Since no one had an answer to the question of Morgana’s use of a mask, Lukas decided it was ti to move on to sothing else.
"Liam’s second class," he said. "What do you guys think it’ll be? I felt holy energy when he used his second attack on that woman."
Akira straightened slightly. "I recognized it too."
She set her cup down. "During my ti in the Sisterhood, religious classes were highly valued by the Church, and I saw a few of them in action."
"The skill he used is called [Divine Wrath]. The problem is that several classes share it, and none of them are weak."
"How powerful are we talking?" lody asked.
"On par with [Smite], especially after advancing to Adept and above."
Akira looked at Lukas.
"You know what [Smite] does in your hands. Now imagine that in the hands of soone whose entire class is built around supplying the necessary stats they need to beco absolutely destructive with it at every rank up."
She continued. "The [Archangel] class would fit, but it’s exceptionally rare to awaken this class directly. [Paladin] is possible but they don’t unlock [Divine Wrath] until much later in their progression, which is too late for soone at Liam’s level."
She ticked off the remaining options. "That leaves three realistic candidates. [Inquisitor], [Crusader], and [Templar]."
"And all three are dangerous," Lukas said.
"On their own yes, but all three paired with [Hero]? That’s another kind of dangerous entirely."
Akira picked her cup back up.
"The [Hero] class keeps him standing and moving through anything. And whatever his second class brings in terms of offensive power, he can deliver it while absorbing punishnt that would stop anyone else."
lody leaned forward, fingers laced on the table. "If you removed the stat limiter and fought him with everything, defeating Liam would be a piece of cake. Even the stats alone would be enough to carry you."
She sighed. "But as you are now with your stats capped at four hundred, and limiting yourself to [Smite] and [Wing Fortress] as your visible skills, then the fight could swing either way. He has the tools to make it genuinely difficult for you."
Lukas nodded in agreent. He’d already reached the sa conclusion on his own, so hearing it being spoken out loud was just confirmation.
"What about the others?" he asked. "Anyone else worth knowing before the next round?"
lody nodded, smiling at the change in topic. "I actually did find sothing on Belle Aurielle."
Lukas frowned, before rembering where he’d heard the na. It was the lady that had been fourth in the rankings.
She’d also been on the sa side of the bracket as he was. Unfortunately, she’d have to face Liam Walker first before she’d be able to et him in the tournant.
"What did you find?" he asked.
lody exchanged a glance with Akira, before leaning forward, a smile on her face.
"She’s interesting," she said. "More interesting than one would think."
And so he sat there, listening to all the information his wives had on the contestants.
Thirty two Awakeners over a period of five days. And only one would win.
***
There existed many mansions in Havenhart, but only a select few were as luxurious as this one.
Inside it was a large room with gold gilded furniture, designed for guests whose displeasure would be inconvenient.
There was a large window that gave the occupants a view of both the large mansion grounds, and the sprawling city in the distance.
Le Fay sat with his wine, looking at all of it without particularly seeing any of it.
"Has guarding Morgana interfered with your other responsibilities?" he asked, without turning from the window.
Baldwin stood at attention beside the door, hands clasped behind his back. "No, my lord. It has not."
"Good." Le Fay took a sip. "And don’t forget, the guardianship is a guise. Morgana is perfectly capable of managing her own safety. She always has been."
He finally glanced sideways at the large man. "Your actual purpose here is separate from her."
Baldwin said nothing, which was his way of saying that he understood.
Le Fay set his glass down on the arm of the chair. "Let’s hear your results of the investigation. What did you find?"
Baldwin straightened slightly. "I found two individuals connected to the tournant competitor Lukas Valentine. He has two wives, one nad lody, and one nad Akira."
"They haven’t done anything out of the ordinary but their backgrounds are the problem. I can find no record of either of them anywhere in Havenhart prior to their association with Valentine."
"I didn’t find any origin city, no guild affiliations, and no family records. Basically, there’s nothing that explains how they arrived here or how they ca to know him."
Le Fay’s expression didn’t change. "Do you think they’re part of the Brotherhood?"
"They don’t exhibit the behavioral patterns I would associate with Brotherhood operatives," Baldwin said carefully. "But I would not rule it out. The absence of a background is itself suspicious, regardless of behavior."
"And Morgana’s interest in the young man," Le Fay said. "What do you make of that?"
Baldwin was quiet for a mont. "Lady Morgana noticed sothing about him that prompted her to request an investigation. I have conducted that investigation thoroughly and I have not identified what she noticed. Which ans either I am missing sothing, or she is perceiving sothing that is not yet visible through conventional ans."
Le Fay looked down at his wine glass. "And in your experience, when Morgana perceives sothing that isn’t imdiately visible..."
"She is usually correct," Baldwin said.
Le Fay picked up his glass again. "Keep watching them. All three. I want to know where the wives ca from. I believe that should be a road worth traveling down."
He swirled the wine slowly. "And I should visit my niece one of these days. She’ll pretend she doesn’t want the company."
He took a sip.
"She always does."
Baldwin inclined his head. "Will that be all, my lord?"
Le Fay looked back out the window at the sprawling city below.
"For now," he said. "You may leave."
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