The sun rose on another day, Yamada slept peacefully in his bed, with Gwyneth dressed in her armour standing outside. She approached the handmaidens, still attempting to salvage Yamada's Kāṣāya, holding her hair ribbon. She sat down with them, to their surprise, holding her blue hair ribbon. She stared intently at the ribbon, entering a deep trance. The handmaidens kept their heads down, peeking up occasionally, to see if she changed. "Girls." She said still staring at the ribbon, ignoring the outside world. They all perked up to meet her gaze. "Tell me, and be honest. Do I look better with this on?" "Well, it's like a garnish." One of the handmaidens said, with the others nodding. She looked up puzzled. "You yourself are a exquisite meal, and the ribbon is a garnish, not necessary but welcome." Another one said. "Why do you ask?" The handmaiden asked. "I'm just curious." She said quickly trying to hide her expression. Gwyneth pouted puzzled at Yamada's delirious words. 'Why give me a compliment now of all times? Do I like better with this on then I do naked?'
The wooden door swung open and Yamada rushed out in his armour. He stopped seeing the, women staring at him, he performed a deep bow with his hands down at his waist. "I'm sorry, I overslept Grand Knight Gwyneth! I will do two laps of the third ring right away." He said quickly running out the wooden door, like a force of nature. "Yamada, come back here and answer my question!" Gwyneth called out. Yamada rushed back in, his azure cape flowing with the rush of air. "Take off your helmet, and tell me what you think about me wearing this ribbon." She ordered. Yamada took a step behind the wall, peeking only his head out. They all cocked their heads at him, giving him a strange smile.
"What are you doing?" Gwyneth asked with a squinting smile. His helmet shattered and turned into dust against the ground. "I uhh...I don't know how to turn certain parts off, and I'm not really wearing anything underneath." He said going red. "And I think it makes you look really pretty, when you wear it." He said with a warm smile. Gwyneth's cheeks went rosy. "Is there any reason why you think that?" One of the handmaidens asked, with the others giving Gwyneth a sly smile. He looked at them puzzled. "Because, she's beautiful, and the prettiest women of Yamata, always wore a flower in their hair." Gwyneth went bright red. "I just assumed, she didn't wear a flower in her hair, because nothing special grew here."
Gwyneth spun around showing her back to Yamada. "Go do your two laps, and then go meet Abaddon. I will find you then." She said, brushing her hair to cover her red ears. His armour manifested out of his skin, and Yamada rushed out of the Keep. Gwyneth quickly tied the ribbon into a bow, sitting at the back of her head. The handmaidens began to murmur and giggle amongst themselves. "You girls say anything, about what happened here, and I'll have you clean out Vexgar's bed chamber for a month." She said coldly. The handmaidens went silent dropping their heads. Yamada sprinted towards the third ring with haste, he garnered the malicious gaze of those he passed. The large squads of ragged knights, running laps of the second ring, in leather armour. The bruised and exhausted mages in combat training. How could someone wearing that much Deiridium, run as if they were lighter than air.
The five other grand knights watched with a scornful gaze, high upon the second ring. "The boy is powerful. More than our pitiful squires." Vexgar growled, holding his bandaged arm. "Unlike, the scared and lazy children we train. He's experienced collateral damage from the war." Lyn said with a frown. "He's also unhinged. He chose to become a Forsaken Knight." Yssac said rubbing his fixed breastplate. "It doesn't matter, he's an idiot from Yamata." Axilas snapped. "So the boy; with no formal training, education or childhood, has made you four look like idiots." Fervias said derisively, chuckling as he stroked his beard. The four of them turned their glares to him. "I have to go an meet this boy." He said smiling. "Would you like me to introduce you?" Gwyneth asked appearing beside them.
They looked at her askance with the ribbon flowing in the wind. "Was there a special occasion today?" Fervias asked, staring at the ribbon. "No, just felt like wearing it." She said, watching Yamada sprint towards the third ring. "So when do I get to meet this wonder boy?" Fervias asked. "I'm tired of listening to my squires, bitch and moan, about their training." He said rolling eyes at the lagging bunch of squires. "He's doing two laps of the third ring. He'll be done by midday." She said with a proud smile. "So you can meet him by Abaddon's workshop after noon." She said walking off the second ring, floating down gracefully. "I'll just say what we're all thinking. She looks weird wearing that thing right?" Fervias asked. The others nodded, as she sauntered to the third ring.
Yamada completed his first lap of the third ring, before the sun hit the highest peak. He came to a stop seeing Urkse and Gwyneth at the northern entrance. He tip toed in eavesdropping on their conversation, as they walked on. "Come on Gwyneth, can't you push the boy a little harder? Just enough to make him quit for day?" He pleaded. "He's running two laps of the third ring, wearing a full set of Deiridium armour, to make up for sleeping in. After being attacked by Axlias and Vexgar. It doesn't matter how much I push him. He wants anything and everything to give him the edge to make himself stronger." Gwyneth replied, walking with her arms behind her back. Yamada kept quiet following behind them. "I don't want to lose 2,000 gold pieces, because he's a physical crazy freak of nature." Urkse whinged. Yamada cocked his head to the side. 'I'm a freak?' he thought. "Don't call him a freak." She snapped.
Urkse craned his neck up, looking at her doubtfully. She rolled her eyes. "Yes, alright he's freakishly strong." She said. Yamada dropped his head disappointed. "But." His head perked up. "He's earned that strength, through dedication and resolve." Yamada cracked a smile under his helm, hearing her kind words. "However." Yamada's smile disappeared. "His amazing battle intuition and physical prowess, have barely been tested. Plus we haven't even started weapon training, or combat drills. So you may not have to give up a small fortune, because you and the others, call me Misery Incarnate." She said giving him a coy smile. He let out a nervous chuckle and cleared his throat. "Well, I...you see thing is...we...I'm gonna go." He stammered, completely flustered, leaping off the third ring.
"You know if you're going to sneak up on someone. You have to be more than just silent." She said turning around with a warm smile. "What gave me away?" Yamada asked puzzled, looking at his armoured feet. "You were silent, but that's not what gave you away." She said sticking out her finger under his visor. "Arcane energy rises, use more than necessary to alleviate, your armour-" Yamada felt a small force pushing upwards, coming from her finger. "And you expose a source of arcane energy." She said pulling her hand away. Gwyneth continued to stroll on, with her hands behind her back. "A good way to tell, if you're using too much arcane energy, is to look at your cape." She said without turning around. Yamada spun around to see his cape floating in the air. He watched Gwyneth's graceful steps, each sabaton silently touching the ground, her cape rest at her back, the lack of clinking of metals.
"Forget about your second lap, and come meet me at Abaddon's workshop!" She called out. Yamada quickly ran past her. "I'll finish my second lap, super fast!" He yelled out. "Or you'll be sleeping my bed tonight." She yelled out. The knights and mages on the wall, looked at Yamada, urging him to keep running. He quickly came back to their disappointment. "Why is it that you are the only man in the Citadel, who refuses to do anything with me?" She asked. "And then you tell me, that this ribbon makes me look pretty. What is happening in your head?" Yamada scratched his head, cocking it to the side. "I thought it was obvious, but you're in love with another man." He said scratching the back of his head. Gwyneth's heart fluttered, her stomach sank, and she shook her head flustered.
"That's why I feel uncomfortable, when you try and seduce me and-" "I'm not in love with another man!" She exclaimed, her cheeks going red. "You said his name in your sleep a bunch of times." "I do not talk in my sleep!" She yelled, making Yamada take a step back. "His name is Hendrik, and you cried every time, you said it." He said stepping back further. Gwyneth dropped her head, taking a step back. Her eyes became watery, and she clenched her fists. "Are you okay, Grand Knight Gwyneth?" Yamada asked reaching out to pat her on the back. "If I told you I had a first name, what do you think it would be?" She asked. Yamada was taken aback, but answered with the first thing that popped into his head. "Gwen?" He replied hesitantly, scared of her fists.
They unfurled and he took a silent breath of relief. She chuckled, and quickly wiped her eyes. A flash of Hendrik appeared over Yamada. The left side of his face clawed out, the lower jaw hanging on by a thread of sinew. Blood dripping down his face, with his entrails spilling out from a deep gash. She gasped taking a step back, holding her breath, and her eyes bulging. "Grand Knight Gwyneth?" Yamada called out, reaching his hand out, looking anxiously at her. The visage of Hendrik's grizzly corpse, reached out. She fell back onto her hands, shaking her head, trying desperately to grasp reality again. "Why did you do this me? Did you not love me?" Hendrik asked, his words almost in audible, from his loose hanging tongue. She covered her ears, scrunching her face. "It's not real. It's not real. It's not real." She repeated, wincing away. Yamada stopped with the other mages and knights looked on helpless.
Fervias sauntered in, taking off his gauntlet, and stood above her. He delivered a swift back hand across her face, the sound of his flesh hitting her, enraged Yamada. Her head snapped to the side, she clenched her fists. "Wake up Gwyneth. He's dead." He said coldly. She looked up to see Yamada, clenching his fists at Fervias. "Yamada, calm down. Grand Knight Fervias was helping me." She said standing up. "He hit you." Yamada growled. Fervias chuckled putting his gauntlet back on. "This one is loyal. What I would give, to have a squire like him. Rather than the scrawny worms I have." He said scanning Yamada up and down, with a smile across his face. "Come boy, Abaddon and I have been waiting long enough." Fervias said leaping off the third ring. Yamada peered off the high edge. "Am I supposed to follow him?" He asked Gwyneth. "Take elevator down, I haven't trained you on how to float yet." She said standing up, rubbing her cheek.
Yamada took a deep breath, standing up to prepare himself. Gwyneth's eyes widened with horror, as he walked off the edge. "Yamada don't!" Gwyneth called out, reaching out for his cape. He plummeted down, with the wind rushing into his visor. The great height of the wall, seemed insignificant as he crashed down, the wind rushing into his ears through his helm. 'Use enough arcane energy to float down slowly.' He thought staring at the ground come closer. His heart pounded against his chest. It felt impossible to breath, with the crushing weight. Gwyneth leapt of the wall, pencil diving down towards him, face first.
Yamada blinked the ground beneath him vanished, turning into the black abyss. He stared at the eight headed serpent. "Stop trying to die." The serpent head growled, its head still frozen as a statue. Yamada opened his eyes, his cape transformed into large fin, splitting in two. They fanned out, catching the wind, and Yamada gently glided towards the ground. Everyone watched on in awe, as Gwyneth followed after him. She landed reaching over shoulder, ready to draw her weapon. He turned around the gorget and salet of his helm, fused into the snout of a dragon. The visor split into, two piercing amber eyes, the finger tips of the gauntlets turned to claws. "Shit." Gwyneth growled, grabbing the hilt of her weapon. She took a step forward ready to strike.
Suddenly Yamada punched himself in the face, falling to his hands and knees. Gwyneth shook her head confused, frozen in place. The armour disappeared with Yamada naked in the streets panting heavily. He took one more deep breath the armour manifesting itself over him. "Yamada, are you okay?" She asked still grasping the handle tightly. "I'm okay...Just testing myself." He said standing back up weakly. His body felt sluggish and heavy, his muscles aching. "What were you testing? How to die a fast death?" She asked relaxing her arm, approaching him, with a frown. "Sorry to make you Grand Knight Gywneth. I just wanted to see if I could stop myself, but looks like if I use too much arcane energy. The armour takes over." He said looking at his gauntlet worried.
"Don't push yourself too hard. I know you wish to become powerful, but all things in this world take time." She said softly, patting him on the back gently. "Come, Abaddon and Fervias are waiting for you." She marched off ahead. Yamada nodded silently, feeling frustrated and tired, with the thirst still nagging him. The two of them arrived at the workshop, hearing laboured grunting and breathing. "By Vasha's cunt! What were you thinking making that thing?" Fervias shouted. "Do not question my work Mad Dog! Get out of my workshop!" Abaddon yelled. Gwyneth and Yamada shared a puzzled look. "What is happening?" Gwyneth asked a nearby armourer.
The soot and sweat covered armourer, shrugged his shoulders. "We heard a loud clang, and then they haven't stopped yelling at each other." He said, dusting off his apron. Yamada already found this district deafening. There was never a quiet moment. The sound of metal shovels being scraped into coal forges; metal being shaped with the power of a hammer, and screaming of masters to apprentices. Yamada felt anxious to see, what would be considered loud to these, veterans. The two of them entered into the clearing. Fervias held his bloody arm, a deep gash ran across his tricep. The silver pauldrons down to the vambrace were split open. "You're getting blood everywhere! Get out of my workshop!" Abaddon shouted, shooing him away.
"Go fuck yourself! What kind of armourer makes a weapon like that?" Fervias shouted back, spitting with each word. He angrily stormed off, seeing Yamada and Gwyneth standing before him. "What happened to you?" Gwyneth asked, cocking her head to the side. "I slipped and fell, what does it look like happened!?" He snapped. "You slipped and fell onto something really sharp?" Yamada said puzzled. Gwyneth tittered shaking her head smiling, at Fervias's furious scowl. "He's really is an idiot. Grab your weapon, I'll see you in the courtyard." He snarled pushing between them.
Abaddon let out a loud strained grunt, catching their attention. He was covered in crimson sweat, like drops of blood, that dripped out of his pores. Dragging behind him was a great sword so large and thick. Abaddon snarled pulling the hilt, as the blade sliced through the stone floor, like frayed silk. Gwyneth furrowed her brow, looking at him baffled, as he dropped the blade in front of them. The entire blade was made of Deiridium, standing at two meters, wider than woman's hip, and thick like a mattress of metal. "Abaddon, this thing is absolutely unwieldy! Especially if you can't even lift it." She said, as Abaddon walked away. "Stop questioning my work." He snapped, walking back into his workshop.
Yamada stared down at the single edged great sword, with a clip point above the curved tip. The handle wrapped in white cotton, juxtaposed against the black flaring cross guard. He bent down to pick up the weapon, digging his gauntlets through the stone and under the hilt. "Yamada, don't waste your strength. That isn't something anyone here could wield." She said stopping Yamada, and approaching Abaddon. "Abaddon, I thought you told me, that you would make him a weapon that best suits him." She snapped. Abaddon rolled his eyes. "I gave him a weapon, that only a Forsaken Knight could wield. You and the other's can only wield so much Deiridium, before you crumble under its weight. However-" He paused pointing back to Yamada. She snapped around to look at Yamada.
He squatted down grasping the hilt with two hands. Yamada pulled with all his might, letting out a scream. "I told you, he can't lift that. Even Vexgar with a Blessing would have trouble swinging that." She said annoyed. "Perhaps, you need to read more into the history, of the Forsaken Knights." Abaddon snapped, grabbing his hammer. "Take him to a Enk mage powerful enough to draw that into his cape." He said walking back inside his workshop. She turned back to him. "Abaddon, he can't even lift the thing-" A powerful scream that turned into a roar cut her off. The two of them turned around. Yamada's salet and gorget had fused into the head of a dragon, the azure cape turned into leathery wings fanned out, and the edges of the armour became sharper.
"Yamada stop!" Gwyneth called out, reaching for her sword. Abaddon quickly clutched her wrist trapping it behind her back, and held the other wrist. "Have faith in him. He will not let himself turn until he has what he wants." Abaddon said keeping Gwyneth pinned down. Yamada's roar became more visceral, as he lifted the Deiridium great sword. His size grew, the claws in his sabatons and gauntlets, became more pronounced. Yamada's helmet became a full dragon head, the snout with razor sharp fangs, with a long red forked tongue inside. "Abaddon, let go! He's going to turn!" Gwyneth shouted trying to break free. Yamada grew to two meters, and with a final scream, he hoisted the sword over his head. He rested the blade over his shoulder, the stones beneath him gave way. Each heavy breath he took exuded steam. He took a deep breath looking up, locking his piercing amber eyes to Gwyneth and Abaddon. "Could you let her go?" He asked breathing deeply. "We have to go and see Grand Knight Fervias." He said taking a deep breath, pushing the blade off his shoulders into the ground. It plunged through the ground, meeting no resistance, stopping at the hilt. "I'm gonna need some practice with that thing." Yamada said keeling over, his size reverting back to normal.
Abaddon released Gwyneth and she rushed over to him. "I told you not to lift that thing!" She said irritated, slapping the back of his helmet. "You said, don't waste your strength. You didn't say anything about not lifting it." He said with a smile, raising his visor. "Don't get smart with me." She snapped. "You can barely lift the weapon, without losing yourself to the Draken transformation. I'll have Abadd-" Abaddon cut her off, by hacking up a ball of saliva filled with phlegm. "You get only that one!" He said dusting off his hands, turning his back to them. Yamada quickly ran towards Abaddon, and performed a deep bow. "Thank you, Abaddon. I will master this weapon and armour you gave me." He said sincerely, rising up with an eager smile.
Abaddon spun around slowly, holding his hand out, opening the gate of fire magic. A gentle fire danced out of the crimson rose, hovering over his hand. "You now walk a fine line, Forsaken One." He said showing Yamada the flame. The flame begun to die out. "Use too little arcane energy, and you will cease to exist, and become worthless." He said with a low voice. "However, use too much." The wisp of flame, became a roaring inferno, making Yamada stumble back. The workshop's oil covered rags, and wood caught ablaze. "And you will destroy everything around you." Yamada took a deep breath as the fire disappeared. "Tread carefully Forsaken One, and do not let it consume you." He said turning around. Yamada stood up walking back to Gwyneth and stared at the great sword puzzled. "Are you trying to figure out, how to lift this thing, and not be naked at the same time?" Gwyneth asked. Yamada nodded silently.
She removed her cape offering it to Yamada. He looked up at her astonished. "Wrap yourself in this, until you get this thing to the courtyard." She said looking away. Yamada took a breath, his armour shattering off and turning into dust. He grabbed Gwyneth's cape, feeling an incredible heavy weight into it. The sensation caught him off guard and he fell face first into the ground. "Did you forget storing things with, Enk Magic does not remove the weight?" She asked without turning around. "Noooo..." Yamada said shyly, his face still buried into the cape. He dusted off his red face, and wrapped the cape around his waist. "You would be able to lift that weapon, much easier if you just embraced-" Yamada cut her off. "I'm not going to walk to the courtyard naked!" He exclaimed. She tittered. "Was just offering a suggestion."
Yamada strained heavily to raise the great sword above his head, balancing it over his head. Gwyneth grabbed the knot at his hip, and he froze in fear. "Grand Knight Gwyneth...what are you doing?" He asked taking a gulp. "Well without my cape, I don't have my weapons on me. I feel quite...naked, without them." She said with a coy smile. "I will return your cape, once we're at the courtyard." He said whimpering, as she gently tugged on the knot. "If you're fast enough, no one will see anything." She said yanking the knot open. Yamada let out a yelp, as Gwyneth took off running, laughing through the district. His face went red, as the smiths, armouers and leatherers broke out into a laughter. He quickly summoned his armour, growling at her. With a visceral roar, Yamada chasing after her with his cape fanning out into wings.
She made her way to the courtyard wearing a big smile across her face. The sight made all the squires and mages, look to each other for confirmation of what they were seeing. Yamada towered over her with his new found size and form. His scowling presence terrified the on lookers. He quickly shrunk down dropping the heavy great sword down. "Was that necessary!?" He exclaimed. "You made it all the way here, when you could barely lift that thing before. So clearly making you angry, works real well." She said smirking at him. "There were other ways to go about that!" He yelled, his face flushed underneath the visor.
"You two love birds, done bickering?" Fervias called out, stretching his new healed arm. The other Grand Knights casted a looming shadow, over the courtyard. The squires and mages surrounded the courtyard, waiting by them were the Grand Mages. Yamada met their gazes. "Why is everyone staring at us?" Yamada asked. "Seems like Fervias, wants to greet you the, Artaraxus way." Gwyneth said, panning around. "How do they do that? Do they just scream at each other?" He asked, struggling to keep his grip around the hilt. "No, they duel till first blood." She said coldly.