Dallion slid his fingers along the blade of the golden harpsisword. His improved senses made him aware of the fine craftsmanship that had gone into its forging. It was as if his fingers were sliding along air. And still, it didn’t feel like his harpsisword. There was something inalienably foreign about it, even if he couldn’t determine exactly what.

“Go ahead.” The general waved his hand. “Test it if you want, but you only get two tries when you start for real.”

Two tries… hardly enough for such a task. On the other hand, Dallion had nothing to lose if he failed, and so much to gain if successful. Carefully, he pulled each of the strings. The tones were perfect, although different from the ones his weapon made. In a way it was simpler—whoever had made this had focused on copying the full octave. That meant, though, that matching a vibration would follow a different method. Everything that Dallion had learned so far had pretty much gone to waste.

“Why two tries?” Dallion asked.

“Everyone deserves a second chance. No matter the circumstances.”

A sound philosophy, which didn’t make things much easier at present. From experience Dallion knew that if he didn’t make it the first time, he’d need at least ten more times to get it right. It was the same in video games—succeed on the first go, or ragequit after a dozen failures, then succeed after cooling down.

“Can I try it out on an object before I go for it?” Dallion asked in hope.

“Smart move.” The general clapped. “That shows me you really know how to use a harpsisword. The answer is no. You either go all out or not at all.”

“What if I use my first attempt on the object, then?”

“Hmm.”

“You said I have two goes, so even if I fail, I get a second try. I just want to have my first try on something other than you.”

“I guess you caught me.” The general nodded to one of the furies. The guard reached out and summoned a small jade vase. “Let me up the ante, then. This vase costs about a hundred gold in the real world. If you’re confident enough in your abilities, I’ll let you have your first try on it. However, should you fail in your second attempt, you’ll owe me ten gold if you break it, which is ten percent of its standard price.” The man’s eyes narrowed. “Of course, if the vase remains unharmed, you won’t owe me anything at all.”

It was obvious that the general was playing mind games, or to be more precise, he didn’t want to be outdone by clever logic. For a moment Dallion thought that he had been clever, but as he quickly found out, there was no outsmarting someone with money and influence who wanted to end up on top. Or maybe there was.

“Sure,” Dallion replied. There was a small loophole that the general had left open. At no point did Dallion say he would want to break the item during his practice trial. All that had been assumed.

Music, Dallion thought.

As with the tome in the ring library, a single tone came from the item—an unbreakable calm surrounding it. With this harpsisword, that meant playing two notes simultaneously. The fingers of his left hand still stung a bit each time he touched the strings, but it was nowhere as bad as it could have been.

How to change an emotion. Nil hadn’t explained the process in detail, and Dallion hadn’t read so far ahead. It was an advanced use of the music skills, that was for sure. From what Dallion could assume, the trick was to change the melody part way in. Going by standard logic, the first note was to attune to the target—that’s the reason it froze, it was waiting for the next input. Going by that theory, he had to play the combination of emotions he wanted the target to obtain following the exact same timing.

If the vase displayed calm, Dallion had to replace it with a combination of tenderness and excitement. Thinking back, he had seen a lot of instances of excitement during his battles, but only one of tenderness.

Here goes nothing, Dallion thought, and played the strings that vibrated along with the vase’s calm. The blue markers appeared and started making their way to the tip of the sword. At the precise moment they reached it, Dallion repeated the process. The blue markers appeared once more.

So far, so good. At least the timing didn’t cause any problem. The real trick started now, though. Instead of two strings, Dallion was going to have to play five, if his assumptions of melody conversion were correct.

Waiting for just the right moment, he pulled the strings with the fingers of both hands. The melody kept sounding. That was the good part. The effect, however, was less than what he had hoped for. Instead of changing, the vase was now oscillating between its original frequency and the new one. Was this a good thing? Dallion’s subconscious told him it was… along with the slight headache that had started to form in the area of his temples. Holding his breath, he repeated the process.

This time the effect was immediate. The calm gone, the vase flew towards him, as if attracted by a magnet. The action was so sudden that Dallion could only pull the shield in front of him for protection. A loud crash told him that wasn’t the best choice.

“Excellent,” the general said with a snobbish smirk and a slow clap. “I must say, this is the first time I see an item react this way. You still owe me ten gold coins, however. Well, that is unless you convince me otherwise.” He crossed his arms with a cocky look on his face. “Ready for the real thing?”

Drat! That was so stupid! Dallion cursed. He could have easily caught the vase if he hadn’t acted so surprised. Now he was in debt no matter what happened. His only hope was to have something to show for it.

“Yes, General,” Dallion said, taking a deep breath. He had to remain calm on this. If he allowed himself to get provoked, the battle was as good as over. He focused his senses on the new target.

Calmness and excitement merged into one, displaying doubt. At the same time, Dallion could sense another type of excitement on its own.

Isolate the emotions, Dallion thought. All he had to do was get rid of the doubt and build on the excitement and add some tenderness, this would work. It was all in the timing.

Here we go, he played the strings. A tone filled the air, matching some of the general’s vibrations. When the markers appeared, Dallion knew that he had gotten the first part right. From the look of things, he wasn’t the only one. Both furies put up their guards, ready to react should he attempt anything dangerous on their employer. Lethal aggression streamed from them.

As the markers reached the tip, Dallion played the new set of strings. Part of the general’s emotions began to oscillate, though not as much as they had with the vase. That was to be expected—he was a sapient being, after all. Keeping his cool, Dallion repeated the process a second time, then a third, and a fourth.

Bit by bit the oscillation shifted in his favor, but still the doubt wouldn’t dissipate. It was almost as if with every success a new doubt emerged. Normally, that wouldn’t have been a bad thing, yet with each time Dallion played a chord, the pain in his head and fingers increased. By the seventh time he felt like burning pins were drilling into the back of his skull. By the tenth, his vision was starting to blur.

Why wouldn’t the doubt go away? There was only a sliver of it left, but it had been there the last four times as well, refusing to leave. Dallion’s initial theory had been correct, and the execution had remained spot on, so why wasn’t the general changing his mind? Something had to be missing, but what?

Think, Dallion told himself. The general wanted to give him the shield, that much was obvious. Not only that, but the separate excitement had increased, likely intrigued by the effect Dallion’s music was having. Then, what was keeping him back? If Dallion were in the general’s shoes, what would prevent him from giving something he owned? For one he had to be inclined to do so—which the general already was. However, that wasn’t always enough. Being okay with doing something didn’t automatically mean someone would do it, there had to be…

That’s it! Dallion thought. The reason the general hadn’t agreed was because he didn’t feel any joy in doing it.

Quickly, Dallion waited for the correct moment, then added a note of joy.

There’s no beating some good old dopamine, he thought. Hardly had he done so when the awakened realm disappeared, returning them to the real-world room.

There was a long moment of silence. Dallion’s head was still pounding, but he forced himself to smile.

“Sorry about that,” the general said, with a slight yawn of disappointment. “My guards get twitchy when music is involved. You can never be too careful with those higher skills. In any event, you managed to convince me. A bit unorthodox, I must admit. Personally, I thought you’d follow a different approach, but I’ll gladly consider this a win as well.”

A different approach? Dallion wondered.

“So, he passed?” Arthurows asked.

“With flying colors. Provided he has the three gold, of course.”

Dallion returned the harpsisword to the fury, then reached into his pouch and took out three gold coins. While it was good to have an adequate shield, the action had pretty much bankrupt him for the week, not to mention that in twelve days he’d have to pay the same amount for the second month.

Life was definitely getting expensive. The arrangement with Hannah might have allowed him to find a room rent free, but that didn’t go for his gear. At the end of the day, there was no such thing as living rent free in Nerosal.

“My offer still stands,” the general said. “Fulfil the cane’s destiny and you get to keep the shield. Until then, I wish you the best of luck.”

“Thank you, General.” Dallion made a slight bow. On the inside, he was sweating bullets. He had gone through some close calls so far, but this felt more terrifying than all of them. Had he messed up he would have ended up with the equivalent of a student loan he would have had serious difficulties paying off. Even now, the situation wasn’t as rosy.

“Use it with care.” The general had one of the furies give Dallion the armadil shield. “Now that we’ve concluded that, Kilina will show you out.” The man turned around, making his way to his seat near the entrance. “Thanks for the treat, Art. Entertaining as always. Please come back if there’s anything else you wish to rent. I’m sure it could be arranged.”

Given what this test was, Dallion had no intention of asking for anything else. Not to mention, he didn’t have the funds to rent any more gear.

The fury from the reception appeared shortly after, escorting Arthurows and Dallion out of the room. Nothing was said while she did so, at least not out loud. Arthurows seemed unusually relieved with the entire situation, as for Dallion…

Congratulations, the new shield said to him. Nice save back there. You sure know how to raise the stakes. I guess life with you will be quite interesting.

Item Awakening

Dallion entered the shield. Apart from being tired of participating in a one-sided conversation, he wanted to see the guardian he had rented.

The SHIELD is Level 2

You are in an elegant sky silver room.

Defeat the guardian to change the SHIELD’s destiny.

Knowing how difficult it was to improve sky silver, Dallion had no intention of trying. Unlike the rooms he had seen before, this one was shaped like a tower, or rather like a very chic maisonette that extended five floors high. It was well lit, perfectly furnished, with a winding staircase ascending up along the walls.

“Up here,” the voice said, far more melodic than it sounded on the outside. “Sorry I couldn’t greet you, but you know the rules.”

Of course, the rules—a guardian couldn’t leave its chamber. Cautiously, Dallion made his way to the start of the staircase and looked up.

“No need to worry, I won’t attack you,” the guardian laughed. “After finally finding someone, I can talk to, it’ll be a waste. Come right up.”

There was a definite sincerity in the shield’s voice. Leaving all hesitation behind, Dallion started the long climb up. Each section of the tower was very different from what he expected it to be. Apart from the floor, each was fashioned like a master bedroom of a different style based on the time of day. The fifth floor, of course, was the one that held the guardian… and he too was not at all what Dallion had expected.

SHIELD GUARDIAN

Species: Dryad

Class: Shadow

Statistics: 100% Health

Skills:

- Splinter Arrows

- Entangle

- Regrowth

Weak spots: none

No weak spots? That was always something to be cautious of. The most unexpected feature of the guardian, though, was his appearance. Half-naked, he resembled more a model or a male pop-idol than an actual guardian. Slender, but with pronounced muscles and long green curly hair, he was probably perfect for a Twilight novel. The trousers he was wearing were more like britches ending above his knees, as if he were about to grab a surf at any moment.

“Hey, you made it,” the dryad said once Dallion reached the top floor. “I must say it feels good to finally see some action again. I’ve been pinned to a wall for so long, I’ve almost forgotten how to move.”

“You’re welcome…” Dallion blinked. He had this feeling as if had come to visit the playboy on campus. “Aren’t you?” he pointed.

“Huh?” The dryad looked down at his chest. “Oh, the clothes. Yeah, sorry about that. I’m not up to the latest fashion. Give me some time and I’ll get my bearings. Just bring me to a few social events and I’ll pick up something stylish.”

“Err, that’s not exactly the issue.” This was without a doubt the weirdest guardian Dallion had seen. Well, second weirdest, after the copyette. He was just as talkative, though, if not more so. “Shouldn’t you be more combat oriented and all?”

“I guess I can put some armor on if you want.” The dryad shrugged. “Your choice really. Well, actually it’s partially your choice. You might have me, but my owner remains Balall. Until you win me over, that is. No pressure, but I’d really appreciate it if you do that. As I said, being part of an ancient collection—not the best experience.”

“I’ll give it my best.” Why am I making promises to a piece of armor? Dallion wondered.

“Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, anytime you need comfort after a long day or a difficult trial, I’m here to accommodate. And don’t worry, you don’t have to tell me your preferences, I’m a very good observer.”

“Okay, just stop!” Dallion snapped. “This is getting way too awkward.”

“It is? I hadn’t noticed.” There was a brief pause. “You are aware I’m a companion shield, right?”

“Look, I’ve only been awakened for a month, so maybe tone the weirdness down a bit, okay? All I want to know right now is just how to use you in battle.”

“A month?” the guardian asked. “And you only rented me because you wanted a shield?”

“Yeah. You were the one who spoke to me, so I thought you’d be a good fit. That’s how I found my harpsisword pretty much.”

The dryad remained silent for several seconds, eyes fixed on Dallion, then shook his head with a sigh.

“Oh dear,” he said. “I think there’s some explaining I need to do.”