All the light vanished for an instant, sucked back into Maho’s body and leaving the cavern pitch black. Then the light detonated outwards in an explosion of magical energy. Nearly blinded by the intensity of the blast, Luc had enough common sense to drop to the ground and cover his head with his hands.

Luc felt heat searing his back, and rumbles echoed throughout the chamber. The wall that Luc was huddled against shook with the force of the attack but did not break. Dust and small pebbles fell from the wall, raining down on Luc’s body. Scrunching his eyes shut, Luc prayed to the gods that Maho’s sacrifice would not be in vain.

Then, as the heat dissipated from around Luc, the cavern fell back into stillness.

Looking up, Luc saw that the cavern was still lit by the gems that Maho had scattered on the ground. Seemingly having absorbed some of the light that Maho had emitted, they shone more brightly than ever. A cloud of dust wafted in front of Luc, blocking his vision. Coughing, Luc waved his hand to clear his view.

Ahead of him, where Maho had been standing, was a wide dent probably a foot deep in the stone floor. Heart pounding, Luc glanced around, banking on the off chance that Maho had survived. However, some miracles just were not meant to happen. Maho was gone, nowhere to be found.

Gone from this world. Luc felt empty inside. In his life as the heir of Tosa, he had never felt this way before. He wasn’t quite sure what the feeling was, but regardless, he never wanted to feel this way again.

The scraping of straw across rock interrupted his thoughts.

Luc’s head shot up. I thought they were blown away by the blast! How can they still be alive after that?

Three of the straw-covered figures stood in front of him. They bore the masks of an ox, a horse, and a monkey. The ox mask had an enormous body – around the same size as Sor and Dante. The horse mask was shorter than the ox mask, body thin but padded with lean muscle. The monkey mask was hunched over, long arms hanging limply in front of its body.

I don’t have any time to mope! Luc surveyed his surroundings. The three monsters were approaching him as before, step by step coming closer and closer. But with only three of them, the semicircle they formed around him was not as imprisoning. Based on what I’ve seen from them so far, they’re slow. I should be able to outrun them.

Not giving it a second thought, Luc turned and began sprinting along the cavern wall. As long as I can stick next to the wall, I should be fine. I can follow it back to –

The ox mask sailed past Luc, nearly smashing him to smithereens. Its head rammed into the stone wall inches away from Luc, sending stone splintering everywhere. Luckily for Luc, it seemed that its head had gotten stuck in the wall. But as Luc turned to flee, the ox mask’s hand struck out, gripping Luc’s leg like a vice.

“Get off me!” shouted Luc, pelting the ox mask with punches and kicks. It was no use. The ox mask would not relent its grip.

A short distance away, the monkey mask loped towards them, waddling forth on its bowed legs.

Holy mother of all gods!

“[Kneel]!” shouted Luc, kicking at the ox mask. “I said [Kneel], you monster!”

/

[Kneel] was unsuccessful.

[Kneel] was unsuccessful.

All the while, the monkey mask came closer and closer. As it did so, Luc’s struggles slowed and then ceased. He had always considered himself a pretty lucky person. After so many close calls, it only made sense for death to come looking for him. But even though he resigned himself to death, it didn’t mean he wanted to die. There were still so many things he wanted to do. He wanted to find out what Matthias knew about his mother. He wanted to get rid of his curse get all of his skills back. But most of all, he just wanted to go home.

“Please,” whispered Luc, closing his eyes. “I promise I’ll do things differently from here on out. Please save me.”

/

Requirements satisfied.

You have learned a new Bloodline Skill – [Reinforcements].

What? Right now?

Luc had no time to think. The monkey mask had raised its arms in preparation for its attack. If what had happened to Maho was any indication of these monsters' skills, Luc didn’t have much time to act.

“[Reinforcements]!” shouted Luc.

The pendant around Luc’s neck burst into white light. Squinting, Luc looked to the side, watching the pendant from the corner of his eye. The monkey mask had halted, tilting its head to watch. Something about the size of an adult cat sprang from the pendant and landed in front of Luc. Then the pendant went dark once more.

Standing before Luc was the white dragon whelp.

“You?” said Luc, very confused at what was going on.

The dragon whelp bounded over to the ox mask, whose head was still stuck in the wall. Opening its mouth and revealing a set of tiny fangs, the dragon whelp gave the ox mask a hearty bite. Emitting a horrifying screech muffled by the wall, the ox mask finally released its grip.

Luc staggered back, barely evading the monkey mask’s attack. The monkey mask had darted forward, grabbing at Luc with its massive hands. Luc’s backwards movement helped him avoid the blow, causing the monkey mask to rake its hands through empty air.

“Distract them!” Luc shouted at the dragon whelp.

Without bothering to see what it did, Luc turned and began sprinting away from the monsters. I’ve gotta get of here as fast as I can! If only I can find a way to open the door again!

There was a horrifying yelp from behind Luc. Glancing over his shoulder, Luc saw the dragon whelp skidding across the ground. Its white fur was matted with dirt and one of its small wings had been torn. Despite its wounds, the dragon whelp rose back onto its paws, one of its hind legs dragging against the ground. The monkey mask lumbered towards it, arms swinging at its sides.

I can’t do anything for it. If I try, I’m dead.

Luc set his jaw and turned to flee once more. But as he did so, he remembered Dante, coming to save him from the warg. He remembered Maho, sacrificing himself to try to defeat he masked monsters. Isn’t that what a Lord is supposed to do though? Let the followers sacrifice themselves and fight on another day?

Before all this Nighthawk business, Luc would’ve said ‘yes’ without hesitation. But after Dante, Maho, and even the dragon whelp, Luc wasn’t so sure about his answer anymore. If a Lord loses all his followers, can he still be called a Lord?

Then and there, Luc made up his mind.

Releasing a feral roar, Luc turned back around and charged at the monkey mask. He had no idea how he was going to defeat this monster. But at the moment, he didn’t care. For the first time in his life, he was facing a problem head-on and doing something for someone other than himself.

It felt good.

Luc’s euphoria was interrupted by a leg bulleting into his side. For a moment, he hung in the air, wondering what had hit him. Then he hurtled backwards, tumbling head over heels across the stone floor. As he skidded to a stop, he choked and gagged, trying to breathe in the air that had been knocked out of him. Finally filling his lungs, he gasped and pounded the ground with a fist, trying to shake the wooziness in his head.

Horse mask! I forgot about him!

That’s when the pain hit him. In his abdomen, where he had been kicked, an immense pain, more agonizing than anything he had felt before, erupted. Scrunching his eyes shut, Luc curled up into a ball, trying to drown out the suffering. It didn’t help at all. Forcing himself to look up through watery eyes, Luc saw monkey mask still heading towards the dragon whelp.

I’m not done yet!

Trying to ignore the pain burning through his body, Luc forced himself to his feet and again charged towards the monkey mask. Once more, the horse mask galloped into his way. Without giving Luc any time to respond, it snapped out its leg like a whip. The leg hit Luc in the shins, knocking him face-first into the ground. Luc’s felt his teeth cut his lip, and the taste of blood filled his mouth.

The pain! Holy mother of all gods, the pain!

Luc groaned and lifted his head, spitting blood from his mouth. Everything, from the nearby rocks to the masked monsters, looked fuzzy. Blinking several times, he watched as monkey mask booted the dragon whelp. It rolled over to where Luc lay, just several feet away.

The dragon whelp no longer moved.

You too? Luc pushed himself onto his hands and knees. Extending an arm, he reached for the dragon whelp’s still body.

The horse mask kicked Luc in the midsection, knocking him into the air. For a second, Luc’s mind went blank. Then he crashed to the stone floor, careening into a large rock. As he lay there, his thoughts remained jumbled and broken. The only thing that was clear was that he was going to die soon.

Guess in the end, I couldn’t change after all.

/

Requirements satisfied.

You have learned a new Bloodline Skill – [The Inseverable Bond].