The night sky burned bright with stars, but laughter from below made it brighter still, spilling from the forge where the party shared dinner and reminisced over old memories. Everyone roared as Peter stood telling his story, the sound fading slowly once he finished and sat down.
Shin cut the mood. "Guys, it's time."
Lili yawned. "Yes, I'm going first to bed. You guys have fun."
Shin's face turned serious all of a sudden. "No. We found it—the purpose we came to this kingdom for. It's finally here."
Peter spat his drink. "Are you certain?"
"Yes. I've received the information from the duke," Shin said.
Ren looked at them, confused. "What is it?"
"Then what are you guys waiting for? Let's go!" Lili said.
Everyone started to rise, enthusiasm surging, but Ren hit the table. "Guys, I'm standing right here. Can you not ignore me? What are you talking about?"
They sat slowly, guilt on their faces for forgetting Ren in the excitement. Shin turned to him. "Ren, the reason we began our journey was to become stronger through hardships and experiences. A couple years ago, we received intel from someone reliable that one of the 18 artifacts made by Skjoldar the Forgemaster is in this kingdom."
"You mean like your sword?" Ren asked.
"Kinda..." Shin started, but Lili interrupted. "Skjoldar, one of the Eternal Emperors, made 18 artifacts. We call them artifacts because their form is uncertain. They shape themselves to their owner's needs. Skjoldar hid them across the continent, and they can only be obtained through trials he called 'The Testaments of Worth.' Only 16 have been found."
Ren asked, "Why not seek one of the 16 artifacts? Maybe it's easier."
Lili sighed. Bjorn answered him. "It's because they are formless. Once an artifact takes shape according to its master's needs, it remains like that for good. Once its master dies, it's hard for the next owner to awaken them. So warriors seek the unclaimed ones—it's too tempting."
Shin replied, "That's why we need to head out quickly. If news spreads, everyone will be on the hunt. We have the time advantage."
In an instant, everyone started rushing, gathering their belongings.
Silence spread over the city at night, but that same silence was killed by that damn wheel squealing. "For fuck's sake, Bjorn—how many times have I told you to fix that wheel? You're ruining my story!" Peter narrated.
Shin shushed him. "Shh, you will attract unnecessary attention."
"Don't shush me. This is a story for the ages, and I want it to be perfect," Peter said as they both rode their horses. "It was a cold, silent night in the big city, but only I was awake. You don't know me? I am vengeance, I am ba—"
Lili interrupted. "Shh, shut up, you idiot."
Bjorn and Ren laughed along with that squealing wheel as they left the city.
The day's first light spread across the forest, with the party marching through it as Erbil City lay on the horizon. Peter, bored, his eyes slowly closing as he yawned, said, "Wait, you didn't tell us where we're going. We're just following you, Captain."
Shin replied, "Well, I guess it's about the right time." He sighed. "We're heading for Dragonthroat Mountain."
Peter instantly yelled, "Are you mad? Oh, not in a million years will I go there. I'm turning back!"
Lili started laughing and pointing at Peter. "Shut up, you midget," Peter snapped.
Shin said, "Peter, there's nothing to be afraid of. Stop it. It's just a mountain. Don't you want the artifact?"
Peter shook and wiped the anger from his face. "Fine. And I swear, if the artifact chooses you, I'll kill you myself."
Ren whispered to Lili, "What's going on?"
So Lili told him loudly, making sure Peter heard her. "A long time ago, when we came to this kingdom, we passed through the forest near Dragonthroat Mountain. We camped there for the night. We heard people avoid it, so it was safer to avoid getting close. Peter here woke up and went to pee, and after a while he came back yelling and screaming, 'Dragon, dragon!' And what we saw was that he peed himself—his pants were soaking wet."
Lili burst out laughing. Bjorn smiled. Peter angrily said, "I told you it was water. After the dragon passed over, water came down filling the forest."
Lili said, "So you're saying the imaginary dragon pissed on you?" and burst into laughter again.
Peter replied, "What I said is back then he was spitting water."
"Yeah, right. Even Shin didn't believe you back then," Lili responded.
Shin said, "All I said is dragons in legends are known to breathe fire, not spit water."
Peter sighed angrily. "I am telling you guys again, dragons are..."
Ren interrupted, "...real. Dragons are real."
Everyone turned back to him. Shin asked, "So you've seen one?"
Ren said, "No, but my mother did. She used to tell me stories about them, like Ro'Khas, lord of black lightning and Dragon Emperor, or Sen'heer, lord of flames."
Everyone looked surprised. Lili said, "Hmm, maybe dragons are real."
Peter, with tears, said, "What I've been saying for years!"
"Well, you didn't name a single one," Shin said. "Come on, let's increase our speed. We need to reach the 22nd watchtower by noon."
As he rode away, Bjorn whipped the horses, leaving Peter sad and disappointed.
The 22nd watchtower stood atop a hill southeast of Erbil City, its structure towering above the forest so it could be seen from afar. Travelers passing by used the watchtowers as guides through the land and emergency shelter. The party reached the tower, but only Shin dismounted and was welcomed by the guardian. Shin asked for a specific route to avoid towns and villages. The guardian, confused—since many travelers asked for the shortest or safest paths—wondered if they carried something valuable, so he guided Shin inside. After a while, Shin exited with a map as the guardian said farewell, wishing them luck.
They continued, Shin opening the map once and closing it, hiding it within his clothes. Ren wondered, "Shin, why do we need to travel this way, avoiding people?"
Shin replied, "Because the trip will take us around 15-20 days to reach our destination, and we don't want to attract people's attention."
Ren said, "But we've already traveled before without any issues. Why be cautious now?"
Shin explained, "Because, Ren, we were being watched in the city. Our watchers won't be suspicious of us going to fortresses and doing tasks for the duke, but they will be alerted if we suddenly take a vacation to some distant mountain. You get it now?"
Peter turned to Ren. "These artifacts are way more important than you think. Warriors made their names across the continent because of them."
Ren sighed. "But what I don't understand is, Lili—why do you seek one? You don't use a weapon."
Lili answered, "Ren, just because they can change shape and form doesn't mean they are weapons. They adapt to their owner's needs, not desires, so the possibilities are endless. And because Akrion Aspects rely on high-quality gear to compete with strong Vessels, since they use Akrion to increases durability for both body and weapons."
Peter added, "Have you ever had your weapon break in a life-or-death situation?"
Lili shook her head. "Exactly."
Shin silenced everybody. "Enough. The other reason for taking this route is to train. We don't know exactly what 'The Testaments of Worth' will be, which is why we will train in pairs, including you, Lili. We can't afford something happening in the trials and ending burning one of us. Also Ren enough with the questions you should keep up , we cant afford explaining everything in the heat of battle. "
"Yes, you should use this training to answer all your questions once and for all ' peter said . Ren understood it and just nods .
Everyone's faces looked serious then, each knowing his own weakness as they rode to their next checkpoint.