Chapter 147: Wep Prep
———Wiina———
<2: 53 pm>
“...I never questioned it before, but I thought you said that swordswoman friend of yours is supposed to be someone who does modeling gigs? Why is she such a strong fighter?” I didn’t pry into that woman’s business, only doing so when Karra asked me to, but since we’ll be working more with her, it’s rather odd that she is so strong.
“No freaking clue, really. She has always been quite vain about her appearance whenever the topic goes in that direction, and she had talked about her time modeling before. I don’t really know where she got all the motivation to keep fighting from. Her works are quite sparse, and that’s all I really know?” She said, sounding a bit frustrated. “She doesn’t disclose that much about herself. Just some basic explanation about what she did that day. Rarely does she elaborate on her struggles.”
“What about before the Eclipse? People were less busy during those times. Everyone had different priorities back then.” If the whole modeling thing is indeed rather sparse, then she’d probably have a lot of free time and other hobbies she talked about, right?
“She barely ever said anything about her other works or hobbies, if she even had one. I think she used most of her time resting and doing daily cardio. She doesn’t seem to have much to do in life, to be honest.” That’s certainly an unflattering assessment. I did get a feeling that she is a bit shallow, but I don’t actually know how true that hunch actually is. I can do a lot of things to gain information, but unless it’s needed, there’s no reason for me to go the extra mile for this particular topic. I can’t imagine how that woman would’ve felt if suddenly Karra and I knew a lot more about her than she ever indulged. It would’ve strained the friendship more than anything.
“I guess she believes in a simple life. You’ve talked about how frugal she is. That’s probably a good mindset to have when you are keen on saving money.” A lot of entertainment is costly even when you only dabble in them a few times. It’s not like she needs to do a lot aside from keeping herself strong and healthy to do modeling work, and her schedule is most likely free. She is probably able to relax in the comfort of her own home without needing extra stimulants to keep her mindset cool and refreshed. Time heals all as they said, and she seems to have plenty. “...Though I guess it is a bit different now. She seems to be working a lot more than before now that the world is in such a weird state. There probably won’t be a lot of modeling work for her to do.”
“...So do you still not have a good idea as to how strong she has gotten so quickly?” She said with a raised eyebrow.
“Nah. If I did, I probably wouldn’t be asking you.” It’s not like she’s anything super special as far as I’m aware. I have a ton of abilities and traits that can easily sniff out those things. She doesn’t have any secret sauce on her, from what I can tell…
Hmm… Nah. If she was this world’s Eschaton or Legendary Devil Knight, she would’ve probably had my senses ringing like crazy. Their simple yet absurd ability of simply growing in strength and skill really fast might look tame on paper compared to their opposites, but that is what makes them so terrifying. There is nothing they can't learn, and nothing they can’t do.
Obviously that’s not something someone like me should be saying. I’m obviously a cheat, I shouldn’t be the one to complain.
But then again, there ought to be a reason those incarnations are seen as world-enders and to be treated with caution at all cost, right? Even I don’t get that many scrutinizing gaze in comparison.
“Guess that will just remain a mystery for now then. Maybe someone can pressure her for that later.” Karra said, not feeling like looking into it further for now.
I guess we can just chalk it up to her being built differently in a way. Not as ridiculous as me, but clearly just enough to live somewhat leisurely and not constantly fear for her life.
From what I know the crime rate in her area is low anyway, which might just be due to her very presence, for all we know.
“So about that sword…” She spoke up again, returning to the original topic.
“It’s pretty simple as is, but it is made of really durable steel.” I said while looking at the giant sword in the middle of the room that I brought here. I didn’t use any exotic materials for this, it’s kinda excessive to do so and would reek of suspicion on the two of us. No need to make anything exotic like what Karra has right now. That thing is probably good for her for a long while. The craftsmanship is excellent despite the relatively low quality of material. It really was just made with the stuff she sent. “Tempered to hell and back. Got the weight and toughness to it. I didn’t get a good look at her sword last time, but from your account it shouldn’t be anything too expensive. Probably a dungeon drop, if I were to guess.”
“So aside from just being a really good sword it doesn’t have any special ability to itself?” She said while tilting her head.
“Yeah. I don’t really know much about her fighting style outside of hitting really hard. I’d rather not make any presumption.” No need to overcomplicate the design, especially for someone you don’t know the in-and-outs of. “Speaking of weapons though, does the person who made you that knife ever contact you through Edea?”
“Nope. I don't even know if that story of theirs was bullshit or not.” She answered. “Should I even try to demand an upgrade or something? Last time was basically charity anyway.”
“I see…” I could probably improve on it, but there’s no need to do that right now, and trying to appropriate other people’s work is not something I really like doing. “Well even if this unknown person doesn’t want to do anything for you anymore, Edea probably could whip something up themselves.”
“I would if it breaks or something. I don’t even use it that often, to be honest.” She said with her arms crossed. “...I never asked about it before, but where does your long rapier even come from? What’s with that odd design?”
“This old thing?” I said while bringing it out of my pocket space. “It’s said to be a really ancient weapon from the time when magic was more plentiful and kingdoms were still prominent throughout the globe. Something like that. Nothing really impressive in reality though. Aside from a self-repair enchantment, it doesn’t have anything special to it. The craftsmanship is inferior to your weapon, and the material isn’t that much better.”
“...But who did you get it from?” She asked the question again, being much more specific this time around.
“Can’t really say. It would ruin the surprise.” I can’t really say anything vague to really drop the issue. This is the best I got without pissing her off.
“Figures.” She said before clicking her tongue before staring at a ceiling, lost in thought for a brief moment. “How does weapons even work with magic anyway?”
“More or less the same principle as with training both your body and magic together. The stronger the weapon the more it would boost the strength of its wielder, even if it’s not actually magical in nature. You could also further reinforce the weapon with more spells added on top just in case, but the more advanced options are out of reach of most people. You can even do it with guns and the bullet in its chamber, but that’s harder.” Of course, if the person wielding it is already weak, then it doesn’t matter how strong the weapon is. The inability to wield it properly due to the lack of strength aside, but a common weapon with an amp from a magic wielder is better than a high-quality weapon wielded by a normal man… Which isn’t all that different from a scenario without magic involved. Skill and speed greatly compliment the weapon, and without both you can’t expect to beat another with the same type of weapon, no matter the difference in quality of the steel or how sharp it is.
“Huh… I guess that rapier basically gave you nothing extra?” She asked.
“Indeed. Strictly speaking a spectral or projected weapon would’ve been only slightly worse in terms of destructive power, so I don’t even really need it. Still, who can really complain about a weapon that can repair itself? Many would be dying to get one.” It’s quite a rare enchantment. Mending the weapon and making sure it never deteriorated. Unlike in many video games you can’t just keep using the same weapon forever.
“Does my knife have that? I can’t tell.” A natural thing to ask, since the weapon still looks rather pristine.
“No, it doesn’t. It’s just very well-made and naturally siphons some mana out of you during the fight so it keeps itself from its edge getting dull or breaking.” Being very hard to break and self-regenerating is quite different.
“Oh. I see.” She said with a hint of disappointment. “...Is there any other kind of weapon I should know about?”
“I mean the most there is to a weapon is whether or not it has some magical enhancement to it, what spells are embedded into it, so on and so forth. Some have downsides like cursed weapons, I guess, but no one in their right mind would forge something like that.” I don’t think those things are really worth thinking about. I think those are only made for really deadly pranks… “I guess there are the soul-bound weapons. It’s basically a special weapon exclusive to one person that amplifies all of their abilities and won’t do the same for the others who tried to steal or wield it. They can recall it whenever they want, and take no space in one’s pocket space. It also passively grows stronger when you do as well. Suddenly the material that made up the weapon seems to become a better version of itself the higher your power is.”
“That’s a thing? Sounds pretty damn powerful…” She said while scratching her ear, then looking down at the giant sword. “Say. Can I try holding it?”
“Sure. It’s pretty heavy though. Don’t push your luck.” I said while taking a step back. She isn’t a klutz but handling a large heavy weapon for the first time would likely cause an accident even if you don’t have slippery hands.
*Lift*
She briefly struggled to hold it up before she started to put more power into her lifting strength and held the blade with two hands.
“Jeez! You weren’t kidding! How does this table even hold the dang thing without breaking?” She asked before putting the sword back down.
“Enchanted table, but not one for enchanting.” I said while looking at Karra moving her arms around, probably feeling a bit sour.
“Weird way to say it but okay…” She mumbled while still looking at the blade. “I know from what you said that she can fight with a large sword with only one hand, but would she be able to lift this?”
“It’ll be fine, you were struggling because you didn’t expect it to be that heavy. If you were more aware of it then it wouldn’t have been a problem.” She was using her normal unmodified strength, which while high for someone slim like her, is still not out of the realm of normal human just yet. In the rush of battle she could probably wield it with one hand as well, though considering that she isn’t used to it like the intended recipient I wouldn’t recommend her trying again.
“By the way, since you won’t be using that appearance of yours, you do need a change of weapon, won’t you?” She pointed out. Indeed, considering the recent events I shouldn’t be appearing in public for a while. Even though I normally would limit my appearance on her stream, doing a cameo is normally not out of the question completely. Right now I need to keep a low profile for a pretty good reason.
“Good question. Let’s take this off the table first.” Picking up the giant sword and storing it away. “Now I rarely use the rapier in public, but I know there will be some lunatics who will notice it. I need to improvise with this.”
I hold the new weapon in my hand, still sheathed.
“...Weeb.” Hey!