018 Fragmented Soul

Finally the water in the well had finished draining. Ven and I didn't hesitate at all to jump straight in.

Once we hit the bottom we furiously looked around for another loose brick or perhaps a button of some kind that would allow the sealed hidden door to open.

"Em I found it."

Ventus pressed on another loose brick and soon a section of the well imploded to reveal the entrance.

Pushing through we ran at full speed through the tunnel until we arrived to the central area.

My eyes quickly scanned the room for Otto. I found him hunched over by the anvil.

I spoke to him as I raced towards him.

"Otto what's going on? We heard a scream as we were entering the well. Are you ok?"

He turned towards me. His eyes full to the brim with tears. Holding up his hand in display he answered.

"I was hammering out some dragon scales and I missed a scale. Ended up hammering my hand."

Now it was my turn to slap my forehead.

"Are you kidding me!?I thought you were being attacked or killed or something! You just screamed cause you hit yourself!"

"Hey! You try not screaming after getting hit with a hammer."

"Old man you're an idiot."

"Piss off!"

A hammer flew at me.

My reaction time was too slow. The hammer hit me straight in the chest.

I collapsed on the ground due to intense blunt force trauma.

"That'll teach you." Otto replied with satisfaction.

When I was finally able to get up I gave my response.

"At least I didn't cry."

"What did you just say!"

"Did I stutter?"

He raised another hammer threateningly.

"You try my patience kid. You're lucky I like you."

After he finally calmed down, Otto put the hammer down and motioned for Ven and I to come over.

"Anyway the both of you follow me I got something to show you."

We have already seen his entire hideaway, What could it be? Otto has officially piqued my interest.

Otto made his way to an area behind the massive furnace. He stepped on a tile on the floor and it dipped in.

Turning gears could be heard moving. Soon with a loud thud a section of the wall had collapsed to the ground revealing a magnificent sight. This dwarf truly is a genius.

Otto's Treasury.

I smirked. I knew he was hiding it somewhere. Dwarfs are too proud of their work to not show it off.

Ornate Swords, daggers, lances and armor of all types were neatly lined on racks spread out throughout the massive room. Every single creation that resided in this room was nothing short of the highest quality that was possibly achievable.

It was a collection of breathtaking craftsmanship. The culmination of his work. Both beautiful and deadly.

We followed behind him admiring each piece we passed. The desire to reach out and just touch any of these works of art for a moment blossomed within the both of us. However, I knew better than to give into those feelings. I wouldn't dare touch anything like this without Otto's consent.

We had a wonderful relationship Otto and I but the work made of his blood and sweat was above all. That's how sacred it was to him and I wouldn't dare disrespect him in such a manner.

We kept walking and finally reached the back of the unreasonably large room. This time he pushed in a seemingly random brick on the wall and it revealed yet another secret room. This one much smaller than the previous one.

"Damn old man how many secret areas do you have?"

"Too many, now shut up and keep following."

This time the room was lined with glow stone to help illuminate it. After a much shorter trip than the previous room, we finally arrived to what I assume Otto wanted to show us.

It was what appeared to be a case of some kind hanging vertically from the wall.

The outside of it was engraved with strange runes and intricate markings of blue and black. They were quite beautiful and if I wasn't mistaken. They almost appeared to be glowing.

One couldn't helped but be captivated at its sight.

"What is it old man?"

"It's a rarest material to ever exist on Luna."

I stared intently at him as I raised an eyebrow, I was willing for him to continue the explanation.

"A lone fragment of the forgotten Hero's sword. The only one known to exist actually."

At those words he finally reached over and opened the case.

It was lined in a rich green fabric. The indentation for a complex looking sword was clearly there however, the only thing that occupied a bit of the space was a damaged piece of shining metal.

I know it's a part of the sword but can I really call it a blade? Should I just call it metal? I don't really know but it was way too damaged to be called anything besides metal.

Cracked, chipped, singed, and so deeply wounded it proudly stood within the case. Despite that its aura was still pronounced. It exuded a regal authority, almost as if it was announcing to the world that this was a sword above all.

As I took it all in, disbelief started to settle inside me.

There was just no way!

"Otto, there is no way that's real! I mean it's just a myth! How? Where did you even-When Otto?"

I was too shocked to even speak properly.

"I'm a master craftsmen remember. I can never be satisfied with my work until it is truly perfect. During my time with the guild I used its connections to hunt for rare materials in pursuit fulfilling my selfish desire."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"I got a tip one day that a secret area was discovered by the draconic ruins of floor 42. Rumor was that some rare dragon materials could be found there. When I went to check it out I found this."

He pointed to the case.

"The Champions Blade."

Ventus chimed in.

"I don't mean to interrupt but who is this champion you keep mentioning and why is he a myth? I don't believe I ever heard about any of this."

Otto looked at me and I responded.

"Once you make it to floor 50 there is a place known as The Temple Of The Lost Champion. Within the walls of its sanctuary a story is inscribed. The story goes something like long ago an evil plagued Luna and a champion rose up and to sealed it away. At some point it talks about the weapon that he used but unfortunately that writing is too faded to be read."

Ventus seemed captivated. Otto jumped in to fill in the rest.

"The only thing we know about the weapon according to the inscription is that it's brilliance and power were the symbol of freedom and the envy of evil."

Otto paused.

"Invictus,Truly a weapon to be coveted by all."

"Invictus?" I replied.

"Yes, that was the name of the sword."

"Otto if you don't mind my asking, how do you know that?" Ventus spoke with gentle respect towards him.

Otto pointed at the runes on the case proudly.

"That's ancient Dwarven. It took me several years to interpret it but I managed to make that out."

He looked so smug.

"Impressive old man, I guess with old age wisdom does come"

Otto glared at me.

"For your information that wasn't the only thing I got from it." He snuffed at me.

"There was also something written about a soul. I don't know I gave up after my first success. It was too hard."

"Really! After acting insulted you pull this crap!"

"Hey I said it was really hard okay!"

Ven giggled at our interaction before chiming in.

"I had a feeling it was Dwarven Otto. Honestly for a second it seemed to be reminiscent of Pure Elvish but it couldn't be because only the elders know that language and they never leave the village. I figured it must have been another ancient language."

"It must have been hard to translate." She continued.

Otto smiled proudly once again before I spoke.

"Anyway I guess I should get to the point Otto, why did you bring us all the way down here? Was it just to show it off?"

I stretched my arm towards the piece on the wall.

"No...Ever since I found this, I knew I would finally be able to accomplish my life long dream. The Perfect Weapon. I didn't know when it would happen but I knew the day would come. When you arrived, I had a feeling that the time had finally come. So I began to make plans to melt this fragment down and use it as the base for your new weapon."

Excitement started to float up from my belly.

"Don't tease me Otto."

"I'm not but..it's all meaningless unless you're compatible with it."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said I was able to translate some of the ancient Dwarven. The bit here-"

He pointed to a specific series of runes on the inside of the case.

"It says-

To Wield The Infinite, Sacrifice The Eternal

"That's quite poetic Otto, but what makes you think it's about compatibility?"

Ven spoke my very thoughts.

He pointed to a final row of runes.

"This part-

Prove To Me

"I can't make out the rest but on several occasions I've tried to take the fragment out of its case in hopes of finally being able to use it. Unfortunately no matter what I do it won't budge."

"In that case do you think-

While the two of them kept talking, I focused on piece of metal within the case. Should I just call it the broken sword? It no longer looked damaged and instead started to appear like a proper blade once more.

It was alluring and It's aura was beautiful.

"Come"

I turned around everywhere. There was no one else but us three in this room yet that voice was unfamiliar.

It was a voice that I heard right? Not just my imagination?

"I've waited"

I quickly turned back to the blade. This time I swore I heard a whisper come from it.

"Finally"

It was crying out to me.

I don't know how I knew that but deep down I could feel it.

Slowly I found myself walking closer and closer to it. My hand stretched out towards the case.

Both Otto and Ventus were in too deep of a conversation to notice me.

I kept inching ever so slightly. Getting closer and closer to its beauty.

Finally I was face to face with it. Without hesitation my fingertips touched its surface.

Instantly a jolt of electricity shot throughout my entire body. It filled me, electrified me, empowered me, and drained me all at the same time.

Not being able to take the overwhelming sensation anymore I fell to the ground.

I could feel my consciousness slipping away.

What happened? What's going on? Am I dying? Or am I lucky enough for this to be something else?

The last thing I heard was Ventus and Otto's fading voices as they rushed towards me.