Nameless King

Ceozi was an experienced blacksmith, so she knew that a certain type of weapon was suitable for each person, sometimes there were exceptions, but those who could use several weapons at once were very few.

'Hmm... Usually, everyone uses something standard, like a sword, spear or hammer, sometimes an axe, but for this girl, it all doesn't fit...' Ceozi muttered with a thoughtful expression looking intently at Nicole, 'She has an unusual aura, but she knows nothing at all about herself or her preferences.'

"Agh... Well, I have one option. Perhaps we can help you make up your mind." Ceozi sighed.

"Hmm? Really?" Nicole's eyes sparkled as she clenched her fists.

"Sure. Since you don't know what kind of weapon you want, the best way to find out is to see the different weapons." Ceozi said, getting up and heading down one of the aisles, "Follow me. I'll show you my arsenal, though it's more like just a warehouse of various junk."

Nicole and Wain looked at each other before following Ceozi. They walked down the cave until they reached a massive stone door.

"Damn... Why are these doors so high?" Wain muttered as he raised his head, "What do you keep in there? The core from a star? Or maybe a mini-moon?"

"Hah, not really. That's where I put everything I've deemed unfortunate specimens. I don't like to destroy my own weapons, so everything goes in here. I mean, even if it was a failure, it's still something I put my time and effort into." Ceozi smirked before taking a deep breath.

Whooooooooooooooosh.

Like a dragon, Ceozi blew out a massive torrent of flame that rained down on the stone doors. On it, many runes lit up from the heat of the fire, then the doors slowly opened with a loud creaking sound.

'Looks like after we were attacked by Arkans last time, she started worrying more about her safety, but isn't that too much?' Wain inwardly muttered looking around, 'Even I had quite a hard time getting through the main gate, so it's unlikely that any monster inhabiting here can break into her forge.'

"Wow! That's incredible!" Nicole exclaimed cheerfully at the sight of the hundreds of weapons whose brilliance was hidden all that time behind the massive stone doors.

"Go ahead. You can touch every weapon that is here. I'm sure you'll like some of it." Ceozi waved her hand.

Nicole nodded vigorously before rushing forward.

"Well, well, she's enthusiastic, I wasn't expecting that." Wain smirked as he approached Ceozi.

"Yeah, it looks like it. This girl has wanted a weapon for herself for a long time, but she thought she didn't need one, I can clearly see it in her look." Ceozi said seriously, "I hope we can do something decent for her."

"Don't worry." Wain put a hand on her shoulder, "You're a great fighter, but you're an even better smith. Nicole is a special girl, so I'm sure you'll have to create something extraordinary for her, but you can do it. I know that."

Ceozi said nothing as her cheeks flushed and she looked away slightly. Most of the time she was here alone since she rarely had customers, so to hear someone praise her was embarrassing.

'Well, well, strong and tough on the outside but soft on the inside. I like that combination.' Wain said inwardly as a slight smirk appeared on his face.

Nicole looked around for a while until she picked out a few options that she liked best.

"Hmm? Sickle? Are you serious?" Ceozi muttered with a confused look looking at a few old weapons.

"Nah." Nicole shook her head as she pointed to the wide sickle in the center, "I'd like something longer and with a creepier blade. These weapons look too simple."

Ceozi nodded meaningfully, "I see... I've had these sickles for a long time... I took them from my hometown before I created the forge here. You don't seem to know what they're for, sickles are used to cut grass, so they're not really weapons."

"Hmm? Then why are they here?" Nicole's eyes went wide as she tilted her head.

"Well... It's just a memory, you know." Ceozi shrugged, "Look, of all the things here, did you really like the simple sickles the best?"

"Ugum!" Nicole quickly nodded several times, "I can see how these sickles can pierce and tear flesh, quickly and deadly."

Ceozi was puzzled. She had expected Nicole to pick anything, but not something that wasn't really even a weapon, but a simple tool used by farmers.

"Hah, I think I know what Nicole is thinking." Wain grinned, "She wants something longer than a sickle, right? Doesn't that mean she wants a scythe?"

"A scythe...?" Ceozi gave him a questioning look.

"Yeah. Nicole has a very loose, brash, and fierce fighting style. She's like a wild beast or a deadly hurricane." Wain said with a slight smirk, "I think that's what would suit her much better than a standard sword or hammer."

"Hmm... Maybe you're right." Ceozi muttered with a thoughtful expression.

"What are you talking about?" Nicole asked as she tilted her head.

Wain swung his hand as the darkness turned into a long scythe and a sharp blade. Wain swung it several times and said, "Here, it's a battle scythe. Of course, Ceozi can do something much better than I can, it's just an example to make you understand."

Nicole was puzzled for a while until her eyes went wide, "Cool! I want to try it too!"

Nicole quickly created a scythe of darkness. At first, she was not comfortable using such a weapon, but gradually she got used to it and became faster.

"Hah, I knew you'd like it." Wain grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Ceozi, you can make a decent scythe, right?"

"Sure..." Ceozi nodded as fire lit up in her eyes, "This is going to be interesting. I've never done battle scythe before, so this will be a new experience for me."