It was nearing dusk when James set foot in Callen. The stalls that crowded the main streets of the second-largest city in the Lamia Empire had started to disperse. The busyness of the day has given way to the bustle of the night.
The darkened roadside was illuminated by hundreds of runic lamps installed along the street. The palm-sized lamps emanated a soft golden glow. They were creating a romantic atmosphere throughout the city and adding to Callen's own charm.
However, for the lonely James, it meant nothing. For introverts like himself, there was no need to expose his love story or lack thereof.
"I am beginning to form a searching team to look for you, boy," Ewwin said as James approached his stall. A hint of worry marred the older man's voice.
"Thanks for your concern, old man." He replied gratefully.
"Six balls, four fangs, and four eyeballs. Quite a catch but not enough." Ewwin peered over the glass jar.
"It's pretty far from the Kirrian forest and the chance to bump into a goblin was slim. Thanks to the goblin's corpse I left yesterday. It attracted other goblins."
"Curiosity kills the cats. Goblins had a curiosity about the size of the big city. Interesting way of hunting." Ewwin praised the teenager.
James felt proud of his achievement. "I did it by accident, though."
"Still, at this rate, the target of a hundred goblins' balls wouldn't be accomplished on time."
"Am I the only one that uninformed about the deadline?" James asked deadpan.
"You are the only one I can hire for the request." Ewwin threw a golden coin that James caught in midair. The boy nodded his thanks. "I don't want to push you too hard but rumor has it that the ruins of Celestia Palace were full to the brim with goblins."
"Celestia Palace?"
"It was an old castle northside of Callen. It was built by Eldritch, the first emperor of Lamia, as a gift for his consort, Queen Celestia. Back then Callen was the capital and was named Elldrittia"
"Makes sense. You seem to know much about history." James praised the stall owner.
"I happened to read a lot of books in my spare time, boy." The older man said indignantly. Though, James caught something else behind the old man's words.
"I didn't know that you are a studious person," James said.
Ewwin chuckled, "Don't judge a book by where you bought it. It would teach you a valuable lesson."
"Yeah, sure it is."
"If you are interested I have an old blueprint of the castle somewhere," Ewwin said in a more serious tone.
"If one might guess you must have an ulterior motive for pushing me in this direction." James couldn't hide the suspicion in his voice.
"My great-grandfather had hand in the design. Let's say that I want to honor him." The atmosphere became somber and James knew that it was a sensitive topic.
"Consider it done." James extended his hand. Ewwin had helped him many times more than he care to remember since he arrived here a week ago. He would gladly help the old man.
"Thank you, James." They shook hands to seal the deal.
"Don't thank me, yet. I am gonna need a lot of equipment for this mission." James smiled.
"You'll soon bring me out of busyness, boy." Both of them decided to end the conversation as Ewwin caught James yawning twice in a minute. They parted ways when James headed to Claws and Talons Inn.
The teenager wanted to rent a room and sleep directly afterward. Unfortunately, a tantalizing smell that made his stomach growl uncontrollably overwhelmed the whole room. It would be a waste if he missed the meal.
After a warm meal and congratulating the chef on a job well done, James decided to retire for the night. It had been a long day and one life-death experience too much for the boy. He was 12 silver coins lighter when he lay on his back in one of the rooms. He earned his rest.
It was past midnight after turning and toshing for hours that James realized sleep wouldn't claim him. The meal seemed to feel his energy tremendously as he couldn't keep his eyes shut for more than ten seconds.
"Damn it!" He cursed as he got up from the bed. Better he spent his energy recycling the metal plate.
The half-and-a-foot metal plate now lay on the table. Before he began casting, he had to have a design for his future weapon. The seventeen years old boy wanted it to be something special in design and quality.
He was a frontline fighter and always mobile in battle. He needed a weapon that wouldn't hinder his movement, support his fluid attack, and strike faster.
A curved blade would fit the criteria rather than a straight short sword. With that image in mind, James began casting.
"Recycle!"
The image of the plate being cut based on his design flooded his mind. It was a dagger with a foot-bladed part and the rest was for the hilt. He then molded the cut's leftover and stuck it to the hilt. Gave it texture as an additional grip.
The next step was to sharpen the bladed area. The dagger shone brightly as the sharpening process was completed. It consumed half of his mana for the entire process. Now a beautiful black dagger lay still before him.
"I am going to name you 'Midnight' because your color is pitch black." He said proudly to his newest creation.
His 'recycle' had reached level 4 and the efficiency increased drastically. He no longer felt fatigued after he activated the skill for more than half an hour.
He proceeded to repeat the action on the second metal plate. He decided to make a similar curved dagger. James was an ambidexter and dual wield was no issue at all. Sounds cool but he needed to practice wielding the daggers. He decided to hit the training ground after breakfast.
Half an hour later the second blade was created. This one was dark but had a reddish-yellow hue.
"I name you 'Daybreak'," James stated firmly. Once again a proud smile graced his lips.
After making sure that the blade was stashed securely, James lay on his bed. He was exhausted both physically and mentally. This time sleep quickly claimed the boy peacefully.