The rustling of clothing and tightening of straps fill the room as Renkai gets ready. Long armored boots, rough leather pants, and a simple cloth shirt with leather underneath for protection.
Must you really wake up this early, Renkai? It's not like it'll disappear if you get there later.
The sooner I get it, the sooner I can head to the dungeon, Iden. You can go back to sleep. I won't need you for now.
Maybe Marian was right about your attitude.
Renkai's face shifts, slightly irritated already.
Sorry, sorry. I know why you're like this. Though you could lighten up, you know. Being so serious and angry all the time doesn't help with your reputation.
My reputation doesn't matter. It doesn't affect my results. I don't know how you're still able to act like that despite everything that's happened.
Because I can't speak to everyone, Renkai. The only person I'm able to speak with is you. You and I are two different races. Humans grow from the entirety of their experiences. I don't. I grow from the knowledge I've consumed. In the end, my relationship with you will be the only one I care about.
Sorry.
No worries. I know it's harder to realize, considering I live inside you.
As she finishes getting ready, she exits her room, and her eyes catch a few things lying on and against the table. A steel greatsword and a sheathed longsword lay against the table, with a layered armored cloak laid on top of a chair, and a note sitting on the table.
"Renkai, I know you'll be leaving way too early in the morning, so I'm leaving these here. Don't ruin them too soon, okay?"
She folds the note in a different way before setting it back down. She turns her focus on the cloak. There's a gap between both layers; inside is a strap sheath large enough for a greatsword. She puts the cloak on and then picks up the greatsword, setting it in the sheath with slight difficulty. As she sets her eyes on the longsword, she realizes it comes with its own strap sheath. She ties it around her waist, and it settles nicely. She finishes adjusting herself and leaves the house.
She walks until she reaches the gates. She reaches back and covers her head with her cloak. The two guards stationed pay her no mind as she walks past. She notices a carriage riding by, and she catches a glimpse of a few people in the back as it passes by. The shortest one, a dwarf, is the one that catches her attention the most.
Iden, is that...?
I don't think so. Pay attention to the clothing. It's meant for a blacksmith, not an adventurer.
She walks the path she took from Meomina in reverse, running into a few adventurers and merchants along the way. Just like her return home, it takes her a while before she sees the walls. As she reaches the gates of Meomina, she notices tons of carriages entering town.
Either they're preparing for a festival of sorts, or something big is about to happen.
And what do you think that big something is, Iden?
A siege or raid.
Renkai keeps his words in mind as she walks into the guild. As last time, once the sound of the door shutting is heard, the rest of the adventurers in the guild turn and begin to murmur.
"Hey, look, the cursed one didn't kick the bucket yet."
"Did you hear what happened during her last job?"
"Yeah, her party went up against a Red Dragon."
"One died, and one was severely injured. Apparently, she was the only one who got away with no injuries."
"Should have just let herself get burnt alive by it."
She ignores them and continues towards the receptionist's desk. Someone enters from the door behind the desk, and their face lits up when their gaze lands on Renkai.
"Renkai, welcome back!"
Renkai returns a nod as she finally reaches the desk.
"I'm here like you told me to, Elvia."
"I... a-actually have something to tell you regarding your promotion, Renkai. While you and Daegon finished off the Red Dragon, the Guild Master didn't see it as enough reason to promote you. They sent a few adventurers to investigate the body and found it was on the smaller side."
"The promotion didn't matter too much. What about the investigation permit?"
"Oh, that was handled relatively quickly. Here."
She searches under the desk and quickly pulls out a card, sliding it to Renkai. Renkai puts it away and turns to leave, but Elvia quickly speaks up.
"Renkai, I just wanted to tell you, this might be the last time we see each other for a while."
Renkai turns around and tilts her head.
"And why's that?"
"I'm being transferred to the Guild across the lake. I think they thought my skills were rotting here."
"I see. Then, I guess this is goodbye."
"Goodbye, Renkai. What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going north. I'm searching for something."
With that, she turns back around and continues. She leaves the guild, this time, walking to the opposite side towards the north gates. After a few moments of walking in silence, a familiar voice speaks up from behind her.
"Wait."
She ignores them and continues walking, noticing something being dragged despite the pair of footsteps. That's when she hears another voice speak up behind her.
"Please, wait."
I think you should turn around, Renkai.
She decides to listen to him and finally turns around. Her eyes land on two people, a man with one arm on a crutch and another wrapped around the woman next to him. Then, she realizes the man is Grey.
"I knew it was you I saw walking towards the Guild."
"Do you need something, or should I continue on my way?"
"Would you please listen to him?"
Renkai's eyes move towards the woman, noticing a ring. Her eyes move towards Grey's hands, a ring missing from his.
"Are you two married?"
"No, we're cousins. Is there something wrong with that?
"No, I'm just surprised someone as incompetent as you could find someone to take care of you."
"Why you-"
The woman shakes Grey for a moment, and he stops.
"So, what is it you want, Grey?"
He doesn't say anything, simply stares. Renkai is about to turn back around, but watches as the woman elbows Grey in the side.
"Stop wasting this young girl's time and spit it out already."
He still doesn't say anything, and right as the woman is ready to elbow him again, he finally speaks up.
"The two of us... will be moving away from here. I was hoping to ask if your town needs a tailor."
"You actually have the guts to ask me for a favor?"
He's ready to start an argument, but one glance from his cousin stops him. Renkai decides to take him seriously after looking in his eyes, seeing a glimpse of something.
"It wouldn't hurt for my town to have another tailor of the sort."
She turns around and walks off. Grey and his cousin simply watch as she walks off. She reaches the gates, exiting town, and walks for a short while until she reaches a small hill. She looks into the distance, and her eyes fall on a mountain decently far away.
I estimate that it's about a day and a half trip from here to there walking.
That's not too bad. Unfortunately, most merchants don't go north.
And with that, she starts her journey. She follows the stream going in that direction, picking up some water in her canteen from her small waist bag. She enters a forest and picks up some edible berries that Iden points out.
Eventually, she reaches a small clearing in the forest. She looks up and notices that it's getting dark. Iden points out a larger tree in the clearing, with branches large enough to allow someone to lie down.
Are you sure you can climb up there with all that weight you're carrying?
Iden.
I know, I know. You've been carrying around a greatsword almost half your life.
Renkai climbs up the tree slowly and lies down on the wide branch.
What do you think will be in that dungeon, Iden?
Well, first we have to make sure it actually exists. But let's hope it's a weapon or skill of some sort. We're not that much farther away from it, so we'll hopefully see by the afternoon.
Renkai closes her eyes, intending to sleep.
Goodnight, Renkai.
She wakes up and immediately grabs her canteen to drink some water. She looks up through the leaves and doesn't see the sun, which is a good sign to her. As she climbs down the tree, she listens as Iden slowly stirs from his sleep.
Iden. It's not that early.
It's... hard not to wake up when you start moving around.
Once she hits the floor, she decides to do some training before continuing her journey. She pulls her longsword from her side and does practice swings with it for a few minutes. Once she decides it's enough, she sheaths it and reaches for her greatsword. She slowly pulls it out and realizes Diantel has given her a heavier greatsword than usual.
You sure you can swing that thing? It's about the same size as your previous ones, but the metal is heavier.
Despite it her struggle against its weight, she manages to pull it out of its sheath. She attempts to hold it up, but it's too heavy and forces her to slam it against the ground in front of her.
Well... I think you'll be able to use it when you use... what was its name again?
Renkai shakes her head.
Remember, it's just an imitation. Marian said it doesn't have a name, or rather, no one bothered coming up with one. We'll just test if I can wield this properly later.
Renkai walks out of the clearing, continuing on her way. She finds a dirt path that leads in the same direction, and so she follows it. She runs into a traveler or two once in a while, and they exchange information about the areas ahead.
Eventually, she finally reaches the base of the mountain. She looks around for a while, trying to find a small mound, but she notices uneven ground on the opposite side of the mountain. As she gets closer, Iden speaks up.
Renkai, there's something ahead in that dip to your right.
She moves towards the dip in between the mound and the mountain. Her eyes notice something moving, so she hides behind a nearby boulder. Her eyes landed on something large and stone-like moving around. In the middle of it lies a white crystal, glowing.
Renkai, that's a golem.
Why is there a golem here?
How would I know? It's clearly guarding something nearby, though.
I guess it's finally for a real test.
You really want to fight something that's going to be basically immune to a sword?
Perfect for a real combat test.
Without a second thought, she immediately sprints down into the pit. The golem turns upon hearing her footsteps, and its crystal turns red as it notices Renkai sprinting towards it. Its boulder-like body begins to shake, with two club-like arms popping out from its sides and two small stony stubs popping out from the bottom.
The golem launches one of its arms as if it were a projectile. Renkai slides under it, nearly avoiding it before continuing her sprint.
Renkai! Behind you!
She turns her head and watches as the arm begins to launch itself back towards the golem. She quickly dodges to the side before it hits her. She quickly focuses on the golem and watches as its arm returns to its side.
Can golems really just do that?
There are a few different kinds, you know.
She circles, far away from the golem, allowing her to dodge easily as she comes up with a plan.
You could hop on one of the arms, it launches, and ride it.
That's based on the possibility that it will retract the arm if it knows I'm on it.
She immediately changes the direction of her sprint towards the golem, and that's when she starts the process. She begins to control her breathing as she strengthens her mana veins. Once Renkai is within range, the golem raises one of its arms and prepares to slam it down. Her mana veins finally begin leaking, making her stronger and faster, even if it's slightly.
As the golem's arm comes down, she breezily runs to the side and eventually circles the golem. The golem slams its other arm down, attempting to hit Renkai once more, but she dodges to the side. She jumps onto the golem's arm and runs upwards. As she runs up its arm, she slightly strengthens her mana veins once more, powering her body just a slight bit more.
Once she reaches its shoulder, she strengthens her veins an even greater amount as her hands grab the hilt of her greatsword. Then, she jumps and pulls the greatsword from her cloak. She swings vertically down with all the force she can muster.
Her greatsword cleaves downwards, slicing the golem's upper portion of its body, merely missing the glowing crystal. Then, she pushes her mana veins dangerously further. Her greatsword cleaves through the crystal with ease. The golem's body begins to shake violently before collapsing onto the ground.
I'm surprised it was that easy. You didn't even need me to identify or appraise anything. Can you get closer to its crystal for me?
Renkai jumps off the golem's deactivated shell and walks towards the cleaved crystal. Iden analyzes it for a few moments before signaling Renkai to turn to her left. Her eyes land on a small mound, almost acting as a wall in the dip between the mountains.
Give it a few seconds.
Just like Iden says, a few seconds later, and piles of dirt begin to fall from the mound, revealing a staircase.
Guessing based on the ruined walls inside, this is the dungeon. Though there is a chance we're in the wrong dungeon and there's another one nearby.
However, Renkai doesn't think the same. For some reason, as she walks towards the stairs and stares down into the dark staircase, this confirms it to her.
No. This is it.
She descends the staircase without any hesitation. Eventually, she hits the bottom, and it's far too dark for her to see. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a scroll. She opens and the paper has a magic circle inked onto it. She places her hand and begins to pour mana into it.
The ink on the paper begins to shine brightly, acting as if it were a torch. She walks down the hallway and looks around, but there isn't anything unique about her surroundings. Merely ruined brick walls with the occasional moss or plants growing from them. She continues walking down the hallways until she notices a slight red glow from ahead.
She reaches an open room with a pedestal in the center with a bright red crystal hovering above it. She shifts her gaze to the side of it and notices a stone slab with writing on it.
Those who bear a red scale may exchange it for my Skill Shard. Be warned, upon using the shard, you may not be able to do something the same way anymore. Familiarity allows you to keep moving strong. Unfamiliar things may be fragile.
Renkai reaches into her pocket and grabs one of the few scales she has left.
There's no going back once you crush that shard, Renkai.
She places the scale on the pedestal, and the Skill Shard floats towards her. She grabs the shard with one hand. Then, she watches as the scales begin to float on the pedestal. Very slowly, it begins to crystallize from the bottom.
I see. It's a reusable dungeon. While there are no enemies within here, unless you hold a scale from a red dragon, you don't get any sort of prize. So, what are you going to do?
Without hesitation, she crushes the Skill Shard.
As much as it would have mattered to this side of the lake, obtaining a scale from a red dragon is basically impossible. There'd be no point in telling the Guild.
Then I guess our small journey ends here. Also, before you get impatient, it will take about a day for the skill to manifest.
Renkai leaves the dungeon. Once she fully exits, the dirt that fell from the door begins to rebuild itself. She looks down at the deactivated golem and notices the crystal slowly rebuilding itself.
Ah. So it has a mana absorption feature.
Renkai walks out of the dip and back onto the trail she had followed before. Eventually, she makes it back to the same clearing and climbs the same tree by nightfall. She passes out and doesn't dream of anything. She wakes up and simply continues on her way home.
Renkai, look in the sky to your side a bit.
She listens to him, and for the first time, her eyes widen.
A large cloud of smoke is emerging from the direction of her town.