The Virtues' Magecraft

Page 70: Beast of Burden

Alexander stared at his reflection that beamed at him within the blade of a silver sword. His face hadn't changed a bit since he was alive. Still, that wasn't his focus. His focus was on the ability of the blade; its strengths and weaknesses. 

He swung the blade in the air and judged its weight. Furcas spoke on the strength and beauty that came with a sword of UnderWorld Silver. The metal is found in mountains and is incredibly conducive to magic. Sometimes. 

Other times, it explodes when braced with too much magic energy. 

And so, Alexander slowly dripped more and more energy into the blade, flowing rather directly. This was a strange sight to see, as the hilt and any other material would always interfere with the process in human creations. 

He smiled. This was a good sword, he thought to himself, swinging the blade to the side once again. 

Alexander slid it back into the wooden hilt it came with and strapped it to his belt. Thankfully, Furcas would let them embark on their quest in more than cloth tunics. 

Now, Alexander wore a thick black shirt with long sleeves. He wasn't usually a fan of only a single layer of clothing for times like these, but considering the material, considering its effectiveness, it was near perfect. It was intended to be stab and slash-proof, thankfully. But against demons... Alexander pushed away the thought of a devil's claws being able to rip past his clothing and kill him instantly. 

He chose it because it reminded him of his Virtue uniform, the clothing assigned to him but never used officially. Of course, he paired it up with fingerless leather gloves, for old times' sake.

Somehow, Furcas was able to provide cargo shorts for him. That, coupled with random hiking shoes, Alexander found himself ready to set out, only in need of a weapon or two. 

He sheathed his new sword and said a silent prayer in the hopes of it lasting the entire journey, an instance that never really happened with Alexander.

Keiran's clothing was similar to Alexander's. He wore a plain grey shirt as he did in the hours prior, now covered with a white button-up shirt. It seemed to be something Furcas would wear, Alexander realized. He switched to regular pants and regular shoes as well, in preparation for what was to come. 

His altogether appearance made it clear that Kieran wasn't used to this sort of thing. And that was for the best.

The long, white overshirt reminded him of Gabriel, along with his bright blue eyes and fair skin. Maybe they had a distant common ancestor, Alexander joked to himself. 

After that, there were no similarities at all. Kieran was skinnier, with smoother and shorter hair. He was unstable in his movements and thoughts, unlike Gabriel, the boy who always stood strong and calm under pressure. 

Still, it wasn't as if Kieran was weak. He gripped a grand steel shield and slid his arm through the strap. 

"It's a good shield," Alexander told him, tying his sheathed blade to his belt. 

Kieran chuckled nervously. "Well, it's not like I can tell what makes it good or bad or anything."

Alexander smiled at that. "Yeah, we all start somewhere. All preferably, you wouldn't start much."

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"I just want you to get through Purgatorio and the Gates of Death and back to the World. Nothing more. I don't want you getting into the true world of magic and fighting. It's a lot to handle."

Kieran's eyes drooped down as he stared at a spear in his hands. "I see."

"But listen, don't worry. I'll protect you and your mom the whole way. You'll get through this in one piece." Alexander extended his fist at Kieran, leaving the boy to only look up at it and stare awkwardly.