Training Procured

Waking up extra early Cassian got out of his bed. Everyone else was asleep, as the sun hadn't even started rising and it was dark outside. Thankfully he didn't feel groggy as he went to sleep early yesterday in anticipation of today.

Exiting the inn, he started making his way through the streets of Orario, illuminated by the magic lamps. The katana he made yesterday was slung over his back, and now he was planning on making a new weapon for himself.

After much deliberation, he decided to stick to the swords for now, as he was the most familiar with them and currently was the best for his abilities.

Reaching the forge, he started it up, the furnace pleasantly warming the place up. For a moment he was concerned with forging while it was basically night out, but he realized this was the industrial zone so civilians didn't sleep here and the voice wouldn't disturb anyone. In fact, he could hear several forges also still being used. Probably blacksmiths who decided to pull an all-nighter.

Cassian decided to make twin blades. Both would have the Runes of Sharpness and Reinforcement, however, one would be for public use and thus have the Rune of Glamour on it, while the other would be for deeper into the dungeon where no one could see them. That one would have the Rune of Recall.

It took him 6 hours of continuous effort but both swords lay completed before him, before noon came. Cassian admired the swords and was happy with the results. He had chosen to discard the longsword he usually used, as he did not really manage to connect to that design and felt unsatisfied.

Instead, he went with a more one-handed style of sword. He was inspired by the elven swords he had seen in media back in his old world, especially Hobbit. And that was how this design was formed in his head, though the blade was a bit thicker than usual elven blades.

(Image)

Overall, he was quite satisfied with the final product. Depending on how today went, he would make Nico's and now Leo's armor today evening or tomorrow morning. He wanted to get back into the dungeon already and start going down to the middle floors. They had already defeated the strongest monster on the upper floors, so it was time to move on. Leo would have to struggle a bit, but he believed she'd manage.

Speaking of the dungeon. Nico and Leo should have entered it by now. Yesterday they convinced Cassian to allow them to go down there. He was reluctant at first as he was busy and couldn't go down there with them, but eventually, they managed to convince him, with the promise of not going beyond the 9th floor.

Cassian was still nervous about it. He didn't like his little brother being in such a dangerous situation without him, but he realized that he would stifle Nico's growth if he loomed over him at all times like a mother hen. So, he decided to give him some freedom for individual adventures.

Plus, Leo really needed to start practicing and get used to fighting with Momon, as well as start raising her stats, otherwise, she would be incapable of keeping up and be left behind.

Leaving the workshop after stashing the sword with visible runes in a safe, hidden place, Cassian started making his way toward the northeastern part of Orario. That was where his destination lay. It took him a bit of asking around, but eventually, he found where he could find his target through Rose.

The streets were filled to the brim with people now, compared to its somewhat barren state when Cassian walked through them previously.

It took him twenty minutes to reach his destination. A place called the 'Temporary Residence Townhouse'. That name alone reassured him that his plan would work.

The area was filled with residential complexes. Each complex had several buildings in it, as well as a pretty large yard for the residents to use as they please, and decently tall walls encircling them, granting privacy. The design was resembling of Japanese architecture. Despite being a bit old, the place was still in good condition and looked quite pretty too. Cassian wouldn't mind living here.

Concentrating his sense of hearing, he looked for familiar names and soon heard one.

Grinning, he went up to one of the complexes and loudly knocked so he could be heard inside.

After a bit of waiting, the gate was opened and he was met with a pretty girl looking up at him. She had black, straight hair tied in a ponytail, purplish eyes, and a pretty face with oriental features. She was dressed in a purple kimono.

'So that's Yamato Mikoto. Quite recognizable.'

"Greetings, may I help you?" She asked with a neutral but inquisitive tone. She was quite surprised at having a visitor. After a brief moment of panic of thinking it was their landlord, she calmed down and reminded herself that they still had considerable time before rent was due.

"Hello, my name is Cassian Suncrest, it's nice to meet you…" He derailed as he waited for Mikoto to introduce herself. 'Should I offer her my hand? How do they greet people in Japan again?'

His hand started rising before freezing in place. 'Oh, wait I'm an elf. She'd probably be weirded out if I offered a handshake.'

"My name is Yamato Mikoto. It is nice to make your acquaintance." She answered while bowing her head a little.

'Ah, I should have bowed then. I'll remember in the future.' Cassian made a mental note before continuing. "Um, excuse me, but I'm not familiar with the etiquette in the Far East. Could you kindly tell me how to address you?"

Mikoto blinked, momentarily surprised before answering. "Normally, for people we are not close to, we use our surnames and add the suffix 'San' or 'Sama' for speaking to someone of a higher station. You can call me Mikoto-san. May I ask what you came here for?"

(I'm assuming Mikoto is her last name, correct me if I'm wrong. Also, I'll be using Japanese honorifics only when dealing with Japanese characters or gods. The standard method of addressing other gods will be 'Lord' and 'Lady')

"I wish to speak to Takemikazuchi-sama if he is available?"

"I see, please follow me and I will guide you to him."

Following her inside, Cassian saw the yard and the garden. It was covered in greenery and looked quite pretty and welcoming. The houses were made of wood and built in the traditional Japanese design, although it was called the 'Far East' here on Gekai. He was starting to like Japanese architecture quite a bit.

Once they passed the first building and entered the center of the housing complex, Cassian saw a large yard where grass didn't grow and the ground was solid earth. There he could see 5 individuals, the adventurers of the Takemikazuchi familia, he presumed, being guided by their god.

Takemikazuchi was at the front, showcasing a few martial techniques. He had black hair and eyes, in standard Japanese style, and an angular, handsome face. Cassian didn't know what his clothing style was called, but it was some kind of white onesie. He could see it was torn at the sleeves on both the arms and legs.

'Is that just part of the design, or is he actually so broke, he can't afford decent clothes?' Cassian knew they sent most of their money back to the orphanage in the Far East to support them, and while he respected that, this was a bit much. A god's image directly reflected on the familia's prestige. The god of a familia walking around in rags harmed the standing of their familia.

As he and Mikoto came close, Takemikazuchi stopped his display and turned to them. Noticing the stranger in their complex, Takemikazuchi regarded Cassian with a bit of confusion before walking forward to greet him.

"Takemikazuchi-sama, this is Cassian Suncrest as he introduced himself. He requested to meet with you." Mikoto addressed her god. A big fella also followed their god, he was the captain of the Takemikazuchi familia, though Cassian couldn't remember his name.

"Hello, I don't believe we have met. May I ask what brings you here?" Takemikazuchi inquired with a smile and friendly tone.

'If I remember right, he was generally quite a friendly individual. Also, something of a gigolo, if I remember correctly. But that's not why I came here.'

"Hi. The reason I came here is because I wished to make a deal with you Takemikazuchi-sama." Cassian addressed him seriously.

He had accepted that he needed training. Desperately at that. He needed a teacher who would guide and help him master combat so that his lacking skills wouldn't hold him back anymore like it did in the fight with the Infant Dragon. As he had noticed with Welf teaching him blacksmithing, a talented and skilled individual teaching him would accelerate his rate of learning martial arts by a wide margin.

And who better to teach him than the God of War, Takemikazuchi? Cassian distinctly remembered hearing about the god in question being able to beat level 2 adventurers in combat with the body of a mortal. There was no better teacher he could find.

"A deal?" Takemikazuchi asked surprised.

"Yes. If I may inquire, I have heard that you as a god of war, are extremely skilled in combat arts, is that true?"

"Well, I don't mean to brag, but yes, I am skilled in martial arts." Takemikazuchi answered already getting an inkling of what this deal would be about.

"Good. I wish to request a year of private tutorship. Around 20 to 30 hours per week dedicated to training me and teaching me martial arts and combat." Cassian presented Takemikazuchi's side of the deal.

"Oh, this- this is quite surprising. I was not expecting to be asked to teach…" The stunned look on his face was shared by his familia as well. Today was supposed to be a normal day, they spent warming up in the morning before diving into the dungeon, and now a stranger appeared out of nowhere and asked their god to train him.

Takemikazuchi quickly got his bearing back together though and shot an inquisitive look towards Cassian. "Why are you requesting me to teach you? Is your familia incapable of providing you with that?"

"My familia is still quite new and I'm currently the most experienced one in it, so no I don't have anyone to teach me there. As for why I came to you… Well, who better to teach than the God of Martial Arts." Cassian shrugged as the answer was pretty obvious to him.

"I see, but you know that it is very uncommon for gods to interact with the children of other gods in this manner?" He asked in a measured tone.

"I do, but why would I care? I need a teacher and you're the best prospective one around, it's as simple as that." Cassian's answer prompted Takemikazuchi to smile. He quite liked this strange elf's straightforwardness.

"And what do you offer in exchange? 20 to 30 hours per week is quite a lot. And since you are requesting direct, one-on-one teaching, it means I will be depriving that time of my children."

"My schedule is flexible, so you can decide when you find it the most appropriate to conduct our lessons. Even if it has to be at night if other times are not suitable for you." Cassian gave over that option to Takemikazuchi.

"As for what I offer… In addition to being a combatant, I am a blacksmith. Quite a decent one too. Since you have 6 familia members, I offer a coupon for 6 free custom orders of whatever equipment you may want, within reason of course. I'm not going to make adamantium gear. I will be footing the entire cost, including the material costs."

Takemikazuchi's eyes widened, as did the rest of his familia's. This… This could be an amazing opportunity. Considering their tear-inducing financial state, buying new gear is far out of their reach at the moment. They could buy low-quality equipment made by rookie blacksmiths, but anything beyond that? Especially a custom order?

After a moment of deliberation, Takemikazuchi spoke up. "How good of a blacksmith are you? I don't intend to insult you but if you're a rookie, I don't think this deal would be fair."

Cassian's smile widened at that question. This was what he was waiting for. He took off the katana he made yesterday of his back and presented it to Takemikazuchi.

"This is a sword I forged recently. Its name is Kurogane. You can judge how good of a blacksmith I am yourself." Handing over the sword, Takemikazuchi took it and pulled it out of its sheath.

The black blade was beautiful, no doubt about that. The name fit it perfectly. As for its quality…

"Mikoto, if you will?" He addressed his child.

Mikoto realized instantly what her god was requesting and pulled out her own katana.

Charging forward, they both swung their swords and their blades met in the middle.

Takemikazuchi intended to see if either sword chipped. That would let him know, both their prospective sharpness and durability.

What he did not expect was for his sword to not even stop for a second and continue traveling as if Mikoto's blade was not even there.

The entirety of the Takemikazuchi watched with shock as the piece of a blade flew in the air and fell down. Their minds barely processed that Mikoto's katana had been cut in half as if it was made of bamboo.

It took Takemikazuchi a moment to snap out of his shock, before smiling widely and looking at his guest.

"You have a Deal."