Blossom Fable

Chapter 20

Now that we have two prerequisites complete, we work on the final three together. As the autumn deepens and the cool air cascades around Callena, we work on enhancing a weapon.

An enhanced weapon grants the user more power when using a skill, and although it cannot be as strong as a mythic item, advanced players will never go hunting without an enhancement on their staff, dagger, sword, or bow.

An enhancement also takes a lot of luck to succeed. We take the airship to Pyre Harbor, heading to the Grand Market to buy all of the enchantment jewels that we need. Because other parties are also preparing for the wedding, they sell at a premium. Not to mention that they are hard to come across in the first place.

The famous enchantment zone is found in the back of the Grand Market, where thousands of statues of weapons have been set up like some sort of magic circle. I stand in the middle with my party. We are trying our luck on a basic staff—made from wood from Kara, carved to be gripped easily by a beginner mage.

"Maybe you'll have luck this time, Hope," Princess says, in a rare moment of resignation.

I grip the staff. In my left hand, I have the enchantment stone. It glitters like a miniature sun, shifting in strong jewel tones—red, blue, and green. The trick is to "bind" the two together in one smooth motion. Left hand and right hand meeting. The stone should absorb straight into the weapon.

The only problem? An enchantment has less than one percent chance of working. We've already used twenty stones so far, making quite the dent in our wallets.

I take a deep breath. Other parties are trying their hand at enhancing their weapons as well. More than a few swear words echo out throughout the back of the market. I glance at the horizon and the nearing sunset. We had a goal to be finished by evening so we can take the airship back to Callena.

"Here it goes," I say. I bring my two hands together, hoping with all of my soul that the two elements will finally merge. Instead, the stone bounces straight off the staff. It loses all of its color instantly, turning as dull as charcoal.

I hold back my own tongue from swearing. It should be Princess' turn now, but the frustration makes me say, "I want to try just one more time." Avery passes me another stone, and this time, instead of relying on the stone itself, I dig deep. I feel a slight tether to the brother god from that day in the sauna.

I tug on it. I know that he can aid me this time, though I have no idea about the true cost. I caress the gap in my soul, all of what he already took. In turn, the power of the exchange surges through me. The same power that let me learn my fifth skill so quickly.

In one swift motion, I smash the staff and the stone together. Instantly, the stone disappears and the staff glows a bright iridescent shade, blue mixed with pink and purple. My eyes widen at how the weight of it increases, as if the power mixed into the wood. When I turn it in the fading sunlight, it has a sheen that sticks to every enhanced weapon. No mistaking—the less than one percent chance worked, increased thanks to what the brother god gave me.

My party embraces, and Mist lets out a cheer—in the sound of a high squeal. He apparently asks Juno what we're having for dinner. I guess he is more comfortable now talking individually to my party members.

The next day, we start our hunt for the fourth prerequisite. A rare item called the Winter Piece, which only drops at the start of winter. Thanks to the wind growing colder and our calendar officially announcing the start of the season, we begin our trek to the Halo Island abandoned temple.

The abandoned temple used to be a hideout for early members for the Following. Now, it is home to rare monsters and even rarer drops. About ten miles from Callena, we take an airship to Kara first and then trek through the forest to find it.