บท 18: Journey Ahead
"I never thought I'd see the day." Phaistos said. "It's beautiful when it's free."
I looked at the sword appreciatingly.
"How much does it cost?" I asked.
"From what I can see today, at least 1000 gold if not more than that." He answered. "Its magical capacity is obviously powerful, its elven origin is legendary, and it is the strongest weapon in the kingdom. I don't think I can give it to you, even if you could pay it." Regret etched on his face.
"Then why did you tell me about it?" I asked.
"I wanted to see it free, cutting through the air. Every weapon should be used. They belong in the hands of warriors, not sitting on a pedestal." He said in frustration. "But while this weapon is technically mine, the king would never allow it to leave."
"What good is it to the kingdom? No one can use it. Also, the weapon is yours. You have a right to do what you will with it. If you wish to sell it you can, the king doesn't need to know." I said persistently.
But the blacksmith merely shook his head. "The king has been good to me. I could never betray him or the kingdom." He said resigned.
"Then how about we ask the king?" I asked.
They both looked at me aghast.
"Well, if the king is the final say, we can just ask him. I'm the only person who can use the sword in the kingdom. I also have stats that haven't been seen since the founding king."
"Considering how high in regard blessed are held, I imagine he would be willing to meet with me. Also, if you and Chad were with me, seeing as how you both know the king almost personally, I'm sure he'd talk to us." I explained.
"I…I don't think that's going to work that easily." Francis said skeptically. "A meeting with the king is a great honor. I mean even with your stat points at 79…79…Gods above!"
I looked at Francis confused. How did he… oh yeah, Phaistos said it aloud in the shop. But why's he just now reacting?
"Uh, aren't you a little late on the intake?" I asked Francis.
He cleared his throat. "There were a lot of things that happened in the shop. It escaped me. But 79, I think it's even higher than the first king. If I'm not mistaken, he was at 75 total points."
"Alright then." Phaistos said, resolved. "There hasn't been another person with your stats in several hundred years. I'm sure the king would agree to meet you."
"But it is probably best that the captain and I do not go along. We have our own duties here. I'm sure the Earl would be infuriated if the Captain of the guard were to leave his post if there were no emergency."
"Can I take the sword with me?" I asked.
The blacksmith looked at me for a long moment.
"Yes, but only if you bring Francis with you." He answered.
"What?" Francis exclaimed. "Why me?"
"I don't know this man. If you go with him, it will ensure that he doesn't run off with the sword." Phaistos replied.
"How's that? If I go with him and he decides to run off with the blade, there's nothing I can do to stop him." Francis said.
"At least we'll know what type of person he is then." Phaistos said. "If he kills you and runs off with it, we'll know then too. The kingdom can be on alert then. Afterall, without the king's permission, he can't take that sword. The kingdom will hunt him down for it. I may be executed in the process, but the world will know."
"How do you know I won't kill you both now and just leave before anyone else notices?" I asked, causing Francis to look at me in shock.
The blacksmith chuckled. "There are too many people that know who you are now. Killing us now would have the same result."
I nodded. "Alright, fair point. Not like I would do it, but just curious. I'd be happy to take Francis. I don't know how to get to the capital, so I was going to ask for him anyway."
I reached out my hand to the blacksmith. "I never introduced myself, the name's John."
"Phaistos." He said, shaking my hand.
"Well then Francis, it seems we might have a journey ahead of us. How about we go look at that armor now?" I said.
"Go to the armor shop beside my shop. The owner's a good man. Tell him I sent you and he'll take care of you." Phaistos said.
We agreed and Francis and I returned to the shopping district. We arrived at the armor shop and purchased some light armor easily. Phaistos' name and recommendation certainly did smooth out the negotiation, and I was able to get a good set of armor for 30 silvers.
We returned to the barracks and promptly went to Marcus' office.
"I'm assuming all went well from your attire." Marcus said after greetings.
"It did. In fact, it may have gone over too well. Can I take Francis with me to the capital?" I said.
Marcus quirked his eyebrow at us. "It seems a lot happened."
We went on to fill Marcus in on the events at Phaistos' workshop. Next thing I know, Francis is scrambling out to get Chad.
"If you keep calling me like this, people are going to start thinking you're the captain." Chad said when he entered the room.
"Show him." Marcus said to me.
I took the blade out of the scabbard Phaistos gave to me before we left and showed the blade to Chad.
"Th-that's, that's that damned sword!" Chad yelled, deafening all of us. "How, how the hell are you holding it."
I laughed and retold the story to Chad.
"…and that's why I need Francis to go with me." I finished.
"I'm goin—" Chad started.
"Absolutely not!" Marcus interjected.
"Bu…But."
And then Marcus went on a tirade. Francis and I sat back and watched as Chad was berated.
"Does he normally get worked up like this?" I whispered to Francis.
"The last time he did, it was because the Captain ran off into the forest to hunt a monster that was sighted. The captain was gone for 2 months. The Earl was pissed too." Francis whispered back.
I nodded knowingly. I could see that happening if his boar fiasco was any indicator.
After about 10 minutes, Chad gave up. The threat of being scolded by the king because he abandoned his post seemed to have done the trick.
"Apologies you had to see that, John." Marcus said. "We would be happy to send Francis with you. It would also give us the chance to request supplies from the capital. When do you intend to leave?"
"Hmm, I haven't decided. The rest of the clothes I ordered won't be ready for a couple days, so not until then, at the earliest. Maybe a week?" I said.
Marcus nodded and said, "That should give us enough time to prepare. We'll provide travel arrangements. Also, the Earl sent you a request to meet him."
"A week." Chad said and looked at me excitedly. "That means a week of training."
"Actually, I was hoping for that. I don't have any fighting skills. Could you train me?" I asked Chad.
"Hmm, happy to. You'd just better not be a pansy and run when things get tough."
"I'll try my best."
"Let's go see what you've got then." Chad said, and we all left to the training grounds.
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abysmalv
abysmalv Thanks for reading!
Also please leave a review or comments about my writing! This is my first foray into literary writing (not actually sure if this counts) so feedback would be much appreciated.
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