Blacksmith Tiehr had gone mad from his impending death, was Rein’s instinctive opinion.
He had already said that all humans that had consumed these types of metamorphose beads went mad eventually. Yet now, the dying man was suggesting such an idea?
“Don’t you understand, Rein?” Blacksmith Tiehr croaked in epiphany. “For inexplicable reasons, I have survived until this moment with the draconic metamorphose bead! Here and now! Is this not fate? Is this not destiny?”
“As I thought about it, I realized! The remnant dragon’s will, will find itself pitted against the echo of the fallen true gods! You will not be overtaken by madness!”
Rein was hardly convinced. The echo of the true gods was just a remnant… Rein suddenly understood Blacksmith Tiehr’s thoughts. In some ways, the echo was a true god’s remnant will!
Surely, this idea would have occurred to other advancers? Then again, origin skills were exceedingly rare, and most races most definitely protected their metamorphose beads, a type of inheritance treasure for their new generation.
No! Rein admonished himself. He was unwilling to be bewitched by Blacksmith Tiehr’s insane line of thought.
“Rein!” Snapped Blacksmith Tiehr. “You have no elemental affinity! The draconic metamorphose bead, as dangerous as the history of such beads may be, will raise your affinities with all nature-related elements! Do you not understand how important this is? My theory is sound! You must bet on it!”
Blacksmith Tiehr tapped his finger against a pouch on his waist, activating his aurae to open the pouch. The moment he did so, the yellowish-green veins in his forehead pulsated again, nearly causing him to lose consciousness.
He then stuck his arm inside this bottomless pouch and when he withdrew his arm, he threw a small wooden bead that had arcs of red lightning dragons jumping around on the surface at Rein, who reflexively caught the bead in the palm of his hand.
“You see? Usually, it is said that a metamorphose bead’s remnant will resists if it is ‘incompatible’. The echo of the fallen true god must have already negated the remnant will in the bead. See how the bead’s temperature remains cool, isn’t emitting any haze, and remains perfectly docile in your palm?”
“This is the bead?” Rein stared at the wooden bead with dancing red lightning dragons. He wasn’t sure why the bead looked thus, but he figured its appearance must be based on the wishes of the dead dragon that formed it.
Blacksmith Tiehr’s words were true. Although Rein himself had never seen a resisting metamorphose bead, as far as he could tell, the bead in his hand showed nothing of the sort. He placed the bead onto the ground, then picked it up again. No changes were observed. It had the exact same appearance.
Rein was also fully aware that he needed elemental affinity. He understood the importance of it in both absorbing aurae and using advancer arts.
He closed his eyes in contemplation, and finally nodded. Blacksmith Tiehr had said that in recorded history, humans who consumed such a bead eventually went mad. If the man’s theory regarding his immunity was false, at the very least, he might still have enough time to seek his revenge, and save Jein before his own mad demise. That was good enough, Rein figured.
“Let us proceed!” Blacksmith Tiehr was feverish with excitement despite his face green with poison.
“Swallow it.” He commanded as he placed the bead into Rein’s mouth.
Rein felt warm and fuzzy in his heart. This was the bead that Blacksmith Tiehr lost his brothers to. Although they originally thought the treasure was a dragon’s heart… for Blacksmith Tiehr to hand this bead over to him meant something.
Next, Blacksmith Tiehr struggled and moved behind Rein before using his weakening aurae pool to help Rein’s low advancer base gel with the draconic metamorphose bead.
“The bead was not meant for a mortal human to absorb, but with my assistance… I will shield you from any adverse reactions. Also, you will not be able to use spatial storage pouches yet. Even if your origin skill appears spatial related, you won’t be able to. You need to enter the shell realm first, which will allow you to interact with magical objects through touch.”
Rein removed his top, revealing a well toned body of a young adult. This was thanks to the guidance that Guard Wein provided the teen, as well as Rein’s body’s early maturation.
However, his skin was pure white instead of a slight tan that most martial practitioners would have, because unlike most of the others that practiced the techniques for their career-- even if it was for a dastardly career such as a bandit-- Rein, more or less, practiced in his room at night for his own health. Thus, his skin barely saw the sun.
Blacksmith Tiehr placed his palms on Rein’s back, and forcefully held back his coughs while he channeled and guided the flow of aurae through Rein’s veins. His crimson aurae flowed into Rein's body, causing the Rein’s veins in his back to adopt a slight red glimmer, especially in the areas close to Blacksmith Tiehr’s palms.
Rein gradually felt tingly numbness with a hint of pain radiate across his whole body from his abdomen and outwards towards his limbs. The pain was significantly more intense across the area of his ribs that was injured by the bandit’s kick.
This sensation continued for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, before he felt his body’s sensation return to normal. Rein also noticed that the pain down at his ribs had disappeared. The bead, in remodeling his body, had helped heal his rib injuries.
“I’ve helped you to start the assimilation process, so now the bead undoubtedly recognizes your body as part of itself. Even if someone wants to retrieve the bead, It would be pointless to kill you since I’ve used my aurae to rapidly assimilate half of the bead with your body. It will take some more time for the bead to fully meld into your body.”
“I say this because someone must have known that the treasure was no dragon’s heart, but rather the bead. They must have set the trap!” grumbled the man.
Blacksmith Tiehr face had grown even paler, and he coughed up another puddle of yellowish green puke mixed with blood, before giving a warning.
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“I hope you won’t be stupid like me. Or lose sight of what’s important. Originally you should not be able to truly become an advancer even with that echo of the fallen true gods communing with you, due to your lacking body constitution. Perhaps this is fate… this draconic metamorphose bead is now going to gradually become completely a part of you, allowing your body to have a much better aurae affinity with most elemental aurae within the world. I hope you will survive… survive better than I have. I have a feeling my brothers would agree with my choice if they were still alive...”
Rein knew all this to be true. But Blacksmith Tiehr’s constant reference to fate left him discomforted. He didn’t quite appreciate the possibility that his parents, Jein and his original life was the price for this fate!
Blacksmith Tiehr reached into his pouch again and withdrew a large orb. Rein recognized this orb as an elemental affinity testing tool. It wasn’t all that surprising that Blacksmith Tiehr had this magical tool. Many advancers would try to find a seedling to pass on their legacy as they traveled the realms.
“Come, Rein! Let me see the legacy I have left!”
Rein reached out and touched the orb. It only flowed a dark purple, a soft brown and white-yellow…
“What?!” Blacksmith Tiehr felt incredulous. “Dragons are supposed to have a high affinity with all elements! I…I…”
The man’s spirits further dampened and he practically slumped to the ground as he stared at the forge’s ceiling, before letting out a choking laugh.
“So I was scammed twice. Not only was it not a dragon’s heart… it was also a defective draconic metamorphose bead… what a joke…”
Rein wasn’t sure how to respond, but he himself did not share in Blacksmith Tiehr’s dejection.
“Blacksmith Tiehr,” he smiled as he stood over the poisoned man. “I originally did not even have a chance in the advancer world. Nor revenge. So, this is good enough!”
Blacksmith Tiehr closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a bit of life had entered his body again.
“Yes. Yes! I taught you inscriptions as well! You are my legacy. My brothers’ legacy!” His impending death had awakened his desire for him and his dead brothers to have had a meaningful effect on the world.
Blacksmith Tiehr then closed his eyes in focus as if sensing the situation of the town. At least, that was what Rein suspected from his superficial knowledge of advancers.
In just a few moments, Blacksmith Tiehr opened his eyes again and told the young teen in front of him, “Go! The bandits and mercenaries have cleared out. It would only be a short window before the imperial army arrives, and who knows why their response to the massacre was delayed! Remember, the advancer world is harsh and cruel!”
Rein realized that Blacksmith Tiehr made sense. The Golden Desert Town originally had an imperial army that should have defended the citizens from this disaster. However, they were nowhere to be seen during the town’s massacre.
Rein noted this as something he would need to investigate to truly understand the cause of his family’s demise. As he turned to leave, Blacksmith Tiehr interrupted him.
“Wait!”
Rein turned back around again to see Blacksmith Tiehr had now returned to his dark corner, slumped against a wall, barely able to resist sliding sideways onto the ground.
Blacksmith Tiehr pointed to his most prized crafting set of tools for forging weapons as well as a set for inscriptions.
“Take them with you. And if you have time, don’t forget to practice those simple forging and inscription arts that I have taught you…”
Rein did not understand why Blacksmith Tiehr wanted him to keep the tools. As far as he was concerned, his goal was to find and slit the throats of his enemies. He had no time to practice any of the forging techniques.
But then, he recalled Blacksmith Tiehr’s outburst regarding his own legacy, and also recognized that his future life was very much given to him by Blacksmith Tiehr. Thus, he acquiesced and decided to might as well take these tools. The inscription tools were relatively small, and some of the hammers, while somewhat weighty, do fit in a travel sack. As for the large heavy hammer… he could certainly use it to smash the skulls of his foes with this tool!
He wrapped all the tools in pieces of cloth. This would stop the tools from clashing against each other and causing a noise if he were to carry them around.
Blacksmith Tiehr then threw out a small crimson plaque that Rein caught. On the plaque was a mysterious symbol engraved in a domineering fashion.
“If you ever visit the golden crow realm in the future...please visit the black crow sect, one of the descending sects of the golden crow lineage. Tell my master my fate and remember my name: Cihm of the Tiehr family!”
The man pointed at a travel sack in the corner of the room. Rein nodded, then he picked up the travel sack to hold his new belongings, preparing to leave in the window before the imperial army would reoccupy the town. He checked the inside of the travel sack, noticing some old clothing and some wrapped rations already inside.
“I always have something ready in case I need to escape…” Blacksmith Tiehr smiled.
Rein nodded, evermore grateful for Blacksmith Tiehr’s role in his life. Still, for a moment, he felt rather unsure of himself. He had always been proud and confident of himself, excelling in learning how to inherit and manage the Hehr merchant company. Now, he was about to enter a whole new world, a world that he once thought he could never enter. He turned back to look at Blacksmith Tiehr.
Blacksmith Tiehr, who had been around for as long as he could remember, who always welcomed him and Jein, and weaved fantastical tales of gods and demons;the world of advancers.
Blacksmith Tiehr was basically on death’s door with his pale and sunken face, his veins yellowish green and body slumped back up against a wall. Blacksmith Tiehr still looked straight into his eyes, and seeing the uncertainty, gave an encouraging nod, though his eyes were filled with pity.
“Rein...I hope… you won’t lose sight of that which should be given importance and end up a broken man like me…”
Rein duly committed the dying man’s words to memory. He wanted to grieve for Blacksmith Tiehr as well, but he knew he had no time to do so as of now. This realization reminded him of the rage at tonight’s events within him, which began bubbling again.
“What will you do?” Rein knew Blacksmith Tiehr’s impending death, but he still found it slightly difficult to outright leave.
“Hah! Rein.” Blacksmith Tiehr was filled with mirth at the youth's question. His tone turned grandiose. “Of course, I will die here. I will destroy this forge. I will erase all traces here. They will discover no dragon’s heart. Even the ones who truly know that the treasure was actually a bead will find no traces here. I will send myself against the imperial forces and punish them for their role tonight! Consider this my final parting gift!”
Blacksmith Tiehr truly had too many gifts. When Rein heard this, he felt a deep sense of sorrow again, but he also knew he could not hesitate any longer. He clenched a fist. He once again captured the burning sensation in his guts! He needed to follow it to seek justice for tonight’s events! If even Blacksmith Tiehr could raise his own spirits at his end… Rein felt that the fire in his own heart should burn even brighter!
Rein muttered a vow to himself, “I may not know where I am going, but this burning anger and pain… it will guide me through any doubt. Because I must! For my ruined life, for my deceased parents, for Jein, for Blacksmith Tiehr, the House Jeihr, the Golden Desert Town… and for myself!”
With a flick of his sleeve, he turned and left through the hole in the wall with the traveling sack over a shoulder, and an ominous large hammer strung onto his back with a rope around his chest.
After Blacksmith Tiehr saw his only legacy leave, he stumbled back onto his feet. He bent over and expelled as much of the poison phlegm in his body with an almighty roar. Then, his now frail and gaunt body was layered with a crimson shell. Following that, a crimson haze surrounded his body, forming a fiery aura of rage and recklessness.
“Brothers. Allow me this final charge. Then, we will meet once again!”