Chapter 99: The Coming Storm
"By the way, Dural, aren't you going to help the other smiths?" Rhodes asked tentatively.
"No! Those fools are going on about reforging a broken sword. I want no part of it! A broken sword means its smith was incompetent, as was its wielder. There's no point in reforging it!"
Dural's words made a cold sweat break out on Rhodes's forehead. He was just about to make his escape when a young dwarven apprentice came running up, panting, his face filled with anxiety. A bad feeling welled up inside him.
"Master Dural! Master Dural!" the apprentice shouted as he approached. "The core furnace for reforging the 'Light of Ersten'... there's a problem! None of the other masters know what to do. They need you to take a look!"
"'The Light of Ersten'? Reforging?" The smile on Dural's face vanished. He stared at the apprentice. "What are you talking about, boy? What do you mean, reforging the 'Light of Ersten'!?"
"Huh?" the apprentice's eyes were as clear and innocent as a fresh graduate's. "Isn't it the Sword of Human Rights, the 'Light of Ersten'? Lord Rhodes was the one who requested it."
At his words, Dural's head snapped around, and his sharp gaze fell on Rhodes.
Rhodes's heart sank. He opened his mouth, but before he could say a word, Dural had grabbed his arm with a grip of steel. "Tell me! What happened to my 'Light of Ersten'! Why does it need to be reforged!?"
The apprentice now realized his mistake. Seeing the thunderous look on his master's face, and the awkward expression on Rhodes's, he shrunk back, unable to speak.
"Master Dural, please calm down," Rhodes said, trying to placate him.
"Calm down!? How do you expect me to calm down!?" Dural roared, spittle flying from his mouth. Rhodes quickly leaned back. "The 'Light of Ersten' was the greatest masterpiece I ever forged! How could it have broken!?"
The commotion quickly drew a crowd, including Norne and Serie. Seeing Dural looking as if he was about to eat Rhodes, Norne quickly stepped between them. "Master Dural, please calm your anger! The 'Light of Ersten' broke because it took a blow that was far beyond its limits, to protect us all, in a battle against a terrifying being!"
"Nonsense! How could there be such a being in this world! It must have been your own incompetence that broke it!" Dural shook his head, refusing to believe him.
"And what if there was?"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Do you know how many rare materials I put into it? Some of them were the same special ores used to forge Org! Unless..."
His roaring stopped abruptly, as if he had just realized something. He stared at Rhodes, then at the calm Serie beside him. "Could it be?" his voice dropped to a low, trembling whisper. "Did you really fight a god?"
A dead silence fell over the crowd. There had been rumors, that a human who had been acknowledged by both Org and Athos, had fought a god with his companions. But no one had taken them seriously. Now, hearing it confirmed... they were all stunned. To fight a god... it was beyond their comprehension.
Rhodes didn't deny it. He just nodded.
Dural's grip on his arm unconsciously loosened. He stumbled back a step, the shock and anger in his heart replaced by... a strange sense of honor. Just as Somme had said, to know that his creation had been broken in a battle with a god... it wasn't so bad. It wasn't strange at all.
"I see," he said. "Lord Rhodes, tell me, did the 'Light of Ersten'... do its job?"
"It did, Master Dural," Rhodes said solemnly. "The 'Light of Ersten' was broken in an honorable battle with a god. It fulfilled its purpose."
Without the mana from the 'Light of Ersten', Org alone could have never broken the Sky-Winged's Divine Strike. And in the end, the last of its power had been used to create a barrier that had protected them all.
Hearing his words, Dural was silent. After a long moment, he looked up.
"I understand, Lord Rhodes." He turned to the other dwarven smiths who had gathered. "Did you all hear that!?" he roared. "My holy sword... was broken in a battle against a god! My craft was not dishonored!"
In truth, none of the other smiths had ever doubted his skill. He was one of the top five smiths in the entire dwarven race. It was just a shame he hadn't been one of the ones who had forged Org; otherwise, his name would have surely been recorded in their histories.
"Take me to it!" he said to the apprentice. "I want to see what kind of trouble those fools have gotten themselves into that they need my help."
He gave Rhodes a final, long look, as if he wanted to say something else. But in the end, all he said was, "Lord Rhodes, we will reforge you a complete, and stronger, 'Light of Ersten'! And this time, it will be a holy sword on the same level as Org!" And with that, he turned and strode towards the dwarven workshops.
Rhodes watched him go, a sense of gratitude in his heart.
As the sun set, he was about to head back when he heard footsteps behind him. He thought it was Serie, but it was another elf.
"It's been a while, Rhodes."
He turned and saw Kraft leaning against a tree. The elven warrior was thinner than when he had last seen him, and his long, green hair had been cut short, just as he remembered it from the future.
"Kraft!" he said, a pleased surprise in his voice. "Have you seen Norne and Eirik?"
"I have. They've both become strong warriors. Eirik was even showing off his magic to me," Kraft said, walking over. "I hear you're preparing a powerful spell."
Rhodes nodded and pointed to Serie, who was busy in the distance. "I can't tell you the details, but you can look forward to it."
Kraft's gaze followed Serie, a complicated look in his eyes. He was suddenly grateful that Rhodes had "abducted" her. If she had stayed in the forest, she would have surely been killed in the demon's Divine Strike.
He was silent for a moment, then he said, "You know, Rhodes, every night, I see it. The end of the Great Elven Forest. The demons' attack... it devoured everything, the young elves, the ancient trees... all of it, gone. I can still feel their despair."
A breeze blew past. Kraft took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."
"No, I understand," Rhodes said softly. "Hate can be a source of strength, as long as you don't let it consume you."
Kraft shook his head. "Right now, all I want is to personally take the head of every last demon. I truly hope your spell can deal them a heavy blow."
"It will."
(End of Chapter)
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