"You want to borrow Blood Moon?" Randolph asked with his arms crossed over his chest.
"Yes, Master." Viel bowed. "Please, let me borrow it."
A minute of silence descended inside the smithy as Randolph gazed at his apprentices whose heads had remained bowed.
"Look, even if I let you borrow it, your stats are not enough to wield it," Randolph replied. "Blood Moon requires all of your stats to be at least fifty, which is impossible for anyone who is still here in Leaf Village. It is simply out of the question for you to use it with your current strength."
"But Master, Ferto can wield it." Viel replied as he raised his head. "I swear on my name and honor that I will return it to you without fail."
Randolph sighed as he leaned against the wall of his smithy.
"I do not doubt your strength, but I've heard that the leader of the goblins is a rank three monster at his strongest," the man said. Randolph said. "Even if Ferto can use Blood Moon against that monster, he will still lose. Besides, the Goblin Chief is supported by a large number of subordinates. My weapon alone won't be enough to change the course of the conflict.
"Master, don't worry about that. We have a plan."
"Oh? Let me hear it then."
Randolph was told by Lux that he knew the location of the Bandit Group's hideout, adding that the Riders of Norria were also on their way to join forces with the Bandit Group. If he gave them the location of their headquarters, he would have many powerful allies to fight alongside him.
Randolph expressed confidence in the plan, but pointed out a potential obstacle, saying, "There is only one problem. You claim to have a method to locate them, but can you convince the Riders of Norria to trust you?"
Viel responded truthfully, "To be frank, we are uncertain."
"Here's an idea. If you manage to persuade Boreas, the Rider Captain, to take you along, I'll loan you, Blood Moon. That's the sole condition for you to take it from my treasury." he proposed.
Both of them nodded in comprehension. "We got it. We'll speak with Sir Boreas right away."
When they arrived at the Rider's temporary barracks, the riders were already mounted on their Goat mounts and were about to depart.
They saw the middle-aged man who had come to interrogate Helen earlier. He was already sitting on a goat mount beside Boreas. Clearly, if the middle-aged man managed to mobilize the Riders of Norria to help save Robin from the bandits, he was no ordinary Dwarf.
"Sir Boreas, please wait!" Viel and Lux ran towards the Rider Captain.
Several of the mounted riders blocked Lux's path and drew their weapons toward him.
"Boy, we are on an important mission," an annoyed-looking dwarf said. "We don't have time to listen to your nonsense."
"That's right," another dwarf commented. "We have more pressing issues to address, and we obviously have no time to play with Half-Elves."
Lux ignored the two Dwarves as he shouted towards Boreas who was also looking in his direction.
"I know the location of the Bandit Group!" Lux shouted. "Take me with you and I'll lead you to them!"
"You brat! Stop spouting nonsense!"
"That's right. If you keep on interfering with our mission, don't blame us for not being merciful!"
The two mounted Dwarfs that had stopped Lux from approaching their Captain raised their weapons in anger. They had always disliked everyone from other races and had long thought of Lux and Viel as an eyesore in Leaf Village.
If not for the fact that their Captain had ordered them not to harm them, they would have already taught him a lesson or two.
"Halt!"
A dignified shout stopped the two from hitting the Half-Elf who didn't even make any effort to defend himself. Obviously, Viel was ready to defend his brother even if they were Grade C or D Apostles.
The two Dwarfs immediately ceased their hostilities and reluctantly lowered their weapons.
It was at that moment when Boreas, one of the Captains of Norria, urged his mount to walk towards Lux and eyed him from head to foot.
"Are you telling the truth?" Boreas asked. "This mission is of the utmost importance to us. Failure is not an option. If you are lying to us, I will make sure that both of you suffer a fate worse than death."
Instead of answering them, Lux summoned his Elysium Compendium and opened its pages.
Immediately, a projection appeared in front of everyone showing them a map of Norria. In a place between the Village of Lindow and the Village of Millwood village, a golden dot blinked on the map.
"Before my friends left to do their escort mission, I put a special tracking spell on them that allows me to know their location," Lux answered. "I am not familiar with the topography of this land, but as you can see, I can pinpoint their location using my ability.
"If you don't take me with you, the chances of you finding Robin are very slim. However, that will be solved if we come along. So, what do you think, Sir Boreas? Can you take us with you? We also want to save our friends."
All the Dwarven Riders looked at their Captain and waited for his decision.
Boreas was the strongest Warrior in Leaf Village. He was a Grade B Apostle, which was equivalent to a Rank 3 Monster. With him around, their chances of winning against the Draconic Kobold would be higher.
"Understood, you can come with us," Boreas answered. "However, if you are lying to us, I will make you regret it."
Lux breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Boreas' answer, as he looked at his big brother who was smiling. With this, Viel would be able to borrow his Master's Masterpiece.
"Sir Boreas, I have a favor to ask," Viel wore a serious expression as he spoke. "Can you come with me and Lux to the Smithy and tell our Master, Randolph, that you will be taking us with you on your expedition? He said that he won't allow us to go unless we get your permission to let us go with you."
"Both of you are Randolph's apprentice?" Boreas widened his eyes in shock as he looked at the Half-Elves in disbelief. "That old coot actually accepted you as his apprentices? Is the world going to end?"
"Who are you calling old coot, you f*cker?!"
Randolph barged inside the barracks with a flushed face as he glared at the Rider Captain, Boreas.
"Bastard, since you are taking my disciples with you, I expect you to bring them back safely!" Randolph shouted at Boreas, making the other Dwarf Riders look at the Blacksmith in disbelief.
The Blacksmith of Leaf Village was shouting at Boreas, but even their Commander refrained from speaking to the stern Dwarf in such a manner.
In an apathetic manner, Boreas retorted, "I'm not their caretaker. This isn't a leisure trip. If they're incapable of protecting themselves, then they should remain here with you."
"Hmph! Fine. Since you want them to remain here with me then so be it. Come, Viel and Lux. Let these eggheads handle this mission without you. Let's see if they find that Robin brat on their own."
Randolph didn't even wait for their reply and dragged the Half-Elves away from the barracks.
"M-Master, I want to go and save my frie–"
Viel interrupted him.
"Shh! If Master is doing this, there must be a reason."
"Viel is right. Let's talk when we're back in the Smithy. Don't worry. Knowing Boreas, he will come knocking on my door sooner or later."
He planned to keep the Mythical Weapon he possessed hidden from the Dwarves and pass it to Viel in secret to prevent any potential issues in the future.
After the three arrived at the smithy, Randolph hurriedly locked the doors and made a gesture for Viel to follow him into the basement, leaving Lux alone.
"I originally planned to bestow Blood Moon to a person that had the bearings of a hero." Randolph grumbled. "Who would have thought that the first one who will wield it is not even a Dwarf nor a person, but an armor?! Fate sure knows how to play with my heart."
They arrived at his hidden treasure house, which was buried deep under the Smithy.
A few minutes later, the Master and disciple pair arrived at a small altar where a sheathed sword was held on a silver pedestal.
It was Randolph's greatest creation, the Mythical Sword, Blood Moon.
—--
< Blood Moon >
Weapon Type: One-Handed Sword
Rarity: Mythical
Damage: 225 - 350
Requirement: All stats must be fifty or above.
Additional Requirement: Only those recognized by Randolph could wield this weapon.
Passive Skills: Sharp Blade, Swift Blade, Life Steal, Thorn, Indestructible
< Sharp Blade >
– The blade of this sword will always be sharp and will never dull.
—--
< Swift Blade >
– The sword feels very light which helps its wielder brandish it with ease. Able to strike very fast in quick successions.
—--
< Life Steal >
– Each attack heals the user with 3% of their Max Health Points.
—--
< Bleed >
– has a 5% chance of applying the Bleeding effect to your target with every strike.
– Bleeding effect reduces your target's Health Points by 1% of its Maximum Health Points every 2 seconds.
– Bleed Effect Duration: 10 seconds.
—--
< Indestructible >
– This weapon is indestructible. It cannot be destroyed.
—--
The reason why Randolph decided to show Viel the mythical weapon in the first place was to encourage his apprentice to do better. He knew how much of a monster Viel was regarding blacksmithing.
When he accepted him as his disciple he didn't know that he would have found such a precious hidden gem. He wanted Viel to hone his talent with the goal of making a weapon like this one.
And as Randolph planned, the more he looked at it, the more determined he became to increase the proficiency of his smithing skill, so that he would be able to create his own Mythical Weapon.
Randolph took the weapon from the pedestal with both hands before presenting it to Viel.
"Take it." Randolph said. "Remember, I'm only loaning it to you for a short while. Go and save your brother's friends and make sure that you return in one piece."
Viel accepted the sword with both hands as he kneeled and thanked his Master with all his heart.
"Thank you, Master." Viel replied. "I promise to not stain your name. If I do, I will quit being your disciple and not look you in the eyes again."
As he held the Mythical Weapon in his hand, Viel believed that once Ferto equipped this weapon, his Named Creature would be able to easily handle Rank 2 and 3 Monsters with ease.
Just as Viel and Lux were heading back to their inn room to prepare, Boreas showed up at Randolf's Smithy to extend a formal invitation to the Half-Elves to join their rescue mission.
After one hour, Viel, Lux, Helen, and the Riders of Norria departed Leaf Village with urgency, en route to the bandit hideout situated within the mountainous area linking Lindow Village and Millwood Village.
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