Chapter 33: Sand Shredder

-Reyha Kingdom; Gallo's Outskirts; Goblin's Lair; 10th Floor-

Moving through the goblin village, Kymani, and Iketica were together with the latter guiding them somewhere. As they passed by, various goblins would greed Iketica and some Kymani as well.

"Hey, what do you think you'll do after?" Iketica asked.

"Hum... What do you mean?" Kymani questioned.

"You know, you said that you had a pretty crazy goal before. Do you have any plans?" Iketica clarified.

"No, not really. I have some things I have to take care of, but no real plan of my own yet... Especially when I'm done with the tasks I was entrusted with, but I'll find something with Lavenica's help." Kymani replied.

"I see. I wish I could feel that way. Right now, I'm more like a stuffed Orc, sleepy." Iketica smiled weakly.

"I thought you were doing pretty well for yourself." Kymani inquired.

"No, I'm not. It took me ages to get anywhere with the technique I decided my warrior life to, and now that you helped me through that barrier. All I can think to myself is that it's enough, I've eaten my fill, and can finally go to sleep. You know rest..." Iketica elaborated.

"I want to say I understand, but I honestly don't, the road still has a long way to go, and before I see the destination I marked for myself right in front of me, I'm not stopping." Kymani retorted.

"As I said, I wish I still had that kind of energy, but I guess even as I am, in a way, my age is catching up to me." Iketica remarked.

"... What is this place?" Finally, they reached a place. It was a big shack but was far from the rest of the village.

"It's storage now, but it used to be my training room." Iketica explained.

"Why are we here then?" Kymani asked.

"Before I answer that, can you tell me something?" Iketica questioned.

"Ask away." Kymani nodded.

"Could you master the sand-dancing warrior technique for me?" Iketica inquired.

"I was already planning to do that anyway." Kymani responded.

"Great! Then I don't have any reasons to hesitate. Here! I present to you!" Iketica moved forward and opened the door of the shack.

"That's... A sword?" Kymani squinted his eyes as he looked at what was presented to him.

Inside there was a sword of sorts with various bone spikes constituting its blade, chained and nailed to the wall.

"Yes, it's one of Zendrius' creations. Initially, he wanted to make something for Rakuia, but she insisted I should be the one getting it, so he asked and I said make me the most powerful sword you can, so he made this, he called it a living sword, the Gut Shredder, though I renamed it to Sand Shredder." Iketica clarified.

"Wait... Why leave it here then?" Kymani looked at Iketica with his left eyebrow raised.

"Because I bit more than I can chew. The sword is magic and requires mana to be fed to it as you fight, but I don't have that kind of mana, so it rejected me. Zendrius offered to dismantle it to make something more manageable, unfortunately, I let my warrior pride get in the way and refused the offer, claiming I would tame it someday when I mastered the S.D.W technique." Iketica continued to explain.

"I see... So, nobody could use it?" Kymani asked.

"Not necessarily. It's more like we'll never know if anyone else could use it because Zendrius made it so that the sword would recognize me as its wielder, and unusable to anyone else... However, now we have you, someone who somehow has my dead body, and as you've shown so far quite a lot of mana. That had me thinking... Maybe it will recognize you as its wielder!" Iketica declared.

".... I'm happy you want to give me this, but I don't think you should. You've been working toward this for a very long now, and it would be unfair to just take it from you." Kymani replied.

"Just take it, I don't need it anymore. I have all the motivation I need. Plus, it will leave a sour taste in my mouth, if you don't get at least this after what you did for Rakuia." Iketica insisted.

In response to this, Kymani nodded and walked toward the sand shredder, before grabbing the handle.

[Warning! Living Weapon detected! Interaction with the subject in question will result in forceful bonding. Will you interact with it all the same?]

[Yes] or [No]

'Forceful bonding?... I guess it means, it will accept me... It doesn't say it will endanger my life, so it should be fine.' Kymani concluded before selecting [Yes].

At that time, spikes sprung out of the handle, piercing into his hand ripping through the muscles, and even cracking into his bones, sending a wave of pain all throughout his body. Immediately after, the sword began shaking and vibrating, breaking all the restrictions before slowly but surely breaking itself down as the sword as a whole, tore into Kymani's body.

'Fuck! That hurts!' Kymani gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

Then it ended and he took a few deep breaths before opening his eyes and looking at his hand.

On the hand it logged in, Kymani now found two talons on the back of the hand and two talons on the front of the hand. It wasn't just that, he felt as though his whole arm was something else entirely, and following that feeling he thought of bones coming out of his arm, which was instantly obeyed, as bone spikes came out of his arm and hand, some almost hitting him but stopping just in time.

"Kymani! Are you ok?!" Iketica ran to him.

"I'm... Fine... I think?" Kymani was still focused on his arm as he commanded the bone spikes back into his arm.

"Did you?..." Iketica asked.

"It seems so." Kymani replied as he tried to bring out the whole sword, but nothing would happen.

Seeing that was the case, Kymani commanded enough bones to form a sword to come out, and it worked, as various bone spikes came out to form a sort of sword arm.

'Is the problem being connected to me?' Kymani concluded as he began looking around and then seeing the broken chains from before he had an idea.

Once again he summoned out the whole sword, but this time it came out, now still connected to Kymani by a bone chain at the end of the handle. He grabbed that same handle holding sand shredder in his hand. The sword vibrated and he could feel it wanted to rip and tear apart his enemies.

"You did it! You frikin did it!" Iketica punched the air with a wide smile on his face.

[Warning! As a result of your newly formed symbiotic bond, your total/max mp has been reduced by 50%.]

'... How nice...' Kymani forced a smile. 'Oh well, you better be worth this loss.'

{Of course, I am! I'm a true warrior's weapon!} Sand Shredder responded.

'... You little piece of shit! So you could understand me all this time!' Kymani gripped the sword's handle strongly.

{... I know not of what you speak... Your language, it confuses me...} Sand Shredder replied with cold sweat.

'Well, that's fine... I have the perfect activity to help get your mind in place.' Kymani responded with a wide malevolent grin.

"... That's a creepy smile you got there." Iketica pointed out.

"Yeah... I got a little too excited..." Kymani replied.

'Don't you worry! I'll take care of you later.' While in his mind he talked to the sword.

{I believe we should negotiate and talk as civilized beings...} Sand Shredder responded, but was ignored.

"...Ok, now that we have the sword, it's time we head back." Iketica suggested.

Nodding in response, Kymani, kept sand shredder in his arm, and left with Iketica.

{Hey!}

{Answer me!}

{You'll definitely need my help in battle, I would not take me lightly!}

{... Can you still hear me?}

As Kymani and Iketica moved together, Sand Shredder tried multiple times to convince its wielder that he was being drastic.

Soon they got to Lavenica and Rakuia.

"So, how did it go?" Rakuia asked.

"He did it! As expected of my rival and spiritual disciple!" Iketica declared.

Hearing this Kymani looked at Iketica who smiled while shrugging his shoulders, seeing this reaction, Kymani simply laughed it off.

"Anyway, did you two manage to gather everyone?" Iketica questioned.

"Yes, they are all waiting in the meeting hall." Rakuia answered.

"Good... Hum, I'm sorry to have to ask this, but could you two stay out of this? We just need to have a talk with the people of the village and we'll be back to take you to the dungeon guardian." Iketica requested.

"No problem, it is your village after all." Kymani replied.

"Thanks." Iketica said before going with Rakuia.

"Master, you're different... What happened?" Lavenica came close and inquired.

"You should know what happened, no?" Kymani asked in response.

"Somewhat... I know you now have a living weapon in your possession, but not the specifics of it." Lavenica elaborated.

"Basically I got a bone living sword that now lives in my arm, and it can talk to me." Kymani explained and made some bone spikes come out of his arm to demonstrate.

"Hum... Your high goblin form's physiology seems to have been altered to allow for unharmful bone manipulation." Lavenica grabbed Kymani's arm and began analyzing it.

"Lavy, do you know a way to harm the sword?" Kymani questioned.

"Aside from cutting its mana supply, finding a material hard enough to break it or a substance with enough corrosiveness seem to be the only ways." Lavenica responded calmly.

{I don't like this woman! She's clearly a demonic being! A wretch witch that should be burned at the stake!} Sand Shredder immediately protested.

"It's saying you're a witch that should be burned at the stake." Kymani relayed.

"Oh, is that so? I just remembered that cold enough temperatures should interfere with the proper functioning of a living weapon." Lavenica spoke as her hands began getting colder and colder.

{Apologies! I seem to have made more linguistic mistakes, this language confuses me to no end. I meant to say that there is no lady with grace, beauty, and elegance anywhere near a portion of lady Lavy! Truly a model to all women to ever come after.} Sand Shredder said hurriedly.

"It's very shameless... It's now praising you as the most perfect woman to have ever lived..." Kymani transmitted with an awkward smile.

"... Master... Why are you interested in facing this dungeon guardian?" Lavenica inquired.

"Apparently the creator gave me an ultimatum, and if I don't, I might lose you. That's not something I can let happen." Kymani answered.

"Whatever the case, it's not worth putting yourself at risk. I just want you to promise me that if it's too dangerous, you'll back out." Lavenica expressed.

"... I can't do that... I'm not the type to back out just because it's dangerous, but let me say this. If it's something we can't handle or have no chance against, I'll immediately <Void walk> us out there." Kymani smiled softly and put his talonless hand in other words his left hand on her cheek.

"You're so terrible... Making me worry like this... Fine, but know that if you don't, I'll refuse to go or guide you to any actually dangerous places. Understood?" Lavenica grabbed his hand pulled it in and smiled.

Kymani picked Lavenica up and launched her into the air while replying. "You got yourself a deal!"

"Aaaaaahhhhh!" In the girliest voice Kymani ever heard from Lavenica, she screamed so loudly that it echoed throughout the whole cave.

Before Kymani could catch her, She stepped on his face and backflipped away from him.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Why would you do that?!" The heavily blushing Lavenica, something barely notable due to her dark skin complexion gripped her first and drowned as she yelled at him.

"Pfff... Pfff... No, I'm really sorry... Pfff... I really didn't mean to scare you... You were just so stiff that I hoped this would help you loosen up a bit..." Kymani explained.

"Master! You jerk! Tell me you'll do something like that! What if I had a heart attack or something?!" She walked to him and punched Kymani's shoulder.

"I mean... In a way it did work... Pfff... Hahahahaha!" Kymani couldn't contain it anymore and laughed.

"Hey! Don't laugh!... You're... Pfff... Hahaha.. Damn it! Don't make me laugh! Hahaha!" Lavenica found herself caught in the same trap.

"What the hell happened here?! We heard a scream.., but it seems something funny took place." As they were both laughing Rakuia came leading Iketica with a bunch of other goblins battle ready.

"My bad, nothing actually happened... You can go back to your meeting... Sorry." Kymani responded.

"No need, we actually just finished, let's just go then." Iketica was the one to say.

From there, they said goodbyes and headed to the same wood shack where sand shredder was locked, then Iketica and Rakuia walked to where the sword was staying and moved the wall, to reveal the actual wall which had a big hole in it.

"Sand Shredder is the key, use in the hole." Iketica clarified.

To do just that Kymani summoned sand shredder and put it in before turning it like a key.

The wall opened up and a whole new path was right before them.

"... Let's go." Kymani said and the others nodded in response as the four of them went in.