The work was long and tiring. When Grav was busy hammering the weapon into shape, I was tasked with ensuring the forge was at the correct temperature, refueling it with coal, and fetching whatever he asked for.

I had no idea how Grav was able to keep a laser focus for so long, even through such rigorous work. After a long while I heard him set his hammer down.

"Hurry Kid, help me with this." He told me. Quickly, I went over to see what it was he needed help with.

It was a spear. But it wasn't just a metal head with a wooden handle, the entirety of the spear was made out of blueish gray alloy.

"Alright, what do you need me to do?" I asked him.

"We gotta quench it, but the damn thing's too big for me alone." He told me, waving his hand at it in frustration.

We grabbed the spear from both ends with a pair of tongs, and hovered it over the vat that was laying horizontally.

"Okay, Three... Two... One!" Grav counted down, on one we both dipped the spear into the blood until it stopped bubbling.

"Alright Kid, let's take it out, it should be nice and solid now." He said.

As we pulled it out, I was able to get a better look at the spear.

The spear's blade was curved and led to a symmetrical point at the end, just from looking, I could tell it wasn't something I wanted to be on the receiving end of.

The body of the spear had a lattice pattern engraved into it, providing grip. The pommel was a sharpened diamond-shaped point, probably for punching through armor.

"It's a beauty." I said to Grav.

"Of course it is, who do ya think made it?" Grav said proudly.

"We just gotta get Findal over here to take it off our hands." As he said this, he pulled out a Tele-talk, the pendant device Findal uses to talk to his customers.

"Hey Findal, get yer ass over here, we finished that job for the captain." There was a moment before he responded.

"Damn, already? You know if this isn't up to par, I'm the one at risk, right?" Findal's voice came through crystal clear.

"I'll do ya the favor of acting like I didn't hear that, but it's done, so come and get it." Grav responded.

"Um, actually... I can't right now, I'm uh, in the middle of a discussion with another client." Findal said, I don't know why, but it sounded like he was lying.

"Didn't the job say to deliver 'as soon as possible'? Shouldn't this take priority?" Grav retorted.

"Oh hey! Why don't you guys do it? You made it, it's only fair you give it to her!" Findal said, he was scared for some reason.

"Oh no, no no no. That ain't gonna happen. Findal, get over here now!

"Sor- I- -n't... break- -p" Findal mimicked the sound of a call breaking up. Not very well either. But after this, there was silence from the pendant.

"Findal! I swear, when I get my hands on you I'll-" Grav said, before giving up.

"Did he say 'her'? I thought we were giving it to the captain." I asked Grav.

"He did, and we are. But the captain ain't the type of lady you want to mess with." He explained to me.

"Oh, what's she like?" I asked further.

"Mean, real mean. With the strength to back it up too." He told me. Afterwards, he composed himself and continued.

"Well Kid, guess it's up to us now, and this spear ain't gonna deliver itself." He said, grabbing the newly forged weapon.

"Okay, where to?" I asked, Holding open the door for him.

As we walked outside, he used his free hand to point up at the tall tower that acted as a centerpiece for the city.

"To the base of that eyesore over there!" He exclaimed.

I hadn't been that far into the city yet, as most of the place I had been were relatively close to the outer walls, but after he said this, we began our way over.

Grav is... not a fast walker. But I didn't mind to much, I enjoyed the scenic views around the city, and my walks so far have been during the night, so the sunny blue skies are a nice change.

We continued walking for a while, It takes a while to get to the center of the city on foot.

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"Hey, Kid. Think you can help me out here? This thing is heavier than it looks, and I ain't exactly in my prime years no more." Grav told me, stopping to catch his breath.

"Oh, sure. No problem." I told him, while I took the spear he had wrapped up to avoid suspicion.

A while later, we neared the steps leading up to an elevated portion of the city. This was a higher class area most likely.

"Alright Kid, her office should be around here. Oh, I think that's it over there." He told me, pointing to an expensive looking building.

It was made of bricks, laid out in a unique pattern, accented with a white wood features that made for a building that was both impressive and easy on the eyes.

"Do we just knock or something?" I asked Grav.

"I don't know Kid, I've never been here before." He said.

"What? Then what are we even doing here? Why did Findal think we could do this?" I asked him, confused at to how this situation was supposed to go down.

"I, don't, know, Kid. Just knock on the damn door or something." Grav ordered me. I just sighed in response.

I lifted my hand up to the door to begin knocking, but as my fist was about to collide with the door, I felt a shiver go down my spine.

The hair on my neck was standing on end, and I got goosebumps up and down my arms. I'd never felt something like this before, even when running from the mana-eaters or fighting with Katsuro.

I began to turn and look to see what was around us.

"Kid you okay? You're looking pale as an elf." Grav said, sounding slightly worried.

"I uh, I don't know... I just felt something weird. It's probably nothing." I told him, calming myself down.

I turned back to knock on the door, but it was already open. Standing in the doorway, was an elf woman, she was wearing chainmail armor and a decorated helmet that covered most of her head, except her face. She was staring at me, with suspicion in her eyes.

I don't know why, but her eyes looked familiar.

"I believe you have something of mine." The woman said, flicking her eyes at the covered spear I was holding.

"Oh right, sorry. Are you the captain?" I asked her, handing her the weapon.

"If I wasn't, why would I be asking?" She told me, her voice was cold and unfeeling.

She uncovered the spear, dropping the cloth to ground. She inspected the spear before looking back at us.

"This seems to be adequate." She said to us. Grav looked rather offended.

"Adequate?! You have any idea how much wor-" Grav cut himself off when the captain began to glare at him.

" *Ahem*... I'm uh... Glad to hear ya approve..." He corrected himself from his previous outburst.

"I'll send the payment to that beastkin. I'm sure you'll be able to handle it from there." She told us. I assume she meant Findal.

"Okay, that'll work. If that's all we'll be on our way." I replied. on that note, me and Grav began to walk away. But, the captain stopped me before we could leave.

"Demon. Turn around." I heard her say. I felt a similar feeling to when I was about to knock on the door. But I tried to ignore it and turned around.

The captain was right in front of me, only a few inches away. She stared up at me, with a serious expression. I could feel drops of sweat form on my forehead.

"Never mind. On your way." She said, turning around and walking back into the fancy building, closing the door behind her.

I sighed in relief. After this, me and Grav made our way back to the workshop...

...It's been three days since we gave the captain her spear.

I've noticed I have much more free time, now that I don't need to eat or sleep. I've been trying to improve my craftmanship. I struggled a few times on the first day, but after watching Grav work so much, I've picked up a few techniques that help.

The second day I only managed to make one successful piece, a small knife, only somewhat useful for hunting. Since it was the first thing I had managed to make, I decided to keep it.

Today, I've been trying to relearn the basics. Learning proper temperature control, angles of hammer strikes, melting points for differing materials. Grav even let me have a few lesser manakyte stones to understand how they're used.

Grav had stepped out for a second to buy something. It's been an hour or so though, I wonder where he went.

*SLAM*

The door had flung open, and Grav was standing in the door way, breathing heavy.

"Kid... What the hell did ya do?!" He frantically asked me.

"Grav? What's wrong? What are you talking about?" I put down my tools and walked over to him.

"I was walking back over here, when a city guard stopped me and said to give this to ya. He said it's from the captain!" He continued, handing me a rolled up scroll.

"What? Why would the captain send me a letter?" I asked, opening the scroll.

"I don't know, Kid. But nothing good ever comes from things like this." He said, I read the contents of the scroll as he did.

My eyes widened as I read word after word on the paper I held.

"Well, don't leave me hanging Kid! What's it say!?" Grav impatiently asked.

"It's... an invitation. It says I'm invited to train under the captain personally, as a potential recruit for the city's guard." I told him, still processing what I had read.

"Damn Kid... Under the captain herself? Ya can't say no to this." He told me.

"What? But weren't you just saying how scary she is?" I asked him. He was giving me mixed signals based on everything I'd heard about the captain up to this point.

"Yeah, course she's scary. But she's the captain for a reason. There's almost no one in the city that can hold a candle to her." He went on further to explain.

"Kid, she once took down an entire underground slave ring, right here in the city, within a few days. Cemeteries got overwhelmed for a month after that ordeal. That's how good she is."

I just stared at the scroll, trying to determine the best course of action.

"Wait, what about my job here? I can't just pack up and leave." I told Grav.

"Kid, I ran this place for a long time before you showed up. I can handle myself for a little while." He reassured me.

"I... I guess I have no reason not to go then..." I said.

"Don't worry Kid, she may be mean, but she won't kill ya. Oh, that reminds me, take this." Grav handed me a Tele-talk pendant.

"What? Don't you need this to talk with Findal?" I asked him, reluctantly taking the device.

"Nah, Findal always makes sure I have two ever since I uh, broke... a few of them..." He told me.

"Oh, okay then. I guess I'll head over there now." I said to Grav.

"Good luck Kid, I have a feeling ya might need it." He waved goodbye as I walked out of the shop and made my way towards the captain's office.

'Personally trained by the captain'? Why is she offering this to me of all people? What would it even be like?

Before I realized, I was already making my way up the stairs leading to the upper portion of the city. An overcast had appeared over the landscape, casting a light shadow over the city.

When I climbed the last step, I saw the captain standing in the middle of an open area in front of her office.

As I took another step towards her, I barely saw a knife flying towards my head, before I could move, it had already flown by me, cutting my cheek slightly.

I was stunned, I didn't move at all. But I noticed the captain assume a fighting stance.

"You're here, Good. Get ready. Your training starts now, demon." After saying this, She rushed towards me.