Morning had come and Derb groggily woke up. Yesterday had been really tiring and he wished he had slept for more. The sun poking through the window had different plans, however. He rose from his bed and groggily went down to the kitchen to be met with the family. The table was set and everyone was eating a meal together for the first time in a while. “What’s the occasion?” He muttered, still half asleep. They looked at him as if he was a moron.

“We need to talk about your little trip,” Deitre asked, suddenly looking unsure about the whole situation. “We need to figure out what to do after Hannah took away your… I’m sorry, did you sleep with that on?” Derb looked down and saw the black and sleek armor he was given. “Yeah? It’s really comfy, like a big hug.” He had slept with everything on except for the helmet. It was probably still in the living room now that he thought about it. He didn’t feel like taking it off last night so he just… kept it on.

Gerald couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Just.. sit down. You want to know why you’re leaving, right?” Derb nodded. “Because you’re kicking me out right? I need to go see the world and spread your name or something?” Gerald just looked at him as if he were an alien. “No, you idiot. There’s a tournament nearby and I want you to participate. No one younger than 25 can enter and you seem strong enough to place. You decide if you want to come back or not, I just need you to join.” Derb almost had a sneaky thought until he was interrupted.

“I’m updated on the survey so if you don’t join I will maim you.” shivers went down his spine at the threat. “Good thing I never thought of disobeying you, then. Teacher.” The teacher just kept looking with unimpressed eyes until Derb looked down, earning a snicker from the two girls at the table. With a sigh, he kept talking. “You’ll be gone for a while so I at least need you to learn while you’re not here.” He took a small book out from under the table, pushing aside his food onto Tiffany’s side. He ignored the whining and kept talking.

“This book holds plenty of daily rituals, it’s small enough to keep on your person so hide it in your cloak. Where is your cloak, by the way?” Derb looked at him weirdly. “Why would I sleep with a cloak on?” There was complete silence at that statement, and Tiffany stepped in and zapped him before Gerald could. He fell from his seat and hit his chin on the table from the sudden shock. “Thank you, my student, now where were we? Ah, yes.” He pulled out a large book from under the table. It was old and decrepit, with a picture of a demon climbing up a tree.

“This book is important to your growth, it could even be said everything required for you to learn in life is in this book.” Its size was intimidating. One and a half feet long and one foot wide. “This contains everything you need to know when aiming for different summons. Before, I thought you would have needed to stay here for much longer so I didn't feel like I needed to show you.” Gerald narrowed his eyes, looking at the armor given by Deitre. “You proved me wrong in many ways, I suppose”

Everyone went quiet at the table. The two girls had no idea what the armor meant so they were just awkwardly picking at their plate. The armor had some heavy feeling poured into it and it was given to someone as emotionally insensitive as Derb. “I’ll take good care of it, you know. It’s not like it’ll be bad if it breaks. It can repair itself.” The girls gasped in surprise at the statement. Gerald himself looked as if he gained a couple of years.

“Just how expensive is that goddamn suit...” He asked, burying his head in his hands. Eventually Gerald regained his train of thought. “Girls, you’re free to go. Everything else doesn’t concern you two.” Tiffany nodded calmly while Hannah bolted for the door, eager to get back on her new mount. Tiffany followed soon after, leaving the two alone to talk. “...I wasn't sure if you were actually kicking me out. I honestly thought I had to go away forever.”

Derb laughed nervously. With his wolf gone he assumed that they’d just teleport him to a random village and he’d have to start again. The idea wasn’t so bad to him since he honestly wanted to experience the outside more. He didn’t think it’d be so soon, though. “If that was the case I'd have just thrown you out for the demons to get you. This is different, it’s about my image.” The mood became grim as Gerald leaned in… how serious was the tournament? What happened while he was on that trip?

“I… bragged about you a lot. You were growing so rapidly after all...” He leaned back on his chair, taking in a deep breath. Derb was confused at the exasperation. “What’s the problem? I thought I was doing ok in the magic department?” Gerald nodded, “That’s not the problem, even with your current magic strength you wouldn’t disappoint. The problem is they’ll be expecting a magician, not a magic swordsman.” He stood up and handed the massive book over to Derb. “I didn’t realize you’d grow into such a fine sword user.”

Derb gawked at the words. “Wait, what does that mean!? Am I not allowed to use the sword outside?” He quickly received a no from Gerald, calming his thoughts. “Of course not, you just need to include Deitre every time you brag about your origin. Deitre would have no choice but to cut off your head otherwise.” Oh, well that was simple. He wasn’t planning to brag too much outside anyway. Better to be hidden in ambiguity than protected by fame.

“So… is that it? You act like it’s the end of the world.” Gerald nodded, clearly not finished with what he was saying. “The problem is… you’ll have to get Deitre’s permission to use his name. The man despises this type of thing. You won’t be able to use your technique otherwise.” The old man looked down in shame, clearly not realizing how little that meant to Derb. He was about to explain before a meaty hand gripped the top of the door behind them. It was Deitre who had to crouch to enter.

“Make your doors bigger, Gerald. Else I'll have to blow a hole through them myself.” His teacher just laughed. “I swear you get bigger every time I see you, still growing at a hundred and twenty?” Deitre snorted at the pitiful deflection. “Don’t speak pleasantries, I heard what you were saying to the boy, I’m hurt that you think so little of me.” Gerald’s smile broke into an awkward grin. “Whatever could you mean? I was just telling him what had to be said.”

“Shut it,” Deitre interjected. “Boy, using my name isn’t going to come easy. People associate me with… plenty of bad things. A drunk, a loner. A raging bastard… Someone who coddles their students.” Oh boy, Derb understood where this was going. “You have my permission to use my technique, but understand that you represent me and I represent you. People might underestimate you because of it.” Aw, geez. Prejudice against him before he even began? This might not turn out so well.

“You have my name as well, though. Don’t forget that. There are a lot of benefits to being a student of a renowned healer.” If you feel any trouble heading your way, head to the adventurer’s guild and ask for the vice manager. I haven’t seen her in quite a while but I'm sure she’s still working there.” Deitre stepped in at the sound of an old friend. “Sarah? It’s been forever since I last talked to her. Mention me to her, I'm sure she’s worried about what happened.”

Gerald nodded, standing up and clapping his hands. “The tournament is a week from now. Read up on the book, you need to get a new mount for your journey.” Deitre stepped in at the words. “I’m sure he’d rather test out the new armor. It has one more feature I’ve been meaning to tell you.” They locked eyes, neither backing down. “The materials might take a while to obtain, he needs to be quick about it.” Deitre didn’t nudge. “I’d have had time to teach him to use the armor yesterday if it wasn’t for your spoiled brat wanting her big brother’s toys.”

“Oh, snap…” Derb quickly covered his mouth the moment he said those words, both of their heads snapping to him with utter disappointment. “W-what I meant to say was… I can just choose a simple mount to carry me where I need to go. Deitre still hasn’t shown me what the armor is capable of so I'd love to learn before I leave… right?” At least Deitre wasn’t glaring at him anymore. “The boy’s right. We can give him a horse anytime, I'd rather not have him die because he tripped in his armor.”

That got Gerald’s attention, and after enough convincing Derb ran to his room to get the cloak and back to the living room for the helmet. The armor was heavy but the rabbit spell almost seemed made for the situation. He felt almost normal weight again while using it so it felt like he was wearing nothing at all. He snapped on the cloak and belt and put on the helmet. He was ready to go to war. He sauntered out to the beautiful green field full of flowers and daisies, Hanah and Tiffany giggling like mad while they rode the massive wolf that was yipping happily. He felt so cool.

“What are you doing staring at the sky, boy. We only have thirty minutes before you have to go study.” Deitre’s scolding got him out of his daze, and he ran to catch up to his instructor. “Do you want to spar now and figure out what the power is on your own or would you rather have me tell you?” Derb paused, this was probably a test. “I’ll figure it out on my own, then. Let’s have some fun.” Derb got into a stance and readied his sword, ready to dish out the same damage he did last time.

He ran forward, no longer caring about the bit of damage coming from Deitre’s… he didn’t have a weapon? No matter, he was in a fighting stance so it wasn’t as if he wasn’t expecting a fight. Derb leaped into a ‘high jump’, trying to catch his teacher off guard. He twisted his body while swinging six feet in the air. The slash came directly towards his teacher's head, who batted the sword away like a mosquito.

Usually, the sword would have flown away from such an incredible show of strength. But it stayed firm in Derb’s hand. The only problem was that Derb himself was thrown across the field, turning on the boar spell just in time for him to break through two small trees and crater into the ground. The shock had broken his ribcage and both his legs. But all in all, he felt like he got out quite nicely. The blood in his ears stopped him from hearing the panic in a certain girl’s voice. He could hear the roaring laughter from a certain loud blacksmith, however.

The healing came soon after, and he felt something licking his face. It took a bit before his hearing came back to him and he heard the worried yipping of the wolf. “Adalia… get off me. I’m not dead yet so you can’t eat me.” Hanah heard the voice and cried out to the others. He didn't get why they were so panicky over the situation. He was finally able to move his head and saw the reason. He was covered in blood, his body was disfigured or anything thanks to the armor but the blood made it look much worse than it actually was.

“Wait! Hanah it’s nothing, really. I think I just hit a few sharp rocks.” Hanah was still healing him although he was fine, eventually stopping due to his support. He was still trying to push Adalia away when Deitre came up to him. “Do you know what the armor does, now, boy?” He grinned at his instructor's nonchalance at his injuries. Much more preferable than having people worry over him. “Don’t think I'll let you get away with that petty revenge, Deitre. Guess I cut a little deeper than you thought yesterday?”

Deitre scowled at the words, but soon enough wore a grin again. “I admit you’re growing a bit faster than I expected. I just didn’t want you to get a big head.” He reached out to help him up. Derb grabbed the hand and removed his helmet. “As if, if I ever see someone as big as you out there I’ll run the opposite direction screaming.” That earned him a smack on the head. “You will fight for your pride. Don’t worry, there aren’t many out there as strong as me. They have better things to do than to pick a fight with you, either way.”

They laughed at the idea of Derb somehow making someone that powerful angry, it slowly dying off when they realized how plausible it actually was. “Respect your elders. The armor can only do so much.” Derb nodded grimly. If anything happened he’d blame it on his darkness attribute. “The enchantment is pretty useful, it makes it so the sword can’t fly out of my hand, right?” Deitre shook his head. “It’s not just that, it lets you stick it to your back as well. I put those two enchantments so you wouldn’t have to worry about your sword.”

Derb put the sword on his back and it sunk into the cloak like liquid. He released a bit of mana and the sword thunked firmly into place, nothing moving it from its spot. Deitre took advantage and picked him up by the handle. “Whoah! Let me down!” Derb shouted. The blacksmith didn’t listen, swinging him around like a plaything. “Haha! The enchantment sure is well done. I have to congratulate myself.” He gently put the now motion sick Derb onto the ground. He collapsed the moment he did, his sense of balance completely off. “How… how do I turn it off...”

“Just pour a bit more mana into it. The armor will repel it. It doesn’t repel from your hands so don’t worry about dropping your sword.” He couldn’t help but feel less grateful after being thrown around like that… but it was still an amazingly useful ability. He thought he had to carry the sword along with everything else but this made things a bit easier. He noticed he was increasingly less covered in blood now. Guess it was the suit’s repair system? “Does this work for other things? It’d be cool to walk around with other things on me.”

The blacksmith just shook his head. “Unless it’s metal and enchanted by me it won’t work. I don’t plan on making you anything else, you’ll be spoiled rotten if I do.” Derb laughed at the words. If he wasn’t considered spoiled for everything given to him already then everyone else in the world could be considered saints. “This is already way too much for someone like me, Deitre. I promise I won’t disappoint you.” The two grinned, they never said it but they knew they were family.

The moment was ruined by Gerald. “That’s enough training for now, boy! Get inside!” The old teacher had changed into a more formal robe, purple laced with gold. Derb guessed he bought it while he was out and wanted to show it off. “See ya later, Deitre. I’m going to get another Adalia.” He walked inside while Deitre went back home. “I’m glad you understand the importance of doing this quickly. It’s a three day trip to where you’re headed on horse but it’d be much faster with a tireless summon.”

He nodded, trying to keep his teacher happy. It’d been a while since he’d last seen him and it seemed his teacher had reverted back into his no-nonsense ways. “The book is on the table. Go to page 189 to find the section on mounts. I’ll be going now.” Wait, so he wasn’t going to have company? Man…what a pain. Gerald wandered off, leaving Derb to read the massive book on his lonesome. He opened the book to check the page number only to realize there was none.

He groaned and started counting. About 5 minutes in he realized he went too far in and backtracked back to the mount section. The book turned out to be like the encyclopedia he’d used long ago, except instead of being from the perspective of a normal person it showed them from a summoner’s perspective. It showed their weaknesses and how to cover for them. He understood what his teacher meant by this being all he needed. It showed the materials to make them and everything!

He saw many different mounts, things that looked like tigers and bears. Even some that looked like dragons, giant and powerful creatures that were both fast and beautiful. He turned away from all of them. He knew from experience that he’d rather have something smaller to accompany him wherever. Adalia was too big to take her into the cave or house, he needed someone like Connor to use as a soldier. He sighed, he should just pick the one that required the least mana control and go from there.

He found a spirit that had the strength of a warhorse, nowhere near as powerful as Adalia but it was a bit faster apparently. By the way, he looked into Adalia and found out she was a guardian wolf. She’d grow up to be able to take anything on as she ranked up. The fact made him seethe with envy but the thought of Hannah and Tiffany being guarded by such a terrifying creature calmed him down. Better for her to have it than him, he supposed.

He kept looking at the horse spirit, they came in many different forms but none of them were any powerful. He hoped for a fast one at least. The recipe was simple, just the body and soul of a regular horse. Some gold and salt were also required but that was used for everything else. It was pretty expensive for a lesser demon but compared to most small ranks it was incredibly cheap. He closed the book and summoned Connor, who appeared curled up on the ground.

“You were sleeping under my bed again weren’t you...” The incubus just stood up quickly and bowed for forgiveness. “Connor, you know you can sleep on top when I'm not around, right?” Connor gasped in shock as if what he heard was something absolutely outrageous. “I can’t! Belongs to master...” Derb felt like he should ask about his weird growth in language skills but just sighed and decided to let it go. “Whatever, here’s a note, find Teacher Gerald and give it to him. I’m going out to buy a horse.”

With that he set out, he definitely didn’t want to go into town to show off his fancy new outfit. That definitely wasn’t it. In the time he spent worrying about going to the village with or without his helmet the note was given and his teacher appeared before him. “What are you still doing here, boy. It said you were going out to get a horse.” A moment of silence happened as Derb placed the helmet on. “Complications, but I think I'm ready to go now.”

“I’ll prepare the ritual, you bring the animal.” Derb nodded, walking out the door. He once again cursed how far away the house was from the rest of the village. In the time he’d been here he’d only made friends with those he had to buy things from. He hadn’t even met anyone his age… This year has surely been a lonely one in that regard. He sighed as he entered a horse stable, looking for anyone to talk to. Eventually, he met a young man.

“What do I have the pleasure of meeting you here, sir?” The stable owner anxiously said. He seemed more worried than scared, as if Derb would steal his cash. Derb grinned at the reaction and removed the helmet to show his face. The man’s face turned from anxiety, to shock, to a grin, and then a simple warm smile. Apparently, his little antics around the village had caused people to consider him as somewhat of a clown.

Especially that phase where he started gaining muscle and felt confident enough to look for people to flirt with. They’d all pushed him away thinking he wasn’t being respectful enough. He was serious about looking for a woman, however, and the shock of being rejected by every girl out there had him close his heart a little. He turned to the stable boy “I want your oldest horse. A horse that’s basically got a foot… hoof in the grave, please.”

The man nodded and turned to search, only to pause at the weird order. He turned back with a sad and anxious expression. “You ain’t gonna use it for your weird evil magic, are ya?” Derb sweated at the question, that’s exactly what he was going to do. “It’s not… evil… I think? Is it evil? No...” That wasn’t the response the horse seller wanted, shockingly enough. “The… the horse is in the back, just don’t let her suffer too bad, she’s been a good horse all her life.”

The mood became tense as they both went deeper into the stalls. Derb felt terrible about the whole ordeal until he remembered something about this certain summon. “I’m giving her soul a new place to reside in. She’ll lose some of her memories but she’ll come out stronger and faster than she ever was before. She’ll be smart enough to remember you too. The simple horse seller turned around with a new light in his eyes. “What’d ya say!? She’ll be reborn? Can you do that for another one of my babies!? What about people?” Derb backed off at the sudden change in atmosphere.

“Whoa, buddy. First of all, the horse wouldn’t be able to leave my side otherwise. Also, I have no idea what in the world would happen if I used a human soul. Probably nothing good.” Probably something that would get him killed by plenty of organizations, honestly… He’d have to ask Gerald about that. The man just nodded along at the information. “As long as the ‘ol fat girl regains her youth then you're a fine man, despite what they say about yer fancy magic.”

Derb decided to ignore the backhanded comment and the fact that the man’s accent changed with his mood. “The… horse, please?” He wanted to put on the helmet again but he knew it was too late for that. They finally made it to the back when he met the fattest horse he’d ever seen in his life. It looked like it would have been beautiful in a past life but right now it barely looked like a horse. “Can… it walk?” The Stable owner shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll make it to the healer’s house.”

He looked at the poor creatures and wondered if its legs would hold for the walk. Eventually, he made his choice. “I’d like to choose a new horse please.” It took a long while of begging and bargaining before Derb walked out, a fat horse in hand.