Ashe's eyes were fixed on the sword. He moved towards it without any unnecessary movements. His goal wasn't to tire Ezio out and put him to sleep. That would have happened without his intervention, and he wouldn't have put himself in a potential trap.
Instead, he received food and water from him along with the information, which was worth the effort. Now he had to steal the sword in return, which wasn't a very noble idea.
Ashe made up his mind and wouldn't turn back. He walked toward the sleeping man on tiptoe, looking at the shadow of his head made of fire.
Ezio was lying on his back, his head not on the side of the sword but close to his feet. His hand wasn't far away, and if he felt the boy approaching, he would be the first to pick it up.
'Careful. Calmly,' Ashe repeated to himself, demanding the same from his body.
He walked over to the log and touched the coveted weapon with his hand. Some numbers immediately popped into his head, but he didn't have time to study them. He picked up the silver sword; its weight was more than he expected, but he could manage. It was perfectly straight and at most 40 centimetres long.
'Please don't wake up. Don't get up.' He didn't want to wake Ezio because he would have to attack him, and he didn't want to harm the pleasant man.
He turned back as delicately as he had come to him. Unnoticed, without unnecessary obstacles. Even he was surprised by how easily he managed to steal the sword. He considered taking his bag and belongings, but it would actually put the man in trouble.
He gave in to his urge and ran into the forest. The sword made it difficult for him to move, but he was well-fed and had no trouble coping.
He ran in the direction of Zalindar. He was impressed, especially after hearing Ezio's description. The city was a metropolis of different races and cultures, filled with numerous schools and guilds. Several were specifically designed for Binders.
There were also academies for Seeers, which existed entirely to study the fragments.
Large families and guilds also possessed amazing power. Together with the military, they fought against monsters and ensured the security of the territory around the city.
There were also sites called Scar, from which alien cosmic monsters entered the planet. Their number in the universe grew every day, and it was almost impossible to completely control each one. Some weaker Scars were used by people to fight monsters, train, and obtain fragments and various treasures.
Ezio's family also engaged in selling this loot. He was working on this himself, heading to Dreadvale to secure a contract.
Ashe soon left the territory. He hid with his sword among the bushes and trees. Ashe had to check the numbers because they wouldn't go away from his mind. He concentrated on his mind and tried to see their reading.
[0.15]
'Is that all?' He was disappointed, both by the low number and the lack of information. He could only say that the numbers belonged to the sword, but he didn't know what they meant. Did they reflect its sharpness, durability, or even the number of fragments placed in it?
The sword was like a human in this respect. There was so little of the prophecy in it that he couldn't see the fragments.
The number disappeared whenever he thought about looking at it. Then it appeared when he wanted to look at it.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
'It's useful, but I need a comparison.'
Unfortunately, no object around him could evoke numbers. Then he turned his attention to the sword. He knew its many variations and wielded most of them quite well. He had heard stories about their origins. According to his instructor, the primary requirement for wielding a sword was understanding it.
Ashe had never even seen most of them, only been shown descriptions and drawings of some. Binders didn't use weapons much at the higher levels of combat, but he had a particular interest in them.
Especially double-edged swords. It came from the fact that his technique was more offensive and often required flexibility. In the case of a mistake, the cutting nature of both blades also increased his defensive capabilities.
His favourites still included the instructor's claymore. It was too crude and heavy to handle for him, but he would gladly learn to use it. The claymore was a useful weapon against several opponents, but in his eyes, it represented chivalry and strength. It was as if Hope were on the battlefield.
As for his journey, after admiring the sword, he returned to the road. He walked for a while longer, trying to hide his tracks from Ezio as much as possible. Then he climbed into a tree and fell asleep. He had his sword in his arms; he couldn't find another place to sleep, and he felt much safer.
In the morning, the sound of birds woke him up. He hadn't seen another living creature in so long, and the harmony of the birds was pleasant to listen to.
'I'm approaching the city,' he concluded and descended from the tree expectantly. He had no intention of eating any more bark or bitter-tasting plants. If he walked a little longer, he might catch some animals. Even the fox, which he had eaten deliciously the night before. Birds rarely came down to the ground, and no matter how careful he was, catching them from the trees wasn't guaranteed.
He had no experience hunting in a real forest in a foreign environment. However, he had often trained in an artificial jungle in the city to simulate it. Along with tracking the path, he had been taught the correct dismemberment of the hunt, the care of wounds, and all the other necessary components.
He chose a direction and slightly slowed down his pace. His hearing spread like waves as if it could detect every vibration. This was very far from the truth, but at least he was making progress, which in turn made him feel positive about the future.
He walked step by step and heard the rustling of grass. He should have heard the sound of footsteps, but he heard nothing like that. On the contrary, the sound he was hearing was more like sliding on the ground. Moving without limbs, approaching him.
He hid himself, trying to remain unnoticed by his future victim. He climbed the tree again and watched for its appearance from a height.
'I am like a monkey.' This was a lost group of animals that had become extinct 300 years ago. He had only seen pictures of them.
In his place, a snake hissed. Its tongue flicked out periodically, and its skin was completely black, with green markings on the side. It was at least three meters long and didn't look very friendly. It slithered through the grass itself, silently and, despite its size, as inconspicuous as possible.
The snake, too, was looking for prey, but who would have thought that it would become the same in the eyes of others?
'Come to me, little one,' he called out in his thoughts, and not a single muscle in his body moved.
Ashe waited for the snake to come from the tree he had chosen. The reptile was also about to pass through his lower territory. Ashe waited patiently, sword held in hand, its beak pointing toward the ground.
His wait was soon rewarded. The animal was within striking distance of his leap. The boy held his breath and pulled himself up off the tree. Gravity helped him land in its direction.
With bent arms, he aimed for the snake and threw it into his body as it landed. He slammed the blade of his sword into the ground. The animal tried to move and free itself, but it was too late. Its wound would kill it in seconds, and it was only a matter of time.
'My first kill outside the city,' Ashe remarked after the snake had finally been slain.
It was a one-hit kill. Clean and easy. His heart was racing with a sense of freedom and excitement.
Ashe was already soaked with blood, which wasn't too bad; it didn't take much to get off his sword and clothes. The long, waterless journey had not guaranteed their cleanliness.
Then he took the prey in his hands and began to skin it. He even considered eating it raw to end his hunger quickly. It wouldn't have been the right choice for his health, so he took his time and chose a location to light a fire.
Ezio made a mistake. The fire he had lit was smoking and visible. Unlike Ashe, he wasn't in danger of being pursued, but he paid for his mistake by losing his sword.
The boy didn't intend to repeat the same thing and preferred to roast the snake on the fire without any risk.