The new world

Oliver and Nicholai had chatted for some time. Oliver had no way of knowing how long, It felt like a long time to him because he had no other conversation partners since his soul put into a metal ingot that had then been forged into a sword. That was his new reality. He had some time to himself to review the things that Nicholai had shared, now that Nicholai was asleep.

First he was in a small town called Clayton. His new birthplace, or forge-place he supposed. Clayton fell under the barony of Newton, controlled by the Verdi family from the capital of Verdstrom. Newton was part of the kingdom of Sebas which was on the continent Einfor. Nicholai had gone on to explain the current political situation, but Oliver didn't really see how that was relevant to him at this point.

More importantly they had discussed what Nicholai knew about soul swords. From what he described soul swords were quite powerful, though Oliver wasn't sure he really fit in with the others. Supposedly soul swords had incredibly powers. Some could shoot fire or lightning, some summon creatures from another dimension, some allowed their user to teleport across battlefields. Oliver had no powers that he knew of. Nicholai was going to take Oliver to see his family mage to try and determine what Oliver's power was, Oliver had a feeling they were going to be sorely disappointed.

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Nicholai was particularly chatty on the carriage ride. He regaled tale of Roland the Great and his sword Stormfang who founded the country Lynn some hundreds of years ago after many battles with the monster hordes of the time, He told of Sebastian the Red and Flamebrand who built the kingdom of Sebas, and He told of the Barbarian King who razed many cities with his sword Stonebreaker. Oliver surmised that Nicholai had visions of grandeur, that he believed that because he had found Oliver it meant one day stories would be told of him. Worst of all Oliver thought it meant he was going to give him some cliche name and would have no say in the matter.

Oliver focused on the sway of the carriage as Nicholai rambled on about one hero after another. He could only take so many tales of this hero who did that, so he let his mind wander. He recalled his awakening in this world. Now with more insight he realized that the cycle of pain and heat was him being forged into shape, that the cool liquid that followed was a quenching to give him hardness. He suspected that the small tinks must have been putting a guard into place, the bandage a grip for his handle, and the grinding was to give him a sharp edge. Something then occured to Oliver, something that happened during his forging process. He recalled having the feeling that something was reading his thoughts and decided this was a topic he'd like to know more about.

'Nicholai...' Oliver thought, interrupting Nicholai's current story. 'While I was being forged I felt something. Like someone was listening to my thoughts. Could it have been the blacksmith?'

"Hmm, it is unlikely. Not everyone can speak to a soul sword." Nicholai replied, pausing for some time before continuing. "If it were the blacksmith, he would not have sold you for a mere 2 gold. Perhaps it was the goddess Lucia, it is said that she sometimes visits those who are in distress. I have never experienced it personally of course, so I can't say for sure."

Oliver took this in. Lucia he thought...was she the one who put him here in this dark steel cage? Was she responsible for the visions when he was clueless? What about his death, did she cause it in the first place after telling him everything would be alright? If so why? For what possible purpose could she have for doing this? Oliver doubted Nicholai was going to be able to provide any of these answers and as he currently had no other way to gather more information on the matter he put it to the back of his mind and returned to focusing on the gentle swaying of the carriage.

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The carriage came to a slow halt. Oliver assumed they must have reached their destination, judging by Nicholai's eagerness to exit the vehicle. Oliver imagined the Verdi house as a great keep, built with the finest stone and containing many rooms. He had no way of knowing the reality of the place though. pst pst pst. Chatter, footsteps, perhaps an embrace. It still frustrated him that he couldn't truly hear or see what was going on around him. More footsteps, climbing stairs, more chatter. 'Nicholai, tell me what is happening.' Oliver communicated.

"We have arrived at my home and are now about to find out what your power is!" He eagerly replied as Oliver felt himself being placed in a warm liquid. "Are you ready?" Nicholai asked.

'As ready as I'm going to be I suppose.' Oliver replied.

Oliver felt another pair of hands running over him. Judging by the subtle waves on the hands he figured this was an older person. "Oliver This is our family mage, Frederick" Nicholai introduced the owner of these new hands.

'Hello Frederick' He thought, unsure that Frederick could even hear him. Oliver felt tingling, shaking, hot and cold all at once. The sensation quicly subsided before returning in greater force. This happened several times, each more intense than the last. Oliver began to fear that he might break. Finally the hands released him and he felt himself being pulled from the liquid. 'Nicholai?? What was that?' Oliver asked, feeling drained.

pst pst pst pst. Nicholai was silent for what seemed like a long time, Oliver assumed he was conversing with Frederick. Eventually he answered the question. "It was a ritual to determine what your power is. We um, put you in a trough of water and run various types of magic through until we find one that you absorb." Oliver could feel the dejectedness in his voice. "The one you absorb will indicate the nature of your abilities."

'Well...what happened? What type did I absorb?' Oliver asked, assuming the tone in Nicholai's voice was due to his dislike of the element. Perhaps it was some ice power and Nicholai was more of a summer boy.

"Well...That's the thing." Nicholai began. "Frederick and I tried over and over again, but you didn't absorb anything."

It was as Oliver had originally thought then. He had allowed Nicholai's excitement on the matter get his hopes up. 'I have no power then?' Oliver asked, wanting to confirm the situation.

"It's hard to say." Nicholai answered. "Certainly you don't have any of the attributes we tried. Frederick think's that it could be that you have something more unique. Although it's also possible that you don't have any power at all." His voice trailed off at that last line. Oliver understood his disappointment, he had such high hopes of using him to become a hero of some sort.

'So what now?' Oliver feared he would be discarded since he had no power. That would be unfortunate, he was growing rather fond of Nicholai.

"Well even without a power you are still many times better than a normal sword." Nicholai responded. "You can still tell me when things are approaching with your sensitivity to vibrations, that alone would certainly be useful in a dungeon...Plus you're a great conversation partner" Oliver could tell he was disappointed even though he tried to look on the bright side. "I suppose the first thing we should do is gather some allies and hunt some goblins. There has been news of a tribe stirring up in a forest a couple of days from here."

Oliver would smile if he could. It seemed he had someone he could count on.