Zerine looked over her new gear. She couldn’t stop smiling.

“I guess my birthday will be dull compared to this,” Zerine said.

Gary chuckled, “It probably will be. This birthday is a big deal in my homeland.”

“Really, why?” Zerine wondered. She was admiring her new leather armor.

“Fifteen is when we become adults. That trial of adulthood I mentioned earlier happens near your fifteenth year. The creatures we hunt are challenging, as the wasteland never spawns anything weak.”

“…That sounds terrifying, but badass. Doesn’t fifteen feel...early?”

“We are big-boned, so even at that age I would tower over you,” Gary said, grinning.

Zerine looked up from a pair of black leather gauntlets.

“That sounds about right. When do you all stop growing? I feel like you're taller than the lat time I saw you.”

Gary laughed, “This continent has this concept of eighteen being adulthood, which is why it feels early to you. As for my size, my kind, much like giants, can freely change our height. My true height is around eleven feet. The smallest of my kind grows to around nine feet tall.”

“Good gods! Yeah, so fifteen makes sense if all of you are massive. So, all these gifts are from you for me turning fifteen and reaching adulthood,” Zerine said, gesturing to the assortment of supplies and weapons.

“Yep. I know that it probably feels like a lot, but this is only a fraction of what normally would be gifted to family during or before their trial,” Gary said. He leaned forward with a smile. “I plan on making you a better set once you get your crest. That should last you a long time.”

Zerine ran around the table and hugged him again.

“You're the best! Thank you!” came Zerine’s muffled voice.

“I know I’m the best, but don’t tell Raith or your parents that. Can’t have them knowing there’s a hierarchy of awesomeness,” Gary said, patting Zerine’s back with his lower arms.

Zerine laughed, stepping back.

“Raith’s competitive side would totally activate.”

Gary chortled, “Darn right, so it’s our little secret.”

“My lips are sealed. After all, I got bribed,” Zerine said, grinning.

Gary laughed.

“Ah, so that is how it is, huh? Then we better get to showing off what you got for a bribe,” he said, while Zerine giggled.

He grabbed a folded up dark brown cloth that Zerine hadn’t looked at before now.

“This is a cloak and poncho. You can push these snaps together,” Gary said as he pushed two bronze looking snaps together, creating an audible click. “This will be pretty handy for a verity of weather conditions. It is something my clan created for the crazy weather in the wastelands. It’s made from a mix of hide and wool treated with magic so that it will adapt to the weather conditions you find yourself in. Bonus! It has a repair enchantment.”

“Will it get in the way if I have to fight suddenly?” Zerine wondered, gratefully taking it from Gray, who had held it out to her.

“You’ll be able to draw your blade and it can change to a cloak or stay a poncho as needed,” Gary said. “Magic is a wonderful thing when it comes to gear.”

“I did try to get Mom, to buy new training robes with repair enchantments on them, but she said no,” Zerine said, draping the cloak over her shoulders. She closed the top button, then the two snaps pulling the right side over the left. With a satisfying click, she now wore a comfortable poncho. She discovered some inner pockets and began already planning what to place in them.

“Based on that look, you're already coming up with ideas to fill those pockets. Before you get too far in those plans, you have to see everything else.”

Gary showed off twenty new throwing knives. The blades were perfectly balanced and covered in a matte black coating that Zerine look at curiously.

“That coating will help keep the blade clean of rust, increase its durability, and the metal I used will keep an edge for a while. It's made from Metal-head…metal. That…just sounds weird now I say that out loud,” Gary remarked sheepishly.

Zerine chuckled, “These are incredible! Why do I feel like four of them have some sort of magical effect?”

“Oooh, you noticed that!? Curious…” he said, eyeing Zerine for a moment. She only shrugged in response. “Ha, typical Zerine moment I see. Those are made from a pretty excellent material to help the user embed their willpower into them. Markilo and Zara love taking about how tricky your use of that technique is, and I thought why not just make it even better.”

Zerine grinned from ear to ear as she threw a knife at the wall, but just before hitting it, the knife flew back to her waiting hand.

“That was the easiest it has ever been! Gary, this is going to be awesome!”

“But wait, there is more,” Gary said, grinning. Zerine’s utter excitement was contagious.

He unrolled a bound cloth and about a hundred arrows rolled onto the table.

“These are made from yet more Metal-head parts. I have some other arrow heads to deal with different opponents, but those will have to wait till after your trip. Ava told me she has you making your own arrows in case you lose them. We can practice some more once you’re back. I think that once you get your crest, you will just forge them as needed. But hey, real arrows can be very handy. A property of the arrowheads is that they will work for a majority of creatures or monsters you face. Even hostile elementals and ghosts will be affected. You know, the ones that normally require mana to do actual damage.”

“I-I didn’t know that about Metal-heads.”

“There is a huge verity of Metal-heads and their parts have some crazy affects to them. They aren’t normal monsters, but those that came from the realm that summon creatures originate from.”

“You mean the other planes of existence,” Zerine said.

“Yeah, that. Never really paid attention to that area of magic. I could summon a creature, but I don’t like the idea of using my willpower to force something to fight for me.”

Zerine nodded, “I agree. Granted, I could see it being handy. If you make a union bond, then the creature you summon is the same one each time. If their current body is destroyed, you just summon them again. I-I wouldn’t know what to do if Varino died. We aren’t even bonded, but if she gets hurt or worse-” Zerine couldn’t finish her sentence.

Gary’s expression softened.

“Nothing bad will happen. You two will be looking out for one another during this trip. And I trust that Varino and you are up for it,” he said, then cheered up. “Now, back to gifts.”

Zerine appreciated the change in topic. She felt a bit of tension she didn’t know she had been holding loosen. He was right that she and Varino were ready for a true test. And this trip would be quite the test, she was certain.

Gary showed her a new ball and chain that was made from yet more Metal-head parts, but with an effect that allowed her to use willpower to change the length of the chain. Then they went over her armor, which was made form harden leather. Every was as she expected, apart from one thing.

Gary held up a tunic. At first, Zerine thought it was made from fine chain mail, but her eyes went wide as she saw what it was actually made of.

“Dra-dragon scales!?” she whispered in awe.

Gary beamed down at her. The tunic was her size, but Gary holding it made it seem as if he held a baby’s shirt.

“This is probably the only piece of armor that will last you your entire career as an adventurer. Falkor had it made for you. It will fit you perfectly even if you get taller, which you probably will. This will stop stabbing, cutting, and reduced magical attack damage. The only thing to remember is that impacts maybe dampened, but you will be regretting taking that hit the next the day.”

He handed it over. Zerine was speechless. The tunic was made from light blue and silver scales. It was incredibly light. The inside of the tunic felt similar to silk. The more she looked and felt, the more she felt like she didn’t deserve it.

“Gary-” she croaked. She cleared her throat. “I can’t accept this. This-this is too much for someone without a crest, let alone a low rank mage.”

“They said you would say that. So, I’m supposed to say, think of it as an investment in your future and one of two gifts. Plus…your family, so get over it. That was Ter-Terrinixis…for the last part.”

Zerine half laughed, half sobbed.

“Did I mention that it’s soul bound too?”

Zerine was shocked out of her happy tears.

“Yeah, so run your willpower through it and that should do the trick.”

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Zerine sniffled, but did as Gary said. She focused on the tunic and embedded her willpower. A ripple of energy shot through her, and she grinned.

“There are still some other things before we get to the supplies you will need for the trip.”

“Oh, yeah, the four swords and…where are the-”

Gary was now holding two scythe weapons. Unlike her practice ones, the haft of the weapons were made from black and red metal. The red appeared to shift, spiraling up the haft and down the curved blade. That was when she realized the curved scythe blade matched the handle.

“So, this metal is something Raith and I found. We did a mission together before she left. Good luck destroying these weapons or ever needing to sharpen them. They are made from what many call Doometallic.”

Zerine gasped.

“That metal can only form if the concepts of destruction, strength, and stability are mixed. That isn’t taking into account that it has to be in a high ambient magic region.”

“I should have guessed you read about it.”

“Are you kidding! The First Empress had a spear made from this and she used it to conquer the continent! She had that till she got a weapon made from Iridesium! I really want to accept this, but I probably shouldn’t.”

“Your mother said we shouldn’t use this material so early, but I have a feeling no matter what affinity or affinities you may get, these weapons will be your signature. And an adventurer needs a signature weapon, don’t you think?”

Zerine nodded vigorously. She wasn’t entirely sure why an adventurer needed some sort of signatures, but if it got her those weapons, she would agree to pretty much anything.

“And I already have some potential nicknames for you, with these being your main weapons. But those can wait till after this trip and, while you're on the trip, come up with names for them. Or I will refuse to hand them over. Oh, I will add this. Zara is convinced that you’ll be a force of nature while welding these, and I have to agree. But,” he pulled the weapons away from Zerine, who had reached out for them. “But you have to earn them. Sooo, this is the prize you get when you complete the test. I have another pair that will act as backup, but will be your primary weapons for this test. They are also soul bound, by the way.”

“That is just mean. You cannot just dangle them in front of my nose and believe that it will give me so much motivation that I will utterly crush this test. Because I will tell you, sir, that it’s absolutely working. And gods, please tell me I can at least hold them.”

Chuckling, Gary handed the weapons over.

They…were…perfect.

The metal felt like it could adapt from being grippy to smooth, allowing her to slide her hand easily at merely a thought.

“See, you haven’t bonded with it yet, but the weapons are already responding to you. They will be your signature weapons, maybe someday replacing your swords entirely,” Gary said, grinning.

“I like changing to different weapons as needed, but we will see. I have to earn these, so…” she squinted her eyes closed and held the weapons back to Gary, “take them before I try to bond with them.”

“Well, just perform well enough and they're yours,” Gary said as the weapons vanished into what Zerine assumed was his spatial storage.

“Now let’s get you used to these weapons. Do you have pent-up aggression towards some of those magical enhanced dummies?”

Zerine gave Gary a fierce smile.

***

“Wow, she really is enjoying tearing those dummies apart,” Markilo commented as he and Gary watched Zerine sparring with her fifth training dummy. They were standing next to a small pile of dummy parts from her past matches.

Zerine had switched from dual wielding swords, scythes, and now she was getting used to her ball and chain combined with a scythe.

She avoided a slash of air while starting to spin the ball in a tight circle. The air whistled as the ball spun faster and faster. The dummy shot forward a in blur. Zerine grinned and timed her release, the ball lashed out. It slammed into the dummy’s head with a sickening crunch, sending its head back at an unnatural angle. She didn’t stop there, but moved in, her scythe slashed and the arm holding the dummy’s training sword thudded to the ground. Zerine stood over the dummy, who had crumpled to the sandy floor. She was breathing hard, but was smiling.

“You know Gary, that felt fantastic. Months of these beating me up till I could stand against them. Now I see how far I have come, and that’s the best feeling. It was just a bonus that I could destroy them,” she called the two men.

“When you get back, I think we have to put them to the next level,” Markilo called back, and Zerine groaned.

She headed over to them, admiring her weapons. The scythes and swords felt perfect. The throwing knives barely took her any time to get used, while the ball and chains made an excellent addition to hamper or disarm opponents. There was only one problem.

How the hell am I going to carry my weapons and supplies? she thought.

“Great job kiddo!” Gary said.

Markilo grinned, “I agree, great job!”

“I have so much energy and motivation I feel like I could take on an army at the moment,” Zerine said.

And she meant it. She was fired up for this trip more than ever and just wanted it to get started.

“The whole household knows about the little gift. Raith and Gary found quite the haul of that Doometallic stuff. It came from a meteorite, right?” Markilo addressed his question to Gary, who nodded.

“Wow! So how much are you selling?” Zerine wondered.

The other two stared at her like she was crazy.

“We are making weapons for everyone in the household. And holding on to the material, till the younger children get older so they can decide, or their affinities decide for them,” Gary said.

“Shiya is debating between a staff or a wand. And is currently on a hunt for a gemstone or magic crystal to put in whatever she chooses. It will make a truly unparalleled tool of magic. Her words, not mine,” Markilo said. “Space seems to have some crazy materials or some stuff that is rare on our planet. Personally, I never really cared to learn more about what’s outside of our planet. Other than to reap the benefits of a good find.”

Zerine eagerly leaned forward. Space, history, and alchemy were her favorite topics, but Markilo forestalled her before she could start talking about space.

“That was not an invitation for you to drown me in your knowledge, which I know you are dying to tell me. The amount you read and can remember is truly your scariest skill.”

“I take pride in memory. And if I recall, you used that memory to make sure you didn’t forget things Shiya wanted you to do,” Zerine said, grinning, getting a chuckle from Markilo. “I have a question, though. How am I supposed to carry everything?”

“Oh, yeah, I almost forget. Take this bracelet,” Gary said, handing Zerine a bracelet made of what appeared to be copper. The plain-looking bracelet had only a single green crystal. “This is a cheap spatial storage bracelet. You can carry your weapons and supplies. The real nice ones allow you to almost instantly change weapons or pull items out of thin air. But those require it to be soul bound and are expensive. They are nearly as expensive as Doometallic, actually. But yours should allow you to pull an item out based on the order you put them in, so let’s practice that before we call it for a day.”

***

The next morning found Zerine and Varino standing in the courtyard saying farewell to the entire household, which took sometime much to Zerine’s surprise. It was heartwarming and their encouragement helped her feel even more prepared. With one more wave. Zerine’s last sight was of the entire household waving back before purple light filled her vision.

When they appeared, Zerine stood on a pink beach. Varino sat on her shoulder, eagerly looking around. She tapped Zerine’s check and pointed to their left. Zerine’s gaze flicked to that direction. A boat was heading towards the shore. It was a small sailing vessel with a single large grey sail.

“Zerine, quick, list of the monsters you will break your emergency crystal for,” Ava said.

“Metal-heads that have a bronze or better metal-like head. Monsters that suppress Varino’s aura, meaning they are peak D-rank or early C-rank,” Zerine said quickly.

“Good, you shouldn’t run into anything like that on the island, but it’s good to be prepared. But I will remind you that breaking your crystal counts as a failure if it’s not one of those monsters you said. The island they will take you to will be monitored and if they have to interfere because you refuse to break your crystal, that is a failure. You have a hundred healing pills. Use them sparingly. This island may not have everything you need to make replacements. Varino can heal you, but she will need her magic to defend herself and you if need be. Oh, here, take some storm quintessence.”

Ava handed Zerine a bag that had tiny gemstones that sparked when Zerine took a peek.

Varino chimed, reaching her hands out to the bag.

“No, Varino, Zerine has spatial storage. And these are to replenish your magic energy in emergencies,” Ava said.

Varino slumped but nodded.

There was a sudden flash of light. After Zerine blinked away spots in her sight, she saw Callahan was standing a few feet from them with an elf that Zerine had never seen before.

“Zerine, this is you cousin…which,” Callahan paused, then scratched the back of head sheepishly. “Which…her name..is.”

Ava rolled her eyes.

“You know the Trevel family maybe massive, but the Heartstone kingdom has the core of it, and you should really be better at names by now. She is Lucy.”

The elf giggled, clearly not offended.

“She has a twin sister. I just got confused, sorry,” Callahan said.

“No problem, Cal. My own parents get us confused, which isn’t helped by us playing pranks on them,” Lucy said.

Zerine got a good look at her and…wow. Lucy had light brown hair along with a surprisingly curvaceous figurer, but it was clear to Zerine that Lucy was fit. The most obvious hint of her fitness was the line down her exposed abdomen. She wore a similar short top and tight pants that Zara wore.

Lucy’s gaze flicked to Zerine’s. She had onyx eyes with flecks of gold. Her gaze appraised Zerine, looking her up and down. She felt a little exposed, which came from her instincts, she realized. Lucy’s gaze was working on a level that Zerine couldn’t tell. It was almost like how Estel’s gaze sometimes would go distant when she looked at magical energy.

“Nice to meet you, Zerine, Varino. I have heard quite a lot about both of you, but none of them discussed the fact that you use such…unique weapons, Zerine,” Lucy said, gesturing to Zerine’s scythes, which were hanging from her belt with the blades tucked into pocket-like sheaths.

Varino chimed, giving Lucy a cheery wave, which made the woman smile.

Zerine smiled, too.

“I had a great teacher who opened my eyes to the possibilities of these weapons. But they aren’t the only ones I use, but are the ones I like the most.”

Lucy nodded, “I use two short swords, which aren’t nearly as common as the longer or curved verity. But let’s get to business. I will be your proctor for this test, which means I will be monitoring you from the family home nearby. But it’s time for you to say farewell to your parents,” Lucy said as the boat that had been heading towards them now came to a halt just off the shore.

Varino jumped on to a cloud and flew to Ava and wrapped her arms around her neck. Burbles and whistling to her.

Zerine went to Callahan and hugged him.

“Be safe, but have fun, and do your best,” Callahan said.

“Will do Dad. I have to get those scythes after all.”

He chuckled, which turned into a laugh as Varino flew into him and hugged him.

Zerine switched to Ava, and they embraced.

“I know you will do your best, but be safe and keep an eye on Varino.”

“I always keep an eye on her. And we will look out for each other. When we get back, I hope you and dad will be safe and sound too,” Zerine said.

“We will be. But it’s time,” Ava said, stepping back.

The boat had drifted even closer to the shore, and to Zerine’s surprise, she didn’t see anyone aboard.

“You two ready?” Lucy wondered.

Varino flew to Zerine and sat on her shoulder. She gave an affirmative chirp, while Zerine nodded. There was a flash of light and they appeared on the boat, which turned immediately back towards the sea. She and Varino waved to Ava and Callahan until they were small dots on the shore.

It hit them then that they were on their way to their first adventure. Varino and Zerine grinned at one another.

This it…The start of our journey, Zerine thought.

***

The horde flew, while others moved along the sea floor.

An energy source drew the attention of the horde’s leader. A humanoid being covered in dark armor covering its body. It flapped its wings, turning to the west. The metal that covered its head glinted with a verity of colors as it peered in the direction of the energy. The energy wasn’t anything that their Metal-head horde could feed upon, but it was worth a look. After all, one low energy source could lead to a far better path. With a wave of its hand and an application of its peak gold-rank willpower, a cluster moved in the direction the leader had indicated.

The destination will take time for them to arrive, but well within the mental communication for the C-rank leader of the small horde, they thought, their wings flapping to keep them aloft.

***

Tristan Trevel frowned as the intersection had a sudden shift in energy. To him, the intersection looked like a tangled ball of colorful strings, with strands of threads spreading out from the knot of energy. A tendril flicked out, arching over the coastline for miles. He sent a mental communication to a gold-rank adventurer to send word that the coast should prepare for an influx of monsters.

His attention was drawn back to the intersection. His brow furrowed as he sensed more energy swirling within the mass of energy.

Could that be the signs of a storm brewing, he thought.