Chapter 10: Scrolls, Steel, and Sabotage
He stepped out the door without checking the time. Frank crossed the quarter quickly, taking narrow streets where the noise didn’t follow. Early trades were already underway—crates shifting, bikes loaded, open carts rattling through alleyways—but he moved past them without slowing. His focus was locked; Breakwater Sink wasn’t far.
He stopped once, just outside a shuttered bakery near the edge of the lot. He opened his system. The screen lit up with a pale blue glow, a quiet hum pulsing behind the main menu. His token balance hovered steadily—8,900 left after the last wave of orders and scroll acquisitions. Enough to prep.
He tapped the inventory tab and navigated to gear.
First: a new weapon. His current blade had been functional, nothing more. It was weighted too far forward, designed for raw swings, not the tempo he’d started moving with since the Widow kill.
He scrolled past ceremonial blades and elemental-forged sabers, landing on one marked "Mercurial Cut."
Light-class short sword
Designed for precision combat
Reinforced edge for repeated thrust-draw techniques
Token Price: 900
He bought it. The system shimmered as a new blade slid into his inventory—a sleek, silver-black finish with a hilt wrapped in low-friction grip tape. No ornamentation, just purpose.
Next: skill match. He filtered by compatibility. His Piercing Fang had served him well, but it needed rhythm—something that flowed before or after, not just during.