DAY 550

Hephtas was tired. He was tired of the all the political ploys and power struggles that went on in the Tower of the Gods. So, he buried himself in his forge, and refused to come out.

He refused to make anymore weapons for the Gods to kill each other with. He refused to answer prayers of his followers. Hephtas wanted no part in the new world the Gods had made for themselves.

Hephtas was the Grandmaster blacksmith of the Heavens, and the only blacksmith that could forge Godsteel. Even his son, Bo, wasn't able to grasp the concept.

The weapons of Hephtas were legendary, and he absolutely refused to make another. Although he'd make anything else for them, it was his weapons that were wanted the most. The Gods were furious, but they could do nothing but beg.

Hephtas sighed as he struck his hammer to the anvil. His dark hair and soot covered face catching the light of the forge.

To him, all the Gods had fallen, and the Heavens were not what they used to be. Soon, he would give most of his Essence to his son, and lay down his hammer for good. He felt like his purpose in life was finished.

That was until he received a very special visitor.

"Hello old friend..."

".....!"

Hephtas looked up from his work to find a face he'd never thought he'd see again.

"Tegaia...what are you doing here? I thought you'd..."

"They couldn't be rid of me that easily."

Hephtas shook his head as he laughed for the first time in years. It seemed his hammer would see more work before the day was through..

"What can I do for my favorite Goddess?"

"I need a new weapon and armor."

"At once!"

Hephtas cast aside his vow without hesitation. The Goddess of War had come. Anything made by a lesser smith wouldn't hold against her fury. And he knew, whatever her cause, it was just.

"I need it as soon as possible, I want to be long gone before they notice I'm missing."

"Where have you been all this time?"

"I've been sweeping the lower floors, bidding my time."

"Sweeping floors!?  How much humiliation must the so called Gods deliver before they're satisfied!"

"Peace Hephtas. Their time will come. Would I be standing before you were it not true?

"Indeed, but where are you going?"

"Do you truly wish to know? Gods have been cast out for knowing less information. I don't know what they'd do to you..."

"Let them come. The only wrath I fear is yours." Hephtas said with a look of resolution in his eyes.

Tegaia nodded, Hephtas had always been fearless. "I'm going to find our friends. Thena may be in power, but she can't strike without cause. And I don't intend to give her one unless I know I'll emerge victorious."

"Wise as always...."

"Flatte-"

Tegaia's words stopped in her throat as she looked at the wall of the forge. There was a sword hanging from it. It was a simple sword, yet there was an elegance in its simplicity. The polished Godsteel shined like a mirror in the light of the forge.

Tegaia reached out with trembling hands. When she touched it, tears streamed down her face as memories and emotions washed over her.

Hephtas watched in silence. His own eyes threatened to brim over. A weeping Goddess of Love had that effect on people.

"Where did you find it?" She whispered.

"After the battle...if you want it...."

Tegaia shook her head. "No, let it rest as he does."

"Aye."

Tegaia sat down in the corner of the forge as Hephtas set to work. A forgotten fire had been rekindled in her eyes. The Godly light in them shined brighter than it had in years.

'Your time will come, Thena. As sure as the sun sets, your time will come!'

---

Far north, in the Kingdom of Todos, was the Mountain of Yune. Near the top of the mountain, hidden in the forest, was a waterfall gathering into a clear pool.

The waterfall was half frozen, and in the pool was an elderly man swimming on the surface. He ducked underneath the water, then flipped, and kicked off the wall into the opposite direction. It was a scene of serenity, completed with a statue under the waterfall.

The statue depicted a warrior clad in full steel armor, with a combined set of twelve rings on its limbs. The serenity wouldn't be complete with that alone. It was the child on the warriors shoulders that completed the atmosphere. The child, in similar armor, clinged to the warrior under the falls.

If anyone saw the statue, they would think of a father and his son, training in meditation. Unfortunately, truth is stranger than fiction.

Truthfully, anyone seeing the old man would think he had a death wish, swimming half naked in freezing water. They wouldn't know that the reason the water hasn't frozen already was because of him.

If anyone looked closer at the statue under the waterfall, they would clearly see steam rising up from it. Then the fact that it was actually two statues would flair the curiosity of onlookers, drawing them closer. Only then would they realize that they weren't statues at all. They were a man and a child, enduring the pounding of the waterfall.

Who would suspect it to be a scene into the daily life of a legendary swordmaster and his pupils?

After learning how to swim from Thadius, Corban set out to use his new skill as his students trained. Though after a few hours, he called for them to come out.

Thadius climbed down from the boulder, the steel bands of his armor rubbing against one another. Yuna clung to his head with her hair falling down to his waist. He was thinking about the conversation he had  with Curtis yesterday about his stats. He had looked at them for the first time in almost two years in-game.

"View stats and skills."

No Title CLASS Disciple of the Iron Dragon NAME Thadius RACE Human FAME: 0 LV. 1 HEALTH 7700/7700 MANA 1350/1350 STAMINA 12540/12540 VITALITY 770 STRENGTH 1572 DEXTERITY 1042 WISDOM 21 INTELLECT 18 LEADERSHIP 0 CHARM 34 FAITH 502 *FIGHTING SPIRIT 2932 MAGIC RESISTANCE ICE 99% FIRE 0% EARTH 0% DARK -5% WIND 0% LIGHTNING 0% HOLY 5% WATER 0% +Weapon mastery skills gain x10 EXP

Passive:

Sword Mastery LV. 100 Master

Shield Mastery LV. 100 Master

Dagger Mastery LV. 48 Expert

Dual Wield Mastery LV. 52 Expert

Cooking LV. 73 Advance

Tailoring LV. 1 Novice

Active:

Fighting Aura LV. 72 Expert

Controlled Breathing LV. 100 Master

Meditation LV. 42 Advance

Concentration LV. 76 Expert

Sense Presence LV. 90 Expert

Hide Presence LV. 81 Expert

Slash LV. 12 Intermediate

Dragon Claw LV. 22 Intermediate

Dragon's Path Completion 64%:

Dragon's Scales Mastered

Dragon's Tail Mastered

Dragon's Fangs 49% Mastery

Thadius still couldn't help being a little disappointed. Curtis told him that most stats maxed out at 9999, with the max level rumored to be 1000.

Even his highest stat was something commonly found among higher level players.

In the end, the only thing he could be proud of was his Fighting Spirit and Faith, which were passive stats. Since passive stats can't be raised manually, they max out at 999.

*FLASHBACK*

"Your Fighting Spirit is at what!?" Curtis asked after he told him.

"2932."

"Jeez, I'd heard about 'broken' stats, but that's ridiculous."

"'Broken'?"

"You have a star next to your Fighting Spirit stat right? That means it 'broken'. 'Broken' stats have had their cap removed, so they'll continue to rise forever."

"Whoa..."

"Yeah. It's pretty rare too. Though I've never heard of a passive skill being 'broken'. Most of them aren't that useful to begin with."

*FLASHBACK END*

Thadius walked back to the compound behind his master as Yuna rode on his shoulders. She didn't like training at the pool because it was boring. So Thadius told her that she could sit on his shoulders while she trained. She would have never gotten the Fighting Aura skill otherwise.

After they arrived at the training hall, Corban went straight into combat training.

"Alright my young pupils, today is a very special day!"

"Uh oh." Yuna whispered as she hugged Thadius' head. She had grown a bit, and had to bend over a little to grab it. Her immortality had apparently been stripped as well.

"Is it a good surprise?" Thadius asked.

"It is indeed Thadius! Today you both receive your final set of training armor!"

Yuna and Thadius groaned in unison.

Corban went into the supply room, and came back out with two small bundles. He unlocked the steel armor, and both Thadius and Yuna had to shield their eyes from the blinding sun.

Thadius looked down at the bundle he had sensed. It was the Mythril armor set. He picked up the chest piece and was truly surprised at how light it was. Each piece was milky white, and had a radiant gleam. They were thin too. Any thinner, and he could use them as aluminum foil.

He put each piece on obediently and Corban locked them into place. Yuna watched him cautiously. If anything strange happened, Thadius would be the first victim, giving her a chance to escape.

After a few minutes, Thadius was fully clad in his. new armor except for one piece.

"Where's the helmet?"

"Do you still need one?"

"I suppose not."

"Well that's it. It's quite beautiful isn't it? I once had an armor set of Mythril once. Had to give it up though, I kept forgetting that I had it on!"

Thadius was surprised. He had thought Mythril was going to be extremely heavy.

'So this is like graduation armor?'

He looked down at Yuna to share his joy, but Yuna was wide eyed as she watched Corban pull out a scroll from behind his back.

"Graviga!" Corban shouted.

Runes of light littered the armor. Thadius dropped to his knees as the armor gained weight.

"Mercy!"

"Oh? I think he likes it Yuna. Yuna?"

Yuna ran like the wind. Desperately trying to outrun fate.

Thadius could only watch as Corban bolted through the doorway to catch her. When he came back, he was carrying Yuna by the feet.

"Master please! No!"

Corban pinned her down and strapped her into the Mythril set without an ounce of remorse. Then he used another scroll.

Yuna fell to the ground when she tried to stand. She struggled to sit up while Thadius stayed where he was. The armor was that heavy.

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"The beautiful thing about mythril is its incredible compatibility with magic." Corban smiled as he looked down at his pupils. "Now, on to today's lesson. I will be teaching you another special technique."

That got Thadius' attention. "What is it?"

"After a swordsman learns a skill. He no longer 'uses' the skill. A sort of bloodlust takes over. Not only does he shout out the name of the skill for the world to hear, he loses control between the beginning and end of the skill."

If he was talking about the assist system, then Thadius knew exactly where this was going.

"You've developed a way to control a skill in the midst of combat..."

"Not just control Thadius! I've developed a technique that allows you to execute the skill as it should be performed, freely. The skill allows for maximum speed, power, and most importantly, control. The only downside is that, in order to utilize it, you must physically be able to perform the skill."

"Such as?"

"Can you imagine being hit with the 'Hundred Blades' skill by someone who is actually fast enough to slash you one hundred times in three seconds?"

"So I could potentially put my full strength into every skill?"

"That and more. One of my greatest strengths is that every movement had the potential to suddenly unleash a sword skill."

"I'm ready but..." Thadius looked at Yuna who was still laying down on the floor, breathing heavily.

"She'll require extra time, but she'll get it. Now try it with Dragon Claw. Simply perform the skill as if you were in control of every slash."

Dragon Claw was a skill that created four slashes from one swing. Thadius tried to remember how he moved as the assist system kicked in.

'Four slashes in quick succession? There's only one way to find out.'

Thadius stood up. The weight of the armor would hinder him, but Corban didn't seem to mind. Thadius made a move to slash downwards, but as he made the first cut he flicked his wrist back to perform another. When he did, time around him seemed to slow down. He flicked his wrist again and again as if nothing happened. He knew he was on the right track.

When he finished his last slash, a dragon's roar could be heard. Four lines of red light hang in the air where he had slashed.

"Nice.."

You've learned Manual Execution

Manual Execution LV.1 Novice

Combat skills can be performed without assistance when triggered through specific movements. To learn the movement of a skill, say 'trace' followed by the name of the skill.

"Trace Slash."

A red image of himself appeared performing the skill.

"Marvelous isn't it?" his master said, coming over to stand beside him.

"It is, but couldn't anyone figure this out?"

"So sharp this pupil of mine! Of course they can Thadius! This is previously why I told you weapon masteries mean nothing! An Advanced will swing a sword with less power and speed than an Expert. But if the Advanced is a master of a sword style, or has learned this skill, then speed and power become useless!"

"Then shouldn't you have more competition? If two master's of a style with sword mastery fully ranked clash, it should be a pretty good fight right?"

"My dear Thadius," Corban said as he put an arm around his prized student. "I am a Grandmaster in sword mastery, which can only be achieved through years of precision. The difference between a Master and a Grandmaster is heaven and earth. You also seriously underestimate the might of the Dragon's Path sword style."

Thadius came to realize, yet again, that he was being trained by an amazing person.

"Now let's continue with Dragon's Fangs. Yuna! How long are you going to lay down there!?"

Training continued until late in the night. With the addition of Yuna, training time had been extended so she could learn properly. Despite her childish demeanor, she grasped the concepts of Corban's teachings, given enough time.

But now that Thadius had entered the final stages of his training, he had time on his hands. He usually spent most of his sleep time on extra training, which was beginning to bear fruit stat wise. But since he wasn't allowed to practice the sword without his master's guidance, he was at a loss.

He tried to think of some way to utilize his time as he prepared dinner for the night.

"Good evening everyone! I'm glad you all could make it, but.....does anyone happen to know what time it is?"

"Cooking time!!" Yuna responded enthusiastically. Thadius finally had a live audience.

"That's right! And tonight's dish is my personal favorite....beef stew. But unlike most recipes for beef stew, mine has a special secret ingredient..."

Thadius paused for dramatic silence. Yuna's eyes were wide in anticipation.

"...you."

"Me!?"

"That's right! Eating delicious food with friends and family makes whatever you eat taste a little better. Even if it's terrible..."

"Ha ha!"

+1 Charm

Yuna got a kick out of watching Thadius cook. Cooking time was her favorite time of the day, right after riding Thadius' shoulders.

After they ate, it was time for bed. Yuna always came and snuggled next to Thadius, and he would usually wait until she fell asleep before carrying her back to her room.

But tonight, Thadius would not be going to bed at all. Instead, he sought out his master who was in his office. Corban felt his approach.

"What is it Thadius? Can't sleep?"

"To tell you the truth master, I only need sleep once every four days. I'd usually go to the pool or do some more stairs, but they aren't as efficient as they used to be at raising my stats. I feel like I'm reaching the limits of the training."

"I figured it was something like that. For the first few weeks, I'd thought you were planning to escape!" Corban laughed as he reached into a drawer of his desk.

Corban's office could be compared to Marshals workshop back in Yune. There was all sorts of materials lying around, and Corban's desk was just as huge. There was also a large bookshelf in the corner.

"Here," Corban said as he interrupted his thoughts, handing him  a small box. "It's a tailoring kit. You can work on that after training, but for now, how about a game? Are you familiar with chess?"

"I've played before, but I suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Yune's Chess Champion."

"So Old Man Tony is still kicking huh?"

"He is, and I promised that I'd defeat him one day. But he's pretty strong." Thadius wasn't the last bit surprised that he knew the old man.

Corban sighed,"I'm sorry Thadius. In my haste to teach you the sword, I've neglected the sharpest sword of all. Hold a moment. If you don't need sleep often then I have just the thing.

Corban went over to the bookshelf and came back with a pile of books.

"These are on war and tactics. Every night, we'll have a few games. Then you can study these. I think you'll be needing them in the near future."

Thadius nodded and gratefully accepted the stack. Now he had something he could read to Yuna to help her fall asleep.

Corban grabbed his chess set and laid it on the desk. After choosing colors, they made their opening moves.

Thadius favored his queen, positioning her in an advantageous position. It prompted a question from Corban.

"Tell me more about your queen Thadius. What was she like?"

"Rose? She was quite tame when I first met her. But she evolved into a vicious creature. She'd be just as likely to curse as to kiss me."

Thadius made another move, cutting off His opponent's bishop.

"The funny thing is, her flaws were more endearing

than her virtues. They highlight them. Like when she wakes up first thing in the morning, she's ruthless. You say anything to her, anything at all, and she'll nag about something I did yesterday or last week."

Corban made his move, using a pawn to threaten.

"But as soon as I put some food in her it's 'Good morning handsome!'" Thadius laughed as he made another move."And I don't think I've ever seen such a jealous woman in all my life. I winked at another woman once, and when I came home, all the meat in the house was gone.

I said 'Rose, where's the beef?' and she goes 'Ask the girl from yesterday, I'm sure she's eaten it at some point in time'

"Ha!"

"It wasn't funny when it happened! For some reason she thought I'd pick up any woman of the side of the street. So I went the extra mile everyday to prove otherwise."

"Sounds tedious." Corban said as he cornered Thadius' queen.

"And worth every second. What about you master? Any old flames out there?"

"I could set the kingdom ablaze with my old flames..."

"Hoh..."

"But there was one that shined brighter than the rest." Corban looked out into the distance, looking into the past.

"What happened."

"I killed her..." he sighed heavily."She was a knight in service of a government official. I'd met her in a tournament, of which I won of course. It was many years ago, and I wasn't as disciplined as I am now."

Thadius made a move to protect his queen. Corban moved a knight in pursuit.

"She was a soft spoken woman, but you could feel the passion in her every syllable. I'd never seen a woman handle a sword the way she did. I was absolutely enchanted, so I courted her.

Thadius defeated the knight, only to be led into a trap.

"I found out later that the official she served was corrupt. So in order to save her honor, I stormed his house. I cut a path straight to his chambers, I wanted to gut the pig while he slept. But there she was, fully armored, ready to give her life for the filth."

Thadius watched in horror as his queen was slain.

"I was angry....and jealous. I was there for her honor and she pointed the sword at me? I cut her down where she stood. Then I walked over her corpse and killed the man she just gave her life to protect. I replay the moment in my dreams Thadius. The moment when I walked out the door and glance back to the blood stained tears on her face."

Thadius made another move, but he had lost heart. His queen was gone.

"After I cooled my head, I realized what I had done. She never wanted to raise her sword at me, but her duty demanded it. I could just have simply knocked her unconscious, but..."

Thadius looked at his master. He'd never seen him with such a pained expression.

"I'm glad it was you who stopped me that day on the cliff, Thadius. You've experienced more than I did at your age. I know you won't make the same mistakes."

Corban cleared his throat. His eyes glistened as he moved his queen into the heart of Thadius' formation.

"It's getting late Thadius. I think I'll turn in for the night...We'll finish this game tomorrow."

"Yes sir." Thadius quietly left the room, taking the books and tailoring kit with him.

Corban sighed again as he put away the chess set. The dust on the shelf triggered a cough and he covered his mouth with his sleeve to prevent him from breathing more.

There, on the corner of his pure white sleeve, were small specks of blood.

Corban made a difficult face as he looked at his stained sleeve. He would do his best to train Yuna and Thadius, but he was running out of time.