《Weapon Tamers》 Treasure ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t really get the obsession with weapons. It¡¯s so excessive,¡± Ruben thought while climbing up a small tunnel shaft. ¡°I suppose I¡¯m thankful for it. This is what allows people like me to stay in business,¡± he parried his own argument. ¡°This tunnel is so small¡­¡± The young blacksmith struggled to fit his broad shoulders into the chimney-sized pathway. The head with long musty golden threads of hair kept bobbing as he went against the sturdy wall, as if that would help in pushing the blacksmith¡¯s lanky legs any further. Ruben was never one with an impressive physique, only the muscle needed for the job, but due to his height most considered the man humongous. The fact he preferred the loose clothes really didn¡¯t help. ¡°Woah, you¡¯re a big guy!¡± ¡°That¡¯s just rude,¡± Ruby was about to get offended before realizing how far away the voice came from. ¡°Assume you don¡¯t want to duel for that treasure, do you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s from the room right under! Is someone going to fight down there?¡± ¡°Wooooooargh!¡± A terrifying roar thundered through the tunnel. One bang after another, Ruby was frozen solid by the constant shuddering that came with the sounds of fighting. Suddenly the very wall he was holding onto began crumbling before¡­ ¡°Guh!¡± He plummeted along the debris that used to make up the tunnel. ¡°Probably broke something,¡± Ruby thought while trying to remove the sharp rocks that were digging into his skin. The sight most important, however, was away from the rubble. The colossal blue wrinkly naked creature that barely fit into the room was stomping and swinging a bat around a huge smelting pot. ¡°That pot, these stations! I made it, this is one of Brockur¡¯s workshops!¡± Ruby was overjoyed despite the most dire circumstances while looking around the spacious, by human standards, room. The blue troll with teeth sharp as knives kept breaking the walls of the room and ruining its recognizability. He swept once again with the wooden club, trying to cover as much area as possible. Still, that effort wasn¡¯t enough to smoosh the puny in-comparison man hiding behind one of the larger wall leftovers. With a dull sword in his hand, the troll¡¯s opponent looked almost unremarkable. The gray gambeson and simple black pants, brown oversized boots, it all didn¡¯t amount to much. The black hair the swordsman had was growing out after clearly getting trimmed to its max, and the same went for the thick stubble near his mouth. ¡°Could someone like this really be fighting a blue troll?¡± He dodged out of the way of the club and threw a dagger into the troll¡¯s forehead. The weapon barely pierced the skin before the creature¡¯s regeneration forced it back out. There were straps around the man¡¯s chest full of empty slots for weapons. ¡°He must have used up all his proper arsenal. Maybe I could lend him a hand!¡± The blacksmith glanced at the shortsword attached to his belt. Lodged into its handle was a glass marble with thick black smoke inside. ¡°Use this!¡± Ruby yelled as he threw the weapon, ¡°It has the [Ignite] skill, trolls can¡¯t regenerate the burn wounds! Call the skill¡¯s name, and the sharp edge would ignite, but only for a second!¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± The swordsman smirked, taken aback at first by the blacksmith¡¯s presence. ¡°Wo-oh.¡± He scooted around the wooden bat right before it would send him flying. ¡°The sight is clear, he must run for the sword and¡­ What is he doing?!¡± The swordsman walked up a slouched pillar and jumped before said pillar got leveled by the monster. He slid down the floor right next to the weapon but ignored it completely. Another dagger was thrown, this time at the wooden bat. There were nearly ten similar ones already inserted all around it. The troll yelled and picked up a rock. Shattering it in his fist, he started launching smaller projectiles using the strength of his fingers. With surprising accuracy as well. *Swoosh* *Clang* Barely dodging one and deflecting another pebble with a brand new dagger, the man hid away from the creature¡¯s left-hand barrage behind the club by grabbing onto the dagger handles. They served as a ladder for him. The wooden bat began shaking wildly. ¡°Wooargh!¡± The troll banged it against the hard floor. Then again and again. A good ten hits before he stopped and spun the weapon in his hand. *Swoosh* A dagger dug into one of the troll¡¯s eyes. Expecting to see a squashed bug, instead, the troll saw a man who climbed up the club towards the creature¡¯s fingers. One by one, they were slashed before the swordsman hollowed out a large chunk of the wrist. ¡°He won¡¯t be able to swing a bat like that but what about the pebbles?!¡± Another eye got punctured by a newly thrown weapon, and while the other one already healed, the blood from it completely covered the beast¡¯s vision. The troll threw rocks in desperation all around him. ¡°Aa!¡± One lodged into the blacksmith¡¯s hand. Ruby quickly took cover. The swordsman meanwhile slowly walked towards the blue troll¡¯s belly and placed his weapon on the floor. In his hands shined two metal razors. ¡°He will crush you!¡± The blacksmith yelled, and the troll, perhaps inspired by his words, perhaps deciding on his own, relaxed his malnourished legs and began falling. A dull drop echoed through the hallway. Ruby run towards the creature while grabbing his shortsword with the undamaged left hand. While the troll wasn¡¯t moving the blacksmith got to stab through its skull and began yelling, ¡°Ignite!¡± The head barged into flame, leaving terrible burns on the blue skin. ¡°Ignite!¡± Ruby yelled again after three seconds. ¡°Ignite!¡± Each usage of the skill was accompanied by another burst of light. The creature¡¯s head quickly became unrecognizable. Ruby sighed with relief. "There was no need," a voice came from inside the troll. "You''re alive?!" "I guess?" The man shrugged while standing in a hole dug out clean through the troll''s flesh. "No need for what?" Ruben was breathing heavily while trying to estimate how quickly one must cut to do something like that. "It''s impossible without using a special skill but the bloodied razors had no black orbs encrusted anywhere," he thought. "The fire was overkill, the source of the troll''s regeneration is in their tiny hearts," the swordsman said while showing a still-beating imperfect white pyramid made of bone. From the holes on its edges, the veins of the creature kept quickly growing out even after being cut out from the body. In time, this heart could regenerate an entire troll. The stranger whacked the object with force using the handle of his blade. It cracked open, and the organ inside spewed out, squirming, leaving only a dirty dark-red orb. "A skill! They form upon a monster''s death." "Something like that. Sell it somewhere, might cover the hospital bill. A talented regeneration skill might even come in handy. You''re a blacksmith, right? Make something with it."A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. "That''s too much, you were the one to kill the creature," he refused the gesture as the last pieces of the ceiling¡¯s rubble finally stopped falling. It looks like the tunnel stabilized. "No, no. I wanted to practice a bit and caused you to fall down here. Just take it, buddy, I have plenty." "Alright... What¡­ What is your name?" Ruben grabbed the orb, his arm still hurt like crazy. Climbing out of the corpse, the swordsman threw, "Like I''m gonna tell you, buddy." "Why not? After what we just went through?" "I mean it wasn''t that bad... Say, if you were Brockur Ivaldi, where would you hide your gleam?" "Are you here for the gleam? Nothing else?" "Guess I''ll find it myself." The stranger began rummaging through the few intact tables. "The substance needed for weapon strengthening is rare, but why target the smithy of a legend just for that?" Ruben wondered. "Here, the gleam is usually kept in barrels under the applicator. Is that really all you''re going to take? Look at these weapon stands¡­" ¡°A-huh. Thank you.¡± The stranger popped open one of the barrels from under the ravaged gleam applicator. ¡°No, where is it?!¡± He yelled, ¡°Not in this one either!¡± All the barrels turned out to be empty. ¡°No surprises here. You see, Master Brockur is a traveling blacksmith, he wouldn¡¯t keep any gleam in his workshops.¡± ¡°Why the hell not? Legendary smith my ass.¡± ¡°He is a storyteller first, smith second. Brockur has countless smithies around the world. He visits one, crafts a masterpiece, and leaves it for someone to find and start their journey as a swordsman. Naturally, where there is a treasure, monsters would start getting inside and-¡± ¡°So he¡¯s a dungeon maker?¡± ¡°Sort of. He could have left some gleam along with the weapon-¡± ¡°Got you, looking for a treasure chest.¡± ¡°The rumors of him being here were fresh. Just two days ago he was in the local village, I hoped to find him-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t care,¡± the man handwaved the conversation. ¡°Why!? Stop being so rude to me!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not rude, just straightforward. There it is.¡± A big chest with a red crest for a lock unsurprisingly survived all the commotion. ¡°Ivaldi quality.¡± The swordsman whistled. ¡°I just thought that if you need Master Brockur for something, and I¡¯m looking for him. You¡¯re quite strong, a blue troll is a tough creature to fight-¡± ¡°The white trolls were more ferocious¡­ How do you open this thing?¡± ¡°Listen, I need to meet him because my father-¡± ¡°I beg you, please, no backstories.¡± The stranger frowned. ¡°Okay, umm, I just thought maybe we could help each other out. What swordsman wouldn¡¯t like to have a blacksmith around? The objective is the same for both of us.¡± ¡°Uhh, pass. I can handle my own maintenance, nor do I really need that Brockur guy, I just need some gleam before the tournament.¡± The swordsman kept barging the lock with his sword¡¯s handle. ¡°There¡¯s a password to it. Normally you¡¯d have to track down Brockur and impress him in some way before he shares it with you, but¡­ I know the code to this one.¡± ¡°Open it up then? As I said, I only need the gleam.¡± ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°Nope, no deals. Just do it, I know you want to open it too.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you at least think about-¡± ¡°Na-ah.¡± ¡°Come on. The tournament, you¡¯re talking about the Jedom tournament, right?¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± ¡°Okay then. Don¡¯t interrupt-¡± ¡°Fine.¡± ¡°...¡± Ruben took a deep breath. ¡°So, Brockur will be there, at the tournament. We could kill two birds with one stone. I help you out, you help me out, we both get what we want.¡± ¡°Finished?¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Nope, no deal, I said that already. Are you even listening, buddy?¡± Ruben began pulling his hair out before stopping as the musty strands started to give in. ¡°You know what? Forget it, you are too insufferable to be around anyway.¡± Young man walked towards the chest and inserted a combination into the lock. A few seconds later, the robust object hit the floor with a loud metallic bang. The top of the chest opened with a piston mechanism, pushing off all the fallen debris, and from the inside, something quickly flew out. Inky black, with four white horns for a guard and a dastardly green handle, a single-edged sword with three empty slots in its blunt end began moving on its own accord. ¡°Three? A legendary weapon?! There¡¯s no way!¡± Ruby was flabbergasted. The blade turned sideways, and from the socket below the empty three in which a glass eye stood came a sound. ¡°Congratulations on your arduous journey, oh great swordsman and his resourceful blacksmith! Though how long could it have been? Oh, it feels like I was just sealed! How many years was I locked away for!? Twenty? Forty? Maybe a century?! The weapon to outlive the master, a tale so tragic!¡± ¡°You¡¯re annoying, move aside.¡± The swordsman pushed the sword from his way ¡°Bingo!¡± He said with excitement upon looking into the chest. Three whole barrels of gleam were lying there, as well as a few gems and precious accessories. ¡°Excuse me!?¡± The sword cried out. ¡°Sorry, Mr. Blade. This guy is very nonchalant, umm. You¡­ can talk?¡± ¡°Can I talk?! Of course, I can talk! I¡¯m a legendary weapon.¡± ¡°Not to sound rude but I¡¯ve seen a legendary-¡± ¡°Not all legendaries are sentient, but all sentient weapons are at least legendary.¡± ¡°Now both of you will interrupt me?!¡± ¡°Why are we yelling!? Uhem,¡± the weapon ¡°cleared its throat¡±. ¡°Hooray! + 20! Finally!¡± The swordsman couldn¡¯t hide his excitement while drenching his saber in a reddish-yellow honey-like substance. ¡°You are spending all that gleam not on me?!¡± Confusion continued. ¡°Looks like it was meant as a starting gift to go along with the legendary,¡± Ruby concluded. ¡°Oh well. We can get out of here now,¡± the man said while emptying the last barrel. His sword quickly absorbed the liquid reminiscent of mashed pumpkin while glowing softly. ¡°+21! There we go.¡± ¡°Do you even realize how much I yearned to consume that gleam?!¡± ¡°Hey, I killed a troll for it, you hunk of dyed iron!¡± ¡°No, no, no. This can¡¯t stand! As your future weapon, I just can¡¯t allow this wastefulness.¡± ¡°Who said you¡¯re my future weapon?¡± The swordsman giggled. ¡°But it¡¯s a legendary blade, surely you can find a use for that with your skills!¡± Ruby felt weird even thinking about leaving it behind. ¡°Listen to your wise blacksmith and apologize, now!¡± ¡°Sorry, buddy, but I already have my treasure. One day it will become the greatest weapon in the whole world. All blades beside it are trash in comparison.¡± The swordsman smiled while staring at his simple saber. The blade wasn¡¯t noteworthy; really, it looked much too simple. The only slot for a skill in it gave away its common quality. ¡°Preposterous, you freed me, so now I am your weapon. You can¡¯t just discard me!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t free you, it was him. And he isn¡¯t my blacksmith either. I tell you what, even if I had no weapon at all, I wouldn¡¯t use a trashy egotistical weapon anyway.¡± The sword slowly turned to the young lad, forced to reevaluate him. ¡°This must be some sort of a joke.¡± ¡°Rude, but¡­ you¡¯re right. A weapon like this would be a waste on me. I just want to create-.¡± ¡°And I¡¯m leaving. See you two never.¡± ¡°You aren¡¯t going anywhere!¡± The blade reached the peak of its irritation. ¡°Such transgression. To even suggest that a simple weapon can be better than me. I challenge you to a duel!¡± The swordsman marching away from the scene wavered. ¡°Now we¡¯re talking. But¡­ Am I supposed to fight against a chunk of metal?¡± His lips squirmed in a smile as he turned around. The blade flew inside Ruben¡¯s palm. ¡°What are you-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boy, I¡¯ll guide your strikes.¡± ¡°Okay, okay. What are the conditions then?¡± The stranger leaned onto his saber, clearly eager with anticipation. ¡°You take back your words and admit you¡¯re wrong. Apologize and accept me as your new weapon,¡± the sword outlined. ¡°As well as agree to assist me in searching Brockur Ivaldi.¡± ¡°Then if I win, both of you will have to admit that there will never be a better weapon than my saber and leave me alone.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± The young man sighed, mentally preparing himself. His hand and legs were damaged, but in a duel, none of this would matter. The shaking in Ruben¡¯s limbs was a much bigger problem. However, there is no world in which a legendary blade loses to a regular one. ¡°I, Ruben Ivaldi, challenge you to a friendly duel!¡± ¡°I need to get all the help I can in finding Brockur, it''s the only way to cleanse my father¡¯s name,¡± he thought. ¡°And I, Fox of Elm, proudly accept it.¡± The swordsman raised his weapon. So it鈥檚 settled Ruben felt almost drunk. Though the pain stopped, he couldn¡¯t feel his limbs for a bit. Reappearing, Ruby¡¯s movement left a frozen afterimage that the young man simply walked out of. Otherwise corporeal, he phased through the unmoving original body. Older men pass down the notion that the duels were instituted by the most recent deity, Zenith, the god of champions. Whether there is merit to those words or not, skill scholars still debate. However, duels are undoubtedly a key to how this world functions. Debates, petty squabbles, and disputes can all be solved universally. Even wars are just duels with bigger stakes. ¡°Let¡¯s do it a bit further from the decaying body,¡± Fox¡¯s doppelganger suggested, leaving his original body and the troll¡¯s away. ¡°I never thought this would feel so insane.¡± Ruby breathed heavily. ¡°Boy, is this your first duel?¡± The sword asked. 80% of people experience their first duel before they hit twelve. After all, the system has no drawbacks. There are three types of duels one can partake in. First blood, friendly, and hostile. The latter two end once a lethal blow is dealt to any of the fighters, the difference being that the pain is minimized in the friendly version. Some swordsmen claim that the only way to achieve a truly fair battle is to prepare to get hurt for real. Once a duel is finished the body doubles return to their original owners, which reverts all the damage gotten in combat, but also all the healing received. It¡¯s a difficult system to abuse with time limits and hidden rules. ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± *Clang* The edge of the black blade dropped to the floor as the young blacksmith was unable to hold it properly. ¡°You¡¯d need to work some muscle, boy. I¡¯ll help with that as well for now.¡± The weapon was surprisingly understanding as it flew upwards. ¡°Feels a lot lighter,¡± the blacksmith thought. Technically, no force would stop you if you were to take your word back upon loss and not stick to the previous agreement, but no one in their right mind would do something like that. The people of this world respect honor and integrity; they are growing up surrounded by it, and this concept of competition and fair conditions are all engraved deeply into who they are. ¡°Here would be fine. Ready?¡± The swordsman stopped, talking with his face away from Ruben. ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s start.¡± Ruby took another big sigh. ¡°Three!¡± A mental countdown began. It was as if someone completely different was speaking inside the fighters¡¯ heads. ¡°Two.¡± The swords were readied. ¡°One.¡± Half a second before the duel started, Fox turned and threw a sharp dagger in between the boy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Start!¡± *Clang* If not for the legendary weapon Ruben would have already lost. The swordsman crossed the distance in the meanwhile and prepared a large vertical cut. ¡°Dirty tricks,¡± the sword threw as it parried. Fox reached out to the left of him and grabbed another dagger levitating in the air beforehand, now targeting the boy¡¯s gut. ¡°Guh!¡± The pain was diminished, but it still hurt like crazy. Way worse than what Ruben expected. Stab after stab, the boy began bleeding profusely. The black sword, moving on its own accord, tried to pierce Fox¡¯s skull, but the swordsman ducked and jumped backward, leaving the dagger behind. Next to his palm another already formed. ¡°No time left, approach and call for my [Innate skill]. I allow it,¡± the sword blabbered. Usually, to activate a skill of a weapon you aren¡¯t attuned to, one must ask for permission from the owner. The case of living weapons seems to supersede that rule. ¡°Innate!¡± Ruby spoke with difficulty, barely avoiding a thrown dagger to his neck. *Phroom* The blade elongated, becoming two times larger. Fox¡¯s eyebrow rose, as he prepared to deflect the edge swiftly rushing towards him. ¡°That¡¯s its legendary innate skill? Growing a tad bigger? Pfft,¡± Fox scoffed to himself. ¡°Got you!¡± The blade would smile if it could, as its edge passed through the blade and its wielder. ¡°What?!¡± Both fighters were befuddled, but the duel hadn¡¯t ended yet. The true part of the black edge hidden by the illusion changed its angle, capitalizing on the confusion. Unfortunately, Fox realized the trick. In his left hand, he was holding a sword breaker just in case, a type of dagger with crevices to catch blades into. Using intuition, the swordsman angled it to stop the assault, with the illusory edge still piercing him. A smirk that practically evoked the question ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± appeared on Fox¡¯s face, only to evaporate in seconds. Ruben charged the toughest headbutt of his life, letting go of the self-piloting weapon completely. ¡°Don¡¯t disrespect Master Brockur¡¯s mastery!¡± Was all he could think. Fox¡¯s hand was forced to let go of the sword breaker. The opportunity that the black blade used to dig itself deep into the swordsman¡¯s chest. *Swoosh*Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Fox¡¯s saber pierced defenseless Ruben¡¯s heart just in time. ¡°Draw!¡± A voice yelled inside fighter¡¯s heads. ¡°Don¡¯t get too ahead of yourself,¡± the swordsman threw as they got back inside the original bodies. ¡°What?¡± Young blacksmith asked while still waiting for that feeling of demise that never came. ¡°You used up your only trump card just to end with a draw. Next time I¡¯ll be ready. Let¡¯s settle with a tie and get on with our lives.¡± ¡°No! We need a rematch!¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a sore loser, buddy. Wasn¡¯t this your first duel?¡± ¡°Exactly! I just got this weapon, I will do way better this time!¡± ¡°It¡¯s only fair,¡± the weapon judged. ¡°Fine, but this is your only other chance. Why do you even want this so much?¡± ¡°Because I-¡± ¡°But without the backstories, please.¡± ¡°Shut the hell up! You aren¡¯t fooling anybody. This no-nonsense persona¡­ You care!¡± Ruby finally got fed up. ¡°You gave me this skill so I could patch myself up, left all the treasure for me. This is how you get gleam, you buy it with money. Why not split it? Share a cut? It¡¯s because you felt bad. Felt bad for me even without knowing my story. This weapon you use, there¡¯s nothing special to it for anyone besides you because it was made by someone special to you! That¡¯s why it''s your treasure. So cut the crap and admit that you just don''t want to get attached to new people.¡± ¡°Whatever, let¡¯s just get on with it.¡± ¡°I need to meet Brockur for my father. This was the task I was given. He might not be the most pleasant man, but his honor matters. You are training to become stronger for someone too, aren¡¯t you?¡± Fox grew quiet. Another duel soon ensued. This time Fox was unmoving. He struck a stand that evoked seriousness, leaning backward with his chest and pointing the saber towards the young blacksmith to make the most distance. In his left hand, close to the weapon, was a rondel dagger. Ruby hesitated. Raising the sword overhead, he also assumed a kind of defensive position. Threatening to hit the enemy if he gets any closer. ¡°Innate!¡± The sword grew disproportionally, almost like it was stretched upwards by an invisible hand. ¡°Haha,¡± Fox chuckled. ¡°He thinks I¡¯ll get too full of myself, grow impatient, and attack first,¡± the experienced swordsman concluded. ¡°The time limit of a friendly duel is five minutes unless discussed prior. Let¡¯s speed it up.¡± Fox spat at the ground. ¡°I just need to catch him off guard once. It''s easier for me to tell the true length of the blade when I¡¯m prepared, or the illusion could make me miscalculate as well,¡± Ruben thought about his options. ¡°If this duel ends in a draw I¡¯ll kill you. How about that? Well, you¡¯ll just try to lose then, hrm. If you lose I¡¯ll kill you too.¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°Took me for a goody-two-shoes, did you? I¡¯m a bandit, buddy. Should have run while I was in a good mood.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± Fox cut the bottom of his bag with a loud tear using the dagger. Tens of marbles of different colors scattered through the floor. ¡°Monsters aren¡¯t the only ones who can form skills upon death. And the human ones are a lot better in quality. The skills capture the experiences creatures had in life, the more vibrant a person¡¯s personality is, the more interesting the skill becomes.¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be-¡± ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth,¡± the sword confirmed matter-of-factly. ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be able to defend you, boy, not with the injuries of your regular body. This is what you wanted. Breathe in and calm down, we must win this.¡± Ruby¡¯s heartbeat tripled. Suddenly a duel became a battle to the death. Was his judgment of Fox¡¯s character that wrong? Were all these skills parts of humans at some point? The fear dulled out all other emotions and thoughts Ruby had. He never intended to lose, but with a risk that large¡­ The next three minutes will decide everything! Despite the sweat-filled face, the young blacksmith¡¯s eyes spelled seriousness. He was ready to risk his life against a troll just now. ¡°How is this any different?!¡± The man thought. Seeing how unmoving his opponent was, the boy rolled closer but just out of his reach. The intention was to throw the fighter off. ¡°My sword is longer, he will want to close the gap.¡± While still low, Ruben made a wide horizontal sweep, aiming at the knees. The innate skill¡¯s effect ended, revealing the blade¡¯s true length prematurely. Fox jumped. He couldn¡¯t block a full-force swing from the blade this heavy. *Swoosh* ¡°But dodging a thrown dagger at this angle while committing to a swing is impossible,¡± he thought. Not that Ruben was committing. When the swing was initiated, the blacksmith let go of the sword and rushed under it. Ruby grabbed the dull edge, turned the weapon, and pushed it upwards. *Blam* Sparks flew out as Fox was forced to use his strength to push the sword away from its intended trajectory mid-air rather than throwing the dagger. ¡°Iref metal¡­¡± he figured. With the blade¡¯s position, Ruben grabbed the handle for a diagonal cut at the just-landed opponent. Fox used the wide swing as the window to strike but only punctured the air. Despite the large strike, Ruby let go of the sword to let it finish the swing on its own, opting to move out of the way of the saber. Two more stabs, however, did reach his shoulder. Fox tried to avoid the swing of the sword by slightly redirecting it with a dagger, but his shoulder still took the blunt hit of the wide swing. ¡°This is so¡­ Fun!¡± Ruben smiled forgetting what situation he was in. Fighting monsters before, all the blacksmith banked on was safe positioning and skills, but in this duel, the legendary innate ability doesn¡¯t even matter. ¡°Don¡¯t rush. No one is hurrying you, why are you messing up all your work,¡± a memory echoed. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll go slower.¡± ¡°Ruby, do as I taught you, and your weapons will keep getting better. When you rush like this, they become rough and unbalanced.¡± The bearded man shrugged. ¡°But, your technique has no room for me to express myself. I want to do my own things.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get to do them once you master the basics, son. No true artist starts with a unique art style.¡± Ruby ducked from a retaliation swing and parried another, now with the black sword in hand. He stepped backward to make some distance. ¡°I need to be careful with his quick attacks.¡± The blacksmith put much more force into swatting the blade than Fox did in his shallow attacks. He keeps trying to stall me, but, at a distance, I have an advantage. I just need to claw out an opportunity. Two minutes left. ¡°Innate!¡± Ruben yelled once the skill was ready again. He spun the sword so that the edge would point upwards and charged at Fox. The fighter dodged from side to side without knowing where exactly the illusion ended and the true blade started. Under such circumstances, the only natural decision one could make is to slide under, and- Ruby unsheathed the shortsword, forgotten until now, and struck the spot where he knew Fox would dodge. ¡°You fool!¡± The swordsman yelled. ¡°Ignite!¡± Everything burst into flame in a large pyre within seconds. The roaring sound of the all-devouring fire echoed through the room. Both fighters were reduced to ash. ¡°We need a rematch!¡± Ruben¡¯s true body came to its senses. ¡°Idiot, iref reacts to sudden temperatures, never do this in a real fight!¡± ¡°I challenge you to a duel!¡± ¡°Leave me alone, you psycho.¡± Fox sighed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want to kill me? Let¡¯s fight for real! And¡­ I¡¯m not a psycho!¡± ¡°Two sentences that contradict each other. Listen, buddy, I was bluffing. You just get lazy when nothing is at stake.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± ¡°Just look at how you performed, you don¡¯t need me for protection.¡± ¡°You know me better than I do all of a sudden?¡± ¡°A tit for tat.¡± Fox turned around and began waddling away. ¡°Ah, you¡¯re afraid,¡± the legendary sword gave his voice. ¡°Say what?¡± The swordsman turned around. ¡°Afraid you will lose to a boy that never dueled before, of course, how can you accomplish your dream when you can¡¯t even beat one talented beginner.¡± ¡°Talented? He¡¯s just quick-witted. Don¡¯t forget that the only reason he didn''t lose during the first second of our duel is you doing everything for him.¡± ¡°You had the choice to wield me as well.¡± ¡°Just. Let¡¯s duel again!¡± Ruby insisted. ¡°Calm down, boy, you don¡¯t have the experience yet. We lost for now,¡± the blade lamented. ¡°But-¡± ¡°Okay, okay. Wow,¡± Fox couldn¡¯t find a way to deal with his frustration. ¡°Brockur will be in Jedom during the tournament, right?! It¡¯s in a month. If you are so-o-o talented, then surely in a month, you¡¯ll far exceed me. Here¡¯s my bet: if I win, you will swallow your words, and me and Ruby will melt you down. Then, we will make together something useful with a tongue that is not as sharp.¡± ¡°Then, if I win, I will take your treasure for myself.¡± Ruby crossed his hands. Fox had to look a few times on his saber before the pride got the better of him. ¡°Like that would ever happen.¡± He smiled and threw a clumsy wave. ¡°Were these skills really all from humans?¡± Leaving through the only intact entrance to the smithy, he glanced at his new rival one more time. ¡°Nah, not all of them.¡± The path forward ¡°Snow?¡± Ruby asked no one in particular as the white puffs of smoke crawled out of his mouth. All, even the makeshift camp covered by the cave¡¯s entrance was engulfed in the shining white. ¡°It has been Spring for a while now¡­¡± The man scratched the back of his head. ¡°Nature itself is celebrating my unsealment. I¡¯m truly touched.¡± The floating blade spun through the air. Blowing on his hands, Ruben opened a large sack hidden inside a tree. ¡°There it is.¡± He picked out a small wooden plank and placed it deeper inside the cave. If you could even call it that. The entrance didn¡¯t lead inside a mountain or a hill but rather went straight underground with only the small covering mound on top ¡ª Brockur¡¯s signature design. ¡°Ignite!¡± Ruben yelled as he stabbed the material caught on fire. Leaving the shortsword inside, with a sigh of relief, he sat next to the stone wall, hidden from the wind. ¡°The leg doesn''t hurt anymore, nor does the arm.¡± With the approval of the black blade, Ruby inserted the skill he got from the blue troll that automatically slowly healed wounds while underground. Took the blacksmith about an hour and a half to start walking comfortably again. If he was to stay here until the morning, maybe he would be cured completely. ¡°Rest it is then.¡± The black blade landed nearby and closed its glass-eye-like innate skill. Looks like it has multiple purposes. ¡°Could I really¡­¡± Young smith wasn¡¯t sure what got the better of him down there. ¡°The adrenaline, the weapon, the built-up frustration?¡± Ruby wrapped his hands around his legs. He felt regret above all. ¡°I am no swordsman even if I picked up a few tricks by spectating others. No foundation, no training, I am an amateur.¡± Ruby began pulling on his hair covered in dirt and dust. ¡°That man was dangerous. He could have killed me.¡± ¡°Boy, do you¡­ need someone to talk with before we start the attunement?¡± The blade asked, feeling the inner turmoil. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then tell me when you are ready.¡± They¡¯ve already had a discussion while underground. *** ¡°Master Brockur watches through the eyes of his weapons. He will soon learn about your bet and will do his best to be a great prize.¡± The sword positioned itself in such a way as to make the skill pseudo-eye watch right into Ruben¡¯s. ¡°So I won¡¯t find him until I win? Argh.¡± The regeneration kept reminding about itself with quick bursts of sharp pain. ¡°Precisely,¡± the floating weapon simply confirmed. ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t going to happen, so I will seek out someone to bestow you upon.¡± Ruby tilted his head to the left. ¡°Nonsense, your talent is close to his. I will guide you to victory, boy.¡± The sword flew to adjust to his sight accordingly. ¡°I understand, but¡­ I don¡¯t want to. It¡¯s not really who I am.¡± ¡°Your goal will be unchanged, just the means slightly different. What is the issue?¡± The blade kept pushing. ¡°I¡¯m just going to lose. Better melt away someone else¡¯s weapon than Master¡¯s.¡± ¡°Those are not the conditions. My existence would be forfeit in either case. I cannot allow that.¡± ¡°I could tell him you got stolen or make up something else.¡± ¡°Or you can win and teach a fool a lesson. That¡¯s the only way for you to meet Brockur. It¡¯s not only yours but his honor at stake.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t deserve fighting with you. I cheated, I wasn¡¯t supposed to know the password. I looked at the father¡¯s notes and simply copied it.¡± ¡°That only means that your starting point differs from others. Your destiny is, however, still leading you somewhere.¡± The sword¡¯s tone became as serious as it could be. Usually, the blade was squeaking with annoyance or mumbling, but not now. ¡°You must be kidding¡­¡± *** ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± Ruby said suddenly. ¡°I¡¯m not ready,¡± he thought, ¡°But¡­ I need to do this.¡± ¡°Very well.¡± The blade arose and wiggled its green handle inside the young blacksmith¡¯s palm. Then everything came to a stop. [???, ???] [Hand-and-a-half handed single-edged legendary sword] [Skills: Innate (Eye of Mischief), Tunnel-dweller.] [???] [Attunement began] The dizziness Ruben felt was reminiscent of the duel hours prior, but not quite the same. What was most certainly different was the environment. A white expense in every direction clued Ruben into what was going on. ¡°This sword already belongs to someone,¡± he figured. The blade in his palm buzzed with a quiet vibration. ¡°You will need to sever the master Brockur¡¯s connection before a bond with me can be made.¡± ¡°I thought I¡¯d at least get to know something about you before that part.¡± ¡°The stronger the blade, the harder setting up a link is. You may not even learn much but my name by the end of this ritual.¡± The figure that stood in front of Ruben was a white marble statue of a short bald man with a luscious beard. He was dressed in a chainmail, holding the handle of the same black sword. The man was holding it upside down, stabbing it into the transparent floor. ¡°So what should I do?¡± Ruben was confused and his wounds still hurt. ¡°The attunement system was instituted by one of the prior gods, it doesn¡¯t heal you or reduce the pain,¡± the sword said, as if he read the blacksmith''s thoughts. ¡°You can hear me?¡± Ruben asked inside his head to make sure. ¡°In this realm, yes. Our minds are linked. If the attunement is successful, this will become possible to achieve in the real world too,¡± it responded without ushering a word. ¡°If the setup is the same as with duels, should I just¡­¡± Ruben grabbed the sword tightly with both hands and walked towards the statue. ¡°I am not allowed to help any more than I¡¯ve already done. Good luck, boy.¡± ¡°Huzzah,¡± Ruby shouted uncharacteristically while making an aloof mockery of a strike. Not that the unmoving target was difficult to hit. Making a sound similar to a stone getting pushed, the statue weaved out of the way instantly. With a mechanical and precise movement, the opponent¡¯s black blade cut upwards, except¡­ ¡°I¡¯m too far for that-¡± The opponent¡¯s right hand let go of the handle and grabbed a notch on the dull side made specifically for this. ¡°What-¡± Ruby¡¯s neck exploded with pain as he obviously heard shattering bone. [00:01] The countdown echoed within the mind.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°Uweough,¡± the blacksmith made a screeching bellowing sound. That flash of pain, it went away immediately, but¡­ ¡°I died.¡± Ruben grabbed his neck tightly. It clearly got broken through just now. With terror, he looked at the unmoving white statue. ¡°Death or pain cannot be prevented within the space, but you will get reset if you cannot continue,¡± the black blade buzzed. ¡°I just died¡­¡± Ruby still breathed heavily. It took him a few minutes to mentally recover. He decided never to experience that again. With a sigh, Ruby approached the statue once again. ¡°I didn¡¯t even notice how it killed me. I need to be more careful.¡± With the weight still taken care of by the floating sword, the blacksmith could choose whichever stand he liked. He stopped holding it with both hands, taking a one-handed dueling position he¡¯d seen in fencing competitions. This would allow him to be most agile. Taking as much distance between the statue and himself, Ruby tapped the statue on its forehead with the tip and hopped backward. The statue, as it seems, accepted the challenge, as it mimicked the one-handed hold, also turning sideways. The only difference was that the sword it held was turned edge up. With the same stone-pushing sound, it began stabbing the air while approaching. Trying to keep his distance, Ruby decided to parry one of the attached and respond with his own, retaking the initiative. ¡°Stop. Never spend energy on blocking attacks meant to wear you down.¡± ¡°What should I do then?¡± The sword did not respond this time. *Swoosh* Ruben¡¯s face would get punctured if he didn¡¯t sidestep this one. Each time the blacksmith tried to move back, the statue¡¯s barrage only sped up. ¡°Screw it.¡± The blacksmith hit the sword back, now his attack neared the statue¡¯s head. *Grull - ooh* The opponent¡¯s black blade, not pushed away nearly enough, dug into the man¡¯s armpit, making its way to his neck. ¡°Again?!¡± [00:16] The number shined before the blacksmith¡¯s eyes. Then, back alive, with heavy breathing, Ruby grabbed his shaking right hand, glancing at the expressionless white statue. He held a sword tighter and walked towards it. *Grrr- ouh* The last breath left his punctured lungs. ¡°Again?¡± [00:08] *Crack* The ribcage gave in with a sting from the opponent¡¯s black blade, shattering. ¡°Again?!¡± [00:05] *Clank* The attack was deflected, and a slit was made through the blacksmith¡¯s neck. ¡°Again¡­¡± [00:12] Scowling, Ruby fell towards the floor, never getting to feel its impact. ¡°Again.¡± [00:05] ¡°Let me go!!!¡± He wanted to yell, covered in spit, red like a tomato, but couldn¡¯t. The white unwavering palm finally strangled the young man to unconsciousness. [00:20] ¡°I¡­ can¡¯t,¡± he was forced to admit. ¡°You-¡± The sword was about to say something. ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± The weapon uttered in confusion. ¡°I don¡¯t need more hints. That¡¯s not the problem.¡± The man stood up, walking towards the statue once again. *** ¡°So what¡¯s next? We just get up and start training?¡± ¡°There are four ways for a duelist to become stronger. Number one: To get a stronger weapon. As a legendary I already stand on top of most blades in terms of power and durability. We won¡¯t get much if we spend the whole month looking for gleam to strengthen me further. Are you making notes?¡± ¡°Well yeah, sounds important, no?¡± The young man was already writing it all down. ¡°Of course, of course! Number two: Enhance body. But! There is no way to make you strong enough for this to be impactful before the tournament. No offense.¡± ¡°I will remember this.¡± Ruby pouted. ¡°Number three: To work on the toolkit. Mostly through clever skills. I¡¯ll get to that part.¡± ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°And four! The swordsman¡¯s skill! His agility, technique, and care!¡± ¡°Uhum, uhum.¡± Ruby nodded with understanding. ¡°There exists a group of duelists of the highest caliber. They are the greatest warriors of this world, to the point that only sparring with each other brings them any joy. All of them use sentient weapons, as that is the only way to truly reach the top. ¡°Weapon tamers¡± they call themselves.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of them.¡± ¡°Obviously!¡± The serious tone evaporated, ¡°Think what would happen if everyone knew that. Thieves would keep bugging them to take the weapons! On public, they use something more commonplace.¡± ¡°Got it. Made a note. Are we on the part about skills or? Should I make one more column in the chart? You said there were only four ways¡­¡± ¡°Uhem. By becoming my owner you would join that system. We will go to one of their special training grounds. At least that¡¯s where Master Brockur said I should take the one who finds me. And there we¡¯ll get rewarded with good skills.¡± ¡°Teacher! Teacher!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°But why do I need to attune to you? If you can provide the skill access I can use the attunement for another weapon to maximize my arsenal.¡± ¡°Hmm, you don¡¯t get it, do you? This bond is special,¡± the sword paused, trying to pick the best words to continue with, ¡°The one that unites two into one.¡± It tried to sound as thoughtful as an inanimate object could. No doubt the blade would have put its hand up to the chin at this moment if it had either of those. ¡°This is your only chance to achieve the top¡­¡± *** ¡°I understand what all of this means.¡± The statue readied its blade upon being tapped on the head. ¡°Ha!¡± Ruby parried but used the opportunity to step back rather than closer. ¡°Innate!¡± He yelled, triggering the skill for both the blades. ¡°Ruby, Ruby, Ruby. You are so impatient,¡± memory echoed through the white space. ¡°But look, my technique.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t make a technique before even getting the basics; smithing is not about ideas; it¡¯s about mastery! Only by practicing can you achieve the top!¡± Ruby spat on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s all just a setup for me to start ¡°feeling¡± the blade. To learn what it wants. What the intention of its design is,¡± Ruben began assembling his conclusion so far. The two unnaturally wobbly blades looked almost like whips, but their true sizes stayed the same. Spark after spark, the black blades danced in their own odd way. ¡°The speed and strength of our hits are the same. I was just not careful enough,¡± Ruby confirmed his fears. ¡°This is nothing more than a long-winded manual! And to beat it I need to understand the weapon better, to make it a part of myself, and to survive a fight long enough to see an opening, but¡­¡± Ruby punctured the air a few times and yelled, ¡°Keep attacking!¡± before grabbing the arm of the man of marble with his hands. ¡°This sword is designed to set up a trick. To wait out an opportunity. If you think about it, we should be a terrible team. All I always did before was go for the most lethal blow as soon as possible, but¡± The blade, upon figuring out its mission, began repeating the same puncturing action again and again against the statue, clunking against its hard surface. ¡°Perfect time to teach me something, but¡­ I¡¯ve been following manuals my entire life.¡± Pieces of the long luscious white beard started crumbling off, revealing a huge smiling face. Ruby kept pulling on the arm using all his mass, blocking the mechanical movement of the limb. ¡°And yet the only time I felt alive in my life was today, in the duel where I wasn¡¯t bound by what I should and shouldn¡¯t be doing.¡± The marble man grabbed the edge of his opponent¡¯s sword and caused it to fly meters away. The next thing Ruben felt was a wild strike to the back of his head from the stone fist. ¡°...And most important of all. I realized why I¡¯ve never seen talking weapons before.¡± *Bang* Another forceful bash got into the young blacksmith¡¯s cranium. No longer able to hold the sword, Ruben realized what was going to happen next. ¡°I¡¯m about to get beheaded.¡± ¡°I revoke the attunement attempt!¡± The young man yelled. And then¡­ It all came back like nothing ever happened. ¡°Arghh!¡± The same wounds were there but became noticeably better. The phantom pain from the non-existing ones, however, made Ruby scatter on the cold stone floor, rolling from one side to the other. The sword simply levitated close by, astounded by this turn of events. ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to speak once attuned, right?!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°After the attunement, you become just property. You can only speak inside the owner¡¯s head and move only after they command you to. Is that correct?¡± Ruby talked while still wriggling from pain. ¡°What?? Of c-¡± ¡°Then I don¡¯t want that! You must also be able to choose!¡± ¡°I had my choice already, no? Freedom until I find a master to serve.¡± The sword had no idea what to think. ¡°Nonsense, you must choose again!¡± Ruby finally gathered the strength to stand up. ¡°The only way we are doing this is if both of us are doing it our way. You can reveal your name or title whenever YOU want! Understood?¡± The young man pulled his hand towards the green hilt. ¡°I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°As partners.¡± *** ¡°Hoh, what a twist!¡± A short bearded man sat at the metal chair and enthusiastically noted something down. Brass-colored armor covered his body. Despite its size, no one familiar with the man would ever disrespect him. ¡°But Loki was dead wrong on one thing.¡± The bald man stroked his bushy beard. It was difficult to notice in this near pitch-black room, but his eyes were burning with excitement. ¡°This kid¡¯s potential is way greater than Fox¡¯s. The time constraints, the clashing views, the arrogance, the innovation!!! Oh, I already know this one will make it to the top 5!¡± A sidekick ¡°Quickstep!¡± The brunette woman with an eyepatch yelled. She was wearing a long white coat, but in her hands was a large grey one-handed war mallet. As she sounded the command mid-swing, her body was pushed unnaturally three meters away. The woman struck successfully, but only the gravel road. Unfortunately, the target only bobbed their head from side to side with disapproval. A bearded man in a simple teal long-sleeved shirt dodged the strike with ease. He reached into the socket on the weapon¡¯s base and pulled it out in quick succession. ¡°Dad!¡± She cried out. ¡°What purpose does the skill that counteracts a weakness serve when your movements are as predictable as without it?¡± Putting the orb inside his sword, the man uses it immediately. The newly raised mallet ends up striking nothing once again. Getting a better grip, the woman used the range advantage to keep pressing onto her opponent, pushing the blunt weapon as forward as she could. ¡°Against a different opponent, it would have worked,¡± she defended herself. ¡°But I am your opponent right now.¡± The man ducked under an unruly swing. ¡°Quickstep.¡± Pushed all the way behind his daughter, he put his blade against her neck. ¡°And I won.¡± ¡°Ughhh, I forfeit¡­¡± ¡°Good sport.¡± The bearded man smiled as the two returned to their regular bodies. ¡°These duels always end the same way. Not even interesting anymore.¡± The crowd of spectators began dispersing. ¡°Fox, wait.¡± The male duelist walked up to the yawning viewer ready to turn away. ¡°I need to talk to you about something,¡± he said. ¡°This can wait, go cheer up your daughter. She¡¯s on the verge of tears, man.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually what I needed to talk with you about.¡± ¡°Oh well.¡± Fox theatrically rolled his eyes. He tapped the young woman¡¯s shoulder as the two walked past her. ¡°You did well. Some real power in those attacks.¡± ¡°Thanks¡­¡± The two walked inside a small dusty building. ¡°Are you not going to offer me tea?¡± The bearded man cracked a joke while sitting on his favorite armchair. ¡°We both know there¡¯s no tea or food in this household, elder Sarge.¡± ¡°Be it, be it. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve brought my own.¡± The man smiled. Reaching for a box inside his sleeve. ¡°Recourseful. If you are gifting your precious tea, it must mean there is something important to discuss.¡± ¡°Of course, of course, but first tell me how was the Brockur¡¯s dungeon? He didn¡¯t spend much time on it this time.¡± ¡°It had some puzzles and a troll at the end.¡± ¡°Haha, it was themed around that fairy tale?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t have much of what I was looking for, I left the gold and gems, but that another guy was also there. Might not be anything worthwhile left by the time you guys get there.¡± Fox filled a small kettle with water from a wooden bucket and placed it on the spark rod¡¯s tip. The rods are small metal bars with a round skill notch that doubles as a handle. They are mass-produced for all the utility skills one may use. In exchange for not taking up an attunement slot, the skills you insert inside them can¡¯t be taken out. What¡¯s even worse is that the rods strain the skill orb until it eventually breaks. Some say it''s planned obsolescence, but if that was the case, Fox was fine with it. Trirod and The Skill Emporium are what made the currency stable and meaningful within the kingdom and outside its bounds. As one of The Skill Emporium¡¯s suppliers, he would like it if people appreciated their work more rather than complained. ¡°That boy from yesterday? I knew he wanted to go there. When will these kids realize Brockur¡¯s dungeons aren¡¯t so easy? And that¡¯s not even mentioning the password requirement.¡± ¡°No, he would have cleared it just fine. He knew the password as well.¡± The kettle whistled and Fox placed two cups on the table. ¡°What?! Was the chest at the end opened? By that scrawny guy? Is he a new rising star or something¡± ¡°Might be. He¡¯s an Ivaldi, Brochur¡¯s relative or something.¡± ¡°What?!?!? That would explain some things. You reckon he¡¯s his secret son?¡± ¡°Elder Sarge, I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a difficult person to talk with.¡± The man took a sip of the drink after placing solid three and a half spoonfuls of sugar inside the warm liquid. The flavor from the blend didn¡¯t take over fully yet, and the water was stale, but it didn¡¯t stop Sarge from enjoying it. ¡°I¡¯m not going to return once I leave today in quite some time.¡± ¡°Yes, everyone realized that once the news about the tournament spread. Will you stay there for a bit after before getting back?¡± ¡°No.¡± Fox downed all the tea in one sitting. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on returning at all. Not unless I¡¯m forced to.¡± Sarge coughed on his drink. ¡°I see. We will all miss you, you know. Especially the kids...¡± ¡°The kids will find new heroes to admire.¡± ¡°The village just keeps shrinking.¡± The man propped his face with his palm and sighed. ¡°And now¡­¡± He looked at Fox standing nearby. ¡°That rascal, Nora. She also wants to go.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a grown woman now, she can decide where to go on her own.¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t a month ago. You¡¯ve seen her duel, she is so arrogant.¡± ¡°Will get a few bumps on her head and come back; what¡¯s the big deal?¡± ¡°Nora is inspired by your tales, she wants to slay monsters right now and right here. It¡¯s fine when it¡¯s goblins or orcs, they duel, but she¡¯d want to go bigger. If I let her leave she¡¯ll get herself killed.¡± Elder Sarge sighed. Fox shrugged. ¡°I wanted to ask-¡± ¡°I won¡¯t marry her. I already have the love of my life.¡± ¡°Really now? You think this joke is less creepy now that she¡¯s eighteen?¡± The man¡¯s frown is a good indicator of how stressed he is about the situation. ¡°You want me to mentor her, but I¡¯ve already said no. What else do you expect me to say?¡± This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Not mentor, just¡­ I don¡¯t know, let her join you on your way to Jedom, teach a few tricks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s called being a ment-¡± ¡°Fox, please.¡± ¡°Fine. She can tag along, but I won¡¯t be teaching her squat. The life is the best teacher.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, as long as you¡¯ll keep Nora from any danger. I want her to become the new elder once she gets back. I¡¯m getting quite rusty¡­¡± ¡°Why do I always end up agreeing¡­¡± Fox wondered. After the village elder left never finishing his drink, the swordsman took out his precious weapon and looked at the black glass orb encrusted in its pommel. It wasn¡¯t really black, rather, inside it, like mist, black cloudy powder covered the orb¡¯s true innards. ¡°The only mission I care about is the one given by Sayra. I promise I will make you proud, my love.¡± *** ¡°Alright, here are the ground rules. Number one, don¡¯t be annoying.¡± Fox turned around and began walking down the road. ¡°Pfft.¡± Nora giggled. The girl adorned a small black overcoat with a hood dangling at its back. Underneath was a practical washed-up but spacious red shirt with clearly torn-off sleeves. Her baggy yellowish beige shorts were too short to be comfortable, but that was probably offset by the huge brown boots that almost reached her knees. On them and the ankles were black protectors, the girl¡¯s father insisted. ¡°It¡¯s crazy that after years of asking to go further than the local forest, all I get is a trip to the city next door with a weird uncle.¡± The girl looked around. ¡°It¡¯s crazy how it took you less than a minute to break all the rules.¡± Swordsman adjusted the bags he was carrying. ¡°Listen, Uncle Fox-¡± She tried to keep up the man¡¯s pace with her satchel. ¡°Just Fox isn¡¯t as weird, you¡¯ve grown enough.¡± ¡°Alright, Fox, I¡¯m not going to listen to anything you will try to teach me. This is my adventure, and I want to challenge myself, okay?¡± ¡°Oh no. How horrible,¡± he answered sarcastically. ¡°Wait. Jedom is this way!¡± Fox turned as soon as the village got out of view. ¡°I¡¯m aware. Your trip could be longer than you think.¡± Fox winked. ¡°I thought-¡± ¡°I still need to get stronger. Someone reminded me recently that I still have quite a lot of room to grow.¡± *** They traveled south for about three hours while sharing stories that bordered between boring and mildly interesting. The plains that surrounded the village had a few huts here and there, where loners lived and worked. Nothing exciting happened yet, just the usual flora consisting of horned mantalizards prowling around, magmahurler cobras, winged beaver hives, and zorgarfls. The oddest of all was probably the horse brought from the deep south feasting on tall grass. It had a lot of vitality and carrying capacity, the perfect workforce. Slightly hungry, both voyagers agreed that it was time for dinner. ¡°We are approaching the gates of Hedean.¡± ¡°I heard about those, are they somewhere on the mountain range?¡± ¡°In between.¡± Fox took a bite out of a roasted zorgafl scronglung, it was fine to eat if you avoid the poison-tipped gills and argunk. Those were usually cut off, just like the fins, horns, and multi-eyes. Zorgafls smell like a dirt-covered apple pie if they haven¡¯t eaten in days, but, believe it or not, they taste just like chicken either way. Only the pseudo-tail had a flavor similar to a salted apple. ¡°They must be massive then, how do we pass that?¡± ¡°On top of that mountain is a person who raises them, but here¡¯s a problem: a famous bandit group uses that mountain as their base of operations. It¡¯s safer for someone to stay here and look after-¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go up there.¡± Nora mimicked walking with exaggeration, a grin of excitement shined on her face. Fox smirked. ¡°¡®Kay. Go ahead.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s my adve- Huh? You¡¯re fine with that.¡± ¡°Yeah, sure. I¡¯ll take a nap meanwhile¡± Fox lay on the grass and covered his eyes with a red handkerchief. ¡°Now I feel like I got duped. Aren¡¯t you supposed to look after me?¡± ¡°Look, I trust in you. You can do this.¡± Fox yawned. ¡°That¡¯s your encouraging speech?¡± ¡°Okay.¡± The swordsman sighed and reached inside his pouch. ¡°Put this skill in your hammer and let me use it. It''s a gift.¡± He gave an orb to the girl. She followed the instructions. ¡°Second eye.¡± Fox pointed the weapon at one of the nearby rocks. The object sprouted two small arms and legs, an eye, and a mouth that looked drawn over. ¡°One, two.¡± As Fox said the words, the rock double repeated them in a more muffled voice. ¡°What is that? Second eye?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a scout, this way I can tag along to provide advice. Just don¡¯t get it far from the hammer. You can make the thing hold it, actually.¡± The stone kept repeating the words causing an echo. ¡°Your advice is useless though.¡± ¡°Sure, let me undo the skill.¡± ¡°No, no, no. It¡¯s fine, thanks.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Nora. All will be alright.¡± ¡°Uhum¡­ Unc¡­ Fox, why is it named ¡°Second eye¡±? Shouldn¡¯t it be the third eye or something like that?¡± ¡°Firstly, because it¡¯s a skill you get from cyclopian slingers.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± ¡°Secondly, this is thematic because...¡± He pointed at the girl¡¯s eyepatch. ¡°Very funny, let¡¯s laugh at the most traumatic event in my life. You go, gramps.¡± The girl turned around, unable to hide a smirk on her face. She began her hike. *** ¡°So, who are these bandits anyway?¡± Nora lodged her hammer into the ledge. ¡°They used to be a bigger deal. This area was covered by three large gangs, one of them tried to take over your village, member?¡± Mini-fox answered. ¡°Your gang¡­¡± She used the weapon to get up. ¡°After my team got dealt with, the other two started squabbling over the territory. One leader killed the other, and the groups merged, but, in the in-fightings, most members went rogue. Some became standalone.¡± The skill construct held onto the hammer lowered to him. ¡°So they aren¡¯t that dangerous?¡± Nora asked while pulling the living boulder up to her. ¡°Never said that.¡± ¡°Noted. Let¡¯s be careful.¡± She crouched, throwing looks all around from behind the cover. ¡°You look ridiculous right now, you know that?¡± The boulder waddled by. ¡°What are you even for¡­¡± She asked herself. The trail had unexpected slopes, but otherwise, it was fairly straightforward. Sometimes, walls of rock surrounded the path and disappeared just slightly further; it was difficult to memorize a single part of the road as many segments of it looked alike. Odd craters and holes here and there threw Nora off. She constantly suspected a trap only to see mini-Fox walk right by them. ¡°Ok. To the left there is a small cave, we better avoid th¡­ And she¡¯s already going there.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just take a peak. Maybe they have something cool in there.¡± ¡°Cool, huh¡­ I didn¡¯t even mention it was the hideout.¡± ¡°So it was!¡± Nora giggled as she walked down the mossy side passage. ¡°Just wait-¡± Mini-Fox stumbled and rolled down. ¡°Hide,¡± he said, aiming to pretend to be just another rock before realizing something. ¡°Here?¡± Nora looked into the small hole in the ground as she jumped down the slope. ¡°There¡¯s no lookout¡­¡± Skill construct muttered. ¡°Should we investigate?¡± ¡°No! We don¡¯t have the time-¡± The girl kicked the living rock inside and jumped after him. Sliding off the wall, they made it into the entrance to the hideout. ¡°Seeing this place must be quite nostalgic, no?¡± She asked the frowning stone. ¡°Let¡¯s just get over with it.¡± The duo walked down the tunnel corridor as the sounds of combat only got louder. ¡°This door is supposed to open only if you say a password¡­¡± The large stone pathway had a corroded gap in it.BNora glimpsed inside. Her skin crawled. On the floor, drained husks of men laid in a row by the feet of the woman in long red robes. She was shriveled and old, wrinkles covered the hand with which the creature strangled the last remaining fighter. The man was getting visibly older in seconds. Soon he could not hold his blade. The woman turned to the girl, her neck and the bottom of her face were covered in purple cracks that glowed with a weird unnatural light. ¡°It¡¯s a skill witch,¡± the girl realized with horror as her breath slowed. Letting go of the bandit, the robed woman pointed at Nora with her finger. Oddly enough, the witch¡¯s hand was smoother than a few moments before. A dagger pierced her chest. ¡°Rupture,¡± the drained fighter whispered. He has not given up yet. Determined to avenge his- Lightning fast, the woman grabbed the malnourished face and began bashing it against the hard rock floor of the hideout. The hole cut through her chest seemingly didn¡¯t bother the creature. Again and again, she was thorough, with each strike more and more blood spilled across the room. The fighter dropped their weapon in a stupor, it stayed inside the witch¡¯s chest. After twenty hits or so, the bandit finally fell to the floor. Breathing heavily, the robed woman turned but the girl was nowhere to be seen. ¡°Ka-blam!¡± The creature bounced off the floor from the impact of the war maul¡¯s blow. ¡°Take that you hag!¡± Nora smiled as she readied a finishing attack. *Thud*