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Chapter 64 - Dreams and Reality
🕑 Added 2025-02-27 08:53:20 +0000 UTCWhy do they look so shocked? Vivi thought. Are the swords not good enough, after all?
“Vivi, you idiot,” Lucius said with a laugh. “Do you really think these swords are subpar?”
Well, that’s only a two-runed katana, Vivi thought. I could have carved this when I was thirteen years old.
Aang held the adamantite katana like it was some fragile piece of art. He looked afraid to even run ether through it. Behind him, Rensfig was shaking his head, while Ven peeked cautiously into the room. Why was it that everyone acted so weird when it came to Vivi’s runeswords?
After a deep breath, Aang pushed ether into the katana. Only a little bit. He kept his eyes closed, feeling the presence of ether. The first contact, it was called. The moment when a wielder interacted with a runesword for the first time, flowing ether through the veins. The experience was said to be cathartic, almost spiritual. A wielder could tell the strength of a sword through contact of ether.
This time, Aang didn’t drop the blade. He merely handed it back to Vivi. Her heart raced. It was as if she was showcasing another one of her swords to a customer. On the surface, customers always looked unimpressed, barely giving Vivi’s work a glance.
“That sword…” Aang said. “It’s dangerous. If I dropped it, the blade would have pierced the ground.”
Vivi laughed awkwardly. “Only if you threw it at the ground. Runeswords aren’t that dangerous. The first sword is Rohan’s, and the katana is yours. Or you can give it to whoever fits it best. These two are free as I promised.”
Aang had never looked so serious. “What’s its name?”
“Name?” Vivi asked. She hadn’t thought of one. To her, this was just another average sword.
“Kingslayer!” Lucius called in her head. “That’s its name!”
No, that’s too flashy, Vivi thought.
Runesmiths often named their swords after the creation process, did they not? “The name is… Solace.”
“Solace?” Lucius asked. “What kind of stupid name is that? Did I really spend my ether for a sword named Solace?”
Aang seemed satisfied with the answer. He bowed. “Solace. A fitting name. Though I don’t think my conscience will allow me to accept this sword for free.”
“Give us skills, then,” Lucius said. “And ether. My wielder is fifteen thousand ether in debt, remember?”
“No, I don’t want ether,” Vivi said. “I still have over ten months of time to gather ether. Clearing my debts would mean two of the Hollows won’t be maxed out anymore. It’s useless to pay my debts now. I would prefer if the Hollows made use of every wisp instead. We can discuss clearing my debts after survival in Zand isn’t an issue anymore.”
“If there’s a skill you wish to wield, I will happily trade it for this sword,” Aang said.
Vivi gave him a laugh. Really, she was just doing her job. She’d never asked for such treatment. “I won’t feel like I earned it if I took a skill from you. I’m still not good at fighting. The Hollows will make better use of skills. If I wield a skill, I want to earn it directly by defeating a boss.”
“Two humble idiots trying to impress each other,” Rensfig said with a sigh. “For fuck’s sakes, you two.”
“I just want to do my best,” Vivi said. “I promised my Grandpa to fulfill his legacy. These swords are not nearly up to our standards. I’m happy to hear you like them, and I hope they’re useful to defeat bosses, but I can’t accept big payments for two-runed swords. Save your payments for my real masterpieces. I can’t spread Grandpa’s name if these sloppy two-runed swords are all I’m creating.”
Rensfig rolled his eyes, looking like he was about to lose it. He glanced at Aang. “Do you understand now why I said she’s insane? This witch reconstructs my failed masterpiece in a day, she calls it a sloppy two-runed piece of shit, and refuses payment. What has life come to? Are all humans like this?”
Vivi faced him with an awkward smile for a second. Then she tried to form a real expression.
“I’m serious about overthrowing Zand,” Vivi said. “I don’t have a home to return to even if I escape. My Grandpa is imprisoned, and our smithy is ruined. Humanity’s ether hunters are trying to kill me. The only life I have is here.”
Aang tried to open his mouth, but Vivi spoke over him. “I want to clear the dungeon. I want to stop this stupid facility from operating. Without monsters respawning, Zand will lose its purpose. Even if the dungeon is only gone for ten years, and even if the nimrods will simply be sent to other facilities, I want to fight back.
“You said I should work for Ingfried. You probably still think I should get out of here and work for some respectable noble. But no, I won’t do that. I don’t want to work for rich idiots that gained their wealth through abusing others. I want to craft swords for those that don’t use their powers to oppress those weaker than them.”
The demons stared at her in silence. Vivi’s heart began racing again. Had she said too much?
Aang leaned against the wall. “The nimrods are all criminals, you know.”
“Well, I’m not,” Vivi said. “All I did was exist where I shouldn’t, and now I’m a nimrod.”
“Most nimrods prefer their lives in Zand,” Aang said. “It’s far more pleasant than torture prisons.”
“The facility forces everyone to fight against each other!” Vivi said, speaking louder than she perhaps should. “It’s cruel. I hate this place. I can’t just do nothing.”
Aang breathed in. He treated Vivi like some dreamy child.
“I don’t disagree with your ideals,” Aang said. “But you should know that the Hollow Phantoms are not freedom fighters. We started hunting skills for selfish reasons. To gain power within the nimrods’ hierarchy. Only recently, we’ve even started considering what we’ll actually do with the powers we’ve earned. Clearing the dungeon is something we’re all thinking about. Especially after Lucius’s proposal. But realistically thinking, the risks are large. It’s far easier to simply live cycle by cycle. However…” He breathed in. “Your runeswords are powerful. The idea is more plausible than ever.”
“We are clearing the dungeon,” Lucius said. “That’s one thing I’m not backing down on. Finding a boss as powerful as the one below might take years. Defeating it will almost guarantee a powerful skill to drop. My wielder and I need it.”
Aang faced Lucius’s eyes, then turned to Vivi. “We will show your runeswords to the rest of the Hollows tomorrow. Then, we will discuss which bosses we will and won’t kill. In the meantime, you can reconsider whether you want payment or not. Does that work with you?”
Vivi’s eyes pointed down. I am the naive dreamy child, aren’t I?
“You have valid points, Vivi,” Lucius said. “Aang doesn’t think you’re stupid. He’s just stressed out. He knows he needs to keep up with your goals.”
Sorry, Lucius, Vivi thought. I should just take his skills and ether and be happy selling the sword. But something about that doesn’t feel right.
“It’s fine,” Lucius said. “We’ll hunt the boss and clear Zand for good. We’ll defeat a few Stewards if we have to. Or we’ll escape after the boss is dead. I’m happy with either proposal.”
Vivi lifted her head and faced Aang. “Yes. Let’s discuss plans tomorrow. But I won’t be asking for a payment.”
Aang looked like he still had more arguments to throw. Before he could, however, a discussion in the room behind them caught his attention.
He opened the door to see Alisa and Rohan in the central chamber. Both wore serious expressions.
“Is something happening?” Aang asked.
“Yes,” Alisa said. “And it’s happening soon. A surge is spawning inside Zand.”
Aang lifted his eyebrows. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” Alisa said. “It was announced just now. Apparently, the surge is hitting the hub dead-on. The forecast says it will hit right on the central fountain. The area is fenced off, and the Stewards have all gathered.”
Ven grinned, hearing that. “This means we’ll see the Stewards fighting, no?”
“Yes,” Aang said. “This is not bad news. It’s not the first time a surge has spawned in Zand. Ven, inform the union. Tell them I’m coming. And clear the landing for us. We will gather to watch the event. Vivi, you’re invited as well, though I’ll allow you to rest if you wish.”
Vivi breathed in and nodded. “I can still stand for a few hours. I’ll come.”
“The Stewards will be crafting a boss monster,” Aang said. “That’s what they did last time. For now, Lucius should carry all of your swords in spatial storage. In case of an emergency, hand one to me.”
Vivi turned back to the smithy to gather her gear, putting the two swords into spatial storage. Lucius had space, though wisps were slowly being exhausted passively now that more and more swords were being placed into storage. She had also stored a few other valuables there—a few ether roots, and two hundred worth of ether in Zand’s ether orbs. Just in case she was in a pinch for collection day.
Her third sword still lay on the anvil. The one she hadn’t yet showcased. It was a two-runed giant slayer greatsword forged with dark mithril.
Dark mithril was a high-tier mithril with a smooth marble-like surface. The metal was quite passive with seemingly no strong properties. Dark mithril was rarely used by blacksmiths for anything at all.
The one large benefit dark mithril had was its synergy with runes and ether. Dark mithril had a strong structure, but it wasn’t as dense as other mithrils. This allowed a lot of ether to strengthen the metal at once. Runes were extra efficient when paired up with dark mithril.
Vivi had created the sword for her own use, but she had still hoped to show it off. She’d paired the sword with strength and crush runes. This made the sword perfect for cutting down larger boss monsters. Any wound that the sword created would leave large gaping wounds. Landing a vital hit could kill a boss in one blow.
Vivi wasn’t sure if the sword would become useful in Zand. She’d created it on a whim out of excitement. She quickly quenched the blade in water and added it to spatial storage.
Then, Vivi joined Aang and the others as they made preparations to move to the hub, putting on disguises, stashing their maxed out ether reserves.
“It has been a while since we’ve seen the Stewards truly fight,” Aang said. “We’ll analyze their abilities. Keep your eyes sharp, and let’s enjoy the show.”
Comments
Beeees!
I'm excited to see her new sword in action. Strength and crush seem like a great combo
