The journey back to Otherrealm passed without incident, the quiet late-night trolley ride and the short walk to the Nightshatter filled with a comfortable silence.
Siren twitched suddenly, his eyes sharpening as he quickly turned to face Roy. "Captain Gunn, in all the commotion, I neglected to mention something of great importance."
"Hit me with it," Roy replied, immediately alert.
"We've been receiving increased reports of a Tyrox spotted near the forest," Siren said gravely. "Now, it's likely another false alarm, people often mistake a similar, though far less dangerous creature for a Tyrox. But considering the terrifying power of a true Tyrox, we cannot afford complacency."
Roy narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is this something we should seriously be worried about? Have you fought one yourself?"
"They almost never venture this close to the forest," Siren reassured, though his expression remained serious. "A true Tyrox is an exceedingly rare desert beast. I've never personally faced one, but I have met survivors who've lived to tell the tale. Each described its strength as monstrous, requiring at least an S-class adventurer to stand a chance, but what truly chilled them wasn't its might, but its mind."
Roy's face hardened with determination. "Alright. Then let's not take chances. We'll send out a drone swarm immediately, thoroughly comb the forest, and find out exactly what's going on."
"No!" Siren's voice burst forth, a rare intensity igniting his features. "Doing so risks disrupting the breeding cycle of the Gorsilian Moth! They're especially sensitive during nights like this, and their eggs take at least a full day to hatch."
Roy blinked in surprise, momentarily taken aback by Siren's passionate outburst,but ultimately relieved to see such fervor still alive in the old warrior. "Understood, Siren, understood. We'll wait two days for the sweep. Until then, we'll quietly ramp up surveillance to ensure nothing gets past us."
Once aboard, Roy gestured subtly toward Takara, who caught his glance and stepped closer. Roy moved slightly away from the others, lowering his voice. "Hey, I need you to do something for me," he whispered, eyes flicking briefly toward Siren. Lutrian, perceptive as always, began casually talking with Siren, immediately occupying the ancient swordsman's attention with an enthusiastic retelling of their recent battle.
Takara leaned closer. "What's up?"
"Head down to the Room of Requests," Roy murmured. "Go into my copy of the Home Improvement Box. When I was a kid, I remember going to these hardware stores with my uncle, and at the checkout line, there were always these little trinket toys. See if you can find a mood ring there. Grab one for me. And then discreetly inform the Immortal Family to stay out of sight, except Skellbro. Tell him when I say, 'Looks like it's working,' to immediately remove the curse on Siren. Make sure he's not seen."
Takara nodded with a knowing smile. "Got it. Consider it done." She stepped away, announcing to the group with exaggerated casualness, "I'm gonna go grab the curse remover real quick. Back in a sec!" With a quick wave, she disappeared down the stairs into the ship's interior.
Roy approached Siren and Lutrian, hearing the elf describe his encounter with Eryndra animatedly. Noticing Roy, Siren turned and inclined his head respectfully.
"You know," Siren began, his voice carrying a hint of admiration, "this is the first time I've ever set foot aboard your warship. Truly, Captain Gunn, it's an honor."
"Ah, don't mention it," Roy replied with a dismissive wave. "We have plenty of fascinating toys here. Just wait till you see what else we have stashed away."
Moments later, Takara reemerged onto the deck, carrying something small and gleaming in her palm. She swiftly tore open the package and presented the mood ring to Siren. "Here we go," she announced with dramatic flair. "Put this on, and then just… yeah, just face north."
Siren hesitated briefly, giving Roy a skeptical look, before slipping the ring onto his finger. He gazed down curiously as the ring immediately began to shift colors, a swirl of blues and greens appearing on its cheap metal surface.
Roy suppressed a grin. "Looks like it's working," he said clearly.
In an instant too fast for even Siren to perceive, Skellbro appeared. A gentle flick of his small hand, and the ancient curse vanished from Siren's body, instantly ending thousands of years of agony. Without the slightest disturbance of air, Skellbro vanished again into the ship's shadows.
Standing at the edge of the deck, Eryndra's eyes widened sharply. She thought she'd seen everything by now, but all she could catch of Skellbro's movements was the faintest ripple in the air. A chill of realization passed through her mind. Maybe the Gloaming Scion is beyond my reach after all. We're damn lucky Skellbro's just playing cute kid right now.
Siren abruptly fell to his knees, shoulders shaking as sobs wracked his lean frame. Roy hurried to his side in concern. "Siren, you okay?"
The swordsman looked up, tears streaming down his ancient face. "For thousands of years, I have suffered unimaginable pain. It took two hundred years before I stopped screaming from it, and no medicine or magic could ever dull it. To say I am grateful would be a grotesque understatement. I owe you more than my life, Captain Gunn. If you ever need me for anything, simply say the word, and I will be at your side."
Roy smiled gently, clapping the elf on the shoulder. "Hey, no problem. Glad we could help. But let me just quickly take that ring back from you, we wouldn't want the curse rebounding or something."
"Oh, of course." Siren swiftly slipped the ring off and handed it to Roy.
Roy quickly passed the small trinket to Eryndra, who closed her fist around it. Pausing dramatically, she suddenly burst into a loud, exaggerated cry of effort. "Agh! This thing… it's overflowing with dark energy! I can barely contain its power!"
In a comically exaggerated gesture, Eryndra's armor vents snapped fully open, steam billowing wildly. With a grunt of theatrical exertion, she hurled the shattered remains of the mood ring far out over the dark ocean. For a moment, everyone stared in silent astonishment, unsure of how to react.
Siren rose shakily, wiping his eyes and gazing out into the night with admiration. "Thank you, Goddess of the Iron Wrath. That looked incredibly taxing for you."
Eryndra swiftly snapped her vents shut, giving Siren a confident thumbs-up. "Don't mention it. All in a day's work."
Takara shook her head, suppressing a laugh at the ridiculous performance. "Alright, Siren, follow me. We're gonna head down to the room I've been setting up. It's not completely finished yet, but it'll be good enough for what we need."
Siren straightened himself, newfound relief making him appear centuries younger. "Lead the way."
Takara led the group down a corridor deep within the Nightshatter. Siren suddenly paused, brow furrowing deeply. "I don't know why, but I feel as if wickedness incarnate is right beside me."
Roy stiffened immediately, his heart briefly seizing. Did Siren somehow sense the Immortal Family, or maybe Riven? "What exactly do you mean? I don't sense anyone unusual," Roy lied hastily, trying to keep his voice even.
"No, it's not a person," Siren clarified with narrowed eyes, searching the air around him. "It's more like a thing. Something dark...or is it not? If I had to force a guess it would be sinister benevolence, as odd as that sounds."
Roy followed Siren's gaze, then noticed they stood near the reactor room. "Maybe it's this?" he said hopefully, moving quickly to open the reactor door. Siren immediately winced, shielding his face.
"Agh, it's like stinging heat, an evil heat," Siren muttered.
Roy blinked, confusion replacing concern. "That doesn't sound right. This room should be completely sealed, and even if not, we do routine maintenance to check for leaks. Serenity, have some Presidroids inspect the reactor room immediately. Look for any unnoticed damage or leaks."
"Understood, Captain," Serenity replied.
Satisfied, Roy gestured Takara onward. "Lead the way, again."
They continued to the former engineering room, now transformed into a sprawling, makeshift forge and workshop. The space was far from elegant, clearly built for function rather than aesthetics, yet the array of equipment inside was undeniably impressive. Takara stood proudly in the center of the room, turning back to Siren with a confident smile.
"I'll build you something amazing, way stronger than your last sword," Takara declared, excitement lighting up her face. "Picture this, we'll start with a spine forged from a high-entropy alloy of chromium, cobalt, and nickel. Basically, an insanely tough metal built at the atomic level with grains so tiny they're invisible to the naked eye. Over that, I'll stamp layers of runic seals, user-replenishing enchantments that'll keep the sword magically enhanced as long as it's with you by draining a minimal amount of your mana. I even tested these seals on toddlers, didn't harm them at all."
Lutrian paled visibly. "You tested mana-draining weapons... on toddlers?"
Takara shrugged innocently. "Yeah. Is that… a big deal? I knew it was safe."
Warrex quickly interjected, grinning broadly. "I'll answer for him. No, it's perfectly fine, carry on."
Takara nodded and eagerly continued. "Then we'll sandwich that enchanted core with springy maraging steel. It's sword-making magic, soft enough to machine, incredibly strong once tempered. Finally, the cutting edges will be made from powder-forged tool steel filled with microscopic vanadium carbides. Trust me, nothing stays sharper longer."
Siren blinked slowly, regarding her with polite confusion. "I recognized precisely one word of what you just said."
"Right, anyway," Takara said cheerfully, ignoring his bewilderment, "I'll 3D-print the chromium-cobalt-nickel core, carve out the edges using electrical discharge machining, basically sculpting metal with lightning, it's incredibly cool, and fuse everything together in a high-pressure argon oven. After a careful heat-treatment process and a cryogenic soak, you'll have the greatest sword you've ever wielded in your ancient life. You're welcome!"
Siren looked speechlessly at Roy, who only offered an amused shrug. "I only understood two words, but, she makes great stuff."
"Exactly," Takara said with a grin. "I've been working on weapons like this ever since I lost my first test blade. Some mischievous little idiot took it and hid it somewhere, didn't they, Roy?"
Roy laughed nervously. "Oh, right, I'll definitely track that down for you… if it still exists."
Takara moved to a mounted monitor, calling out, "Harmony, pull up a montage of sword-fighting styles from Earth. Movies, historical reenactments, tests, anything cool and informative."
Multiple windows blossomed to life on the screen, each displaying a different form of swordsmanship, from precise Olympic fencing to graceful samurai duels. Siren stepped forward instantly, captivated. His eyes moved rapidly from video to video, absorbing every subtle movement and technique.
"Incredible," he breathed, deeply fascinated. "I've wielded the same sword for so long; it never occurred to me that there could be such diverse, elegant methods of swordplay."
Takara looked pleased, stepping up beside him. "Any style or design catching your eye?"
Siren pointed to two particular screens. "These two."
"Fencers and samurai?" Roy asked?
"Both of them are extraordinarily elegant, precise yet powerful. The movements are slightly sloppy, perhaps due to the user's limitations, but the style itself is remarkable," Siren continued.
Takara chuckled softly. "Those two styles combined would basically give you your old sword again, just straighter."
Siren smiled faintly. "Then let's do precisely that."
She quickly turned back to her workspace, gathering her carefully prepared components and stamping each piece meticulously with the rune press. Siren watched intently for a moment before his attention was drawn irresistibly back to the screen.
Harmony attempted to switch the feed of many to just one of the videos, but Siren immediately protested, his voice urgent. "No, don't change the light box. I was watching."
Harmony hesitated. "All of them? At the same time?"
"Yes," Siren replied simply, eyes still darting between each mini-screen.
"Uh, okay…" Harmony said uncertainly.
Roy chuckled softly, folding his arms as he watched Siren absorb the visuals. Occasionally, Siren would mumble comments to himself, nodding thoughtfully. "Oh… now that's clever. Why didn't I think of something like that? I should try it."
Roy exchanged a glance with Eryndra, who looked equally amused and intrigued. "He's certainly taking this seriously," Roy murmured.
"He's a warrior," Eryndra replied quietly, a trace of admiration in her voice. "He recognizes skill wherever it comes from."
As Takara completed the final adjustments, she suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh no, I completely forgot! I never etched my personal mark!"
Roy shrugged casually. "The sword is right there, isn't it? Can't you still add it?"
Takara grimaced slightly. "Nope. The steel's already treated and hardened with the runes. But maybe I can improvise." With careful precision, she quickly inscribed a simple yet elegant rune onto the sword's hilt: a stylized 'T' enclosed within a runic circle. She eyed it critically, then sighed. "It's a user-sustaining enchantment like the others; it'll always glow a bit. It'll just have to do."
She handed the blade to Siren. "Alright, let's go outside and test this masterpiece."
They ascended to the battleship's deck under the gentle illumination of the full moon. Roy yawned deeply, rubbing his eyes as exhaustion finally caught up with him. It had been an exceptionally long day, and an even longer night.
Siren eagerly grasped the sword, turning it carefully in his grip. He moved his arm through slow, deliberate arcs, testing its weight and balance with practiced ease. After a moment, he paused thoughtfully. "The balance feels just a hair off."
Takara nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I accounted for that with my original etching. Without it, the balance shifted slightly."
Roy raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Wait, are you seriously saying you can tell the difference just from the absence of an etching, something thinner than a shaving?"
Siren blinked at him, utterly sincere. "Is that unusual?"
Roy shook his head, chuckling tiredly. "No, totally normal. Completely. Not weird at all."
"I can fix it," Takara assured Siren confidently. "When the scabbard's ready tomorrow, just bring it to me, and I'll figure something out."
Siren smiled gently. "Understood. Now, let's see what it can do."
He closed his eyes, his mana surging visibly around him. A soft, blue glow filled his irises, growing brighter and brighter until it cast shadows across the deck. With a single, swift downward slash, the sword cleaved cleanly through the battleship's railing nearby, unleashing a crescent wave of brilliant energy that roared out across the ocean. A shockwave spread wide, scattering waves left and right.
Roy pushed Takara by the shoulder. "You gave a toddler one of these!?"
Siren's eyes widened in immediate horror. "I have never been more sorry in my entire life."
Takara coughed nervously. "Maybe I'll, uh, adjust those runes—"
"No," Siren interrupted gently, gathering himself again. "That was entirely my fault. I pushed it too quickly. Allow me another try."
He took a calming breath, then began a slow, careful sequence of strikes. The sword produced an ethereal hum, ghostly yet strangely beautiful. Its notes resonated softly through the moonlit night, blending elegance and power in a perfect balance of form.
Warrex watched with silent awe, almost shed a tear, moved by the sheer perfection of the display. Beside him, Roy stood silently, arms folded, eyes closed, breath even. Takara noticed first, gently nudging Eryndra. Roy had fallen asleep standing up.
With gentle care, Eryndra swiftly scooped Roy into her arms, carrying him effortlessly toward the crew quarters. "Alright, it's three-thirty in the morning. More than enough excitement for today."
Roy squirmed drowsily. "Hey, I'm awake now, I can walk!"
"Nope," Eryndra replied firmly, ignoring his weak protests. "Don't care."
Siren offered Roy a deep, respectful bow as they departed, his gratitude evident even in silence.
-
High atop the Nightshatter's, above the bridge, hidden within a quiet nook beneath the moonlit sky, Father Skeleton stood silently, observing the scene below. Skellbro stood beside him, following his gaze curiously.
"I had to see it for myself," Father Skeleton murmured thoughtfully. "I felt as though I recognized his energy."
Skellbro tilted their head inquisitively. "That's because you do. He is the husband of the last hero in our era, the final addition to your collection, Father."
Father Skeleton slowly raised his left hand, fingers outstretched. On each finger burned a candle-like flame of oily black-and-orange fire. As he watched, four flames extinguished in sequence, leaving only the smallest flickering upon his pinky. He gazed into it fondly.
"Ah, yes," Father Skeleton said softly, voice tinged with an odd reverence. "I remember her now. An exceptional hero, the only one who ever even made me consider calling for reinforcements. It was just a fleeting thought, true, but still…" His voice grew softer, distant, reflecting a quiet respect. "My regard for her surpasses all the others I've collected."
Skellbro's eyes sparked eagerly. "Ooh! Do we get to kill him, Father? How will we do it?"
Father Skeleton sighed deeply, shaking his head. "No, you foolish child. We'll arrange something special, something pleasant for him. With Roy's approval of course."
Skellbro pouted slightly, confused. "Hmph. I don't really see the difference, but whatever you say."