They weren’t sure if it had past midnight when they returned home, and it was much too cold outside without starting a fire, but they couldn’t afford to sleep yet.

  Blorbo was pced at the same pce he’d always stood, with Lena, Rob, and Anders around her. Lena smoothed the edges and brushed her fingers over the various towns and markers on the paper. "Here," she said, pointing to a small dot on the far east side, “Nokia is forty miles from here. That’s a good day’s journey. A journey that means we have to neglect the farm and can’t keep selling cabbages, not with the time it will take. We'll need supplies, and more than that…” She turned to Anders who took a sit on the other side with his hands folded. “Dad.”

  “What?” He grumbled.

  “We need to know if these knives are really worth all this trouble.”

  Rob leaned over the map, scanning the route. "We’ve got the money from the duel," he said, gncing up at Lena. "It should be enough to get us to Nokia, if we make the journey. And we won’t need to work for a while.”

  “Then we go first thing tomorrow!” Anders raised his voice.

  “But Lena’s right,” Rob continued.

  “What?” Anders narrowes his eyes.

  Lena continued, “Dad. You’ve been avoiding telling us so many things for so long, and we didn’t ask just because you’d yell at us and the conversation would just go nowhere. But we need to know now. Why are the knives so important?”

  Anders turned to one side and replied with a gruff voice. “You don’t need to know the details. You just need to do what I tell you to do.”

  “Then you do it.” Lena shrugged.

  “Why you—” Anders was about to speak.

  But Lena interrupted. “If you’re not going to say what this is really about, then we’re not helping. You’re an Archmage, right? If you think you can wring some spells out of trouble and slip away from the Mage Order unnoticed, you do it.”

  “Wow, Lena.” Rob’s eyes widened. “It’s not the Mage Order though. It is the Esteemed and Most Righteous Congregation of Arcane Regutors, Keepers of the Grand Mystical Bance, and Sole Proprietors of Legally Sanctioned Wizardry.”

  Damn! Lena, tell him. If you were this passionate when you were trying to find your wand.

  Anders’ face hardened, but he couldn’t come up with an answer. He looked away, his eyes downcast. His fingers gripped the edge of the table, and for a long moment, no one spoke.

  Finally, some peace and quiet.

  The cat came over and decided to randomly swipe Blorbo’s leg.

  [-1 HP]

  ARGH!

  What the hell is wrong with you, foul beast?

  That swipe was actually so powerful it managed to tear through Blorbo’s STR and damaged his HP.

  Then the cat just walked away.

  Finally, Anders sighed. “Fine. Those knives… are a major source of my power. Not all, but a lot. They are Legendary enchanted weapons.”

  “What?” Lena blinked.

  Anders took a deep breath. His mouth opened then closed many times before finally he decided to speak up. “They are known as the Sundered Bdes of Holoscopic Power. If all the knives are together, they unleash unthinkable power. These bdes were meant to be wielded by the most skilled of mages, those who could master their unique enchantments.”

  What kind of world is this? Why are mages fighting with… bdes? What’s next? Knights shooting arrows and hunters weilding staff?

  “But... why would you pce a Legendary weapon inside a cupboard where everyone could reach?” Rob scratched his head.

  “The most dangerous pce is the safest!” He threw his hand into the air. “I’ve been putting it in the same pce all those years, and nothing ever happened. Why should I have been worried?”

  “That is... not logical.” Rob scratched his head even more furiously.

  And you didn’t care to, like, I don’t know, SIMPLY HAVE ONE OF THEM WITH YOU SO WHOEVER STEALS IT CAN’T ACTIVATE ITS POWER? Gosh, why is everyone in this household—

  “I still keep the remaining knife with me, just in case.” Anders pulled out a knife from inside his robes. It was long and slender, the bde etched with bizarre runes that pulsed faintly with an eerie green glow.

  Nevermind. He’s not a total idiot.

  Rob and Lena simply stared at the knife, speechless.

  Anders growled, “Now you have it, you forced me to tell you the story. Are you willing to help or not?”

  “Then can I learn magic, Dad?” Lena asked.

  Anders shot her a sharp look. “No. I’ve told you before, Lena. Magic is not something you just—”

  “But Daaaad,” Lena’s voice suddenly turned high-pitched. “you’re the great Archmage of the Sundered Bdes! You can’t leave me out of this! Please, I want to learn too! I’ll be super careful with it. Don’t you want to see how strong your precious daughter can become with your brand of magic? It would be a shame if the Woodywise magical bloodline ends here!” She batted her eyeshes dramatically, her tone was so saccharine it could give Blorbo blood sugar.

  Blorbo would’ve covered his ears if he could. It was almost painful to listen to. That voice. That tone. It was too much.

  Lena continued, “You’re soooo wise, and I’m just a helpless little girl who wants to learn! Please, please, please, please?” She punctuated each ‘please’ with an exaggerated nod and a grin.

  “You do not get to learn anything! If you want to learn so much, go out there and learn yourself!” He stood and walked out of the room, into his own tiny quarter.

  “Ohhhh, it worked!” Lena turned to Rob with newfound joy.

  “But he still said no,” Rob’s face was puzzled.

  “Oh, Rob, you know nothing.” She grinned. “You always start out with an impossible request, then take their offer when they haggle it down. He didn’t forbid me from learning magic by my own means. That’s good enough for me.”

  “Oh,” Rob simply replied with that.

  Oh. My. God. I’ve NEVER been happier that Lena is my owner and not an enemy.

  [QUEST COMPLETED—Amend the Wrongs]

  Reward: +10 CP, Lena’s Morale +90

  Wait. The st couple of days were so hectic I forgot about this quest. It’s only completed now.

  I guess it makes sense that it is completed now. Lena seems much happier. Good for her.

  “We should go to sleep now,” Lena said. “I’m so very tired. I need to meet the robed mage tomorrow and learn the secret arts of business liquidity.”

  NameBlorboRaceAnimated Furniture (Table)CssNoneLevel2EXP49/50HP15/30MP2CP21STR11END16AGI23PER15SkillsAppraisal (Level 1)

  Adjustable Angle (2 Degrees)

  Opportunity Sense (Level 1)

  Surface Agitation (Level 1)

  Synchronized Sitting (Level 1)

  Forked Tongue (Level 1)

  Massive Leap Under Duress (Conditional)

  Retribution Counter (Level 1)

  AuraUseless Gloved Fool (Permanent)

  InventoryA Pair of Wooden-Colored Socks