>>6218123You spy Elric sitting atop a rock, alone and off to the side. Mysteltainn was sheathed on his back, which was a rare state to find it these days. Following your bout, Nadia had restored his ribs to working condition once more. But the healing would take some time to settle, and there would be no more practice swings this day. You grumble to yourself, annoyed as you watch the boy do nothing but sit there. You and Elric clearly had two different ideas of what a spar really meant. Every swing of his blade gave you the impression he was trying to kill you. You, meanwhile, were consciously holding yourself back, afraid you might injure the boy more than you already had. But in that state of mind, you found he was actually able to push you quite far.
Your curiosity was burning a hole in your mind. You just had to find out what the deal with him and that sword was. As such, you saunter over to where Elric is sitting to engage him in conversation, and hopefully gleam a little bit more information. Nadia had mentioned she might be able to deduce something if given a moment with the sword. If you couldn’t knock it out of his hands, maybe you could get it out another way.
>“Hey kid. How are those ribs holding up?”.“Tristain.” Elric nods, greeting you. “I’m feeling fine. Nadia is a great healer. I already feel almost as good as new! That was quite the fierce blow you performed earlier. I hadn’t been expecting you to come charging in like that.”
>“Always surprise your enemy. That’s a tip that’ll take you far as a warrior. And I’ve got to say, you keep surprising me, kid. Where did you learn to fight like that? You damn sure didn’t pick it up from anyone here.”“Oh, I just think the way these Morfisians fight is quite fascinating!” Elric says cheerfully. “By now I’ve seen much of their particular sword style, and decided to emulate it for myself. Of course I’m just an amateur, but I hope to continue improving the more fighting that I see!”
That was a load of bull. There’s no way he could have picked all that up just from watching the few fights you’d gotten into with the likes of Nestor and the Riahi.
>“What do you think of that sword 99 gave you? I noticed you seem to be quite fond of it.”“Oh, Mystletainn? I love it!” Elric declares. “It feels so lightweight in my hands, and yet its cutting strength is deceptively powerful. I had no idea I would come to possess such an incredible treasure. I owe my sincerest thanks to Lady 99, and I hope to see her again one day so that I may express it properly.”
>“I wish she’d had a proper gift for me considering I’m the one who saved her from being kidnapped.” You grumble. “But you know…that IS a pretty fine sword, Elric. I just realized that I’ve never actually seen it up close myself. Would you mind if I held it? For just a moment?”