Chapter 40
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"How do you know of this sword? It was given to me by Odin, and is clearly of Nordic make." Val eyed Coyote curiously, who appeared to be deep in thought.
After a few moments, Coyote turned to him again. "There are few who do not know that blade. Tyr, Odin, the entire Aesir host and their warriors waged battle across the world long ago. To be fair, they also developed and settled many lands, and most of their campaigns were to fight back injustice. The blade was forged so Tyr might serve as arbiter of the gods, punishing those who severely overstepped their boundaries. Generally we tend to keep to ourselves, after all, there has been no war of divinity that has not ended in far more destruction than any could afford."
"We're no stranger to wars like that ourselves, but I'm guessing there were others like Tyr."
"Indeed, there were others who kept the gods in line, but Tyr was certainly… proactive, in his work."
Val looked to Muninn, thinking about her words. "Why is this blade cursed? It seems strange that the old man would give me a cursed sword."
"I will explain later. It suffices for you to know that if someone can restore the blade, it would indeed serve the described purpose. For now you know how to slay the wendigo, and what Coyote wants from us." Muninn replied flatly, she was in a serious mood, unlike her usual self.
"Hmm, fine. Coyote, all you want is its heart?"
"Indeed, the heart is the price for the information I have given you."
"I haven't agreed yet."
"Oh, you have, you wear your thoughts on your sleeve, it is easy enough to see some sympathy for the wretched man's fate. And… I know you are able to succeed, with or without restoring the sword, your injury was merely a clumsy mistake as I see it, one you are unlikely to make again." Coyote exposed a toothy grin, he sounded satisfied but there was definitely mockery in his tone.
"Fine. I'll get you the heart, do I simply find you here?"
"Hmm, when you have retrieved the heart, I will find you."
"Uh… Alright."
Before the conversation could continue, Muninn turned an eye to the sky. "Val, Huginn is nearby, Alevriasha should be with him."
Val craned his neck around, noticing the elven figure approaching, though he felt even dizzier seeing someone running toward him without making a single sound.
"How's your injury?" Asha immediately asked, a mix of concern and confusion on her face seeing Val sitting legs stretched out on the ground.
"Fine, healed it already, really lightheaded though, rampant blood loss is not as easy to fix."
"Healed? You met a healer?"
"No, healed it myself, sort of."
Asha looked to Muninn for answers to her confusion.
"His brand powered the healing, he did not use his own mana to fuel it."
"I see. We need to return to the city, I lost the monster but it will figure it out soon. It's a frightfully tenacious hunter."
"It's a 'wendigo', you heard of them?"
Asha frowned. "Stories, but the nearly two hundred years past, I don't think there has been one in these lands. Nothing as large as that either."
Val shrugged. "That's what Coyote here told me."
Asha stopped, staring at Val with worry in her emerald eyes.
"What?"
"Who?"
Val turned around and his eyes went wide with alarm, there was no fog, no canoe, no pompous coyote-man smoking a pipe. Just the expansive lake reflecting the night sky.
"What the hell??"
"He was not actually here, that's why I stopped you from drawing your blade." Muninn explained.
"That wasn't real?" Val asked dubiously.
"It was very real— a vision of sorts, not too unusual for one with his powers. I saw powerful magic in that fog, that is probably how he reached us."
"Excuse me, what is going on?" Asha looked at the two of them like they had lost their minds.
"A very old deity of these lands paid us a visit, explaining the wendigo to us and requesting we bring him its heart. A trickster to be sure, but he was not lying about the creature." Muninn explained.
Huginn scoffed. "Hmph. A trickster who speaks the truth? I would like to meet one."
"Okay, either way, we need to get going." Asha helped Val to his feet, supporting him so they might move faster.
Aside from the occasional howl in the night, they managed to reach the outer farmlands and safely return to Kar Lodihr. The old guard captain was still on duty, as if waiting for them to return. Seeing Val supported by Asha he whistled sharply, a couple guards ran over and immediately reported to him.
"Is he injured? There are healers on duty." The captain asked with concern.
"He's fine, he lost a lot of blood but he recovered his wounds already, just needs food and rest."
"I see. I take it you found the beast then?"
"Yes, we did." Asha replied.
"This is not required, but can you tell us about it? At this rate the guard will need to get involved if the Black Dogs or someone else doesn't take an interest."
"I can, but can you follow me to our lodging? He's healed but whatever he did, he seems ready to pass out from hunger." Asha was propping up Val who almost looked to be sleep walking.
"Aye, lead the way, boy's pale as a sheet." The captain escorted them back to the Chimera's Den, his presence warding away any zealous merchants and others looking to offer their services for coin.
Upon entering the tavern, as usual it seemed Boldir never left his bar, between serving drinks and a few documents behind him, it brazenly doubled as his office.
"What happened? Is—" Boldir put down his work drying mugs as he noticed them enter.
"He's fine. Whatever you have in the kitchen, can you bring him some food?"
"Sure." Boldir motioned to one of his waitstaff who promptly disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a plate hastily ladened with bread and thick slices of meat.
Boldir's concern eased as he saw Val grow more awake as he consumed the food placed before him, and it faded entirely as Val began to wolf down his food, hardly pausing to chew.
"So, I assume there's a story here, an elf and a young man leave my hospitality, only to return hours later, one in weak state, accompanied by the venerable Captain Durnham." Boldir stated with a raised eyebrow, though upon mention of the guard captain, his tone held a slight disdain.
"Relax, I'm not here relating to your 'real' business, or the legality of your methods. I'm here for the reason you just mentioned." Durnham leveled stern pair of gray eyes to the barkeep.
"Fair enough, drinks, anyone?"
"I'm on duty. But a water would be nice."
"Five crowns." Boldir was clearly committing robbery.
"Never mind."
Asha rolled her eyes, ordering a mug of cider and a glass of water, handing the water to Durnham. Considering she placed no crowns on the bar, it appeared Val's tab had grown unnoticed once again.
"So, what's the deal with Val?" Boldir was eying Val's appetite with some amusement, his brows climbing up his forehead.
"Some sort of regenerative magic he used to heal his wounds has him starving for food, and some blood loss."
"Yes I assumed that's his blood judging by the state of his armor… So you know, if and when you tell Joanne, neither of you two are welcome to hide here. It has been some time but her temper has not changed, you will not lead disaster here again."
Asha froze midway between a sip of her cider, suddenly realizing the likely sequence of events to occur when Joanne finds out Val got the armor torn open mere hours after receiving it.
"Mmhmm, it seems you remember as well."
"Ha, you're in deep." Durnham chuckled, it would appear Joanne's wrath was legendary.
"Ahem, anyway, long story short, we encountered the monster in the hills, same place it was reported previously. It's as large as described, larger than a bear, and as fast as a horse. The part you may not know is that it is very susceptible to fire, having neither hide, scales, or armor of any kind. The most terrifying part though is its capacity for regeneration. Val took off both of its arms and I disabled its legs, in a few seconds it managed to recover everything as if it was never hurt." Asha explained their ordeal, eager to change the subject from Joanne and the pride she held in her craft.
"You're serious?" Boldir looked nervous.
Val seemed to have recovered somewhat, pushing an empty plate forward and requesting more.
"Yeah she's serious. The bastard sliced open my belly when I was about to carve off its head. New limbs exploded from the stumps and caught me off guard."
"So to kill we'll probably need to enlist a mage or heavy explosives to destroy it in one go."
"Not necessarily, removing its head should prevent its regenerative abilities for a time. Apparently that part is harder to heal." Val added.
"You speak as if you're going to attempt it again." Durnham looked mildly concerned.
"I am, as soon as I get my strength back, now that I know what it can do."
"Hmm, well there's still some groups looking to claim that contract." Boldir nodded towards a table of folks in various mismatched equipment.
"Unlikely any will succeed. The Black Dogs have declared disinterest in this contract, too much risk, not enough of a bounty either. Several other established groups we've relied on are echoing that remark. The task will fall to freelancers and eventually the guard." Durnham said with some resignation in his tone.
"If you can draw it into an open field, it should be simple extermination with your manpower." Asha said.
"Aye, but the beast hides in the hills, only comes out at night, as crazed as it may be, it seems to possess intelligence."
Val began tearing into a second helping of food. An implicit understanding between him and Asha seemed to be holding either of them from explaining the full story of the night.
"Well, in a day or two I should be fit to take a second stab at it. The contract will still be good then right?" Val asked.
"Aye, we've discussed mobilizing the guard but that won't likely happen before the week is up, you still have a few days."
"Perfect, then, I have a question."
"Hmm?"
"Who's the best blacksmith in the city? Specifically I need someone to take a look at my sword."
Durnham looked to Boldir. "I know of several, but depending on what you're specifically looking for, he'll know."
"What kind of sword is it?" Boldir asked, nodding to the sword on Val's back.
Val unfastened the belt around his chest, placing the sword on the bar. He began to unsheathe the blade, but the moment Boldir saw the barely visible runes and the geometric knot pattern along the spine, he quickly took the grip and returned it securely to the sheathe.
Val gave Boldir a confused look, the barkeep looked to have broken out into a cold sweat. There was no longer any smugness about his expression as he stared at the sword in its sheathe with abject horror in his eyes.
"Forgive me, I have no idea how you came to possess this blade and I did not realize it. The sheathe is not the original, but there's no mistaking it. As old as it is, it remains sharp enough to rend flesh and bone, and even the runes have yet to fade entirely. I know who can take a look at this, but please, do not draw this blade within my sight."
"I heard it was cursed, you can rest assured that apparently whatever power this sword had once, it's now gone, that's actually why I need to find someone to take a look at it."
"…What?"
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Durnham also had a steely expression, it was difficult to tell what he was thinking, but he was not saying a word, as fixated on the blade as Boldir was. Asha simply eyed them curiously, and the ravens perched to the side held an austere gaze.
"Whatever curse this sword had is gone." Val repeated.
"Not that, if that is true then it is a blessing, why do you wish to restore it?" Boldir looked at Val as if he were mad.
"It can slay monsters with similar abilities to the one I fought tonight."
"It can also kill you, do you even know what this sword is?" Durnham finally spoke up.
Val shrugged. "I know it's exceptionally well made, and it was suggested to me that I have it restored."
Boldir was silent for a moment, deep in thought, before he slowly spoke. "If you truly intend to wield this blade in even a fraction of its full might… Know that it very well may get you killed, and you are not looking for a blacksmith. For this, the problem is not with the steel. This is aether-steel, of the highest quality, few materials can remove its edge once tempered. Those faded runes are depleted of magic and have lost their power, for this you'll need a runesmith."
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"How do you know of this sword? It was given to me by Odin, and is clearly of Nordic make." Val eyed Coyote curiously, who appeared to be deep in thought.
After a few moments, Coyote turned to him again. "There are few who do not know that blade. Tyr, Odin, the entire Aesir host and their warriors waged battle across the world long ago. To be fair, they also developed and settled many lands, and most of their campaigns were to fight back injustice. The blade was forged so Tyr might serve as arbiter of the gods, punishing those who severely overstepped their boundaries. Generally we tend to keep to ourselves, after all, there has been no war of divinity that has not ended in far more destruction than any could afford."
"We're no stranger to wars like that ourselves, but I'm guessing there were others like Tyr."
"Indeed, there were others who kept the gods in line, but Tyr was certainly… proactive, in his work."
Val looked to Muninn, thinking about her words. "Why is this blade cursed? It seems strange that the old man would give me a cursed sword."
"I will explain later. It suffices for you to know that if someone can restore the blade, it would indeed serve the described purpose. For now you know how to slay the wendigo, and what Coyote wants from us." Muninn replied flatly, she was in a serious mood, unlike her usual self.
"Hmm, fine. Coyote, all you want is its heart?"
"Indeed, the heart is the price for the information I have given you."
"I haven't agreed yet."
"Oh, you have, you wear your thoughts on your sleeve, it is easy enough to see some sympathy for the wretched man's fate. And… I know you are able to succeed, with or without restoring the sword, your injury was merely a clumsy mistake as I see it, one you are unlikely to make again." Coyote exposed a toothy grin, he sounded satisfied but there was definitely mockery in his tone.
"Fine. I'll get you the heart, do I simply find you here?"
"Hmm, when you have retrieved the heart, I will find you."
"Uh… Alright."
Before the conversation could continue, Muninn turned an eye to the sky. "Val, Huginn is nearby, Alevriasha should be with him."
Val craned his neck around, noticing the elven figure approaching, though he felt even dizzier seeing someone running toward him without making a single sound.
"How's your injury?" Asha immediately asked, a mix of concern and confusion on her face seeing Val sitting legs stretched out on the ground.
"Fine, healed it already, really lightheaded though, rampant blood loss is not as easy to fix."
"Healed? You met a healer?"
"No, healed it myself, sort of."
Asha looked to Muninn for answers to her confusion.
"His brand powered the healing, he did not use his own mana to fuel it."
"I see. We need to return to the city, I lost the monster but it will figure it out soon. It's a frightfully tenacious hunter."
"It's a 'wendigo', you heard of them?"
Asha frowned. "Stories, but the nearly two hundred years past, I don't think there has been one in these lands. Nothing as large as that either."
Val shrugged. "That's what Coyote here told me."
Asha stopped, staring at Val with worry in her emerald eyes.
"What?"
"Who?"
Val turned around and his eyes went wide with alarm, there was no fog, no canoe, no pompous coyote-man smoking a pipe. Just the expansive lake reflecting the night sky.
"What the hell??"
"He was not actually here, that's why I stopped you from drawing your blade." Muninn explained.
"That wasn't real?" Val asked dubiously.
"It was very real— a vision of sorts, not too unusual for one with his powers. I saw powerful magic in that fog, that is probably how he reached us."
"Excuse me, what is going on?" Asha looked at the two of them like they had lost their minds.
"A very old deity of these lands paid us a visit, explaining the wendigo to us and requesting we bring him its heart. A trickster to be sure, but he was not lying about the creature." Muninn explained.
Huginn scoffed. "Hmph. A trickster who speaks the truth? I would like to meet one."
"Okay, either way, we need to get going." Asha helped Val to his feet, supporting him so they might move faster.
Aside from the occasional howl in the night, they managed to reach the outer farmlands and safely return to Kar Lodihr. The old guard captain was still on duty, as if waiting for them to return. Seeing Val supported by Asha he whistled sharply, a couple guards ran over and immediately reported to him.
"Is he injured? There are healers on duty." The captain asked with concern.
"He's fine, he lost a lot of blood but he recovered his wounds already, just needs food and rest."
"I see. I take it you found the beast then?"
"Yes, we did." Asha replied.
"This is not required, but can you tell us about it? At this rate the guard will need to get involved if the Black Dogs or someone else doesn't take an interest."
"I can, but can you follow me to our lodging? He's healed but whatever he did, he seems ready to pass out from hunger." Asha was propping up Val who almost looked to be sleep walking.
"Aye, lead the way, boy's pale as a sheet." The captain escorted them back to the Chimera's Den, his presence warding away any zealous merchants and others looking to offer their services for coin.
Upon entering the tavern, as usual it seemed Boldir never left his bar, between serving drinks and a few documents behind him, it brazenly doubled as his office.
"What happened? Is—" Boldir put down his work drying mugs as he noticed them enter.
"He's fine. Whatever you have in the kitchen, can you bring him some food?"
"Sure." Boldir motioned to one of his waitstaff who promptly disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a plate hastily ladened with bread and thick slices of meat.
Boldir's concern eased as he saw Val grow more awake as he consumed the food placed before him, and it faded entirely as Val began to wolf down his food, hardly pausing to chew.
"So, I assume there's a story here, an elf and a young man leave my hospitality, only to return hours later, one in weak state, accompanied by the venerable Captain Durnham." Boldir stated with a raised eyebrow, though upon mention of the guard captain, his tone held a slight disdain.
"Relax, I'm not here relating to your 'real' business, or the legality of your methods. I'm here for the reason you just mentioned." Durnham leveled stern pair of gray eyes to the barkeep.
"Fair enough, drinks, anyone?"
"I'm on duty. But a water would be nice."
"Five crowns." Boldir was clearly committing robbery.
"Never mind."
Asha rolled her eyes, ordering a mug of cider and a glass of water, handing the water to Durnham. Considering she placed no crowns on the bar, it appeared Val's tab had grown unnoticed once again.
"So, what's the deal with Val?" Boldir was eying Val's appetite with some amusement, his brows climbing up his forehead.
"Some sort of regenerative magic he used to heal his wounds has him starving for food, and some blood loss."
"Yes I assumed that's his blood judging by the state of his armor… So you know, if and when you tell Joanne, neither of you two are welcome to hide here. It has been some time but her temper has not changed, you will not lead disaster here again."
Asha froze midway between a sip of her cider, suddenly realizing the likely sequence of events to occur when Joanne finds out Val got the armor torn open mere hours after receiving it.
"Mmhmm, it seems you remember as well."
"Ha, you're in deep." Durnham chuckled, it would appear Joanne's wrath was legendary.
"Ahem, anyway, long story short, we encountered the monster in the hills, same place it was reported previously. It's as large as described, larger than a bear, and as fast as a horse. The part you may not know is that it is very susceptible to fire, having neither hide, scales, or armor of any kind. The most terrifying part though is its capacity for regeneration. Val took off both of its arms and I disabled its legs, in a few seconds it managed to recover everything as if it was never hurt." Asha explained their ordeal, eager to change the subject from Joanne and the pride she held in her craft.
"You're serious?" Boldir looked nervous.
Val seemed to have recovered somewhat, pushing an empty plate forward and requesting more.
"Yeah she's serious. The bastard sliced open my belly when I was about to carve off its head. New limbs exploded from the stumps and caught me off guard."
"So to kill we'll probably need to enlist a mage or heavy explosives to destroy it in one go."
"Not necessarily, removing its head should prevent its regenerative abilities for a time. Apparently that part is harder to heal." Val added.
"You speak as if you're going to attempt it again." Durnham looked mildly concerned.
"I am, as soon as I get my strength back, now that I know what it can do."
"Hmm, well there's still some groups looking to claim that contract." Boldir nodded towards a table of folks in various mismatched equipment.
"Unlikely any will succeed. The Black Dogs have declared disinterest in this contract, too much risk, not enough of a bounty either. Several other established groups we've relied on are echoing that remark. The task will fall to freelancers and eventually the guard." Durnham said with some resignation in his tone.
"If you can draw it into an open field, it should be simple extermination with your manpower." Asha said.
"Aye, but the beast hides in the hills, only comes out at night, as crazed as it may be, it seems to possess intelligence."
Val began tearing into a second helping of food. An implicit understanding between him and Asha seemed to be holding either of them from explaining the full story of the night.
"Well, in a day or two I should be fit to take a second stab at it. The contract will still be good then right?" Val asked.
"Aye, we've discussed mobilizing the guard but that won't likely happen before the week is up, you still have a few days."
"Perfect, then, I have a question."
"Hmm?"
"Who's the best blacksmith in the city? Specifically I need someone to take a look at my sword."
Durnham looked to Boldir. "I know of several, but depending on what you're specifically looking for, he'll know."
"What kind of sword is it?" Boldir asked, nodding to the sword on Val's back.
Val unfastened the belt around his chest, placing the sword on the bar. He began to unsheathe the blade, but the moment Boldir saw the barely visible runes and the geometric knot pattern along the spine, he quickly took the grip and returned it securely to the sheathe.
Val gave Boldir a confused look, the barkeep looked to have broken out into a cold sweat. There was no longer any smugness about his expression as he stared at the sword in its sheathe with abject horror in his eyes.
"Forgive me, I have no idea how you came to possess this blade and I did not realize it. The sheathe is not the original, but there's no mistaking it. As old as it is, it remains sharp enough to rend flesh and bone, and even the runes have yet to fade entirely. I know who can take a look at this, but please, do not draw this blade within my sight."
"I heard it was cursed, you can rest assured that apparently whatever power this sword had once, it's now gone, that's actually why I need to find someone to take a look at it."
"…What?"
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Durnham also had a steely expression, it was difficult to tell what he was thinking, but he was not saying a word, as fixated on the blade as Boldir was. Asha simply eyed them curiously, and the ravens perched to the side held an austere gaze.
"Whatever curse this sword had is gone." Val repeated.
"Not that, if that is true then it is a blessing, why do you wish to restore it?" Boldir looked at Val as if he were mad.
"It can slay monsters with similar abilities to the one I fought tonight."
"It can also kill you, do you even know what this sword is?" Durnham finally spoke up.
Val shrugged. "I know it's exceptionally well made, and it was suggested to me that I have it restored."
Boldir was silent for a moment, deep in thought, before he slowly spoke. "If you truly intend to wield this blade in even a fraction of its full might… Know that it very well may get you killed, and you are not looking for a blacksmith. For this, the problem is not with the steel. This is aether-steel, of the highest quality, few materials can remove its edge once tempered. Those faded runes are depleted of magic and have lost their power, for this you'll need a runesmith."
"How do you know of this sword? It was given to me by Odin, and is clearly of Nordic make." Val eyed Coyote curiously, who appeared to be deep in thought.After a few moments, Coyote turned to him again. "There are few who do not know that blade. Tyr, Odin, the entire Aesir host and their warriors waged battle across the world long ago. To be fair, they also developed and settled many lands, and most of their campaigns were to fight back injustice. The blade was forged so Tyr might serve as arbiter of the gods, punishing those who severely overstepped their boundaries. Generally we tend to keep to ourselves, after all, there has been no war of divinity that has not ended in far more destruction than any could afford.""We're no stranger to wars like that ourselves, but I'm guessing there were others like Tyr.""Indeed, there were others who kept the gods in line, but Tyr was certainly proactive, in his work."Val looked to Muninn, thinking about her words. "Why is this blade cursed? It seems strange that the old man would give me a cursed sword.""I will explain later. It suffices for you to know that if someone can restore the blade, it would indeed serve the described purpose. For now you know how to slay the wendigo, and what Coyote wants from us." Muninn replied flatly, she was in a serious mood, unlike her usual self."Hmm, fine. Coyote, all you want is its heart?""Indeed, the heart is the price for the information I have given you.""I haven't agreed yet.""Oh, you have, you wear your thoughts on your sleeve, it is easy enough to see some sympathy for the wretched man's fate. And I know you are able to succeed, with or without restoring the sword, your injury was merely a clumsy mistake as I see it, one you are unlikely to make again." Coyote exposed a toothy grin, he sounded satisfied but there was definitely mockery in his tone."Fine. I'll get you the heart, do I simply find you here?""Hmm, when you have retrieved the heart, I will find you.""Uh Alright."Before the conversation could continue, Muninn turned an eye to the sky. "Val, Huginn is nearby, Alevriasha should be with him."Val craned his neck around, noticing the elven figure approaching, though he felt even dizzier seeing someone running toward him without making a single sound."How's your injury?" Asha immediately asked, a mix of concern and confusion on her face seeing Val sitting legs stretched out on the ground."Fine, healed it already, really lightheaded though, rampant blood loss is not as easy to fix.""Healed? You met a healer?""No, healed it myself, sort of."Asha looked to Muninn for answers to her confusion."His brand powered the healing, he did not use his own mana to fuel it.""I see. We need to return to the city, I lost the monster but it will figure it out soon. It's a frightfully tenacious hunter.""It's a 'wendigo', you heard of them?"Asha frowned. "Stories, but the nearly two hundred years past, I don't think there has been one in these lands. Nothing as large as that either."Val shrugged. "That's what Coyote here told me."Asha stopped, staring at Val with worry in her emerald eyes."What?""Who?"Val turned around and his eyes went wide with alarm, there was no fog, no canoe, no pompous coyote-man smoking a pipe. Just the expansive lake reflecting the night sky."What the hell??""He was not actually here, that's why I stopped you from drawing your blade." Muninn explained."That wasn't real?" Val asked dubiously."It was very real a vision of sorts, not too unusual for one with his powers. I saw powerful magic in that fog, that is probably how he reached us.""Excuse me, what is going on?" Asha looked at the two of them like they had lost their minds."A very old deity of these lands paid us a visit, explaining the wendigo to us and requesting we bring him its heart. A trickster to be sure, but he was not lying about the creature." Muninn explained.Huginn scoffed. "Hmph. A trickster who speaks the truth? I would like to meet one.""Okay, either way, we need to get going." Asha helped Val to his feet, supporting him so they might move faster.Aside from the occasional howl in the night, they managed to reach the outer farmlands and safely return to Kar Lodihr. The old guard captain was still on duty, as if waiting for them to return. Seeing Val supported by Asha he whistled sharply, a couple guards ran over and immediately reported to him."Is he injured? There are healers on duty." The captain asked with concern."He's fine, he lost a lot of blood but he recovered his wounds already, just needs food and rest.""I see. I take it you found the beast then?""Yes, we did." Asha replied."This is not required, but can you tell us about it? At this rate the guard will need to get involved if the Black Dogs or someone else doesn't take an interest.""I can, but can you follow me to our lodging? He's healed but whatever he did, he seems ready to pass out from hunger." Asha was propping up Val who almost looked to be sleep walking."Aye, lead the way, boy's pale as a sheet." The captain escorted them back to the Chimera's Den, his presence warding away any zealous merchants and others looking to offer their services for coin.Upon entering the tavern, as usual it seemed Boldir never left his bar, between serving drinks and a few documents behind him, it brazenly doubled as his office."What happened? Is" Boldir put down his work drying mugs as he noticed them enter."He's fine. Whatever you have in the kitchen, can you bring him some food?""Sure." Boldir motioned to one of his waitstaff who promptly disappeared into the kitchen, returning a moment later with a plate hastily ladened with bread and thick slices of meat.Boldir's concern eased as he saw Val grow more awake as he consumed the food placed before him, and it faded entirely as Val began to wolf down his food, hardly pausing to chew."So, I assume there's a story here, an elf and a young man leave my hospitality, only to return hours later, one in weak state, accompanied by the venerable Captain Durnham." Boldir stated with a raised eyebrow, though upon mention of the guard captain, his tone held a slight disdain."Relax, I'm not here relating to your 'real' business, or the legality of your methods. I'm here for the reason you just mentioned." Durnham leveled stern pair of gray eyes to the barkeep."Fair enough, drinks, anyone?""I'm on duty. But a water would be nice.""Five crowns." Boldir was clearly committing robbery."Never mind."Asha rolled her eyes, ordering a mug of cider and a glass of water, handing the water to Durnham. Considering she placed no crowns on the bar, it appeared Val's tab had grown unnoticed once again."So, what's the deal with Val?" Boldir was eying Val's appetite with some amusement, his brows climbing up his forehead."Some sort of regenerative magic he used to heal his wounds has him starving for food, and some blood loss.""Yes I assumed that's his blood judging by the state of his armor So you know, if and when you tell Joanne, neither of you two are welcome to hide here. It has been some time but her temper has not changed, you will not lead disaster here again."Asha froze midway between a sip of her cider, suddenly realizing the likely sequence of events to occur when Joanne finds out Val got the armor torn open mere hours after receiving it."Mmhmm, it seems you remember as well.""Ha, you're in deep." Durnham chuckled, it would appear Joanne's wrath was legendary."Ahem, anyway, long story short, we encountered the monster in the hills, same place it was reported previously. It's as large as described, larger than a bear, and as fast as a horse. The part you may not know is that it is very susceptible to fire, having neither hide, scales, or armor of any kind. The most terrifying part though is its capacity for regeneration. Val took off both of its arms and I disabled its legs, in a few seconds it managed to recover everything as if it was never hurt." Asha explained their ordeal, eager to change the subject from Joanne and the pride she held in her craft."You're serious?" Boldir looked nervous.Val seemed to have recovered somewhat, pushing an empty plate forward and requesting more."Yeah she's serious. The bastard sliced open my belly when I was about to carve off its head. New limbs exploded from the stumps and caught me off guard.""So to kill we'll probably need to enlist a mage or heavy explosives to destroy it in one go.""Not necessarily, removing its head should prevent its regenerative abilities for a time. Apparently that part is harder to heal." Val added."You speak as if you're going to attempt it again." Durnham looked mildly concerned."I am, as soon as I get my strength back, now that I know what it can do.""Hmm, well there's still some groups looking to claim that contract." Boldir nodded towards a table of folks in various mismatched equipment."Unlikely any will succeed. The Black Dogs have declared disinterest in this contract, too much risk, not enough of a bounty either. Several other established groups we've relied on are echoing that remark. The task will fall to freelancers and eventually the guard." Durnham said with some resignation in his tone."If you can draw it into an open field, it should be simple extermination with your manpower." Asha said."Aye, but the beast hides in the hills, only comes out at night, as crazed as it may be, it seems to possess intelligence."Val began tearing into a second helping of food. An implicit understanding between him and Asha seemed to be holding either of them from explaining the full story of the night."Well, in a day or two I should be fit to take a second stab at it. The contract will still be good then right?" Val asked."Aye, we've discussed mobilizing the guard but that won't likely happen before the week is up, you still have a few days.""Perfect, then, I have a question.""Hmm?""Who's the best blacksmith in the city? Specifically I need someone to take a look at my sword."Durnham looked to Boldir. "I know of several, but depending on what you're specifically looking for, he'll know.""What kind of sword is it?" Boldir asked, nodding to the sword on Val's back.Val unfastened the belt around his chest, placing the sword on the bar. He began to unsheathe the blade, but the moment Boldir saw the barely visible runes and the geometric knot pattern along the spine, he quickly took the grip and returned it securely to the sheathe.Val gave Boldir a confused look, the barkeep looked to have broken out into a cold sweat. There was no longer any smugness about his expression as he stared at the sword in its sheathe with abject horror in his eyes."Forgive me, I have no idea how you came to possess this blade and I did not realize it. The sheathe is not the original, but there's no mistaking it. As old as it is, it remains sharp enough to rend flesh and bone, and even the runes have yet to fade entirely. I know who can take a look at this, but please, do not draw this blade within my sight.""I heard it was cursed, you can rest assured that apparently whatever power this sword had once, it's now gone, that's actually why I need to find someone to take a look at it.""What?" Find authorized novels in Webnovelfaster updates, better experiencePlease click www.webnovel.com for visiting. Durnham also had a steely expression, it was difficult to tell what he was thinking, but he was not saying a word, as fixated on the blade as Boldir was. Asha simply eyed them curiously, and the ravens perched to the side held an austere gaze."Whatever curse this sword had is gone." Val repeated."Not that, if that is true then it is a blessing, why do you wish to restore it?" Boldir looked at Val as if he were mad."It can slay monsters with similar abilities to the one I fought tonight.""It can also kill you, do you even know what this sword is?" Durnham finally spoke up.Val shrugged. "I know it's exceptionally well made, and it was suggested to me that I have it restored."Boldir was silent for a moment, deep in thought, before he slowly spoke. "If you truly intend to wield this blade in even a fraction of its full might Know that it very well may get you killed, and you are not looking for a blacksmith. For this, the problem is not with the steel. This is aether-steel, of the highest quality, few materials can remove its edge once tempered. Those faded runes are depleted of magic and have lost their power, for this you'll need a runesmith."
