The hammer stilled in Laurence’s hands, slowly he edged his head up until he was looking directly at his father. As he stilled his movement, everything in his surroundings followed suit. The wind ceased entirely, the mana stilled and even the sounds from the house behind them seemed to mute. His hammer swung to bear on his father, but even that did not break the silence that had been built up. An instant passed in what seemed like an eternity and a single blip of light appeared on the sharp edge at the tip of the hammer shaft. The moment it appeared the world dimmed, everything became as quiet as the void and Angus took a step back in concern for the incoming attack. The older man's muscles were taught, his heart beat wildly, but the sound of it was killed by the force collecting in the tiny mote at the end of Laurence’s weapon. A silent thought rose unbidden in the minds of everyone nearby, a single word echoing louder and louder until it consumed their focus. A single thought, a name of power.
“Astaroth."
Rather than shouted or whispered, the word was spoken as if one was saying the name of an old friend. In that moment, Laurence lifted his spear and released the mote of everything into the sky. It shot up into the air and cut through the clouds like a line of fire. In an instant it had travelled into the very firmament and passed beyond it, disappearing into the void between the floors of the tower, and leaving an odd warping effect on the place it had passed through.
There was a skittering from behind him as Peter and Jim rushed outside to see what had just happened. They looked on at Laurence in horror and confusion as the dust settled and the world seemed to take a collective breath of air.
“What was that?” Angus asked, slightly shaken as he walked over to the still rippling echo of light. “Your attacks all had some threat behind them, but that was the first I felt that could actively end me. What in the name of life was that?”
“I think of it as a moment of everything. I take every single piece of energy in my surroundings and compress it into a mote of light, then release it. It's terrifyingly powerful, but it takes a long time to set up, which is why I wouldn't use it in combat normally."
“Could you sneak attack someone with that?” Peter asked, his eyes gleaming in appreciation at the power expressed by Laurence in that single moment.”If you could then... wow that would be the ultimate assassination skill."
“unfortunately for the most part no, it has too much of a presence for me to be able release it stealthily. There is a window where if the person is of the same level of strength as me, they would not have time to stop me building up in power or move out of the way enough that it would not hit them, but... that window is small. I can basically only use this skill for a sure hit strike."
“So it's useless then,” Peter said, sighing. “It's a shame, because that seemed more powerful that I could believe. It seemed like the strike of an Ascendant Immortal."
“I have ways to use it in combat, but it's not something I can use often. The attack simply makes too much noise and takes too much time in preparation to be anything but a sure kill strike on a locked down target."
“So what is the final strike like then?” Jim asked. “It's gotta be something incredible if Astaroth is anything to go by."
Laurence sighed, “I can't tell you. Only the name is complete, the rest is in about half to two thirds done. Without something to point my way, to inspire me, it might take an eternity to complete."
“Don't worry son, the final step is always the hardest but I believe in you. And having seen the power of that strike, I'm kind of in awe." Angus smiled as he walked over to his son, ruffling the younger man’s hair. “I think I can trust you'll be able to protect the key from any untoward powers, but I have to ask, are you sure this is the right thing to do?”
“I keep telling people, I don't know. But... It's all I can do. This is the best shot I've been given in the last cycle, and I would be remiss if I gave it up now. Cleo is more than just the focus of my life, she's my entire being. She is the reason I have kept going on for as long as I have; that hope that I could bring her back, that drive to do something for someone who helped me focus myself, that focus on a target to devote myself to. I did it all for her, and if I let this chance go then I will bury myself under the eternal what-if and maybe, that this could be the way to bring her back”
“Not knowing is the hardest part, huh?”
“It is, Dad,” Laurence said, fiercely hugging his father. “I just want her back...”
Angus broke free from the hug and took out the herbalists pouch on his waist. Fishing around within it, he grabbed a metal hammer statuette and put it into Laurence’s hand. Carefully he closed his son's hand around the small metal object, and gave a pained smile. “It's one of the only things I have left to remind me of my sister, so please take care of it. Though the same can be said for you too. I don't know if I'm making a mistake or we will laugh about this all in the future, but I'm hoping you come out of this successfully."
Laurence smiled back before carefully putting the statuette away. “Thank you."
“Before you leave, I should probably tell you that I was the caretaker of the other key as well, and I put it in a place that few would go. The Absolution clan are forced to go there when they reach Immortality though, as it is a perfect case study for those who wish to reach Ascension... as well as a warning for what could go wrong in the process. It’s the place where your uncle died; the Floor of Death."
“The Floor of Death? My uncle died there? Are you talking about the legend of Bloody Gus?”
“So you’ve heard the story then?” Angus sighed. “It doesn’t exactly paint me in a good light, but it’s true. The death of my brother propelled me to Ascension and then the purge of the entire realm. It... was a mistake. If I had been less blinded by my range I might have been able to help Grace when Hephaistia fell, but instead I was in exile, meeting your mother... meeting Maris.” there was a bittersweet edge to his voice as Angus spoke, but it did not persist as he sighed and looked back at the house. “I know you'll rush off to get yourself into more trouble, Law, so when you get to the Floor of Death I need you to meet with someone. The Absolution gatekeeper should be able to point you in his direction."
“Who is this mysterious person?” Jim asked. “Someone famous? A wielder of great power?”
“He is... He's the person who kept me up to date with the stories about my son's journey through the Tower. If not for him I would have probably gone and hunted for you myself, completely negating the point of the climb in the first place." Angus ushered Laurence and his companions back inside. It was obvious to all of them that there would be no more combat today.
The group moved back into the house and were presented with a veritable banquet of food for six people. There were pots of exquisitely cooked sauces that sat around various beautifully cut pieces of meat, fried dumplings and roasted vegetables. The scent of food filled the room and caused all but the cook herself to salivate. Maris simply sat at her seat by the head of the table and gave the group a small smile. There was an unspoken understanding as the group sat down at the table that this was likely be the best meal they would eat in the foreseeable future. They shared a look as they grabbed at the food that looked most delicious to them, before digging into their meal. Idle chatter flitted around the room as Maris and Angus coddled Fen, making sure the boy was fed and cared for. Even in the small amount of time that they had spent together, both of them could tell that while Laurence was likely an excellent teacher, as a father figure he was sorely wanting.
As the sun began to set Laurence and his companions bade their farewells. They had a new target now, and they were a third of the way towards completing their own grand plan. Angus and Maris watched their son walk into the distance in each other’s arms. As he disappeared, Angus shivered and turned to his wife with a forlorn expression on his face. “I don’t know why...” he began, “But I can’t help but feel that Law was saying goodbye to us."
“Of course he was, he just did."
“No... I just... I have this terrible feeling that we’re never going to see our son again."
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