The ballroom was chaos. Screaming nobles scrambled over spilled tables and terrified waiters, their finery ruined by dust and panic.
But above the din, one sound cut through clearly: the screech of tearing metal.
Ravi had slammed into the Void Golem's chest mid-air, intercepting the firing sequence of its cannon. The concentrated blast of void energy detonated inside the construct's chassis because Ravi's body was physically blocking the exit port.
BOOM.
The explosion blew out the golem's back plating in a shower of gears and purple fire. But Ravi? Ravi was fine. His suit jacket was now missing both sleeves and the back panel, turning it into a very expensive vest, but his skin remained unmarked.
He clung to the golem's chest, his fingers dug deep into the brass plating.
"This is not standard protocol," the Golem's magical voicebox intoned, sounding confused.
"I'm an innovator," Ravi grunted.
He raised the Widowmaker. At this range, he didn't need a full swing. He just needed to drive the point home.
He jammed the butt of the glaive downward into the Golem's glowing purple core.
CRUNCH.
The crimson steel shaft, backed by Ravi's impossible strength, pierced the crystal heart. The purple light flickered, strobed violently, and then died. The massive machine sagged, powering down instantly.
Ravi jumped off just as it tipped over, crashing onto the polished floor with an earth-shaking thud that cracked the marble tiles.
He landed in a crouch, sliding a few feet in his dress shoes. He stood up, adjusting his now-ruined tie.
"Does this count as a dance move?" he asked the room at large.
The silence was absolute. Even deeper than his entrance.
Aurelia stood ten feet away, her hand still raised in a half-formed shield spell. She stared at the smoking wreckage of the construct that had been seconds away from erasing her from existence. Then she looked at Ravi.
Her eyes were wide. The serene, "I know the gods' will" mask was gone. In its place was genuine, raw shock.
"You..." she breathed. "You blocked a Point-Blank Void Cannon. With your... chest?"
"I work out," Ravi said, dusting debris off his shoulders. "Pectorals. Very important."
Celeste floated down from the balcony, notebook already out. "Kinetic absorption of infinite capacity," she muttered, practically salivating. "Dermal resilience exceeding Adamantite. I need to get you on a dissecting table. Now."
"Not the time, Celeste!" Lyanna rushed over, her sword drawn, scanning the hole the golem had erupted from. "Are there more?"
"Just the one signature," Celeste confirmed, checking her sensors. "It was a targeted strike. A suicide drone."
Valerius and his guards finally burst in from the perimeter doors, weapons ready, looking prepared for a fight that was already over.
"Secure the perimeter!" Valerius shouted. He saw the downed golem and sighed, looking defeated. "Of course. He killed it already."
A slow clapping started.
It wasn't sarcastic this time. It was the King.
King Alaric of Aethelgard stood on his dais, surrounded by his royal guards. He was an older man, regal but weary, wearing a crown that looked too heavy for him. He was clapping.
"Magnificent," the King said, his voice carrying effortlessly. "Truly magnificent. I had heard rumors of the Guild's new prodigy. I see they were understatements."
The nobles took the cue. The applause rippled through the room, hesitant at first, then growing into a thunderous roar. "The Void Slayer!" "The Indestructible!"
Ravi grimaced. He hated this.
Aurelia stepped forward. She placed a hand on his arm again. This time, there was no testing static. Just warmth.
"You saved my life," she said softly, her honey-colored eyes locking onto his. "The Church does not forget its debts. You said you serve no god, Ravi. But today, you did a god's work."
"Just reacting to stimuli," Ravi deflected. "See bad robot, break bad robot."
"Modesty," she smiled. "A virtue of the Saints."
"Or of people hiding something," Celeste whispered loudly.
"Enough," Lyanna intervened, pulling Ravi back. "He's exhausted. And half-naked."
Ravi looked down. His shirt was in tatters, revealing his bare chest and arms. A few noblewomen nearby were swooning, and not entirely from fear.
"Right," the King announced. "This banquet was to celebrate our safety. It seems safety must be fought for, even here. Ravi! Step forward."
Ravi walked to the dais, feeling ridiculous in his ruined suit. He knelt—carefully.
"For your bravery," King Alaric declared, "and for saving the High Paladin of the Radiant Church, I grant you the title of Royal Shield. And I bestow upon you the Manor of Grimsby."
A ripple of shock went through the crowd. Grimsby was a significant estate.
"I accept, Your Majesty," Ravi said. Free house. Nice.
"But be warned," the King added, his voice dropping so only those nearby could hear. "The Shadow that sent this thing... it knows you now. You are no longer just an adventurer. You are a target of the Crown's enemies."
"I figured that out when the robot tried to shoot me, Your Majesty."
The King chuckled. "Good. Stay alive, Royal Shield. We may need that durability soon."
The carriage ride back (provided by the Palace this time) was quiet. Lyanna, Celeste, and Ravi sat inside. Aurelia had insisted on returning to the Temple to pray (and likely report Ravi's new feats to the High Council).
"Royal Shield," Celeste mused. "An honorary title. No actual authority, but it gives you legal immunity from minor crimes. Like destruction of property."
"Useful," Ravi said, leaning his head back. "So I can break more tables?"
"Don't push it."
Lyanna was staring at him. She looked troubled.
"What?" Ravi asked.
"Grimshaw called you a harbinger," she said quietly. "The Cultist called you an Empty Vessel. And the Golem said you were to be tested."
"So?"
"So, they aren't trying to kill you anymore," she realized, a chill in her voice. "The cannon shot... it was aimed at Aurelia. But the Golem waited until you were in the air to fire. It timed it."
Ravi frowned. "You think it wanted me to block it?"
"Yes," Celeste's eyes widened. "It was a stress test! They wanted to see if you could survive Void energy point-blank! Grimshaw's notes mentioned finding a 'Suitable Vessel' for Malachai. If the Demon Lord's soul is too powerful for a normal body... it would burn out any mage or warrior in seconds."
She looked at Ravi with horror.
"But you," she whispered. "You don't burn. You don't break. And magic doesn't touch you. You are the only thing in existence durable enough to hold a Demon Lord's soul."
Silence filled the carriage. The implications were terrifying.
They weren't trying to kill Ravi. They were trying to capture him. To hollow him out and wear him like a suit.
"Well," Ravi said finally, breaking the tension. "That's... flattering? In a horrifying, skin-crawling way?"
"It's not a joke!" Lyanna snapped, grabbing his hand. "They want to possess you, Ravi! Malachai will hunt you until he has your body!"
"Then let him come," Ravi said, squeezing her hand. His voice was hard, cold steel. "If he wants my body, he'll have to get through me first. And as we established..."
He held up a fist.
"...I'm very stubborn."
Lyanna didn't let go of his hand. Celeste went back to her notebook, but her pen was shaking.
They arrived at Ravi's cottage. Or rather, his old cottage. He was moving to a manor tomorrow.
"Get rest," Lyanna ordered. "I'm posting Guild guards around your place tonight."
"I don't need—"
"You're getting guards," she barked. "Goodnight, Ravi."
He watched the carriage drive away. He walked into his silent, dusty home.
He took off the remnants of his suit. He looked in the cracked mirror. Not a scratch. Not a burn.
He was the perfect vessel. An indestructible cage.
"Malachai," he whispered to his reflection. "You picked the wrong house to break into."