Fred

The rare drops from the swamp netted me far more money than I had ever expected to earn. Granted, I have been frog-murdering in the swamp pretty much nonstop since I came out of the adventure crystal.

The reason?

Gear, obviously.

I need a full set of gear that matches, looks cool, and, of course, integrates with Haemopotent Absorption. Which I've been using constantly to see if maybe it can level up somehow. Gabe mentioned getting a skill up, and being able to unlock a little more flexibility in Haemopotent Absorption could make it absolutely OP.

That said, right now it's still OP. It just has to be in the right setting to actually work. Bomb frogs? Golden - I can slice through the entire swamp with ease once I've got the buffs up and running. Heal buffs, movement buffs, the all-important stench immunity buff, and a bunch of other random ones tossed in (along with the unspoken full-body cleaning that triggering the skill causes) makes the swamp an absolute breeze. I've tried fighting against a couple other types of enemies - wolves, slimes, and some other random stuff - but nothing works nearly as well as bomb frogs. So the swamp it is.

I've got my heart set on getting to the center of the swamp, the place where my gut tells me there's either a dungeon, some type of treasure, a boss mob, or a combination of all three. It's slow going though, since bomb frogs and swamp creatures tend to swarm and have an insane capacity for reproduction. If I didn't know better, I would guess that they were spawning in like in other games.

That said, each day I slowly fight my way from the edge of the swamp into deeper and deeper territory, the lizards switching out for snakes, the leeches for vampire bats, but always surrounded by an endless horde of bomb frogs. Sideways slice into an upward swing, downward chop into a sideways slice. I want a new blade - something a little longer, a little heavier, and a little sharper. My sharpness charm broke a while ago, and while the charm was nice, I think I'd rather have a weapon with the enchantment built in, or just a better sharpened blade, if that's an option.

Today is a break day, and I walk out from Item Drop Guy significantly richer than I walked in, thanks to dozens of frog cores and snake gallbladders. My next stop? Somewhere to get a blade. Yeah, there might be a better blade at the center of the swamp. But that requires waiting. And using the blade I currently have until then. Ain't nobody got time for that. If I get a better blade then, I get a better blade then. But I'm getting a better blade right now either way.

I think about messaging Gabe to join me for shopping.

Nah.

He hates weapon shopping. Almost as much as I hate shopping in real life. Not that I don't hate weapon shopping as well. It's just necessary, and hopefully there aren't many people at the weapon shop that will try to talk to me.

I choose a random blacksmith shop along the second ring. Blacksmiths make blades, right? They should probably have something that I can buy for... I check my balance:

[22 gold, 56 silver, 17 copper]

I whistle. Or try - I lack the skill in real life, and it doesn't just magically give it to me when I try here. Oh well. Hopefully 22 gold is enough for a new blade - I can spend all of it and then buy matching armor as I make more money. For now, the blade is the most important.

As I walk inside, I make a short list of what I want:

1. Sturdy enough to not break against any enemy I could encounter in the swamp

2. Slightly longer than my current blade (ok with same length)

3. Slightly heavier than my current blade (ok with heavier, not lighter)

4. Sharper than my current blade (important!)

A bell rings as the door opens, and a voice calls out after a moment.

"I'll be there! Just gimme a minute!"

I glance around the shop and see that the walls are more sparse than I expected. I guess I'm not sure exactly what I expected. Maybe huge racks full of all sorts of weapons, sorted by enchantment type? Barrels full of polearms (there's at least one of those!), armor displayed on lots of mannequins, swords and shields and all sorts of everything metal?

Instead I just see swords. Along the wall, each sword is mounted vertically on a stand. But the weird thing is that, on both sides of the room, are what look like clothing racks with wooden swords hanging from the hangars. One metal sword mounted vertically at the end of the row, then a rack of wooden swords, each seeming to be ever so slightly different than the others. Slightly longer hilt, slightly wider or longer blade. Two-handed swords - large ones like the one on my back - are against the back wall, and I look over at them before my eyes begin to gloss over. Yeah, I don't really need anything special. Just something a little bit bigger, a little bit heavier, a little bit sharper than what I have. And reliable. Can't have my sword breaking at a crucial moment. I start browsing through the wooden swords trying to figure out approximately what length I want.

The smith comes out after a few moments, wiping his hands on the heavy leather blacksmith's apron around his neck. He's shorter than I am by a good deal, but then again most people are shorter. I'm not sure if he's a dwarf or not, and I'm also not sure if that's something that's socially appropriate to ask. I'll have to ask around before I come back. He has grizzled black hair touched with gray, deep gray eyes, rough skin, huge shoulders and arms, and an extremely hardened, solid look altogether.

"The name's Gogosh. Journeyman Swordsmith. What can I do for ya?"

"I need a new sword."

Gogosh looks at the hilt peeking out over my shoulder, frowns, and holds out his hands.

"What's wrong with the old one?"

I pull out the sword as I answer him.

"Nothing. It's just time to upgrade. I want something a little longer, a little heavier, and sharper than this one."

Gogosh takes the blade as I offer it, holding it carefully and looking at it from the end of the blade to the hilt. He turns around and walks to a table at the back of the room, near the separation of the shop from the smithy itself. He places my sword down on the table, then begins inspecting it more earnestly.

"I don't need anything special, Mr. Gogosh... I'm thinking I can grab a new sword and be on my way. I have a total budget of 22 gold, so I'd like whatever I can get that's the best option, and get back to the swamp."

Gogosh ignores me, looking over my blade with a close eye, holding it up now and then to catch the light and look at its reflection.

Great. Of all the store owners, I got one that doesn't talk. Not a terrible thing. I just need a new sword. I'll even let him keep the old one if he'll give me a discount or a better sword in exchange.

I try to talk, ask a few questions, or say something, but Gogosh seems completely oblivious to anything I say, drawn completely into inspecting my sword on the table.

I guess there's a reason no one else is in the shop. Lol.

I go back to the two-handed sword section and pick up blades. The wooden blades are remarkably heavy for being wood. Enough so that I find myself wondering. I ask before even realizing that I won't get a response.

"Are these enchanted or something so they have the same weight as metal?"

No response. Not that I should have expected one. I try using Identify. Unfortunately, I don't have Identify. It's a rare skill only found in crafting classes. Or a faith skill in healers, apparently since... what was her name? Miriam - the nun at the church - has it. Though hers seems to be a different flavor than the kind used by merchants and crafters. Regardless, trying to identify the sword in my hand doesn't bring up any kind of status box. Just a wooden sword that seems to weigh the same as a metal sword. I look closer at the sword, and don't find anything at all other than the sword itself. As I go to put it back on the rack, though, I see engravings on the hangar itself.

[Enchanted Wood {99% iron}. Double-edged. Sword edge. Full tang. 113cm. 1845g. Basic pommel & guard.]

Wow. If I understood all of that, I'm guessing it would be super useful in understanding the sword that I'm holding. I grab the next sword in the rack, only to find that it doesn't come loose. I put the sword I'm holding in its spot, and hear a soft click. The rack has a mechanism that keeps customers from mixing up swords from different spots - you literally can't remove another sword from the rack if you already have one pulled out. Not a great solution if the store is full of people, but I look around. It doesn't look like that is really an issue here. A brief glance at the rack behind this one confirms the next point - each spot for a sword is unique enough that you can't put a sword onto a hanger from a different rack.

That's pretty elaborate for what I'm assuming are just display swords. Most of the time wooden swords are just tossed in a barrel. I've never seen someone actually take the time and effort to organize them. Or care about them. I'm guessing that since they're used as display swords so that people can order the exact sword they like, the smith must take much better care of them than usual.

The one question I have though... why wood? If you're going to go through all the trouble of making a sword, especially making it in exactly the same shape and style, why wouldn't you just use the metal itself? Every other weapon shop I've ever seen has lots of metal swords, along with wooden practice swords, on display. Sometimes you order something custom, but I'm guessing that most people end up just grabbing something off the shelf.

Can you even grab something off the shelf at this shop?

I reach for the metal blade at the head of the rack of wooden swords... only to be rebuffed when my fingertips hit glass inside the outer metal display. Perfectly clear glass - so clear that I still can't tell it's there. It must be enchanted, since there are still no fingerprints even after my (albeit clean, human, therefore oily) fingers touched it. A soft sound comes out from the display, and the smith suddenly looks in my direction with a frown.

"Don't touch the swords."

He immediately goes back to inspecting my sword.

Weird.

I mean... I've been touching the wooden swords since I got here, right? It was only when I tried to touch the metal one that the alarm went off and the smith finally responded.

I reach for the next wooden sword on the rack. No glass, no alarm, no response from the smith engrossed in my blade. I'm going to assume that he meant, "Don't touch the metal swords."

I pull sword after sword out of the rack, holding each in my hands to feel the hilt, then moving to the center of the room where dummies and targets give me a chance to check the heft, the swing, and the reach of each blade. This one is slightly too long. That one has a hilt that doesn't give me enough grip - it would slide right out if it were covered in blood. This one has just the right weight, but then I grab a sword in the same weight with what I think is the right length... and it feels too heavy as I swing it. Physics. Not something I'm going to think about.

I don't know how long has passed, but I'm putting yet another sword back into the rack when I hear a gruff throat clearing. Gogosh is right behind me, my blade in his hands.

"Ahem."

He shows me the blade with what seems like mild reverence.

"You've had this blade for a very short time, but you've done a lot with it. Defeated many enemies, and most especially, soaked it in blood time and time again. It is almost awake even."

"It has been a good blade. I just need to buy something a little longer, a little heavier, a little sharper."

"I don't sell swords."

I've thought of a dozen different potential rebuttals to whatever excuse Gogosh could come up with. But his comment that he doesn't sell swords floors me.

"You... but you're a blacksmith. You make swords. You have to make money somehow... right? What are all these swords for? What are the metal swords? What even is this place if you don't sell swords?"

My voice rises incrementally with each question, until I'm almost yelling.

"I don't sell swords. People abuse swords. They buy them, use them, break them or grow out of them, then throw them away."

His last words are a growl.

"Swords deserve better than that. But I have no control over what people do, so I don't sell swords. I... awaken repair swords. Not just broken ones. Swords that no longer meet the needs of their owners. If a sword is too light, I help make it heavier. If it needs to be stronger, I help make it stronger. A sword is more than just a tool. A sword is ALIVE! It has a soul! It's a partner that has your back, and your front. An extension of yourself and someone to share all your triumphs and your failures."

"Don't you mean something, not someone? Swords aren't people."

"Most aren't. Not yet at least. But all of them can be."

That's it. There have been points in this conversation where Gogosh said something that was completely nonsensical gibberish, but this last time I couldn't even understand a single word of what he said. I'm talking to a crazy.

"That's awesome Gogosh. Do you know where I can buy a sword that's just a little bit longer, a little bit heavier, and a little bit sharper than the one I have? You looked at it closely enough that you should know the measurements by now."

"No, no, no. You can't buy a new sword. This Sword is almost ALIVE. You'll KILL it if you leave it! You'll have to keep this one."

I'm about to object when a quest window suddenly appears in my vision.

[Quest (mandatory): SwordSoul! Your Sword is Your Friend!]

[This Quest is mandatory.]

[Gogosh, the Journeyman SwordSeer Swordsmith has seen inspected your sword and seen its budding soul declared it to be your friend!]

[Upgrade your sword to better fit your needs, instead of buying a new one.]

[Reward: A Sword that better fits your needs! Growth in your Sword's Soul! SwordFriend Title. Your Sword is Your Friend! Friendship with Gogosh and other SwordSeers.]

[Penalty: Complete loss of all combat skills and weapon handling skills. Death of your Sword's Soul! SwordKiller Title. Destruction of your Sword. Hatred with Gogosh and other SwordSeers.]

Something about the text of the Quest makes my eyes hurt. Not just the fact that this is a mandatory quest - something I expected if there was a major monster attack on the city, or something similar, not triggered by a random blacksmith - but the words in some places seem to shimmer and blur, giving me a headache if I look at them too closely. Oh well. The penalty seems pretty steep. Destruction of my sword is whatever. Even hatred with Gogosh. But losing all my combat skills and weapon handling skills? Essentially starting over... worse than starting over even, without any skills and especially without Haemopotent Absorption? I have no idea how I would get that skill other than through the adventure crystal, which means that losing it would be the same as rerolling my character and having to start from scratch sort of like how Gabe did. Except with no weapon handling skills at all.

Ugh.

Well... it looks like I'm taking the quest. Not that there's even an accept button for it. I minimize the window and talk with Gogosh. Not super happy that this guy has forced me into something, but I'll try to make the best of it.

"Ok. I'll keep this one. I'd like to upgrade it to be a little bit longer, a little bit heavier, and sharper than it is currently. Is that possible?"

"Oh yes, yes. Everything is possible with a sword. A Sword is ALIVE like I said before! They can change and grow with you and you can do great things together!"

"So I leave it with you and you upgrade it for me?"

"Oh no. No, no, I don't upgrade swords. I see the soul of your sword and tell you how to unlock its soul and upgrade it. You've chosen the pathway that you want?"

"Yeah."

I grab the sword off the rack that seems to match what I want most and hand it to Gogosh.

[Enchanted Wood {99% iron}. Double-edged. Sword edge + Knife edge (requires regular sharpening). Reinforced tip for strength. Full tang. 145cm. 2210g. Ornate pommel. Ridged handle for increased grip. Minimal guard. Triple dual-sided fuller.]

The sword is a beauty. Longer, heavier, and sharper than my current sword, simply because of the design elements. I added in the carved pommel, the ridged handle, and the cool lines down the body of the sword (I'm guessing those are the "fullers") because they look like they would hold blood and be super cool. They might end up being a pain to clean. Thankfully my skill seems to see my sword as an extension of my body. Which... actually... is sort of weird, isn't it? It sucks the blood from the clothing that is touching my skin, my sword, and my skin, but if clothes are loose, they stay dirty. Odd that a sword, which is definitely not touching my skin, would be included in that. I shrug.

Gogosh has my sword in one hand, and the wooden sword in the other. His passion for swords now seems to give sense to the weirdness in his store. I still have no idea why he has wooden swords on display. I mean... aren't wooden swords just as much swords as metal ones? And I don't get the metal swords on display behind invisible glass either. But the fact that he's super weird sort of helps explain where the weirdness comes from, even if it doesn't really explain it at all.

"Yes, all of this is possible. You choose this for your Sword's Path and make the first impression on its Sword Soul?"

A button appears in front of me, with the same text. I push [yes].

The mandatory Quest reappears in front of me, with new text.

[Quest (mandatory): SwordSoul! Your Sword is Your Friend!]

[This Quest is mandatory.]

[Gogosh, the Journeyman SwordSeer Swordsmith has seen inspected your sword and seen its budding soul declared it to be your friend! You have made the first impression on your Sword's Soul chosen your Sword's upgrade Path!]

[Upgrade your sword to better fit your needs, instead of buying a new one.]

[This is a multi-part Quest. All parts must be completed.]

[1: Increase Sword Length - Kill 100 Swamp Snakes and slice them lengthwise. 0/100]

[2: Increase Sword Weight - Coat Sword with 1000 grams of material, then swing the Sword through the 100 Forms until all material has fallen from the Sword. Do this with 100 different materials. 0/100]

[3: Advanced Sharpen (Knife Edge) - Perform 1000 horizontal and 1000 vertical slashes at full extension with less than 1% deviation. 0/1000; 0/1000]

[4: Reinforced Tip - Coat the Sword's tip with 100 grams of material, immerse in fluid, then wipe clean. Do this with 100 different materials. Fluids must be very different in nature.]

[5: Ornate Carving - Use the Sword tip to carve 100 linear kilometers of intricately detailed carvings in 10 different materials of hardness of type 1 stone or greater. At least 10 kilometers per material.]

[6: Ridged Grip - Coat the Sword's grip with slick liquids, then perform the 100 Forms without any slip.]

[7: BloodBathe Fuller Engrave x 6 - Fully bathe your sword in the fresh blood of 600 different types of creatures.]

[8: SoulBind - Commune with your Sword every day during this Quest. It must drink of your blood, and the blood of at least one enemy, during the entire time of the Quest.]

[Time Limit: Your Sword's Soul has a limited time to awaken must change quickly. You have one month before your Sword's Soul will die.]

[You may not equip any other weapon during this Quest, for any purpose. Failure will cause your Quest to fail. You will be prompted before equipping a given type of weapon the first time.]

[Using your Sword for any other purpose, including practice, improper form in Quest completion, fighting non-Quest monsters, or prying open doors, will cause irreparable confusion to your Sword's Soul contribute to a failure meter. Upon hitting 100% confusion, your Quest will fail and your Sword will die!]

[Reward: A Sword that better fits your needs! Growth in your Sword's Soul! SwordFriend Title. Your Sword is Your Friend! Friendship with Gogosh and other SwordSeers.]

[Penalty: Complete loss of all combat skills and weapon handling skills. Death of your Sword's Soul! SwordKiller Title. Destruction of your Sword. Hatred with Gogosh and other SwordSeers.]