22 Chapter Twenty-One: Packing, Teleportation, Soul

Fumiko sighed boredly as she picked up clothes she would be bringing with her and made them disappear.

Zerad had been kind enough to gift her a 'Storage Ring'. It allowed her to store any non living thing into the ring as long as there was enough room. She didn't keep the ring on her finger though, knowing that it would be disrespectful to Zerad if she did so, so she kept it around her neck attached to a string.

She knew she didn't deserve the gift, especially after her recent failure. The things that had been said that day, by either Zerad or the voices inside of her, were now well suppressed and she only remembered them when she remembered her failure.

The clothes she was packing for her stay in the humans city, just the thought of it angered her remembering how all the humans she knew in her world treated her along with that how the humans of this world had just thrown her away because she was weaker than they wanted and she was only alive thanks to Zerad helping her.

But, back on track, the clothes she was packing were some designs she had thought of from clothes she saw in her world which she never had the money to afford, she barely had enough to afford food for herself, but were not as 'modern' as most of the clothes and could be passed for clothes in this world with just an eccentric look to them.

Of course Fumiko had packed clothes that fit this world's style as well. She was supposed to be undercover, so if she stood out too much, then she would switch into them. But unless she had to, she would wear the clothes she had designed.

As Fumiko finished putting the clothes and other necessities into the Storage Ring, a knock at her door was heard.

Fumiko knew who it was just by the way he knocked on the door. She went over to the door and opened it up, revealing Meld on the other side with a small smile on his face.

"What's up, Meld?" fumiko asked as she leaned against the open door, allowing Meld to see into the room which was cleaned and almost bare of anything, making it seem like no one even lived in that room.

"Not much." Meld answered honestly, walking past Fumiko into her room, which she allowed. "Just wanted to see you before you went, say goodbye and all that." He said as he looked around the room, it still felt weird with how empty it was.

Fumiko scoffed at that. "How sentimental of you. But if you've come to wish me 'good luck' then don't waste your breath. I won't fail the mission." Then under her breath so that Meld didn't hear. "Not this time."

Meld just let out a laugh. "No, no. Trust me, I know you don't need luck. It was just unfortunate that the other Hero appeared on your last mission. I know you'll be able to complete this without trouble." he then shrugged his shoulders as he spoke again. "Besides, can an old man just say goodbye to his student before they leave."

"You're not old, Meld, you're in your prime. I doubt anyone other than Lord Zerad could beat you." Fumiko said seriously, not liking the way that Meld had said that. He said it like he wouldn't be here forever, in the castle waiting for her to come back with the news of a successful mission.

Meld didn't say anything to that. He was in his 'prime', as Fumiko had put it, but he was still old and not getting any younger, plus he felt that he was at his limit. He was one of the strongest people in the world, but he was at his limit and his human rival, and counterpart, was much younger than him and probably still had room to grow.

Fumiko's face scrunched up as she spoke again. "You're not going to die. Got it? I won't allow it." Fumiko said resolutely, before she walked into her closet to find some extra clothes, and maybe to avoid looking at Meld.

Meld just sighed sadly, they both knew he was going to die eventually. He had just accepted it, and Fumiko refused to accept the reality that was.

She came back out from the clothes with no clothes in hand, but Meld knew about the Storage Ring she was given. "And besides, it's not like I'd let anyone kill you, not when I'm around."

Meld just smiled wryly at that statement. The irony in that statement was clear to Meld, but clearly Fumiko didn't notice. It was ironic because she would be going away, so she wouldn't be around to 'stop' anyone from killing him, although if he couldn't stop them he doubted that Fumiko could, he was stronger then her after all.

But instead of pointing that out he just nodded at. "Okay." He said simply, not knowing what else to say. "But remember, if I do die-."

"You want me to remember you. A true death. I know." Fumiko said in a demure tone of voice, looking down at the floor.

Meld nodded his head. "Come on, let's get going."

Fumiko nods and starts to leave the room but as she was about to leave the room, Meld saw something in the corner of his eye. He went over to it as Fumiko left the room without noticing he wasn't following her.

Fumiko was a few steps out of the room before she noticed that Meld hadn't followed. She threw a look over shoulder to see if he had just stopped, but not seeing him there she let out a huff as she went to the room.

In there Meld stood with his back to her as he looked at something in his hand. "You didn't throw it out?" He questioned softly, showing her what was in his hand.

Immediately upon seeing Fumiko shot a beam of magic at it, but Meld was faster than that and pulled it out of the way.

It was Fumiko's glasses from when she first came to this world. She usually kept them in a case, away from her eyes. She did keep it as a souvenir and to remind herself of what she was before, so that she could not become it again, but she put it in a case as whenever she saw them she got really angry.

The only glasses she could look at without any anger were the ones that Meld had got for her when she first got here, and those glasses were already in the Storage Ring, not because she needed them, but because they were a gift from Meld.

Meld, seeing the angered look on her face just nodded and put the glasses back in the case. "You should take them with you." He said to her, throwing the case towards her.

On instinct Fumiko caught it. "Why?" She asked roughly, not liking the idea at all. It had nothing to do with her mission and would just distract her if anything.

Meld just shrugged innocently, but by the smug smile on his face Fumiko felt like he knew something. Or maybe he felt something, he always has a good instinct. "Oohhh, I don't know. Just trust me on this one, okay?" He said, tapping her shoulder as he passed her by.

Fumiko just scoffed at that, but listened anyway and put it in the Storage Ring.

Instead of leading her outside the castle, or maybe to a room with a teleportation circle, they went into a room where Fumiko had never been before.

As Fumiko looked around she realised immediately that she was surrounded by weapons. Not any old weapons- No, she was surrounded by Artefacts. Some looked like ordinary items, she saw at least three robes, five bracelets, ten rings and seven books, along with a multitude of different types of armour and actual weapons.

They all had aura's if you looked close enough, all radiated different colours and they all had a different type of feeling or emotion surrounding them.

"Come here, Fumiko." Meld's voice called out from the back of the room.

Fumiko snapped out of her fascination with all the weapons around her and went over to Meld.

When she got here Meld held two weapons in his hands, although Fumiko could tell that they belonged together.

One was a Blood Red blade, with black drawn onto it like a burn mark. The writings on it seemed like drawings of battles, victories, death and destruction with one person always standing at the top of it all. But the inscriptions on the blade didn't ruin the beauty of the blade, but only added to it.

The next blade, the twin blade if Fumiko guessed right that they were a pair, was a Shamrock Green blade. With some drawings on it like the previous blade, but not as many as the previous one. It showed a person surrounded by riches, with others having it before they took it for themself.

Fumiko also noted that the blades were wide, about as wide as half of her Great Sword, along with that the blades were shorter than a normal swords blade making it almost seem like a dagger. But Fumiko knew her weapons and the blade was too long to be a dagger and it didn't fit the requirements to be a dagger, although it didn't fit the requirements to be a sword either, it was somewhere in between.

She also noted, as Meld moved the blades closer to her, that there was the signature rattling of chains matching the movement of it, and looking at the handle of the blade, it was attached to a long chain.

Which meant that it could be used for close combat, but with the chains it could be used for medium range as well with no effort. And with how it would be difficult for people to predict how the blades would move, with the slightest movement of the chain affecting the course of the blade, a true master of this weapon would be a difficult enemy to go up against.

Meld smiled at Fumiko, although she didn't notice with her still studying the blades, it was good to see her already taking a liking to them. "These blades belonged to a War Lord back in a time called the 'Dark Ages'. He called himself Kai, he was a collector of sorts. He used these blades to conquer every village and town he came across, it was said he only stopped his conquest because of old age."

Fumiko looked up at Meld, interested in what he was saying, never having heard about this War Lord before. Although she wouldn't have, she didn't know much about the history of the world and spent most of her time training to get stronger.

"I wielded these blades once." Meld continued. "It's a modified type of Kusarigama, two twin blades said to come from the same sword before it broke, and Kai made it into what it is today. He called them Revel and Relish. I want you to have them now."

Before Fumiko could deny him, since he knew she was going to do that, he interrupted her. "Considering a gift from a master to his pupil. Plus, someone might recognise the weapons you used in the battle against the other Hero. It's a small risk, one that probably won't come true, but one you still shouldn't risk." He said to her, he knew that if he brought the mission into it, she would accept. Not wanting to fail Zerad a second time. And Meld hated having to use his name to get her to accept a gift, but it was the only way.

Fumiko reluctantly nodded her head in agreement. "Okay, I will accept."

Meld nodded and put the red one forward first. "This one is Revel. Supposed to signify his love for battle and pleasure he took in doing so. I think you'll find that it fits you as well."

Fumiko nodded with an embarrassed smile, that did sound like her.

"And this blade is Relish, signifying his Greed and Gluttony for everything that he wanted. Fitting for you because of the name of your powers." He said to her, holding out the green one.

Fumiko supposed it fit her, only if only because of the name of her powers.

He turned them so that the blade was pointing down and the handle was easy for her to grab. "Take them, they belong to you now."

Fumiko took them into her hands, instinctively pointing the blade away from her and towards whoever would be in front of her, she took a step back and did a swing of both blades. It was a bit small for her tastes and too light, but she would get used to them.

The thing most bothering her was how light it was, the range was something she could get used to.

And then like magic, which it probably was, the weapon changed how heavy it was, and became the weight she wanted.

By the surprised look on her face, Meld figured out what she was thinking. "Ah, I see you've discovered an ability of the blades already. It has many abilities in it, I was never fortunate to discover all its secrets, maybe you will? Who knows?" He shrugged nonchalantly at it.

Fumiko nodded her head confirming it, and she wondered as she looked at the blades, just how many more secrets were they keeping?

Fumiko then moved her magic into the handles, and into the chains giving her control over them, before she used that control to wrap the chains around her forearms, but giving enough free chain for full motion of her arms with the blades if she were to use them without the chains.

Meld let out an 'oh' sound as he turned around and grabbed something before giving it to her. "Almost forgot this, for the blades." He said to her.

Fumiko looked at it and saw that it was a belt with a sheath on each side, just big enough for the blades to fit into.

Fumiko took it and fit it around her waist, before putting the blades into their respective sheaths with the chains still wrapped around her arms.

Fumiko was surprised the chains hadn't fallen off yet, but guessed that was another magic ability it had, since she wasn't using magic on them anymore.

"Come on, now it's really time for you to go." Meld said as he took a peek through a closed curtain in the room.

Fumiko nodded her head and followed him as he walked faster than normal through the halls, and Fumiko wondered what had got him in such a rush.

They then made it into a room with a teleportation circle in it.

And then meld started to explain again, and Fumiko felt useless that she didn't know anything. It was like she was one of them useless all muscle no brains type of fighter… and thinking about it, she kinda was, she hoped she could change that. "This will take you near a prominent city in human territory. It's a good place to start a career in adventuring since it's near the outskirts of human territory and has some strong monsters that are possible to get to nearby."

Fumiko nodded her head at. "Thank yo-."

She was shut off before she could finish as Meld pulled her into a hug, and not expecting it, Fumiko just froze. "No. Thank you. I'm sure you'll do great. Now… go."

And with a light push Fumiko was on the teleportation circle and gone a second later.

When the light died down for Fumiko she realised she was on the side of a dirt pathway, and looking in both directions she saw a city where she assumed she was supposed to go.

But before she went, and even though she knew he couldn't hear her, she still said it to thin air. "I'll be back soon, Dad, I love you."

She would never say it to his face, or to anyone else for that matter, but she had grown to see him as a father figure over their months together, never actually having had one in her life.

Meld took a shuddering breath as he saw her gone a second later. He knew she was safe, but he couldn't help but imagine a situation where she was in his arms but she wasn't 'with' him, instead it was just a cold body.

Before he could go further with that thought the doors behind him opened with a loud bang.

"Oh, Fumiko, I've come to-." The voice stopped speaking when they saw that it was only Meld in the room, and judging by that burst of magic he felt a second ago… "So, she's already gone. A shame, really. I was just about to give her a parting gift."

Meld turned around to glare at Zerad, but Zerad only gave him a mocking smile. "Ohh, scary." He said sarcastically.

He walked up to Meld and put a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it with strength that shouldn't be normal for a Mage, and Meld knew the sign of closeness was a threat of how Zerad could kill him in less than a second. "You lucky I'm in a good mood, otherwise I would have brought that bitch back here and killed you in front of her."

Meld grit his teeth as he spoke. "If you even think about-."

"Hurting her?" Zerad finished for him. "Are you stupid? I said I would kill you. I'm not actually hurting her, just some… extra instability in that weak psyche of hers. Of course, I would have to alter her memories so that it seemed the humans killed you… you know what?" He looked Meld in the eyes as his hand suddenly went from his shoulder to his chest and Meld felt an unimaginable pain. "That doesn't sound like a bad idea."

As Zerad moved his hand off of Meld's chest, something followed his hand out. And Meld, through the pain that clouded his mind, had realised that it was his soul, he never protected it while he was in the castle, but it seemed he would have to in the future, if he even survived this.

Zerad eventually got bored of Meld's screams of pain before shoving his soul back inside of him, leaving him to lay on the floor in pain. "But I guess I still need you, you'll be useful in getting that bitch to do my bidding." And as Zerad turned to leave the room, not even looking back he spoke again. "And don't think I didn't notice what you stole from me earlier, I'll let the bitch keep the swords… for now."

He closed the door, and the flames in the lanterns in the room, since it was an old room, went out with a gust of wind as the door closed, which was no doubt Zerads doing. And Meld could only lie down in complete darkness and in the dark about what Zerad had planned for the future.