The day before departure, a messenger arrived at the Compound.
Brannic and Merriweather were ready.
The Vixens insisted on attending.
Whatever had them calling Jax personally to the trial field, it wasn't minor.
The Trial Field
The forge yard behind Brannic's shop had been transformed.
Heavy iron targets lined the perimeter. Crystal pylons glowed faintly. Moving constructs stood ready on rails.
Brannic folded his arms proudly.
"We followed your blueprints exactly," he said.
Then glanced sideways at Merriweather.
"…Though she may have added a few bonuses."
Jax smirked.
"Which I would expect."
Merriweather stepped forward, eyes shining.
In her hands was a reinforced case.
When she opened it—
The air shifted.
Inside lay two twin pistols.
Sleek.
Blue-black metal with crystalline inlays running like veins along the frame. The barrels shimmered faintly, humming with contained mana.
They didn't look like the crude flintlock spell-guns common in this world.
They looked…
Otherworldly.
Like relics from a civilization centuries ahead of its time.
"They fire compressed crystal mana," Merriweather said softly. "Almost unlimited capacity when fed by mana cores."
She looked directly at Jax.
"And when held by you… they draw from your own reserves when you will it. They will channel any elemental affinity you possess."
Brannic grinned.
"We call them Eclipse Requiem."
He pointed to the left pistol.
"Solaris."
Then the right.
"Umbra."
The Vixens stood speechless.
Jax reached down and lifted them.
Perfect weight.
Perfect balance.
Brannic then revealed the holsters.
Twin inverted rigs, mounted at Jax's waist — grips facing inward.
Cross-draw style.
Elegant.
Dangerous.
Jax secured them.
Drew them once.
Holstered.
Again.
Smooth.
Then—
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION
Hidden Skill Detected: Gun Kata
Would you like to learn this skill?
"Yes."
The world sharpened.
Information flooded his mind.
Angles.
Breathing cadence.
Rotational pivot points.
Dual-wield timing sequences.
Target acquisition patterns.
Jax exhaled slowly.
Then drew.
The Dance Begins
The pistols blurred from their holsters.
He stepped forward into the center of the field.
Brannic raised his hand.
Dozens of targets shot upward.
Some static.
Some moving.
Some armored.
Some flickering.
And a few—
Marked clearly:
FRIENDLY
Jax moved.
Not like a soldier.
Not like a warrior.
Like a dancer.
A pivot.
A twist.
Solaris barked first — a lance of white-blue energy erupting forward, vaporizing a steel plate mid-spin.
Umbra answered — a darker pulse, slicing through three moving targets in a horizontal sweep.
Jax spun.
Crossed arms.
Fired behind him without looking.
Targets exploded.
He dropped to one knee — sliding across the dirt — firing upward at descending pylons.
Solaris discharged a beam of concentrated flame.
Umbra responded with freezing arcs.
A friendly target popped up.
He twisted mid-spin.
Shot the two beside it.
Left it untouched.
Brannic stared.
Merriweather's jaw dropped.
The Vixens watched with breath held.
Jax leapt into the air.
Both pistols rotating around his fingers before snapping back into firing position.
He landed.
Fired in opposite directions.
Two final targets detonated simultaneously.
Silence.
Smoke drifted.
The field stood decimated.
Every hostile target destroyed.
Every friendly untouched.
Jax exhaled.
Holstered both pistols in one fluid crossed motion.
The metal clicked into place.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Reactions
Bunny whispered first.
"He's unstoppable."
Zee adjusted her glasses slowly.
"That… was mathematical perfection."
Llandra's voice was softer.
"He moves like he's composing music."
Nyxian just grinned.
"That man can conquer kingdoms now."
Brannic exhaled a long breath.
"You could take an army."
Jax flexed his fingers once.
"They'll do."
Armor and Weapons Return
Merriweather signaled to her assistants.
The Vixens' gear was brought out next.
Armor polished.
Weapons reforged.
But different.
Subtle.
Hints of white now threaded through the former red Flame Dragon scales — luminous veins beneath the surface.
"All armor has been upgraded," Merriweather announced proudly.
"Magic resistance embedded through crystal lattice reinforcement."
Jax activated Appraisal.
Armor Enhancement: Crystal Resonance Layer
• 75% Reduction to Magic Damage
• 50% Chance to Negate and Reflect Ranged Magic
• Temperature Stabilization (Extreme Heat & Cold Immunity)
• Minor Mana Recovery While Worn
Zee gasped softly.
"That's…"
"Insane," Bunny finished.
Peacemaker was returned as well.
The blade gleamed brighter than before — crystalline edge enhanced for anti-giant penetration and mana channeling.
Nyxian's whip, Llandra's bow, Zee's staff — each subtly upgraded with crystal cores to enhance spell amplification and elemental control.
They were no longer simply strong.
They were optimized.
Final Night in Solmere
That evening felt different.
Quieter.
Intentional.
They ate.
Drank.
Laughed.
But there was an undercurrent of anticipation.
Jax arranged supply deliveries to the Compound.
Food stores.
Spices.
Dried meats.
All loaded into the caravan's dimensional kitchen — vast, organized, efficient.
By morning, everything was ready.
The Sendoff
Kaelor arrived personally.
Miriella stood beside him.
Several guild officers gathered as well.
They watched the Vixens board the caravan.
Watched Jax secure Eclipse Requiem at his sides.
Watched supplies disappear into dimensional storage.
Kaelor shook his head slowly.
"I have never seen a party prepare like this."
His golden eyes studied the caravan.
"And that dimensional configuration…"
Jax smiled faintly.
"It's scalable."
Even now - Jax was a salesman.
He gestured toward Barb's stables.
"Twenty percent ownership. Custom builds available."
Kaelor huffed a quiet laugh.
Of course.
Even on departure, he's building networks.
The Shadow Grimsteeds materialized.
Grim.
Steed.
Harnessed.
Controlled.
They roared with anticipation and freedom.
The caravan rolled forward.
Kaelor watched them leave.
There was something about that man.
Something impossible.
Level One.
Yet stronger than most S-Ranks.
Kaelor didn't say it aloud.
Didn't need to.
He simply crossed his arms.
"Return victorious."
The Vixens waved.
Jax tipped two fingers from his brow.
And the caravan disappeared down the road.
Ahead—
Frostveil.
Frost Giants.
An unclaimed Raid Cave.
And whatever else the world thought it could throw at them.
This time—
They were more than ready.