"You'll see. Alastair will be staying here, and Elara and her friend Jasper are arriving today."
"Is this Jasper guy... or whatever he's called... going to be a student too?" Ryen asked.
Alastair, overhearing, replied, "Jasper is not a guy. She's the daughter of the Moirai family, and yes, she'll be a student as well."
Ryen raised an eyebrow. "Wait—Jasper sounds like a guy's name. Does she actually look like a girl?"
Alastair, serious as ever, replied, "I don't know. I haven't met her, but I've heard she's incredibly strong."
The two began to picture Jasper as a muscular woman with a ponytail. Regin coughed, snapping them out of it. "You'll both find out soon enough. Now, let's go."
Regin and Ryen got into the car and drove to their destination. As they pulled up to a modest, single-story house, Ryen thought, At last, a normal-looking place…
But his eyes widened as they stepped inside. Everything in the house was made of gold. Shortly, a man in his mid-thirties appeared, muscular and clad in a fiery red T-shirt. He spoke with a powerful voice.
"I've extracted everything from the Prowler. Now, I just need to see his fighting style to craft a fitting weapon."
Regin introduced him. "Ryen, this is Kaelith Vaul, one of the best blacksmiths of the Meteorion Legion. He's also a combat instructor at the academy."
Ryen greeted him with a respectful nod. "Nice to meet you."
Kaelith returned the gesture humbly. "I'm not that good."
Regin chuckled. "Listen to this humble guy. Alright, let's get moving."
They walked towards an elevator, and Ryen asked, "What's this for? Isn't this a one-story house?"
Regin grinned. "This elevator doesn't go up. It goes down."
As they descended, Ryen watched the floors pass by, each one holding something unique: weapons, skeletons of defeated Metbeasts, and finally, an empty training floor where they stopped.
Kaelith gestured forward. "Step in and show me your fighting style."
Regin turned to Kaelith with a suggestion. "Why don't you have a light spar with him?"
After a moment's thought, Kaelith nodded. "Alright."
Preparing to fight, Kaelith raised his hand, summoning a massive sword that hit the ground with a thud. The weapon had a menacing mouth-like design near the blade's base, with jagged teeth and a swirling purple aura. On his left hand, an identical mark appeared on the skin, mirroring the shape on the sword.
Ryen readied himself, striking first by launching a shockwave from his fist. But as it neared Kaelith, the shockwave diverted and was sucked into the sword.
"Nice skill," Kaelith commented, standing motionless.
Ryen, taken aback, asked, "What is that sword? How could it just absorb an attack that wasn't even aimed at it?"
Kaelith responded, "This is Groger. It's crafted from Mesteraya and the underbelly teeth of a Rift Gorger."
Ryen tried to ask, "What's a Rift Go—"
But Kaelith cut him off with a swing of his sword, causing the floor to quake. Ryen flipped backward to avoid the blow, exclaiming, "Hey! Weren't we talking?"
Kaelith smirked. "We can talk while fighting." He attacked again, but Ryen blocked the strike with his fists, gritting his teeth.
"What's Groger mean, and what are Rift Gorgers?" Ryen asked, still defending.
Kaelith answered as they sparred. "Rift Gorgers are monstrous, worm-like beasts. You'll learn about them at the academy. As for the name 'Groger,' it just sounded fitting with 'Gorger,' so I went with it."
Ryen made a puzzled face. "You really are something."
Kaelith grinned. "Alright, enough playing around. Let's finish this."
The sword's mouth glowed as Kaelith appeared behind Ryen, stopping just shy of delivering a finishing blow to his head.
Ryen, hands raised, declared, "Alright, I surrender!"
Kaelith laughed. "Good timing. Another second, and you'd have been in two pieces."
Regin looked impressed. "You're stronger than the last time I saw you, Kaelith. So, what are you thinking about crafting with the Prowler materials?"
Kaelith was about to answer when Ryen interrupted. "Wait—you're using the Prowler for weapon-making?"
Kaelith nodded. "Yes. Metbeast bones are excellent for crafting weapons. With a bit of Mesteraya, there's even a chance the weapon could develop a skill, like Groger here."
Curious, Ryen asked, "What exactly is Mesteraya?"
Kaelith explained, "It's a rare metal that originated from meteorites. Fragments of it are scattered worldwide, but it's scarce. That's why Metbeast bones are valuable as alternatives."
"Oh, I see," Ryen replied thoughtfully.
Kaelith turned back to Regin. "Where was I? Ah, yes. I think a gauntlet would suit him well. What about you?"
Regin nodded. "I thought the same, but leave the fingers exposed and add a knuckle to the top."
Kaelith, intrigued, asked, "I get the knuckle part, but why leave the fingers exposed?"
Regin replied, "Try taking his fist in your hand, and you'll understand."
Kaelith raised his arm toward Ryen. "Punch me."
Ryen hesitated. "What?"