I’ve lived for far too long and experienced a heart-aching number of farewells. I am still not sure if it hurts most when you get the chance to say goodbye, or if you leave a companion with a hint of hope in their heart. I imagine there are forlorn lovers and friends waiting for me in every corner of the seas.

-Quoted from Casavian Whitter, The Soulstealer

Mr. Rubysoul had left Rose with one final piece of advice before sending her on her way with her new blades. She needed to bind them to her, using a drop or two of her blood.

It would ensure that no one could steal them from her. Or at least steal them and turn them against her in the middle of a fight. He hinted at other benefits, but was rather tight-lipped about what they were.

She figured it would be best to perform the binding back on the ship, once they had left Eastfel Bay behind. Who knew what could happen during the ritual.

The smith hadn’t said it would be flashy, but Rose didn’t want to take chances. After putting Sunsplitter into her inventory, but leaving the cloak and necklace wrapped around her, she had made her way back to their new chef’s house.

Upon arrival she had found that Felix was finally awake, though still not in a stable frame of mind. Maybe she had a natural talent for drinking—that really would be a sign she was destined for piracy.

“Glad to see you finally grace us with your presence,” she quipped.

“Why do you look so smug, you evil girl,” he muttered. “It’s your fault I’m in this state.”

She chuckled but didn’t hit him with the next jab she had lined up. He was half right. She doubted he would’ve gone out of his way to drown himself in rum without her pleading.

Despite the downsides, she didn’t regret her decision. The few snippets of memory she had painted a picture of a merry evening of song, stories, and new friends. Hopefully her headache wouldn’t be so bad next time.

“Where did you rush off to, young lady?” asked Trent, hands on hips with a severe frown decorating his face.

Rose burst into laughter at the absurd sight. It was rare to see him without a smirk or derision on his face, but right now he looked like her mother when she came home late from one of her adventures.

“I remembered I missed an important appointment,” she replied.

“Would that have something to do with the fancy cloak and truegold necklace you’re wearing, by any chance?” he asked, drawing attention from Nasar.

“Yes.”

He stared at her, their eyes locking and going to war for a brief moment. She let him wallow in the tantalising anticipation for a while, but eventually decided to give in.

“When Felix and I entered the city, we were kidnapped by this strange blacksmith. He had grey skin and gemstones for eyes,” she recounted.

Trent’s eyes widened and he reached for his belt. “Who is this bastard?” he said with simmering fury. “I’ll spill his guts across his forge.”

“Calm down,” she chuckled. It was an overreaction, but seeing how protective Trent was gave her a warm feeling. One that she used to get from her father.

“It wasn’t malicious. He said that fate brought us together and ended up turning all of my treasures into equipment. The cloak and necklace are neat, but they weren’t the best bit,” she continued.

“Oh? Now I’m curious. Did you let this mystery man play with your antlers?” chuckled Trent.

Even Nasar leaned in at his quip, interested to see what exactly she had in store for them. Felix watched on with muted curiosity, though he still looked a little green. Lightweight.

“Perhaps,” she offered with a grin.

Her mischievous mind wanted to leave them hanging on the edge of suspense for as long as possible. Seeing her usually charismatic captain adopting puppy dog eyes almost made her collapse into laughter, so she relented.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The moment she pulled the twin cutlasses from her inventory, there was a collective gasp. Deep in Zut Rubysoul’s imposing cathedral, the only light they could play with was the flames of his forge. In Nasar’s house however, the rays of the early afternoon sun pierced through the large windows.

As the bright beams hit the crystal blades, they were absorbed by the hungry cutlasses, twisted and transformed. They scattered the light and painted the walls and ceiling in a dancing rainbow.

Rose swished the cutlasses around for dramatic effect. As she moved the blades, the kaleidoscopic display danced and fluttered across the space, making even Trent look on in wonder. She delighted in turning the fierce pirates into excited children.

After the initial surprise wore off, Trent and Nasar schooled their expressions. Felix still followed the glittering lights like an excited kitten, but the two veteran pirates were used to seeing weapons of such calibre—or so she believed.

“As your first weapon, it is rather high quality. What level are they?” asked Trent.

“I thought you said I shouldn’t divulge the secrets of my status to a stranger,” she replied with a smirk.

Trent only scoffed. He wouldn’t push further, but she figured there was no harm in sharing the information; of the four people in the room, two would be her crewmates and one was her closest friend.

“Level 51. And they count as a single weapon.”

Nasar whistled. “That’s an exceptional level for a girl of your age. Treasure them, for they will be the difference between life and death when we’re at sea,” he cautioned with an approving nod. “Have you bound them yet?”

“I haven’t,” she answered. “I figured it was best to wait until I was in a safer location than the streets.”

“Smart girl. I knew it wasn’t a mistake picking you up,” said Trent.

“Pick me up? As if you’d be alive if it wasn’t for me, you preposterous pirate,” she exclaimed, only half joking.

Trent’s eyes widened for a moment, but he schooled his expression rather fast.

“Ha! Good girl, don’t let this brash bastard get away with his mischief,” chuckled Nasar.

Rather than continue bickering, Trent directed the conversation away from the current topic. He held out a hand to Rose.

Knowing what he wanted, she passed over one of the cutlasses to let the man test it out. He took it through some simple motions, swishing and slashing the blade with a few stabs thrown into the mix. After his impromptu routine concluded, he nodded and made an approving sound before passing it back.

“Not bad. Wielding two cutlasses at once will be difficult, however. Put in some practice while you have the chance—you don’t want to be caught off guard when we get into any fights.”

She’d wanted to perform the binding on her own, but given that she was a little clueless about the process it made sense to have the more experienced men nearby in case something went wrong. Placing the two blades on the dining table, she pricked her finger with a dagger offered by Nasar and let a single drop of blood fall onto each.

The effect was immediate. Rose hadn’t known what to expect but the intensity of the process was far beyond what she’d imagined.

A bright glow erupted from the weapons; a lesser glow erupted from her body. The shimmering lights from the weapons condensed into two ribbons that had a distinctly arcane feel to them, while her own glow seemed to surround her like a shell.

The ribbons intertwined with one another until they transformed into a double helix and then shot right into her chest. She felt a cold energy washing through her before settling. The glow faded and she heard a gentle splash in her ears.

You have bound Sunsplitter 51!

There is a 13% resonance between you.

Rose had gleaned far more from the experience than she expected. The actual binding was underwhelming—the resonance seemed pitiful—but the strange way the arcane energy interacted with her body allowed her to feel… she wasn’t quite sure. She wanted to call it a lump in her stomach, but that wasn’t quite accurate.

“So? How did it go?” asked Trent.

All three men looked on eagerly to hear the results. Felix especially. He’d actually managed to lift himself from the plush armchair he’d sunk into and planted himself at the table to watch and listen.

“I’m not sure,” she began, her expression painting a grim picture. “It said there was only a thirteen percent resonance between me and the cutlasses. That can’t be great.”

Trent scoffed, Nasar remained impassive, and Felix simply looked confused. Rose was upset. Until then she had believed herself rather talented, thanks to her impressive bank of skills and traits at her young age.

“Youngsters these days, always expecting everything to be handed to them on a platter,” said Trent, shaking his head. “Let me ask you something Rose. What do you think the average resonance is between a person and their equipment when they first bind it?”

The question took her by surprise. She hadn’t even considered it. Wouldn’t it be normal to have close to one hundred percent resonance with something that was crafted for you?

“I suppose, eighty or ninety percent.”

“Wrong,” he declared. “Most people get five percent. And that’s for personally crafted gear. For looted equipment? Expect zero. One if you’re lucky.”

“Five percent is generous,” offered Nasar.

While Rose was a little embarrassed at her lack of knowledge, she couldn’t stifle the grin that was forming. Am I some kind of secret genius?