Name: Crux of Forgiveness +15
Type: Big Blunt - Staff
Rarity: D Grade
Physical Attack: 225
Magic Attack: 153
Special Ability: -
Attack Speed: Normal
Durability: 8533/9200
Weight: 1220st.
Description: This weapon has been handled by saints and sinners alike. It has caused both pain and relief. The name of its crafter has been lost in time but the diamond at its head is one of the few manufactured by magical means, able to amplify and split its user's mana into two identical streams. Thrice per day, its wielder can duplicate a spell upon casting it. The duplicate spell will function exactly like the original one, but can have a different target.
"That is absolutely amazing," Leo said slowly, seemingly at a loss for words. "I mean, my guild has all of my D-grade equipment ready, and some of it is even enchanted, but this is something else. Look at the stats on this thing. If I run out of spells, I can just go around and use it like a baseball bat."
"Please don't do that," I said and furrowed my eyebrows.
"Seriously, look at its glow!" he continued, completely disregarding my comment. "I've never seen a blue glow like it up close. It looks so beautiful. Hey, Louie can also use it. Louie, why don't you take it?"
"I've already got a sweet book that follows me around," he said, barking once happily. "I like it much better, no offense."
"Are you kidding? Thank you, guys," Leo said and put it into his inventory.
"Okay, what's next then?" Rory asked.
"I guess I should inform my guild of everything that's happened," Leo said and dropped his eyes to the ground. "Let me tell you, I'm not looking forward to meeting my father after this."
"Aren't you telling your father now?" I asked. "I thought he was the head of the family."
"He is," Leo confirmed, "but father is an important man. I'll report everything to the people responsible for intelligence distribution and at the same time will request an audience for myself and you, Alex. And you too, of course, buddy," he added after Louie barked at him.
"In that case, I guess we'll wait to hear from you?" I asked.
"Yes. I'll text you," Leo said and stood up. "Oh man, I really don't want to do this. Shit, shit, okay. Yeah, I got this. Okay. I'll talk to you guys later, right?"
"Of course," Louie said as Leo walked away.
"You got this, man!" I shouted one last push of encouragement, though I wasn't sure exactly why he was getting so anxious about it all of a sudden.
"Poor Roman must be quite scared of his father," Rory said once Leo had left.
"You think so?" I asked. "Every time I ever saw him with his parents, he always seemed a bit off his game. But that was before I entered the Apocosmos."
"Think about it, lad," Rory explained. "Big powerful guild. Being the heir to all of that is a lot of pressure. That's without being a spellcaster in a fighter-only family. I bet Leo is really good at hiding his feelings."
"I never thought of it that way," I admitted. "I should pay more attention to these things."
Regardless of what I said, I knew why I'd never thought about how pressured Leo must have been. It wasn't because I was absent-minded or because I wasn't good at spotting these things, but because I just didn't care. At least not enough to think about other people's feelings.
But that had changed. Now I finally had the courage to admit I was a bad friend. No more blaming others for my own insensitivities. And no more being an asshole.
"Looks like we're gonna do this, half-Celt," Rory said, looking thoughtful.
"Aren't you happy?" I asked. "Don't tell me you still don't trust the dragon."
"No, it's not that. I already shook on it, so that's done. It's just that..." He searched for the words. "I've been saving me money for so long, ye know. Grinding every day and living like a peasant. It's not even about the money, but I've been looking forward to this for years. And now it's all happening."
"Look, I can't pretend I'm in a position to give you advice. Mostly 'cause you're old as fuck," I said with a smile and he snorted, part-amused, part-annoyed. "But there's not much we can do, save for preparing ourselves and doing our best when the time comes."
"Look at it this way..." Yelena surprised us again by butting into the conversation. "Can you think of a better way to die than while trying to reclaim your throne by fighting a fucking dragon? There will be songs about King Rory for ages to come."
That was the worst piece of encouragement one could offer. She didn't know his story nor his pain. Weirdly enough though, it seemed to work. Rory smiled and nodded to himself. It was good to see him accepting the fact that we were going to do this, but suddenly I wasn't very keen on going into a dragon's lair with two people who didn't seem to mind the idea of never coming out of it.
That only meant I had to train harder, gain more levels, gain more money so I could buy more enchantment scrolls and items that would keep us alive. Then I remembered an item I'd seen in my inventory when I pulled out Leo's new weapon. I took the bag out and inspected it.
Item: Minor Bag of Aeolus
Type: Magic Item
Durability : 720/720
Grade: D Grade
Weight: 2st.
Description: The Greek god Aeolus, the keeper of the winds, has enchanted this bag to contain a strong gust of wind that will be released when the bag is opened. The wind will blow in the direction the bag is facing for 30 minutes, and the bag then takes 20 hours to refill.
"What's that, Alex?" Louie asked.
"If only I knew," I said, perplexed as to how
