As Handeron woke up in a mind construct, it was the same scenery as it was before, but due to their fight the floor was still damaged. His head was hurting, a lot actually, it might have been a consequence of coming here.
As Handeron was walking around, he heard chains rattling, and headed that way.
- Hey, kid.
He was sitting on a throne, resembling the one in the room Handeron and Monadias are staying in.
- What?
- I want you to be my host.
- But I have gauntlets.
- Well, it would be perfect if you threw him away and got me instead, but I know you won't do it, so I want to be your second weapon.
[What do you think about it?]
Hear him out, but for now I think it is a bad idea.
[Why?]
Because it's dangerous. There aren't any records of a person having two weapons as strong as us happening, at least as I far as I can remember.
- I know it can kill you, but hey, you have healing, so maybe you will be able to not die instantly, and besides who doesn't risk doesn't drink the champagne! You in?
- Give me a second to think about it...
- You done?
- Not a literal second.
- Yeah I know I'm just playing with you.
[Do I really need it? No, not really. I have power now. So why do I feel like it is the right decision to do it? Aughh, it's hard...]
If I can tell you something then hear me out. Most people that tried having two weapons died through their body not being capable of holding that much power and because their brains weren't able to handle it. It may be easier because you have regeneration, but I still wouldn't risk it. I don't know if your body is capable of something like that.
Handeron thought for a while. Why did he even want to equip him? It was a weird feeling.
- You are gonna decide or not?
- I am still thinking.
- What is there to think about? If you don't want, you don't want, I will just wait here another five thousand years until somebody with even more talent comes, but I still need to recover, so about five thousand more.
- Why this much?
- I don't have a host which gives life energy.
- What is this "life energy"
- I just recover quickly when there is someone that regains stamina, namely, a host. Don't overthink it.
They both fell silent after this. Handeron thought and thought. Maybe he should play it safe? He had enough action in the past day. So why did he hesitate?
[It's hard.]
Then toss a coin...
[I don't have one.]
You really thought about it?
[Yes?]
You are really indecisive.
[But it is hard. If I abandon him here, would I just forget about it and make him recover for five thousand years after I beat him up?]
I would.
[But I think I wouldn't. And hey, thanks to it, I think I decided!]
This is the last warning...
[Blah, blah, I decided, I don't care, blah, blah.]
As Handeron looked over to the man, who he had a fight to death not too long ago, he said:
- What is your name?
- You can call me Reibili.
Handeron was a little stressed about this, he didn't really think his life would take such a turn, but well, it's not like he didn't want his life to change. He smiled, raised his head and said.
- I'll do it.
At these worda, Reibili smiled, like, really smiled.
- You really are something kid. I will begin now.
- Do it slowly, like, really slowly, or else I might not keep up.
- Then I will just put myself inside you in parts, not the original link at once.
Handeron then suddenly woke up. As the link got out of him, it started slowly channeling a chain towards his chest.
As the chain started sinking into him, he felt like his body was going to implode, and his head started hurting like a it was blown up at thousand times a second. Still, Handeron stood, and didn't scream. He didn't want to wake up Monadias.
He should be grateful that Righneas took some of the process on himself. He probably used up lots of stamina through that, because he couldn't even talk to him, but it had a huge impact. The regeneration didn't stop. Handeron could feel like his brain was melting a few times, and regenerating, but it wasn't that bad.
It was going on for about 5 hours now. Handeron had to be awake, feeling the pain. The chains were inside him, not too much to end it. As they sank inside, Handeron fell on his knees. His armor disappeared, and his consciousness faded away.
***
[This guy is sleeping. What did he even think? That I would wake myself up? Not only that, we were unprotected for a night, in another world, that we don't know anything about? Oh, he is getting beaten up after he wakes up.]
As Monadias was training, these thoughts didn't stop. Irse probably muted herself, because she had enough of hearing him whine about it again and again.
As Handeron woke up, he ate fruits and berries that Monadias left behind, and a duck, cooked yesterday by him. He emerged from the entrance to the mountain. He saw him, doing some stuff with his bow, like, spinning the arrow, and then shooting that spiral of wind, making a spiraling attack. It was effective. The ripped off trees at least said so.
- It still needs work.... Oh, you are up?
- Yep, when are we leaving?
- Now.
- Okay.
As Handeron jumped towards Monadias, he became tired just from one single jump.
[Dang, they probably are draining most of my stamina, so I am tired and weak as an eighty year old.]
Eighty years isn't that much.
And we still left some for you, so you better be grateful.
[Oh, you are up.]
Yeah, but I won't be talking to you for a while. I gotta rest more than the old geezer, so see ya.
Manners, you damn brat.
[I think he is gone already.]
Anyways, are you leaving?
[Yep, anyways, I wanted to thank you for helping me equip him.]
No worries, kid. You still have great potential with me, so I can't really say anything bad, I just wanted to let you know that If you want to keep this up, work out, both body and mind.
[Okay, now, you too should rest a little.]
As he and Monadias were leaving, he saw how big the mountain that they were staying in was. It looked like it pierced skies.
***
- So you are now at 65% potential?
- Yes, what about you?
- When I equipped the gauntlets and talked to the old man, he said that I was 40%, but after the fight I am 50%
- Easy win for me, hehe.
- But it may be higher now. Not as much as you, but not too far behind.
- Cry more.
- Shut up. I still have chain, too.
- What chain?
- Didn't you see the link of the chain was gone?
- Nope, I didn't pay attention to it. Oh, Irse said something about it, but I was so pissed off at you going to sleep on guard and not waking me up that I didn't pay any mind to her words.
As Monadias said that, he realized something.
- I remembered that I wanted to beat you up for this...
Monadias, with a very angry expression, slowly walked towards Handeron. He immidiately put his hands up, and started backing off.
- Hey, hey, wait, wait, wait. My weapons are offline now, so don't do anything reckle-...
As Handeron said that, he was hit in the stomach. That made him lose his breath, and he fell on his knees but soon enough his breath came back.
- You...
- And you better not sleep when you guard us again.
- Yeah, yeah... Sorry.
- I forgive you, but you should be better. There are wild beasts out here, so we should be carefu-...
As he said that, Handeron blocked an attack from a goblin. When he did that, a few others that were in bushes started using spears from behind to attack him, but Monadias easily send them the other way. Monadias then made a small ball in his fingers, and as he sent it, it blew up all the goblins there. One goblin, that had his attack blocked by Handeron, left instantly as he saw that, but Monadias aimed his sights at him, and took a shot in his direction. It should have missed, considering how goblin tried everything to dodge it, but it pierced right through all the obstacles, that the goblin used to block the attack, following like a hungry wolf, aiming for its prey.
- You really are weak right now.
- Yeah, duh.
- Your reaction is still pretty good. I could just shoot him the moment he attacked, but you still blocked it well.
- Thanks.
They continued to go through the forest. The sun was slowly going down, when Monadias realized something
- Umm, I think I am a moron.
- Why?
- I could just, like, make us fly using the wind, and we would probably reach a city or something right now.
- Oh, I thought it you could only imbue attacks with it.
- Nope, it's total wind control.
- Well, you would probably lose a lot stamina through that, so I wouldn't do it.
They continued their walk. Monadias used his powers here and there to train a little, while Handeron was walking alongside, motivating him to actually put work into something. As always.
- Ah, wait, where did we leave the conversation?
- Before the goblins attacked. I think I talked about the chain.
- Ooh, yeah. What do you mean that you also have the chain?
- I have it too.
- What?
- Yeah, like as a weapon.
- Where is it?
- I was able to absorb it because it divided into many smaller links of the chain. It's somewhere in my body, maybe near my brain. The guy inside is there, he just needs to rest and will be up in some time.
- He?
- Yeah, he is younger, and elf at that, and doesn't really cooperate with old man, but we will get there.
- What is his name?
- He told me to call him Reibili.
[Oh, so it really is him.]
Yeah, I told you I knew him!
[Yeah I get it. When he wakes up, I will let you talk to him.]
Thank you, partner!
***
Some time passed. The sun was already very low. It was hard to see anything, actually, so they decided that they should make a camp and rest. First guard was Handeron's, because he slept on his guard, and after half of the night, Monadias will take over. They made a fireplace on a conviniently big empty area with small grass, so that nobody approaches them unexpectedly, and so, the night started.
^^^