Much To Learn

Clara: “Did he say where he was going?”

Lihard: “He said he was going to tell you when he was leaving. I guess he lied to us both. He’s going after a girl that came here not too long ago. Her name was Isara. She’s going after the master blacksmiths. I slipped up and told her.”

Clara: “That’s not your fault. It just disappoints me that Welpen left without saying goodbye. Did he think that I would’ve stopped him?”

Lihard: “Well, would you have?”

Clara: “Ugh, yes, I would have. I would have stopped the girl too. The master blacksmiths are impossible to find. Why would you even mention that to her? Just fix the sword yourself.”

Lihard: “I did, but it was unfixable. It’s not going to hold long. It’s so old and it wasn’t very rare anyways, but she insisted anyways that I fixed it instead of getting a new sword. I worry that she might already be dead. It can only handle a few more hits at most before it shatters like glass…Hey, what happened to you trying to quit smoking?”

Clara: “I had quit, but I just started again. I have some choices to make.”

Lihard: “Clara, whatever you’re thinking, do not do it.”

Clara: “I’m not thinking anything at the moment, Lihard. I’m just enjoying the air.”

Lihard: “You’re enjoying the smoke is what you’re doing…Hey, where are you going?”

Clara: “Back to my house. I got some chores to do.”

Lihard: “Clara! Don’t you do anything stupid! You’ve been investigating this place for a long time. Don’t throw that away. We both know what Reiken is capable of…Ah, hello, hello. How may I help you? Looking to get a sword fixed?”

Clara walked away without another word as Lihard started her down as he helped the people in need of a fixed sword. ‘She’s going to get herself killed,’ he thought.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Back in Treetops Hillside, people began to gather around the Sacred Tree to pray.

Kouki: “There are a lot more people here than normal. Has word spread about the tree’s power?”

Yasuhiro: “This stupid place keeps gaining more traction. Which one of your workers went and did a bunch of missionary work?”

Kouki: “I never ordered anyone to do that. It’s not like they get any power from it.”

Yasuhiro: “Tch! They should be bowing down to us, not the tree.”

Kouki: “I could care less as long as nobody dies. It’s not our fault that our ancestors didn’t cut the source of its power years ago. Not like I couldn’t kill it right now, but I don’t want the hassle that follows.”

Yasuhiro: “I don’t like it either brother, but I need its power. Still, these people should be on their hands and knees for us. We protect this city by ourselves.”

Kouki: “Speaking of, I heard you went and destroyed the City of Thieves. What were you thinking, idiot? We are going to have people at our doorstep soon.”

Yasuhiro: “Eh, it’s not a big deal. Nothing that shouldn’t have been done years ago.”

Kouki: “Brother, you shut off the teleporter to Carmen’s Dungeon. What if we need chaplets from there? You need to think about what you do before just doing it.”

Yasuhiro: “Oh stop pestering me. Plus, I helped out stupid little brother, who if I recall, you sent out there.”

Kouki: “Point taken, but stop messing around. I could care less about our image. We are already tainted amongst the Great Swordsmen. Still, we don’t need trouble coming to our city. Then we will be cast aside by everyone here too.”

Yasuhiro: “Relax, nothing is going to hap–”

The two drew their swords instantly in fear. Yasuhiro’s cockiness faded and Kouki’s face became weary. This presence alone was enough to shake two of the Greatest Swordsmen. However, it quickly faded.

Yasuhiro: “The hell was that? Are you playing a joke on me? It’s not funny if you are.”

Kouki: “That wasn’t a joke and that wasn’t me. I don’t know what that was. I’ve never felt that before. That wasn’t Arata. This presence was much greater, but I haven’t felt this intensity since Michiaki and Aamon in the last Titan War.”

Yasuhiro: “Brother. That would’ve been a serious fight whatever that was. We wouldn’t have had a choice. These people would’ve died for us to have killed whatever that was. That stupid tree is too slow to protect them with its vines.”

Kouki: “Yeah. This is why you need to stop messing around. Unknown enemies are going to enter here willingly ready to fight. I’m sending guards to check out what that was. You go too. Stick to the outskirts and watch from the trees in the distance. Even though we don’t sense its presence doesn’t mean it might not still be here. If they truly wish to attack, they would have learned the art of concealing their mana, unless they are too stupid to just charge right in. There are too many people today to have this go wrong. Watch over my guards too. They won’t be able to stop whatever that was. Contact me if there is a problem with the Tone Chaplet. Each of my guards has a Rose Chaplet too.”

Yasuhiro: “Sure, but I ain’t scared. I’ll handle it on my own.”

Kouki: “Go. I have to do this. I’m not sending all these people home if it’s a false alarm…Hello, hello everyone. Welcome to the Sacred tree. Who has never been here before…?”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sarz: “See, look. It ranks each chaplet that has been discovered. 68 have been found out of 70, but some of these are missing information. The holders probably didn’t disclose the knowledge they had about them, so there aren’t pictures either for some, just the names. Here, look at the one you have. A Moon Chaplet. There’s a picture of it, but no information about what it does, at least in this book, but the name is still in here meaning that someone knew about it or told someone else about it. This is why adventurers still seek out chaplets. Some of this might be false knowledge though.”

Ine: “I wish there was information on this. We are just going to have to test it out.”

Liz: “What happens if we hurt someone though? We don’t know what it does.”

Sarz: “We will have to do it in a big area where nobody is around.”

Isara: “I don’t know, everyone. It has to be really strong right? What if it is so strong that it could destroy a town?”

Ine: “Well, how are we supposed to know what it does then? We could test it out in a big body of water instead.”

Sarz: “Yes, yes. We shall.”

Liz: “Oh! Look at this book. It has a bunch of cool swords in it. Woah! These are cool. Look at this one. It’s called The Pixel. It’s a glowing all white sword. It says that it releases toxic poison with one of its powers and also is able to slash realms. That’s insane! It says it’s a 1 of 1 sword, but nothing else about it. I wonder if it does anything else.”

Ine: “Guys, look at this one! It’s the sword Morlin used to use!”

Sarz: “Morlin!”

Liz: “What?! Morlin!”

Ine: “Yeah. Sylvathord: Blade of the Mystic Winds. Although, I guess he never told anyone about its powers.”

Sarz: “We don’t even know about its powers. He kept it a secret so nobody would ever attack. We don’t even know what it looks like. I can’t believe that he ended up sharing it with someone to write it down though.”

Isara: “Umm, sorry to interrupt everyone. I know that is important to you, but what is this? It says it’s the rarest chaplet in the world, but there is no information on it.”

Sarz: “Let me see. Hmm, I don’t know. Fool’s judgement? Have you guys ever heard of that?”

Liz: “No.”

Ine: “No. Although, I haven’t heard of a lot of those chaplets and I’ve lived for a long time hehe.”

Sarz: “For a lot of the rarer ones, there are just question marks because nobody actually knows what they really do just like with the Moon Chaplet that you found. It’s just like swords, but with swords, people know a lot more because everybody has them. Not everybody necessarily has chaplets. Also, if chaplets break, they spawn back in a random place, so it’s hard for people to record how many of them exist. Even the most basic ones nobody knows how many of them there are. Look at the first page. There is a picture of a basic one. The Enhancer Chaplet. A lot of people use this to enhance their sword’s powers or use it for basic activities in everyday life to enhance their own body.”

Isara: “I think I’ve seen this actually. I saw a woman cook once while using the chaplet. She was way more efficient and quick. She made a meal that should’ve taken 30 minutes in half the time.”

Liz: “Oh, I remember that. It tasted so yummy.”

A group of people waltzed right next to Isara. The fairies hid inside her sword. They didn’t seem like they meant harm, but they were loud and nosy. From what Isara could hear from them, their names were Ezekiel, Ryoko, and Okasaki.

Ezekiel: “Give me that stupid book. You don’t know what you’re doing idiot.”

Okasaki: “Yeah like you could do any better. It’s one hundred pages of different places here. How are there so many places? Where is the barrier here? Where are the tournaments?”

Ryoko: “Can’t process. Too much information.”

Ezekiel: “The hell is this. Why is there a guild in every town? How many freaking towns are there?”

Okasaki: “I told you. Why is everything so big?”

‘What is wrong with these guys?’ Isara thought. They then turned towards her to ask questions that seemed like common sense to her. She really wished they hadn’t seen her, but she answered questions about the guilds, adventurers, chaplets, swords, and crafting. The three of them stood there acting like they had never heard the information before.

Ryoko: “Processing a little. Too much information. Can’t process all, but processing some.”

Okasaki: “Look at the boy. He’s biting his fingernails like there is no tomorrow…Miss…?”

Isara: “Isara.”

Okasaki: “Isara. Yes, so…We’re completely lost here!”

Ezekiel: “Yeah, what the hell is this? Where the hell are we?”

Isara: “Umm, this is the library of Loosenhall. You’re all in Loosenhall City.”

Okasaki: “Oh yes yes. I see that in the book. We are taking this book. I need this.”

Isara: “You have to check it out at the front desk over there.”

Okasaki: “Oh god, not this lady. We talked to her when we came in here and she got all mad at us and started yelling. Ezekiel, you go do it.”

Ezekiel: “Are you serious? You go do it. Use your brain for once you hunk of muscle. It’s not that difficult. You fight and kill people. It can’t be that hard to take a book.”

Ryoko snagged the book out of Isara’s hands and questioned it.

Ryoko: “Ball looking objects. Strange. Weird. Can’t comprehend orbs.”

Ezekiel: “Let’s just go. The kid is starting to lose it. Let’s go get some food. Just take the damn book.”

As they exited out the front door of Loosenhall’s library, the alarm sounded off and people circled them immediately with swords.

???: “You three men. Are you trying to steal this book?”

Ezekiel: “Huh? The hell are you guys?”

???: “Sir. Please put the book back or check it out accordingly. If you do not comply with the law, then you will be thrown into isolation.”

The woman from earlier at the front desk chimed in and bashed them for their rudeness beforehand. The men refused to talk to the woman, but threatened to kill her if she kept running her mouth.

Isara: “Hey, hey, hey. He didn’t mean that. He is with me. They are going to put the book back right now, aren’t you guys?”

Ezekiel: “Huh? Umm, yeah I guess we were.”

Isara: “I apologize for their behavior. We were just leaving. He has a disorder where he can’t control his thoughts. We won’t be back. Thank you. Sorry for the inconvenience…Follow me guys.”

Okasaki: “Who the hell do you think you are? We could’ve wiped out that entire place and had a feast. I wonder if any of them tasted good.”

Isara: “One, no eating people. Two, you should thank me for saving you. I don’t care how strong you are. You shouldn’t be wreaking havoc in places. That is their property and you need to respect it.”

Ryoko: “Correct and incorrect. Understanding is fading…Now rising.”

Isara: “You all want to know about chaplets and swords right? Well, I’ve been on my own basically since I was a kid. I’ve hopped around to many places. I’ll buy everyone lunch if you behave yourselves.”

Okasaki: “I won’t take any lip from a wo–”

Ezekiel: “That would be lovely! Thank you very much!”

Ryoko: “Understood. Processing complete. Thank…you.”

Isara: “Perfect! Let’s go. The food here is really good. I had some rice when I entered the city not too long ago.”