Weapons from the Past

He should have known the High Priestess would be able to tell what Kia was. If Raliz noticed, she would easily find out. Calum took a deep breath. "Kia's only half-demon."

"Half-demons are still demons, Calum. If you know she's a demon, why are you willingly bringing her into the castle?"

"She's different! She's not evil. All she wants is a place she can belong."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"Because I felt the sincerity of her words when she told me about her past. When I found out she was a half-demon, I still accepted her. And that broke her into tears. High Priestess, I know she's a good person. I've experienced it firsthand. I will continue to accept her even if everyone else doesn't." Calum tried his best to keep calm and not insult the High Priestess or raise his voice. "Kia's a valued member of my party. She's proven herself time and time again."

The High Priestess took a minute to take in what the hero had told her. "If you're so sure, then I won't question you any longer. I just hope she doesn't end up harming you. Good luck on your journey, hero. Remember that the Goddess is watching over you." She turned and departed down the hall.

Calum returned to the treasury, where his friends continued to admire their new gear. Feeling some sort of pull, he went straight to the weapon rack and picked out a dark sword with a golden handle from under several other swords.

The dwarf that kept the treasury approached him from behind. "Does this blade interest you?"

He held it at eye level, studying the red crevice that extended from the tip of the blade to the hilt. "It feels like it's calling to me…"

The dwarf roared with laughter. "I wouldn't be surprised. This beauty was forged by the first hero."

Calum sharply turned to face him. "The first hero?"

He nodded. "Yes, this isn't the first time our world has been threatened. Thousands of years ago, a human led a revolution against the fae. The fae's response was to wipe out humanity. The Goddess chose a hero to shut down the revolt and restore peace between the humans and the fae. That sword is called the Faestinger. It's imbued with a strong magic that can only be harnessed by a hero chosen by the Goddess."

While he was listening intently to the dwarf, the others gathered around to hear the sword's history.

"What happened to the hero? Did he succeed?"

"That he did, dear hero. Unfortunately, he died before peace was achieved. His companion had to deal with the negotiations in his stead."

Calum returned his attention to the sword. 'Will I die, too?'

Tilaya butted in, curious to know about the turquoise-colored staff she had picked up. "What about this staff? What's special about it?"

The dwarf leaned forward and squinted his eyes. "Ah, the Tide Bringer. That staff belonged to the Sea Witch before she was defeated. A very powerful witch, she was."

She looked at her new staff with a smile.

Erik presented his greatsword. Other than the purple gem in the hilt, it looked like a regular weapon. "How about this? Does it have some mighty history to it as well?"

The dwarf inspected the weapon. "The Moon Piercer. Wielded by the kingdom's first King. He defeated thousands of foes with it. This weapon never left his side."

Kia glanced at the scroll in her hand, wondering if it had a special history to it like the weapons everyone else had grabbed. She shook her head, figuring if it had any history to it, it was most likely just given to the King by a trusted sorcerer.

"What about these talismans?" Calum pulled out the ones he had pocketed before the High Priestess came to see him.

"All of the talismans here were made by the Royal Alchemist. Unfortunately, there was a scandal, and the kingdom hasn't had a Royal Alchemist since the reign of the first King."

A guard knocked on the open door and entered. "The King has ordered me to bring you back to the audience chamber when you've finished gathering supplies."

Calum looked to the others, making sure they were all satisfied with what they had taken and were ready to head out. "Okay, take us there." He turned to the dwarf and dipped his head in respect. "Thank you for enlightening us on the history of this equipment."

The guard waited by the door until they were ready. "Follow me, please." He exited the treasury and led the group back the way they came.

As soon as the last person left the room, the door shut, followed by the sound of locks clicking.

Inside the audience chamber, Calum bowed to the King. "You wished to see us, Your Majesty?"

The King sat on his throne, tapping his fingers against the armrest. “Did you find the treasury to be satisfactory?”

“Yes, we all found valuable supplies. The treasurer knew a lot about the items we picked.”

“He’s well versed in history. Are supplies the only reason you came to the capital?”

“That was our only intention of coming here.”

“Very well. You may leave, then. It is an honor to have you here, but you need to finish your journey to save the world.” With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them.

Calum and his friends were led back outside by the guard that had escorted them in. The guard stopped outside the castle gate and bowed to him. “Be safe, hero.”

Immediately after they left the castle to set off on their journey, Kia felt the feeling of being watched return. She nudged Calum to get his attention. “It’s back.”

“Hopefully it’ll go away once we leave the city.”

They weaved their way through the city, and departed the way they came. Even outside of the city, the feeling didn’t leave her.

Night quickly approached and the party set up camp. Calum had the night watch, so he sat on a log on the edge of camp. Erik and Tilaya were sound asleep in their tents. Kia sat down next to him, too worried about the eerie feeling to fall asleep.