A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

Just a day before they ran into the battle, Seraphina walked into Erik's forge with a half-suspicious, half-expectant expression. She crashed into a wall of heat that would have made even first-ranked Runebound feel a little hesitant about going in, clearly suggesting the forge was being used.

She still wore the servant outfit Elora had given her, which she had very obvious, very conflicting feelings about.

On the one hand, it did look good, and she definitely enjoyed the fact she could now enjoy the sun on her pale skin without having to consciously protect it.

On the other hand, even if she enjoyed the sun on her skin, she'd gotten used to wearing full leather outfits, and didn't feel comfortable in something so far removed from her usual style.

Not to mention that her pride was constantly getting battered because the outfit made her feel on display.

Yet, all she could do was bear it. Part of her hoped she'd get used to it, while another part dreaded that very same thing. All in all, the current Seraphina was a bucket full of contradictions and complicated emotions.

Thus, the combination of suspicion and expectation she currently felt was nothing new to her.

"You said you had my surprise ready?" she asked, with narrowed eyes aimed at Erik's back, who stood next to his forge, apparently brining the finishing touches to his current work.

"I did indeed," Erik's nodded without turning back, his casual voice echoing with a hint of pride. "Just a moment!"

He brought his hammer down a few more time, filling the room with the sound of metal hitting metal while sparks flew everywhere. After a few moments, he then dumped the object he was working on in a bath of water and breathed out a relaxed sigh.

Putting the hammer down, he turned around with his newest creation in hand, and a prideful, excited grin on his face.

To be fair, it wasn't that this weapon was so special, just that he enjoyed smithing, and that the weapon turned out just as he'd planned. Obviously, things like his armour were far more worthy of his pride.

In his hands lay a long and slender blade, about three quarters the length of Seraphina's entire body. It sported a large grip, and a small knuckle guard, perfect for use with both hands.

In comparison to Seraphina's previous weapon, which was little more than a slab of metal now lost to the ocean's depths, this one was not only far slimmer but, most importantly, far sharper.

As soon as she noticed the blade, Seraphina's eyes lit up. The Council was still working on creating weapons that were both sharp and easy to wield, while also being able to withstand the rigours of being used in Runebound combat.

Thus, from the moment she first saw Astrid's dual swords, Seraphina had been secretly wondering where the other vampire got them. Of course, it wasn't long before she found out Erik had created them, but she'd been reluctant to talk to him about it, for various, somewhat obvious reasons.

Now, it appeared she wouldn't need to. Her face split into a wide grin. "Is that mine?" she asked, greedily, and with no interest in subtlety.

Seeing her expression, Erik chuckled. He didn't mind her greed or presumption. In fact, he enjoyed her desire for his creation. So, he didn't beat around the bush, and grabbed the weapon by its blade, before extending the handle towards his newest servant.

"That's right," he grinned widely. "As your master, I obviously want you to be the strongest you can be, which means you need a weapon."

Seraphina flinched slightly at Erik calling himself her master, but she quickly recovered and grabbed the weapon's hilt, with clear excitement. Yet, when she lifted it, there was a surprising hint of disappointment hidden behind her excitement.

Erik picked up on it, and he suspected what it was about. "Something wrong?" he asked with amusement.

But Seraphina shook her head with a sigh. "No…" she muttered, while swinging the weapon around with precision and grace to test the balance. "It's obviously a far great weapon than I had before."

She chuckled with slight smile, "This weapon will actually allow me to use my training in wielding a sword, and I thank you for it…"

"But…?" Erik asked with a raised eyebrow.

Seeing that he wasn't going to let it go, Seraphina shrugged indifferently, "Well, it's just a little light is all. My previous sword was unwieldy and dull, but it's weight was useful for my gravity affinity."

Before answering, Erik scoffed and waved his hand dismissively, "Hmpf, don't insult my craft by calling that chunk of iron you had before a sword."

Yet, before Seraphina could respond, Erik smiled mysteriously, "But never mind that. If the weight is all you're worried about, why don't you try and activate the rune in the weapon's hilt?"

"Hmm?" Seraphina muttered curiously, before extending her senses into the weapon's hilt, and feeling around for the rune he was talking about. Finally, she found it, and despite a slight, suspicion-based hesitation, activated it.

"Woah!" she instantly exclaimed when her body lurched forward, and the blade nearly slipped out of her grip. Suddenly, the weapon in her hand became far heavier, nearly too heavy for even a second ranker like her to wield comfortably.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

But she was still a second ranked Runebound, and a skilled warrior. Thus, she gritted her teeth, gripped the hilt with both hands, and called upon her gravity affinity. Finally, she righted her body, with both hands still on the weapon to keep it upright, and looked at Erik with wide eyes.

"What the hell?" she asked in shock and wonder.

Erik chuckled with pride in his voice. "I didn't have any gravity infused materials, so I simply used a water type metal for as much conductivity as possible, then I used a rune to make its weight adjustable. It's not perfect, as it costs a decent chunk of energy, and some time to activate, but I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Seraphina grinned, and now looked at the weapon with unconcealed glee. "I'm sure I will," she nodded with excitement.

Your next chapter is on empire

But then her expression suddenly fell, and she turned back to Erik with a frown. "But I won't just take this. I'll either find a way to repay you, or return the weapon after my service to you ends."

Clearly, her pride wouldn't let her take a weapon like this as gift, especially not from a person she already believed herself to be far too dependent on.

Erik smiled mysteriously and with an amused glint in his eyes, "If you say so…"

* * *

Now, Seraphina swung her new sword in a wide, vertical arc, and cleaved a branded shapeshifter from crotch to chest with a small smile. She wasn't a fighting enthusiast like Astrid and Erik, but she did enjoy power. She was more like Emily, in that regard.

Thus, she and the other four Runebound that came with Erik continued wading into the battle. Yet, they didn't actually have much impact on it. The melee was already being won, and there were far too many second rankers already involved for them to make too much of a difference, despite Astrid and Seraphina's power.

But that was fine. The big deciders in today's battle were the Ashcroft sisters, who fixed the defender's greatest weakness, and, obviously, the battle between third rankers, where Erik had just managed to defend himself against a third ranked missile of mud, under the astonished gazes of Aaron, Abigail, and the werelion.