While Crisis headed to the castle, the Heartaches and EchoForce started following Agnus as they walked through the bridge connecting to the city entrance. Once they reached the open road, they found no carriages or horses waiting for them, so they had to keep walking, now heading towards the lake. After crossing a short wooden bridge over the thin river cutting through the lake, they were walking up the mountain before they knew it, using a steep but even path that almost spiraled up like the city they had left just a couple of minutes ago. But once they reached the top of the mountain, or at least the highest walkable area, as the peak in the middle towered them by a few meters, they came across a great view over the lake.
They walked up to the cliff overhanging, which took them about the same time as walking from the base of the city to the castle since the formation of the mountain was pretty similar, only a bit shorter, providing a larger surface at the top. With a glance back at the path they just took, they turned back to see another field, like the one below, except at a higher altitude and with more rocky formations. The mountain they just climbed turned out to be only a part of a series making up a mountain range, as they could already see more mountains in the distance, not only the ones next to the city but also more past the border of the region.
The short hills surrounding the left side of the city couldn’t compare with the wider and bigger formations ahead, so once they reached the cliff, they first took a short moment to overlook the valley below, getting a better view of not only the lake, the walls of the city, but the large forest on the left side of Rysemery. They could also see the castle from there since it was the structure that stood out the most and was right at the peak of the mountain, being able to be seen from any high point at a great distance. Since some of the city was found higher than the walls, a portion of the upper-class district and the open walkway leading to the castle, which faced their way directly, could be seen if they squinted their eyes.
Right as they appreciated the scenery, Crisis was reaching the castle, walking through that open section of the main road that faced the cliff. For a brief second, Frost could make out some figures standing there from the corner of his eye, but he couldn’t see that they were the Heartaches and the rest of the team, so he didn’t pay much attention to them. Neither did the joint team, as they quickly picked up the pace to head towards the plains of the mountain, where it appeared like they wouldn’t find anything of significance in hours, although Agnus clearly knew where to go, so in the meantime, she briefed Panda while he led his group.
Since they were walking without an actual goal or target in sight, the Heartaches and rookies tried to keep themselves entertained for as long as possible. Ace and Chappy started chatting at the back, alongside Cookie and Shade, with the latter staying quiet but just as determined as the rest. All of the Heartaches were engaging in a casual conversation at the front, and Zoey tried to join them as Scott wasn’t paying her much attention despite walking right next to her. Instead, he spent all the time inspecting his new weapon again, turning in its side to check it out from all angles, as well as trying to figure out how the odd material worked. But as he kept admiring Dominion so much, his fascination with his weapon eventually caught his friend’s attention.
–Cool weapon, huh?– Ace asked in a laid-back manner as he sneakily approached Scott from behind, catching him off guard and prompting him to stop fidgeting with his weapon, but it was too late to be subtle as he already made the other rookies curious.
–Uhh, yea… It looks unreal, I still can’t believe I got this as a gift…– Scott replied with timid excitement as he carefully held Dominion in his hands horizontally, only contemplating picking it up properly as the heavy sword seemed to both intimidate and enthrall him. It seemed like he wasn’t the only one absorbed by the weapon, as she turned around once she noticed Ace and Chappy talking to Scott. And after waiting for them to catch up with her, she stepped in with a curious look.
–Well, you earned it. Now you just have to find a use for it– Zoey commented cheerfully, supporting Scott with an encouraging smile that gave him a bit more confidence, but it wasn’t enough for him to hold his weapon, even though Chappy tried to steal it from him in a playful manner.
–I’ll definitely put it to use, hopefully soon…– Scott responded with an eager expression, looking back at his friends and even Shade, but his eyes were distant. While they were all still impressed by his shiny new, all-white sword, he seemed introspective and uncertain regarding his feelings toward it. Cookie caught up to them; he also seemed interested in it, albeit not as much as the rest, and began staring intently at Scott’s weapon when noticing his attitude.
–That looks like a special sword, though. You might want to get to know your weapon first before using it…– Cookie mentioned casually but in a way that intrigued the rookies, sparking some doubt in Scott that broke him out of his reflective state.
–What do you mean? Like practice with it?– Scott asked, slightly confused but paying close attention to Cookie, and like the rest of the rookies, he turned to him in order to listen to his explanation, which Cookie made sure to build up to, seeing that everyone wanted to hear his thoughts.
–No, I meant forming a bond with your weapon. You might get hurt if you don’t know how to use it, so I advise you to start learning its power and abilities, understanding its potential and value, and all that… But most importantly, you have to know what its name means…– Cookie responded prudently, almost as if he were giving Scott a lesson that he couldn’t really comprehend in the moment. He just stared back in disbelief, trying to figure out if he was serious since Cookie adopted an odd demeanor and speech. It also raised some suspicion in the rookies, who didn’t seem to believe or even wrap their heads around such a ridiculous idea, and they couldn’t help but scoff at it.
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–You are treating the weapon like a girl… Does he also need to give it constant attention and put up with their whining?– Chappy asked sarcastically, getting Ace and Shade to crack up but making Zoey slightly uncomfortable, having to distance herself from him to walk closer to Scott and Cookie on the other side.
–You clearly know nothing about girls… or one of those brothel chicks really hurt you…– Zoey replied mockingly but with a bit of genuine worry as she gave Chappy a weird look that he was indifferent to. But with the rest ignoring his joke, their attention shifted back to Cookie, who wasn’t pleased by their initial dismissal but was persistent in warning Scott about his potentially dangerous weapon.
–No, I’m serious. All the special weapons have special names for a reason. Ask anyone in Crisis. I thought you already knew that…– Cookie reaffirmed, now sounding much more certain, convincing the rookies to at least hear him out. They thought hard about the implications, although Scott was the most doubtful of the bunch as he questioned it right away.
–Really?... And what is the name of your weapon?– Scott asked skeptically, but he showed more curiosity than disbelief. Cookie scoffed at first, but as the question prompted the others to ask the same, he rolled his eyes and casually pulled out his weapon from his backpack. Since they were all carrying their swords on their backs, his sword stood out immediately thanks to its unconventional design.
–It’s called Biscuit… Because it’s sweet to kill anyone that gets in my way…– Cookie replied with a proud but lighthearted smile as he presented his weapon. It was a long, gray, metallic sword with a bit of a curved point, but what stood out the most was the handle design, which appeared to be the end of some cutlery, specifically a spoon due to the circular shape. He slowly lost confidence in his sword the more the rookies stared at it, but he waited to see their reaction first before putting it back in his bag. Unfortunately, he was met with a few laughs, as they couldn’t help but find the weapon funny-looking.
–Don’t you mean eat?– Ace asked teasingly, getting a couple of laughs out of his friends, but he also made Cookie lose his temper instantly.
–I couldn’t think of anything else, okay?... Besides, I didn’t have any options with the nickname Frost gave me…– Cookie shouted in a sudden rush of anger, although he quickly calmed down as the rookies stopped laughing and became more interested in the meaning behind the name.
–So do they have to relate to your nickname? That seems odd…– Zoey asked thoughtfully before Scott started playing with his weapon, trying to get a closer look at the handle's engraving but still unable to read or make sense of any of it.
–Yea, I don’t even know what Dominion means. I might have to change the name…– Scott added dubiously, almost dropping the sword as he grabbed it by the handle and let it hang. But his increasing suspicion of the sword led to Cookie lifting it up for him, helping him hold it still in the air, and letting Scott admire the glare of the blade as he kept it raised after Cookie let go.
–Well, it’s said that it helps to bond with your weapon if its name relates to yours. There is a term for it called synergy, and it’s kind of like having to match the style of your weapon as much as possible, almost like trying to be one and the same. But I think that doesn’t make sense at all, so as long as you know how to use it and are comfortable fighting with it, you’ll be fine…– Cookie explained in a well-versed manner but was still lighthearted and even slightly indifferent, which received wistful looks from Zoey, Chappy, and Scott. But while the rookies tried to understand the meaning, the latter was now more interested in the names of other weapons as he looked ahead and saw all of the Heartaches with their respective swords.
–Hmm… What is Panda’s weapon named?– Scott asked curiously, staring directly at Panda, who was somehow carrying two large backpacks on top of the huge machine gun strapped around his shoulder, wearing his deployable shield on his right arm, and also holding what seemed like a box of ammo with his left hand. Despite all the weight, he was way ahead, right next to Agnus at the very front, which made it obvious when Scott’s eyes shifted towards him, prompting Cookie and the others to look as well. But with all of them now asking the same question, it took Cookie a while to think hard until he remembered the name of Panda’s machine gun.
–I think it was Paxinterra, if I recall correctly… A very weird name…– Cookie replied without much confidence in his voice, although it still intrigued the rookies, especially Scott, who took a long moment to think of the name over and over.
–Huh… What does it mean?– Scott asked inquisitively, drawing attention back to Cookie, who continued to be hesitant to respond as all the rookies stared at him eagerly, with Shade pressuring him into answering with a very suspicious and critical stare.
–I don’t know, it was like peace on earth or something… I don’t get it, really… There’s nothing peaceful about that gun…– Cookie replied halfheartedly, almost as confused as the rookies when they heard the meaning of the weapon’s name. They stared at Panda once again but kept focusing on his machine gun, noticing how indeed it looked more menacing and deadlier than him, even when there was a stamp of a cute panda on the base of the ammo belt, which had become more of a smudge from wear and tear.
–Maybe that’s the point. Perhaps the weapon’s name has the opposite meaning of its purpose or the nature of the user…– Zoey said thoughtfully, but she looked particularly at Scott to inspire hope in him with a friendly but considerate smile that left him and the others thinking.
–Yea, that makes sense. No wonder Scott got a sword with such a cool name…– Chappy responded teasingly, dapping Ace several times as they both burst into laughter, breaking Scott’s moment of concentration and deep thought as they made fun of him.
–Shut up, you don’t even have a weapon– Scott replied with slight annoyance but in a playful manner that prompted more laughs. But as Cookie had explained everything he could, and he didn’t seem to agree much with the conclusion they had come to, he just walked closely behind the rookies to let them goof around as they started teasing each other. It kept them entertained with laughs and things to think about or discuss, but it seemed like they had a long way to their destination, so they had to save some of their energies.
| IN THE LIGHT OF THE FACT
ON THE LONE AND LEVEL
SANDS STRETCH FAR AWAY |