Maria had stayed behind in the village while Gil left off. She had been trying to improve the way of life in the town, and she decided to start having small groups of leprechauns and kitsune hunt in pairs. "Split up into groups of three and hunt for game in the forest. If you can't find a third person to join you, then only gather fruits and herbs." The leprechauns nodded and went about their way. Life so far had been peaceful in the village. Excluding the conflict with the kitsune, there hadn't been any other attack. Maria hoped it would stay that way for longer, although she knew that the more her little town would prosper, the more likely they would attract attention. Diplomacy, bureaucracies, and treaties were going to be huge in the future. Other nations might declare war just so they can make all of Silverlake their own if they win. Dirram was the strongest kingdom in Eastern Tenebris. Maria did not want to make an enemy of them so soon, while her plans were still in the early stages. She stared in the sky, wishing she could divine something from it. "Be careful, Gil."
It had been a day since Gil departed from the village. He had made acquaintances with the other leprechauns he was traveling with. They were Clover, who had clovers in his hair; Isabelle, affectionate and kind; Travis, shy and quiet; and Ryan, who was outgoing. Gil already knew Conall.
Gil was informed that a journey to Dirram would take two months on foot, but thanks to the kitsune, it would take only two days. Nighttime had fallen, and the group had set up camp deep in the forest. The leprechauns gathered wood, and Gil used his powers to light it aflame. They ate s'mores as they chatted.
"Hey Conall, what's the kingdom of Dirram like?" Clover had only read about it in a book in the village library, and he was curious. The book had been vague and only told him of the different aspects of the government. "Is it really true that sentinels live there?"
"That's right," Connal said. "Dirram is a buffer zone, so any fights between races are prohibited. If they do that, the army steps in and expels them from the nation. The army of Dirram numbers in at four hundred thousand, so it's wise not to mess with them."
"But they're no match for Lord Gil?" Isabell, like the other leprechauns, saw Gil as their hero. The girls, in particular, had developed crushes on him, being swooned by his looks. They kept their lips silent; however, as Lady Maria would be sure to punish them. But she was not here, and so Isabelle thought she had a chance. "He'll keep us safe from trouble, won't he?" Isabelle hugged Gil's arm. Gil found her a little touchy, but he let her be.
Conall nodded. "Lord Gil is very formidable. Unless a demon emperor shows up, we should have nothing to fear."
"But the ruler of Dirram might send the army to get us. Lord Gil is a sentinel, after all," Travis mumbled. "There's no way he could take on an army that huge."
"Are you saying that Lord Gil is weak?" Isabelle glared at Travis. "N-no, that's not what I meant at all," he stammered. He glanced nervously at Gil. "Please forgive me for my tongue, Lord Gil! I just -"
"It's fine." Gil patted Travis on the head, making him and Isabelle both blush, albeit for different reasons. "I understand your concerns. But remember that Dirram is a neutral nation. It's not participating in the war. If you guys behave, they won't send their army after us, got it?" Travis nodded. "Yes, Lord Gil!"
Gil smiled. "Conall, are you the only one in the village who's gone to Dirram?"
"No, Lord Gil. Ryan went there with me."
"Uh-huh!" Ryan exclaimed. "There's this inn we visited, and it was amazing. The waiters there were sentinels, but that didn't matter. Those girls were gorgeous!" He elaborated on how they were like blossomed flowers in springtime and what made them so, giving an in-depth analysis of their bodies. Conall's and Travis's faces were red tomatoes, and Isabelle threw a stick at Ryan. "Shut up, you pervert! Stop saying such lewd things in Lord Gil's presence!" Hearing those things made Isabelle feel insecure. She didn't have any of the traits these "hotties" had. Would Lord Gil reject her because of that?
Gil rolled his eyes. "That was quite informative. Too much so for my taste. It's getting late, so why don't we get some rest? We'll be arriving at Dirram tomorrow." The leprechauns obliged and went to their respective tents.
The next day, the group had arrived at the kingdom of Dirram. From a hill, Gil could only see the massive walls surrounding the place. He and his team of leprechauns found the entrance and saw a big line. "What's with that?"
"Oh, the guards inspect anyone before they let them pass," Conall answered. "Security is tight here. We won't be able to bypass it."
"Not that it matters," Gil shrugged. "We're not trying to sneak in, although I would love to cut through that line. But I suppose it can't hurt to wait." Hours passed by, and the line barely budged. Gil thought they would have to set up camp here if this kept up through the evening. He wished something would speed the process.
Gil felt someone bump into him. Hard. He turned behind him and saw Ryan on the floor. "What the hell was that for?" There were five people behind Gil, and one of them was laughing. He was a tall giant who wore shades and had a sword at his side. "What's the matter, you puny little leprechaun? Wanna play?" His buddies all laughed, even though they were not much taller than Ryan. Gil propped Ryan up. "Puny? You wanna die?" The tall man grinned, grabbing his sword. His buddies got their gear out too. Gil didn't want to make a commotion, so he whistled for Volpes. "Volpes, these people want to fight with you. Get rid of them." Volpes roared, and the rowdy band trembled. "How the hell did he tame a kumiho? Those foxes are ultra-rare!" The band ran away, and so did everyone else on the line. Most would have thought it a bad thing, but Gil just wanted to get into Dirram, so he thought this was convenient. He strolled across to the city gates but was promptly stopped by guards. "You're coming with us for a bit."
Gil and his companions now found themselves in a prison cell. The guard wanted to know why Gil called the kumiho and how he even got one. Gil decided to be honest and tell the truth. "And that's what happened. I wasn't trying to create trouble for you guys, I swear. I thought calling Volpes would make those guys run away, and they did. That's all."
The guard rubbed his chin. He had in his hand reports from some witnesses, and the stories seemed to match up. "Well, what you say appears so far to be true. I usually don't do this, but just this time, I'll let you pass." Gil nodded. "I appreciate it, sir."
Three men walked up to the guard. They fascinated Gil, as they all looked identical. They had the same face, brown beard, body structure, and were even the same height. The only difference was that one of them was bald while the other two weren't. The bald one also had his right leg severed. The guard ran to them. He frantically stared at the bleeding leg. "Hekket! What happened to your leg? Asterlig, where'd your right arm go?" Hekket and Asterlig didn't respond, so the third man spoke up. "Klain needed more metals, so we went to the mines in the west to get them. We got attacked by this spider, and we barely managed to run away. Tom, don't you got any potions on you?"
The guard shook his head. "You guys used all the ones I had last time this happened. Hurry! We have to find some potions, or they'll die from blood loss!" Gil cut through the bars on his cell using a sword he just made by solidifying light. "I could help treat those guys."
"What are you doing?" Tom yelled. "You can't just break out of there!"
"I'm aware of that, but you seem to have quite the situation on your hands. If you ignore what I did, I'll be willing to heal your friends."
"How are you going to do that? Do you have potions for us to use?" Tom couldn't trust him just yet. He might have been a kid, but he was a kid that had a kumiho and some leprechauns as servants. On top of that, the kid's aura was incredible. Tom knew he was much more dangerous than he looked. Still, it was unlikely the boy would attack him, lest he wanted to be perceived by the army as a threat and get killed."Alright, kid, what have you got in mind?" Gil observed the wounds. Hekket and Asterlig would die soon if the bleeding wasn't stopped. Maria had told him that a demon's body was composed entirely of quanta. Gil thought that he could absorb some quanta from the surrounding area and fashion it into new appendages for Hekket and Asterlig.
Gil formed a little ball in his hands, then extended it. Trying to imagine it as best as he could, he created an arm, fingers and all, and put it into Atsterlig, who was startled to see his arm grow back. "I've got a new arm! Who the hell are you, kid?"
Gil did the same for Hekket, granting him a new leg. "Woah!" The latter was shocked. He never even imagined that it was possible to create replaceable limbs. "I can walk again!"
Tom's jaw dropped. What on Yggdrasil did that kid do? He just made new body parts out of thin air! Real body parts that worked! It was unreal. Tom was unsettled by Gil's smile. His gut told him it would be unwise to anger this kid. He didn't sense any maliciousness emanating from him, either. Tom felt kindness in Gil's smile, and so Tom decided to trust him.
"Thanks a lot, kid. I have a lot of questions to ask, but I have a feeling they're going to go unanswered."
"Yep. What I did is a trade secret." Even though it was Dirram, Gil thought it would be best to hide his identity. The nation may have welcomed sentinels in, but that didn't mean they were treated kindly. Asterlig and Hekket shook Gil's hands. "Thanks a ton, kid! We seriously owe you one! I can't believe you could heal someone without a potion!"
"Glad I could help." Gil wondered if he could as for a favor in return, but he went against it. He would make them ask how they could repay him instead. It would be better to earn their trust first, so they wouldn't cheat him when Gil asked for compensation.
"Seriously, thanks a bunch, kid." One of the men scratched his head. "I'm Sarafan. Say, would you be willing to come to the mines with us?" Tom rebuked him. "The mines are dangerous! The kid just went to the trouble of patching you guys up. You can't ask something like that when he helped you for free!"
"Oh, right," Sarafan chuckled. "Where are my manners?" He took out a small bag of gold from his pocket. "Sorry, but this is all the money I have. Will that suffice?"
"You can't just bribe him either!" Tom shouted.
"There is something I want, but it isn't money." Gil gave back the bag of gold. "I came here because I thought I could recruit some skilled artisans, or at the very least get their assistance."
Sarafan grinned. "That all you want, kiddo?" Gil nodded. "Are you unable to meet my demands?
"On the contrary, kiddo." Sarafan hung his arm around Gil's back. "My brother's the best craftsman in the whole nation! Come with me, and I'll introduce him to you, you, and your leprechaun friends over there."
Gil took in Dirram's capital, Lindum. Factories were everywhere, and yet the air was clear of pollutants. There were massive malls and shops as merchants and traders sold their items. Gil thought the city was reminiscent of Stella in the period right after its Industrial Revolution. The stores had automatic sensor doors, and TV's were for sale. Dirram was the most modern place Gil had visited so far, as from what he'd seen, a lot of demons lived in the Medieval Age. There were even churches on the city blocks!
The place Sarafan led Gil to was different. It was a large building, but relatively small compared to the malls he saw. It was also isolated from the bustling life he saw elsewhere in the city. This building, named "Klain's Forge and Construction!" was on the dead-end of a road. "So, this is where your brother works?"
"Lives and works," Sarafan corrected. "My brothers and I live here too."
"Your brothers?" Sarafan waved his hand at Tom, Asterlig, and Hekket. " The four of us are siblings. Sorry for not mentioning that sooner."
"That's one big family. Don't you guys feel crammed in there? The place is tiny for five people to live and work." Tom agreed. "You get used to it eventually. Anyway, let's go inside."
Sarafan's brother was intimidating. He was only a little taller than Gil, but his biceps were enormous. His chest was puffed up, showing his rippling muscles. He wiped the sweat off his forehead as he banged a hammer on a sword. "They want me to make twenty of these things, and I can't even make one." There was a furnace next to him, and Gil wanted to ask if he could turn it off. Did he always work in boiling temperatures wearing a coat and boots?
"Hey, Klain." Sarafan patted his brother on the shoulder. "We came back from the mines." Klain took his goggles off. "Did you get anything?"
"Sorry, bro. We were attacked, and Asterlig and Hekket almost died. We couldn't excavate the stuff you wanted."
"I see," Klain said gloomily. He saw Gil and stopped. "Who's he? Did they send a kid to collect the swords they wanted?"
"No," Tom said. "This kid saved Asterlig and Hekket from dying. He made them new body parts."
"Oh, that's good. Wait, what?! He made them what?!"
"New body parts. An arm for Asterlig and a leg for Hekket." Klain stared at Gil with newfound wonder. "Ordinarily, I would think that you guys would be joking, but it doesn't seem that way. Thanks, kid," he bowed. "But what are you here for?" Gil again explained why he had come to Dirram.
"I see," Klain sighed. "I would be happy to visit this town of yours, Gil, but I have to decline."
"Why is that?" Clover asked.
Conall answered the question. "The kingdom of Dirram is at war."
"War?" Gil realized Klain wouldn't be able to visit his town if that was the case. If he really was the nation's best craftsmen, there was no way he was getting a break, especially not when his skills were needed. "You guys are at war? It doesn't feel that way."
"That's because it's only a couple of minor kingdoms," Klain said. "They're not that powerful." Gil raised his eyebrows. "But it's still war, correct?"
"Yes. The kingdom lacks good weapons at the moment, and so they have asked every blacksmith to make a ridiculous amount of swords due in a week. Tricalcium swords, at that."
"Tricalcium?"
"A precious metal only found in scant amounts. Even with the best mining technology possible, it takes some time to get a decent amount. And I have to make twenty swords out of the thing in a week."
"Does it have to be tricalcium only?"
"No, but based on what they're asking, it might as well be. The ministers want blades that don't break. Tricalcium is the only metal I know that fits the bill. It's even more powerful when I enhance it with rune stones because then they can tear through any material." Runestones? Sentinels weren't versed in magic, but Gil knew what runestones were thanks to all the video games he played. They came in handy. Gil wanted to ask how real runestones worked, but he felt it wasn't appropriate. "So, it doesn't have to be made out of tricalcium, right?" Klain nodded. "But it's the toughest metal out there, so that becomes a yes. Unless there's something stronger than tricalcium, which I doubt."
"I might just be able to help you." Klain was skeptical. "How so? Unless you can make tricalcium swords pop into existence like you can with limbs, that is."
"They won't be made out of tricalcium, but you should try them. The swords I'm about to make, I mean." Gil took in quanta from his surroundings and modeled twenty longswords made of light. "Will these suffice?"
"Ah, so you're a sentinel. That explains everything. Don't look at me like that, kid. You helped my brothers. Truth is, I owe you. I'll owe you even more if these swords you made are the real deal." Klain took one of the golden swords in Gil's hand. He marveled at how light it was as if the blade was massless. The sword was sharp, but would it break easily? Klain performed a simple test. He put the golden sword Gil made on a table. Then, he told his brother to retrieve one of the tricalcium blades he'd made. Once that was done, Klain swung the tricalcium sword at Gil's sword with all the strength in his arm. To his shock, the tricalcium blade cleaved into two.
"Well, Gil," Klain grinned, "this blade of yours is incredible! Not even tricalcium can break it! And you can mass produce it! I can actually get some rest for once!" He shook Gil's hand. "Thanks a whole bunch, kiddo."
"Happy to help. About my offer..." The leprechauns were anxious, hoping Klain would accept. Isabelle planned to punish Klain if he refused, given all the help Lord Gil gave him.
Klain patted Gil on the back. "The least I could do is return the favor, am I right?" Gil nodded. "Thanks, Klain. I'll be happy to have you."
"Yes, but it's just going to be my brothers and I going to your town. Are you sure you want nothing else other than our advice?"
"Yeah, that's all I want. It'll be a big help to us."
"Well, then it's settled. Since I'm free, I'll visit your place first thing tomorrow. How's that sound?"
"Excellent," Gil replied. The leprechauns hugged each other and Gil, celebrating their success and laughing as they joked. Tom nudged Klain on the shoulder. "Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but there's something off about that sentinel."
"You're right about that," Klain agreed. "But he's having a blast with his leprechaun friends. He even befriended a kumiho, right? Plus, his aura is incredible. He might be stronger than a demon lord."
"Shouldn't we be more careful then?"
"Relax," Klain sighed. "I think he's fine. I actually like him, to be honest. He could have easily forced our hand, yet he chose to help us instead. He lives in a town of demons and has made peace with them. That kid is living proof that coexistence between our races is possible. I think that's why I want to go to his town. Besides repaying my debt, I feel that this kid is special. I'm not sure why, but something tells me that he might change the course of history someday, and there's no way I'm missing that. So let's follow him for now and see what happens."