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Mortal's Fate - High Fantasy, mortal's take on the Cultivation
Chapter 74: Piece of mind and a black whetstone

Chapter 74: Piece of mind and a black whetstone

The room and building inside were, for the most part, intact. Same about the rest of Allan's equipment in the forge. The raging flames were not seeking destruction, as they were special, to begin with. Heat still made some damage, but it was not the worst disaster.

“Hey! Both of you! You alright?” 36 shouted to the distant pair that lay there on the ground.

They were both hit hard from the point-blank distance and lost consciousness from the force and the landing itself.

Sarey was the first one to wake up, as she had the least amount of shock. It caused the most to Allan. She felt confusion and headache. Numbness and heaviness spread throughout her body as well as the coldness of the air on her skin.

“Aaaaaaah!” She opened her eyes in shock.

“What happened? W-what? Allan? You alright?” She mumbled and checked him first, unbothered by her haggard appearance of ripped clothes.

She notices a small scorched mark on his chest that continuously shimmered in strange healing power. Nevertheless, she had no time to be bothered by small wounds like this. Sarey first and foremost checked him if he was fine at all. The force she felt went through his body, and her impact was lessened because of him.

Sounds of steps from the outside suddenly spread inside. Revealing Zigmund, who heard the commotion and the explosion. Although he had already left from before, he still felt nervous about his revelation. He left them alone afterward. A sudden strike of sound jolted him up, and the sound came from the bothersome place of Allan's forge.

“Damn. What in the bloody war is that? You already forced yourself on him? You are way too young for that!” He shouted in anger, as he watched his daughter in a situation he did not know the context of.

“Y-you!? Ughhhhhhh!” She hid behind Allan, not commenting or defending herself to her father.

“What a funny situation. Heheheheheh.” Laugh spread across the room. 36 was finding it quite enjoyable to watch this little drama for his own enjoyment.

However, it was not so much fun for Sarey.

“Hmph! What a jerk! Leave already, you shameless bastard!” she shouted in a direction of 36.

“Oh?” 36 exclaimed as the light caught his wooden body. The book beneath him was similarly intact by the explosion. Not a speck of dust was on top of it.

“Whatever. Summon me tomorrow! I don't want to waste that time in that prison any longer.” He said before disappearing into the Diary of the Body.

“What an annoying situation,” Sarey muttered. Glancing at approaching Zigmund, who looked not so happy.

“I do not need to explain myself. Find us some clothes. Will you?” She said seriously while hiding behind the bare Allan.

Zigmund checked the surroundings with a quick glance. Sniffing the air, he could smell a small hint of burning and the unpleasant smell of damaged wood.

“You! Playing with fire would burn you down. What sort of thing you were doing here!? Is Allan alright?” He asked as he found this situation much more unpleasant than he expected.

“Hmph!” Sarey was unwilling to speak anymore. Hugging still unconscious Allan.

“Hmmm. Fine! If there is some long-term damage, you better be sure to pay for it yourself.” He muttered before leaving to get some clothes. It seemed his daughter was beaming more trouble as time go on. Allan including, of course.

Sarey remained laying there. Fleeting moments of warmth spread from Allan's body. She did not feel much apart from some bruises from the impact. Not like they would bother her. It was a mistake on her part to get involved too close. The damage or the dangers around the seal were equally unknown to her as to Allan.

Uncomfortably laying there, she waited until Zigmund appeared with a change of clothes. Allan breathed fine, but the force must have been quite heavy on him.

Changing her clothes first, Sarey did not forget to put them on Allan as well. Meanwhile, Zigmund was observing the forgery with his keen eyes.

“What is that?” he asked while pointing to a bunch of things lying around the scorched wood.

“Not your business. I assume?” Sarey said without much thought as she finished dressing up Allan.

“I am doing this for your damn sake!” Zigmund turned around to Sarey and shouted.

“I don't want to hear about this. Not now. If you really want to go deeper into Allan's problems, I guess you are not prepared for such consequences.” She got up to her feet and bluntly said to her father. Their relationship could be stated as fierce for sure.

Zigmund wore an ugly face. She pointed to one of his deep problems and fear. Although she was unaware of them herself, it was still unpleasant to hear them.

Before he had time to retort, a groan was heard from the ground.

“Uhhh...” Allan was waking up.

“Are you feeling alright?” Sarey jumped to him and asked with worry.

Zigmund slowly distanced himself and left the building, before the more headache would come to this mess. A clear victor could be determined while running away. That, he knew.

“W-what was that? My body feels numb all over.” Allan said as he sat up.

“You succeeded with the destruction of that hammer, but at some... cost.” Sarey hesitantly said, while figuring not including the naked situation with Zigmund and herself.

“Really? Where? What was inside?” Allan eagerly shouted.

“Inside?” Sarey asked in confusion.

“Yes. Do you think I did this only to make a point? That was a gift from father, but there was some stuff left inside.” Allan said truthfully.

“Really? Interesting.” She said with a smile on her face. In fact, she knew it already. She was glad that he told this to her by himself.

Helping him get up, Sarey pulled him towards the anvil. There was a whole mess around.

“What is here?” He asked without knowing an answer.

“Sword, some boxes, and something that looks like a smooth whetstone? It looks kind of big for one, though.”

“Good. Good.” Allan calmly said, but inside, he felt tremendous happiness and satisfaction. He now had a part of what he wanted. That was a good enough reason to feel these emotions.

“What do you plan to do with any of these?” Sarey asked in curiosity.

“Use it, of course. I believe it was meant to be for me. Anyway, what about the boxes?” He asked. There was still one major thing that was left out in this pile of treasures. The main thing on Allan's mind from that fateful night when he saw in his father's true forge. A ball of fire.

Sarey opened all the boxes with some difficulties. Most of them were samples of goods. From ores, ingots, and alloys in all sorts of shapes. In one particular one were even some old-looking books. Sarey did not bother with them for now. As well as Allan, which had no time to care either. She put them on the pile of boxes beside Allan's work table.

“Wow! Shinny. This one is like water. How is it possible? I can't move this box at all. How heavy. ” Sarey exclaimed in surprise, one after the other. She was the one who fully see the marvels inside, but in truth, they were not as impressive as the stuff buried in the near forest.

“Bunch of goods? They could be some supplies in case of an emergency or something else. Could this be for the monetary or tradable values?” Allan reflected on the things Sarey described to him. She left no details and was very willing and excited to share them. From her words and descriptions, as well his own handful of touches to the content of the boxes, Allan became aware that those were valuable as well. It was most likely the spare materials his father had, in case of emergencies or something else. He at least guessed that.

But there was nothing about the soul-fire Allan wanted the most. All clues led to opposite facts. He has seen it being drafted inside. Although, at that time, it was into the two hammers on that bandanna. Allan was confused upon noticing these facts, and he could not figure out the reason, either. No one would.

“No. No. There is no way this is not correct. Father stored this whetstone and sword as well into this strange storage thingy.” Allan firmly believed. Yet, there were no clues about the soul-fire at all. Sarey even told him about the force that she had seen, but Allan felt it in the same way as she did. A powerful heat escaped from that place, while nothing remained afterward. This could not confuse Allan even more. He felt numb feelings, but no burned marks were on his body. Only the small mark of the almost healed wound on his chest, that he paid little attention to.

Sword was the same one he remembered. Black and white one with beauty to behold by Sarey's definition. To his surprise, it was the one he remembers from his memory. He did not need his eyes for seeking this blade up. Allan grabbed the sword himself. Checking it and feeling it. He pointed it onward and swing it around as well.

“This...this is that blade?” Allan was shocked to the core, as the vision of the blade enters his mind. Its length, material feelings, style, and the way it was made. This is a blade he watched being made years ago, by his father.

“How strange. It feels weirdly honest and natural. I could feel the weight of this sword, but if I remember correctly, I wouldn't be able to swing it with such skill and power when I was with my father. I became stronger!” Allan felt a surge of powerful feelings. Be it the swords his father forged himself or having some power within him. The weight and the power he felt through this sword all felt rather peculiar. It was not like he remembers, where he swung the blade in awkwardness in his father's present.

“I am content. There is a possibility that he kept it to himself. Maybe those two hammers were meant to be separated? Each one has its respective purpose. One for him and one for me?” he wondered.

Sarey was soon finished storing the boxes away. Putting the ones she managed to grab with Allan's help aside. They stored the rest by one stone or alloy at a time. They were too heavy to do them all at once.

After a bit of work, they cleaned the room up. Sarey missed the residual scorched marks, as they would scrap the scorched marks later, and check the damages to the wood as well. She did not think of them that much. Why would she? If there would be a fire in a wooden building with a stable aside, there would be no way it would remain intact and standing. It would burn to the ground in no time.

Allan went over everything and remembered one thing he missed.

“Where is mister 36?”

“I chased him away after that impact,” Sarey answered, a half-truth.

“You did? Alright.”

“He said to summon him back tomorrow. It seems he kind of listened to your words.”

“Heheh. I doubt that.” Allan chuckled.

“Tomorrow will be another interesting day.” Sarey thought.

There was still quite a bit of time before the deep night. Allan, after some stretching, stopped his numb body and stiffness away. Whatever the cause for that was, he returned to his normal condition. He asked Zigmund for a spar but was chased away. He did not seem to be in a mood to teach Allan for some reason, and Allan did not know the cause.

With no other stuff to care about. He reached his peace in his forge. Examining the blade in his hand. There was a smooth surface of the blade. There were no chops, deformations, or anything. It was clean, and at the same time, hard to calm the blade. Allan felt a surge of power with each swing.

Without proper form, his hand movement continued from the weight and momentum alone. It was clear that there are a lot of issues to be solved. He was glad to have this. Its quality was unquestionable. Although Allan did not know what sort of weapons were used in higher planes of existence. Metals and blades were universal, right?

Those forms and swings were the problems he couldn't solve overnight. Fixing his form would now be less of an issue. With this weapon, he felt reassured.

“Phew. It feels really taxing after a few dozens of minutes of practice. It seems I will still need a personal blade. Even if I have a top-tier weapon, doesn't mean I don't need lesser ones. Supplementary weapons such as flying knives, armor, and how about that hidden blade? I could try to make it, but I doubt I could do it without my eyes. It is too precise.” he thought to himself as the world, prior to his lost eyes, was still clearly shown in his memory.

Whatever his father taught him, or what he gained through the reading of books, or spying.

Allan was preoccupied with his issues until the sun disappeared. Deciding to make a pair of short swords, a set of ordinary flying knives, and a gift for Sarey if he had enough time tomorrow.

On another side of the coin. Sarey was relaxing in a bath alone. Calming herself down in a different way than Allan. She watched a whole new kind of show today. There was less excitement, but she felt no fear towards her decision. She always felt that the world was not against her all the time, and meeting Allan felt like thunder in an empty plane. Striking the ground with emotions of dull and sharpness

In a brief moment of extravagance amidst the emptiness of a barren plane, the lighting would strike the earth, while cleaving the air from the heavens. Though for a moment, its beauty was always showing the power of nature.

“Am I too thoughtful? I wonder what my mother was like when she met my father. I've never got a chance to grow up with her. It feels like a small cut, which is trying to heal through Allan, but it feels like something completely new,” she wondered amidst the melancholy she could afford. She felt like gaining a better understanding of herself through the notion of living and helping Allan. It felt interesting... and new.

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