Rise of the Nightmare Crestmaster

Aldrich raced on his horse through the wooods and followed the prompt but he couldn't do that for long. But half the work was already done.

"Heya!"

Only he was greeted with the worst possible scene.

Ayemon held the horned fox by the horn and it was already shot dead by an accurate arrow to the heart.

"Oh? You got here much faster than I expected…"

"Y-you knew where to find it from the beginning!" Aldrich realized with a start.

"Oh, yeah. Well, I knew where to look. This is after all my backyard, I know it like the back of my hand."

"B-but that's cheating!" Aldrich pointed.

"How is it cheating? It's not a Skill and I didn't use any of my powers. Don't be a sore loser." Ayemon said all that while gloating with a shit-eating grin.

'This guy has no qualms about playing dirty, damn it!'

Back in the mansion while the fox was cooking Aldrich continued with his tale about his adventure starting with their arrival in Ebrict.

"So the Watchful Eye chapter is sneaking around there too?" Ayemon asked rhetorically and tapped on the table, "these guys are really persistent."

Aldrich quickly caught on to that remark, "what do you think they're doing there?" This was something that intrigued him slightly.

Ayemon frowned and was silent for a moment weighting his words as if debating on whether to answer or not.

"What are they doing? Same thing they've been doing since the war, looking for a certain item." Saying that Ayemon went silent again.

Aldrich didn't interrupt nor make a single sound, this was big. And he even had a feeling that he was not supposed to know this, the fact that Ayemon was telling him was odd.

"Before I tell you the rest, first let me ask you. What is the highest level wondrous item?" Ayemon went with a different approach.

"Grade five. Definitely." Aldrich answered confidently. One of the classes that he took in the academy was related to this subject so he was sure.

In the past Harvick, the healer taking care of Isger's body asked him to look for a grade 6 wondrous item to save Isger. But when Aldrich learned in the academy he discovered that there was no such thing as grade 6.

"Well, that is true. However actually there are items of a higher order than wondrous items, they're called Taboo items. And they're very important, one of them went missing in the False Saint's war."

"They've been searching for it ever since?" Aldrich asked with bated breaths.

"Yes, it was thought that the False Saint stole it but even during the war it was not used and thus it remained missing. But since Vorian was the biggest battleground for the war it remains the biggest suspect."

"Where could he have stolen it from?" Aldrich asked since that seemed like a key point.

"On the night of Weeping skies, from the Henthwyne family. Each of the five families is in possession of one. However after that night the item went missing and it couldn't be overlooked."

"How do they know that it wasn't used in the war? Maybe it was used in secret?" Aldrich thought that it was a possibility. After all it's not like the inquisition was omnipresent or omnipotent.

Ayemon poured himself a shot and took it, "they would have known, trust me. Even the peasants would have known."

Aldrich was not sure what that meant, is it something that was so obvious? No, could it be something that will be so big everyone will know anyway?

"Anyway let us not talk about these gloomy subjects for now, it's time for some grilled fox." Ayemon clapped his hands twice and the servants came pouring in and putting down the dinner plates.

"Oh, yeah, before we eat can I see your sword?" Ayemon suddenly asked him.

"The sword? What for?" Aldrich asked curiously and feeling a little frustrated since he was about to dig in.

"It's very interesting that your ignition actually manifested a weapon for you, don't you think so? Personally I haven't heard of case like that and I considered myself well learned."

"Sure… I guess, it is strange hahhaah…" Aldrich had no choice but to show him the sword despite his misgivings. Anyhow it wouldn't matter.

"Hm? This…" Ayemon held the great sword and frowned, "this is strange, how is it this old when it's supposed to be a new creation of pure Ether?"

Aldrich gulped down his saliva, how is it old? Look at it, it looks so good. How could he tell something like that?

"What? What is this?! Get out here!" Suddenly Ayemon roared and Aldrich felt like it was a thousand voices speaking at once, he held his ears blocking them. A cold wing blew from Ayemon's direction.

Aldrich couldn't open his eyes properly in that sharp and cold winds, it was like winter had suddenly descended upon spring.

Ayemon ran his finger across the sword's edge but it didn't draw any blood, instead the sword marks started glowing in an ethereal red and Aldrich could feel endless hatred and anger from within the sword.

Just as it began everything calmed down the light of the sword dimmed and the cold winds disappeared.

"This sword is for you and I can't see through it but I see that it's older than it looks and holds the grudges of a few moderately powerful people. Interestingly enough all of their egos feel united. They must've shared a goal in life."

Aldrich didn't explain he just shrugged and acted like he didn't know, Ayemon on his part didn't press the questions.

After the meal he just reminded him to not forget that he lost the bet and that he intended to see him complete his part as the loser. Aldrich wanted to act stupid like the bet never happened.

"What am I supposed to do? I will mess up I haven't been to these kinds of events… it's best to not be stubborn and just forget about the bet..."