My eyes fluttered open, the sound of a ticking clock pulling my attention. For a moment I just sat there and groaned, rolling about. The sheets tangling me.
"Guh" I let out a grunt as with my rolling about I had accidently hit my spine on something. Again I opened my eyes and found the sword that I had made, promised future. It sat there still and for just a moment I felt as if it was calling to me.
I sat up from the bed and grabbed it, unsheathing it partly and watching the blade. The patterns that the folding had created.
Yet again though my attention was drawn to a foreign object. This time it was the ticking of a clock as it counted down.
[00:00:25.85]
My eyes opened wide in a panic at the sight of the timer. I don't know how long it had been since I had slept but judging by the timer it had to be more than a day.
Had the forging seriously taken that much out of me or was it longer than I thought it had been.
Now that I was thinking of it that may well be the answer.
There was a part while I was forging where I was so focused that I could not even tell the magnitude of time.
During then I could barely tell where the surroundings were let alone the time. At that point my conscious mind was so attuned with the hammer that centuries could have passed and I would have only felt the passing of a moment.
Yet even then each and every slam of the hammer told of decades of time. It truly was weird, how strange my sense of time had turned.
I was broken from these thoughts by the ever growing ticking of the clock.
It pounded at my head as if to tell me the severity of my distraction.
I grunted as I looked up only to be surprised at what I had seen.
From the ground up a glowing green portal greeted me. I knew what it was. It would lead me to the third and final stage.
I gulped, fear momentarily taking me before I resolved myself. The sword at my side stood there for a moment. It reassured me with its presence.
'Yes… I would be fine' I sighed.
My hands grabbed the sheath and sword and tied it around my waist. All the while I stood from the bed and found myself near the portal.
Many thoughts roamed through my mind, ones of doubt and fear, of trepidation. Yet I crushed them bringing my hand to the portal.
'Wait' I almost facepalmed right there. This was the final stage and I still had points from the last one. I should use them.
Thinking that I absently scrolled through the shop and spent a good 400 points rounding out my stats and as I touched the portal the runes were crushed in my hand.
I felt the telltale sign of my power growing, the feeling of my whole body being reinvigorated with strength.
[Mihr Masamune]
Vitality: 2
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 2.5
Mana: 4.5
[Skills]
[Memoria(rank 1) (12.73%) Allows the user to remember] [Swordsmanship rank 1 (1.46%)]
[Mana Manipulation (rank 1 10.81%)] [Fire Resistance rank 1 (21.82%)]
[current pts:450]
…
My eyes opened to an arena. It was filled with faceless beings, their cheers echoing through my ears.
I had found myself in the center of attention. Those same faceless beings all looking towards me.
A gate rolled up from the opposite side of the arena. Chains rattling as some being stomped its way into the arena from the shadow that it had been hid in.
Gradually I was able to take sight of the being in front of me.
It was a creature, on four legs each shackled with a chain that connected each of the feet but gave room for maneuverability.
The creature towered above me, it must have been at least ten… no twenty feet tall. The size of a two story house.
Yet the most intimidating feature of it was its shape. It looked like a dragon yet it had no wings, a drake.
I sighed a breath of relief. A drake may still be out of my league but a dragon, a dragon would kill me without a chance of resistance.
I fiddled with the sheath of the sword at my side, making sure to activate my magic circuits with a breath and a brief closing of my eyes.
Power flooded my limbs, yet some part of it was drawn to the hand that held my sword. As if it was taking with it some mana.
I did not complain even if I knew that I would have less time with the small amount of mana taken.
GAAAOOOO
The roar echoed with it the sign of its rage. Its eyes were set ablaze with rage, almost bloodshot as they focused on one sole object.
Me.
It opened its mouth again, yet this time it was not to roar. It was something different.
I could feel it in the air. Not only the rage that it held, but both its contempt and the heat. Brilliant heat that seeked to burn.
And burn it did, the air around it was set alight. Yet it was ordered as if by the command of its own rather than random combustion.
I narrowed my own eyes, watching as it formed into a raging ball of fire. A moments time later and it was flying.
Just as the goblin chieftain had done. But this time it was different, I was able to predict and dodge it.
I felt the scolding heat burn me. However it did not damage, my resistance taking from it the damaging heat.
Still I knew that I would die should the fireball hit me. And I was prepared.
With an enhanced leap I was set against the wall, my hand covering my face as the wind from the explosion buffered both it and my hair.
There was a moment in that time, when the arena was filled completely with smoke. A chance for me to close the distance.
I dashed as fast as I could, my hand on the hilt of my sword as I partially unsheathed it.
A moment later and I was there, the sword completely unsheathed as with all my strength I swung.
The cheers of the arena followed with me, the faceless beings oohing and aahing as they watched my stand against the creature.
In the moment that they did that my sword connected.