills are getting better with every project. People with conjured gear will only have weapons as strong as they are, but yours can skip straight to the peak of each grade.]

I guess.

“I can’t wait to see those holy bolts it shoots,” Cash added.

“Can’t test that in here,” Steve smiled.

“Then what are we waiting for! Let’s blow this popsicle stand!” Tyler exclaimed.

“Did you just call the chapel a popsicle stand?” Steve complained as they all followed Tyler out the door.