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Chapter 71: Stupid Arguments
🕑 Added 2025-07-03 15:06:24 +0000 UTCVivi paused. Someone wanted to talk to her in Paradise? An ether hunter, of course. Nobody else could enter. “Is it Andre or Serena?”
“I’m not certain,” Lucius said. “I just know that someone sent us a request to talk. They’re present right now.”
Vivi sat down to think.
“Should we go?” Lucius asked. “I’ll take you there if you wish.”
“They’ll be gone by the time it takes me to fall asleep,” Vivi said.
“I can make you pass out by starting a connection to Paradise,” Lucius said. “You’ve been awake for a long time anyway. Sleep would be a good idea.”
Vivi sighed. Just the idea of visiting Ythar’s dreamland again made her frown. Challenging ether hunters to duels was a good way of gaining practice. Vivi knew she should have dueled more often to gain experience. She just didn’t want to… The moment she entered Ythar’s island, the hunters looked at her as if a rat had entered. Entering Paradise was as pleasant as throwing herself into a well of mud.
“The meetup request is outside the island off on some field,” Lucius said. “There’s just one hunter and their spirit. Alone.”
“Fine,” Vivi said. “Let’s hear what they have to say. But if things go wrong, sever the connection immediately. Can you promise me that?”
“Of course,” Lucius said. “Lie down and I’ll send you there.”
She lay down next to her anvil and closed her eyes.
*
“Welcome, Vivian,” a man’s voice said the moment Vivi regained consciousness.
The bright sunlight made her squint. She pushed herself up—hands touching the green clean grass—and was disappointed to find Andre and his blue spirit standing beside her.
Andre wore his best outfit. A white regal suit, embroidered with black lace-patterns. His hair was trimmed and smoothly combed. His presence was calm and elegant. His ether didn’t ooze outward. Rather, he coated his skin with a subtle glowing layer like a calm tide moving the sea.
“What do you want?” Vivi asked. She really didn’t want to talk with him right now.
Andre smiled. “I’m here to discuss weapons with you.”
“I’m not smithing any more swords for you,” Vivi said. “And I’m not taking offers.”
“That is a shame,” Andre said. “But I’m not buying one of your runeswords. I’m here to talk about yourself.”
Vivi frowned.
“It’s clear that your profession has been neglected by the ether hunters. Runeswords show clear potential again. Perhaps enough potential to rival the spirit blades in specific situations.”
“Yes,” Vivi said. “That’s what my Grandpa has been trying to prove for decades.”
“I could help you with that,” Andre said. “By teaming up with me, your runeswords’ worth could be proven to the ether hunters.”
Vivi watched his expression. Andre looked genuine, as he always did. He wasn’t just holding a straight face; he really looked serious about his offer.
“You already tried to enslave me in your service,” Vivi said. “Are you going to plead for another chance?”
Andre grinned. “Does the name ‘Thomas Warren’s Son’ mean anything to you?”
Vivi flinched. A wave of anger flowed through her.
“Is he alive?” she asked.
“Your grandpa is alive and well,” Andre said. “I know this for certain. Though, he is imprisoned.”
“Where is he?” Vivi asked.
“Frievania,” Andre said. “He was brought to the highest security prison on the third level. Although, a storm is about to hit the city. He might be relocated soon.”
“He’s a regular old man,” Vivi said. “He just wanted to save his daughter from being killed! Why pretend like he’s some bloodthirsty criminal? What’s the need to place him in a prison like that?”
“I don’t make these decisions,” Andre said. “The incident of your escape has grown famous. Most humans know your face. They also know your grandpa helped you escape. He’s being used as an example.”
Vivi clenched her fist. These goddamn protectors of humanity. Supposed legends. They couldn’t have been more cruel if they tried. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I have the resources to free him,” Andre said.
Vivi’s head perked up.
“I see potential in your runeswords,” Andre said. “Your grandpa must be an even more experienced runesmith than you. I want to prove the worth of your new runeswords to the hunters.”
Vivi studied Andre’s look. Something about this didn’t make sense. “If you really want to prove their worth, visit Grandpa. Have one of your allies test out one of his swords. So far, none of the hunters have as much as glanced in his direction. Nobody has once given him a fair chance. Proving the power of my runeswords won’t take more than a few minutes.”
“I would love to visit him,” Andre said. “But I’m locked in Zand. Escape is what I’m after.”
Vivi frowned. “You have connections in Paradise. You could ask others to free him.”
“You don’t get it,” Andre said. “The hunters’ obsession over Ythar’s spirits has grown beyond facts. Ever since the spirits became a thing, the hunters have tangled themselves in a totally new culture. One that rejects outsiders like the plague. You have witnessed this firsthand. The hunters hate you.”
“They have nothing better to do, it seems,” Vivi said.
“The hunters don’t care whether the runeswords are better or not,” Andre said. “Spending resources on some old smith’s weapons is the last thing they want. The spirit blades are reliable, and they’re cheap. And best of all, they’re exclusive to ether hunters. Spirit wielders have a monopoly of weapons and power. No human can rival the hunters in strength.”
“Yes,” Vivi agreed.
“However,” Andre said. “The hunters are also eager to expand territory. Hunts on the fourth level are incredibly profitable. If your runeswords can prove themselves worthy of being useful on the fourth level, you and your Grandpa might have a future working underneath a hunting company. I can convince the Greenwitch company to hire you.”
“And what do you want in return?” Vivi asked.
“Your cooperation,” Andre said. “Your runeswords. The powers of your spirit. I want you to become an ally.”
A slave, Vivi thought. You want me to become your runesmithing slave.
Even still, Andre’s proposal was good. He knew what Vivi wanted. Grandpa’s dream, throughout his life, was to prove the runeswords’ worth to the ether hunters. Andre proposed to help Vivi with exactly that. Working with him could have been the quickest way to save Grandpa.
“Einord failed to craft the swords, then?” Vivi asked.
Andre’s brows twitched.
“Inside-carving is not just some joke,” Vivi said. “You’ll need years of practice before you can make it work. More years if you want to actually make a good sword, not just an operational one.”
“You read me well,” Andre said. “Work with me, craft me swords. Help me escape. In return, I will hire you and your grandpa.”
Vivi bit her lip, thinking.
Lucius… Have I grown selfish?
“What do you mean?” Lucius asked.
I really don’t want to accept his offer. Working with him means we’ll be enslaved in his smithy. We might prove the worth of our runeswords to the hunters, but we’ll be tied down by some contract, performing labor for the rest of our lives. Is that any better than being enslaved in Zand? Not to mention, Andre is probably lying. If he really had the resources to free Grandpa, someone in the Greenwitch company would have already enslaved him.
Lucius looked confused. “You’re thinking about this scammer’s offer? Why?”
Vivi bit her lip. If Andre was honest… the offer was something Vivi could consider. If Grandpa was freed, she could work in a smithy with her mentor once again. Perfecting the craft of runesmithing, working on the swords of their dreams.
“What do you say?” Andre asked. “Help me in Zand, and I will make your business thrive. Down here, no human can have a future.”
Vivi raised her head and glared at him. “I would never smith a single sword for the Greenwitch company. You’re horrible. I could not sleep at night knowing what you’re doing with my swords.”
“You would refuse my offer even if it meant keeping your grandpa imprisoned? Even if it meant both of us will be stuck in Zand?”
“I can prove my worth alone,” Vivi said. “I will duel the best hunters, defeating them with runeswords. I will force them to acknowledge their mistakes, and I will force them to adapt. Not all hunting companies can be evil. I will find trustworthy allies, and I will free Grandpa with them. I will never work with you.”
Andre wore that same annoyed expression of his, the same one he’d given Vivi just before attempting to murder her.
“A futile hope,” Andre said. He held out his palm, and his spirit turned into a sword. “Let us duel.”
Vivi frowned. Lucius, get us out of here.
“Why?” Lucius asked. “Let’s accept the duel. We can gauge his strength for real.”
Andre didn’t attempt to assassinate Vivi like before. He stood calmly, waiting for her response. “I have praised runeswords today. I admit, I was caught off-guard by their power in our earlier fight. The truth, however, is still clear. A runesmith will never defeat ether hunters.”
“We’ve grown a lot,” Lucius said. He was ready to evolve Vivi’s hands to claws. “Let’s fight him. Andre can’t be stronger than the first elevation. We have a chance to win.”
He’s just looking to gain information from us, Vivi thought. He wants to look for weaknesses in our weapons and style.
“So what?” Lucius asked. “We’ll do the same to him. This is a good opportunity to put the katana to the test. We’re selling it anyway. Andre won’t gain anything from studying it.”
Vivi sighed. Fine. But we won’t use our skill, and I won’t go all-out.
She reached into spatial storage and called forth the katana. She really didn’t feel like fighting. The exhaustion from her runesmithing spree was still somehow present in her head.
But she couldn’t die here. There was no reason to not fight, even if she wasn’t warmed up for it.
Vivi went into stance. She held the sword on her right hand, Lucius’s claws on her left. She pushed ether through the runes, the sword lighting up in her consciousness, and said, “I accept the duel.”
Upon her words, Andre’s ethereal aura burst into life.
His blue spirit blade stormed at full force, wisps of ether shooting wildly in all directions. A cloud of misty ether coated the area in a circle spanning dozens of feet. The grass below his feet was tinted blue. Andre’s eyes glowed, wisps rising, and his dark hair evolved to a full void-like black. The aura sent shivers down Vivi’s spine.
“Oh, crap,” Lucius said. “I was wrong. He’s reached at least the second elevation.”
Vivi was enshrouded in Andre’s cloudy ether. Her skin felt cold goosebumps from ether pressing against her. Andre’s full aura was tenfold stronger than what he’d let out in the dungeon.
He attacked immediately. In a flash, the raging spirit blade was aimed at Vivi’s head.
