Divine Beast Ascension

“I see... Well, thank you for offering-”

“Worst case scenario, we can force your ascension as a king, but then you’ll likely reach your limit somewhere within the king realm,” added Eeole, striking Ryssel dumb.

Rykard, however, jumped with even more joy and threw his arms around Ryssel. “See! You CAN become a king! You don’t have to die!”

Then, Rykard suddenly became serious and prostrated himself to the shadowy figure and Oli. “Not only will you provide for me to fulfill my dreams as a smith, but you can save my father... If that’s so, then I’ll forever be in your debt and servitude.”

“I... will also forever be in your debt and servitude,” Ryssel sighed, finally able to move and join his son in prostrating himself.

Eeole nodded to them both. Oli nodded and spoke up, “We look forward to seeing both your progress and everything that you’ll offer us. And we’re excited to help you grow in order to strengthen not just yourselves but also those we have gathered around us.”

.....

“Whatever you need, even if it involves battle, count us in!” Rykard and Ryssel spoke in perfect unison without a hint of glancing at each other.

A smile of relief appeared on Eeole’s face. “I’m glad to hear that. With two secret kings, Iron Territory can finally be considered safe... Now, we should get going. We have other matters to handle, but we’ll be back with someone to help make the relocation far easier. One sun. That’s when we’ll be back. So make sure to sell everything from your old lives, including this mansion.”

Oli cut in, “Actually, I think it’s best if you meet us at... I just realized the inn doesn’t technically have a name. Does either of you know the large but dilapidated inn located in the west part of the city? It’s got no name or insulation.”

“I know of the place,” Ryssel nodded.

“Then we’ll have you meet me there in one sun. And if you end up selling the house sooner, you’re welcome to stay with me and my companions there,” Oli continued. “However, you’ll need these to conceal yourselves within the city and in front of my companions.”

Oli collected the equipment on the table and replaced them with two matching cloaks and masks. “With that, your exit from Avalanche City will be unknown to the world.”

“Consider it done!” Rykard eagerly grabbed a cloak and mask, trying the mask on right away.

Bowing his head, Oli remarked, “Then I look forward to seeing you in one sun.”

“Thank you, Master Oli,” Rykard fully prostrated once more to further thank the young yet mysterious cultivator.

Ryssel followed suit. “Master Oli, thank you.”

“I’ll tell you my name after you’ve successfully relocated,” Eeole clarified as his visage faded from existence.

With that, Oli was led out of the mansion after donning his disguise once more. He left without making a scene or giving any hint of emotion to the outside world. But on the inside, Oli was almost as excited as Rykard.

The young cultivator took his time sauntering through the city and rethinking everything about his current situation.

For a moment, Oli considered removing his booth reservation. Since he now had both Rykard and Ryssel as dedicated smiths of Iron Town, why would he need to buy weapons at the auction? Besides, he already had Fulkar’s sword and was going to finally get his own custom, dual-essence weapon!

‘Don’t,’ Eeole stopped Oli from making his way to Icicle Palace. ‘Since you’ll lose a portion of your deposit either way, why not attend and see what appears? Even if you find only one thing you like, you might as well wait and see if you’re lucky.’

Oli agreed with a silent nod while navigating the foot traffic of the city. Along with his invisible guardian, Oli moved through the city and grabbed some food on the way to the inn. Of course, Oli changed into his common clothes before returning to the others.

Upon arrival, Oli was surprised to be stopped by Trenk. “Oliver, can we spar?”

Blinking and smiling, Oli nodded. “Sure, but only after I eat some food.”

“Oh, right!”

Oli and Trenk both sat down in the dining hall. Trenk enjoyed the late lunch provided by the inn while Oli tried some of the other local delicacies he’d purchased at some food stalls. Not much later, they had eaten their fills and walked to the back courtyard. This attracted the attention of everyone else since it was nice to take a break and watch others train or spar for once.

With their small audience at the side, Oli stood as casual as ever. “I’m guessing you’ll be using your sword?”

“Of course. Won’t you also wield your mace?” jested Trenk.

Oli responded by retrieving only his mace and not the gauntlets. One wielded a peak-elder mace with no embedded core, and the other wielded a mid-elder sword with two embedded cores. Everyone was curious how the fight would go, and how far both cultivators had come in the past moon. Trenk was now able to deal with the cold without any issues. Oli, on the other hand, seemed completely acclimated to the freezing temperatures. Of course, there was no wind or snow within the city to make it worse, but it still said a lot about the young cultivators.

“... Want to go first?”

Smiling smugly, Trenk darted forward. His first attack was a thrust of his shortsword. Oli quickly parried with his mace but refused to step back.

Trenk’s immediate follow-up was a fast side swipe, aiming for Oli’s left thigh. It was technically perfect. A true representation of Trenk’s dedication to sword training. But Oli quickly reacted and repositioned his feet to lessen the incoming damage, all while hurling his mace straight for Trenk’s shoulder.