The following day begins as I get ready for my daily training. Eckhart had expected Carlo and me to arrive around noon. So, with time to spare, I decided to make a quick visit to the Guild. Saying goodbye to Celia and Mei, I walked into the snowy streets and walked straight to the Guild.
I stepped inside and found a crowd of adventures, having a grand time together. Looking at the reception desk, I noticed that Julie wasn’t there; instead, an older-looking man was issuing requests to the adventurers in the hall. I approached the desk, and the man looked at me with dark beady eyes.
“Can I help you, my Lord?” The dwarven man props himself up on a stool to see over the desk.
“I just wanted to know how Juile was doing. How are her wounds?” I ask.
“Hmm, I don’t know anything about that personally, but you can pay her a visit; her house is just down the side street right next to the quartermaster.” He pointed and made hand gestures to show me the route I needed to take.
“I see. Well, thank you for your help.”
I began to leave, but suddenly, the doors burst open to the familiar big shots of the guild—the Phantom Blades.
“Man, those mandrakes are something else. good one, Gale!” Says a younger-looking human with dark blue hair and green eyes.
“After we took care of those goblin tribes, it was always going to lead us to something new.” A tall figure with light blonde hair and hazel eyes.
I attempt to walk past and ignore them, but I feel a tight grip on my shoulder, stopping me in place.
“Oh, look here, guys! The little runt is here all alone without his bitch servant.” The man they call Gale had a snarky look on his face. His ego needed a check.
“I am still the lord here. Any disrespect to my servants or men will be met with swift punishment. Choose your words carefully.”
“Yeah? Well, I am Gale Lurick, the top guy around here! So, I won’t listen to a puny runt like you. So, get lost or get yourself beat into the cold snow.”
“Small or not, child or not, I am still in charge of this place. But I will be seeing you later; you can count on that.” With that last remark, I quickly exited the hall and followed the instructions of the dwarf to lead me to her house.
Arriving at the house, it is a tall structure that seemed to be once the home of someone important. A growing question had brewed in the back of my mind.
Stepping up, I quickly knocked on the door but waited for a minute to no response. Figuring that she may still be resting, I slowly opened the door and walked inside. Making sure to lock it behind me, I call out to Juile. Again, no response. The interior walls were lined with various hunting trophies of monsters and animals alike. I began to look around for a moment and took in the sight.
Juile must be the daughter of some big hunter who used to live in this town. I grabbed a picture from a table and got a closer look. I was seeing only a young child with a man holding a familiar bow in his hand. The very same that Juile used to fend off against the ogre. Briefly brushing my fingers along the string, a remnant of Sato Haruki sparked alive.
Taking the bow in my hands, I pull back the string; drawing is heavy and challenging. Struggling for a minute, I slowly take a deep breath and concentrate on it. With a solid motion, I pull back and keep the bow still before letting go of the string. It whips forward and makes a solid crack sound; slight vibration reverts through the bow. It indeed was a work of art. Not the same can be said for my fingers. I somehow managed to pull it back, but using my bare fingers with that much force had caused them to bleed.
“You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Whoa!!” I jumped back, a bit startled, nearly dropping the bow on the floor. Standing in the hallway, looking into the room and at me, was a bandaged-up Juile; her face was sweaty, and her posture was rough.
“I see you found my home and thought it was a good idea to snoop through my stuff.”
“No, I didn’t mean to intrude like this. This is such a fantastic piece of work. Did you make it?”
“No, it was passed down to me by my uncle. My family had a long string of hunting monsters and creatures for sport and victory. That bow has been around for a long time.”
“Is it magical? It doesn’t seem to have aged quite a bit.”
“The bow is made from Moon wood, and the string is from a mythical hair from a unicorn. If the materials for this bow were that extensive, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was magical. But I haven’t seen anything magical about it, but it works as a powerful weapon regardless.”
“Amazing, truly.”
“Now that I spoke about myself, why are you here?”
“I came to see how you were doing. Are your wounds healing for the most part?”
“I’ve had a nasty fever from infection, but I think with what tonics we have here in town, it is more than enough to make it through it all.”
“I’m glad that you are doing fine. Well, I should get back to my routine.”
I stepped back, placed the bow back on its pedestal, and turned to leave. Julie stared briefly at the weapon and me before taking a quick breath.
“Wait, I saw how you pulled back the bow. Maybe you could use it and find out if something special is locked within.”
“I’m sorry?” I stop in my tracks.
“If you have a minute, I can help you prove the bow is compatible with you.”
Blinking momentarily, I stare at her and back at the bow. My hand twitches a bit; Sato Haruki appears in the mirror, his hands drawing a bow before and firing an arrow with deadly precision. Something that was complex and simple was now being offered to me. I looked at Julie one last time and sighed.
“If you want to let me use it, I won’t hold back.”
“Fine by me; I saw how you struggled with it. I can only help you with how small your body is right now.”
