Prince Erik Arvelt of Eastmarch beheld the shining blade ignited from his own essence with wonder and trepidation. "So, uh, Onyx... I guess I should mention I've never been trained beyond the basics in arms."

The weapon responded to the admission with a metallic chuckle. "That is no problem at all, master. Among other things, a Godweapon is an instrument of training. But even without it, you are still more formidable than you imagine. Strike the wall, and witness."

"Okay." The prince swung the blue blade of light at the wall of the cave, feeling little resistance as it left a glowing line of molten rock in its wake. "Whoa!"

"The Energy Blade is the simplest manifestation of a Godweapon's capabilities," Onyx explained. "It's fueled by your essence in a closed loop, so little is expended except when it strikes a target, allowing you to maintain it for long periods. Since it is your energy that powers it, you are immune to its edge, but it can cut through a variety of materials and energies. Only exceptional spiritual materials or a direct defensive application of essence can repel it."

"So I guess I don't have to be all that good against normal warriors with this then," Erik mused out loud. "There's a siege going on back there, would I be able to change the outcome now?"

"Inadvisable. You have yet to complete the Basic Training Battery or Mass Engagement Tactics programs. It would be prudent to minimize personal risk."

"Noted. I wasn't seriously considering it anyway," the prince admitted. It was tempting to go back and try and force some answers from the conflicting men tugging at his strings, but not without surety. "Let's start minimizing that risk by getting out of here, shall we?"

Erik's trek through the second leg of the tunnel was easier with the light from the blade to illuminate the passage. It was a matter of minutes before he reached an exit.

"Master, if I may make a suggestion, it might be a good time to extinguish the Energy Blade for now. If you are being pursued, leaving the tunnel system will expose you to detection. Reducing signs of your presence is advisable. Simply stop the flow of essence to me and it will retract."

The prince nodded at the weapon's suggestion and stopped providing it with his essence. The blade receded into the rod and vanished. Leaving the tunnel, he entered somewhere in the forests outside the fortress. The moon overhead provided some light, but the tall pines obscured most of it.

Erik realized he didn't know the first thing about where he was, now. This only cemented his suspicion that the "helpful" man who had pushed him to escape might not have been any less sinister in intent than the knight who wanted to detain him. Without Onyx, it wouldn't be out of the question for him to be some creature's next meal.

"You are taking pause overly long, master," Onyx chimed in. "Do you require assistance in navigating to a destination?"

"You could say that, although I'm at a loss on what that destination should be right now."

"A first priority while deciding should be to find somewhere you can evade detection. If you proceed due west you will evade detection from the nearby manmade settlements and local fauna."

"So you can detect long-range too, huh? There's only a problem in that I don't know which way is west."

The metal rod tugged at the prince's arm, gently pulling him in a direction. "This is west, master," the weapon announced.

"You're a handy fellow to keep around, Onyx, you know that?"

"Survivalist protocols are included in my design, master. If you wish it, I will initiate a cave-seeking protocol and continue magnetic guidance to direct you to your destination once it has been identified."

Erik nodded even as he tried to absorb all the new terms getting thrown at him. "Sure, let's get on the move then."

The prince found himself more and more impressed with the self-proclaimed Godweapon as he navigated through the trees. As Erik sped up, the weapon provided subtle tugs that oriented him into trajectories where he could cross the most distance without colliding with the trees or landscape.

The first rosy fingers of dawn were at the prince's back when they arrived at a hillside next to a trickling stream. The coverage of the trees was still relatively thick here, and so far there was neither hide nor hair of man or beast to be seen.

"Is this the place, Onyx?" Erik queried the Godweapon. "I don't see a cave anywhere."

"There is a closed cavern beneath the hill, master," Onyx explained. "If you will once again supply me with essence, we can commence Excavation Mode and create a proper entrance."

"Uh, while I have an Earth Realm physique, I'm not really strong enough to haul a lot of rock, Onyx."

"The manual portion of the excavation is minor and well within your capabilities, master. For physical assistance, it is only necessary that you can move an earthen slab a couple of times; the rest of the process only requires a supply of your essence so I may excavate. Simply provide your essence as you did when igniting the Energy Blade and then releasing your physical grip on my form."

"Oh, okay." Erik shrugged and channeled his essence into the metal rod and it again sprung forth with a blade of blue light. When he let go the weapon did not fall but instead remained levitating.

Onyx went to work on the hillside, carving a perfectly circular chunk out of it. "Master, if you carefully place this aside, we will return to it later," the weapon announced. "Unfortunately, your current level of mastery does not allow me a form capable of fine manipulation without cutting."

"Got it," Erik acknowledged as he walked up and dug his fingers into the fissure made in the rock. With a bit of effort, he dislodged the circular slab from the hill's face and with great care set it down on the ground nearby. Where it was before was now a circle of smooth earth.

"If you will stand back and away and continue to maintain the essence flow, I will now engage the next stage of excavation."

The prince scrambled back and to the side and watched as the Godweapon's other end also emitted an Energy Blade. Together, the full length of the weapon now was a perfect match for the entrance's diameter, and it floated into that space. A hum rose in the air as the weapon spun faster, and soon a fountain of dirt and rock shot out behind it as it dug into the hill.

Erik sat down, the fatigue of the past several hours catching up with him as he maintained the flow of essence to the spinning weapon. The sun had risen at his back by the time the tunnel was completed and the Godweapon made a final sweep through the tunnel to clear what little debris hadn't made it out the entrance.

"Now switching to inscription mode," Onyx announced, its second blade vanishing while the first shrunk down to a short and fine line of light. The Godweapon proceeded to etch fine lines into the earth around the entryway and then flew over to the earth slab and continued around its rim. "If I may trouble you, master, the entrance and its door will need a nominal infusion of essence to activate the inscriptions. Then you will need to move the slab back into position."

Erik nodded, dazed. He had expected an improvised hole to hide in, not the creation of an immortal's cave like those the sects were supposed to have up on their mountain. With a bit of effort, the prince pushed his tired muscles enough to get up and do as Onyx asked. When all was said and done, he let go of the slab and it remained in place, a ripple of light concealing the seam as it was before the excavation began.

"This door should hold for several months without needing further infusion, master," the Godweapon explained, and the prince thought he heard a bit of satisfaction in its metallic voice. "Barring the interference of a Palace Establishment or higher expert, none but you and those you authorize may enter. As you may have noticed, functions for concealment are included, and when you have had some rest we can improve the interior to further disrupt detection. Shall we go in?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to fall over here," Erik admitted. "So how does it work?"

"Push at it and it'll respond," Onyx instructed as the small blade on its end retracted, leaving only a spot of blue radiance. It flipped through the air and into the prince's hand.

Erik pushed at the hillside where he knew the door was and, just as the Godweapon had claimed, the seam became visible and the slab popped out and rolled to the side. The prince entered, appreciative of the tunnel being made so he wouldn't have to crouch or scrunch himself up to fit. The slab ground back into place as he went deeper, leaving the only light that Onyx was emitting.

"This cave was chosen over other candidates because it has a natural cistern over a small energy vein," Onyx explained. "The stream outside provides potable water for other uses, but this interior spring should be useful for training."

"Am I going to have to keep you on to have some light in here or is there something we can do about that?" Erik asked, trying his best to not come off as complaining.

"There are several solutions we can pursue depending on how long you plan to inhabit this cave, master. After you have spent some time recovering."

The prince was pleased to see that the cave's floor was rock and not dirt, at least. Once again his lack of so much as a cloak bothered him, but he could sit and meditate for now and worry about increasing his comfort level later. There was much to consider about the situation before he made any move, as the wrong one could send him plunging directly into the abyss.