Ariel: Prologue
Ariel was dying.
The venom was taking its toll, spreading through her blood. It had entered her body from a cut in her left leg, and now the whole limb was numb. Her head felt light and the world spun around her, the effects of the venom being made worse by the merciless sun beating down overhead.
Leaning heavily on her Claymore, Ariel pushed herself back to her feet in a show of equal parts defiance and desperation. The Favonius Greatsword was once a majestic blue hue, painstakingly polished and sharpened. Now its tip was blunted and dull, and its radiance had been covered by a thick layer of crimson fluid that slowly stained the ground beneath.
"You're done for, Knight," the enemy taunted. In her current state, Ariel had forgotten exactly which Faction the man belonged to. Perhaps he was a Treasure Hoarder who had gotten greedy and turned to mugging. Perhaps he was a bandit of some kind looking for easy prey.
But it did not matter who he was affiliated with. He dared attack her and those she was sworn to protect. He was, as such, an enemy and nothing more.
"Nothing to say?" he spoke again. His tone was confident, or at least he made a good attempt at it. Still, his voice wavered just a bit and his eyes darted around nervously.
Ariel could understand that. He and his men had hurt her, true, but she had made them pay dearly for every blow. Half a dozen crossbowmen lay dead, hundreds of arrows fired before a single, poisoned bolt scratched her leg. Another dozen lay cleaved apart, their weapons shattered against her Claymore and her resolve. The potioneers had managed to scorch and shock her body, leaving painful, branching trails in the lightning's path, before they themselves knew the taste of steel.
Very few of the group that had rushed her still stood. Were she uninjured, it would be a trivial matter to bring them to justice. Even as it were, with Ariel on the verge of death, she grinned through bleeding lips as she stoked the fire in her heart.
A fair fight.
Tired of waiting and in revenge of his friends, one of the men charged forward, sword held high. He swung it down with all his strength, in a blow so telegraphed that Ariel could see it coming in her sleep. Growling, she forced her body into action, pushing his blade aside with her arm. The blade screeched as it met her metal arm guards, before Ariel twisted her body. Using what leverage she could, as well as her own weight, she brought her Claymore swinging up to decapitate her attacker.
She missed, turning a clean kill into a messy slash across the torso, splattering blood all over the area. The attacker fell, organs spilling out of his body.
Ariel slammed her Claymore back into the ground, leaning heavily on it. She gasped for air as she tried to refocus her mind while her nerves went into overdrive, flooding her with pain.
"You..." the enemy leader growled. Terror still held a deadly grip on him, but the loss of one of his last few men gave him the courage to speak. "You'll die for this," he promised. He aimed with his crossbow and fired with such force that the ground seemed to shake.
Ariel's instincts screamed at her to dodge aside, but her body screamed back as her muscles tore. The bolt flew past her, barely grazing her cheek. Another wound opened up, adding to the innumerable cuts across her body.
Something large moved toward the enemy. Squinting, Ariel could make out a large, humanoid shape stomping around. This... thing... was what had thrown off the leader's aim.
It struck with a thundering blow, immediately killing one of the enemies. As it turned onto the rest of them, Ariel realized that her fury was building. She wanted to destroy this machine interfering with her judgment, but her body was too battered to move. She was on the verge of death.
A fresh breeze blew past, and for a moment, Ariel's pain eased. The wind whispered in her ear, taking away her suffering and guilt.
It took away her doubt and fanned the flames of passion.
No. These criminals were hers to punish, and Ariel refused to allow a robot to take that away from her. There were sins to punish and judgment to be delivered. She had no time to die.
Her Claymore ignited. Fuelled by anger, Ariel's very blood seemed to boil as she shed her limitations and burned forward. Like a comet, she left a streak of flame in her wake as she charged the Ruin Guard with reckless abandon.
It stuck with a heavy metal fist. Ariel met it with her blade, pristine once again as the various fluids sizzled and boiled away. When they met, the blade cut through as though the machine was paper, cleanly removing the entire arm.
The Ruin Guard retaliated by raising its other arm, ready to flatten her. Ariel ignored it, firmly gripping her greatsword with both hands. Ignorant of the burns that it caused, she thrust it directly at the machine, aiming to directly destroy its core.
Weakened by the heat and the damage, the Favonius Greatsword partially melted and began turning into slag as it met the resilient shell of the Automaton. All it left was a crack in the armor, barely enough to slow it down.
The despair that went through Ariel's mind lasted for less than a second before it was overwhelmed by rage. How dare this machine resist her. How dare it break her blade. How dare it still. Not. Die.
The world burned as Ariel's anger peaked. The remains of her Claymore dripped down her arms as she raised them in a fury. With a howl that echoed her emotions, she grabbed the crack in the body of the Ruin Guard and pulled with all her strength.
The Ruin Guard stopped moving as its protective armor was brutally torn asunder, the electronics within fried by the unrelenting heat. Roaring in pain and fury, Ariel ripped the front of the Ruin Guard apart. She dropped the pieces of metal, which were melting under her grip, and stared at her target - the core of the machine, which gave it its power. Without hesitation, she plunged her right arm into it, grabbing the core and setting of a chain of overloading explosions. It burned and scorched her body further, but such was the extent of her injuries that she it did not matter anymore. Jerking her arm back, she tore the core from the Ruin Guard's body. It stood for only a second more, before collapsing in a heap.
There was something in her grasp now that was not there before. A cool orb of glass, fragile yet powerful, that soothed the burning heat that she felt, even if it were just for a moment.
Ariel turned back to the treasure Hoarders, now just vague shapes to her. Her vision, body, and mind were all being consumed by the flames, and she knew that her time was short.
Her body was literally on fire. Shards of metal had embedded themselves within her body, and it seemed as though more of her skin was destroyed than whole. She must have looked like a demon - or a fallen angel, flown too close to the sun.
"You will return to Mondstadt and submit yourselves for judgment. Understand?" Ariel growled. Her voice was as broken as her body, yet the threat was clear. Her eyesight had deteriorated even further, barely able to distinguish light and dark, so she assumed that they were frantically nodding. The pain from her wounds was starting to creep in, her power fading as her rage cooled.
"Good," Ariel said, and collapsed.
When she woke up, Ariel felt like she was being immolated. The agony caused an involuntary scream that barely made it past her parched lips.
"Rest," someone said. A cool sensation spread through her body. The burning receded and Ariel went back to sleep.
Ariel had no idea how much time had passed, nor how many times she had woken and slept before she was well enough to remain awake and alert. The burning within her had receded to a manageable level, although her hand felt even hotter than that.
The first thing that she saw was the white, domed ceiling above her. It took her a while to realize that she was in the infirmary of the Mondstadt Cathedral. It was where the sisters treated the most severe of injuries, where a cool healing breeze perpetually blew.
That realization brought Ariel's memories back. She remembered the Treasure Hoarder ambush and the bloody battle that followed. She remembered the Ruin Guard that had appeared, and she remembered how everything burned.
A cry involuntarily left her mouth. The memories sent adrenaline pumping through her blood, serving only to intensify the unbearable heat within her. Her right hand took it exceptionally badly, clenched into a fist that felt like gripping liquid metal.
The door opened and a sister of the church entered hurriedly. At the snail-like pace that her mind was currently running, it took until she crossed the room and was standing by her side for Ariel to recognize Barbara, the church's best healer due to her Hydro Vision.
Barbara's hands glowed with Hydro energy, sending forth cooling waves of healing through Ariel's battered body.
"Barbara..." Ariel said. That was all Sha managed, her voice as weak as her body.
"Ariel! You're awake!" Barbara exclaimed. "You must rest. Your injuries are still severe."
"How bad?"
"You could have swam in a volcano and come out better than that state you were in, Ariel!" Barbara exclaimed. "If not for those Treasure Hoarders and that Vision in your hand, you would have died ten times over!"
Ariel's hand clenched even harder over her new Vision, as though it was keeping her alive - it probably was. She then realized something. "Treasure Hoarders?"
Barbara frowned. "Yes. I don't know what you did to them, and judging by your wounds, I don't want to. The three of them brought you back, begging for forgiveness from both Lord Barbatos and Murata. You've managed to put the fear of two separate Archons into them, Ariel. I don't know whether to commend you or criticize you."
Ariel tried to sit up. The pain that burned through her body did a thorough job of convincing her not to.
Barbara glares at her disapprovingly. "Don't move," she ordered, moving her hands. The healing Hydro energy that spilled out eased her pain, enough for her to continue speaking.
"I need-"
"You need to rest, Ariel! I don't think you quite know just how bad your injuries were. Rest," Barbara ordered.
Ariel tried to argue. She very quickly realized its futility and went back to sleep.
"Acting Grandmaster Jean," Ariel greeted.
Jean looked up and took a look at Ariel, standing straight and proud without assistance for the first time in weeks. She noticed that despite Ariel's pose, she was straining to maintain it.
"Please, take a seat," Jean said, and Ariel very quickly fell into one of the guest chairs facing her table. "It's good to see that you're recovering."
"Thank you, Jean."
"So, why are you in my office? Surely Barbara hasn't cleared you to leave her care and wander alone," Jean said. She knew how her half-sister was; she would insist that Ariel stay under observation until she was fully recovered.
"She did not," Ariel admitted, "But I have something very important to inform you. I plan to leave the Knights."
"Oh." Jean straightened up, paperwork forgotten. "I'm very sorry to hear that. Is it because of your injuries?"
Ariel shook her head. "I will, in time, fully recover. No, it's about this," she said, tapping on the glass accessory hanging off her coat at her chest.
"Your Vision?"
"Indeed. It is common knowledge that the gods grant Visions to those who show even a moment of true ambition. This Vision shows their favor toward me. The gods saved my life and gave me strength to carry on," Ariel said.
Jean had an idea of what she was getting at." You mean..."
Ariel nodded. "I wish to devote myself to Lord Barbatos and join the Church of Favonius."
"I see," Jean said. "If that is what you want, I won't stop you. But there is the matter of finding a replacement for your role."
"I have that covered. I talked with Eula about the Reconnaiss ance Captain role. She is capable and willing to take my place."
"Eula... Yes, she is suitable," Jean agreed. "Very well. On behalf of the Knights of Favonius, I thank you for your services. I wish you all the best in your endeavors."
"Thank you, too, Jean," Ariel responded. With that, she stood up and prepared to leave.
"And never do something like that again." It was obvious what Jean was referring to. "We were worried, you know."
Ariel paused, hesitant. "I'll try not to."
It had taken weeks for her to fully heal and months for her to regain her strength. Now she stood, restored, on the top of the Mondstadt Cathedral, despite the protests of the sisters. Being part of the Church was certainly a new experience, but one that she did not regret.
Ariel's current role was unique. It had taken just one sermon for her and the other sisters to realize that she was not suitable for that whatsoever, and she was quickly reassigned. She was given a new role and a fitting title: Judicator. She would find those guilty of blasphemy and heresy, and bring them back to face judgment, no matter how far they tried to run.
Ariel took a step off the edge, allowing blazing wings to form and stop her fall. With a powerful thrust, she soared through the air, eager to fly freely for the first time in months.
She had made it to someplace around the ruins of Old Mondstadt when she noticed movement beneath her. She dropped down to get a closer look.
There was a girl there, running from a group of Treasure Hoarders.
Well, that simply would not do. It was time to see how her injuries had affected her skill.
Ariel rocketed down, her wings leaving behind bright trails of flame.
An angel of judgment was about to descend.