BXBX NOVEL Chapter 510 509: Fruits Of Our Labor (3)
Chapter 510 509: Fruits Of Our Labor (3)
Even her tail was wagging cutely behind her, and it just reminded me that this was what made me find this woman so damn attractive; this efficient, blunt single-mindedness that pushed her forwards at all times, not allowing her to do anything in half measures.
She did something to the best of her abilities and was proud of it, and when that was paired with her devotion and loyalty towards us, her lovers, well, it was a damn beautiful thing to behold.
Looking towards Leone, I nodded and had her go first, the Vampire gently lifting the dark blue cloth and flipping it back, revealing the weapon that laid beneath.
Roughly two and a half feet in length, the sword that rested in Leone's arms was a simple, yet incredibly beautiful work of art, its surface flawless and oiled to a shine.
The blade was long and thin, giving it reach while also keeping it manageable in Leone's hands, and it looked rather light despite its length.
Probably around an inch wide, the long blade was sharpened and tapered down, shaping it like a widened rhombus that made it an excellent thrusting blade, but still capable of cutting to some degree.
As for the metal itself, it was an interestingly bone color, but very clearly made from metal as it shone under the light of dusk, reflecting the light just as metal would.
"Hehe~! It's a shortened Estoc. A sword that's light and meant for thrusts and piercing more than cutting, hence the shape of the blade. With a lengthened hilt and a sufficient counterweight attached to the pommel, it can be wielded in one hand or two because I shortened it, meaning you could use it as your primary weapon or continue to cast spells with it in your off hand. I thought that, with your rather uncanny reflexes, a sword that was long and light would be better, and since you aren't the most..."
Looking Leone over, Anput gave her a wry smile as she finished in a low voice, making the Vampire frown slightly.
"Physically capable, this was the best option for you..."
Scratching her cheek, Anput coughed for a moment before stepping forwards, gliding her finger just above the blade itself as she began to tell us about the material.
"I combined steel and Firefang bones to create the alloy for the Estoc, and personally I think it came out great. Because of the monster it was harvested from, the weapon reacts well to Fire Mana, so you can use it as a focus for your spells, while it also has quite the bite to it when you inflict a wound. Durable and light, it felt great for you, but you should let me know how it feels after awhile. After all, I have no idea just what will work best for you as an individual, so if this is too long or just doesn't feel right, let me know and I'll forge something else; after all, these materials are good, but they weren't meant to be for our long term weapons."
Leone nodded, inspecting the simple, yet beautiful blade resting across her opened palms, before she looked up towards me and let me know to reveal mine.
Like she had done, I lifted the blue cloth and flipped it forwards, revealing the thinner blade that Anput had forged for me.
Roughly the same size as Leone's blade, and forged from the same bony metal, a beautiful rapier with an intricate cross guard meant to protect my hand from harm as I stabbed and slashed at my enemies.
Light as a feather and incredibly sharp, the thin blade was polished to a sheen and forged exquisitely, meant for all types of styles as it still had the width for cutting, but was perfectly lengthened and tapered for its real use, stabbing.
The hilt fit my hand perfectly, with just a bit of space between my thumb and the cross guard, as well as my pinky and the pommel, making sure I wouldn't be chaffing my hand whenever I wielded it.
The cross guard was comprised of various thin, curved bars of metal that formed out the crest of House Asmodia in bronzed metal, whilst the other metals were normal steel.
Both beautiful and capable of being used in battle, the rapier was perfect in many ways, though Anput smiled wryly at me as she said "It is made from the same alloy as Leone's, so only your Wind Mana can be benefited by the Firefang bone. Didn't have time to run down to the markets for something else, but again, these are just practice blades to see if you should be using these instead of something else.
Anyways, the rapier was something I thought fit you well, since it's a precision weapon and incredibly quick, which plays to your strengths. One handed weapons are likely to be the best for you, though I have toyed with the idea of Manriki - a chain connecting a weight and a blade together - for you as well, since that is also precision, but... yeah. Rapier for now, since your skills with a dagger are already so honed. This opens up a better dual wielding option and a broader catalogue of techniques, and it works rather well with your Wind Magic."
I nodded, grasping the hilt and lifting it from the cloth, which I swiftly folded and handed back to her before stepping back, creating some space between us.
Staring down at the rapier, I raised it and swished it down, listening to that crisp swoosh as it sliced through the air with ease.
The blade was balanced perfectly towards the hilt, so the weapon felt airy to move around and use, responding well to the various thrusts and cuts I executed as I got a grasp on the weapon's performance.
By no means a parrying blade, the apier was meant to be used to stab and avoid attacks, forcing the wielder to be adept at dodging any attacks before being thrusted quickly in response, perfect for those with light feet and precise control over their body.
In other words, a rather good weapon for me.
Leone was also going through the basics with her Estoc, switching between one and two handed and nodding to herself as she found her own balance with it, before we both turned towards Jahi as she coughed.
"So... what about me?"
The Jackalkin smiled at her and raised her hands, shrugging as she said "You already have a good weapon, and I haven't learned how to forge armor just yet. Though, I do have something soon, I just need to finish it up..."
Jahi just nodded, before adding "Well, you can give me something tonight~! After all, you could have still made me a dagger, Anput..."
That made her freeze, before awkwardly scratching her cheek as she nodded, muttering "Yeah... I could have, couldn't I..? Hah..."
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The reason Estoc is capitalized but rapier isn't is because this site keeps trying to correct Estoc if I write it with an e instead of an E, so... yeah.
Same goes with every other non English weapon, like Lady Sker's Gurz, or the Manriki I mentioned earlier.
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