Golden String

"There were two weapons made by the Mantra blacksmith that was made to contrast each other. Gae Bolg, and [Redacted]. The Gae Bolg was created to cause death while [Redacted] gave life. It can be used to heal wounds as well, but that does not mean that the [Redacted] is ineffective in a fight, having its own way of battle compared to most other weapons.

It could be said that this spear is much more skill-oriented compared to weapons such as the Gae Bolg, this is mostly because the [Redacted] is less used in killing others and more used to help others."

Mantra Sword Analysist, Jillian Gray

******

A high-class family-- a merchant family, one that many hold in high regard - The House of Osuna. Nicoreigh Lalula Osuna, the father of Nathan Paradigm Osuna, was hosting a party - celebrating Nathan's birthday along with many successful business dealings he had previous, using this party mostly as an excuse to brag. Many nobles and high-ranking individuals came due to how significant the day could be seen, most thinking this a perfect chance to gain even more riches than they already had enraptured by their greed.

Nathan scanned the room, sitting in a chair on a veranda outside, looking from the outside in. He made sure that he was obscured by multiple objects - flower pots and the like - eyes locking on multiple significant figures that have and were already infamous within the whole of Haflastus-- though he couldn't see all of them, his vision was as obscured as any other from the inside looking out. Nathan stood up, and entering the building, keeping his face hidden and ducking crowds, entered a hallway and round the end of it where a staircase is, making his way up onto a higher part of the ballroom. Nicoreigh's face lit up seeing his son - it was all for show though, his father being more than annoyed as his son was late - crossing to Nathan and putting his arm over his shoulder, "As you all know, it is my son's birthday today!" The crowd became silent, listening attentively to the Father who seemed absolutely jubilated about such an occasion since his son was now of age for marriage - the people being aware of Nicoreigh's scummy business practices. "In the name of the Osuna family, I hope you all enjoy the various desserts and beverages that we have in store for you all!"

Nicoreigh waited for the party to take their attention off of him except for the few nobles who would kiss his boot for even the smallest bit of coin that'd come from his purse, leaning near Nathan.

"Do you see her?" Nicoreigh pointed to a caramel-skinned maiden wearing military garb, hands behind her back, watching another girl attentively as she spoke enthusiastically with other noble daughters. "Speak with the headstrong one, court her."

"Father…?"

"She is strong… we could use her."

Nathan cocked his head to the side, looking down at her before turning back to his father, "Alright." They nodded to each other, Nicoreigh slapping his son on the back, sending him off into the crowd below.

Nathan maneuvered his way through the crowd over to the woman who looked at him pre-emptively, almost as if predicting his approach. Nathan knew how to keep a poker face, though was truly startled as he got closer and closer, only managing to greet her with a nod before bowing as he was naught even a few inches away. "I greet Kleio of the Cirillo Family."

Kleio analyzed the young man, hands still behind her back, "What do you seek? Surely not my sister?"

"Well, no. I seek you."

Kleio's eyes narrowed, "You seek a brutish woman such as myself?" Kristina approached from behind.

"You are not brutish, sister!" She said, pouting, sticking close to Kleio's arm, Nathan only giving her a glance before refocusing himself on Kleio.

"I agree with your sister, I find you quite charming my lady."

Kleio seemed unimpressed, "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"There is no flattery in my words my lady."

"Do you find the scent of blood charming?"

"All I smell is rosewater and mint coming from my lady."

Kleio looked exhausted, tightening her jaw, "Nathan…"

"Yes," He looked up, still keeping his normal expression, he felt his heart sink to his stomach looking at her face - a cold gaze that could only be described as a human looking down on an ant colony with disgust and disdain - Nathan straightened himself, "What seems to be the problem?"

"I am sure you're aware that I am in touch with the System."

Nathan nodded, "Of course."

"So you'd be aware of my superhuman prowess, including my hearing."

Nathan's eyes grew wide, the only time he'd show his thoughts on his face, She heard that!?

"W-Well, Madam, it doesn't change what I believe is true."

Kleio placed one hand on Nathan's shoulder, "I apologize, but you need to step back. You'll only humiliate yourself if you push this."

Nathan sighed, "Not to be rude, are you a Eunuch?" Nathan dropped all formalities. Kristina looked offended by the comment but Kleio wasn't. Nathan raised an eyebrow when he was met by her smile.

"I guess you could call it that-- after my engagement to the crown prince of Sason was cut off a year ago I decided to not marry any man who tried to court me - I guess you could call that being a 'Eunuch'," Kleio paused, looking at Nathan for a reaction, "Though, unlike a normal Eunuch, I haven't been, well, you'd call it being spade instead of nurtured, yes? Haven't had that happen."

"Is celibacy normally common for those from failed engagements?" Nathan smirked, feeling relieved that he didn't need to keep up an act anymore, spilling out all his thoughts in front of someone who could be one of the strongest women on the continent.

"I guess you could say that," Kleio sighed, "Well, it was fun while it lasted but, I'm not a huge fan of nobles."

Nathan chuckled, "I can sort of agree."

After a few hours of engagement with the noble crowd, Kleio felt burnt out, moving to the veranda outside, Kristina being the leader of whatever group she was in, drawing people in with her enthusiasm and charism, something Kleio believed she didn't have.

She moved to the railing, looking out to the courtyard outside, almost completely black - there was no full moon that night, causing a distinct darkness, only the other branches showing, some obscured by the base's darkness. Kleio noted it all, looking to the night sky to the far-off moons that orbit the planet they lived on. The Osuna family was a large family, Kleio was aware of this, but what surprised her were the more significant figures who guarded the estate, all higher figures in their own personal military being those in tune with the System which made those capable of combat be those of high renown from the fact they could use the System alone. Kleio grew curious as to if they could beat her, or if she could beat them though she could only assume the former since no other knight of significant renown could beat her in the capital, though that fact may change if she were to face maybe a stronger Notorious Mercenary.

She worked for this, she wanted to get here for two reasons, to get revenge, and to bring her family's honor above and beyond what it originally was. Kleio knew something though - she knew that her real enemy was not the man who actually killed her father, or rather, almost her entire family, in the end, it was a certain King in a certain country warring with as many of the surrounding nations as possible, and with that, and whenever this war comes to an end, and when she believed Haflastus would be on top, she'll strike them at the root, eliminating their forces as a whole, but first, she needs her wish to be fulfilled, incapable of doing all of this on her own.

She will gather all of the Mantra Blades and declare her wish at the Mantra Forge.

The significant knights of note protecting the Osuna house and its riches would be, Lagalus Martrum: Knight Captain, Moondust addict, but nonetheless powerful due to his use of System abilities combined with his prowess in swordsmanship; Orpheus Soulsong, Lieutenant, but arguably stronger than Lagalus; Anna Marie Blackseer, another Lieutenant of the Osuna family's army - known for her brutish methods in battle, wielding a hammer which is suspected to be an artifact - the weapon being significantly larger than her body; Fagen Juvestes Pamel, General of the Osuna family's army, suspected to be a Mantra Blade Wielder though nobody has ever actually confirmed so, most people just believing that he was just a very effective artifact user.

The positions of each knight are; Lagalus, courtyard; Orpheus, front gate; Anna Marie, Mantra Ground; Fagen, gate leading to Anna Marie and the Mantra Ground. The blade itself seemingly was unable to be unsheathed from the ground it was planted in even though the origin point of the blade had not originated here, so nobody really understands or knows why the blade is as difficult to pull out as it is-- not like it is impossible.

At this point, the blade itself had just become a staple for the Osuna estate - as if it were a good luck charm.

Diego and his group sat just outside the estate on a high point leading to a path only known by a few knights and nobles, unguarded due to how obscure the location is, Diego only discovered it after following guards for a while making his research for the blueprint go on longer than it should. They watched from afar, listening to the faintest sound of chatter and violins from the outside, Logan looking through a small scope in his hand.

Logan turned to the group, "No killing," Everyone except the old man nodded. "Fia, you'll help me handle those two guards, there." He pointed to the path leading to the entrance of the estate. "Once we knock those guards out, we'll round the estate, going in from the courtyard over to the maze using the marble platforms on the hedges as a walkway, going past that small patch of grass there over to where the Mantra Blade is. We'll have to go around cause assuredly there'll be someone placed there, someone we probably wouldn't want to get close to during this job, too much trouble."

"I'm pretty sure the blade itself is stuck in the ground," Diego commented, "I'll dig it out when we get there."

"Alright."

Fia approached the guards who both became immediately alert, hands on their blades, Fia meeting them with feigned fear, "Oh, what's going on!?"

"Who are you, what are you doing here!?"

"I don't know, what!? Where am I!?"

"This is Noble Property!"

"What!?" Fia backed up, "Isn't this just some forest, how!?"

One of the guards was confused by her question as the other approached, bringing their blade closer, "You need to leave!"

"I've been in this forest for days! You can't just turn me around like this! I hunger!" Fia lowered herself, hands outstretched in front of her.

"As I said, you need to leave!"

Fia got on her hands and knees, "Please, please, give me some food at least!" She brought her hands together as if praying.

The Guard clicked their tongue, the other Guard behind him seeing this as some sort of opportunity, speaking up, "We'll give you food, you just gotta do something for us."

"You'll give me food, truly!?"

The Guard in front of him looked back, "What are you doing?"

The Guard nearest to the door smirked, "Just follow my lead, okay?"

They shook their head, turning back to Fia, "Fine, we'll feed you."

Fia stood up, grabbing the Guard's hand after they sheathed their blade, "Thank you so much!"

"Don't touch me." The Guard pulled their hand away and just before turning away Fia blew something into their face causing them to pass out immediately. The other guard almost yelled out before being choked out by Logan who unhooked their belt holding their blade from the Guard's waist, holding them until they went limp, passing out in his arms.

"Alright, let's move," Logan motioned for the group to follow him, grabbing keys off of one of the guards, opening the door, and moving into the estate, the group following behind Logan as he diligently avoided stepping onto anything that would make noise, the rest of the group doing the same. As they walked through the estate, Diego could hear employees of the household passing by windows, speaking to each other, carrying plates with food on them, and drinks, attempting not to drop them, this was the main building-- Diego guessed they were near the kitchen, no, they were, he practically had the sounds and geography of the entire household memorized. They stopped, the light of two guards holding lamp lights coming into few causing the group to stop and hug a wall, Logan moving over to them, Chazen following behind as the rest of the group waited.

One of the guards had their back turned as one guard, looking away from the group, father away from their companion stared out into the abyss-like night in front of them. Chazen took care of the guard lagging behind his comrade as Logan took care of the guard in front of him, dragging them to the bushes, hiding them with leaves and branches before returning to the group.

They rounded a corner, crossed over to some bushes, the group hiding behind the brustle of leaves and crunches as quickly as they could as Lagalus moved to the center of the courtyard, not too far away from where they were, finally near the second building of the estate.

Diego noted the bridge, acting as a sort of gateway to the "backyard" of the Osuna household.

The group watched as Lagalus took a puff from his smoke pipe, a jade vapor leaving his lips, lighting his face before heading to the rightmost edge of the courtyard, meeting a collection of guards that had gathered near a few hedges which surrounded a water fountain.

The group began moving again, waiting for two other guards to move out of the way before quickly bee-lining for the maze, jumping onto the platforms, quickly making their way across before jumping back down crossing to a long field, following the path up to the area which leads directly to what many referred to as the "Mantra Ground". They confirmed that Fagen was protecting the entrance, deciding to walk around him, clambering up a hill right next to the Mantra Ground, making sure to obscure themselves with the trees, avoiding branches and leaves.

When they reached the top of the hill they crouched, looking down at a sleeping Anna Marie and the planted Mantra Blade, looking to be a hybrid of a harpoon and a trident of some sort, the sharp part of the blade poking out from the ground.

Logan slapped Diego's shoulder a couple of times, "It's your time to shine." Diego sighed, following the hill a bit before sliding down an incline, jumping over a stone wall, and crossing over to the blade, kneeling next to it. The blade itself was all black, with golden fur near the top where the forked prongs sat, string wrapped just below the fur using the same color-- same with the engravings, all gold. Diego took a deep breath, and grabbed the trident, attempting to pull it from the ground but failing. He attempted to shake the blade, trying to dislodge it to no avail.

Diego took a few steps back from the blade, stamping his food into the poll of the trident-- not budging. Diego grimaced, lowering himself again, grabbing the knife from his boot, and digging it into the dirt. Luckily his plan seems to be working, being able to sift the dirt around the trident with his knife being snapped out of his concentration as golden strings stung his hand causing him to pull back. Diego glanced frantically at his hand and the blade before shaking his head, going back in, and continuing to use his knife as a shovel.

Chazen looked stunned at what Diego was doing, turning to Logan, "Won't this take forever?"

"If he can't pull it out, we can't either. It's not a strength thing."

"How do you know that?"

"That's how Mantra Blades work, Yokev would know."

"How does he know?"

Yokev smirked, "I've stolen a Mantra Blade before, one planted into something like this one."

"So two people had the same idea."

"Hm?" Yokev tilted his head.

"Two people at some point thought it was a good idea to stick the damn things into the ground."

"Oh~" Yokev chuckled, "Indeed, indeed."

Chazen shook his head, kissing his teeth, waiting with bated breath, watching Diego struggle to dig the trident out from the dirt. Dirt clumped around the blade, dulling its sharpness, sifting the dirt to be behind him, wiping away sweat from his brow periodically, pulling his hand away as golden string pricked the back of it.

Diego clicked his tongue, proceeding to draw lines in the dirt, digging into the lines before pushing the dirt away from the cut blocks that he made. They still fell apart as earth usually does but it made the process easier - cutting the dirt into more manageable chunks. He attempted shaking the trident a myriad of times as an attempt to dislodge it-- still no progress so far, though more dirt has finally been moved out of the way, getting deeper and deeper into the hole, more of the blade becoming visible. Diego glanced behind him, noticing someone approach in the darkness, alarming him-- he retreated towards the nearby tree hiding behind it.

It was a guard - they approached Anna Maria, motioning to her to follow him - and they left.

Chazen was ecstatic, though not all the guards had left, the most concerning ones have - this was all because, as the hour had passed, the party had ended.

Diego crossed back over to the blade, attempting to dislodge it with a kick, failing, and then going back to digging. Diego took a deep breath, grabbed some wraps in a bag of his, and covered his hands with it, tightening it around his wrist. Diego lowered himself, attempting to pull the trident out once more, becoming red to the face, his head was thrown back and groaning loudly, sweat dripping off his chin.

Diego cursed under his breath, kneeling down, and digging again.

Chazen sighed, "Why don't we just go help him?"

Logan pointed to where Diego was, "You see how he's keeping himself close to the tree just behind the Mantra Blade?"

"Yeah?"

"You see how those two guards there by those walls leading up to the blade have lamps?"

"Yeah?"

"That's irrelevant, one shadow is better than multiple, even if their eyes are adjusted to the light of their lamps they can still see dark figures from a distance, yeah?"

"Oh, well…? Aren't you guys stronger than him, why don't we switch?"

"Did you forget what Yokev said earlier?"

"Well, wouldn't it be easier for someone stronger to dig this up?"

Logan turned to the group, "Do any of us have a shovel?" They all shook their heads, "Sorry, we didn't really consider that it'd be planted into the ground."

"Well…" Chazen shrugged, "Like, on the blueprint!" He pulled out one of the blueprints Logan handed to them earlier. "Like, where would you get this? How did we know it-"

"It's called the Mantra Ground-- Diego noted it in his but didn't look too deep into it and if any of our guys got close on any normal day they'd get caught… plus I just assumed it was more in the tree than in the ground but now we're here."

"Okay, then-then why didn't any of us think about getting a shovel-- didn't even need to be to dig a damn trident from the ground, yeah?"

"Well, normally people don't stick shit into the ground-- it's normally on some sort of pedestal."

Chazen kissed his teeth, leaning on a tree and looking out at the horizon line, far beyond the estate's grounds, noticing the sky lighting up from afar. "We're reaching daylight."

"Let's get out of here," Diego approached them with the trident, wrapped in a brown cloth strapped to his back.

"W-Wh-Wai-what? You finished?"

"They're gonna notice soon, we're leaving!"

Logan motioned to the group, all of them following behind him.

The carriage the group was in shook restlessly as it ran across rocky ground causing everyone within to rock with it.

All was silent, Diego hugging the Trident in his arms, Logan flirting with the girl in front as she controlled the horses, her returning his advances. Yokev looked to Diego, "What's got you so attached?"

"I'm not… I…" Diego paused, "I'm just thinking… This felt too easy."

"Want to know why we chose now to do this?"

"Why?"

"It's because the military at the Osuna estate began to care less and less about that Mantra Blade. Same with the Osna family-- they found it useless, but a Mantra Blade is a Mantra Blade - they believed it to give good luck."

"Why'd they find it useless? Why'd they stop caring?"

"It's not like they completely forgot about it."

"Obviously."

"It's because nobody could use it."

"Then… why are we taking it? What would make us different?"

"Us?" Yokev chuckled, "We're bringing this to the Boss."

"Why does he want it?"

Yokev shrugged, "He wants it."

They were silent for a moment, "Why would he want a useless blade?"

Yokev sighed, "What if he could use it? It wouldn't hurt to see if he's the special one-- the one who managed to wield the trident no one else could wield" There was a pause between the two.

"Yokev…"

"What? What's wrong?"

"Could you be honest with me? It seemed pretty obvious but I just wanted to make sure."

Yokev side-eyed Diego, "Yeah?"

"You're the boss, right?"

Yokev smirked, nodding quietly letting out a light chuckle, "You can think that, I guess."

Diego's eyes narrowed, bringing his wrist up to meet his own gaze, bringing his sleeve up his forearm. There was a tattoo burned into his arm in the shape of a three-pronged fork, small golden strings attempting to directly connect with the Mantra Blade; the Saol Marbh, also known as Mimir. Diego recognized it from a book he had read when he was a child. Diego threw his head back, looking out the small cloth covers that led into the inside of the carriage, "I guess redheads are the unlucky ones…" He mumbled.

"Ah! Even the redhead believes it!" Chazen overheard him, pointing and laughing.

"Yeah… I'm a fool," Diego sighed, "No, this wasn't my fault. I know what's coming."

"What's wrong boy?" Yokev asked, looking at Diego with feigned concern. Diego felt as if he could read everyone surrounding him like an open book, stifling bile in his throat.

"I'm not gonna… I'm not going to let this happen to me, even if it isn't my fault." Everyone in the carriage looked confused, watching Diego. "Sorry, the trident chose me." Everything felt as if it were going in slow motion - Diego jumping out of the carriage, Yokev attempting to grab him before he could leave, Logan outright lunging from his seat startling Chazen who leaned back to avoid colliding with Logan-- Fia in the back jumping from her seat to see what was going on, the most notable thing being the expression on Yokev's face - uncontrollable anger boiling underneath, eyes wide watching as his potential wish jumped from the carriage, jaw tightened, veins visible above his brow.

They were all stunned, the carriage silent. "Fuck!" Yokev stood up, turning to the group just before he jumped out of the carriage himself, "Put a bounty on that fucking redhead immediately!"

Logan nodded, confirming his command with a loud, "Yes sir!"

"What the fuck is going on!?" Chazen shouted.

"Yeah, what the hell, why did- where did Diego…?" Fia fell back down onto her seat.

"Diego betrayed us…" Logan growled, "Fucking…"

"W-Why…?" Chazen shook his head, "Fucking bitch!"

"Y-Yokev, what was with him?"

"If you want to stay alive, ignore what he did." Logan grumbled, sitting down, tapping the seat of the coachman, "Send a message."