Chapter 8 – Rotten

Almost an hour had passed since Lee left for the sword graveyard. Gordan's whole body was soaked in sweat. Over the hour, He had been digging and trying his best to ensure sand didn't fall into the hole.

About 10 minutes after Lee had left, Gordan realized he hadn't brought any water or food into the dune with him. The misery of digging a well alone in the desert was challenging to explain. Gordan alternated between fits of frustration and determination.

He had figured a few things out since Lee left. The planks of wood could be used to board up the walls of the well to prevent sand from falling back into the hole. Further, he had set up a frame for the pulley to sit on top of the well.

Gordan set his shovel down and sat in the hole. "I should probably look for Lee if he's gone for much longer."

The last trip took about 45 minutes, and an hour passed already. So if it took an hour more, Gordan would decide to go after him. After all, neither of them knew what kind of dangers were here in the desert.

Meanwhile, at the sword graveyard, Lee looked at each sword. "No, no, nope, not you, not you either." Lee huffed. "Why are there so many great swords and katanas?" He lamented.

Lee was quite far into the sword graveyard. There was only a small chance he would become lost because he could retrace his steps to escape the graveyard if need be. So, he was taking his time trying to find the perfect blade.

The graveyard was filled with countless blades of different colors and styles. Lee tried to identify a bastard sword from the field, and although he did find some, none spoke to Lee's character. He wanted a blade that fit him.

Still, the further Lee traveled into the graveyard, the more unsettling his thoughts became. "Each of these have a style to them, as if they really belonged to someone." He thought. Lee didn't want to consider the creature or person who could kill this many swordsmen.

His walking slowed. Lee peered behind him, seeing he'd veered deep into the graveyard. Bringing his vision back to the front, a blade was sticking perfectly downward in the sand. Lee crossed his arms and looked over the blade, careful not to touch it.

"I think this one is it!" He mumbled.

The sword in the sand had a brown hilt with a blue circular gem embedded at the cross-section of the handle. The blade was double-sided. It seemed like a bastard sword from the size of the handle.

Lee gripped the handle with both hands. He lifted from a squatted position, slowly pulling the blade out of the sand.

[A quest has arrived]

[Quest: Gain the sword master's approval]

[Reward: Bonded Bastard Sword]

The sand split under Lee's feet. He quickly scuffled backward, falling on his backside. Slowly rising up from the sand was a tall, armored figure. It rose from its heels like strings had pulled the figure to a standing position.

Once the figure had become fully upright, the eyes of the armored figure lit up green. The armor was plate, bellowed out at the center with a symbol inscribed on the front of it. Lee didn't recognize the symbol anywhere, but it looked old.

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The blade Lee was holding vibrated in his hands as he readied it. He looked down. The vibration was coming from him. He was shaking violently.

Lee could feel his expression turn to fear. "Fuck." He muttered.

The towering figure looked down at Lee.

"I will now ask you three questions." The warrior stated.

Lee lowered the blade and scratched his head. "Eh?"

The warrior pointed upward and spoke. "What is the purpose of sword arts?"

Lee didn't seem to be in any danger. He put the sword down on the sand and placed his hand on his chin. He had no idea what the hell this situation was. But, from the quest, he'd get a bonded weapon if he gave a good answer.

Lee put his hands on his knees in a cross-legged position. It felt natural for him as if this was his teacher. "Um… I'd say to protect those close to you. Maybe to get money, too." Lee smiled.

The warrior didn't say anything for a moment. He simply looked down at Lee and tilted his head slightly.

"The second question. What is the limit of sword arts?" This time, the warrior's eyes flared in green flame while speaking. Perhaps to get Lee to be more serious.

"The limits to sword arts…?" Lee thought. From what he'd seen, it was as if there were no limits. His mother kept improving, and more people seemed to take the art to new heights as history progressed. In fact, the only history that Lee was familiar with was sword art.

He smiled smugly and pointed to the sky. "LIMITLESS SIR! The art of the sword is simply limitless." Lee crossed his arms, very satisfied with his answer.

The warrior bent down slightly, taking a better look at Lee. In response, Lee leaned back a bit, hoping he hadn't answered wrongly.

"THE THIRD QUESTION IS…." The sword master trailed off for a moment. Lee couldn't bear the tension. However, the figure put his hand to his chin as if he were thinking.

"The third question is… What's the outside world like?" The warrior stopped using his booming voice, and at this point, he almost sounded like a regular guy.

Lee was shocked. "Um sir, it's normal. Sir." He had no idea how to respond.

"No, no. What year is it? How long has it been?" The warrior responded.

Lee was dumbstruck. The tone of the conversation was totally off. Here he was, talking to some sort of sword master warrior, yet asking such casual questions.

The warrior squatted down, getting into a similar cross-legged position to Lee. Although, his poster was much more trained, sitting precisely upright.

"So?" The warrior added.

"Ah. Yeah… It's 567 sir—" Lee was cut off by the warrior lifting his hand in front of his face.

"It's 567 master" The sword master corrected Lee.

The sword master put his hands in his lap and looked down. "I see it's been quite a while since I died in the labyrinth."

Lee's eyes widened. "You died in the labyrinth?" he asked.

"Ah yes, it seems more than 200 years have passed since then. I was a famous explorer in my time." The warrior couldn't show facial expressions, but Lee could hear just how proud he was from his tone.

The two conversed for a while, and Lee updated him on the state of the world. He mentioned that the countries had all but dissolved, and now the world worked in a hierarchy of groups. The primary group is the United Exploration Group. Below them were the major continent groups, then the local governments. In some areas, the groups continued to delegate downward to towns and cities. But, for the most part, the UEG was in charge.

"Young pupil, I see your knowledge of the sword and the world is good for your age. You have gained my approval." The sword master held his posture and assumed a more serious tone.

"However, you are still young. Although I will give you my blade, there is a condition." He added. "My soul will enter the blade, and you must allow me to train you in the sword."

Lee didn't understand exactly what the sword master was saying. He'd heard of blades with consciousness before but never a sword with a soul in it.

Lee thought of his mother, thinking if she found out he took another master, she might disown him. But, considering the circumstances, this man might have achieved even greater things than her. So, he decided. "I already have a master, but as long you can accept that we have a deal!"

"So be it." The warrior nodded. "I do have one warning. Not all the men buried here are as kind as I am. Some have lost their minds to time and only possess malice toward the living. Be careful, my young pupil. The warrior had a smile in his voice, a comforting tone.

The green flames exited the armor's eye sockets, beaming down into the blade in the sand.

Lee stood up with his blade in hand. "Time to get back to Gordan. He's probably out looking for me at this point."

[Quest completion detected]

[Quest: Gain the sword masters approval - completed]

[Reward: Bonded Bastard Sword]