The Shock: Cause of Magic Ineptness

In the morning Kaye cleaned the shop and he noticed something, there were exactly the same number of swords present as yesterday. Just then Theo entered the shop from the inner corridor.

"Master wasn't Mr. Gelki take his sword yesterday?" he asked, Kaye wasn't here yesterday.

It's been quite a few days since Kaye registered as an Adventurer. When he went to guild yesterday for collecting ores; he found, as usual, there was no message from Vinyul.

"I closed the shop-front after you went to the guild," Theo replied, opening the back door.

"But master, we have to give Discount. According to contract It is whole 3 silver coins. Mr. Gelki won't pay the set amount." He said in surprise, because they can usually sell four magic swords in a month. That is to say if both of them worked at their best. Each sword almost takes one week in forging, selling price ranges from 8 to 10 silver coins.

The late delivery discount was quite big this time, because Mr. Gelki was on visit to Taartini. Today was his schedule to leave the town. And he has to pick up the sword from forgery which is in the opposite direction.

"It's Ok! We don't have to be so stingy about maintaining financial balance." Theo replied.

"By the way, the reason I had shut the shop was The Katana," he said and opened the wardrobe. He pulled out a sheathed Katana. But it was not the one Kaye made. 

"You have completed it," he yelled in surprise.

"Yup I have, haven't I?" Theo said cheerfully, watching his creation.

"Let's then start putting them on guild's weapon-showcase from today onward." Kaye wanted to start selling Katana.

"Kaye let's hold it right there. The thing is, it is created by your technique. I believe it's your heritage to hold. I can't take that from you."

Theo handed over sword to Kaye; his eyes were telling he was fully satisfied after forging one Katana.

"Once it will go out there, surely it will become quite popular. But also there will emerge its exact copies. You see a tool made by someone with a unique technique is not easy to replicate. But when you are a true smith, you can feel what that weapon's been through or precisely how its creator made it, he deciphers all the intricate details like a beast hunts its prey. And as time will flow generations won't remember you as its true creator. A true heritage is held by its own dynasty only." he said in a quite serious tone.

Oh boy, Master is getting pretty serious. It's not like I can file a patent for its forging method or can I? Kaye wondered.

"Master it means we won't be able to sell it for forever," Kaye replied nonchalantly.

"About that, there is a ritual to form a pact with your weapon or any tool you made. Which basically seals every possibility of its being copied except asking the true master for its privileges, hence not impossible," he said and looked at Kaye.

"The weapon under the pact can't be discerned for its technique. It is so powerful that if someone made the same weapon with the same technique even with his own ability. That weapon will show the name of its original author who first used that technique to forge it, whenever appraised." Theo explained very gladly.

Whaaaaat! And just like that, one ritual wiped out all the patent offices as well as piracy from this world and without even any relent. Kaye thought, he was so amazed that his mouth was left agape.

"Regretfully… Even if I know how to perform the ritual, I don't have the liberty to teach you that." Theo said watching the sword in Kaye's hand.

"After all that, we still can't sell the sword," Kaye said.

"I want this heritage to be held by you and you only. The only one who can teach you the ritual is any one of the dwarf king, and only after testing your forging skills. This is a blessing which is given to dwarfs by Lady Synthia: The Goddess of Creation, so nobody is allowed to teach it other than any of dwarf king." Theo replied.  

The first god I ever heard about in this world. I wonder how many are there. Kaye thought to himself.

"I am sure one day I will take you to my village. So don't worry." Theo said patting Kaye's shoulder.

He is dead-set on making me the owner of a Japanese traditional sword forging technique. Kaye nodded watching the passionate Theo.

"Master I have to go to the guild and I won't be coming back for few days, I am going to take a quest for sure today," he replied.

Afterward Kaye left the forgery, he was wearing the same armor but with Katana this time.

  Kaye was heading towards the guild Whether he'll be there? If not, today I will take upon some request and go on my own. Just to have some experience. wondering about the possibilities that could take place. I wonder what kind of requests and quests will be there on the guild's request board. Hunting wolfs, finding a rare gemstone, or scouting some caravan. The source of his curiosity was his training which he has been doing after the duel with Ohmrul every day.

He was walking the path in his rhythm of spiraling thought chain.

"Hey Kaye!" Vinyul called him from behind. He was wearing his usual armor.

"Oh! You are here; I was just heading towards the guild. Let's go together." Kaye said.

"If you are planning to go there for taking up requests, don't bother," Vinyul replied.

Has he already kicked me out of the party? Kaye wondered, and was about to ask the same.

"I took the quest so let's head to the tavern. We will talk about it there." Vinyul said, showing request roll in his hand.

What we'd be doing, just tell me already? rebuked in his mind.

Vinyul noticed the unusual shape of the sword Kaye was holding and appraised it.

Entity: Sword

          Basic details: 

               Name: none

               Type: Weapon 

            Title: none

               Attack: 300 Niyak

               Defense: 30 Baar

               Durability: 200 Galza

               Rarity: Absolute Extreme

          Advanced details:

               Attack spells: none

               Defense spells: none

               Creator: unspecified

               Enchantment: none

"Hey what's with that weird sword? It's absurdly rare and offensive for a non-enchanted sword."

"It has to be I made it myself. There is only one more, so there you have it."

"You are that good in forging, to make a new type of sword all by yourself. I am jealous now."  Vinyul said gawking towards the sword.

Vinyul led him to a nearby tavern. It was huge a building and lots of hustling-bustling can be heard due to people inside. When they entered, it was nothing like what Kaye used to see in the town. There were lots of adventurers with Jolly expressions on their faces, talking about their deeds and drinking. The vivid colors in their dressing and weaponry they were holding completely showed the difference from commoners out there. These are the people who save the population from Wild Magical Beasts out there: Adventurer. Kaye saw two familiar faces sitting at a wooden oak table. They were the party member of Vinyul.  

"Hey captain is here, Kaye too." The girl said in a voice full of joy. She was wearing a black robe. Her robe's sleeve was too wide, just like her black hat's brim. 

"Ah.." Kaye tried to greet them too, but didn't know their names.

"Her name is Prickina, and she is a mage. This is my friend Hedwick, he is also a mage type. But he is also quite capable in swordplay." Vinyul introduced them, and all settled on the table.

"Now about the request it is Class A. You better brace yourself," Vinyul said.

Class A! Everything is going as I expected. It is just going to be some giant slaying yeahhh!!! Come on out with already. He will be doing what he used to do in the games, but for real this time, he tried to be excited in his mind. He played lots and lots of games. He loved the thought of making his own world, so he learned programming, use of game engines and one day started making indie games. It was Ava who brought him out of that solitude life and let him experience the real world outside.

I can sense he is happy, but still it feels like he is in pain. Vinyul thought looking towards Kaye. No matter how much Kaye tried to explain himself that he was happy now, but his composer always gave him away.

"We need to help Lord Al-Geika in completing his son Erick's funeral." Vinyul finally uttered the word breaking all of their curiosity.

Both Hedwick's and Prickina's expression became grim while Kaye filled with shock.

What's with this world today? It gave me two big shocks. The quest was so out of his expectations he got a big shock from that.

"Those rumors were true then, this quest is quite difficult," said Prickina.

What! How can helping someone to conduct his son's funeral prove to be difficult? Kaye thought.

  Al-Geika was the Lord of Alpheni, a city close to Taartini. Both Prickina and Hedwick heard the rumors that his son tried to get bark of the Giant tree while passing from there. But Kaye didn't have a single clue what they were about to do, and he was too reluctant to ask anything cause it may reveal his out of world identity.

They reached City lord manor in Alpheni city. It took a whole 8 hours to get there. The manor was so huge that Taartini's guild didn't hold a candle to it. There were lots of trees in the garden area which were randomly grown giving them a natural look. The manor built from bluish rocks showing its uniqueness. The Lord's personal butler suggested letting a single person meet with the lord because he was in such a measurable state due to his son's death.

After resting the next day Vinyul and the party were heading in the forest near the city. Kaye and others were waiting outside while Vinyul met Lord of Alpheni in his chamber, so he was still confused about what they needed to do.

"Would you please consider bothering yourself to explain to me what we are about to do?" he asked finally couldn't able to hold his curiosity.

"Oh we forget you didn't know about the rumors. It is just that Lord Al-Geika's son Erick tried to take a piece of bark from the Giant tree, which usually serves as the home for wild-elves and he got himself killed. We need to retrieve his body." Hedwick replied.

Ohhh it is quite sad but should I even ask why they didn't bother to eat him. No they will fill me in either way.

"We need to first cremate Erick's body while defending from all their arrows. Once Erick's body will be cremated the wild-elves would lose their intent to save their food from us. Then all we need to do is pick up the remains and return it to the Lord." Vinyul explained all of the details to them.

So they eat humans but haven't eaten his body yet for some reason, let see what else I can find. he thought.

"Let me ask, wouldn't they just eat us instead of the Lord's son if we do that," Kaye replied.

"Oh I forgot! You are from boonies. They are herbivorous, they won't eat us." he said it like that's the most obvious thing.

Why the heck are they planning to eat a human then? Kaye yelled in his mind but didn't ask, he thought he will get the answer.

"They just eat anyone whoever tries to harm their sacred home, as a tribute to The Giant tree. So basically when we cremate his body, their motives will be to chase us despicable Sentians out of their home as soon as possible, who ruined their purpose. As long as we don't harm The Giant tree there is no need to worry." Vinyul said, looking really exasperated. 

Yet another one The people I have been living with for almost four to five months are Sentians not humans! He  a completely different race all along Hahahahahahaha... Kaye was going all crazy in his mind.

"Wouldn't they have eaten him already then?" this time Hedwick asked.

"Don't be like Kaye, and try to study for once. They usually bind the food for 10 days from the Giant tree to get its blessing, and such that people wouldn't dare come again to deface their home." He said, greeting his teeth.

Vinyul was completely annoyed answering all their questions, while Kaye was having complete blank expression on his face.

Finally the giant tree came into view, after they breached the dense perimeter of trees around it. It was almost 250m tall, trunk alone was 50m wide. Although it was so gigantic but they weren't able to see it, until they entered the stadium like a wide area around it. Its four big roots projecting into the ground holding it up, making a cavern-like structure underneath it.  It was shadowing whole are, spreading like a mushroom all over the place.

In the middle of that cavern-like structure, something was hanging with the help of a rope. It was looking like a cocoon from where they stood.

"Can you see that thing, hanging in there? That is the son of Lord Al-Geika. We first need to cremate Erick's body and make our retreat." Vinyul said.

"Kaye and I will be the attack front, defending Prickina from their arrows. Hedwick you'd be defending our back by your shield spells. As soon as you find it in range fire the spell Prickina. We will retreat after it will start burning. After the body will cool down we can just pick up the remains from there. They wouldn't attack us, as long as we don't try to do anything to the tree." Vinyul diligently explained the plan.

As they started walking towards the tree, all the wild-elves came out from the holes which were in the tree's trunk. They were all mostly one foot taller in height from an average dwarf. Their blue slippery skin shining in ambient light, their ears were pointy and long but hanging loosely, and their eyes were blue. All of them wearing clothes made up of animal skin. There would've been hundreds of them in the tree's trunk only. May be thousand and more were crawling throughout the tree's branches.

"Don't try to attack them. If they sense any harm from us, then all of them would attack at once instead of defending their food." Vinyul told them. Watching his party members react suddenly.

Kaye unsheathed his Katana, Vinyul's two sword floated out. As they entered the cavern a hail of arrows came towards them. But not a single wild-elf came down from their position.

Vinyul was surprised, because both of them were deflecting every single arrow coming towards each of them. Kaye was waving his sword like a martial artist playing with a pole but 3 times faster than that and he was having only one thought in his mind Because I am a human and they are sentians.

While Vinyul's swords completely transformed into spinning fans. Hedwick was also having no problem at all; his shields made out of pure magic were impregnable.

Soon they reached close enough to the hanging body of Erick, although it was 10m above them.

Prickina pointed his wand towards the body and shout out loud " [KAARLINIA-RHEKSHTA] ". It initiated a spell, which conjured a ball of fire, and shot like a meteor towards the body and fired it up. The hail of the arrows stopped suddenly and all the wild-elf started screeching, staring at the party with a look of despise in their eyes.

"I guess they are done attacking, we have done it. Let's wait here then." Vinyul said  "It is completed quite easily, they say once these wild-elves killed 20 B Class adventurer who tried attempting the same feat, I guess we had extra help." he thought looking towards Kaye.

"Captain did you see Kaye's skills, it was unreal," Hedwick said.

They chatted about fight but Kaye didn't participate in the talks, he just watched them blankly. After a few hours the body cools down, all of its bones were lying down beneath the point it was hung. They collected the bones and headed back towards Alpheni.

The city Lord showed his gratitude towards the party, and buried the bones of his son. But Kaye was avoiding any discussion since the point he got to know that these peoples are Sentians not humans. When someone talked to him, he replied with words like 'yes', 'i see' etc. 

The reason for his behavior was, he got the reason why he can't use magic and wasn't able to see a way how he would use magic.