World items… logically, it was almost a given they had to exist. With items being realms, and areas of their own vast domains, it was inevitable that there would be an item that would encompass an entire world. Now that he knew for certain, though, Dallion’s mind was on the verge of exploding with questions.

What if the world he was currently in was nothing but an item itself? For all he knew he could still be back on Earth, while his real body was in an awakened pen or can of beer. Although this world seemed too nice for a can of bear. But, if true, what did that make the people of this world? Were they cracks? Were they blocker creatures? Did they even exist in the strict sense of the word?

She shouldn’t have told you this early, Nil grumbled. As usual, whatever March did, it was the wrong thing to do. The soldier types are always the same—present a swim or sink problem, then move to the next target.

She just told me to get stronger, Dallion replied. Despite the multitude of questions, this gave him a new goal. Now he was definitely going to venture deeper in his realm. Maybe even try to advance two levels in a week. Still, there was a tiny voice in the back of his mind telling him he wasn’t ready. What do you all think? Should I push on?

The responses were pretty much as he expected. Nox and Harp were all for it, Nil was cautious, suggesting upping his skills a bit more, and Lux had no idea what the question really meant.

One thing was certain, though. If Dallion seriously wanted to improve, he was going to have to resort to additional training, which meant getting some actual mentorship from Vend. How that the “secret” was out and Dallion knew what the end goal was, it would hopefully be easier.

Why was the Star set against me exploring the world item? Dallion asked on his way to the inn.

The Star always wants what’s worse for everyone else, the echo replied. My guess would be that he hoped to be the one chosen. After being a slacker for such a long time, I don’t imagine he would have been considered. Although, he did fail a set of rather elementary trials in order to get to the dagger test. We don’t do those too often. Even daggers are expensive, and it’s not like we have had that many artefacts demands until recently. If it wasn’t for you, there was every chance he would have been noticed. Maybe even made Vend’s apprentice. We’ve been trying to get that slob to get one for ages. And now we finally have.

Arthurows as Vend’s apprentice… Dallion could see that, he could also see him joining in the expedition and worm himself close to March. The endgame wasn’t the guild, though. More likely it was the item itself.

What do you think is hidden in the world item?

Dear boy, a better question would be what isn’t. It’s a world item, emphasis on world. Forgotten knowledge, obscure skills, maybe even an entire eight species sealed away. Anything is possible. That is precisely why the Academy shouldn’t have sold it off. The idiots always enjoyed playing with power they don’t understand, but selling that power at random is a new low even for them. Sometimes I think it’s a miracle the Imperial house doesn’t wipe them off the map. Or the Order.

Good to know.

The conversation had taken a dark turn all of a sudden. Clearly Adzorg had a very poor opinion of the Imperial family, the Order and the Seven Moons, and the Magic Academy. No wonder he spent all his time gambling in the basement of a small guild. In a way, Dallion almost pitied him.

Veil and Gloria were at the inn by the time he arrived. Apparently, they had run out of funds before reaching their first City Fort, making them return to the inn in hopes of getting more. When Dallion explained that only they could claim the money from the job, their expressions had soured faster than milk in the desert. Dallion had offered to loan them a few gold coins each—most of his pay—so they could continue their spree, but as before they had flat out refused. It was then agreed they would all go back to the guildhall after their lunch shift was over.

About half an hour later, the crowds of customers started to pour in. Word of the Luors’ exploits had reached quite a lot of people—showing in practical terms the importance of advertising. The sibling’s exotic and very identifiable appearance combined with their desire to roam through as much as Nerosal as possible had made lots of people decide to pass by the Gremlin’s Timepiece. The customers were so many that Hannah had to rent chairs and tables from a few other inn owners she knew and place them outside. In part because of that, Dallion was also forced on the outside, where he was to play and sing so as to attract customers while Veil and Gloria were to take turns serving and mending in and outside.

Given the number of people, Dallion suggested that Hannah hire more temp waiters, but the idea was quickly shot down. There was only so much Aspan could prepare at a given amount of time, and having more than a few waiters would place the burden entirely on him. When Dallion suggested Hannah hire another temp cook, she grumbled at him to get on with his work and leave the planning to her.

Lunch lasted two hours longer than expected. When the last scraps of non-reserved food were gone, Hannah announced that the inn wasn’t serving anymore. Judging by the calm reaction of the customers, the practice didn’t seem unusual.

The borrowed chairs and tables were quickly returned, the inside of the inn was given a quick clean, and then the private staff feast took place. This time, though, there was slightly less food, though more money to go around.

“Know any good places for iron?” Gloria asked Hannah while eating. “We’ve got lots of wood and stone back home, but metals are a problem.”

“Iron.” The innkeeper hmmed. “Best talk to the merchant guilds. They can help out, but haggling is all up to you. If you want to buy a small number of ingots, any blacksmith will help you out, though their prices are high.”

“Do you think anyone will agree to a supply deal for a level three village?

“No.” Hannah didn’t mince words. “You’re not close and too small for the effort.”

“Yes, I think you’re right.” Gloria sighed. By the sound of it the village was still going through some growing pains.

“Your best bet is just to buy the materials for now. You’ll pay more, but you’ll get what you need in the short term. Build up, get more people, and the merchant guilds will come to you. The important thing is not to rush it.”

The advice was sound. However, Dallion suspected it was going to be completely ignored. Knowing Gloria she wasn’t one to wait, and neither was Veil.

“Jiroh might be able to help you out,” Hannah said, making Dallion almost choke on his food. “She’s a hunter so has a few connections.”

“A hunter?” Both Veil and Gloria leaned forward like teens hearing about a pop-idol.

“She usually serves tables here, when she’s not taking her time doing stuff outside,” Hannah grumbled. “She’s supposed to be back in a few weeks, so you’ll get to meet her before the festival. She helped Dal here get into the Icepicker guild.”

“She introduced me to them,” Dallion clarified.

“And also got his gear back from when he was mugged.”

Dallion remained silent. There was no going around this one. Jiroh was the one who had organized and made it all happen. Knowing that she’d be back in a few weeks was definitely a relief, double so since it meant Eury would be back as well. Even with all the chaos surrounding Dallion’s life, he missed her a lot, although that also meant he had to figure out what to do with the Luors until then. A few weeks weren’t a lot of time, but enough for him not to worry for a while.

“I’ll be right back.” Dallion stood up.

“And where are you going?” Hannah crossed her arms. “I’m not saving food for later.”

“That’s fine. You guys enjoy it. There’s something I need to do before we go to the guild.”

Without further explanations, Dallion went up to his room. Gloria and Hannah continued their conversation on trade and goods prices, occasionally interrupted by Veil who’s only comments were how cheap or expensive something was in the city. From what Dallion remembered, everything was far cheaper in Dherma. Thinking back to the time of the chainling hunt, getting a silver coin seemed like an incredible prize. Looking at it now, Kalis was using his pocket money to get their interest. Being a double digit himself, the soldier probably earned far more than Dallion did now.

You’re going to do it, aren’t you? Nil asked. While leveling up is admirable, stretching yourself thin isn’t. Area mending isn’t like item mending. It is quite stressful for the body and the psyche.

It’s a one time thing, Nil. I have something to prove to myself.

Dear boy, that is precisely the wrong answer, the echo sighed heavily. That’s why my original was against March telling you too much too fast. You’re reckless by nature and it’s natural you’ll push yourself to the extreme even when you know you shouldn’t.

Maybe you’re right. But I’m still doing this.

“Shield, okay if we take a raincheck?” Dallion asked as he entered his room.

I figured this might happen. Don’t worry about it. I’m always here and waiting.

“Thanks.” Dallion took hold of the harpsisword in one hand and the Nox dagger in the other.

PERSONAL AWAKENING

The first thing Dallion saw in the awakening room was Nox. The crackling was calmly sitting in the center of the room, eager to follow Dallion further in his mind. Looking at him, Dallion could see no change from the time he was a level one familiar.

“Ready to set off, Nox?” Dallion bent down and scratched the crackling behind the ear. The familiar seemed to appreciate the effort. “I hope you’ve learned some new tricks because we’ll need them.”

No sooner had Dallion said that than Lux popped up in the room. The firebird’s method of transportation was definitely unique, although no longer startling.

“Yes, you too, Lux,” Dallion laughed, causing Nox to narrow his eyes. “You’ll be my healing torch.”

Taking a deep breath, Dallion entered the corridor. It had been a while since he’d gone to his personal arena. The place no doubt had changed after his many level ups. Satisfying his curiosity, though, was going to have to wait.

Dallion made his way to the spot the crossroads had been. This was the spot at which, after some haggling, he had obtained his forging skills. One of the paths led to the paradox cube, which now had transformed into a large empty cube shaped room. At some point he was going to have to start using it for something, though for the moment, Dallion turned into the other direction, where a closed door awaited.

“Here we go.” Dallion summoned his harpsisword and went inside.

You’re in the halls of destiny.

Defeat your hidden fears and shape your destiny.

As before, a corridor extended forward, continuing into the darkness. This time, though, there was a faint smell in the air, like old meat mixed with sugar.

Is it normal for anything to smell? Dallion asked.

You can feel the breeze when at the harprisword tower, Nil replied. Smells are part of the awakening realm.

So, good smells indicate good things, and bad spells indicate bad things?

Sometimes, other times, not so much.

Thanks for nothing.

The further Dallion went, the stronger the smell became. There was no doubt about it—the smell was definitely of rotting meat, although he still couldn’t place the note of sweetness. It wasn’t sugar water, and it definitely wasn’t honey… rather it was some sort of perfume or flower fragrance that he hadn’t encountered before.

“Anything to worry about, Nox?” Dallion asked, focusing on his music skills.

The crackling didn’t reply, continuing forward, ears flat to its head. It too could feel something ominous ahead, although it wasn’t certain what exactly.

For minutes, the corridor continued. The smell became a stench, forcing Dallion to cover his mouth and nose with his elbow pit. In the future, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to ask Eury to make him a scarf he could use in situations such as these.

Faint reddish-orange light emerged in the distance. The first thought that went through Dallion’s mind was to brace himself in case that was an approaching train. After another five minutes, it turned out that it wasn’t… although Dallion wished it had been. Stretching in front of him for as far as the eye could see was a battlefield. Piles of bodies in various stages of decay covered the ground among the remnants of buildings.

Nil, I’ve reached a battlefield of some sort, Dallion thought. Any idea what I’ll face?

There was no answer.

Nil?

“Nil won’t help you here,” a familiar voice said.

Several miles forward, sitting on the remnants of a massive stone arch, were three figures. Even from this distance, Dallion could identify them clearly. Two belonged to Aspion and his sister, as Dallion had seen them in the village chief’s memories. As for the third one… it was Dallion’s grandfather.