The Ascension Of The Celestial Priest

A moment of silence passed before a shadowy figure materialized and to their surprise they immediately recognized the voice that emanated from it.

"Easy…it's me." Rexsi said as he came out of the shadows with his red scarf floating in the wind like a beacon of blood. His eyes warily shifted from Lukas's Starlight Staff to Geoff's sword before flitting back to the gleaming staff, an imperceptible gaze flashing across his face.

"What are you doing here?" Geoff asked as they both lowered their weapons in relief. If Rexsi used to be hostile at the beginning of their previous dungeon run, by the end of it a form of respect materialized between the two of them as Lukas was not one to hold on to useless grudges in the first place.

Rexsi wryly smiled as he answered." I saw him," he gestured at Lukas. "…walking towards this area and so I followed him."

Seeing both of their expressions, he helplessly shrugged." I needed to talk to him…in private." He added before a strange expression flickered over his face as he stared at both of them. "But by the looks of it, I might have interrupted something…"

Geoff's mouth twitched while Lukas couldn't help a feeling of annoyance pass through him. They might no longer be enemies but he couldn't help but admit that his timing was just too perfect…

Geoff cleared his throat as he sheathed back his sword."Well…" he awkwardly said before he decided to make his escape.

"I should probably go; Mira isn't her best when she is left alone with alcohol in her hands."

Lukas reluctantly agreed, "It's alright."

Geoff gave a smile and he was just about to take a step before he recalled the real reason he came here in the first place.

"Hey…" he tentatively asked as he turned back. "Would you like join us?"

Before Lukas could even respond Geoff unleashed another tirade.

"Although I and Mira make a good team, we have had more than our fair share of injuries. After finding out what we missed during the Catacombs, we wanted to see if it is possible for you to join us. With you as our priest, Mira as our formidable fire mage, and me as the forerunner almost all our missions will be a guaranteed success and we would be able to tackle even ones that promise even more returns. And you wouldn't have to worry about the rewards; it will be equally divided amongst us as a team. What do you think?"

Lukas paused; more than a little surprised they wanted to recruit him, a Mid Mortal Ranked mage into their group. Especially when you consider Mira from the House of Fyre was a Noble of higher stature than him and she was sure to find more formidable people to accompany her. But with a quick thought, he knew he already had his answer that he couldn't join them even if he wanted to.

With a lot of stuff to catch up to and a lot of spells to master, he barely would have time for anything else. He narrowly survived his last venture (even though they secretly had a protector, something Lukas didn't want to count on) which made him realize he needed to get stronger. And the only viable way was to initiate his intense upcoming training regime back at the Cathedral all in preparation for the approaching inner sect competition happening more than a few months later. He had made a promise* back then to his sister and he intended to fulfill it.

"For now, I'm afraid I can't..." He slowly shook his head in response.

Geoff's shoulders slumped in dismay but the next words cheered him up.

"But I would be pleased if I was invited into some of your missions. The reason I can't join right now is that the last dungeon run made me aware of how weak my own cultivation is. This made me decide to return to the Cathedral and train even harder."

Then Lukas confidently smiled, "And who knows; by the time you guys really need me, my spells will be more than enough to raze through all obstruction."

Struck by the look of confidence in his eyes, Geoff and Rexsi both had a look of admiration on their faces. They finally realized why a Mid-Mortal priest like Lukas was formidable as they could actually taste his conviction to grow stronger and attain even more power. Most probably the gains he got from the run through the catacombs will be transformed into an even a formidable strength in the future.

Geoff nodded in agreement. "I understand. The next time we meet, we would actually see who would fare to be stronger."

Lukas smirked, the competitive air rising through his bones. "I'm already honored that you guys thought I was worthy enough to recruit. Next time you guys truly need me, I will be readily available and we would finally have an answer to that."

"It's a promise then." Geoff challenged before he slightly blushed at his words. He nodded at Rexsi before he vanished beyond the curtain that separated the alcove from the blaring music inside the hall.

A chill passed the still air as Rexsi felt the lingering presence of Geoff disappearing further and further away. After he was sure they were truly alone, he turned towards Lukas, not missing the flicker of discontent in his eyes that soon vanished as he spoke.

"So" Lukas said as his face cleared up, finally curious at what Rexsi had to say, "What did you want to talk about?" He asked, his white and blue robe gleaming under the radiance of the moon above.

*The promise was made back at Chapter 8; The Hand in Darkness