Station.”
The man giggled under his breath. “My boy, you have been grossly misinformed. Reave’s army was completely wiped out.” He let that settle for a few seconds. “Yashvir was destroyed single-handedly by Reave.”
“But how?”
“Now that…” A pause. “Is a good question. The battle took place in an underground cave, you see. No one saw exactly when Yashvir was killed, but people nearby say that they heard thunderous cracks that shook the very sky. The earth itself ripped to shreds. They say that Reave emerged from underground, carrying the mangled, lifeless corpse of the man who had once been the destroyer of worlds...” He gulped loudly.
“Go on,” urged Xalen, growing frustrated by Febron’s constant pauses.
“Some people say that Reave had a wild, untamed look in his eyes. Almost as if…” Another pause. “Yashvir himself had taken over his body.”
“That can’t be … can it?”
“I don’t know. The full extent of Yashvir’s power was always a mystery. And it certainly didn’t help that Reave and Yashvir had a long history. It was Yashvir, after all, who murdered Reave’s sister. Poor soul. Burnt her alive while her brother watched.”
The grief Xalen felt surprised him. He hadn’t known Reave for long, but already he felt a bond with the man.
“I’m sorry,” blurted Febron as they reached the last step. “I shouldn’t have told you all that. Please don’t tell Junia or Reave what I said.”
“I won’t,” said Xalen, intending to keep his word.
Febron turned to the door, which was a large hunk of rusted metal. “How about we turn our attention to something more lively. Are you excited?”
“Hard to be excited when I have no idea what I'm doing here.”
“They didn’t tell you?” Febron licked his lips and clapped his hands. “You’re going to love this!” He pushed the door open.
Xalen’s jaw dropped a few inches. Before him was a large room devoid of furniture—no chairs or tables of any kind. What it did have, however, was countless weapons, armor, and shields hanging from its four walls. They came in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
“I’m the blacksmith for Zizor. With a few exceptions, I designed every single piece of armor and every weapon the students use.”
“You made all these?” asked Xalen, impressed.
“That’s right,” said Febron proudly. “And now it’s time for you to choose your own set of armor and weapons. Some people, like Reave, still prefer to use swords, though they are a bit antiquated. Most Alioths nowadays use either metatons or guns.” He trudged over to the wall before them, where a long gun hung beside a red cloth suit. He took the ridiculously long gun into his hand. “This is the Febron .900 Sniper. I designed it myself.” He pointed at the top of the weapon. “The front and rear swivel are both inventions of mine, then I added this scope. They’re a lethal combination. With this baby you can take out an enemy from over five-thousand meters away.” He grinned widely. “And on planets with low density and wind, why you could even reach six-thousand meters.” He tossed the weapon.
Xalen caught it, grunting under the weight. “It’s sort of heavy.”
“Oh, that’s because it comes with extra perks.” Febron spoke proudly, almost as if Xalen was carrying the man’s very child. “You see, the Febron .900 Sniper comes with something that no other gun has ever had before…” One of Febron’s pauses followed. “It has the ability to fire energy shots. So if you are a metaton user, you can redirect your energy through the gun and fire through it.”
“Sounds neat,” said Xalen, handing the weapon back to its maker.
The blacksmith took it with a frown. “What’s the matter? Anyone else would be drooling all over this baby.”
The youth narrowed his eyes. He didn’t want to hurt Febron’s feelings, but his gaze was preoccupied with the shiny set of armor and sword that hung from the black wall
The man giggled under his breath. “My boy, you have been grossly misinformed. Reave’s army was completely wiped out.” He let that settle for a few seconds. “Yashvir was destroyed single-handedly by Reave.”
“But how?”
“Now that…” A pause. “Is a good question. The battle took place in an underground cave, you see. No one saw exactly when Yashvir was killed, but people nearby say that they heard thunderous cracks that shook the very sky. The earth itself ripped to shreds. They say that Reave emerged from underground, carrying the mangled, lifeless corpse of the man who had once been the destroyer of worlds...” He gulped loudly.
“Go on,” urged Xalen, growing frustrated by Febron’s constant pauses.
“Some people say that Reave had a wild, untamed look in his eyes. Almost as if…” Another pause. “Yashvir himself had taken over his body.”
“That can’t be … can it?”
“I don’t know. The full extent of Yashvir’s power was always a mystery. And it certainly didn’t help that Reave and Yashvir had a long history. It was Yashvir, after all, who murdered Reave’s sister. Poor soul. Burnt her alive while her brother watched.”
The grief Xalen felt surprised him. He hadn’t known Reave for long, but already he felt a bond with the man.
“I’m sorry,” blurted Febron as they reached the last step. “I shouldn’t have told you all that. Please don’t tell Junia or Reave what I said.”
“I won’t,” said Xalen, intending to keep his word.
Febron turned to the door, which was a large hunk of rusted metal. “How about we turn our attention to something more lively. Are you excited?”
“Hard to be excited when I have no idea what I'm doing here.”
“They didn’t tell you?” Febron licked his lips and clapped his hands. “You’re going to love this!” He pushed the door open.
Xalen’s jaw dropped a few inches. Before him was a large room devoid of furniture—no chairs or tables of any kind. What it did have, however, was countless weapons, armor, and shields hanging from its four walls. They came in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
“I’m the blacksmith for Zizor. With a few exceptions, I designed every single piece of armor and every weapon the students use.”
“You made all these?” asked Xalen, impressed.
“That’s right,” said Febron proudly. “And now it’s time for you to choose your own set of armor and weapons. Some people, like Reave, still prefer to use swords, though they are a bit antiquated. Most Alioths nowadays use either metatons or guns.” He trudged over to the wall before them, where a long gun hung beside a red cloth suit. He took the ridiculously long gun into his hand. “This is the Febron .900 Sniper. I designed it myself.” He pointed at the top of the weapon. “The front and rear swivel are both inventions of mine, then I added this scope. They’re a lethal combination. With this baby you can take out an enemy from over five-thousand meters away.” He grinned widely. “And on planets with low density and wind, why you could even reach six-thousand meters.” He tossed the weapon.
Xalen caught it, grunting under the weight. “It’s sort of heavy.”
“Oh, that’s because it comes with extra perks.” Febron spoke proudly, almost as if Xalen was carrying the man’s very child. “You see, the Febron .900 Sniper comes with something that no other gun has ever had before…” One of Febron’s pauses followed. “It has the ability to fire energy shots. So if you are a metaton user, you can redirect your energy through the gun and fire through it.”
“Sounds neat,” said Xalen, handing the weapon back to its maker.
The blacksmith took it with a frown. “What’s the matter? Anyone else would be drooling all over this baby.”
The youth narrowed his eyes. He didn’t want to hurt Febron’s feelings, but his gaze was preoccupied with the shiny set of armor and sword that hung from the black wall
Similar Books
