[14] The Guardians of the Ore
[2610 words]
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[A Few Days Later]
"Calling it the 'island of darkness' wasn't an understatement," Damien muttered.
He was currently on a small ship, not far from the gloomy landmass before him.
Yozora Island was covered with a thick, black cloud that was simply immobile. It didn't move, float or even shift in position like a blanket covering the land under it.
No light passed through; just a perpetual darkness.
[Island Image (in Discord)]
*Creak*
The ship docked on and the anchor splashed into the sea.
According to historical archives, this island had no random weather changes, it was just forever dark with occasional rain.
*Pitter Patter*
It was one of those rainy days as the water befell the land.
Damien landed on the dark soil, his boots digging into the moist soil.
The island was relatively small, covered with coniferous trees, silent chirps echoed through the valley as a swampy smell covered the land.
A symphony of voices arrived in his ears, originating from the grass, trees and other foliage.
The life that existed on land was used to darkness, the grass was a special kind that had evolved to live off the sunlight reflected by the moon.
Many mushrooms and nightly plants exist, some even evolving to develop their own luminescence.
.
{Show me the way.}
The natural life seemed to hear Damien's thoughts and began to weave and mould a path for him to travel.
Some glow bugs and fireflies appeared and lit the way over, granting Damien a full view of the path.
"A castle," Damien murmured as he saw the structure at the center of the land.
It was built over a large cliff, an olden-style manor that dominated its relative landscape; an eerie sight to say the least.
[Manor Image (in discord)]
"!!!" Damien felt a distant gaze, but he was unable to pinpoint it, leaving him no choice but to venture on ahead.
…
He walked through the self-clearing grounds; the trees and grass granting him the fastest path to the castle.
Eventually, he came through a large open clearing, surrounded by cone-like trees, seemingly unnatural.
{Watch out…}
The voice of the trees echoed in Damien's ears as he heard a sharp whistle of the air.
Shing!
Damien's eyes widened as he felt the touch of a cold blade at the back of his neck.
It didn't cut into his skin, just rested on his neck; a warning not to move.
"I didn't come here for a fight," Damien calmly stated.
Though he remained unmoved, Damien's boots were swirling with crimson mist, ready to return an attack if needed.
"..."
A silent moment passed as he then heard a sharp yet stern voice.
"Why have you come here?"
It was a man's voice, middle-aged, confident.
"I was sent here to pick up an ore, the Poneglyph said it to be here."
Damien waited and felt a very faint tremor in the sword that was grazing his skin, now sure that the Poneglyph meant quite a lot to the man.
"..."
Another moment passed as the blade was removed from Damien's neck.
The young pirate slowly turned his head and saw the man behind him.
He was around 7 feet tall. He looked to be in his early forties.
The upper half of his face was covered with a hood, probably to keep away from the rain. He seemed to have short dark hair and a stubble beard.
The man wore a dark coat that covered his entire body, but the missing right arm was obvious.
A sharp katana-style sword was in the man's left hand, but he was still quite defensive.
"You've read the stone," the man lightly said.
Damien just gave a small nod as he replied, "I came for the Eternal Ore."
The man's eyes seemed to examine the young man before him, even though they were hidden under the hood, Damien felt the sharp gaze.
"Follow me to the castle."
The man took off in the direction of the dark mansion, and Damien followed suit.
'Even with a missing limb, it feels like he can cut me up, quite the guardians.'
…
It took a quiet 10-minute walk to reach the castle. It was gothic-themed with creaky and dark-coloured wood.
Water dripped down the rotting wood, sending ripples through the puddles littered over the region.
The two walked in via the main doors that creaked in response.
The halls were lit with green candles, and a warm and cozy ambience filled the rooms.
"It's more welcoming than I thought," Damien said.
The man looked at him and nodded, "I hope you forgive me for my haste earlier, there have been many invaders in the past few years."
Damien shrugged, showing he didn't mind.
The man seemed more comfortable as he elaborated, "It happened twenty months ago, a few thousands raided our land looking for treasure."
"They used my nieces and nephews to kill their parents and then them. It took everything to repel them; an arm from me."
"Only my wife and son remain with me as their protector."
The two walked down the red-carpeted floor and into the main lounge area.
.
"Our ancestors have been waiting for someone to collect the ore for centuries now," the man said. as they made their way to the sofa at the edge of the room.
The red couch was laid in front of a giant window that spanned from wall to wall, boasting a wide view of the hedge maze beyond it.
A beautiful woman sat on the couch, combing a very young child's hair.
The black-haired woman carefully sat the child to the side and stood up, bringing her hands together in obvious excitement: "Ara~ A visitor, how rare!"
Damien blinked at the rather contrast between husband and wife but something else caught his gaze: the woman's eyes.
The pupils were yellow, with two black rings circling them; sharp, piercing eyes to say the least.
Damien took a deep breath as he made the connection but took it slow.
.
"My name is Einar D. Damien, pardon the intrusion," he said, somewhat impressed by his own etiquette.
The woman beamed a smile and replied courtly, "What a well-mannered young man, my name is Mina, and you've met my husband, Vlad."
The man by the side gave a quick 'ahem' and took off his hood, the same eyes and hair colour apparent.
"Why don't you have a seat while I get some tea, Dear, why don't you change into something warm," Mina said, getting up from her seat.
This left Damien on the sofa with their child.
'They just leave a stranger with their kid?' the pirate muttered to himself.
"..."
An awkward silence broke out as Damien's eyebrow twitched under the sharp gaze of the toddler sitting away from him.
Damien met his sharp, examining eyes.
The child was less than a meter in height, around 38 inches. Same short-black hair and piercing yellow eyes.
"Well, what's your name?" Damien asked though he could guess the reply.
The boy tilted his head and blinked a few times.
"Mihawk," He said. "Dracule Mihawk."
The confirmation made Damien take a deep breath, nodding to himself.
It also made the pirate take a closer look at the boy, seeing loneliness, curiosity, nervousness, and even excitement in those hawk-like eyes.
.
"You're awfully mature for your age, Mihawk, tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
The boy wasted no time and answered subconsciously, "The greatest swordsman in the sea."
Mihawk then turned his gaze to the hedge maze right outside.
A sharp bright light reflected from the center of the maze as if a metallic object was there, and there indeed was.
It was a large, silver sword planted within a thick black rock.
It had a very odd-shaped golden crossguard with a complex pattern printed upon it, yet the blade carried an unparalleled beauty.
Mihawk's longing eyes stared at the blade that seemed to cut the low winds every so often.
At that moment, Mina came back into the room and gave Damien a cup of tea.
"Mihawk has never seen outsiders since his birth, he may be a little awkward around you," Mina apologized, playing with her son's hair.
Damien shook his head while gesturing at the sword outside, "Such a sharp weapon left outside in a rock, I take it has great meaning to your family."
Mina nodded while also admiring the beauty of the treasured weapon.
"The blade is one of the Twelve Supreme Blades – 'Yoru', it has been in that stone for centuries now," She calmly said.
"You don't feel averse to telling a stranger of such a treasure?" Damien asked with some suspicion.
Mina just beamed her usual smile, "We believe the sword awaits a suitable user, if you can free it from its confines then it's yours to keep."
"And yet centuries have passed and the blade still waits," Vlad's voice resounded as he stepped back into the room.
Damien then glanced at the young boy who was but a toddler. He crouched down at the child's eye level and asked:
"You've set your sights on that sword, haven't you, kid?"
Mihawk gave a quick nod as he clenched his tiny hands, "I'll free the sword one day!"
The exclamation caught the two parents off-guard but Damien just smirked in return, "I look forward to that day then."
Mina chimed with an invitation, "Damien-kun, why don't you join us for dinner, my husband will need a while to bring out all the treasured ore from the keep."
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[An Hour Later]
Damien had finished a meal with the small yet tight-knit family. It was a hearty meal of a Sea King caught by Vlad.
Damien even asked some more questions about the family's origin.
Supposedly they were tasked to guard the ore by someone centuries ago. The island was dark for as long as time went back.
Their ancestors eventually got used to the darkness and gloomy nature of the land; their eyes evolved under these conditions and over many generations to see much further and finer than others.
Swordsmanship was their creed and remains so.
Yoru awaited its user while the Eternal Ore awaited its retriever.
According to Vlad, both Yoru and the Eternal Ore could be said to be equal in their worth!
The family even welcomed Damien to stay for a while.
"Vlad-san," Damien addressed the man sitting before him.
They were in a lounge area with deep-red sofas.
A chandelier holding up six green candles hung above them.
"This is abrupt, but I hope to stay here for a few weeks to train before taking the Eternal Ore, and for you to help me in my training," the pirate straightforwardly asked.
"You were able to stay out of my perception before, I want to sharpen those instincts before diving into the New World."
He had noticed it before against Shakky. And then with Vlad. Both of them were able to 'mask' their presence from Damien and approach from his blind spots.
.
The older gentleman narrowed his eyes at the bold pirate, seemingly to inspect his worth.
Vlad nodded but said with a hint of hesitation, "We haven't had friendly guests over here in a long, long time. I don't mind you staying to train, but you must know that training your senses is best done in deathly scenarios, three weeks is not enough time unless…"
Yet the man's tone sharpened as he said, "Unless I put you through hell to sharpen those instincts."
Such words brought a smile to Damien's face: "I wouldn't have it any other way."
…
The two walked outside to an open garden behind the mansion.
Mina appeared, holding Mihawk's hand as they watched from afar.
Vlad and Damien stood 20 meters in between.
Shing!
Vlad unsheathed his blade as it sliced the air.
"This is 'Yozora' of the Twenty-One Great Swords," he introduced the dark blade. "It has accompanied me for years, let me use it to test your mettle."
*Fwwm!* The sword was soon wrapped in thick Haki as it glistened a jet-black colour.
The one-armed swordsman shot from his position and appeared only inches from Damien's throat.
Clang!
A loud clanking sound boomed the area as Damien's metallic fist collided with the blade.
A shockwave grumbled the land as Vlad weaved through the air.
*Whizz*
His body flashed and flickered through the air and reappeared meters away from Damien, raining down countless shots.
Damien's senses went into overdrive mode as he struggled against the onslaught, slowly and barely warding each hit.
*Clang!*
Boom!
Bam!
Explosions popped incessantly as Damien was forced into an entirely defensive posture.
A slight irritation building as his eyes followed the flickering target.
"Is this all your ambition is worth, young man?" Vlad's calm voice echoed in Damien's ears.
The young pirate could only grit his teeth and force himself to move faster and faster.
*Swish!*
*Spurt*
Cuts and scrapes decorated his body as blood dribbled out from the razor-sharp Yozora.
A one-armed swordsman with speed beyond any foe Damien had yet seen.
.
"Don't expect me to give in this easily!" Damien's firm voice boomed as his eyes grew sharp.
A quick burst of energy spanned out in all directions of Damien's body and cracked the ground in return.
It was a loud screech as Vlad paused for a moment.
Damien exploited the momentary pause as his blackened fist drove into the man's core.
Bam!
The overpowering strength from Damien's very flesh rattled the blackened blade that got in the way.
Vlad's single arm trembled as his body was shot back with great speed.
*Whizz*
The wind whistled as the man readjusted his balance and landed on his feet tens of meters away.
"Good strength," Vlad muttered, returning his gaze to the coming enemy."
Damien shot forward as his Haki-clad fists slammed onto the blades, finally going on the offence.
Boom! *Bang!* BAM!
The clash went on for dozens of minutes as it began to balance out.
Vlad's sharp and calm sword style left Damien not a moment to rest while he did his absolute best to return equal attacks.
His attacks grew fiercer and left fewer openings but it was nowhere enough to win the battle.
…
"You have an excellent talent for combat," Vlad said with an admiring tone as he sheathed his weapon.
Damien panting lightly and gazed down at his cut-up appearance. The wounds were superficial considering his vitality, but the blood was enough to turn his attire from black to red.
"Still far from leaving a scratch on you, though," Damien said with a soft sigh.
.
Mina climbed down and saw Damien's bloodied clothes but was casually waved off.
"I'm fine, they're just a few scratches."
Mihawk too made his way down and stared at Damien.
The dripping blood contrasted heavily with the firm eyes of its host.
"You asked me about my goal," the child said. "What's yours?"
Damien glanced at the curious young boy and gave a simple answer:
"There was a time when my fate was at the mercy of others, since then I made it my goal to never let that happen again; no one will ever hurt what I care for the most."
Mihawk blinked into a lost state but soon flinched in discomfort as Damien poked the kid's forehead with his index finger.
"You're just a kid, stop thinking so much, you make me feel stupid with such a mature perspective."
"Let's go back inside, I'll tell you about the world outside."
The two returned to the gloomy castle as the three-week training session officially kicked off.
To Be Continued…
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Author's Corner.
Images: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q