Failure 87 (3): The Second Keeper

The Wait: 1 Year

It was an unremarkable year. I simply sat on a rotting log along with some of Samuel's old stuff. There were animals on occasion but I couldn't urge them as I could the humans. Samuel's remains lay beside me stinky as ever, well I say that but I don't exactly have a nose to smell with. But then again I don't have ears but can hear so who knows. This family of rabbits started living in hole nearby at one point but they all left one day. Nothing much too this wait.

I spent the whole time slightly perturbed waiting for something to happen. But I had no other reactions to the solitude in the slightest and toughed through the wait just fine. Anyway eventually after about a year or if you want specifics it ended up being 39,380,729 seconds. Incase your wondering no I didn't count the seconds the whole time I simply counted them later looking back on my memory as any decent person would.

The Second: Heiroch Bamberuel 43 years

A outgoing man to say the least. He enjoyed hiking and found me while doing such. I had begun calling him over urgently the second I noticed his presence and urged him as hard as I could to claim my great from and become my second wielder after waiting so long. In a very super calm manor might I add. I was quite joyous as I was youthful and was my first solitude of significant length, well at least It was significant then. 

For whatever reason he got scared off by my sudden urging. Maybe my black barbs were too beautiful of a sight for a simple human like him. The next day he came back though and I stopped my not freaking out. Curiosity or desire to gaze on me more must have got the better of him I guess. He ended up picking me up even, though he didn't wield me fearing the blades in my handle.

For a simple human he was a bright one, especially with him only in his teens. He was already a people mover and was loved by all as an upstanding young man who fought for righteousness and was destined to be a great man one day beyond the confines of his peasant status. 

He had some conflict with the local government, something about slavery still being a thing and other countries banning it already, falling behind or whatever. I don't get it personally considering Heiroch himself wasnt repressed in any way so just felt kind of stupid to me but the process of achieving this abolition was spectacular.

Either way he was really into it and led a many armed revolts for awhile. I of course was his greatest aid in the effort. We could create a portal to lead people through to surprise the government or ambush them, even entering directly into heavily fortified locations without having to even break through the defenses. And when they brought in the army or the resistance got too strong we could retreat through another portal. I became known by the people as the Tears of Freedom due the drop like rubies in my hilt and how I sacrifice life for power or whatever.

The only threat was powerful knights and mages but they were often unwilling to send them out with Heiroch slaying those that did with my superb power. I also found a new function of mine, that while I used life force to fuel my abilities It didn't necessarily have to come from the wielder and I could steal it for a reduced effect. To which Heiroch used to great effect. Making me a great weapon of fear among those we fought against. Heiroch wasnt lacking either and grew in skill as time when on and he gained more experience and me urging him to train more. And as his might grew so did the rebellion as it expanded greatly with people from all over the country and even some who were sympathetic from neighboring ones. 

Heiroch himself though became less and less loved by the people and started transforming into a symbol of dread. I got a even newer nickname too, being Shredder of Tears, fun little play on words with shedder and shredder plus my previous nick name. I don't know who started it but props cause I was quite prideful of that one. Though Heiroch was less so inclined and hated the name. 

The revolt going national though we did are biggest move yet. We took the entire capital's great palace. We won employing several me centered tactics because I am the best thing. His demands were finally met and slavery in the kingdom was abolished. Which was pretty nice, we got to go down in history and take a break right after. Though Heiroch was installed as the domestic anti corruption badass I believe. He was drunk when ranting about it after getting home so take it with a grain of salt.

We frequented the capitals library though it wasnt the best and quite simply didn't have enough history related books. It was still far larger than the small one in my first town so not the worst off I suppose. 

But back to work me and Heiroch went when he had heard word of land owners and nobles exploiting the previous slave population as wage slaves that were essentially the same thing with more steps from my understanding. Heiroch went on to expose many of these scummy practices of some of the most prominent and powerful people. 

But at absolutely no fault of my own, my wielder became "greedy" and "evil" as our extermination of the vile nobles continued. Eventually getting fed up with our actions and with the nobles spurring them on many of the civilians had begun to switch sides and fight against us and as we continued to gain a bad reputation things escalated until things had devolved into another civil war with even greater devastation. 

Sadly Heiroch eventually lost that said war. But not before nearly 30% of the country's total population had died in the conflict. Heiroch met his end while fleeing the palace before getting carpet bombed by over a hundred expert or higher mages and even more adapt mages as well. He and I lay buried in rubble of the land for two weeks before he drew his final breath.