The Strongest Spellblade

“You are absolutely correct, but I am hoping that both April and Sam can overcome these issues,” Stormy said.

“What magic do you use?” Harren asked Sam directly.

“Illusion and trap magic,” Sam replied.

“That has potential, maybe. But ultimately it will struggle when waves of Mana wash over the battlefield, disrupting illusions. That is why they have never gained popularity with legends. And your weapons, have you even gone into the dungeon?” Harren asked April next.

“Only the first couple of layers on a paid expedition. Not on my own, but I am confident I will be able to craft powerful weapons, and combat is the crucible of innovation and improvement,” April declared.

“What do you think Justin?” Harren asked me. I had the most standing in this group as the son of Elena and the number one student in our year.

“I am thinking it over at the moment. I agree with you Harren that their combat abilities are highly lacking. But their abilities offer something unique against trickier monsters,” I replied.

“If they have the power to do more than we can? I am not looking to form a team and have other teammates leach off of me,” he declared and that was understandable. Team members should be equal in combat power unless they filled a unique roll like a healer. If Sam was a healer then it would have been more acceptable to have less combat power. As for April, crafters almost never went into the dungeon.

“I don’t just have these items. I am building a war mech,” April said.

“Mech?” I asked.

“A golem with the controller inside. I need a chance to iterate on it and improve it,” she said.

“Can you even do that in the dungeon?” I asked.

“Yes, I will be bringing along a portable workshop. And will use the monster cores to fuel it,” she declared.

Now that added a new dimension to her inclusion. “It is something new, but the potential of war mechs is a possible path of future combat. Also, what April is not mentioning is that she has the support of Withers Corporation. The pioneers of battle golems,” Stormy explained.

“Fancy toys. But I suppose she can come along until it breaks or she can’t pull her weight in combat,” Harren declared and then looked back at Sam.

“I have a legacy of my grand uncle, the Legend Sam the Steadfast. He specialized in illusions and trap skills. I hope to go beyond that,” he said.

“That is why I invited everyone here. Everyone wants to become a legend at the very least,” Stormy declared.

“A legacy is useful. But I am doubtful,” Harren declared. He looked at me.

“I agree. But the proof is in the strength of one’s skills. I could see us doing a yearlong test run as a team and then making a final decision after that. A year isn’t that long, and we should be able to tell how well everyone handles themselves. I am concerned about the war mech myself. Equipment has a ceiling to it,” I replied.

“Not with the newest innovation, living equipment. It is the latest breakthrough. Similar to the pet you have,” April said.

“Living equipment? Is that even safe?” I asked.

“Yes. And that is what will make it a mech instead of a golem. It will have its own status page,” April explained.

“That would require some powerful soul magic or a ritual,” I replied.

“I am not at liberty to discuss the process. But the Withers Corporation is putting over 100 platinum into my war mech. I just require a team to join,” April said.

“I have confirmed this. That is why she has an invite to our gathering despite being crafter,” Stormy explained.

“That is a lot. You could get a tier 4 or 5 piece of equipment at that price,” Harren said, impressed like me at the size of such an investment. “If it breaks, that would be a disaster.”

“Which is why the initial run requires a team to ensure safety,” April said.

“Not a dwarven or corporation team?” he asked.

“We don’t have the background in that area. And the other dwarven corporations would like to steal the secrets of the war mech. The goal is to create a machine that can be passed down through the generations. Achieving a level that has never before been seen. The strongest machine!” April declared. I could sense her passion in that statement.

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“Now I am feeling a bit lacking in comparison. Is it done yet?” I asked.

“Only the core and primary frame has been completed. The rest of the components and weapons are carefully being crafted. It will be turned on once I graduate and we descend into Balde’s Maw, um, sorry, I mean the dungeon,” she said.

“It is fine. I use the term depths often enough myself,” Stormy declared with a smile.

“What about a living sword?” I asked.

“The core for the mech is too large to fit in regular equipment. That is why this has never been done before. I also ask that everyone keeps quiet about this project,” April said.

“No problem,” Harren said.

“It is what a team should do,” I said.

“Of course,” Sam said.

“That is without dispute,” Stormy said with a flick of her hair. Her pointed ears caught my attention and Ozy stirred slightly but didn’t move much.

“Then a minimum one year team after graduation in just over six years from now. If there are no major issues, then I would like to secure a nine year contract,” Stormy said.

“There will be an issue. The Dark Cabal has expressed interest in me,” I replied, not giving away too much to see how everyone would react.

“The Dark Cabal?” Harren asked. Everyone looked at him. “What?”

“They are a group of terrorists and high level individuals. They were responsible for the attack on Undercraft,” April said.

“Oh, those people. Ah, I see. How bad is it?” Harren asked me.

“There is a personal conflict between me and one their leaders. The Legend Xanatos, who specializes in poison and curse skills. He managed to survive, and escape injured from a confrontation with Supreme Warlady Elena,” I said.

“Do you expect him to target you in the dungeon?” Stormy asked.

“That or through this team if I join. I figured that it would be best to make everyone aware of this beforehand,” I answered.

“The Dark Cabal are terrorists and scum lurking in the shadows. My war mech will blow them away with righteous fury, avenging the dwarves of Undercraft,” April declared while pounding her fist on the table.

“As long as we don’t go looking for them, I have no problems. Each of us has a background of some kind,” Harren said.

“I agree. And once we are in the dungeon, tracking us will be difficult. But we should all make preparations to counter such methods, and I will request support from my family,” Stormy declared.

“If I am to reach the top, I can’t hold fear in my heart,” Sam said, which I took to mean he didn’t have a problem with a possible confrontation. Time would tell if I would be able to trust these individuals, but I was hopeful.

“Why are we meeting so early on anyways?” Harren asked. His first misstep as part of the team. Stormy gave me a look and then a slight nod. She had seen that Harren respected me more than anyone else so I should answer this question.

“Because we are all highly capable individuals. If we don’t agree to a team formation now, we are likely to make our own arrangements once we graduate. April’s backers will want confirmation of the team she is going with as will Stormy’s family,” I answered.

“Having a set team in place and understanding everyone’s backgrounds is important,” April said.

“Any other coordination we need to take care of?” Harren asked.

“I would like to see the operation of the war mech once it is operational. Specifically, to understand its weapons and how it will fight, since there has been nothing like this in the past. The rest can be handled once in the dungeon,” I replied.

“I am interested in your pet. That Winged Serpent. I heard it is skilled at Alchemy?” April asked and I nodded.

“Yes. That is its main method of fighting, but I also plan to teach Ozy healing. It is not something that should be counted on and I won’t allow him to heal any of you without express permission beforehand and if it is a critical situation,” I said.

“That is correct. We shouldn’t count on Justin’s pet, since it auxiliary support,” Stormy said.

“I am more interested in its Alchemical ability for field repairs. We will need to work out some coordination on that. Being able to resupply certain types of metal while in Balde’s Maw will be incredibly helpful,” April said and I nodded at this.

“And the shares of the descent?” Harren asked.

“Equal split with biding on any natural treasures against your share,” Stormy said. I considered that. How the loot was divided was always a point of contention for adventuring teams.

“Fair enough. As long as we aren’t paying for fuel or monster feed,” he said while looking at April and Ozy.

“Fuel will come out of my share,” April said.

“Same for Ozy here. Anything he eats will come out of mine,” I replied and Harren nodded.

“Well, I am glad things are coming together so quickly. It isn’t easy finding people who are capable and willing to work together,” Stormy said.

“Problems?” I asked.

“There is a lot of history and prejudice with my people. But the College is a great way to break those boundaries. And if I want to gain levels in a reasonable time frame, I need to work with adventurers who can fight on the front line. Hopefully we can go the distance, all the way to the Last Bastion as legends,” Stormy said.

“Ambitious, but I like it,” Harren replied.

It was an ambitious goal, but I was hopeful about this team. Everyone had a certain level of competence. I knew my mother would roll her eyes about working with others, but even she had gone on her final descent as part of a team. The key part was to not leave myself vulnerable or dependent.

While April and Sam would depend on the rest of us, I had no doubt that Stormy could hold her own regardless of what she said. And Harren was a front line fighter, so his capability was not in question. If he failed, he would die. There would be no chance to easily break away from the rest of the team if things went wrong.

That was ultimately the biggest danger, that the team would fracture when there was too much pressure. That we wouldn’t stand and fight. That was the danger that came from working with new adventurers. All of these people were older than me. They clearly entered the College after or around the age of 16 once they were adults.

I was younger than them by 4 years, but I was invited due to my accomplishments and background. While I might be the youngest, I had the highest standing in the group due to my class placement and my mother’s background.