It was the middle of summer when my master took me to Barou for the first time. I had only recently trained under him. Safe to say, I wasn't as awesome as I am now. The large city was visible to anyone as long as you could get past the mountains. It must have been several years after that they enacted the veil to conceal Barou.

I remember it as clearly as the day we approached the gates. A young man with an old swordsman entered the gates, and we didn't get a single unwanted glance. Losing my sister, I was lost for a long time until my master saw the potential in me to teach me his style.

"Master, what are we doing here again?"

"I've told you over and over again! I have some old contacts I want to visit. It's been many years since I've seen their ugly mugs."

"You know, I always thought you would be more wise and refined, but ever since we left Saiana, you've been nothing but an old fart."

There was a loud cracking sound as he smacked the side of my head with his hand. In a fit of anger, he grabbed my ear and scolded me.

"You little brat! Is that anyway to talk to your master?!"

"Oww! Oww! Oww! Let go!" Pulling back, my ear burned bright red; I clutched it and growled at him.

"Hmph! Just behave yourself. I don't need to pull you out of the gutter again. Now come!"

As strict as he was during my early training days, he genuinely cared about me. Not once did he abandon me on our travels or time together. Before he passed away from age, I always doubted that he would stay with me. Every day, I held these doubts.

Lost in my thoughts, he dragged me halfway across town to a tavern run by the Guild. Once the establishment manager set eyes on us, he quickly raised his hands and shouted at us.

"Loki! You son of a bitch! You're still alive?!" The manager was fat and stubby, but he wore a smile made of gold when he saw what could be described as a long-lost friend. My master, Loki, as his name was, walked up to him, and they embraced for a moment.

"In the flesh, my friend. It's been far too long."

"Far too long indeed! I haven't seen you in over a decade! How've you been?"

Master looked at him and sighed but quickly turned to me and raised his hand. "I've found my successor. Meet Gale Lurick from Saiana village."

His friend looked at me head to toe, rubbing his thick beard; he squinted before clearing his throat. "This pipsqueak is your successor?"

I ran up and punched him in the groin. Kneeling over himself, I shouted to his face, "Pipsqueak!? Take that back!" Master quickly caught my fist before it hit his face and lifted me into the air. For how old he was, his strength never wavered. All eyes were on me, and the whispers flooded the tavern.

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"Sorry, this one is a bit of a hothead. I told you not to make trouble!" He flung me around like some stuffed toy. I couldn't escape his grasp until he put me into a headlock to stop me from struggling."

"Hothead?! This kid has some fire! Where'd you find him again?"

"Saiana Village. It's part of the lord Aris's land."

"Aye, I know of em. I thought you were heading west to find your successor?"

Clearing his throat, master's friend motioned for us to sit at a table. Still recovering from the punch I had delivered, he chuckled but showed signs of discomfort. The people in the tavern slowly returned to what they were doing after the altercation.

"That's a story for another day, I'm afraid. All I can say right now is that I couldn't find passage west. So I traveled east and arrived at Heistorm, where I found this brat in the dumps of Saiana. One thing led to another, and here he is, my disciple."

I was soon let go by my master and sat in silence. Fiddling with my tunic, I kept my mouth shut while they talked about what they had been up to. It was boring; I couldn't say what they talked about. Not until they mentioned something called a "Catalyst."

"Did you find its location?" Master's friend asked him.

"Afraid not. I know that everyone else stopped looking for it after several years."

"Can you blame them, Loki? We completed our life goals, and most of us could settle down with each other or the partners we made along the way. I figured once you found your successor, you would, too, settle. But look at you, an old man known many years ago as Loki the Carver."

"That title has thankfully faded into obscurity. I never liked it and never will." Master adjusted his sitting and leaned toward his friend. "What about you, I know you have this tavern for the Guild but I didn't see you with anyone before. You seem like a family man."

"Ahh, you know me, I wouldn't fancy a woman. Got my standards that are tough to meet."

"Fair enough, I won't judge a brother. But back to the Catalyst."

"I may know a guy who knows a guy who knows something about a strange object being filtered around in the north near the Empire. It sounds promising, but it could be total bullshit." Taking his mug and downing the contents in one go, his friend lets out a satisfying sigh.

"Anything I could use would be helpful. I'll give you funds to get your people looking into it." Pulling out a pouch of gold coins, he flicks him three pieces. I have never seen a master give someone a small fortune over information.

"Look, as your friend Loki, I can't accept this cause I won't be looking into it further. Face it, the Catalyst is long gone. All of us battled that wizard and his hoard of undead demons. We watched him die, and the Catalyst went from his clutches to the abyss of the sea for all I care. Even if it is still present, I don't think anyone in this day and age will know its power because we made sure any mention or knowledge of it would be lost forever. The only people who know are us and the friends we departed from."

With a heavy sigh, master gets up from his seat. I remembered a look of anguish and doubt that flushed his confidence away. "I'm sorry I am a stubborn old fool, but I won't rest until I know. I don't blame you for feeling this way, old friend, but I hope you don't come to regret not helping me. Hopefully, it is an old man's delusions and paranoia that you remember, and you were right all along. Thanks for your time; maybe you'll see me in another decade. If not, I am glad to have met you, my friend."

He didn't say a word more and gently pushed us out of the tavern. His friend only sat there shaking his head. Looking distraught over a friend who was in constant pain, and he knew he couldn't help him even if he tried. I wondered why he felt so upset when it regarded this artifact he mentioned to him. He never told me, and I wouldn't know because that was his promise with his old party. He would tell me it was only a powerful artifact that was used for great evil and that it was best not to know, so I didn't...