Finally done teaching for the day, I head to see how Zephyrus' eye is doing. I go through the portal and see Zephyrus looking over Nami's equipment very closely. He doesn't look up but still greets me.
“Come, sit down so we can speak.”
I take a seat across from him at the table. The bag he's holding is one that contains Nami's throwing weapons. He's carefully holding it, almost with the care someone would hold a baby as he looks at it closely. He puts it down and picks something else up after a few seconds… The way he is inspecting the things I made makes me feel somewhat unsettled. It is as if a teacher gave me a surprise quiz I wasn't prepared for. He rubs the tip of one of the windmill shurikens I made for Nami specifically. I guess I'll talk to him while he judges the equipment.
“How is your eyesight today?”
“This morning I woke up I was colorblind. I can see colors now but they are very washed out compared to how I remember them… Still an entire world better than not having sight but you might have been wrong with how they work. It seems the more I use it the stronger it becomes.”
“I expected there to be a much longer recovery time until you could even use the eye. It was the first eye surgery I've done but compared to other surgeries this one was different than anything I've ever done before.”
“It didn't seem that way. You were a true surgeon when it mattered the most. It seemed like you shut your emotions off while you were doing the surgery… That's pretty admirable considering it bothered you so much you vomited directly after the surgery."
He chuckles a little before continueing.
"It's still hard to believe that I have my eyesight back… It feels like at any moment I'm going to wake up and lose it again.”
“Well it's real, if you have any complications with your eyesight please send Nami or Glenn through the portal to get me or Leaf. With that out of the way… I've have 2 prototypes I'd like you to look at.”
I pull out 2 different swords and hand them over to Zephyrus. One is shaped like a normal sword except much thinner than normal. The blade itself is made from slime that was boiled down until it was a much harder version. I've been using this alternate plastic for many things until now. None of them have been weapons but it does suit the nature of the wind mage very well. With this you could launch more powerful and faster flying wind slashes. Unlike using a regular sword it wouldn't easily break because of how brittle the metal would be from the thinness.
The other sword is one I've been thinking of ever since I've heard that the fire elemental lord had kidnapped Red. Another long, black blade I put an extreme effort of many melded skills to get the temperture as low as possible. The center of the weapon was cut out to reduce the weight so that it could still be used as an effective wind mage weapon. The sword itself is thicker than it would be for a wind mage to use because cold iron is already more brittle than average iron. It's extremely sharp, almost as good as dragon slayer metal. It will be the close range attacking implement if someone were to fight against the fire elemental lord.
Both swords are enchanted with 3 different kinds of magic as well as anti magic runes thanks to my rainbow mage skill rainbow focus. The first is freeze magic to remove the chances of the air becoming a resource of any fire attacks used against the user. The next being wind shield, the swords will constantly spew out cold air the moment someone touches the weapons. Finally, both swords are enchanted with elemental alignment set to wind. Using that skill would increase the power of the freeze and wind shield skills based on the users wind elemental alignment. It is unfortunate that I couldn't use the strengthened version elemental attunement to make it more effective with all the elements but it was impossible to put onto the weapon.
The moment each weapon touch his hands jets of wind spew out of the swords. Elemental alignment is too strong with an elemental lord. It shocks me how much wind is being produced by the weapons now. The humid room almost instantly becomes a cold environment. Plates on shelves are knocked off from the force. The alignment spell was definitely the right choice for someone who is that attuned to their element.
“Maybe I should hold onto them for now so you can actually look at them without the winds spewing out and wrecking your house.”
“Yes… Perhaps that is a good idea.”
He hands the weapons over to me and the difference in wind pressure is obvious. I can throw out wind at a much higher degree than anyone else I had test it. Perhaps Nami could throw out more wind than me but my wind is like a light breeze compared to Zephyrus' storm. The wind is calm enough for him to look very closely at the blades now.
“These weapons are. On the same level as a legendary, perhaps even a relic level weapon. You made 2 weapons on the same level as a relic overnight. You are a truly terrifying person when it comes to invention, you know that right? I may be strong but I can't be in 2 places at once. That's why weapons like these are so terrifying. A strong weapon can turn a weakling into a warrior. Just be very careful with creating these weapons. If they were to fall into the wrong hands they could potentially change the entire dynamic of the world.”
“I know how easily my weapons could be used against me if the truth about them were to get out. I've been telling anyone who isn't trustworthy a half truth so they don't understand what I'm doing. Some people I tell I am a servant of a god. Many people outside think that what I'm capable is given from a higher power.”
If someone were to find out that I've been lying and they decided to attack me… Attack my men to get me to tell them my secrets... They could gain my ability to make things for a giant army and that army could sweep across the land destroying anyone who would challenge them. They could conquer the world and shape it to their own image. I need to stay 1 step ahead of everyone… I need to be smart enough to deal with these problems before they get out of hand in this way.
Stolen story; please report.
The door flies open as Nami pushes Glenn through the door. He is crying profusely as he clutches his arm.
“M-my arm! Y-you really broke m-my arm!”
“Quit crying you big baby, I only broke the one. Oh Kite's here, he can fix your arm if you stop squirming.”
“R-really!?”
I answer him.
“Yea, it'll be easier to fix if I knock you unconscious with some sleeping and numbing poison first.”
“N-no, I w-want to be a-a-a-wake for it.”
He continues to stutter his words in between crying. I pull out a needle, pour some numbing poison and jab his arm with it. When he starts to slow down on crying I know that it has started to work but it seems like he might have some poison resistance because he's a frog type person… I'll have to ask him what race he is later. I apply extra poison to make sure he can't feel it then I make sure the bone is in place before healing it. He's young enough that if his bone healed incorrectly it could ruin his life forever. He keeps asking when he'll get the feeling back in his arm and I keep telling him it will be a few hours.
“Well. With that done perhaps you should test those new weapons out Zephyrus?”
“Yes, I'd also like to see the power these weapons can yield.”
We all walk outside to watch him test the weapons. Both don't understand what is so special about the weapons until I hand them over to Zephyrus and the pour out wind. Glenn looks extremely confused while Nami acts like this is what would normally happen. Shards of metal fly up around us and it makes it hard to see. The canyon we are in is already windy but it is now on a different level.
He swings, I don't even see his strike. His hand disappears as a gigantic wind slash cuts out the earth from the ground in front of him. It cuts deep into the ground as it travels to the wall he was aiming for. When the wind slash hits the wall, an explosion happens. It takes 10 seconds for the dust to settle and we can see what the impact of the attack was…
It is fairly obvious that the canyon was made from Zephyrus practicing wind slashes now. Compared to the other scars left behind by other weapons he's used… This leaves twice as big of a gash, almost reaching out of the canyon, cutting deep into the ground… It is truly terrifying how much damage he has done with a basic wind mage skill.
“I didn't expect the power to increase by that much. Let me try the other weapon now.”
He swings the cold iron sword I made for him and it shatters after a single use. Once again the attack was too fast for me to even register his movement. He will not be able to use that weapon for anything other than defense… I'll have to make another one to replace that one… Perhaps make a few since they break so easily. The good thing is it launched a wind slash even though the weapon broke. If anything were to happen to the plastic sword he could still get a single use out of that for an attack.
From my personal practice with that skill, he should be able to launch several attacks within a few seconds. With that amount of power he could kill an army before they could retaliate against him… If push comes to shove and we become enemies, I just made him far more dangerous. As he is right now, I doubt that even an entire kingdom could defeat him. He doesn't seem the type to go on a rampage though, so it should be fine.
“I'll have to make you a set of armor to help fight against the intense flames but I'd really like to get your measurements before I start making the outfit.”
“I'm surprised you need to take my measurements.”
“I would normally just go off of sight but with something that is going to need to stand up to an elemental lord, it will take more time and effort to make properly. I want to make sure it's absolutely comfortable and nothing could possibly get in your way when fighting against the elemental lord… If I make you a piece of clothing and it's too big, he could grab onto you and use it against you. If it's too small and it might constrict your movements.”
He looks at me with a questioning tone to his stare before saying.
“Why do you want to help me so much? It doesn't make sense from almost any perspective.”
I look at him without any change in my attitude… I hate to admit why I'm actually helping him but there is no way he would believe a lie from me.
“Because… I'm too weak right now to take revenge on someone who has done me wrong. Helping you hurts him in the long run… When you decide to take your revenge… I want him to know that it is because he has done me wrong that he is going to die… I want to kill him with my own hands but I'm too weak so I have to settle with helping you take your revenge instead.”
The truth finally comes out… It makes me feel… More like Wrath than I'd like to admit… That need for revenge is something that isn't good to have... I don't care. I just hope he can wait until I head there to save Red first. As if he read my mind he says.
“I've already waited over 100 years for my revenge. I can wait for a few more months to take my revenge against him. You need to make sure you save your friend before I head there. He is a subordinate of the Death god but if he is pushed towards death I have no doubt he will try to use human shields and other techniques of cowardice to try to gain the upper hand.”
He walks towards me while pulling a sheet of paper out and hands it to me. It only takes me a glance to know that it is a map of the west end of the central continent. We're located at the very east side of the central continent so it will be easier to get to the fire elemental lord from our base. Perhaps one of the beast rider squads that have left to find monsters on the outskirts of the central continent, that would be faster.
I bid them farewell and head back to our base… I need to prepare for the trip into the central continent. I'm going to be going by myself since I can get there fairly quickly, perhaps in 3 days travel if I fly in griffon form. I send some men to gather supplies for me when a scout runs towards me to tell me some information I had been waiting for.
“Master, it looks like several large groups of men are finally gathering near Merideth like you had said they would.”
That's not good… I had hoped to be more prepared before the armies starting making their way towards the closest city to the border. The war will most likely break out soon. I hope I can make it to Merideth before they set out towards the border or it will ruin my plans for the upcoming war. I'll need to make double time in order to finish this before they set out. If I rush to deal with the fire elemental lord… It should only take a day and a half while traveling through the night without rest.
I grab enough food to get me through, drop off my weighted bracers and other equipment I don't need and take off towards the central continent. I take a single pack with some things I may end up using if the worst happens. Going into griffon form I can already notice I'm far faster than I was with the weighted equipment. I should test how much faster I've become. I pop sprint as well, I have no need for the huge amount of fatigue points so I will be using it almost the entire way there.
With the new maximum movement speed, I should be able to make it there in one day. That will give me enough time if it doesn't take that long to make it to Merideth for the war strategy meeting that is taking place there. My scout should have sent the king a parcel describing in detail the counter measures I have been putting in place and my want to be part of the war meeting that will be happening.
Most likely the king will head south after the meeting and have someone else lead the army. He doesn't seem the type to be hands on and it could come back to harm him in the future when the people he is ruling view someone else as their leader. There's a good chance that whoever ends up leading the army will try to overthrow the king once the war is over.
I continue using sprint and feral roar when it is off cool down to increase my movement speed. I fly for about 5 hours straight until I hit the edge of a desert. The climate has slowly been getting warmer and it is now a noticeable difference compared to what it was near the fortress. I feel comfortable with this heat though. I think mainly because of the spirit contract with the snake. With the thick fat skill I just learned I shouldn't have any negative effects from making the contract.
It feels like I've been flying through the desert for an hour. I had to go further off the ground to avoid getting sand in my eyes but the winds higher up seem to be fairly turbulent. There is a sweet spot between the turbulent air and the sand being thrown up into my eyes. That's where I try to fly at. The sun is almost setting now and from the corner of my eye I see something. I have seen nothing since I've entered the desert… Not even a single creature or plant… There sitting alone is a gigantic tent.
Outside of the tent near the entrance sits a red man.