Talks and Trial's - Part 4

After Grey finishes his final business with Treia, she escorts Sataro and Kitsura out of the room with an enthusiastic: "See you later". With the door closed, it leaves Grey, Hikaru, Kiru and me as the only people remaining in the room. Grey returns to and takes a seat at his desk, leaning his cane against it before addressing me again.

"Well then, Takashi. Lets discuss these." Grey either picks up or pushes the mass of paperwork adorning his desk to one of its sides before placing the makeshift bag and the severed rifle onto it, fully displaying them. Unwrapping the makeshift bag, he separates the blades from the arm device, ensuring that they can all be seen clearly on his desk.

As I watch Grey, I remember the intact rifle I have slung within my coat, revealing it to Grey, I set it gently onto his desk. However, it doesn't stay on it for long; Grey picks it up, examining and taking note of the rifle's complete structure in comparison to the severed one I gave him earlier.

"There isn't much I can tell you beyond what I haven't already." As I describe my uncertainty about what Grey wants from me, he sets the rifle onto his desk next to the other one and waves over to Hikaru, beckoning for her to approach. After a moment of confusion and hesitation on Hikaru's part, she comes closer to the desk, stopping and standing at its corner.

"There is plenty that we can learn about these even now, I'm especially curious about this..." Grey places a finger on the intact rifle, indicating what he is talking about. "You said that this thing inflicted serious damage to your partner, Kiru, right? I'd like you to explain in greater detail and show me the extent, if you can."

I'm a little taken aback by Grey request, but I can't deny that I'm just as curious about this as he is. I gesture towards Hikaru to hand Kiru over to me. After some slight jostling on her behalf, Kiru groggily awakens in her arms before Hikaru offers her to me. 

Holding my hands just shy of touching Hikaru's arms, Kiru quickly gains awareness to what is going on. She raises her arms, allowing me to guide my hands under her shoulders, pick her up, and set her onto the desk in front of me.

"Kiru, are you up for transforming?" Kiru gazes up at me with her arms crossed as uncertainty clouds her expression. "I'm glad you're active again, but I still want to check on your damage, and showing Grey here might be a good idea." My sincerity isn't lost on Kiru as I ask, yet she appears hesitant.

"I would if I could." Kiru's voice is softer than usual as she looks away from me while avoiding Grey and Hikaru's gazes as well.

"What do you mean?" Grey and I synchronise our voices in asking Kiru what she meant, only for me to notice her grip on her vest getting tighter in response to our question.

"I've tried, but I can't shift into my sword form." Hikaru leans down closer to Kiru, offering a gentle but concerned smile in an effort to comfort her, with little success. I quickly reflect on when Kiru and I were alone in the room at the inn, remembering how I managed to help her change into her humanoid form back then.

"I've got an idea. You trust me?" Offering my cupped hands to her, Kiru gazes from my hands up into my eyes, hers full of uncertainty. Eventually, she hops onto my hands, and I bring her close to my chest. "Ready?" Kiru nods, her uncertainty clearer than ever. 

I close my eyes, visualizing Kiru in her sword form, every detail from the hilt to the edge of her blade. As I maintain my focus, Kiru's weight and shape changes in my hands, adjusting my grip as my arms spread out slightly to accommodate the transformation. By the end of it, when I open my eyes, I'm holding Kiru's sword form, with her blade facing Grey.

"Phew, at least she looks okay." Hikaru expresses her relief at the sight of Kiru undamaged in her sword form only for me to dash it with a gaze and head shake, implying that she's jump to a positive conclusion too early. Adjusting my grip, I flip Kiru's blade, exposing its damaged side which prompts a shocked gasp from Hikaru.

"Holy..." Grey falls silent as he analyses the sight of numerous cracks branching out from the damaged center of the impact point. Examining her blade myself, I notice that the cracks are now much thinner to the point of closing, and have receded in reach. Even the impact point doesn't look nearly as severe as it did hours ago.

"Believe me, the damage was much more severe when it happened. It looks like she's recovered a fair bit, but she's still a long way from being fully recovered." I state my observations of Kiru's condition with a hint of relief, which also brings a small sense of it to Hikaru as well.

"A single round from this thing, did that?" Grey points from the intact rifle to Kiru's impact point to emphasize his question, to which I respond with a stern nod. Bringing his hand to his well-maintained beard in contemplation. "A legendary weapon, damaged to this extent by a firearm. This bodes ill indeed."

"Is it really better compared to before?" I hear Kiru's question echo within my mind, her voice filled with concern. I reassure her as best I can, while also paying attention to Grey and Hikaru's actions, especially to what Grey says upon his reflections. Meanwhile, Hikaru appears lost, which isn't surprising considering she has very little understanding of this world and its rules.

"If the cities are developing weapons capable of damaging..." 'No,' I cut myself off at the word, realising I need a word with greater impact. "Destroying legendary weapons. That means our roles as deterrents is at risk, which also puts everyone else in danger." Grey doesn't flinch at the weight of my words, though he does gaze at me in an unsettling way.

"We can only pray they haven't realised this, but I can't help feeling that there's more to these weapons." Grey picks up the severed rifle by the magazine that is stuck inside it. With some harsh persuasion, he manages to tear it free, slightly damaging it further. Examining the weapon's magazine, Grey extracts a couple of the rounds held within.

The rounds' weight is announced by the loud thunks they make upon landing on the desk, implying just how heavy they are before they're even fired. Grey examines one more closely, noting its shape, weight and material before dropping it next to the others again.

"A lead-based bullet with a typical brass casing – there doesn't appear to be anything special about the rounds they're using aside from their size." As if on cue, the office door slams open as a familiar-looking dwarf bursts into the room, surprising everyone. 

Wearing a bandanna over his head and leather-based clothing adorned with numerous leather straps that hold a variety of tools and allow for adequate air to flow in hot environments. His large, dark, unkempt beard expands wider than his head and reaches down to the base of his stomach.

"Aye'ya erd ya needed ma services, ey." 'Isn't he that guy who first told us about Alameria's plight?' The stout, scruffy man with a deep, gravely voice marches into the office, slamming the door closed behind himself. He approaches the desk, his chin barely reaching above its frame.

"Good to see you here, I do hope that Treia didn't disturb you when I sent her for you." The dwarf dismisses Grey's comment with a wave of his thick arm, resting his hands on the edge of his desk like a child peeking over it.

"Aye, iss ahl'ways a treet wen she goms round. Yu shood send er round more ofen. Ah do love me som ie candy. ah, ah, ah." Amidst Grey and the dwarf's banter the only thought running through my head is, 'Who the hell is this guy?' I shift my gaze over to Hikaru to see what kind of reaction she's having to the situation, only to find that she has moved closer to and is hiding herself behind me from the dwarf.

"Oh, sorry, you two haven't met yet." Grey spots my confused expression and proceeds with introductions. "Takashi, Miss Hikaru, allow me to introduce Alameria's newest smith: Argolus. Argolus, this couple here is Takashi, our resident legendary wielder and his weapon, Kiru, along with his companion, Miss Hikaru."

Transferring Kiru from my right hand to hold her in my left, I give Argolus a respectful nod while extending my right arm, offering a handshake. Kiru remains silent, likely thinking of how to approach this blacksmith who could wind up handling her at some point in the future. 

Hikaru is shyly hiding behind me, poking her head out for a moment to introduce herself with a nervous head nod. 'Why is Hikaru acting this way around this guy?' I gaze at Grey to gauge his reaction to her behavior. I notice him glancing at her occasionally while wearing a momentary smirk every now and then.

"We've met before, though we didn't have time for introductions back then." Argolus takes my hand in a tight grip and shakes it with strength and enthusiasm. The course feeling of the calluses encompassing his hand and his rugged appearance tells me he's spent a great deal of time around the forge and can be considered a smith with a wealth of experience.

"Aye, I member yu, ya came inta town wit dat dum gwes'chan. Got'ta say, did'na exspec ya ta be so yung." As the stout dwarf talks, I feel a frequent tugging sensation on my coat from where Hikaru is holding onto me, 'That's weird, Hikaru did this last time we encountered him. What is going on with her?'

"It's a recent development." I shift my gaze over to Grey. "When did we get a new blacksmith?" My gaze shifts back to Argolus, and I notice a number of burns and scars adorning his arms.

"Oh, Argolus? He joined us about a week before your disappearance. He's been an amazing addition to Alameria. In the short time he's been here, all the other smiths have accepted his skills and recognised Argolus as the town's head smith." 'Within a couple of months, this guy must have some serious skill.'

"Aye, aye. Les nut get stuk on dat subjec, how 'bout yu tell me why yu call'd me ere?" Snapping us back onto the reason he was Grey called him here, We showcase the collection of weapons on Grey's desk. Eventually, after some comments of his own, all of our focus is on Argolus as he attempts to dismantle and remove a bullet from its casing.

With a loud snap, Argolus succeeds and asks for a piece of paper to lay the casing's contents on. Grey takes a sheet of paper from the pile he set aside and passes it to Argolus. Pouring its contents onto the paper, the gunpowder sprawls out across the white page's surface. We all gaze at the casing's contents curiously.

"Meh, ooks like iss jus' gunnpo'der... hol' on." Just as my gaze catches onto what Argolus did, he reaches out to poke and shift the gunpowder to better show what we've noticed. "Ooks like dere's somtin mixed in wit de... argh!"

My hand latches onto Argolus wrist before he can touch it, even before my own realisation of what we're seeing comes to me. Even Kiru's warning is too slow in comparison. Everyone gazes at me with a mix of emotions: Hikaru is mostly surprised by my actions, while Grey is mostly curious and Argolus is irritated by the painfully solid grip I have on his wrist.

"Ey'yow, wat da hek yu doin', boy?" While Argolus is more concerned over the pain of what I' doing to him, Grey snaps me back to my senses, giving me control over my awareness and body again. A mix of emotions run through me, but the one that I feel most...

"What is it Takashi? What do you see?" Releasing my grip on Argolus wrist, he pulls his hand back, massaging the pain away.

"It's..." I manage to suppress the fear overcoming me enough to speak without stammering, Gathering the will and the words, I say them with a serious and dark expression on my face.

"It's Dark Matter!"