The Middling Concerns of a Novice, Part 1

Master Yojimbo didn't mind teaching me how to fix my Blue Wing Redeemer, but he also offered me a counterproposal that got me all giddy inside. 

"With the right materials, make your nagamaki better, we can." He brushed practiced fingers against the blade. "Willing to hunt, are you?" 

I didn't bother correcting the man from the Bushin realm that my weapon was not a nagamaki but a custom glaive that was more of a blade-staff amalgam. 

"What sort of hunt do you have in mind?" I asked. 

"Many wonders, your Academy has. Some are known, some are yet unseen," he began. "Deep within the Wandering Wood, your prey you shall find… A beast of three, it is—terrible and strong, this monster, wielding fire and poison and fangs to deter a hunter's path."