Chapter 3A- The Library of the History Eater

“Airen, have you seen the bottle of Slennen oil?” Eullina asked as she rummaged through her bags. It was early in the morning and they were about to leave for their respective duties. “I was going to oil my bow but I can’t seem to find it..”

“I’ll go get it.” Airen replied, shooting a meaningful glance at Fieluri, who was sitting on Airens’ bed scribbling away into her book with one hand, and holding the bottle of oil with the other. Airen made his way outside with Fieluri drifting behind him, who had uncorked the bottle and was sampling the liquid within.

“Fiel, I said to wait until nighttime to steal things!” Airen scolded while they made their way towards the mess hall. “It’s one thing that nobody else can see you, but at this rate, Eullina is going to think I’m haunted!”

“I had thought it was some sort of alchemy regent.” Fieluri shrugged, Airen’s words seemingly going through one ear and out to the other. “Airen, you do realize that you are haunted, right?”

“Yeah, by some ghost that also happens to be a kleptomaniac...” Airen mumbled.

Fieluri handed him the bottle of oil. “Not quite, for one thing I always return things after I’m done with them…. Usually.”

“Usually?” Airen echoed.”The last time I went to the Archives, there was a huge pile of junk in front of my storage vault. Did you know how long it took to find and return those their owners?!”

“Ok fine, most of the time.” Fieluri conceded. “What’s the difference if they’re returned the next day, or a few hundred years from now.”

“I am glad that I was the one you are bound to… I shudder to think what would happen if you had teamed up with another thief. Nothing in the world would be safe...” Airen groaned.

“Rude, I am an intellectual that pursues information, not a thief. Knowledge is power, one must hide it well. Clearly these things were simply not well hidden.”

Airen pretended to groan but secretly hid a smile. He knew exactly what Fieluri had meant, as he often spent his nights in the Archive with Fieluri. With a bit of archaic arcane magic from Fieluri, he was able to traverse the Archive in his dreams, and he had seen wonderful things, artifacts from ages past. However, he couldn’t find what he was looking for, and it was as if he was aimlessly wandering through the shelves of books with what he is seeking barely beyond his grasp.

“You’re smiling, aren’t you Airen?” Fieluri floated to his other side.

“No I’m not. I’m ‘very’ annoyed with you.” Airen replied half-heartedly.

“You’re a horrendous liar Airen.” Fieluri smiled. “Are we going to the mess hall again?”

“Of course. It’s been a week and you still haven’t gotten my routine down?” Airen said, pretending to be shocked.

“I hardly care about your day to day life, as long as you provide me with sufficient things that pique my interest.” Fieluri scoffed. “The reason I’m out here in this blasted place is because you haven’t given me anything new.”

“Hey Lilrim!” Airen announced as he stepped into the empty mess hall.

“Oh Airen. Welcome! Do you want a bite of something?” Lilrim’s voice called out from the kitchen. When Eullina had brought Airen to Lilrim, she had thought that he was a ghost, and only after he assured her that he was indeed Airen and not some apparition, she had accepted it and refused to let him leave until he had eaten enough to counteract the weight he had lost.

“A sample would be nice.” Airen replied. For Fiel he thought. He accepted the hot bowl of soup and sat down on a bench, his back facing the kitchen.

Is that for me? Fieluri’s voice echoed in his mind as she stared at him from behind his shoulder. It was some sort of telepathic magic, Fieluri had explained to him, but he was still unused to it.

He gave a small nod and a thumbs up. They had worked out a method of communication so Airen would not appear to be talking to himself. Fieluri nodded in appreciation and carefully picked up the bowl, vanishing for a moment and reappearing the next with the empty bowl, having moved the soup somewhere in her quarters in the Archive. Airen walked into the kitchen and started to absentmindedly wash the dishes.

“Airen, you should make dinner again, that ‘pizza’ dish of yours was extremely sought after a few days ago.” Lilrim spoke from across the kitchen.

“Hah, I don’t think we’ll be able to make it for a while.” Airen replied as he finished the dishes and went to help peel the outer layer from a gourd plant. “Our supply of milk-reeds is short.”

“A shame, your journey seemed to have given you some excellent idea for dishes.” Lilrim sighed. “They remind me of my days working in the castle.”

Airen said nothing but simply smiled. Those dishes that he had ‘come up with’ were written within the confines of several books in the Archive. The vast amount of recipes made him realize that he would never quite need to create his own recipe, merely improvise one using different ingredients. However, Fieluri would still egg him on, as she wanted him to acquire new recipes for her to add to the Archive.

They continued to work, making casual talk as they continued to prepare for the incoming lunch rush. Half an hour later, laborers, farmers, and hunters came in for their midday meal. As they came up to the counter, they would exchange a few words with Lilrim before leaving with their tray. The empty mess hall quickly filled up, turning from an empty void into a bustling crowd.

And like a hurricane blowing by, they left as quickly as they had come an hour after, leaving behind a silent and dirty mess hall. With experience, Airen and Lilrim split the work and started to clear away the empty plates and wipe down the tables. After the dishes were cleared, Airen started making towards the sink but Lilrim’s voice stopped him.

“Airen, you need to practice right? Go on ahead, I’ll handle the rest.” she waved him off.

“Oh Airen! You’re early today!” Eullina greeted him from side of the training grounds. There were several hunters and warriors already on the grounds, sparring with each other. Those that were not out hunting were usually passed their time here, training and exchanging tips and stories.

“Am I interrupting? I can wait until the drills are over.” Airen replied. When Airen had tried to read through the various weapon arts and magical incantations within the Archive, they were written in languages that he could not comprehend. Fieluri had refused to translate them to him, but suggested a different combat style. ‘One that could be used with all weapons.’ she had explained. ‘And one where he can make full use of the abilities she will reward him if he contributes enough.’

Airen was all for it, but the past few days as he sparred with the warriors using aforementioned style, he had yet to win a battle. It was disheartening at best, and downright infuriating at worst. The fact that many of them used magic along with a spirit tool made it almost impossible for Airen to win.

“No it’s fine, I think Horly needs a sparring partner!” Eullina replied as she re-directed several blows away from her.

Airen groaned inwardly. Horly was a rather large warrior from one of the hunting parties, earth and fire affinity, with heavy armor, a large shield and mace. He was rather skilled, but what Airen disliked about him was his vile mouth. When they had first met, he was particularly friendly to him, but after his ‘disappearance’, Horly seemed to suspect him of something sinister. It didn’t help that at the time, Airen was unexperienced in how to converse with Fiel without appearing out of place.

“Oi, Airen, are you here for another beating?” Horly shouted from across the field.

Airen gritted his teeth and walked through the sidelines to stand in front of Horly, who towered over him.

“You’ve taken your Dream Rites, yet at the same time you’ve actually gotten weaker” Horly sighed. “Why do you want to be a hunter is beyond me, you obviously lack the talent.”

Quite arrogant isn’t he? Fieluri chuckled at Airen’s plight. She was aware that she was part of the problem, but she found it amusing to goad Airen on.

Airen gave a small nod to Fieluri. He was here to practice, not to exchange bluffs and jaunts towards his opponent. He raised his sword and gestured that he was ready.

“A sword today eh? Yesterday was a spear, and the day before that was a bow…” Horly smirked. “See, this is why you’ll never win in a fair fight Airen. You may be try to be skilled with many, but you’ll never be a master!”

With a battle cry, Horly charged towards Airen with his mace. Airen side stepped the blows, careful not to come into contact with the heavy weapon that can easily shatter the iron-forged training blade in his hand.

“Come on, come on, come on!” Horly taunted as he continued to swing his hammer, with intentions of breaking Airen’s weapon to end the match. “Let’s just get this over with!”

During a particular wide swing, Airen stepped into while ducking under the blow and directing his sword towards Horly, only to be blocked by the great shield.

“Boy, did you think you were going to be able to land a blow on me?” Horly taunted. “Think again!” Horly bashed the shield towards Airen’s side, knocking him on the ground and pointing his mace at Airen’s head.

“Eullina! Can I get a different sparring partner? This one’s no good!” Horly shouted out. “I don’t mean to insult your friend, but if we let him into the hunting parties like this, he’s just going end up as dinner for some beast! Maybe after a few more years, let him try again!”

Eullina did not reply at first, but it was clear she shared Horly’s sentiment. She was against him training, especially since he had just re-appeared after three months. Nevertheless she started getting into a heated argument for Horly’s sake.

“Airen’s not a bad fighter, and he learns quickly.” Eullina argued, quickly disarming her opponent with a spiraling weapon art and approaching Horly. “He’s still recovering from the ordeal, so he’s just not at full strength anyway.”

“That he does. And I respected his determination and potential then. But fighting style has changed!” Horly retorted. “I don’t know what happened to him, but I will not sent a child to their death out there!”

When Eullina didn’t reply immediately, he continued. “And you say he was gone for what was it? Three months? How do we even know this boy is Airen and not some doppelganger?”

“Of course he’s not a doppelganger...” Eullina tried to protest.

“And even though he has taken his rites, he has no spirit tool or any elemental magic!” Horly shouted. The other warriors on the field nodded in assent to his words, this was a strange and bizarre occurrence that bothered many of them. In this parched land, magic was almost essential to survival.

He says some interesting things. Fieluri mused to Airen. It seems that I have caused you some inconvenience.

“Then take responsibility” Airen muttered angrily.

“Or maybe, he does have a dream spirit.” Horly continued. “And it’s some useless spirit that he’s embarrassed about, one not suited for combat!”

Airen clenched his fists and stood up.

Very well, Airen. I’ll give you a brief glimpse of power. Fieluri’s voice echoed in his mind, tinged with amusement and faint traces of anger. This cretin dares to call me, the one called History Eater, useless?

Eullina saw Airen pick up his sword and hold it up high. “No Airen don’t-”

The spectators grew silent as the sword flew in an arc and landed point first at Horly’s feet.

“Airen...why?” Eullina rushed towards Airen. “Horly he didn’t mean-”

“I meant it.” Airen replied loudly, brushing Eullina off after glancing into her eyes. What Airen feared was not losing or being pummeled by Horly, but rather the rainbow-colored aura that emanated from Fieluri floating next to him. Even the spectators seemed to sensed it, as they quickly withdrew off the field. Eullina was the last to leave after giving him a parting glance.

“You’ve got guts boy, to challenge me to a duel.” Horly laughed bitterly and shook his head. “But you’ve got no brains if you think you can defeat me!”

Horly clapped his mace onto his great shield and a thundering crack was heard throughout the arena. The earth around him slowly started to rise and cover him, before solidifying into a suit of plate mail. Stalwart eyes stared at Airen from the slit behind the helm.

“Yield now and you may leave before receiving any wounds” he cautioned. “If you resist, I’ll have to knock the notion of being a hunter out of you.”

“I will say the same to you.” Airen declared.

“Then pick up your sword and let us do battle!” There was a bit of admiration in Horly’s voice, admiration for the folly of youth, but it was quickly gone.

Airen Casteya, I hereby grant you permission to access the Codex of Straight Swords. Fieluri’s voice blasted into his mind. And since your feet seemed to be shaking, allow me to remedy that. She placed a hand on his shoulder and murmured out a spell. Knight’s Blessing.

“I won’t be needing it.” Airen shouted to Horly, feeling as if liquid courage was churning in his stomach and stilling his shaking limbs.

“So you finally grew a pair eh? Good, then maybe this will be interesting after all!” Horly laughed.

Airen shouted loudly as a dark rift opened next to him. “Bequeath to me a mighty sword!”

“What-” Horly watched as a distortion in space shake and rip, and a dark void appeared next to Airen.

Ignoring him, Airen reached his hand into the rift, as three symbols danced above the rift. In one fluid motion, he drew out a sword.

Number 245. Fieluri recited lazily. The sixth blade wielded by Alesta the Golden Lightning, named ‘Voltrix’, use it well.”

Airen stared in amazement at the sword in his hands. The blade was a pale yellow with traces of lightning occasionally leaping from it towards the hilt, and when he swung it… it was as light as a feather.

This sword was made using mythril infused with the essence of a thunderbird. It took seventy days to create following a complex refining process. The hilt was made from the scales and hide of a thunder dragon. Fieluri started to recite the details of the sword- origin and knowledge of the sword that was long forgotten, but most of it went through one ear and out the other as Airen’s eyes were glued to the beautiful weapon.

“Come!” Airen taunted Horly, tearing his eyes away. “You may insult me, but this time you insulted someone you should not have.”

With a roar, Horly charged towards Airen, a ton of raging black steel bent on knocking him over. Too late he realized his mistake as he saw Airen had no intention of dodging.

Airen accepted the fight head on. Wielding the long blade of lightning, he intercepted the strike. As the metallic mace touched the charged blade, a sharp crackle was heard.

A burning smell filled the arena and just as easily as the fight as started.

“Dammit boy, when did you obtain such power?” Horly complained as he accepted Airen’s hand, dragging himself up as his armor disintegrated back into dirt. After he got up he pried away the cracked helmet on his head and the smell of burnt hair filled the air.

“With great power, comes great compromise.” Airen recited, a phrase that Fieluri often warned him about. “Sorry about your hair, Horly.” Horly clapped an arm on Airen’s shoulder. For a moment, Airen’s arms tensed but it quickly passed and he relaxed his arms.

“Well fought. This is my loss and I take back what I said about you.” Horly apologized, squeezing Airen’s shoulder. “Whatever happened to you down there, it seemed to have benefited you greatly. It is good to finally have you back, Airen.”

“Thanks...” Airen mumbled.

Aww, look at you, Airen. Fieluri teased. With this, I’ve compensated for your ‘inconvenience’. As she levitated the golden blade into the air, it slowly turned transparent until it faded away.

“Airen…. Your sword, where did it go?” Eullina asked as she approached.

Knowledge is power Airen, Hide it well. Fieluri repeated into Airen’s ear.

Airen waved his hands at Eullina, giving her the signal ‘We’ll talk later.” with a fist to his mouth and drawing it away. Eullina nodded after seeing the gesture.

“Come everyone! Let’s celebrate Airen’s victory!” Horly picked up Airen.

“Wha-”

Winking at Eullina, he tossed Airen high into the air and he was caught by a group of Horly’s men. It was a strange sight, a large group of burly and muscular men ferrying a small boy towards the mess hall, while he struggled with futility. Eullina followed behind them laughing, and unknowingly to all but Airen, Fieluri was also chuckling at his plight.

“So what do you think, Airen? How about joining my group?” Horly suggested as several man raised their mugs in acknowledgment. “We’re the longest standing veteran hunting group, and we could show you the ropes.”

“I’d rather not.” Airen replied. Expedition squads usually consisted of three to six people and he had already made plans to only be in a team with Eullina and Loys. However, ever since he was one of the few chefs, he was highly sought after. Similarly, Eullina was sought after for her scouting skills, while Loys had an abundance of experience and skilled warrior… and plenty of stories about his ‘conquests.’

“A shame.” Horly pretended to sigh. “But surely a three-man team is a bit dangerous….”

“Perhaps” Eullina retorted. “But Loys and I are more than enough to defeat a Dune Worm by ourselves.”

“Now, now, Eullina. That was surely all my doing...” Loys interrupted from her right.

“Nonsense, I was the one who blinded it. You just happened to finish it off!” Eullina retorted, and the two of them started to argue again.

What is with the painful smile, Airen? Airen heard Fieluri mumbled in his ear.

“The conversation made me realize that I had indeed lost a lot of time…. And the fight with Horly proves it even more..” Airen said quietly.

“Did you say something, Airen?” Loys asked as Eullina was pulling at his face. “Mind giving me a hand here?”

“I said I needed to use the bathroom and I will excuse myself.” Airen replied, before standing up and leaving the mess hall.

Four pairs of eyes watched him leaving in silence.

“Is it something I said?” Loys asked no one in particular.

Airen sat on the steps of the fountain, hands clasped together as he stared at his reflection in the water. A not-so-familiar face mimicked his action as he pulled on a strand of his dark gray hair.

“Is something the matter, Airen?” Fieluri mumbled as she placed her hand into the fountain, causing ripples to disturb the tranquil liquid surface.

“Just that my appearance is a little different.” Airen replied. “And that I’ve missed a lot of things that happened in the last three months… like Eullina going on her first expedition, and Loys leaving the mercenary life behind due to tidings in the Red Slate Republic. I’m sure a lot of stuff has happened back home too with my disappearance, but...”

“Time is a river with many ebbs and tides Airen. It is foolish to worry about that which has already flowed past” Fieluri shrugged. “But of course, ignorance is the sign of sinners, Airen.”

“That’s easy for you to say.“ Airen grumbled. “Things have changed… a lot.”

“All things change, my dear Airen. Some for the worse, some for the better.” Fieluri wrapped her arms around Airen and brought her lips dangerously close to his ear. “Which one are you, Airen?”

Airen pushed away Fieluri’s face with a hand. “You tell me since I have a centuries old hag watching my every move, and what’s more, she acts like a little girl at times.”

“How rude. I’ll have you know I have never aged since I was twenty-four!” Fieluri pouted.

“….That scares me even more” Airen replied with a smile.

“Hmph. You know nothing about the heart of a lady, Airen. Perhaps this spirit of knowledge should educate you.” Fieluri teased.

“No thanks, I’d rather not end up like Loys...” Airen shrugged, waving away her offer.

“Tsk.. you’re no fun, Airen.” Fieluri shrugged. “I’m going back to sleep.”

Airen stood up and stretched, as Fieluri’s body started to fade away into the Archive. The weight on his shoulders felt a bit lighter.

“Thanks, Fiel.” he quietly muttered.

“Airen. When did you become such a fine archer?” Loys whistled, as the body of a vulture fell from the sky, an arrow shaft buried deep into its chest.

“I’m a horrible archer. I can’t use a longbow like you do, my drawing speed is slow, and I fumbled with the arrow.” Airen replied. “In the span it takes you to fire six or seven arrows, I can only fire one.”

“But you made up for it in accuracy.” Eullina murmured. “That alone makes you a fine archer.”

“You give me too much credit...” Airen protested quietly.

That she does. I am the one who taught you how to shoot. Fieluri nodded in agreement.

“So how do you do it?” Loys asked.

“Do what? Shoot a bow?” Airen replied, unsure of what was asked of him.

“Become so accurate with a bow, of course! First you had shot the eye of a jackal, then a snake inside its hole, and now a vulture that was fifty meters in the air, directly in front of the sun’s rays! There has to be some sort of secret.”

Airen shot Fieluri a look, and she started to put words into his mouth. Without her help, he alone did not have the experience in lying well enough to hide the existence of the Archive.

“Shooting a bow is simple, shooting it accurately is also simpler, but even more can be achieved if the correct type of arrows is used with the correct type of bow.” Airen repeated word by word as Fieluri lectured.

“…..Are you saying our arrows are bad?” Eullina commented.

While Fieluri kept nodding her head like a bobble head toy with an irritated scowl on her face, Airen tried to contain his laughter as he replied with a yes.

“Try one of these.” He pulled two arrows from his quiver and handed one each to his companions. “Compared to the usual ones from the smithery, these are slightly shorter and heavier.”

You forgot to say that they are also slightly more flexible, and are better suited for the composite bows that you use. Fieluri added, but Airen ignored her words.

Loys and Eullina looked at each other before taking the arrow and nocking it to their bows. Loys was the first to release, hitting dead center on the knot of a distant acacia tree. Eullina’s arrow quickly followed, but merely scraped some bark off the tree as it missed its target.

“Ugh…” Eullina grumbled. “Archery just doesn’t work for me. Why did you take us out to practice Archery of all things, Loys?”

“Because how else are you going to hunt food? Using magic is like telling creature and human alike ‘Here I am! Come and get me!’ We are not knights doing glorious battle, Eullina, we are simple mercenaries trying to survive.“ Loys retorted.

“Hmph” Eullina shrugged and whipped out her daggers, Hummingbird and Nightingale. With a flourish, she hurled the two dagger and they embedded themselves into the wood right next to Loys’ arrow. “I don’t need a bow while I have these two” she smirked.

“I do not doubt your ability with those two deadly fangs” Loys replied. “But you need to learn restraint, young wolf.”

I don’t think the term wolf suits her. Fieluri whispered. If anything she’s a-

Airen did not catch the rest of her words as someone barreled into him from behind.

“Aiiiren, Loys is picking on me again~” Eullina complained.

“You’re heavy…. Lina…” Airen grumbled as he tried to stand up straight under Eullina’s weight.

“Are you calling me fat?!” Eullina huffed and started to dig her knuckles on the side of Airen’s skull.

“Ow, stop that, ow!” Airen’s knees gave away and they collapsed into a pile onto the desert sand, rolling down towards the bottom of the sand dune.

“…I guess our training expedition is done for today.’ Loys commented as he watched the two dragged themselves back up, covered in a layer of sand. They made preparations to leave and return to Tel'naraa before nightfall.

Airen.

“Fiel, how many times have I told you not to pop out like that… especially when I am in the middle of a bath!?” Airen complained indignantly, submerging himself deeper in the water of the hot spring.

“But it can’t be helped. There’s only so many times when I can actually pop out and talk to you like this in your world without others around.” Fieluri shrugged, sitting down on one of the stone seats. “Plus, you have nothing to look at anyway, so what is the harm in it?”

Airen blushed and sank even deeper until only a pair of eyes and a batch of wet hair stared back “Fieluri, why must you be like this?”

“Because it’s fun to watch you squirm. I had thought that friend of yours, Loys, would have desensitized you to it already, but apparently not.”

“It is one thing to simply talk and jest about it, and another thing to be looking at it directly!”

“Words have weight, Airen. However the reason I interrupted today is for a different cause. Tonight we have to go towards the underground lake.” Fieluri changed the topic.

“When…? And how long?”

“Midnight, it should take a few hours at most” Fieluri paused. “Are you not going to ask why?”

“No.” Airen replied promptly. “You’ll tell me anyways.”

“You know me well.” Fieluri remarked. “Or so you’d like to think.”

Later that night...

“Airen, are you going out again to feed your spirit?”

“Yes.” Airen replied. He had spun a story how his spirit was a liquid that could change form into weapons, and most people had accepted it. “It’s rather bothersome that I have to dip it in water so often, especially when I can’t control it well.”

Control? Me? Fieluri lightly hit Airen’s head with the Blank Book several times.

Airen smiled and endured through the playful hits. He pretended to wipe off dust off his hair in front of Eullina, but in truth he was fixing his hair from where the book smudged them together.

“What are you doing to your hair?” Eullina stared at Airen who seemed to be making his hair more and more disheveled.

“Some sand must have gotten in it” Airen replied, putting his hand down.

“That’s no good Airen, you have to maintain your hair better!”

“I’ll drop by the hot spring before I get back” Airen promised as he quickly left.

“…..Can’t he just feed that liquid spirit of his in the hot spring?” Eullina wondered aloud after he left.

Not a soul was awake as Airen made his way towards the underground plantations, quietly chatting with Fieluri.

“Here we are.” Airen mumbled as he held up his lantern high to illuminate the entrance to the caves. “Where are we going now?”

“This way.” Fieluri moved towards one off the branching caverns. “I did say we are going to the underground lake right?”

“I have no clue where that is…” Airen replied. “I’m not even sure it exists.”

“It exists indeed. Your small town survives on the aqueducts of a forgotten civilization Airen. But at the same time, they are also the reason why this place is nothing but desert. Ironic is it not?”

“That’s… a rather big revelation. I’m not sure that I wanted to know that…”

“To avert your eyes is a sin, Airen, lest is for the sake of self-preservation.” Fieluri chided, pointing out a small path at the next crossroads.

“Some things are best left buried.” he replied. “Who is the one that keeps saying ‘Knowledge is power, hide it well’?”

“Exceptions for exceptions exist, Airen.” Fieluri replied. “And did you forget what your people used to call me? History Eater?”

“….Are you just messing with me?” Airen complained.

“Who knows? Some hunters like to play with their prey before eating them.” Fieluri’s face betrayed a small smile.

“Are you fattening me up before the slaughter?” Airen jested half-heartedly.

“No. I have something grander in mind for you” her two fangs slipped out and in the flame light, gave her the appearance of something… unhuman.

“Why must you always speak in riddles?”

“Because it’s amusing.”

“Are we there yet?” Airen complained, rubbing his arms together to chase away the chill. “Speaking of which, you still haven’t told me why we’re coming down here…”

“To pay your debt, and collect my own.”

“What deb-“ Airen stopped mid-sentence as they turned a corner and gazed upon towering pillars of white marble surrounding a deep lake. Both the pillars and fish silhouettes in the water glowed and emanated a silvery white light that illuminated the chamber.

“Beautiful as expected.” Fieluri commented, quickly opening the Blank Book and using a finger to draw out the scene before them. A rainbow colored light fluxed between colors from her finger tips, and with the ease of a skilled painter, the mesmerizing scene was quickly transferred onto a page in the Blank Book like a painting.

“What… is this place?”

“We are on a hidden partition of the underground lake.” Fieluri answered, closing the Blank Book with an echo that sent tremors across the lake surface.“ This place used to be the den of an ancient dragon…. And I suppose it still is, in a way.”

“A dragon…? What business do we have with… ?” Airen whispered.

“You don’t.” Fieluri dipped a hand into the glowing lake, seemingly searching for something. With a satisfied nod, she gestured for Airen to come closer to the water’s edge.

“Where are we-”

Fieluri pointed towards the lake while making strange magical signs with her other hand on the water surface. After a minute of doing so, Airen watched in awe as the water started to split, revealing a path towards the bottom of the lake.

“I wouldn’t touch the sides if I were you.” Fieluri cautioned as they made their way down into the depths.

Airen’s lantern would occasionally flicker, shadows would dance along the watery walls. Before long his imagination started to wander to grotesque and horrific things hiding in the darkness, lurking on the edge of the torch’s light. The echoes of dripping water and the patter-patter of footsteps added more to the burden on Airen’s psyche. As he continued to shoot backwards glances around him, Fieluri placed one of her hands in his own.

“Breathe, Airen. There are no monsters out there, save for the ones of your own creation.“she said, breaking the silence. “Or are you so cowardly that I need to cast another spell on you?”

“Descending down the caverns themselves is foreboding enough, but this...” Airen shivered, and he didn’t know if it was from the cold or his fear.

“When you gaze long into the abyss, you gaze into yourself.” Fieluri waved a hand towards the edge of the light, where water intermingled with the dark. “What do you see in the darkness Airen?”

“…Why are you even asking me this? Are you just messing with me again?”

“Pure curiosity. But enough with the conversation, we are here.” Fieluri pointed downwards where Airen could make out flickering orange light. As they left the walls of water behind them, the ground started to slope downwards into a crater.

“Is this… a skeleton?” Airen murmured as they walked between an arch of bone. The ribs of a long dead creature towered over him, seemingly glowing by the torchlight.

“Of a dragon.” Fieluri nodded. “I will deal with it later.”

“You say such things so casually, History Eater.” a loud reverberating chuckle declared from in front of them. Airen trained his eyes in front of him and saw what appeared to be a dwindling bonfire, and a figure sitting next to it, staring into the flames. A large stone pillar stood behind the dark silhouette.

“So you have come at last. History Eater…. and Airen-boy.” As they approached, with the familiar sound of clinking metal, the figure stood up. Placing a hand sheathed in a claw-like gauntlet over the bonfire, he clenched it towards him, and as he did so, new flames burst forth from the bonfire, revealing his form to Airen at last.

From head to toe he was clad in black and silver steel armor. A helmet with two horns covered the man’s eyes, only revealing his mouth. A breastplate with the insignia of a red dragon matched his claw-like gauntlets, greaves and boots.

“Welcome challengers.” the strange knight held out a hand in greeting, but his words held no warmth and his burning red-eyes flared in anticipation.

“Who is that man?” Airen whispered. “What is that stone pillar behind him?”

“He goes by many names, but you once knew him as Dullas.” Fieluri replied. “He is a... ghost that has been bound here for a long time, though not as long as I was in that chamber. We have come to end his misery.”

Dullas, or what was left of him that was left inside that prison of armor, said nothing and instead plunged his hand into the flames of the bonfire, grasping the hilt of a sword, and pulling out a black, charred blade. In a slow gait, he took a several steps away from them, his tattered and torn cloak floating on the air behind him. All of a sudden he stopped, and in one fluid motion, he twisted around and pointed the tip of the blade towards them.

Time seemed to slow, and the flames of the bonfire seemed to freeze in anticipation.

Airen’s knees buckled at Dullas’s declaration of hostility, and the wave of force that followed after knocked him cleanly back towards the dwindling bonfire.

“Don’t move from the campfire Airen. His curse stops him from attacking anyone near it.” Fieluri cautioned, unfazed from the wave of force. “Just sit tight while I deal with my business.”

As Fieluri took up a position in front of Dullas, the armored knight saluted.

“My name is Dullas! Herald to the Last Flame of the Kingdom of Yschre! State your name and title challenger!”

“I am Fieluri Archive, Keeper of the Eternal Library, and the History Eater!” Fieluri replied back in kind. “And I have come to fulfill my end of the bargain, old friend.”

Without a word, Dullas held out his spare hand, revealing what appeared to be a red glass ball. He tossed it high into the air, and when it shattered on the ground, the duel began.

Airen watched as Dullas tucked in his blade and crouched. In a split second he had covered the large distance between him and Fieluri, the blackened edge whistling towards Fieluri’s exposed neck.

Without missing a beat, Fieluri held an arm out to intercept the incoming blade. Where steel should have met flesh, a clear ringing sound was heard as a blade of purple light appeared and halted the blow. In her other hand, a swirling ball of fluorescent light condensed into a crystalline lattice. As Dullas’s blow was blocked, she smashed the spell into his side.

The resulting blast knocked Dullas back, he had blocked a majority of the crystal outburst, but not all of it. Rainbow colored fragments embedded themselves in his armor, failing to pierce through. Dullas dug his feet into the ground again, ready to launch another attack, but the sight of the spinning magical circle beneath his feet stopped him. Magical runes started to appear all over his body where a crystal fragment had struck and embedded itself. Knowing that it would be impossible to avoid this spell, Dullas snarled and rushed towards Fieluri.

The spell triggered as he was halfway to his adversary. Each rune bloomed in an intense shower of light before exploding, causing the surrounding walls of water to tremor and threaten to spill over. As the dust cloud faded, Dullas was supporting his weight on his sword. Cracks and fractures on his armor leaked noxious-looking black blood, and half of his helmet had vanished revealing the face of what would have been a handsome man, if not for the words written all over his skin.

“Is… is it over?” Airen breathed out, unaware he had been holding his breath the entire time.

“It has only begun. Ancient curses are not broken easily.” Fieluri replied, as she watched Dullas glow an eerie blood red light, his wounds quickly healing and the armor repairing itself like some monstrous living creature.

And so the battle went on. Each time Dullas charged at Fieluri, she would use powerful spells to knock him back. Each time he was beaten back, he would grow stronger and his armor would become more and more grotesque until he no longer even resembled a man. Six demonic claws clad in steel sprouted from his back, twitching around in anger, a long spiked tail left holes in the lakebed crater. With a savage roar that resembled not man but beast,, Dullas launched himself towards Fieluri again, wielding a giant greatsword and his demonic claws swiping towards her.

“Enough.” Fieluri sighed. “It’s time to end this, Dullas. This sight is unbecoming of you.”

Fieluri materialized the Blank Book and tossed it into the air. It spun around in a circle for a moment, before a giant portal started to open and expand, bathing everything in a dazzling purple light.

“Come now, Dullas of Yschre. How long can you last?” Airen heard a voice call out, when he opened his eyes, his heart skipped a beat. He was floating in the air next to millions of books, witheven more kept pouring out of the portal created by the Blank Book. And between the layers and layers of grimoires, Fieluri floated, staring down at Dullas like one would look at an ant.

“Hmph.” Fieluri folded her arms and turned her back to Dullas. With a wave of her arm, all of the books opened, and a tempest of spells hailed downwards. With another snap of a finger, the spellbooks shifted places with the row of grimoires behind it and Airen watched in shock as thousands upon thousands of weapons flew out from them.

The crater beneath them grew in size at the onslaught, and eventually became barely visible as it was filled with hundreds of colors, and endless weapons. Airen watched in horror as Dullas was continuously slaughtered several times over, but each time the gory goblets of flesh would piece itself back together.

Finally, after two minutes of the non-stop barrage, an inhuman scream screeched forth before slowly transforming into that of a dragon’s roar.

At the change, Fieluri held up a hand and the spellbooks stopped its assault and slowly started to drift back into the Archive. With a clap of her hands, the hundreds of weapons on the grounds slowly started to fade away while she and Airen descended next to the battered body of Dullas. A spear in each arm and leg bound him to the ground, and the black armor had started to sizzle and melt away like corrosive acid.

“As expected, the History Eater can even destroy a curse that grants eternal life...” Dullas voiced, his helmet long broken, and the words on his face melting away like a layer of blood.

“You weren’t joking when you mentioned that it was hard to kill you.” Fieluri replied, kneeling down by his side. “It took about a third of the entire might of the Archive.”

“Ha! I had thought I was a monster, but I was wrong this entire time.” Dullas chuckled. He cough and spat out a bit of blood. “At last… my eternal rest awaits.” he sighed.

“Do you have any last words?” Fieluri replied, dabbing a finger into the growing pool of blood and tasting it, “...if you still wish to remain in this world, it is not beyond my power to do so.”

“Hah, and owe you what? I have already given the greatest price possible.” Dullas laughed. “No… I have lived long enough. Thank you, my friend of several centuries. Airen-boy, are you there?”

“I’m here.” Airen gingerly stepped forward, avoiding the pitch black pools of blood.

“Here” With a grunt, Dullas lifted up the hilt of his sword towards Airen. “Take it”

“But… why?” Airen carefully inspected the golden-red blade. The dark obsidian layer had peeled off and revealed the true form of Dullas’s sword.

“I wanted to give something to the one who caught the interest of the History Eater.” Dullas shrugged. “Whether you are fortunate or ill-fated, I know not, but without a doubt you will play a heavy role in the days to come. Take my blade, Torchlight and offer it to your master, Airen-boy.”

After handing his sword over, Dullas nodded at Fieluri. The Blank Book’s pages started to flutter and as Fieluri placed a hand over Dullas’s body, words started to appear within the book.

“Farewell, old friend.” Fieluri murmured as Dullas’s body slowly started fading.

“Farewell, History Eater.” Dullas replied, a satisfied smile on his face before turning to Airen with a warning. “Good bye, Airen-boy. Take care not to offend your master, lest you end up worse than I did.”

And before Airen could even respond, he was gone. The floating book closed and a golden line gracefully drew the image of a red dragon and a crimson-colored knight on the cover along with the words. “Herald and Torchbearer of the First and Final Flame.”

It was nearly morning when Airen finally returned, exhausted from the adventure. He had given Torchlight to Fieluri, and she had promised him two things in return. But right after the ordeal she had disappeared back into the Archive without a word.

Well into midday, Airen finally woke from his slumber. Breakfast had been laid out onto the table, and he slowly started to heat up some tea to go with it.

“Strange… Fiel would usually jump out as soon as food is mentioned...” Airen murmured.

Despite that, even after Airen finished his meal, the ravenous spirit of knowledge had still not made an appearance. Worried about the events of last night, Airen checked to make sure nobody else was around before reciting the chant Fieluri had taught him, opening a portal to the Archive.

“Fiel?” Airen whispered as he stepped into Archive alone for the first time. The towering shelves filled with books loomed over him as he made his way around, attempting to find Fieluri. After what appeared to be almost an hour, Airen finally found Fieluri nestled between some cushions, reading the book she had just obtained.

“Fiel? Are you alright?”

“Oh, it’s you, Airen.” Fieluri mumbled without looking up, turning another page. “Just a moment, I am almost done reading.”

Airen sat down and made himself comfortable, eying the shelves. Just as he was about to consider picking out a book to read, Fieluri closed the book with a snap that made him jump. When Airen looked over at her, she was holding the book close to her chest with her eyes closed.

“Are you alright, Fiel?” Airen asked, concerned at her behavior.

“I am fine. Merely reminiscing the past.” She flicked her hand and the book in her hands started to float away. “So Airen, I said I will teach you two things in return for keeping safe the sword.”

“You did.” Airen nodded. He had witnesses Fieluri’s power and he had no qualms about being her student any longer.

“Come with me.” Fieluri jumped up and started floating down the aisle at a rapid pace. Airen quickly stood up and sprinted after her as she slid a hand down the books, searching for the right one.

“Ah. Here it is.” Fieluri picked out what appeared to be an ancient manuscript in a language Airen could not make heads or tails of. “Stand over here.”

“What are you going to-” Airen didn’t get another word out as Fieluri placed a finger on his forehead, and an excruciating white-hot pain started to rip into his head. And just as quickly as it had struck it, it faded away.

“What just-”

“Shut up and wait!” Fieluri snarled, clearly in a foul mood as she paced along the Archive again, looking for another book. After ten or so minutes she had found the book she was looking for, instructions for a high level sword art.

Again she placed a finger on Airen’s forehead and an excruciating pain shot through his mind again. This time was longer than the last and by the time Fieluri was finished, he was already rolling his head on the ground, clutching it in pain.

“Good, it seems to have worked.” Fieluri nodded. “This is my first time attempting this. If things had gone wrong, your mind probably would have been burnt to a crisp.”

“Well, thanks for putting my life at risk without even telling me!” Airen yelled.

“Your life wasn’t at risk at all. Despite my destructive power, you’d be surprised I am also a powerful healer.” She dismissed.

“…...That doesn’t reassure me at all. What did you even do?”

“Here.” Fieluri shoved the two books in his arms. “Try reading them.”

“But they’re written in... moon runes or something-” Airen started to complain as he opened to the first page, but to his surprise, he could easily understand the language. Or rather, memories of the words started to flow into him.

The first book he opened was a written manual for manifesting soul power into a physical force. A series of scenes played out in his mind. A cloaked man with a scar through his yellow eyes using the spell to repel a hail of arrows. A panther-like magical beast using the spell to knock down his prey. A woman throwing knives at a distant target. A blue-cloaked mage knocking back a wooden barricade.

“Woah-” Airen mumbled as the history of the spell poured into him, as well as experiences of various individuals that had used and developed it over the years. Staring into his hand, Airen mimicked the actions of the people in his mind.

“Ald!” Airen shouted as a telekinetic wave shot from his hands.

“Airen, what are you doing in my Archive!?” Fieluri shouted angrily as she quickly formed a magical shield to block the wave of force from damaging the books.

“Sorry!” Airen quickly apologized. “I just-”

“Wanted to test it out.” Fieluri finished it for him. “Do that somewhere else, like in the Archive’s Arena like a sensible person.” She tossed the other book at him.

Just as Airen was about to open the book, eager to learn another skill, Fieluri whisked it out of his hands.

“Learn restraint, Airen.” Fieluri cautioned. “Master the first spell before you even attempt this one. If my guess is correct, you won’t even be able to cast the spell anymore.”

“What-” Airen gulped. He held his palm forwards. “Ald!” he shouted, but nothing happened.

“Read the book again, and this time, try to remember that feeling.”

Airen did as she asked, and this time managed to cast the telekinetic push successfully.

“Huh… that’s strange. Is this how one is supposed to learn magic?” Airen could recall Jourmind lecturing how magic spells were like rituals, and learning one took months or even years depending on the complexity of the spell. Of course, there were rare talented mages that could conjure spells on a whim, but they were all people of exceptions.

“It’s not strange at all.” Fieluri smirked. “What I gave you is borrowed knowledge, what you need to do is to make it your own.”

Despite her belittlement, she still guided Airen through the process. After a few hours of work, he finally managed to memorize the sensation of casting the spell.

“This… is harder than I thought.” Airen sighed, sprawling down in one of the many lounge chairs in the Archive. “But I see now why he called you the History Eater.”

“That’s a name from centuries ago.” Fieluri shrugged, holding a cup of tea to her lips. “I have yet to adopt one for this era.”

“But History Eater sounds pretty cool…. And at the same time, frightening.” Airen replied, staring at the ancient being in front of him. Frankly, he did not understand her.

“Hmph. I care little of what others say or think of me.” Fieluri replied. “All that I wish for, is for my Archive to grow, and to hear stories.”

“Are you sure? With your power you can easily-”

“No.” Fieluri cut him off. “I have no intention of obtaining fame or glory anymore.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Before I had this sort of power, Airen, my only ability was to read the history of others. And through it, I have seen many, many things.”

“I have seen the darkness that lurks in the hearts of men. I have watched as tragedies played out that scarred the world. I have seen dreams achieved and broken at the same time.” Fieluri commented. “I have no intention of moving from my position as a spectator, my one exception however, is you, Airen.”

“Me…?”

“I had a brief glimpse at your past, Airen. You piqued my interest. and I wished to leave the cage that I had been jailed in. And when your story ends, whether it be ten years or ten centuries from today, I will be there watching and recording. ”

“...so you are going to eat my history as well?” Airen quietly mumbled.

“When the time comes, unless you manage to achieve immortality like Dullas did.” Her words caused images of Dullas’s grotesque form flashed through Airen’s mind.

“….I’d rather not.”

“A wise choice.” Fieluri commented. “There is… one more option of course.”

“And what is that?” Airen asked.

“Staying in the Archive. Time flows differently in this dimension, and as I said before, you will neither age nor want for food.”

Airen couldn’t find any words to respond with. Instead he shuffled his feet for a few moments as he gathered his thoughts. “Ask me again several decades from now.” he responded slowly.

“Even if you refuse, my hand in your story is no longer impossible to ignore.” Fieluri shrugged and paid his answer no heed. “I will be waiting for that time when you decide.”

He did not know whether to take that as a matter-of-fact detail, or a warning.

A month later, Airen, Eullina, and Loys were standing facing each other, a cold glint in each of their eyes. A large crowd of onlookers jeered them on as tensions rose.

“There’s only one way we are going to settle this once and for all.” Loys murmured, one of his hands curled into a tight fist.

“For once, we can actually agree over something.” Eullina snarled, hostility dripping in her voice. She took a step back and took the stance of a boxer ready to throw a few punches.

“Can’t we talk this over? I mean I really don’t care about-” Airen sighed.

“See, that indecisive behavior is why we are here in the first place.” Eullina shot back, sending a death glare at Airen.

“For once in my life, I agree with her. We’ll just have to settle this man to man.” Loys insisted.

At his words, each of them took a step back, glaring at the others.

“I’m ready whenever you are.” Eullina declared.

“One...” Loys started.

“Two...” Airen half-heartedly mumbled.

“War!” Eullina shouted as the three of them extended their arms out.

“I won!” Loys shouted as he jumped into the air, his paper symbol beating both of their rocks.

“Dammit Loys, why do you always win!” Eullina complained. “Rematch!”

“Now, now Eullina… does it really matter who goes first?”

“….Are you three done clowning around yet?” Lilrim shouted from across the training ground, Duncan and Horly standing next to her. “Who is up first for the test?”

“I am.” Loys stood forward.

“Hmph.” Lilrim drew the butcher knife from her belt. “It’s been awhile since I’ve had the joy of using my Demon Carver.” she murmured, and the butchering knife grew into the size of a flamberge. The jagged edge was not unlike that of a saw-blade, and it was downright demonic-looking. Lilrim flexed her shoulder muscles and gave a few practice swings.

“Scary as usual, Lilrim. Can’t we have a casual and easy-going battle? If you’d like we can always duel in bed-” Loys complained, casually stretching his arms. Before he even finished his sentence, Loys felt a sharp wind from his right and he opened his eyes to the sight of the butcher knife inches from where his head was before.

“Tch. I missed.” Loys slowly turned his head until he was face to face with Lilrim, but the mask of a demonic ogre stared back at him. He quickly leaped back as Lilrim dragged her oversized butcher knife out of the ground, the sound of the scraping edge not unlike that of fingernails on a chalkboard.

“Since it’s not Airen or Eullina… There’s no need for me to hold back is there?” The mask twisted into a grotesque smile, and demonic eyes stared at Loys.

“H-Hey! Someone! Switch with me! Please!!!”

“No one can help you now, Loys…. No one at all...” Lilrim’s chilling laugh even made the onlookers turn away and make peace with Loys in their hearts. There was no saving him now.

“Sounds like they have started over there. Shall we get this show on the road as well?” Horly chuckled as he smashed his mace into the ground, and in a few moments, his earthen armor had formed and shielded his entire body. He clapped his mace against his shield, sending a thundering echo towards Eullina. “Come then. Victory is yours if you can surpass my armor.”

“You’re on!” Eullina smiled as Nightingale and Hummingbird materialized into her hands, and she leaped towards the indomitable fortress that was Horly.

On a quieter corner of the training ground, Duncan and Airen walked side by side until they were relatively away from the two ongoing battles. In perfect sync, they turned and walked twenty meters in front of them, then turned to face the other.

“My condition is simple. You must simply survive my onslaught for five minutes, or land a hit on me.” Duncan explained. He held out an arm towards Airen in invitation. “Whenever you are ready, my child. May the goddess guide your strikes, bless us so we may learn from this battle.”

Ah, it seems you got the most annoying one out of the three. Fieluri commented. That man has quite an intriguing history, do you mind if I-

“Bestow upon me a mighty blade.” Airen whispered quietly. “And no.”

Hmph. A small rift opened next to Airen and he reached inside, and in one fluid motion, pulled out a pair of gladiuses.

Number sixty-four. The Last Defenders, swords wielded by an unnamed hero as he stood alone at the gate of a lost city, against a horde of magical creatures. He fell in the end, but earned the respect of the magical beasts and they returned his body to the humans.

Airen checked the balance of the gladius, it was slightly heavier compared to the swords he used to, as well as a bit shorter, but the flat of the blade was thick and the hilt made from an unknown material that made it easy to grip.

He pointed the point at Duncan. “I am ready, Father.”

Duncan nodded and started to run sideways around Airen. Glints of light reflecting off metal flashed several times as a barrage of knives came at Airen from all directions.

Airen sucked in his breath, and recalling the memories of a legendary swordsman that wielded two scimitars, spun his two blades an arc, catching the projectiles on the flat of his blades.

“Impressive, Airen.” Duncan remarked, stopping in front of him and drawing a short sword. He slid a hand down the flat of the blade and the metal started to glow a faint white. A few moments later, Airen recognized that he was casting a variant of the Sonic Thrust as several blades of light shot towards him.

Not trusting the pair of gladius to be able to block them fast enough, he tossed one of them into the air.

“Ald!” Airen shouted with an outstretched hand and the resulting telekinetic blast halted the projectiles in midair for a moment before they dissipated away.

“Ald!” Airen cast again, not giving time for Duncan to react, the wave of force weakened as it traveled in the distance between them, but still managed to stagger Duncan for a moment, giving just enough time for Airen to quickly close in and swing his blade.

As the blade swung closer, Duncan bent his knees forwards and dodged the blow by bending backwards, the blade nearly clipping into his nose. With a series of backflips, Duncan put some distance between them.

“...That was quite a spell. I had not known you were affiliated with the wind element” Duncan clapped. “Not only did you manage to block my attacks, you even managed to counterattack.”

A crash from the neighboring battle interrupted Duncan, and Airen turned to see that one of the battles had concluded. Lilrim had a feet on the collapsed Loys and was laughing hysterically.

“It’s been so long since I’ve finally let loose! Loys, you’re useless! Where’s that favored spear of yours? The battle has only begun! ” Lilrim yelled at him as she was drinking what appeared to be liquor.

“Ah ah, Loys is a man of his word, and he never hits a woman!” Loys shouted from the ground. “Let it be known it is true even if the woman is closer to that of a man!!”

His words earned him a roaring laugh from the gathered onlookers, which was quickly silenced as Lilrim ‘accidently’ dropped her weapon next to his neck.

The sound of splintering metal disturbed the battlefield once more. Eullina had sunk her daggers deep into the shoulder pads of Horly, and finally managed to pierce through both Horly’s shield and breastplate at the same time.

“It seems like we are the last ones left, and the score is tied.” Duncan commented. “It shouldn’t be too hard for you to last another minute, so why don’t we call this your victory and go for some lunch?”

Airen said nothing for a moment. If he succeeds in this battle, the three of them will be officially recognized as an expedition team and be allowed to leave as they wish. If they failed, they would have to try again in another two months. Getting a free victory made him feel as if he wasn’t actually prepared.

“Elder Duncan. Let us finish the last minute.” Airen replied, to which the onlookers nodded in approval.

“Commendable.” Duncan replied. “Very well, come!”

Airen crouched into the ground and kicked off, dashing straight towards Duncan, who held up his short sword to intercept the blow. What happened afterward became the spectacle for debate for the next week. All the onlookers generally agreed that Airen had delivered a powerful overhead blow that knocked away Duncan’s weapon. However, Eullina and Lilrim had watched as the weapon flicker three times, delivering three additional blows in the same instant. Duncan, after he had picked himself covered all over in the metal fragments of his shattered sword, had seen five. Only Loys, who had for the first time in a long time felt a shiver down his spine, realized that it was seven consecutive blows.

The first blow had cracked the blade. The second and third blow occurred at the same time, to the left and the right of the first blow and had cause the crack to grow along the blade’s length. The fourth and fifth shattered the blade, and the sixth and seventh missed the weapon altogether flying towards Duncan’s body.

Only Duncan himself, who parried the two blows with his spare hand, realized what Airen had done.

Seven-petal Blooming, wasn’t it? Fieluri mused. Showing off when he can’t even manage to reach the full fourteen blows...

“Is it really okay for us to be going on this expedition?” Airen asked. They had left the next day after they passed the qualification tests, and their destination was the Seafoam Oasis.

“It’s fine! After that stunt you pulled, I’m sure even if you were still in town, everyone would just be bugging you!” Loys laughed.

“Hmph. And here I thought Airen would never surpass me and he goes and learns some crazy new skills.” Eullina sulked.

Airen could only shrug at Eullina’s dejected mood. The skill she had developed to pierce Horly’s armor, Guillotine, had paled in comparison to Airen’s Blooming. Where Eullina’s weapon art had sent a vortex of dagger jabs at one concentrated point, the simultaneous blows of Airen’s had created the illusion of a flower.

Your friend belittles herself. Fieluri shrugged, taking notes in the Blank Book. At your level of strength, her ‘Guillotine’ would easily defeat your Seven-petal Blooming, at least until you manage at least nine simultaneous blows.

Airen nodded in agreement. He had a lot of admiration for Eullina, who had created a skill on her own, while he had ‘borrowed’ the spell from the memories of a legendary swordsman. Just as he was about to mention it to Eullina, Loys quickly held a hand up, signaling for them to halt.

Without a word, Airen and Eullina quickly dropped down onto the sand, following Loys lead as they crawled forward towards the top of the dune. They carefully peeked their head out to survey the scene before them. Several Sand Jackals were fighting what appeared to be a medium sized Dune Worm. The Dune Worm already had several gaping wounds all over its body, and it was only a matter of time till it succumbed due to blood loss. Making a quick decision, Loys informed the group and they are going to go and steal the kill and harvest some meat for themselves.

The trio quickly made preparations to deal with the Sand Jackals. As soon as the Dune Worm fell over and started its death spasms, the three of them quickly stood up and shot arrows down at the Jackals. Their aim was poor, save for Airen, who managed to land a bull’s eye shot and downing one of the Sand Jackals. The alpha of the pack quickly realized that they were outmatched and in a bad position, and they started to retreat, but not before Loys had brought out his spirit tool, hurling it and killing the Alpha.

“Gotta kill the leader so they don’t stalk us for the next few days.” Loys nodded as he walked over and retrieved his spear. “Airen, I mean-oh great master chef, please do your thing while we set up camp for the night.”

Airen quickly got out the tools Lilrim had prepared him and started carving away at the corpse. If he did not work fast, most of the meat would start rotting under the blistering heat. A few hours quickly floated by as Airen was drenched in sweat and blood, and soon he had a nice bundle of Dune Worm Meat, along with the juicier bits from the Sand Jackals. He probably smelled horrendous, but it was a small annoyance compared to amount of food harvested. Still, as he lamented as he glanced at the other 2/3s length of the Dune Worm with meat that was already going bad.

Finally going to cut it open are you? Fieluri complained, she had wanted Airen to cut deep into the Dune Worm so she could inspected the internal organs.

Airen nodded. “Time to get the liver…..Lilrim could probably make something interesting with it.”

Or you can just eat it raw. Fieluri replied.

“Too risky.” Airen replied as he searched for the best place to make the first cut. He pressed his hands along the soft underbelly, getting a feeling for the organs on the other side.

“?” He cocked his head in surprise as he felt something rather bizarre. A hard, protruding object rubbed against his hand. Unable to contain his curiosity, he made a deep cut and pulled apart the skin. A large silver round object rolled out, covered in a sticky slime.

“What…is this?” Airen wondered as he picked up the strange rock that was the size of a large watermelon. It weighed rather light and the dull gray exterior was speckled with specks of red.

Hmm…. Fieluri circled around the object, pulling out several strange objects inspecting the rock. After her inspections, she started pulling book after book out of the archive and flipping through the pages. Finally, she gazed at the object one last time before turning to Airen.

Tell me Airen, have you ever thought of becoming a blacksmith?