Back at Smith Street, Axel strolled his way back to Marina’s stall. As he ambled along he noticed that the neighboring stalls were full of life, filled with potential customers and all sorts of stands to show off the various weapons and armor. Axel only noticed this due to the sharp contrast between stalls. Marina was devoid of any such showcasing, in fact, the stall was devoid of a lot of things. Workbench, anvil, furnace, tools, and materials of all kinds. Where did everything go? Why was nothing there? Did something happen?

Marina slouched on a stool nestled in the far corner of the stall. Leaning heavily against the last table, her hand cradled her head while the other absently twirled a hammer. Her eyes, once bright with purpose, now seemed dull and vacant as they stared off into the distance, lost in thought.

"Is everything okay?" Axel asked as he approached.

"You're here! Great!" She got up and stretched her back. "Thought I would have to wait here all day."

"What do you mean?" Axel asked.

"I'm packing up shop and you're the last customer I was waiting for. Just place the materials and coins over here." She patted the table.

Axel did as instructed and Marina gave each one a cursory glance and feel before throwing the materials and coin into her [Inventory].

"So where you going?" Axel asked as she continued her inspection.

"Gonna fight the Dreamspinner," she replied without even looking up.

"Oh, wow. I'm still preparing to fight it. Ranking up my skills and all that."

"Uh-huh. Pretty standard stuff. Don't worry, with my weapons and armor you'll be just fine and if you're not fine it's cause you're not ready enough."

"Um, ok. So are you going to join a guild to fight it or—"

"Nope, going at it alone. I was supposed to do it with a friend, but then some stuff happened."

"Oh. So is everything ok with your friend?"

"Look, I don't want to talk about it ok. Just give me a minute."

Axel nodded and shuffled in place, listening to the sounds of hammers hitting metal at the adjacent stalls.

She chucked the last [Wood Infused Stone] into her [Inventory], then pulled out a sword and shield in return, laying them on the table. The sword was identical to the one he had, except for the random arrangement of wooden diamonds embedded into its rough rocky surface. Each one seemed to tell a story of its own.

The shield, like his sword, was the antonym of smoothness resembling the rugged terrain of the cave systems he had dived into the day prior. Running his fingers over it, he felt the jagged texture, every bump and groove. Its hue matched the gray of the rocky walls, with scattered brown diamonds all over the surface. Flipping it over, Axel noted the smooth, polished back, though it lacked the typical handles for gripping.

"So what do you think? Pretty good, huh?" Marina asked.

"I mean the sword looks good, but how am I supposed to carry the shield?"

"Let me enlighten you." She winked.

Marina grabbed the sword and then the shield. When she picked it up, Axel noticed a rectangular slot on the edge of the shield. Carefully, she slid the sword into the slot, watching as it nestled snugly into place, the connection between the two weapons seamless and secure.

"Pretty cool, huh?" She held up the sword plus shield combo.

"Now that I'm looking at it, it isn't as cool as I thought it would be. And it looks... impractical."

"Nonsense! You just hold it up like a normal sword that happens to be heavier at the tip and guard like you normally would. And here's a little something extra I cooked up."

As she swung the sword, the shield extended slightly, giving the impression that it might slip from the sword's grasp at a moment's notice. Undeterred, Marina made her way to a training dummy tucked away in a corner, it only had a wooden post for a body. With each powerful swing, the shield spun. As she continued, the shield spun faster and faster, effortlessly digging deeper into the wooden dummy with each strike.

"What the?" Axel blurted out.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"It's cool right? You gave such a weird request, and I thought I'd put my own spin on it, literally."

"That's so cool!"

"Yup, just be careful with the shield. The sides are pretty sharp."

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," Axel said while grabbing the weapon from her hands.

"Oof, it's heavy," Axel said as he struggled to keep it level with one hand. "How did you manage to carry it?"

"You're just weak," she shrugged.

Using [Strength Boost], the weight of the weapon all but disappeared, and he could swing it about without much effort.

"Are you sure about that?" Axel began to swing the weapon around, getting a hang of it.

"Guess you're not, anyway just in case you're not fully sold on the whirl blade."

"Whirl blade? Is that—"

Marina grabbed the hammer nestled in the pouch of her apron. As she brought it down on Axel, the hammer gained a faint blue hue. Sensing the impending strike, Axel ceased his swings with his newly acquired weapon, and reflexively [Blocked] against her attack. The shield of his whirl blade glowing blue as well. The shield absorbed the blow as it continued to spin, grinding away at the hammer, and leaving scratch marks across the head, before coming to a halt.

"What was that for!" Axel shouted.

"Just showcasing my craftsmanship. Best way to show off what the whirl blade can do. It combines both defense and offense. You’ve seen the offense so now I had to show off the defense."

"Um, thanks?"

"Anyway, bye-bye. I've got some last-minute prep before I go fight that Boss Monster."

"Bye, and good luck."

"Thanks, I'll need it if I'm going at it alone."

“You’re welcome. But what happens after you defeat the Dreamspinner?”

“Probably set up shop again, try to earn some coin, and rank up some more skills before I go off exploring.”

“Guess, I’ll find you again if I ever need an upgrade.”

“Gladly.” She winked.

Axel walked out of the stall, still clutching the whirl blade in his hand. It was an odd weapon, to say the least, garnering him stares from the many patrons of Smith Street, and especially the other smiths. Or maybe it was the fact that he kept swinging around the weapon as he walked down the road. The blade's unique mechanism intrigued onlookers — extending outward when swung, only to retract to its original length when brought up to guard. The only problem currently faced was that in order to wield the weapon effectively or even at all, [Strength Boost] had to be up constantly.

At the moment, he was on his way back to the farming hub. It seemed like the ideal spot to put his new weapon to the test and potentially earn more [Gold Coins], provided Fen's information was accurate. Although he had initially hoped the crops would sell for more, he really couldn’t complain. Extra coin in his [Inventory] was better than rotting vegetables, after all.

***

At the farming hub, Axel entered back into the Cornoneer zone, ready to harvest more delicious corn. The sub-world was relatively empty, save for his targets patrolling the fields that it dwelled on. They marched up and down the fertile soil, their corn arms swaying with each step.

With the fields devoid of cover, Axel found himself standing out conspicuously, his pink-colored armor doing little to blend in. A Cornoneer had spotted him from a distance, it raised its arms, preparing to unleash a barrage of kernel bullets at the trespasser.

Axel had a huge grin on his face, he was looking forward to not running in circles around his enemy. With the [Whirl Blade] in his left hand and the [Wood Infused Stone Sword] in his right, he was ready for what was to come. A torrent of kernels came flooding towards Axel, as the Cornoneer opened fire. Raising his [Whirl Blade] up, he [Blocked] the incoming wave of corn while pressing forward. The kernels bounce off the blue shield like raindrops hitting pavement, before settling onto the ground, where they would serve as nourishment for the soil.

Within seconds he was up close and personal with the monster, unleashing two expertly executed [Slashes] with his sword to literally disarm the monster. Eager to put his new weapon to the test, he raised it high as the Cornoneer fell on all fours preparing to bombard Axel. He [Slashed] downwards, the shield end of the [Whirl Blade] extending outwards. As it made contact with the stalky torso of the monster, it started to spin, shredding through the plant. Bits of green fragments were thrown all over, flying into the air, as the disembodied corn head joined in with the cloud of green dust.

[Cornoneer was slain. Gained 18 points]

With a triumphant cheer, Axel pumped his fists into the air. He had made short work of the monster. His new weapon was leagues better than what he had originally, although it was a bit awkward to wield, but he would have to get used to it. It was originally a stupid idea that Axel had concocted in the midst of an exhaustion-induced delirium. Yet, Marina had brought it to life, surpassing even his own expectations. It felt great.

As Axel gathered the fallen vegetables from the aftermath of the battle, he resumed his harvest. In the midst of his bountiful harvest, after culling a dozen or so corn stalks, he had gained a new skill.

[New Skill Earned: Basic whirl blade Proficiency - Rank F]

Axel still did not get what it meant, but if he were to take an educated guess it would be a skill that would improve his proficiency with the weapon. The only problem was that Axel was not that educated. Sure he had basic literary, and arithmetic skills, but that was all he had, courtesy of his big sister.

Leaving behind the thought, he continued his harvest, whistling while he worked. Kernels bounced off his shield before the very same shield shredded into the corn stalks once he got close.

After an hour or so of mindless yet strangely satisfying repetition, Axel was satisfied with his yield. He had amassed a significantly larger haul of [Corn] compared to the previous day, leaving him content. Now, his curiosity piqued, he wondered what other crops the farm had to offer.