Daughters

"So, where do I go to collect this ore?" Yren asked, and Blastern pointed one of his fingers at the wall near the forge.

Suddenly, the wall vanished and revealed a cave entrance. This surprised Yren, but he decided not to comment on it since this would not be the last time he saw something that surprised him.

"There are monsters in there, so be careful. I am sure that you will be fine, but there will be a boss monster at the end of this. Keep an eye out for ore as you walk, but remember to clear an area first before collecting the ore," Blastern explained, and Yren nodded, but then the boy thought of something.

"How am I supposed to mine the ore? Do you have a pickax or something?" Yren asked, but the Golem pointed to the boy's hip.

"Omnus will help you with that. He can turn into anything that you think of, within reason. There are limits to what Omnus can do," Blastern explained, and Yren nodded.

"You talk like this weapon is a person," Yren said, and Blastern nodded.

"In a way, Omnus is a living weapon, but there is no soul like us. It is what I call a sentient weapon. Some special magical weapons made from Intellium gain personality if a person uses them enough. This was one of my greatest works, and I don't think that I could make another nearly as good if I tried, haha!" Blastern laughed.

"Interesting, is that a rare ore? By the sounds of it, something like that would have to be," Yren said thoughtfully, thinking what might happen if you made armor with the metal.

"Yes, one of the five legendary metals, so don't think you will find it here! Not that it isn't possible, but the drop rate is so low that your father only got this after his forty-fifth Dungeon clear," Blastern explained, and Yren's eyes went huge.

"Forty-fifth?! Just how many times has my father cleared this dungeon?!" Yren asked in surprise.

"Hmm? I would guess over one thousand, but it might be more," Blastern said thoughtfully, thinking how many times Tybrus had made it through.

"What?! How is that even possible! Even the most seasoned Adventurer barely has one hundred clears under their belt! How is this even possible?!" Yren exclaimed, but that made Blastern laugh.

"Ha! Do you think there is a monster that could keep your father from your mother? I am sure that your father has come to this dungeon five days a week since you were born!" Blastern laughed.

Yren knew his father had come often, but he didn't know that he was clearing the dungeon every time. Marta would always watch over him with her own son Siegfried, which was why the boys were so close.

"Alright, I guess that we should get going, right?" Yren asked as he looked over to Mika.

"Yup, I am ready!" Mika said with a razor-sharp grin.

The teeth reminded Yren that Mika was still a monster, but after meeting Blastern, the monsters were starting to lose their edge. It wasn't like Yren wasn't still on edge with them, but it was almost like meeting long-lost relatives.

Yren grinned and headed for the cave with Mika running over to him.

Back in town, at the Guild Hall, Rephilia was gathering some paperwork together to dump on Marko's desk. The Head dispatcher was notorious for dumping all her work on the Guild Leader, but Marko didn't seem to mind.

Just as Rephilia got everything together, there was a knock at the door from behind her. The knock was soft, and Rephilia groaned since only one man knocked on her door like that.

"What do you want, Clyde?" Rephilia growled as the door opened to reveal a man that she despised.

"Really? Is this the game that you want to play? Come now, you don't need to be like this," Clyde said with a smile that irritated Rephilia.

"I don't have time for you now, or ever! You weasel of a man!" Rephilia growled, glaring at the man.

"Oh? But I came to talk about important things! You can dump that paperwork on Marko and step on him after we have a little chat," Clyde said in a cheery voice but then became deadly serious, saying, "Things are starting to move again."

Rephilia wanted nothing more than to beat this annoying man into a pulp, but that was useless. She knew what he was, and there was no way she could even lay a hand on him, so she sighed and relaxed in her chair.

"So, what have you come here for? I am not going to tell you anything about the boy," Rephilia said plainly.

Clyde nodded and took a chair in front of Rephilia's desk.

"I know that, and I won't really ask much about him. Not like I don't know everything that happens here. No, I am here to talk about our daughter, Kimora," Clyde explained, and Rephilia narrowed her eyes on him.

"What are you planning in that empty cavern ahead of yours?" Rephilia asked with suspicion.

"Well, I think that it would be good for her to get to know the boy and get close to him. This is not a suggestion," Clyde said flatly.

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" Clyde asked with frustration, feeling like the day was repeating itself.

"Ginny is going to make babies with him. It is already decided," Rephilia declared, and Clyde rolled his eyes.

"Do you really think that is wise? Your other daughter is much too shy to be direct. Also, I am not asking this. Kimora will become mates with the boy!" Clyde demanded, but Rephilia laughed.

"Oh, and you think that my other firecracker is going to just bend to your will? Did you ask her already? What was her answer, hmmm?" Rephilia asked with a knowing smile.

Clyde growled lowly, but Rephilia already knew what her daughter would have said. The poor child hated her own kind, and the likelihood of her wanting to bed a human was as likely as the moon falling out of the sky.

"This is important, Rephilia! You would not been working with me this entire time if you didn't think I was honest," Clyde complained.

"Oh, and what would you have me do? Ginny actually likes him, and they had a nice interaction today. What am I supposed to tell Kimora to make her want to pursue him?" Rephilia demanded.

"That is complicated, but maybe this could work out to our benefit. There is nothing wrong with the boy bedding both girls, which will put him closer to us. Have both girls compete for him, and that should be enough to get Kimora interested," Clyde said as he stood.

"Why do you think she will listen to me?" Rephilia growled as Clyde walked over to the door.

"That is because you are the only human that she respects. If anyone can teach her to respect another, it will be you, not me. She only sees me as a failure," Clyde said with a sigh, and he wasn't sure if his daughter was wrong.