After having asked about the possible weapons I can acquire from here, and getting the confirmation about the weapons being maintained, to some degree at least, I was being led to the arsenal by a guard I haven't seen before. Well, I haven't been paying any attention to them really, but he isn't the one I talked at the gate or the one leading the surround-and-capture mission. It seems that the arsenal is also located within the basement area, on the other side of the building from the study chamber.

The arsenal was a large room with multiple shelves, racks, cabinets and showcases filled with weapons. After admiring them for a little, I beckoned the guard to leave with my hand and begin rummaging through them in hopes of finding a weapon that can be wielded with my strength without breaking, or even better, one that benefits from it. So that kinda cuts out all swords, as no matter how big or great the blade is, it would snap when wielded with my strength, especially against Ollie. Maces, battle axes and other pole arms should be better choice.

Walking from cabinet to another I try to find some kind of pole arm that fits my criteria of having long reach while maintaining a sturdy body, when I come across a peculiar type of sword. A single edged blade, with round bladed tip and no crossguard. It is more like a battle machete than actual sword, but having the length that makes it comparable to a longsword, blade that is as thick as my thumb on the non sharpened side, making it more like an ax blade and thick hilt that is bolted into the blade up to halfway of the whole sword, it would be the ideal weapon for me. No fear of of it snapping, no fear of me ripping of the hilt and no fear of my strength hampering the usage of it, I actually think that the ax like blade makes it better weapon if user is stronger than normal human. The weight is probably a lot for normal human, but I wouldn't have problem double wielding two of these.

Taking the battle machete with me I walk to the door and show it to the guard and ask if there is anymore of these in building, and if not, if there are anymore in the capital altogether. The answer is yes, and he points me to look at the wall, where two of these are part of a shield-two-swords-combo art piece. You know, one of those what's its name, with two swords crossed behind a shield, all fixed on a wooden board then hung on the wall as a decoration. But that brings the problem of it being just a decoration, the swords aren't sharpened, and it would take two to three days to do that. I order with Lewin's authority for that to be done and take the actually usable sword with me as I make my way out from the building of the society of wise.

Standing outside in front of the building, I decide it would be good time to meet with my friends from the outpost, and try to remember the directions of I got for the place they are staying in. Shit, I might have to walk all the way back to the entrance gate even if I remember the directions, 'cause it was from there the directions start from. Well, no use grumbling about it, I'm going to have to spend the next two days here at the minimum anyway. As I begin to head back to the gate, I'm stopped by a receptionist or somebody wearing similar enough clothes who tells me that they have prepared a carriage for me on the behalf of Lewin's command. Must have given the command after inquiring about my orders to sharpen the machete-swords... I should really give them a name, or I'm just going to jump between machete and sword this whole time I'm armed with them. How about... You know what; I'm just going to call them machetes, 'cause that is what they are, even if they're the battle version of them.

The carriage curves from some side street near the society's building and I step in. Comfortable, and thanks to the fact that nobody is riding with me it's also roomy. Could get used to being treated like this. The carriage nudges on to move and we begin making our way towards the soldier's barracks. After crossing few streets of cobblestone, I begin hearing people scream outside the carriage, which makes me grab the hilt of the machete fastened on the left side of my waist.

Waiting in silence inside the carriage that's still moving, I try to make out of the commotion was caused by a thief or something other mundane cause in the city or...

Something comes crashing through the front of the carriage with force enough to splinters most of it, almost slamming me through the back wall. Half leaning half lying on the back wall that can only barely hold my weight at this point, I try to make out what the hell happened. The thing that smashed my carriage to pieces is... What exactly? Humanoid figure, with white, scaled skin and abnormally long limbs, twice as long as it body and half formed tail sprouting from the lower back. Headless, not caused by impact, ripped out with brute force, leaving the neck and throat as nothing more than mess of thin tendrils of flesh, veins and bone. Weights a lot too, I realize as I try to push the body off of me, only to feel the boards holding me up creaking. If I try to push it off, I'm just going to fall through the back of the carriage, which would put me in an even worse situation when it comes to making sense of this.

Collecting my breath I survey the carriage, which thankfully is still standing. The horses have been killed, but I don't think it was done by the impact and the driver is nowhere to be seen. Most likely whatever did this first took the driver and killed him, then threw the corpse at me, while I was unaware that I was moving in an unguided carriage, using the confusion caused by that to kill the horses. Yes, that is how it probably happened, and the only one that could have done something like this is...

Falling down on the horse's corpses came another thing no longer human, Ollie, mutated even further from the last time I saw him. Now standing twice as tall I ever did, with shoulder span so broad, I don't think he would fit to enter the carriage even through the hole. Both of his arms were now covered in the leathery skin as were his legs, his body mostly covered with the golden-brown feathers and two pairs of large wings sprouting from his back. His head was attached at the end of a long, serpent like neck that was thicker from the shoulders and thinner from under the chin. The head and neck were completely covered with feathers and he had grown an actual beak, small and thin like owl's, taking over the nose and mouth of his face, leaving only features to be seen the six eyes, now each of them in their own sockets.

Opening his beak to speak, I caught a glimpse of his human mouth inside, lips twisted and ripped apart and some teeth still jutting up in disorder, as a ragged voice came out:

"HERE'S JOHNNY!"