Jerome meditated for 21 days straight. The longest he had ever gone. It was also the most peaceful he had ever felt in a long while making him a little wistful for having to leave. But he had to; he couldn’t remain in meditation forever.
When he opened his eyes, there was a shine in them that wasn’t there before. His core had advanced by leaps and bounds. It was denser and had started to take the shape of a sphere. Although it was still a cyclone, it spun faster, and its glow was much more pronounced.
He felt better after the meditation. His mind was calmer, and his body was filled with energy. He took his time to look outside the cave as he wondered why no magic beast had come to claim this territory after the death of the Sunfire Wolf, but he couldn't think of an answer.
The makeshift traps he set up were still in place, so he went back into the cave to take a look at the lair of a magic beast that was equally as powerful as or maybe even more powerful than a Spirit Realm expert.
The cave was filled with burnt carcasses. Piled up on one side of the cave walls. This was what the Sunfire wolf lived on. On the other side was a red glowing chunk of rock.
This rock was as tall as Jerome. It was spherical and so wide that it’d take at least three people of Jerome’s height hugging the rock to complete a full circumference around it. Its surface was smooth and reflective as if polished to a shine. But it didn’t seem artificial. Instead, it felt to the touch like it must have burnt up at a hot enough temperature to achieve that polished surface.
Warm, he thought. It was giving off soothing energy — essence that felt like fire. Sunfire stone! Or at least it contains one. The Sunfire stone would be at the very center of the rock, transmitting its energy into the shell that he could touch and feel the heat from.
“Ahahah!” he laughed, elated. He nodded his head surmising that he was correct with that assumption. They didn’t call the Sunfire Wolf that name for nothing. It must have been because of the Sunfire Stone it was absorbing energy from. There was only one conclusion he came to.
The Sunfire stone was a meteorite. A very large meteorite. One that would have caused a large enough crater when it first landed here. The Sunfire wolf must have been the first to find it and start absorbing its essence by just being in close proximity and cycling.
“Now, how do I get to move you out of here without drawing attention to myself?” He didn’t bother trying to absorb it. Blanks couldn’t absorb attributed essence, which was a bummer. They had to depend on the pure essence in the air or get high-grade stone crystals. Jerome remembered he had read of it being sold somewhere in the city of Farryn. But it was beyond him right now as he would need a lot of crystal coins to buy something worth sustaining him.
Can it fit inside my storage bag? The storage bag was choked full of arrows right now.
He quickly emptied his storage bag and experimented to see if the tiny pouch could fit in something as big as the rock in front of him.
This feels stupid, he thought, embarrassed. Common sense told him that the mouth of the pouch was too tiny to take in something as big as this rock. But he tried anyway.
“You never know what could happen,” he muttered to himself and placed the open pouch on the rock.
Right then the mouth of the pouch grew wider until the whole pouch was like a flat piece of brown hide plastered on the rock. It grew wider and wider still until it covered the whole rock and then it shrunk back to its normal size.
Jerome’s jaw dropped. The scene in front of him was like something straight out of a Harry Potter movie. He quickly picked up the pouch to test its weight and laughed happily, caressing it as he put all his other stuff into the storage bag.
It’s as light as a feather, he thought with a smile. There were fifteen arrows left by the time the pouch was full. Jerome tied them up and carried them on his back since they couldn’t fit into his quiver.
“Would be a waste to leave precious weapons behind,” he muttered. He paused checking himself for the map. Once he found it he made to leave the cave. As he was departing, a glint of metal caught his eye. He looked over at the pile of burnt carcasses, walked over, and dug through.
What he saw made him curious and sympathetic. A dead boy, burnt to the bone. On his forearms was a set of identical gauntlets that looked to still be in pristine condition. Jerome sighed. The kid had probably come here to participate in Pilgrims’ Keep but lost his life to the Sunfire wolf.
“Sorry about this,” he muttered before breaking off the skeletal arms to examine the gauntlets for a way to remove them. His phalanges were exposed at the end of the gauntlet and it covered the whole of the radius. But nothing he did separated the gauntlets from the arms. He was about to give up when he mistakenly cut his finger with a sharp-edged bone.
Drops of blood fell on the right gauntlet as he raised his finger to eye level. The gauntlet melted away from the skeletal arm and wrapped around his right forearm like living liquid metal, underneath his own vambrace. He raised his eyebrows in surprise after which he chuckled and repeated the process on the left-arm gauntlet.
One of the books in Kilian’s library discussed this phenomenon, he remembered. It was called ‘bonding’. Basically, you use a few drops of blood to bond with an artifact. How many drops depended on the strength of the artifact. The more powerful the artifact the more blood that is needed to bind it to oneself.
The gauntlets felt like they were alive. They were glued to his skin and moved with his arms. Like with the dead boy, his fingers were exposed as though he was wearing a fingerless glove. With a thought, they could take any form he wanted, but they would always remain connected to him. They couldn’t function independently from him. Jerome morphed them into vambraces, hiding them beneath the one he wore.
“Shweet,” he said with a smile.
He extended both like a whip, lashing around the cave. The whips tore out great gashes from the cave walls. This made Jerome pleasantly surprised. The metal they were made from must be really high-grade, Jerome thought then looked at the dead corpse deciding to bury him properly. He went ahead to dig a hole inside the wolf’s den to lay the dead boy to rest.
Jerome decided to study the gauntlets well before leaving the cave. He had put the dead boy to rest. He had a lot of food and water, so he didn’t need to go out. He sat down cross-legged and started studying the gauntlets.
~~~
Time passed by quickly. Thirty days later, Jerome exited the cave, refreshed and stronger than he was before. He had gained a lot from Pilgrims’ Keep and now it was time to leave. Sniffing the air as he came out of the cave, he sensed he was the only human in at least a mile around. He took in great gulps of air, just to be sure. Interesting, he thought. Everyone else had left Pilgrims’ Keep.
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The Sunfire Wolf’s meat he’d been eating throughout these thirty days was a great source of strength. His body was sturdier than ever, and his senses had received a boost. The air itself was bringing him information. He could now sense the essence in the air better than he did before. It was chaotic in some places and calm in others — like patches of storm clouds in the stratosphere.
“It’s probably documented that eating a magic beast, especially one in a more advanced Realm will do a sacred artist good,” he said to no one in particular as he flexed his shoulders.
He walked towards the tower closest to him as the sun climbed up in the sky. He was in no hurry, so it was like taking a stroll.
He thought back to how he killed the Sunfire Wolf and couldn’t help but shake his head. He reached into his storage bag and held the mind-calming stone for assurance.
The mountains were a beautiful sight to behold if you weren’t struggling for survival every day. Everywhere he looked was green and beautiful. It never snowed in Farryn. The inhabitants of the city usually tell their kids tales about snow. Even in the slums. Jerome couldn’t help but think how beautiful the mountains in the distance would look if they were snowcapped.
He soon reached the tower and was welcomed with rousing applause from the guards as they patted him on the shoulder to show that they acknowledged him. Jerome smiled at the guards and bowed lightly to them.
“Had fun, didn’t you?” Rihal said as he walked up to him smiling.
Jerome smiled at him and responded, “At least say ‘good job’!”
“Yeah, that,” Rihal said and all the guards burst out laughing.
~~~
“You’re the most famous Blank in Farryn right now, you know?” Rihal said as they made their way back to the Royal Estate.
“Hmm? What’d you mean?” Jerome asked.
Rihal chuckled as he vaulted over a boulder, speeding through the forest.
“There are artifacts used to surveil Blanks during Pilgrims’ Keep. Every Great family has one, tier two families as well.”
“Interesting naming system. We just say high-class, mid-class, and low-class in the slums…wait, are you saying everything that happened during Pilgrims’ Keep?” Jerome asked as he caught up with Rihal. The books in the library never said anything about them being watched during Pilgrims’ Keep. He was so caught up in dealing with his emotions that he never stopped to think of such a possibility. And of course, they’d be watched. The scions from the Great Clans like Hedon and the other girl he fought couldn’t be left alone unsupervised in a place as dangerous as Pilgrims’ Keep.
Some rite of passage this is then, he thought to himself. If the Blanks are being monitored it takes away from the weight of the rite in the mind — well, once you get to find out about it.
Rihal chuckled, “You’ve gained quite a few rivals I believe…and enemies.”
Jerome frowned and looked away.
“What happened back there?”
“I don’t know…I just…” Jerome sighed. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“I’m not complaining,” Rihal chuckled. “He needed to be taught a lesson, and you’ve proven yourself. The Sunfire Wolf absorbs its fire from the Sunfire stone. By the time it finishes absorbing the stone, it would’ve become an existence equal to a Sage with extremely high intellect.”
They both vaulted over a deer. The oblivious creature looked up from its drink and scurried away.
“It would also gain the ability to speak. That kind of power would’ve become a threat to Vorthe. It was good you nipped it in the bud.”
Jerome thought about it for a moment. “Since the Blanks are being monitored, shouldn’t Vorthe also monitor the surrounding magical beast?... You know, just so they don’t grow too, powerful. This should make it easier to nip them in the bud like you say.”
“We don’t interfere with the grounds on which Pilgrims’ Keep is held, Jerome. Every clan knows that besides being a training ground for their younglings, these grounds are rich in ore and minerals.”
“Ah! I see. And here comes the politics of a kingdom. Truly Rihal, I’m surprised we haven’t talked about that.”
“I steer clear of politics as best as I can,” Rihal answered with a chuckle.
“But, Rihal. The Sunfire Wolf is reason enough for the Royal Family to call for an expedition for another culling, don’t you think?”
Rihal just shrugged mid-air and kept quiet.
Jerome coughed uncomfortably after a while. “Rihal, the Sunfire stone…” he started to say.
“Everything you obtained is yours to do with as you please, Jerome. No one will take anything away from you,” Rihal said.
Jerome let out a breath of relief he didn’t know he was holding in. If the Royal Family wanted to take away his Sunfire stone, there was nothing he could do about it. Except maybe gnash his teeth and complain. He might not even be able to complain. One more reason why he needed to become more powerful.
“Did you find any other treasures in the cave?” Rihal asked.
“A pair of gauntlets like liquid metal,” Jerome responded, taking care to observe Rihal’s reaction.
The man’s brows rose. “That’s a good find,” he said, quickly reigning in his surprise. “Did you bond with it?”
“Yes,” Jerome said, smiling coyly. Even if he hadn’t he wouldn’t mention it. Although he wouldn’t have been able to get the gauntlets out of the skeletal arms they were connected to.
Rihal nodded and said nothing more.
“Do you know what it’s made of?” Jerome asked. He guessed his mentor was waiting for him to ask before telling him more about it. And he was also curious about it.
“An artificer bought the metal at an auction in Giza, a city two hundred thousand miles east of Farryn,” Rihal started. “He succeeded in refining it into a pair of gauntlets after a hundred years and sold it at an auction in Farryn twenty years ago.”
“A hundred years!” Jerome exclaimed. That was quite shocking. Did it really take that much time to refine artifacts? He thought to himself.
“The metal is called Visha Stirh’aun in the old tongue,” Rihal continued, “It means living steel…or flowing steel. It’s a rare metal not because it’s rare to find but because it’s extremely difficult to mine. The flowing steel is capable of devouring the blood of any being in merely a few breaths. Those who mine it usually make sure not to touch it… or let it touch them,” Rihal emphasized.
Jerome shivered as he remembered his nightmare from a few days ago; the blood, the monster that he was, the golden light, the—
“Jerome?”
He woke up with a start.
“Let it...touch them?” Jerome asked, quickly recovering.
“It ain’t called living steel for nothing,” Rihal said.
It was evening already when they got to the edge of the Royal Estate. They were met by a smiling Kilian who was waiting for them. Jerome bowed low as he came to stand in front of Kilian, noting the jovial atmosphere around him.
“You may rise,” said Kilian Vorthe, still smiling. “You’ve made the Royal family proud, Jerome. You can rest for a few days before commencing your training.”
“If your Lordship wouldn’t mind, I would like to visit my old home in the slums,” Jerome said hopefully. He believed he had earned it. And it was in his rights to ask for it.
“That can be arranged,” Kilian said. And Jerome bowed gratefully.
“Our Royal Alchemist and Artificer would like to meet with you,” Kilian said. A maid behind him came forward to lead Jerome away.
After he left, Rihal asked Kilian, “So, what’s your assessment of him now?” his voice was smug and full of pride. The kid had earned a name for himself in the hearts of everyone who had seen him take down the Sunfire Wolf.
Kilian’s expression turned serious. “The Sovereign is coming home,” he said.