“Any luck finding a weapon to defeat Eclipse?” Jeze asked Lady Kalina and her team.

The last time they met, which was probably less than a day ago but felt like a lifetime, the Ironfist team mentioned that they were in search of a weapon to defeat the dragon. Viel let out an exclamation. When all eyes turned to him, he started coughing.

“Excuse me. The blasted dust in here sometimes gets to me,” the tall man explained. Viel arched an eye at Jeze.

The teenager inwardly chuckled. Maybe a little of Ziplocke’s perchance for pranks had rubbed off on her.

“We had no luck,” Lady Kalina answered.

“But, it was not a total loss. We found plenty of gems,” Alcard added with his raspy voice.

“Gems will not stop Eclipse if he were to awaken again,” Mina, Lady Kalina’s sister, growled.

Viel scratched his dark curly hair and asked, “Maybe Eclipse will be content to remain in his mountain home?”

Lady Kalina narrowed her eyes at the tall man. “We can not take that chance. The last time Eclipse woke, he nearly destroyed our Kingdom.”

“That was a long time ago, right? I’m just saying, maybe the dragon got it out of his system and is no longer angry?” Viel replied.

“Who are you again? Why do you look familiar?” Lady Kalina asked.

Viel coughed again. Jeze enjoyed watching him struggle. I get what Ziplocke sees now! She thought to herself. This is hilarious!

“I’ve been around. I was at the Last Wandering Spire,” Viel answered.

“Viel is not your only name?” Lady Kalina asked. Interrogation came naturally to the Amber Guard.

Viel’s scratched his neck. “No.”

Alcard and the others began to scrutinize the tall man in the dark cloak some more. Viel fidgeted at the unwanted scrutiny that he had placed upon himself. Jeze was enjoying this and the dragon did try to kill her so she did not feel bad.

“You had other nicknames, right?” She asked.

Viel’s eyes went so wide that Jeze worried for a moment that they would have popped out of his head.

“The Silent Swordsman!” Alcard exclaimed in a loud, raspy voice.

Cris and Joff, the other two armored teammates, nodded. Lady Kalina’s stern face softened. “You also went by the Dark Swordsman, correct?”

“Silent and Dark Swordsman? Really?” Jeze asked.

“They were phases,” Viel explained.

“More than that. Many aspire to your skill,” Lady Kalina said, her gaze intense.

For a moment, Jeze worried that the Amber Guard would challenge Viel to a duel. Jeze cleared her throat.

“Did you have to fight an Ogre for the gems?” She asked.

Alcard and the others shook their heads. Mina exclaimed, “I wish!”

“Nae, we found a monster portal and fought a bunch of Thralls and Imps,” Cris replied.

Jeze perked up, and she asked, “Where? Were you able to repurpose it?”

Lady Kalina nodded and answered, “It is back aways from where we came. Guild members are securing the area as we speak. Do you know why the power went out?”

Viel and Jeze glanced at each other. The teenager did not see a reason to keep things from Lady Kalina. She was an ally, and besides, the Amber Guard would see through Jeze’s lies.

“We found the Hold Core,” Jeze answered.

Viel nearly stumbled into a wall from the shock of her honesty.

“Oh, and what do you plan to do with it?” Lady Kalina wondered.

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Jeze shrugged. “I do not know yet.”

“I know little of them, but what I do know is that they are very powerful. You be careful, Jeze Zanchi,” Lady Kalina cautioned.

“Did you fight an Ogre?” Mina asked.

Jeze grinned at her and nodded.

“You truly are Adventurer ranked,” Mina said with an approving nod.

Lady Kalina arched an eyebrow and asked, “Just the two of you?”

Jeze nodded.

“Against an Ogre?”

“Yes,” Jeze answered.

Lady Kalina studied Viel some more. The tall man fidgeted under her gaze. “Don’t get me wrong, Jeze is very capable, but two against an Ogre? You live up to your legend, Dark Swordsman.”

“Just call me Viel.”

“What treasure did you find? I imagine something spectacular if you had to face an Ogre,” Mina said.

Cris and Joff nodded in agreement. At first, Jeze felt like she should not give too much information, but their friendly faces and her desire to show off changed her mind.

“A room full of books and gems. But I got this sword!” Jeze exclaimed.

Lady Kalina and the Ironfist Kingdom teammates stopped.

“May I see it?” the Amber Guard asked.

Viel shook his head and his hand inched closer to his sword. Jeze thought to herself, she could trust them right? She wondered why things got quiet.

“Sure,” and the teenager handed the sword, pommel first, to Lady Kalina.

“This is what we sought,” Alcard said, his voice just above a whisper.

“Jeze, the history of this sword’s making is unknown, but it was used by the early Ironfist Kings and Queens,” Lady Kalina explained.

“Until it was lost hundreds of years ago,” Mina added.

“The sword is really sharp,” was all Jeze could say.

“That it is. Look, do you see the Runes?” Lady Kalina said.

Jeze shook her head. That was what was odd about the sword. There were no engraved Runes, but it was clearly enchanted.

“They are there. Watch,” Lady Kalina shaped Glyphs with her free hand and flicked the sword with her finger. It rang, and shimmering red Runes appeared along the blade.

Just like when Ziplocke shaped spells! Jeze marveled. The magic was innate within the sword. The teenager narrowed her eyes.

“How?” Jeze asked as she stood closer to study the glowing Runes that began to fade away.

“That is the mystery. A skill that was lost,” the Amber Guard replied.

“Jeze, we need this sword,” Mina stated.

“It is hers by right,” Viel growled.

Alcard held up his hands, “Yes, we know that. All we wish is to barter for it.”

Lady Kalina looked at Jeze and asked, “We can give you riches.”

“I don’t need coin. I would use it to buy a sword like this,” Jeze answered.

“It belongs with the Ironfist Kingdom!” Mina snapped.

Viel stepped forward and stated again, “She earned it. Adventurer’s code, it is hers.”

Lady Kalina, calmer than her sister, explained, “We know that. Jeze, please consider what we asked. Imagine, an entire Kingdom would be in your debt.” The Amber guard returned the sword back to the teenager.

“We need it! What if Eclipse awakens! We need it to slay him,” Mina cried.

Viel laughed. The sound came from his chest as suddenly as a crack of thunder.

“A bloody sword? Against a dragon? Are you mad?” The tall swordsman asked.

“To be honest, when you said you were searching for a weapon for Eclipse. I pictured a spear at the very least,” Jeze added.

“Or a ballista!” Viel cried.

“This sword is very sharp and can slice through stone,” Lady Kalina said.

“Barely,” Jeze muttered. She tried the sword against the stone wall, and it left a gash. That was impressive, but hardly “slicing through stone.”

“That would be no threat against me,” Viel stated.

When all the eyes of the Ironfist team turned on him, the tall swordsman cleared his throat. “Imagine if it were used against a dragon. I’m not a dragon. I was trying to make the point that it would not be dangerous to me.”

Jeze rolled her eyes.

“It could be dangerous if in the hands of a proper swordswoman,” Mina said. The unspoken challenge dripped from her words like venom from a snake’s fang.

Viel smirked and asked, “Oh really? Like whom?”

“That’s enough,” Lady Kalina said. Her gaze was on her sister.

“The sword is an important part of our history,” Alcard rasped.

Jeze nodded and replied, “I’m not against bartering. I do not need coin.”

She tapped her chin to think. Using a sword did make up a part of her fighting style, but it was not an integral part. Neither was it for her teammates. Dunar, maybe, but the Frostsworn was proud of having weapons forged by his people. Besides, the Leader was versatile and would switch between axe and shield as well as an axe and sword. Rolfe relied more on his shield and his spear, and Mikal relied on Rune casting. Helga, Jeze chuckled. The sword would be too small for the giant warrior maiden. In all honesty, the sword could be bartered. However, it was neat to have a magically sharp blade if only to study how the Runes were forged into the steel.

“I need to think on this,” Jeze replied.

Mina glowered at her. Alacard and the others looked upset, but Lady Kalina simply nodded. “We can revisit this at a later time,” the Amber Guard stated.

Screams and sounds of fighting could be heard further down the corridor they were traveling. Viel’s eyes narrowed, and his hand went to his sword. Among the screams was a familiar roar.

“Goreratpors,” Jeze said.

Mina’s eyes went wide, and the Ironfist warrior drew her buckler and curved sword. The others on her team looked eager. They traveled together toward the sounds of danger.