"Looks like, i failed."

"Haa... haa... huh?"

I manage to mutter, that last attack took everything i had, i can't move a single muscle.

"Wait here."

Eric walks off and goes inside the house.

All i can do is look up at the sky and wait.

A moment passes by and Eric comes back, holding a glass of water and a plateful of food.

He sits down next to me and lifts me to sit up.

"I'm so sorry for hurting you, but i had a reason for it. Here, eat."

He takes a spoonful from the plate, which contains beef and smashed potatoes.

He feeds it to me, but i have trouble swallowing, so he helps me drink some water from the glass.

"Gulp... ahh..."

He continues to feed me until the plate and glass are empty, staying silent the entire time.

"Let's get you inside so Anna can heal you."

He carries me inside, setting me down on the living room couch.

Anna kneels down beside me and begins praying in order to heal me.

My body is surrounded by faint golden light and the ache coming from my bruises begin feel a lot better.

"You're so hard on him, Eric. Look at him, he's covered in bruises."

Eric brings a chair to sit on and watches Anna heal me.

"Sigh, i know and i'm sorry. It was part of the training."

About 15 minutes later, Anna stops healing me and stands up.

"That should take care of most the pain. I'll continue tomorrow."

She says exhausted, slowly making her way out of the living room, leaving the two of us by ourselves.

"Alex?"

He calls out to me, wondering if i'm sleeping since my eyes are closed.

"What?"

"Are you angry at me?"

"A little."

"I'm sorry, but i had a reason for it. Sigh, i'll be honest with you, the purpose of this training... was to make you give up on learning the sword."

"...What?"

"The truth is that i don't want you to wield a sword beyond self-defense. I want you to grow up to be a honest and decent man, not someone who uses their sword for violence."

My eyes open and i frown at him slightly.

"So that's why you said you failed. You failed to make abandon my goal to achieve greater strength."

"Strength isn't everything, Alex. I just hoped-"

"Hoped to raise someone whose not like you? Please, don't try to push your regrets and guilt on me. It's not my fault you killed those innocent people in cold-blood, whetever it's true or not. My goal, even if it sounds stupid, is to become the strongest and learning the sword will take me closer to that goal. There's no one, not even you, who could steer me away from that path."

His hands ball on his knees and he looks at the floor.

"Yes, i realize that now. I wonder where you got such an idea."

Obviously i can't tell him the truth.

"Where i got it doesn't matter. Weren't you the same? Didn't you join the military or whatever when you became an adult? Didn't you do it to become stronger?"

He searches his mind for a moment, trying to recall the reason he joined the military, since it's been so long.

"When i left home, well, more like ran away, it wasn't exactly on the best of terms with my parents. I had a rebellious childhood and was always causing them problems. We had a big fight that day, so i decided to leave."

My eyes narrow at this new information about his past, didn't know we shared similarities.

"I lived in the streets for a few months before encountering a recruitment station to the king's army. Normally i would just ignore it, the thought of being yelled at by a superior didn't appeal to me. But my current situation wasn't going to get any better, so i decided to apply."

"What does this have to do with you getting stronger?"

He looks up at me.

"Maybe it wasn't physical strength i was seeking, but rather something beyond that. I realized the pain i caused for my parents and regretted the things i had done. To me, the military was a chance for me to atone and hopefully become a better person."

"Well, did it work?"

"Hard to say, i'm not entirely sure if it did help me in the end. As for my parents, i never saw them again after i had left. To be honest i don't know if they're even alive or not, nor where they live."

I adjust my position on the couch.

"What about your mercenary days? Did your time there make you stronger?"

"You could say that. The freedom and independence i sought after leaving the military started a new chapter in my life. Was it a good change? Not really. I fell into my old habits while traveling with the first mercenary band i joined, raiding and pillaging without a care in the world, living only for myself and my selfish desires."

"And after your incident you decided to turn your life around."

I move on the couch again, turning my back to him.

"You lived your life the way you lived it, guilt, regrets and all. A life lesson meant for you, not me."

"I'm telling you this so that you could maybe learn from it and not make the same mistakes i did."

"Hmph, we'll see about that."

We stay silent for a moment, my back still facing him.

He looks around the room and rubs his neck, then speaks up.

"How about i make it up to you? Like a reward for your hard work?"

I turn to look at him, intrigued.

"A reward, huh?"

"Do you have anything in mind? We still have some money to spare."

I turn on my back, my hands resting on my stomach as i stare at the ceiling.

"I think i have something in mind."

"Oh, already? Tell me."

"A scabbard, for my sword. So that i won't accidentally hurt myself again. A black one to match my sword."

He chuckles silently and thinks.

"Heh, a scabbard, huh? Alright, we'll visit Gondo tomorrow after Anna has healed you some more."

With that he stands up and leaves the room and i decide to get some sleep on the couch.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Next day.

"Be back soon!"

Anna sees us off at the front door.

"We'll be back before you know it!"

Eric replies and closes the front gate behind him.

"Come on then, if we keep up this pace, we should arrive before Gondo's infamous lunch break."

I walk beside him, my sword strapped to my back.

"What's so special about his lunch break?"

I ask while frowning at him.

"Oh, nothing much, it'll just be impossible to get him back to work. He's technically retired so he likes to spend his time drinking dwarven ale with his buddies."

"Right..."

I adjust my sword straps.

"I've seen other dwarfs working on his shop."

"Yep, he and his buddies are pretty much the only dwarfs in Luton. They can be split into two groups: the ones who brew their ale and the ones who work Gondo's shop."

"Uh-huh."

I don't really need that information but whatever.

Eric turns to me with his arms crossed.

"Gondo's pretty famous, y'know? Well, used to be."

"How come?"

"He used to forge weapons for high-ranking adventurers, heroes and kings. Of course, he wasn't the best blacksmith in history or in his time, but he was up there. Who knows, maybe it if it wasn't for his love of alcohol and lazing around, he might've reached that high."

"Does he regret it? Not reaching his full potential?"

"Hmm, i think i've heard him answer this question when we were drinking together some time ago. He said something about not wanting to spend his "youth" chasing a position or status that so many other blacksmiths like him were trying to achieve, so he decided to slow down and let others run past him."

I'm not sure how much truth Gondo's words contain, but his decision to willingly stop pursuing the title of the best doesn't sit right with me.

"I think he also added that he didn't want to turn his life's passion into something he would grow to hate. His love for blacksmithing showed in the weapons he forged. He loved the heat coming from his forge when he fired it up in the morning, and seeing his trusty hammer on the table where he left it the day before. Even if he's retired, he wants to be close to his forge and oversee those working under him in his shop."

I rub my head, feeling perplexed.

"Looks like he doesn't shy away from oversharing his past."

"Haha! Yeah, he can get pretty emotional when he's drunk enough, a rare sight because he's usually so grumpy and hard to deal with. Even his friends were surprised when they heard it. I guess it's just him getting old."

Eric laughs, wiping a tear from his eye.

M eyes wander to the sky, imagining what kind of person Gondo was when he was younger.

The image of a young and lazy dwarf with a tankard filled with ale in his hand while laughing, turning into a wrinkly gray-bearded asshole who calls you a pipsqueak the first time you meet him, makes me feel both annoyed and perplexed.

We eventually reach Luton and head straight to Gondo's shop after passing the town's gates.

The door chime dings when we step inside, and a familiar voice acknowledges our presence.

"Coming!"

Gondo steps into view from the backroom, making his way to his stool and leaning his elbows on the counter.

"Eric! It's been so long! I thought you had finally died, since i didn't hear anything back from you after what happened in your village."

"I'm a little harder to kill than you think Gondo. Anyways, it's good to see you."

Eric approaches him at the counter and they shake hands.

"Ah, i see the pipsqueak survived too."

This fucking-!

"Yes, and he's spent this month learning the ways of the sword."

Eric places his hand behind my back and brings me closer to the counter.

"The ways of the sword? You're teaching him how to wield a sword? For what?"

"We'll be moving away Gondo. In a few days, once we've finished preparing."

"You heard about the war, huh? Right when your village got ransacked. Nasty business if you ask me. Leaving is a wise decision, maybe i should too while i have the chance."

"The thing is Gondo, i've been summoned to the capital. They're using my mercenary past to force me into their ranks."

Gondo slams his fist on the counter.

"Tsk! Those Mercian bastards. They think they can just stick their fingers in the business of honest people. You're not actually going to answer the call, are you?"

"I'm afraid i'm left with no choice, otherwise they'll revoke my permission to live here."

"What, is nothing beneath them!? To think i accepted a commission for sword from the high court a few months ago."

"You received a commission? From who?"

"From the golden boy himself, Prince Nikolaus, the next-in-line to inherit the crown of Mercia. He's a prick if you ask me."

"Yet you still decided to make the sword?"

"Eh, i was told who it was for after i finished making the sword. The amount of money the high court paid for it made me accept the commission of a whim. I was planning to use the money to get a few upgrades to the forge, but with the war going on now, i'll probably move to another kingdom and establish a new forge or just retire for good. But anyway, what're you in here for?"

"A scabbard for Alex's sword. Show it to him."

I undo the straps holding the sword and show it to him.

Gondo's eyes visibly widen, his interest piqued.

"A black sword? Give it here, let me have a closer look."

He extends his hand for me and i give him the sword.

However, once i let go of it, it immediately drops to the ground pulling Gondo with it over the counter.

"WHA-!?"

He lands on his back with a loud thud on the stone floor.

"Ouh... ouh... ouh..."

The impact must've shaken his head, causing him to mumble.

He quickly regains his sense and stands up.

"The weight on that sword! How are you able to lift it?"

"We've been wandering that question too. Only Alex can wield it without problems."

"Hmm, interesting. Boy, set the sword down on the counter so that i can have a proper look."

He rubs his beard, then makes his way back to the other side of the counter.

There's slight enthusiasm in his tone, is he actually excited?

I do as he says and he leans in to take a closer look.

"Hmm, as far as i can tell, it's made out of some special kind of steel. The color isn't a coating either. To achieve a natural black color, a special forging technique must be used, and not just any kind of forge will do. Tell me everything you know about this sword."

With Eric's help, he explains to him how the sword appeared and I tell him everything i've observed since i'm the only one who can hold it.

"Hmm, appeared when you were born and only you can wield it. I've dealt with all kinds of weapons during my life but this, this is truly a unique piece. One thing i can say though, is that this wasn't forged by a dwarf."

"Uh-huh. What about the gem on the base of the blade?"

I reach over the counter and try to point at it.

"I noticed that too, but didn't say anything because i wasn't quite sure what it was."

Gondo reaches into his pocket, pulling out a loupe and using it to inspect the red gem.

"Oh wow, that's a rather beautiful gem. Despite it's red color, it's not a ruby. In fact, i have no idea what it is. A perfect gem."

I cross my arms.

"Perfect?"

"It's been cut perfectly. The surface has no imperfections and doesn't have any impurities like bubbles inside it. Let me test something."

He takes out his hammer and hovers it above the blade.

"Condition."

He taps the blade, but the green glow doesn't appear.

"What the...? That's odd. Let me try again. Condition."

Again, nothing.

"Highly unusual. I'm going to try another spell."

Ooh, another spell.

"Repair!"

He taps the sword harder this time, making a loud cling, but it doesn't seem to work either.

Gondo crosses his arms, looking a little annoyed but also highly intrigued.

"My magic can't penetrate it for some reason. Everything around us contains at least a tiny bit of magic, which allows our spells to work on them in the first place."

"Is it a bad thing?"

"No, i don't think so, but i have one last trick up my sleeve."

He puts his hammer away, instead hovering his own hand over the blade.

Next he closes his eyes, as if focusing on something.

His right begins glowing with green light and he lowers it to touch the blade.

"Hmm... hmm... hm!"

Suddenly his eyes go wide and he pulls his hand away quickly, in the same way you would when accidentally touching something hot.

With a shocked look, he locks eyes with me, then gets off his stool and walks towards me.

"Give me your hand boy."

Before i can even react, his large rough hand envelops mine.

He closes his eyes and the green glow appears again.

"Ha, now i get it! This boy doesn't have a trace of magic in him! Neither does the sword."

He lets go and crosses his arms while walking back to the counter.

"What? How can that be possible? Did you know about this, Alex?"

Eric asks in confusion, switching between looking at me and Gondo.

"Um, kinda? When Stella taught me magic."

"And you didn't think about telling us?"

"She said it didn't seem harmful so i thought it wasn't important."

"Hey! The only one who can argue in this shop is me! So let's get back to the sword."

Eric rubs his nose bridge.

"Yeah, right. Please continue."

"So kid, you wanted a scabbard for the blade. Whatever its origin, it's still a standard size. I have some scabbards in the backroom, wait here a moment. Any particular color you're looking for?"

"Black if you have it, if not then i don't really care."

Gondo disappears to the backroom and loud rummaging can be heard.

He comes back holding several scabbards of varying tones of standard brown leather.

"I may have a black one somewhere in there but let's try these ones first."

He takes the first scabbard, adjusting it briefly before trying to insert the blade inside.

"Ugh, what now!? The blade won't go in! It should be a perfect fit!"

He grunts loudly, trying to push the scabbard over the blade.

I don't say it out loud, but it looks like the sword is repelling it the same way if you try to make the same side of two magnets touch each other.

"I'm going to try another."

No luck with the next scabbard either, or the next one, or the one after that.

Gondo thinks for a moment, rubbing his beard.

"I still have that black scabbard if you want to try it? I'm warning you though, it's not exactly... usual."

At this point i want to go home already and i'm not leaving without a scabbard.

"Go get it."

He disappears into the backroom once again, coming back with a black scabbard.

"The material i used to make this came accidentally with a shipment, but i decided to use it anyway. It's demon hide."

"Heh, you mean monster hide, right?"

Eric chuckles nervously while rubbing his neck.

"No. Demon hide, from a demon."

Gondo holds it so i can see it properly.

It's black with a mixture of red, the material looking like leather with a scale-like pattern.

"Still want it, kid?"

"If it gets on the sword, sure."

"Suit yourself."

He positions the tip of the blade at the entrance, then slides it in without any resistance.

It reaches the base, fitting like a glove.

"Well, that confirms it, the sword is cursed. You won't see me at your funeral."

He says to me, his tone a mixture of sarcasm and a threat.

"Um, what do we owe you, Gondo?"

"Take it! Free of charge, just get it out of my sight. You showing me this sword was payment enough."

"Okay then, come on Alex, let's get back home before Anna gets worried."

Eric says and heads to the front door.

I grab the sword by the scabbard and strap it my back.

"Thanks, Gondo."

"Eh, whatever. Now go before i kick you out."

On our way back home, Eric speaks to me with a nervous look on his face.

"Are you sure you want to keep that? It's from a demon."

"So what?"

"So what!? Didn't you hear me? A demon! One of the worst creatures you could face!"

"What does it matter? It's dead now."

"So you would think, but demons have no souls. There are stories about equipment made from demon parts, causing misfortune to anyone who dares to use them. Facing a monster is one thing, but demons? Good thing i never encountered one."

"Well, that was their problem. Besides, i kinda like it how it feels in my hands."

"Sigh, what am i going to do with you..."