!!!!! Pr Credits To Draconis & Rota who not only both pred it but improved this ch's quality greatly please rep them. Also Full Credits to Askard who maintains the Information Doc where a majority of spectral regalia information is written please Rep him to ^^!!!
hello hello! i would of released this yesterday but i missed the message :( no one to blame but my own eyes! this may be interesting for you all.
Please Rate/Follow/Favourite/Share/Most of all enjoy chapter 89 :D
now if youl excuse me its nearly 5am here i got so worried about not having a chapter to release yet that i emailed my prs only to find out i have had the chapter all along @_@ goodnight!
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As soon as the guests left the estate, Sient had turned and poured himself a glass of a brandy colored liquid into a crystal glass before walking over and taking a seat in front of a fireplace. The room itself was not lit by the sunlight, despite it being clearly visible through the 4 windows that decorated it. One could only think it were some sort of magic holding the sunlight at bay as if the owner of the estate preferred the warm light the fire provided instead.
Within moments, a knock could be heard against the large door, which was intricately carved with careful patterns. “Come in.” Sient spoke while lifting the glass up to his lips, taking a soft sip before lowering it. A man who seemed to be in his 60’s walked in while wearing what seemed to be servant-esque attire.
“Lord Sient. Good news, I dare hope?” Sient only glanced at the man who spoke these words and frowned. “That girl has her parents wrapped around her finger… They treat her as if she is a god incarnate. Since her growth in power, this has become frustrating. There is no more marriage, it is canceled.”
The old man’s face paled a bit, causing his body to stiffen at the words. “Y-Young Lord Kael then?” Sient shut his eyes, thinking for a moment. “Lord Gregson had told me he is currently training with some new master. This can only be seen as a dim strike of fortune that he isn't here to make matters worse. It would be better to send him to a branch academy” Sient had no problem speaking as he notioned towards Gaia’s branch academies.
The man nodded, feeling a little relief as he let a soft sigh pass his lips. “My Lord, shall I arrange the paperwork then?” Sient nodded. “That would be preferable. Arrange for him a place at the Laymist branch” Sient immediately took another sip of the liquid, which seemed to be an alcoholic beverage.
The old man’s already pale face seemed to whiten even more so. One would mistake him for a dead man. “L-Laymist, my lord?... Isn't that-” The man’s words were cut short as Sient replied. “I know what it is. And I have my reasons for sending him there. He will be out of the way while things are being handled for his brother and sister.”
While the affairs of Kael’s future where seemingly handled by his father, both him and Avrin had just entered viewing range of the supposed village. Kael looked somewhat stunned as his jaw dropped in surprise.
“Master, look. You can see how many defensive metal Palisades they have added. Incredible. To have so many layers of defense.” Of course, Avrin wasn't as shocked as he already scanned it with his Divine Sense, as well as with a bit of logic, it was obvious that this was the minimum requirement to achieve some safety. Especially this far into dangerous territories.
Walking down the path, one could feel as if they were being watched. In Avrin’s mind, he felt this village spared no expense in achieving safety for themselves and said scouts ahead to alert beforehand if anything were to happen. Of course, neither Avrin or Kael were wild monsters, and may just very well be adventurers who travel on and stop to buy supplies from this village, which was considered a common sight.
But what was uncommon is two people alone in the Twisting Lands, traversing in such a dangerous land. Which is why the scouts focused heavily on them. They knew either their group had perished or they must be incredibly strong. The third reason would, of course, be plain stupidity, but those fools would never have made it to this village alive.
Heading over to the first large gate that was guarded by 4 individuals, men and women dressed in tribal-like attire, Avrin had wondered how far their history on this island stretched. “Adventurers? Just the two of you?” A large, brawny man with a mustache spoke out in a heavy tone. His skin was olive in color, but his top half was visible, showing the scars of all shapes and sizes. One could tell he was an experienced warrior.
“Indeed, just the two of us. We wanted to come see your village and hopefully look around for souvenirs” Avrin replied calmly. The man’s face twisted a little. “S-Souvenirs?... Do you know where you are?... In these lands, you want a souvenir?!” The man seemed somewhat aggravated, but a female individual who couldn't be said to be beautiful, as her face seemed aged and looked like a wild beast herself, gave Avrin and Kael a glance.
“Brufle, who cares. Business is business...” The man glanced at the women before mumbling curses under his breath, and walked over to the gate and tapped it with the nearly 3-meter long spear in his hand. Soon afterward, the gate opened to reveal the interior of the village bustling with activity and filled with adventurers and villagers alike.”
As Kael entered quickly, wanting to admire it, Avrin took his time and glanced at the women, only for her to wink back at him playfully. Of course, it made his stomach nearly churn, which was something he would rather not have happen again.
“Master, look. They actually sell ores here, incredible!” Rushing over to a vendor nearby, Kael rubbed his hands greedily as he looked around and read the tags that were listed under the ore.
“Reverbium, a rare ore with vibration qualities. Perfect for warriors who specialize in air and vibration based attacks. Oh! I heard about this a few years back. Liquidite is a rare metal that can only be formed when morning dew gathers for several years and seeps underground into a copper deposit! It has many useful qualities.”
Avrin paid some attention to Kael but glanced around to see if there was anything of real value was around. “Any unique ores?“ Avrin spoke calmly, which made Kael, as well as the vendor, wearing a grass like hat and smoking a sort of pipe, cough in surprise. Instead of Kael speaking, the vendor uttered out. “Hahaha, Unique ores? Sorry, but those are hard to come by. And even if I did have any, I wouldn't store it out in the open. Something of that value would be worth thousands of gold!”
This was all Avrin needed to hear to doubt any vendor here sold an ore of value. It made him sigh inwardly. This was a negative of his Divine Sense. He was unable to measure the mana quality of an ore as well as item, so easily he would need to hold it or be a few feet away, much different than measuring the quantity as well as detailing. It was like a radar, so to speak. He could tell where a cup of water was and how large that cup was, but he wouldn't be able to tell how full it is.
Of course, Avrin’s disappointment vanished when he focused on the sight not too far from him. “A blacksmith!” A rare smile adorned his face. “Kael, I'll contact you when I'm done. Don't cause any trouble.”
Kael simply nodded as he continued to glance around. Avrin nearly power walked over to the blacksmith, where adventurers were lined up and waiting to purchase newly made weapons and have their equipment repaired.
Gazing over, there were 2 large forges with 3 furnaces as well as several anvils and nearly a dozen workers. Avrin quietly observed them, as well as the ores they processed. Of course, he could tell they were experienced, but compared to a certain someone they seemed to have a long way to go. All in all, Avrin knew they may very well be more knowledgeable than him.
Gazing curiously, Avrin admired the works on display. He could tell these weapons and tools held not just a mastery level, but something else. Gazing at a round, metallic shield, he saw that it wasn't as intricately decorated as most of the others, but it looked flawless, as if not one millimeter of it was uneven and seemed immovable.
Of course, Avrin’s focus on the shield caught the eye of the foreman, who was glancing around while sitting on a chair to keep things in check. He stood up and walked over to where Avrin was with his arms folded.
“Haha, you have a keen eye. That shield was forged by a dwarf master who visited a few years back. The materials used aren't anything special, but it's purpose is something a bit more meaningful.”
Without even glancing at the man, Avrin spoke. “How much do you want for it?” The man blinked, a little shocked. He hadn't ever received an offer for it and simply laughed. “Sorry, but this isn't for sale. As I said, it's purpose is meaningful.”
Avrin frowned as he looked at it. Of course, he wouldn't be as cruel as to rob or trick the man into selling it to him “How about a trade?” Avrin glanced at him. This had seemingly caught his interest. “Trade? Well, it's not up to me, so I'm not-” Avrin didn't let him finish. He reached into the enchanted sack and took out one of the Unique level ores, raising it in front of the man, whose eyes were bulging out.
“T-That's..” Avrin quickly hid it to not attract much attention. “It is what you think. Do we have a deal or not?” The foreman rubbed his head as he began to sweat a little. In his entire life as a blacksmith, spanning 3 decades, he had only ever seen 2 Unique ores that were personally handled by the owner of the blacksmith. And even then, they weren't forged here but sent away after being purchased at enormous prices.
“Deal, deal deal!!” He had almost yelled out. “Fol… Follow me!” The man rushed over, opening the display case as he took the shield, which attracted a bit of attention from the workers as well as some adventurers, who had often come here over the years to make a name as well as profit. They had also never seen something like this happen.
Avrin knew it was unavoidable. There weren't many, if any at all, who would treat a Unique level ore as trash. It something even kings treasured. As the foreman and Avrin entered the back of the smithy, the foreman spoke “Please stay here, sir. I'll be back.”
While carrying the plain metal shield he walked over to another back entrance and soon after a loud voice echoed out. ”WHAT!??” The foreman hurriedly exited as well as an old man who seemed to be in his 90’s with a long beard and an eye patch with a frail look. He rushed over near Avrin with incredible vitality.
“If you're wasting my time boy, I'm going to-” As if to shut the old man up, Avrin took the hidden ore and showed it to him, who was about to scream with excitement as he snatched it out of Avrin’s hands and inspected it.
Of course, Avrin knew he wouldn't steal it. Avrin had a hunch this man was honest. The old man took the ore over to a table where he had an assortment of tools as well as devices. Being left in complete silence with the occasional mumble, the old man seemed to sweat the more time he had the ore.
After 10 minutes, he slowly backed up, raising his shaking hand to remove a sort of monocle from his eye that had several lenses used to magnify sight. “This is Earth Heart Ore! How did you get this!?”
By the sound of how excited the old man was, as well as how he looked Avrin, he knew he struck a good point. “I stumbled upon it in a monster’s den… Well? Do we have a deal?” The old man carefully eyed the ore, then the shield, before he cleared his throat.
Stolen story; please report.
“You're willing to trade this ore for a shield of common materials crafted by a master blacksmith?... Even he would be shocked at this. Aren't you worried that you're being ripped off?”
Avrin shook his head. “That shield there has something about it that I'm sure can teach me a few things in my own blacksmithing” The old man rubbed his beard slightly and nodded. “Hmmm… Trading something of great value for something not even fit for a battle… this shield must have had a real connection with you.”
Avrin didn't reply as the old man spoke while taking the shield from the quiet foreman’s hand. “Since it's like this, I'll tell you something. This shield took the dwarf who made it 5 years to craft!“
“5 years…?” Even Avrin was astounded. How is that possible? Who would even spend that much time to bother crafting a simple shield? The old man laughed and spoke. “I don't know much else, but this dwarf was really something. He came out of nowhere and showed us all up and spent 6 years in this village. This was nearly 60 years ago. It’s thanks to him that we have a more thriving place with adventurers coming to buy weapons and items. He taught me how to blacksmith... but he never told me his name.”
The old man seemed a little saddened as he recalled that memory. “The day he left, he gave me this shield that he had been working on for half a decade and told me a few words that I will never forget. It's simple to create a weapon or tool for oneself that gives good results, but there has never been a weapon that has been created perfectly. All the blacksmithing you have seen until now has barely scratched the surface of what it really is.”
Avrin listened carefully to these words. It was Eitri’s discovery which allowed Avrin to understand a little of what this dwarf had meant. “-Only scratched the surface… Could he mean that there is still so much more to discover in smithing? How could he be wrong, Eitri himself has further proved this right-”
The old man spoke. “We have a deal… I think this shield and you have a good connection. If you are willing to trade something of such value, I know it's going into good hands.“ Walking over to Avrin he handed him the round shield that glistened in the light. Avrin held it firmly with both his hands.
The shield seemed to be light, but it had no dents and shined as if it were new. As to be expected. It was never used and was only admired. His purpose for purchasing this shield was to understand what the dwarf had truly thought and learned from doing so.
This may be something of use for him later on as well as his people. Avrin moved the shield over the enchanted sack and it began to shrink before entering. It was the first time he had seen an object as large as the shield do so. He had thought that it was a sort of storage magic to make it easier.
The old man and Avrin said their farewells and Avrin soon left the forge, to the delight of the old man, who was screaming and yelling with joy after Avrin had left. This had gone on to the point where even the blacksmiths who were tending to their duties stopped work and rushed over to see what was going on.
Avrin was in a rare perfect mood. The only thing that could make this better would be to find Skymetal, which would be wishful thinking. Glancing around, Avrin spotted an inn with people coming in and out in groups to continue their day.
Using his Divine Sense, he spoke to Kael. “--Kael, I'm at the inn not too far from where I left--” Avrin received an unexpected reply soon after. “--Uh… Hehehehe, sorry, Master… I caused a bit of trouble… --” Avrin was about to ask what happened when he noticed several of the village guards rush over. He overheard one rushing by.
“To be able to defeat the Chiefs daughter in a few moves! I gotta see who did it!” Avrin’s face paled when he heard this. He followed them immediately, as a small crowd of mostly local villagers began to gather to a large, round sort of pit in the ground that was a makeshift arena, with people watching and whispering amongst each other.
Avrin spotted Kael on one side in his human form and a female with dark olive skin and long brown hair in a ponytail. What stunned Avrin was that she had a body seemingly well built for battle, with several scars despite her young, attractive appearance. She wore the same sort of tribal outfits as the guards who protected the village, but with a bit removed, which was a simple case of wearing a bit less for more agility.
The young girl had an angry expression on her face as she seemed a bit bruised and battered. She called out to Kael angrily. “You!...” Kael showed a nervous look, not knowing what to do. “Ahh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. Here, I'll give you the necklace!” He threw an average looking necklace over to the girl, who caught it and glanced at it for a few moments before placing it in a side pocket.
“Don't think I'm letting you go because of this!!” Kael’s nervous smile worsened a bit, but soon Avrin’s voice entered his head. “--What did you do?--” Kael quickly began to explain. “--Master, this crazy girl challenged me because I bought this necklace and refused to give it to her for free. Ah!--”
Having rushed those words out to Avrin in his mind, the girl kicked her feet off the ground and rushed at Kael with impressive speed. Avrin could tell she was at the Expert level and most likely considered a genius for one her age.
She began to barrage Kael with kicks and punches but found it was no use. Kael easily dodged. Avrin knew that this girl, compared to the beasts Kael had been put up against, meant nothing. Avrin could only furrow his brows. “-This brat only caused more trouble when he got stronger!-” Avrin wanted to curse some more but snapped out of it to the sound of the angry growling of the girl not able to hit Kael.
“Stand still and fight like a man!” She roared out. “Fine!...” Kael responded before he ducked and avoided a punch before sending a blow towards the girl’s abdomen. He was careful to hold back his strength, but it was enough to knock her back several meters and for her to cough up a bit of blood. Avrin decided it was time to stop this as it would only cause more trouble. Especially if she was the daughter of this village’s Chief.
Taking a step forward, Avrin saw the girl wipe her mouth and rush towards Kael again. He had to say that she was indeed persistent. “Ugh! Just stay down!“ Kael felt as if she would keep coming back he had to knock her out. He dashed over with a bit more speed and raised his hand as he struck down towards the side of her neck.
Of course, Avrin could see beforehand what sort of move he intended to use and felt it was better if he ended here. But as these thoughts crossed his mind, a blur shot past the crowd and in between the girl, who had been somewhat stunned by Kael’s speed and was about to receive his attack. This blur turned into a figure and extended his closed fist out with incredible speed, plowing it into Kael’s right cheek, blowing him away with ease.
Like a ragdoll, Kael bounced off the ground several times before hitting against a wall. “You…” Avrin’s face twisted under his mask as his body tensed. He was about to rush in, but a voice spoke quickly. “—Master… please don't interfere… if that's what you're thinking--”
Avrin was a little stunned but felt that Kael would have a reason, so he responded. “—Let’s see what you have planned--” Kael got up slowly as he rubbed his cheek. His head was shaking and it felt like his body was shaking. “-That... hurt a bit too much…-” Kael wanted to cry inside but felt as if it were stopped by his strength.
A voice echoed out. “Little brat! How dare you hit my daughter!” A large, muscular man with tattoos all over his body as well as a long mohawk and beads around his neck. He also had tribal attire to cover up the rest. He was holding his fist in the position he hit Kael.
Soon, more whispers could be heard. “The Chief!” One spoke while another added. “That boy is dead. I heard the last person who provoked the Chief’s family were fed to their pet beasts!” With the crowd adding to the stories, some believable but some seemingly too ridiculous and fabricated, only the incredibly stupid could believe such things, which seemed to be a few people in the crowd.
As the dust settled from where Kael landed, he stood up and walked out. People showed expression of shock. Kael’s face had already been revealed in his fight against the girl. They had judged him a bit younger than the chief’s daughter and seemingly a genius as well. But to see him take the Chief’s hit and stand up with only a bruised cheek was impressive.
Even the Chief showed a bit of a curious delight. “You're a tough one... ha… I can see why my daughter had trouble fighting against you. But this time I'll be your opponent!” The girl behind the chief snorted coldly and spoke. “Father, this is my fight!” The chief turned to face his daughter and frowned. “Your fight? You were beaten… You can't even pick your opponents wisely. Sit back and let me take revenge for you.”
Before the girl could speak, the Chief dashed over towards Kael, taking long, warrior-like strides as he jumped into the air and smashed downward. Kael glanced up and clicked his tongue. He then quickly backflipped away, just in time for the chief’s fists to smash into the ground, causing a small crater to form that also split apart. To the surrounding people, it was like a small quake.
“-This man just became a Grandmaster, but…-” The man began to attack Kael with kicks and punches. Kael blinked, a little surprised, as he watched carefully. He was able to avoid the first few attacks but ended up being hit in the stomach. His organs rippled a little as he coughed up some blood before he was grabbed by his right arm and lifted up into the air and then hit again in the stomach, which made him cough up more blood.
By now, Avrin was trying to remain calm, even as he watched Kael get blown back by the last hit and knocked away like a ragdoll. His eyebrows twitched a bit. “--Kael, what are you doing--” Avrin finally asked.
Kael replied as if expecting to be asked this question. “—Master… after fighting with that demon… I felt I had learned a bit more and gotten stronger... and like the beasts in these lands, if I fight strong opponents and push myself a bit I can grow even stronger!--”
Avrin listened. Inwardly, he was proud of these words from Kael. He remembered when he was weak and afraid and even hesitated to kill, but now it seemed he was thrusting himself into battle to grow stronger.
“--I didn't expect this... but it's perfect! Coming to this village for me was great for this opportunity--” Kael wiped some blood from the side of his lips. His body was aching greatly. “--I won't allow you to use your draconic form… We can't afford to let people see you like that--” Avrin reminded him.
Kael responded quickly “--Got it!--” As the chief rushed over towards him, taking big strides. “You're durable, boy. Let’s see how long your body can hold up to this!” The man seemingly reached to his side before a large, totem-like object was pulled out of his own enchanted sack.
Kael’s face changed a little. He knew that if he were hit directly by that he would most certainly die. If not, he would be near death’s door even with his durability. He quickly removed the longswords that were hidden under his cloak behind his back and struck upward with as much strength as he could muster in his human form.