Chapter 125: The Shield Dryad

Chapter 125: The Shield Dryad

Dallion slid his fingers along the blade of the golden harpsisword. His improved senses made him aware of the fine craftsmanship that had gone into its forging. It was as if his fingers were sliding along air. And still, it didnt feel like his harpsisword. There was something inalienably foreign about it, even if he couldnt determine exactly what.

Go ahead. The general waved his hand. Test it if you want, but you only get two tries when you start for real.

Two tries hardly enough for such a task. On the other hand, Dallion had nothing to lose if he failed, and so much to gain if successful. Carefully, he pulled each of the strings. The tones were perfect, although different from the ones his weapon made. In a way it was simplerwhoever had made this had focused on copying the full octave. That meant, though, that matching a vibration would follow a different method. Everything that Dallion had learned so far had pretty much gone to waste.

Why two tries? Dallion asked.

Everyone deserves a second chance. No matter the circumstances.

A sound philosophy, which didnt make things much easier at present. From experience Dallion knew that if he didnt make it the first time, hed need at least ten more times to get it right. It was the same in video gamessucceed on the first go, or ragequit after a dozen failures, then succeed after cooling down.

Can I try it out on an object before I go for it? Dallion asked in hope.

Smart move. The general clapped. That shows me you really know how to use a harpsisword. The answer is no. You either go all out or not at all.

What if I use my first attempt on the object, then?

Hmm.

You said I have two goes, so even if I fail, I get a second try. I just want to have my first try on something other than you.

I guess you caught me. The general nodded to one of the furies. The guard reached out and summoned a small jade vase. Let me up the ante, then. This vase costs about a hundred gold in the real world. If youre confident enough in your abilities, Ill let you have your first try on it. However, should you fail in your second attempt, youll owe me ten gold if you break it, which is ten percent of its standard price. The mans eyes narrowed. Of course, if the vase remains unharmed, you wont owe me anything at all.

It was obvious that the general was playing mind games, or to be more precise, he didnt want to be outdone by clever logic. For a moment Dallion thought that he had been clever, but as he quickly found out, there was no outsmarting someone with money and influence who wanted to end up on top. Or maybe there was.

Sure, Dallion replied. There was a small loophole that the general had left open. At no point did Dallion say he would want to break the item during his practice trial. All that had been assumed.

Music, Dallion thought.

As with the tome in the ring library, a single tone came from the iteman unbreakable calm surrounding it. With this harpsisword, that meant playing two notes simultaneously. The fingers of his left hand still stung a bit each time he touched the strings, but it was nowhere as bad as it could have been.

How to change an emotion. Nil hadnt explained the process in detail, and Dallion hadnt read so far ahead. It was an advanced use of the music skills, that was for sure. From what Dallion could assume, the trick was to change the melody part way in. Going by standard logic, the first note was to attune to the targetthats the reason it froze, it was waiting for the next input. Going by that theory, he had to play the combination of emotions he wanted the target to obtain following the exact same timing.

If the vase displayed calm, Dallion had to replace it with a combination of tenderness and excitement. Thinking back, he had seen a lot of instances of excitement during his battles, but only one of tenderness.

Here goes nothing, Dallion thought, and played the strings that vibrated along with the vases calm. The blue markers appeared and started making their way to the tip of the sword. At the precise moment they reached it, Dallion repeated the process. The blue markers appeared once more.

So far, so good. At least the timing didnt cause any problem. The real trick started now, though. Instead of two strings, Dallion was going to have to play five, if his assumptions of melody conversion were correct.

Waiting for just the right moment, he pulled the strings with the fingers of both hands. The melody kept sounding. That was the good part. The effect, however, was less than what he had hoped for. Instead of changing, the vase was now oscillating between its original frequency and the new one. Was this a good thing? Dallions subconscious told him it was along with the slight headache that had started to form in the area of his temples. Holding his breath, he repeated the process.

This time the effect was immediate. The calm gone, the vase flew towards him, as if attracted by a magnet. The action was so sudden that Dallion could only pull the shield in front of him for protection. A loud crash told him that wasnt the best choice.

Excellent, the general said with a snobbish smirk and a slow clap. I must say, this is the first time I see an item react this way. You still owe me ten gold coins, however. Well, that is unless you convince me otherwise. He crossed his arms with a cocky look on his face. Ready for the real thing?Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)

Drat! That was so stupid! Dallion cursed. He could have easily caught the vase if he hadnt acted so surprised. Now he was in debt no matter what happened. His only hope was to have something to show for it.

Yes, General, Dallion said, taking a deep breath. He had to remain calm on this. If he allowed himself to get provoked, the battle was as good as over. He focused his senses on the new target.

Calmness and excitement merged into one, displaying doubt. At the same time, Dallion could sense another type of excitement on its own.

Isolate the emotions, Dallion thought. All he had to do was get rid of the doubt and build on the excitement and add some tenderness, this would work. It was all in the timing.

Of course, the rulesa guardian couldnt leave its chamber. Cautiously, Dallion made his way to the start of the staircase and looked up.

No need to worry, I wont attack you, the guardian laughed. After finally finding someone, I can talk to, itll be a waste. Come right up.

There was a definite sincerity in the shields voice. Leaving all hesitation behind, Dallion started the long climb up. Each section of the tower was very different from what he expected it to be. Apart from the floor, each was fashioned like a master bedroom of a different style based on the time of day. The fifth floor, of course, was the one that held the guardian and he too was not at all what Dallion had expected.

SHIELD GUARDIAN

Species: Dryad

Class: Shadow

Statistics: 100% Health

Skills:

- Splinter Arrows

- Entangle

- Regrowth

Weak spots: none

No weak spots? That was always something to be cautious of. The most unexpected feature of the guardian, though, was his appearance. Half-naked, he resembled more a model or a male pop-idol than an actual guardian. Slender, but with pronounced muscles and long green curly hair, he was probably perfect for a Twilight novel. The trousers he was wearing were more like britches ending above his knees, as if he were about to grab a surf at any moment.

Hey, you made it, the dryad said once Dallion reached the top floor. I must say it feels good to finally see some action again. Ive been pinned to a wall for so long, Ive almost forgotten how to move.

Youre welcome Dallion blinked. He had this feeling as if had come to visit the playboy on campus. Arent you? he pointed.

Huh? The dryad looked down at his chest. Oh, the clothes. Yeah, sorry about that. Im not up to the latest fashion. Give me some time and Ill get my bearings. Just bring me to a few social events and Ill pick up something stylish.

Err, thats not exactly the issue. This was without a doubt the weirdest guardian Dallion had seen. Well, second weirdest, after the copyette. He was just as talkative, though, if not more so. Shouldnt you be more combat oriented and all?

I guess I can put some armor on if you want. The dryad shrugged. Your choice really. Well, actually its partially your choice. You might have me, but my owner remains Balall. Until you win me over, that is. No pressure, but Id really appreciate it if you do that. As I said, being part of an ancient collectionnot the best experience.

Ill give it my best. Why am I making promises to a piece of armor? Dallion wondered.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know, anytime you need comfort after a long day or a difficult trial, Im here to accommodate. And dont worry, you dont have to tell me your preferences, Im a very good observer.

Okay, just stop! Dallion snapped. This is getting way too awkward.

It is? I hadnt noticed. There was a brief pause. You are aware Im a companion shield, right?

Look, Ive only been awakened for a month, so maybe tone the weirdness down a bit, okay? All I want to know right now is just how to use you in battle.

A month? the guardian asked. And you only rented me because you wanted a shield?

Yeah. You were the one who spoke to me, so I thought youd be a good fit. Thats how I found my harpsisword pretty much.

The dryad remained silent for several seconds, eyes fixed on Dallion, then shook his head with a sigh.

Oh dear, he said. I think theres some explaining I need to do.