Standing on the ridge of her farm, Akari listened to the roaring river below. Despite it now being a late night hour (later than last time), she didn't feel comfortable swimming. If that fisherman showed-up again, she wouldn't know what to do.
It was difficult for Akari to understand– in the past, those who saw her fish scales would faint in terror. But that man– even if he did almost drown– was fearless, she thought; What were his intentions? He had dropped his fishing pole to approach her– true– and he had said that he meant her no harm, but it was still possible that he was one of those scary gourmets who try to trap and eat every type of creature. Because in their minds, the rarer the creatures are, the greater the delicacy.
"No way! I can't be eaten," Akari gasped, shivering in fear. "Still... I have to watch my back. This island is full of formidable humans." Exasperated, she couldn't help but remember Luke's axe attack earlier, among other troubling things, such as Doctor Jin. The man had managed to see her true form, and twice, without freaking out and telling the whole town. I hate to admit it, but I'm kind of impressed– even if he did only help me because of the benefits, she thought; I wonder... What kind of person is he?
"Probably," Akari continued aloud; "an emotionless man." Wearily, she dragged herself back across her field and entered her house. Inside, it was dark and quiet– the only sound was her shuffling feet and rumbling stomach. Hunger pains attacked whenever she stopped thinking, so she kept on musing all the way to her bed.
In truth, Akari wasn't all too bothered by the deals made with Jin by themselves. He was right in that the tasks involved weren't terribly difficult for her. And for kappa– bargaining for leniency when mess-ups occurred was all a part of daily life. What actually bothered her was the dehumanizing way in which he had treated her– outright calling her an animal and all. Though Akari's father always tolerated people calling him a 'beast', 'toad bump', ' or even a 'fat cucumber', she couldn't stand it! She felt that kappa had basic rights– the same ones that humans had– even if they had different appearances, morals and laws.
Secretly, in the back of Akari's mind, she wanted to find a way to get back at the doctor. However, this notion itself went dangerously against kappa ethics. Well... I'll worry about this tomorrow, she decided, standing alongside her bed and letting out a massive yawn. So long was it, that it sounded as if her lungs were collapsing in on themselves! Standing near the head of her bed, and not once climbing into it, she closed her eyes and snored immediately. All while standing up, of course. It was her natural way of sleeping!
Birds trilled playfully and the river's hypnotic roaring lessened that next morning. Greeting the day with an encouraging shout, Akari ran outside to tend her potato crop– only to become perplexed when she found that only ONE sprout had popped up.
That's odd... Akari thought, crouching to get a closer look. I've been watering every spot... Every day and quite diligently. And I tilled the earth in a 3x3 square, standing in the middle to spread the seeds... Just like mama always did! How did I possibly mess up?
Someday she would realize her outdated farming methods.
I know! Akari's eyes narrowed menacingly. The harvest sprites must be playing tricks on me again!
"Of course! Those evil little dillweeds," she swore, shaking her fist. "This is just like them and their cruel methods!" But if that were true, how did they ever manage to follow her? She left by boat, and secretly at that. There was no possible way they had followed her from Mineral Town, so was some other force at work? Holding her chin, she scrunched up her eyebrows and thought hard for a solution. In the midst of her pondering, however, she caught sight of something yellow sitting against her house. It was never there before.
It was a yellow gift box tied with pink ribbon.
Approaching it cautiously, Akari knelt and carefully lifted its lid. Inside the box was an axe and a handwritten note on paper that almost looked like an order form (with all its unlabeled checkboxes and tally lines, that is). Reading it, she was not surprised to see who it was from.
Akari. This is Luke, the letter began, breaking its solemnity in the next few lines: I'm sorry! I know I freaked you out, and there's no good way to explain why I did what I did. It was totally random! It's like I was sleepwalking or something... Whoa! Just thinking about it is trippy! Maybe I've been eating way too many strange things off the ground in the forest... But anyways, I'm not trying to say that what I did wasn't my fault or anything, but... Well. It IS my fault, but I'm really sorry!
Akari brought the note closer, puzzled by its sincerity and worry. Why was Luke apologizing to her, and so profusely? After all, she was the one who had made both his body and mind lose control. Most people would be far more concerned with themselves in such a situation.
I really don't have a criminal record or anything, the note continued on; well, except that one time when I deforested the forest... but I was a kid then! Axes are flippin' awesome! And that's why I'm re-giving you this axe. This time Owen's delivering it, so don't worry. I won't be creeping around your front door or anything. ... I swear!
Turning the note over to see if there was any more, Akari chortled and fought back a smile. I'm sure he's a nice person, she thought, folding the note and tucking it away. It's not his fault... being good with an axe is his job. Probably his calling, even.
Taking the axe in hand, Akari stood up, looking at its clean yet worn wooden handle. It had definitely been well-loved.
Luke and I... We two probably shouldn't meet again.
Finishing her chores, Akari hurried off down the hill to forage for herbs– today she would begin her servitude until her debt was paid.
Sitting on a large stump, Luke sighed and hunched over, ignoring the boxed lunch sitting beside him.
"Come on. You need to eat," Bo said, looking up from his own boxed lunch. "You haven't even touched your food yet."
Straightening a bit, Luke rubbed his face. "I'm sorry, man," he said in repose. "I'm just not very hungry today."
"Feel bad all you want, but you still need to eat."
"Luke!" a distant voice boomed. "Still moping around? It's like I told you before, you're not being yourself!" It was Owen leaving his grandfather's nearby smithery for the day. Instead of heading off to the mine, however, he was approaching the forest, presumably to scold Luke.
"Yeah. Stop being so depressing," Bo chimed in.
"Is it so wrong for me to feel BAD?" Luke blasted, waving his fists around. "After what I did to that guy, don't you think I need to reflect a little bit?"
"... Guy?" Bo questioned, confused.
Owen finally arrived at the stump, and just in time to overhear the two young men.
"Yeah! You know," Luke explained. "That Akari guy? The one I almost axed to bits?"
"Huh? What? Akari's not a guy! Where did you get THAT idea?"
"Well he can't be a girl! Didn't you yourself say that he blocked MY super axe attack? That took REAL man strength, which he definitely had, even if he did faint and all."
"Luke, you can't just categorize people into boxes..."
Owen folded his arms, his mind still churning. "It seems Akari fainted just because of that," he said. "Though I don't know how, she overexerted herself by half-wielding a Mythic Strike."
"Bah! She? Now you're saying it, too?" Luke complained. "Like I said, Akari's not a gir– wait, Mythic Strike? ...What's that?"
Owen closed his eyes for a moment in contemplation before answering. "Have you ever heard about cursed weapons and tools?" he asked, his eyes settling back on the two confused carpenters. "It seems you haven't. It's mostly a blacksmith's legend, but it is said that after a century's time, objects like axes or hammers become self-aware. And cursed."
"C-cursed?" Bo stammered, unnerved by the idea.
"Yes. Typically, if you come across a cursed tool and hold it, it will refuse to leave your hands, jealously consuming your original tool and eating your soul for ten days straight in the process..."
"Ten whole days?" Luke asked, incredulously. "What happens after that?"
"Either the tool progresses into its next stage of life." Owen paused. "Or it kills its holder. If the holder can survive, though, cursed tools will eventually prove rewarding. By reforging its body with mystrile metal, it will grant its holder an invincible technique." He watched the two. "Mythic style."
"Mythic style?" Luke repeated. "Are you trying to say that all this creepy tool stuff is REAL?"
"Not only real, but that Akari herself," Owen said, "has seen one in action long enough to know how to imitate it. A mythic hammer. Its technique."
Bo wobbled his fair-haired head and let himself down onto the stump alongside Luke, collapsing as if his knee caps had been blown off.
Suddenly concerned for his boxed lunch, Luke grabbed it up and held it tight. His fierce eyes flashed with dread and then inexplicably, excitement. "It all makes sense now," he said, looking down at the red box.
"What makes sense?" Owen knew that even though Luke was a pretty simple guy, he had a very violent thought process; seeing him filled with sudden excitement was always a bad sign.
Luke stuffed his WHOLE boxed lunch into his pocket and jumped off the stump, then slamming one foot up on it. "I know why I attacked Akari!" he said, raising a fist heavenwards. "It all makes sense now!"
"You just said that," Bo said.
"Yes, it all makes sense now– why I attacked Akari," Luke continued, rearranging his statement to make it sound new. "My conscience instinctively knew that he was a worthy rival. Deep inside, I knew that he could fight back... It was my sixth sense acting up!"
"Akari's a girl," Owen said, "she said so, ask Pascal or Anissa."
"He won't listen," Bo said and shook his head. "Luke, you know that your conscience is supposed to stop you from doing bad things, right?"
Ignoring them, Luke held his hands on his waist and threw back his head– laughing maniacally.
"Geez." Bo shook his head again. "At least he's feeling better."
"My work here is done, then." Owen smiled, turning around. "I'm going off to work now. Later, Bo."
"Later." Bo waved. Glancing aside, he suddenly jolted with realization. "Wait," he called out. "Owen."
The young man stopped. "Yes?" he asked.
"You said all that about cursed tools and Akari, but... How do you yourself know what Mythic style looks like?"
Owen's smiling face lapsed into an expressionless gaze. "I'm a blacksmith." He left it at that, turning back around and going straight to the mine.