After we got back from the mission, it was pretty simple to introduce everyone to Sif before getting her a guild mark to make her an official member. Which unfortunately meant a huge party that lasted for hours on end. People drank, people fought and people passed out from insane amounts of both until eventually, it was only master and I awake while Sif was enjoying a shank bone.
"You're usually the first to pass out from drinking Master. What's the occasion that you barely touched any at all?" I questioned the old man while peering at him from the corner of my eye.
"Hmmm," Master hummed to himself while sipping from his cup before answering me, "I usually am, but I get the feeling there was something you wanted to ask me about, isn't there Zeph?"
He was right as usual, but that didn't mean I wasn't surprised at how quickly he had seen through me. I had meant to wait until the next day to ask him about something for my training, but if he was already realized then there really wasn't any reason to put it off any longer.
"During the last job, I really only had my technique against Sif, but as soon as Cana got involved with water and lightning it got resolved within a half hour. It made me realize how limited I am in my magic, especially since it makes me a pretty straight forward fighter. I need to start learning other types of magic in order to augment my main abilities, starting with adding elements to my arsenal. How would I go about doing that Master?"
Master rubbed his chin in thought for a moment, seemingly lost in thought as he came up with an answer for me before pointing to a door towards the back of the hall that was to the guild library.
"That door over there leads to all the answers you'll need."
I went to protest before he held up a hand and continued on with his explanation.
"As much as I want to tell you the answers to your questions, that won't get you anywhere. Finding the answer for yourself and doing the proper work is what will make you stronger, not taking the easy way out."
Thinking about it, I realized he was right. I wanted the shorter path, but the harder one would be more beneficial in the long run, especially when it came to making my own techniques.
Nodding in gratitude, I called Sif as I made my way to the door and headed back to my home in the outskirts of town. I would be back the next day.
~x~x~
"God damn it!" My outburst was accompanied by me spiking the book I had been reading at the tree about ten feet in front of me, loudly impacting the bark but my usual love of books wouldn't save any as I angrily glared at the small pile next to me.
As soon as I got back to the guild the day after Cana and I returned with Sif I had immediately made my way to the library, using the index in order to find all the books on the varying magic I wanted to use to augment my own. Thankfully, Master was willing to tell me which books would help me the most with what I wanted or the stack of twelve I had picked would have been more like fifty. Unfortunately, that was were all my luck ended.
For the past week and a half after I had gotten permission to take the books with me I had little to no success with any of the magics. Out of twelve books, only one was left and it was nowhere near close to what I wanted to use first, but it looked like right now water magic was my last hope. Without any enthusiasm, I opened the book and began reading.
Water magic is both a caster and holder class magic that uses water for varying purposes such as floods of power or torrents of speed.
I rolled my eyes at that, already losing faith in what I was going to read next before turning my eyes back to the page.
But anyone who tells you that is wrong. The true majesty of water magic is the use of harmony and tranquility to control the flow of any battle.
That made me pause for a moment and think. Going with the flow, but without power and speed to use water magic wasn't like anything I had ever heard when I had asked some of the guild members about their varying magic before.
The few water users in the guild always said the best aspect of their magic was using it to crush monsters and the like. No one had ever said anything about harmony… at least until now.
To drag your enemy into your own flow before ripping their feet out from underneath them. To read the flow of battle and effortlessly evade and attack without any wasted energy. To truly master water magic one must only think this one thought; to follow through with the natural flow, back and forth, back and forth with no resistance. Flow from one movement to the next, naturally.
Well, that was surprisingly enlightening and much more helpful than the other books I had read. Not only that, but it also gave me an idea of how to carry on with my training.
Putting the book down, I slipped off my socks and shoes before wading waist-deep into the stream that ran through the clearing that I was currently occupying and closing my eyes, focusing on nothing but the way the stream flowed around me.
There was no fighting or resisting as it flowed around me. Water followed the path of least resistance and if I stood perfectly still, the only indication that I was in the water was the fact that the temperature of the water was cold.
I spent a few minutes just standing there before trying to imitate the feeling with my magic, circulating it throughout my body but never where it didn't want to flow naturally. From my magic vessel in the center of my being and outward towards my extremities before coming back to my magic vessel, almost like my heart pumping blood.
Once I got used to the feeling, I held my finger out towards the side before having my magic flow out. To my surprise, I began to hear a trickle as if someone had turned on a sink. Opening my eyes, there was a tiny magic circle above my finger shooting out a small amount of water. It wasn't much, but it was more progress I had made before, and with practice I would become the riptide that washed away the enemies of my guild.
~x~x~
As expected, it was tough recreating techniques from what I could remember from my past life, but after I had felt that I was up to a respectable degree of proficiency with my new moves I made my way into the heart of Magnolia where all the shops and food stands were with Sif at my side.
Our destination was a well known blacksmith named Hector Festus, a rotund man that was more burn scars than skin but was a master of the smithing arts. You could give this man a hunk of iron and he could turn into something that would sell for six or seven figures. Fortunately for me, I had done a job for him after I had first arrived in town and since then he offered me discounts on custom orders as long as I provided the materials.
"Yo, Hector! I'm here to pick up that order I made last week. Is it done yet?" I yelled into the back of the shop only to receive a crashing noise and muffled curses as my answer.
A few minutes later, a large man with an even larger gut walked out of the back of the shop, His wild black hair singed in some places while he tried to pat out the small fore that had started in his beard. It was a bad habit of his.
Upon noticing me he glared until something caught his eye, or I should say someone, as Hector bent down and placed his hand out to Sif, allowing her to sniff his hand before rubbing between her ears.
"This that magic beast you were telling me about? The one that wielded a greatsword and nearly beat you?"
"Yep, this is Sif. She's the one I put the order in for in the first place. Can't have her ruining my image by using that rusty greatsword now, can I?"
Sif seemed to take offense to the jab at her favorite weapon because she growled lightly at me when I said that. Hector let out a belly busting laugh when she did before heading into the back of his shop again as his voice rang out.
"Oh, she's got some fight in her that one. That's good, she'll need it if she's going to deal with a little shit like you."
Deciding to ignore the fact he just called a ten-year-old a little shit I turned to Sif and pet her before speaking.
"I know that the sword you have has served you well, but that sword was the weapon used by a magic beast that attacked people using a road. I want you to be able to move past that stigma and what better way than a new sword to mark a new era."
While seemingly reluctant, she nodded her head a pulled her old sword from her side where it was strapped and placing it at my feet. I took it up before sticking it in my belt.
"Don't worry, we can still keep it in the house. I won't ask you to throw it away."
Soon after, the sound of Hector making his way back to us in the form of muffled grunts before he appeared from behind the counter, placing the wrapped package on the counter.
"There we are, one greatsword made exactly to your specifications. Want to double check?" I shook my head at the question.
"No, I trust you and your work, you haven't let me down before. What was the agreed price?"
"Twenty-thousand jewels."
I winced at the amount, but it was still a big discount, even if it was dipping into my savings a bit. Quickly placing the money on the counter, I strapped the package to my back before making my way out of the store with Sif on my tail.
Weaving my way through the crowd, I could feel her gazing at the back of my head, no doubt curious as to what the sword I had made for her looked like but I ignored it until we arrived in the same area I had been training in. Reaching behind me, I stuck the tip of the still hidden sword in the ground so the handle was facing the sky before facing Sif and talking.
"Remember how I said I named you after the greatest wolf I had ever heard of?" A nod of the head was my response.
"Well, what I didn't tell you was that she was the partner to a gallant hero called the Wolf Knight," I could tell I had caught her interest but continued, "I always thought he was the strongest. The knight who sacrificed himself in order to save his Sif, who in return guarded his sigil, using the same sword as him to fight off any who would claim it for their own. So I thought there was no better sword for you, just like the name."
Reaching out, I pulled the wrapping loose, allowing it to fall to the ground and revealing the blade in all its glory.
The entire thing was jet black, the handle being about two and a half hand lengths the led into a crossguard that spread out at V-shape in a forty-five-degree angle. The part where the sword and crossguard connected was overlapped with metal depicting a wolf's head before the blade extended out, a double-edged blade that was taller than a man was tall.
Sif had stars in her eyes as she jumped forward and caught the handle with her teeth, pulling it from the ground before turning with the same motion to face me. She channeled magic into the blade, causing the previous black metal to glow blue.
"I also decided that a blade based on his could only be given the same name. Meaning this Sif, is your Greatsword of Artorias!"
She didn't seem to hear what I said as she was to busy admiring her new blade, cutting off the flow of magic and activating it again to admire the way the metal glowed as it ran through the blade.
The childlike glee she exhibited made me smile before I unsheathed my own unnamed blade, the sound of metal sliding on the sheath catching Sif's attention. I spun the sword between my hands before getting into a ready stance.
"So, want to try out my little gift to you?" A growl and her crouch was the only response I needed before we charged at each other, the sound of clashing steel ringing through the area.
Looks like it was back to training!
~x~x~
I know I said that this chapter would be up next weekend but one reviewer made a comment that really hyped me up about the direction I'm taking Zephyr in and I couldn't stop until this chapter was done. So, thank you Raidentensho for the great idea and you all can read this chapter before we get to the S-class trials to showcase what Zeph's training has led to next weekend.