“Those who cohort with demons bear their sin too,” Vice Commander Kaleb said, revealing his handsome face, his dark hair and eyes, which were peppered with silver. He had cut his hair upon the start of the month, as he always did, in the same way as the half elf opposite him.

“Those who believe they fight for justice may inflict a greater injustice,” he replied, removing his helmet to reveal his half fae face.

“I had not expected to see you here,” Sir Kaleb admitted, staring at the half elf in full plate.

“I had to come,” Jonn said.

“Why?”

“I swore my Oaths.”

Kaleb swallowed, staring not at the young man’s face, but the face of a boy, who had walked around the walls of the Order. “I have sworn my Oaths too.”

“I was tasked to protect those children.”

“The… goblins and demon?”

“Iyrmen,” Jonn replied, his voice holding a great threat.

“…” Kaleb stared at the boy before him before he blinked, and it was replaced with a young man, whose eyes were resolute. He drew his blade, the blade glowing gently.

Jonn drew his greatsword, pointing it to his old mentor. At first, there were no words spoken between them as they clashed, their blades speaking for them. While the pair aimed to cut one another, they recalled memories they had not thought of in year.

‘I will definitely become the Master of the Hunt!’ Jonn declared, the boy’s fists clenched tight, thrown into the air as he shouted atop the walls during the festival.

‘Jonn! Get down here!’ Kaleb had shouted, noting the looks of the other Seniors staring at him. He noted the look from one of the Vice Commanders, Sir Kris Huntsmaster.

‘I refuse!’ Jonn cackled, his cheeks flushed a deep red.

‘Did you drink the cider?’

Jonn blinked towards Kaleb, before rushing away, causing his mentor to chase after him.

“You have grown well,” Kaleb said. “You would be at least a Senior.”

“I am no Senior, I…” Jonn replied, his blade flashing white, exploding with magic as his blade struck true, causing his old mentor to stumbled backwards from the terrible, “am a Manager.”

‘You just need to keep swinging,’ Kaleb had said, his voice soft and reassuring.

‘I can’t do it!’ Jonn had cried. ‘I’m too small.’

‘Everyone’s small at first.’ Kaleb smiled. ‘You’re small now, but one day, you’ll be big.’

‘Like you?’

‘Ah, perhaps not as big as me?’ Kaleb chuckled lightly. ‘If you keep eating your vegetables, you’ll grow strong too.’

‘I don’t like vegetables.’

‘Don’t you eat potatoes?’

‘Potatoes are vegetables?’

‘What else would they be?’

‘I thought they were potatoes.’

‘Potatoes are a vegetable,’ Kaleb assured.

‘What about tomatoes?’

‘Tomatoes are…’ Kaleb fell silent. ‘Do you like them?’

‘No.’

‘They’re a fruit.’

‘What?’ Jonn’s eyes narrowed.

‘If you eat your potatoes, who knows? You might become Master of the Hunt one day.’

‘Master of the Hunt?’

‘The Grand Commander is the Grand Commander, but every so often, there’s a Master of the Hunt. The Master of the Hunt are those who gain so much power, they can surpass mortal limits, and become an Avatar for their conviction.’

Stolen novel; please report.

‘Are they strong?’

‘They’re the strongest.’ Kaleb smiled, upon seeing the beaming within Jonn’s eyes. ‘So make sure you eat your vegetables.’

‘As long as I don’t have to eat fruit.’

‘Apples are fruit too.’

‘What? How can apples be like tomatoes?’

‘Just like how you and I are are both members of this proud Order, even though my ears are round, and yours are pointy.’

‘There’s nothing pointy about apples or tomatoes…’

‘The stem of apples are sometimes pointy.’

Jonn fell silent, before glancing up at Kaleb, who smiled down at him. Sometimes even when his mentor was right, he seemed wrong.

Kaleb picked up the wooden sword for the boy, who was barely six years old. ‘So swing the sword, and carry your conviction within your heart. One day, when you’re big, you’ll be a great hero for children with round ears, and you will teach them to be a great hero for children with pointy ears.’

‘I wish I could have met Sir Dayle.’

‘Me too.’

Jonn’s blade felt so heavy within his hands, as though he were a small boy once more. The flashes of the blood filled his vision. He could still see it, again and again, with each clattering of their blades. Whatever memories he had with his mentor, they were from the Jonn of old, Jonn of the Thousand Hunts. Today, however, he was Jonn, Jonn of the United Kindom.

The Vice Commander was more powerful than the half elf, that much was certain. The distance between them was the distance between a Grandmaster and a Master. While Kaleb wore a lighter breastplate, Jonn wore full plate, but even so, their defences were fairly even. With his experience over the younger half elf, Kaleb was certainly more powerful. Then there were their blades.

Sir Kaleb wielded a Greater Enhanced blade, one which dealt slightly greater damage than typical.

Jonn, too, wielded a Greater Enhanced blade, one which did not deal greater damage than typical except for a certain trigger he would no doubt soon reach.

Except, that was not all it could do.

The blade had been enchanted by Adam long before Jonn had sworn his Oaths. The blade was a gift, a greatsword with a Greater Enhanced enchantment, a gift that only the likes of Kings could pass on to nobodies like Jonn.

There was one particular enchantment, however, that brought Oathkeeper in a league of its own.

Jonn had sworn new Oaths, those of Vengeance, those which gave him the ability to strike as eagerly as a Rage Dancer, or like his master with his Fighting Spirit. Oathkeeper’s most powerful ability, in the hands of the likes of Jonn, was that it struck true twice as lightly.

Oathkeeper

You gain a +2 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon.

Critical Hit on a 19 or 20.

When you are below half Health, deal an additional 1D6 holy damage.

Kaleb held on as the thunder threatened to shatter his bones, but he let out a pained grunt as the holy magics rocked through his body, flashing hot. His ears thrummed painfully as his eyes grew wide at the terrifying form of Jonn he saw before him. He was no longer the boy that spent so long learning to dance for the festival, and he was perhaps no longer the man who had adventured north to find himself. He was now a monster born from the failing his duties, and the conviction to right his wrongs, even if it meant bringing his mentor so low.

Kaleb regretted holding back, and now, it may have been too late...

Oathkeeper was not the only weapon that had been enchanted by the half elf and gifted away. One of the oldest weapons he had enchanted was wielded by a particular figure.

“I thought I could smell the fiendish ash of wickedry!” a nameless figure in breastplate over light chain shouted, engaging with one of the two demons.

‘Do you like it when I braid your hair?’

‘Yes,’ the boy had said, his toothy smile so bright, his amber eyes darting towards his sister. ‘I want it like Jiwohs.’

‘I will do my best, but my ability to braid hair is…’

‘Hey! What are you saying about my ability to braid hair?’

‘It is very good, my liege.’

‘Jirot! You love it, don’t you?’

‘No!’

The cackle within her mind cleared her head, allowing only rage to fill it.

What need did she have of wielding a Greater Enhanced weapon when she was so strong?

Destroyer

Requires Attunement

You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with this weapon.

Deals 1D6 slashing + 2D6 fire damage.

Can morph between a ring and weapon at your command.

With wild abandonment, Mara swung her greataxe, ignoring the flashing holy magic that pierced through her, the thunder which rumbled, adding to the symphony of thunder which filled the fort full of Oathsworn.

‘Kako, I must eat?’

Mara had hesitated for a moment, for she wasn’t sure she could accept the title. ‘You should eat a little, since your family makes the food with such love.’

‘Okay…’

‘Try to eat, just a little bit.’

‘Just a little bit?’ the boy had asked.

‘Just a little bit,’ Mara had confirmed, while her insides had boiled with the heat of rage.

‘How you can be my General when you are so weak?’ the girl had asked, holding incredulity within her amber eyes.

‘I am not weak!’

‘You are not even third place?’ The girl sipped her cup of milk, causing trouble coming easy to her as killing came to her greatfather.

‘I am strong too! I am at least as strong as your papo!’

Jirot had gasped. She reached out to her brother, hugging him close, the boy’s eyes full of betrayal towards the demon. ‘How you can say that? How you can say it?’

‘Just you wait and see!’

“If you wish to blame anyone, you should-,” unfortunately for the Senior of the Thousand Hunts, Lucy was in no mood to talk.

Unfortunately for the woman from the Order, Great Destroyer was not a Basic Enhanced weapon like Destroyer, or a simple Greater weapon like her own.

Great Destroyer

Requires Attunement

You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls and damage rolls made with this weapon.

Deals 2D6 slashing + 1D6 fire damage.

Can morph between a ring and weapon at your command.

Can be used to channel spells.

As the rage burst through the land, they stepped forward.

“We will have to stop you here,” Amokan said, glaring at the King, his lips forming a wild grin, though no joy reached his eyes.

“It would be our honour if you stepped back,” Timojin added.

The pair held a look in their eyes that denoted they had such an authority to do such a thing, the pair needing to behave in this way if they wanted to claim the title of Chief.

“No,” King Merryweather replied. “It seems you are not the ones to block my path today.”

Amokan and Timojin glanced aside, and without a word, they stepped aside, leaving the Iyrman alone against the greatest warrior across the land.

Jurot stood before King Merryweather, magical axe in one hand, magical shield in the other. Once more, he had come across the legend known as King Merryweather, but last time they had fought, he was no King, and Jurot was no father.