The central market of Druzka smelled of hot metal and coal smoke, and I kept the wrapped dagger pressed close to my chest as we wove through the stalls. "We're going to the smithing shop first?"
"Right," Kazike said. "Get the master smith's opinion on that blade of yours. A name like Wrath of God doesn't come cheap — Lord Raku said it doubles your speed, didn't he?"
"It has to be incredible, with a name like that."
"Save the questions for the smith — ancient artifacts aren't really my area." He adjusted his pack. "We're headed to Renarudo. Best smith in the market, hands down."
I glanced up at him as we walked. "My birthday's tomorrow, by the way."
He blinked. "Birthday?"
"The day you were born. You don't celebrate those here?"
"Ah — an anniversary of birth. I had no idea." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking genuinely sheepish. "Sorry I don't have anything prepared."
"It's fine, really. Though — why didn't you invite Bitshu along today? Since it's almost a special occasion and all."
"You're awfully invested in my love life for someone your age," he said, though the blush creeping up his neck suggested he wasn't entirely opposed to the teasing.
"I just think you two should have a nice time. Ask her out properly."
"Yeah, yeah. I will."
We reached an open-air forge ringing with the steady clang of hammer on anvil. "Murphiette! Your father around?"
A young dwarven woman looked up from a half-finished breastplate, soot smudged across her cheek. "Out back, pulling slag. Should be in soon."
"This is Kazu," Kazike said. "S-rank, out of our Guild."
Her hammer nearly slipped from her hand. "S-rank? That's the top, isn't it?"
"A pleasure to meet you," I said, bowing.
"Oh — sorry, manners. Murphiette. Call me Murph."
"Alright, Merph."
"It's Murph." She crossed her arms, unimpressed. "S-rank doesn't earn you a pass on butchering my name."
"Sorry — the forge noise, I must have misheard," I said, feeling my face heat.
Her father arrived just then, broad-shouldered, beard braided thick with soot worked into it. "Kazike! Good to see you. And who's this?"
"Kazu, S-rank, out of our Guild."
Renarudo's eyebrows rose. "This lad? Well then. Pleasure's mine."
"Hello, sir."
"What brings you two by?"
"Kazu's got questions about a Rune Stone, and a weapon that needs your eye," Kazike said, already backing toward a stack of grain sacks in the corner. "You handle it — good for the locals to get to know you."
I pulled the stone from my pouch. "This — do you know what it does?"
Renarudo's eyes went wide the moment it caught the light. "Where in the world did you find this? This is one of the rarest Rune types there is. You need serious Mining skill just to pull one out of bedrock without shattering it."
"Mine's Level 1," I admitted.
"Level 1?" He stared at me like I'd grown a second head. "That should be flatly impossible. You're either impossibly lucky or something else is going on."
"What does it actually do, though?"
He held up a thick finger for each type as he explained. "Four kinds. [C] is Combat — doubles a weapon's base damage once it's forged in. [D] is Defender — cancels incoming spells up through A-rank and adds heavy physical defense. [E] boosts experience gain. [S] grants the wearer additional passive skills. Understand so far?"
"I think so. I'd like to understand it properly, though."
"Good answer. Sit — there's more to learn about Runesmithing than I can cover in one breath."
Kazike, already settling onto the grain sacks, called over his shoulder, "Have fun with the technical stuff. I'm taking a nap."
For the next few hours, Renarudo walked me through the exacting temperatures and hammer rhythms that bound a rune permanently into metal, and I found myself soaking in every word of it.
"So — [C] for damage, [D] for defense, [E] for experience, [S] for skills?"
"Exactly right, and fast to pick it up, too. No wonder you made S-rank." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Now — I hear you've got a request about a weapon of your own."
"If it's not too much trouble." I unwrapped the dagger and handed it over.
His breath caught the instant the cloth fell away. "The Wrath of God. I know the stories. Enhances speed, drains mana constantly just to hold — and no runes bound to it yet, from the look of it."
"That's everything I know, honestly."
Kazike jolted upright from his nap without warning, arms flailing. "Wha— who's attacking?! Where—"
"Just a dream, Kazike. Go back to sleep."
"Right. Sorry." He was snoring again within seconds.
Renarudo's eyes had taken on a professional gleam. "You want the Combat Rune bound into this?"
"If it's possible."
"It is. Dangerous, mind you, and my usual rate for God-tier work runs three hundred gold." He grinned through his beard. "But I've never had the chance to put a hammer to the Wrath of God. I'll do it free, just for the honor of it. Take good care of the blade after, though."
"Thank you," I said, bowing deeply. "Truly."
"Hand it over, and stand well back."
He set the dagger on his mythril anvil, drew a slow breath, and brought the glowing hammer down. Light tore through the shop with the first strike, sparks scattering in every direction, and he kept striking in steady rhythm until the stone melted entirely into the blade.
"It's done," he panted, quenching it in a barrel of glowing blue liquid. "Fair warning — binding a Combat Rune tends to add weight. You may find it harder to lift than before."
I picked it up off the cooling table. "A little heavier," I admitted, turning it in my grip, "but manageable."
He watched me handle it, brow furrowing. "The drain on that thing should be considerable by now. You're certain you're alright?"
"It feels natural, honestly."
He reached out to test the weight himself, and the moment his fingers brushed the hilt, a jolt of static threw his hand back and dropped him briefly to one knee.
"Well," he said, catching his breath. "It's bound to your aura specifically, lad. You're the only one who'll ever wield it."
"Thank you — truly, thank you." I strapped it to my belt, unable to keep the grin off my face.
Renarudo watched me go, muttering something about the other cursed artifacts locked away in his vault that I decided not to ask about.
Out front, Kazike stretched and grinned at the sight of me. "There he is. How's the dagger?"
"Finished. It's perfect." I unbuckled the sheath and handed it to him so he could see the glowing rune along the blade.
He took it and immediately dropped to one knee, nearly losing his grip entirely. "What — this is impossibly heavy. It just shocked me!"
"Kazike!" I took it back quickly, and he exhaled in relief the instant it left his hands.
"I'm fine. Why's it so heavy for me and not you?"
"Bound to my aura, apparently."
A blue window bloomed in front of me as if in answer.
[God-Level Artifact Recognized] [Weapon: The Wrath of God (Runed)]
[Item Skill Unlocked: Light Speed — full-speed movement for 2 minutes, 10-minute cooldown]
[Passive: Combat Rune — +100% base damage to all targets]
Items have their own skills too, I thought, turning the idea over with growing fascination. There's so much more to this world than I've barely started to understand.
Kazike glanced toward the setting sun, oblivious to the windows floating in front of me. "I need to head out — getting ready for my date with Bitshu tonight. You good getting back on your own?"
"I'll manage." Already my mind was racing ahead to an empty field somewhere, and the two minutes of light-speed I was dying to test.
"Take care, kid. And happy birthday, a day early." He waved over his shoulder as he went.
"Thank you, Kazike!" I called after him, already half-lost in thoughts of what tomorrow might bring.