Despite his plea for any answer Argus was ignored...
"Master, watch me split this sculpture in half!" Malpi declared.
And without further nonsense, he went dashing in front of the sculpture.
Firmly gripping the bardiche in his arms, he swung it with force.
The slash flashed in an instant,
But...
"Whaaat??!!!" Malpi failed to slash the sculpture in half.
"This fool. He made me expect something..." Argus muttered to himself.
Then the mysterious old man laughed so hard that he felt his insides aching.
"Only a fool would swing the bardiche like that!" slapping his thighs, he can't help but smirk.
Well, the sculpture got dented due to that force, but swinging a weapon without proper skill could only make you a laughing stock.
"It's fine." Argus yelped.
Seeing that Malpi is about to try swinging the bardiche again, Argus stopped Malpi.
"Just stop." He could not bear to look at Malpi's awful stance.
"Give me the bardiche." Argus went close to Malpi and grabbed the weapon away.
Feet paced apart, shoulders held loose, Argus initiated a stance then rotating himself while he held the Bardiche with his two hands he performed a downright slash against the sculpture.
Yet...
"Whaat?!!!" Argus could not believed what transpired next.
The weapon in his hands flew off as it bounced back from the sculpture.
Well, he did manage to dent it just like Malpi. Yet it's not slashed or split into two.
The group scratched their heads, wondering why.
Followed by a boisterous laugh the old mysterious man giggled to himself.
The bunch felt embarrassed, each of them then took turns in slashing the sculpture.
"Let me try it too!" Aen cooly interjected.
Argus who felt embarrassed freely handed him the weapon.
"Try it if you want."
And Aen proceeded to slash it himself.
But just like the previous two, it was useless...
"Heck! Not even a dent!" Aen yelped as he lamented.
An utter joke!
None of them could slash the sculpture.
Argus became desperate, he grabbed the weapon again and initiated another strike.
And another!
.
.
.
And another!
.
.
.
And another...
.
.
.
Yet off no use, the sculpture only got dented and dented in the process.
But Argus who felt so humiliated still tried his best.
This is his only chance!
"I have to get that clue!" He inwardly thought.
And so, this time he tried focusing as he closed his eyes while breathing deeply.
But just before he could even move, he felt a sudden ache behind his knees...
The mysterious old man suddenly kicked him and Argus fell flat on the ground, all along while the ground hits his chest.
When the bunch of Alipins has witnessed this, they all got furious as they all yelled at the unreasonable old man.
"Hey! What is that for?"
"Stop it!" The Old man yelled, cupping his hands behind his back and bowing slightly to whisper to Argus. "Haven't you noticed anything?" He asked.
"What?" Argus replied.
Shaking his head the old mysterious man displayed a disappointed face.
"You never noticed anything?" The old man asked again.
Argus slowly sat up from being sprawled flat.
Squinting his eyes, he asked: "What should I notice about? I did what I can and I'm useless..."
Dejected and felt embarrassed to the point of humiliation, Argus shook his head in utter surrender.
But then, the voice of the old man rang inside his head...
"You never notice anything?" repeatedly ringing, as if the campfire was ignited, Argus remembered the dent he made.
He went to get close to the sculpture and re-examined it.
And upon touching the sculpture, his hands felt its rough edges.
The tough texture unfamiliar to a wooden sculpture.
"Why would a wooden sculpture be this rugged? It should've been smoothed out." Argus thought while circling the sculpture around.
Then a mocking voice came from his back.
"You only focused on your goal, blinded by your thirst..." The old man suddenly interjected Argus.
"You forgot to observe first before attacking." He added.
"You tricked me! This is not wood! This is bronze!" Argus furiously shouted.
Which when the old man heard it, he just laughed.
"Hahaha since when did I tricked you? young man..."
"Look, it is wood... civered in bronze."
The old man clarified.
Argus just looked at him, pissed and unmoving.
"Are you still hell-bent on your revenge?" Squinting his eyes and narrowing his brows, the Old Man out of the blue abruptly questioned.
"If you are, when you have time... Visit me at Mount Madha in Bisan. There I will tell you."
As the old man's voice ended, he picked up the spear and looked back,
Clearing his throat he continued,
"I'll be taking this spear with me, you may have the bardiche instead. Also..."
The Old man tossed a pebble that had mysterious writings carved in it.
Argus easily caught the pebble and as he examined the pebble, he remembered the same small stone he tried stealing from his father back when he was still a kid.
And according to his father, it was a gift from Apok Amron.
Now Argus became more confused...
"What does this old man knew..." He contemplated.
"I'll wait for you there, Ranoan. that is... Provided that you survive the Trials."
Then the Old man just casually walked away; along with the spear Banuk-Rhanuk gave to Miguel, he leaves behind the dazed group of Argus.
"Hey wait! What is this nonsense! Just tell it to me now!" Argus yelled but it's of no use.
The Old man just ignored him and gradually left them.
.
.
.
...
Walking back from the trail and towards the rowdy rows of weapon vendors, Argus was greatly disturbed by that mysterious old man.
He did not even notice that those vendors who previously have dismissed them a while ago are now curiously cranking their neck, curious of where did Argus and his bunch got the bardiche in their hands.
To the vendors, Argus and the bunch did not really matter. But the Bardiche itself at a glance screams of that it was made from high-quality materials.
Some busy body asked, "What are you fellows looking at?"
"Nothing... we just suspect that those stinky Alipins over there probably have stolen that weapon in their hands." The vendor pouts as he pointed the Bardiche using his lips.
It turns out that Argus and his bunch are now suspected of stealing...
After the busybody heard what the vendor has told, he went to report it to the guards who are busy patrolling and maintaining the Saon's order.
.
.
.
...
Argus who is deep in thought, together with his group arrived at the Lumin's Tribal Square...
"Badong... I mean Argus, that old man pisses me off. We are played by him." Talto suddenly voiced himself after some silence.
"Well, it's also our wrong. we did not check the sculpture first before agreeing." Argus replied while casting aside the thoughts in his head. He felt rather gloomy like when he walked to buy some new weapon.
"First, it was that Elder Shana, then that mysterious Banuk-Rhanuk, and then this Old man. Adding to the mix, I still haven't had an answer to that strange void-like space I went to, plus Miguel."
"I fear that if I close my eyes, that dark space would greet me again upon my waking."
"And that Miguel would come to possess my body again..."
With this thoughts dangling in his head, Argus found it difficult to focus on the road and the numerous people he met all looked blurry to him
Until...
"Pack!"
The bunch heard a loud thud.
And almost as instantaneously, they all turned their heads to the ground.
Then the Alipins in sync, they all shouted" "Yagnos!"
Apparently, they accidentally kicked Yagnos who is still lying in the ground.