"This is your new partner. Congrats on awakening."
The phrase resounded on Rahz's mind for a few seconds while he opened his eyes wide and picked up speed as he tackle his dad into a big hug. " You are the best!!!! I can't wait to see Bhilr's ugly face tomorrow when I show him this baby."
Rhaen shook his head and was speechless, he didn't want to spoil his son's happiness by telling him that he had also made weapons for all the children that had awakened.
With a solemn expression Rhaen handed the axe to his son and said " This axe is not a toy, if you don't give it the respect it deserves, you can injure others as well as injure yourself. I will teach you the proper way to take care of it tomorrow. If you maintained it properly, it will never let you down."
"Thanks dad, I promise I'll be very careful".
The moment he grabbed the axe. Rhaz felt a formidable weight in his hands.
"Wow is so heavy."
"It should be able to help you train your body while you do your swinging practice, just make sure to listen to your instructors and learn how to use it properly".
Etta was standing at the door looking at the pair of father and son with warm feelings wondering when it will be the time for Rahz to start his own life. She had the feeling that his destiny was elsewhere.
Sigh…
"Only time will tell" Thought Etta while calling the two of them to dinner.
Next day, Rahz woke up early and started his morning exercise which now included the use of his offensive and defensive skills to deplete all of his energy.
After the awakening ceremony, a small mark had appeared on the right side of Rahz's chest and he learned from his dad that he could take a look at his progress to the next level by looking at the rune of the awakened on his body. Normally, the mark was very hard to see but the further along the level he was, the brighter the lines of the rune will be.
Rahz's rune had 10 percent of the lines that made it up illuminated symbolizing that Rahz was already 10 percent into level 1 from all the exercise he had done. Once the rune was 100 percent full of energy, it will used the energy stored to change Rahz's body and advance to a Level 2 rune of awakening. The level 2 rune will be a little bigger in size and required a lot more energy to be filled and so on and so forth.
There were many ways to increase the energy towards the next level. The best method was definitely killing any life form that had cultivated energy, whether it was humans or other races it did not really matter. The most important aspect of getting energy from slaying was definitely the level of the prey, the higher the level of the vanquished foe, the higher the energy rewarded. On the contrary, slaying foes that were at a much lower level than the warrior gave no benefits to them except for providing sustenance and materials such as leather.
The second method was definitely through alchemy;However, Alchemy came in many levels and finding an Alchemist in such a remote region like Helgahvall was very difficult.
For Barbarian villages, alchemy came in the most primitive form, cooking, They took the meat, bones and blood of the high level beast and cook it with different medicinal plants to feed their warriors. Using precious materials this way was quite wasteful but alchemist were very rare and even if they found one to create potions or other items the cost alone would be higher than the amount of money necessary to buy grain to feed the village in the winter months.
Alchemy was probably the most expensive method to increase one's energy and the higher the level of the Awakened, the higher the requirements of the materials. Some recipes required materials from 2nd evolution creatures and had an outrageous cost which only people from wealthy families in big towns could afford.
The final method was constant practice. Even though it was the slower of all three, it was the safest and cheapest. With this method, the warrior uses their skills continuously in order to depleted their energy, then with the energy of heaven and earth provided by their runes, they stimulate their bodies to cope better with the stress of training thus increasing their energy. This method also provided another benefit which was the increased in the proficiency of skills and combat arts.
Constant training did not implied that everybody could get to the highest level of their class, the method was deeply influenced by the warriors bloodlines giving the Barbarians an advantage while leveling up due to their constitution. Another drawback to this method was that the amount of energy required at higher levels became massive and not everybody wanted to reach the Apex, some people stopped training to raise a family, others stopped in order to build a business, etc.
When Rahz was checking his progress, he saw his dad walking towards him with a little kit. In the kit was a sharpening stone, some oils and a couple of cloths. After Rhaen explained the use of each item, he proceeded to show Rahz the proper way to maintain a weapon.
"Watch carefully"
" The first step in the process is to wipe away any debris from the blades of the the 2 sided axe and then proceeded to clean the handle with the cloth. you have to make sure that no residue is left. Once you are satisfied with the first step, The next step is to use the sharpening stone followed by another round of cleaning. Finally, The last step is to oil the blades and the head of the Axe in order to protect the materials from the weather."
Finishing his explanation, Rhaen gave the maintenance kit to Rahz and said " If you do this regularly, your weapon will last for a long time."
Rhaen then tousle his son's hair and reminded him that it was time to go. It was time to start his training.
During his walk to the training grounds, Rahz was distracted thinking about a name for his new partner. Super awesome destroyer... Nah. Bloodthirster? Nah too savage. Hmmm...My dad said that it deserves respect and it will protect me by chopping my enemies.... I got it!! your new name will be Mr. Choppy. Hoo hoo my naming skills are indeed superb.
Without realizing it, Rahz had arrived at the training field. He started looking for Bhirl so he could boost and show off Mr Choppy.
After looking at the training field for a couple of minutes, Rahz gave up with a disappointed look.
"Just where could he be? I don't believe he will be late on the first day". Suddenly, Rahz jumped in fright.
"Bhirl you scared me!!!. Man that is a face only a mother will love".
"Ahhh!!! you really need to stop sucker punching. Is unbecoming of a warrior, you know."
" I'll Show you unbecoming". BAAAM!!!
" It was a Joke! Just a joke!!. So savage seriously! you should definitely be a Zerker not a Guardian".
While ignoring Rahz's banter, Bhirl directed his gaze at the giant 2 Handed Axe and said, "Rahz your dad really went all out for you this time, that is an awesome looking weapon". With a smug look on his face Rahz smiled and introduced Mr Choppy.
After hearing the weapon's name Bhirl couldn't help but shake his head, he was speechless.
Rahz got ready to finish telling Bhirl about the awesomeness of Mr. Choppy when the sight of an oversize shield came into his view. He stop talking and walk slowly to Bhirl's back to take a better look. It was magnificent. In the center of the shield, there was an engraving of a wolf. The Size of the shield was 4 Feet tall and 3 feet wide. it weight it 150 pounds. Underneath the shield, there was a sword scabbard and the handle of a sword stuck out from the side. It looked so massive that it made Rahz Gulp.
" When you get that." Rahz pointed at the shield.
" Last night!, it was my awakening present".
"Hmm.... Did my dad made it?".
"Yup. I heard everybody got weapons made from your dad as gifts last night"
"Hmm..."
Even though his face showed no emotions, Rahz was raging in his mind. 'What the hell dad! this was my time to shine. Was it too much too ask for you not to finish their weapons on time. One day, One day was all I asked. well played dad , well played'.
With a helpless look on his face Rahz congratulated Bhirl on his present and said, "Well let's not stand around or we will be late".