The wall behind them rumbled and closed, blocking their way back, leaving them with no choice but to push forward. Smiack was a narrow, winding tunnel that could only fit two people at a time, and because of the long years of abandonment, the tunnel started wearing down. Any slightly bigger movement would make debris fall, and one would worry about the whole place caving in on them.

Letho and Roy treaded forward carefully, and a few turns later, they came to a brightly lit clearing. There, a sheathed sword was quietly leaning against the wall. “Looks like Brovar held up his end of the bargain. This recon is worth it.”

Letho managed to find out about the truth after casting Axii on Seville earlier. Turned out Brovar wasn’t exactly trying to make enemies out of them, but at the same time, he didn’t want to see them again because of his son’s murder. He ordered Seville to lead them to Smiack for some monster killing. At the same time, he was trying to vent his fury on them. As for the banquet, well, the dwarves would have a lovely time. Letho didn’t care about it, nor did he want to attend a banquet where he wasn’t welcome.

Roy changed his opinion about Brovar ever so slightly after he saw the sword, but Letho scoffed. “You give him too much credit. The only reason he gave us this was to maximize his own gain.”

“But having this sword is going to make getting through this place easier.” Roy went up to hold the handle, but the sword’s weight almost dragged him down. He took a deep breath and yanked the sword out of the sheath, revealing a blade of perfect craftsmanship. The blade was gleaming blue, and it was weirdly humming with joy after being released from its sheath, as if there were a spirit sealed within it.

Roy held the handle with one hand, while the other supported the blade. He tilted his head and looked parallel to the sword. Then he held the crossguard with both hands and pinched it. The blade was smooth and gleaming, and the crossguard had gorgeous engravings on it. The handle was just long enough to be held with both hands, but the sword was also usable with one. Its length was halfway between a longsword and a one-handed sword.

The sword’s body didn’t have any grooves, but instead the ridge was protruding, strengthening the sword. The part connected to the crossguard wasn’t sharpened, so Roy could hold it without a glove. That opened up more options for him in battle, and the tip of the blade was the shape of an isosceles triangle.

Roy loved the sword, and a message popped up in his job interface.

‘You have obtained Gwyhyr. You may bind this steel sword to you. Do you wish to bind Gwyhyr to you?

Gwyhyr

Type: Steel sword

Materials: Black iron, lava, meteoric iron, pine wood, and body parts from powerful monsters

Details: The sword weighs 3.06 pounds, and its handle measures at 9.3 inches, while the blade comes in at 36 inches. A spirit dwells within.

Circulation: Heals the user for a small amount of stamina after every kill.

Do you wish to bind the sword?’

Yes. Right after that, an invisible ripple pierced through Roy, electrifying him, and he could feel a connection to the sword he was holding, as if it were an extension of his own body. When he closed his eyes, he saw another item that gleamed blue in his consciousness. Roy had a feeling he could feel where Gwyhyr was no matter the distance between them. He held the sword for a while, immersing himself in its beauty.

***

When he was done admiring its beauty, Roy reluctantly handed it to Letho. It would be a waste to keep the sword by his side when he hadn’t learned anything about swordsmanship. “I’ll lend it to you for now, Letho.” As long as Letho had the sword with him at all times, Roy would know his location no matter where he was. At least they wouldn’t get separated then.

Letho took the sword carefully and placed it at eye level to make a close observation. What he saw surprised him, for Gwyhyr was perfect in every aspect relative to his own sword. “Brovar gave this sword to me, boy. I don’t remember giving it to you.”

“Well, what’s mine is the school’s,” Roy said sheepishly. “And the same thing the other way around. Don’t sweat the details.” I’ve bound it to me, so a mere thought is enough for me to take it back.

Letho’s eyes twitched. “You can’t use this, and I think we know why. There might be some tough battles ahead, so I’ll be using this for now.” He tied the sword to his back, and it gleamed alongside his own sword. “I should teach you about swordsmanship once we get out of here.”

They went ahead, feeling slightly at ease. Letho was leading the way, raising a torch above his head, while Roy took the rear, crossbow in hand and ready to shoot. Half an hour later, they slowly came to a plateau, and the tunnel was widening. Finally, they jumped down a ledge and arrived at a huge cavern.

It was man-made, and a few tunnels were spread out on the wall before them. There were decayed stone altars in the cavern, and the ground was littered with hoes, broken tents, and clothing. The oil lamps and extinguished sconces hanging on the walls spoke of the cave’s former glory, now reduced to ruins. Ores of different colors were buried in the walls of the cavern, and some of them were glowing a hauntingly beautiful blue.

Letho picked one up and fiddled with it, and he clicked his tongue. “No wonder they wanted us to explore this place for them no matter what. Abandoned mine my arse. This is a rich mine, one with immeasurable value. No, wait. Something stinks.” 

On the other hand, Roy tripped while he was lighting up the torches. He looked down and was shocked to see the thing that made him trip. “This is a corpse!” A corpse rolled out from the fallen tent, and there was barely any flesh left on it. Roy could almost see the whole skeleton.

Letho put the ore down and checked the corpse without complaint. “This mine is a lot hotter than Mount Carbon, or it wouldn’t have decomposed at this speed. But this guy probably only died last month.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Letho answered solemnly, “Those bastard dwarves sent other humans aside from us on recon missions in Smiack. No, they sent them to their deaths.”

“So Brovar is just coexisting with humans on the surface.” Roy found it unacceptable. “He sees humans as nothing more than exploitable tools.” We are different species after all. It’s not beyond him to see us as nothing but cattle.

Letho went on with his observations, ignoring Roy. “A human male. Probably around thirty years old. Right calf and left arm were torn off, and he was disemboweled. There are some bite and claw marks on his neck. Take a look, boy.”

Roy hunkered down to check the corpse, and he quickly scanned through his memory to see if there was any possible monster that fitted the bill. “Judging from the wounds, the killer must be a necrophage, but which one?”

“Look to your left.” Letho pointed at Roy’s left, and the boy peered in that direction, and he realized there was a blue fungus there.

“Longrube?”

“Remember what I told you? The things that appear in a place are usually the weakness of some particular monster.”

Roy’s eyes shone. “Longrubes can be used to concoct necrophage oil, so we’re dealing with ghouls here? No, the wounds don’t look like they were caused by ghouls. We’re facing nekkers!”

The moment he said that, a loud screech came from one of the tunnels around them, stopping Roy’s train of thought.

“Prepare for battle! Let’s see what this sword can do.” Letho stood up and held Gwyhyr with both hands, and then he swung it forward, causing the air itself to hum from the slash.