My Unique Adaptation Skill in Another world-Chapter 14 - 13: Departure

The days flew by quickly. Leo spent his time getting accustomed with the outpost, visiting different places, making conversations and having calm fun. People treated him like a celebrity everywhere he went, which was all new to him but learned to enjoy it.

It was now time to pick up his weapons. The blacksmith’s workshop sat at the edge of the Outpost, built into the mountainside. Smoke rose from the forge even this early, carrying the sharp scent of hot metal and coal.

Leo pushed through the heavy door and was immediately hit by heat.

The head blacksmith stood at his anvil, hammer in hand, but he set it down when he noticed Leo had arrived. His red skin gleamed with sweat, white patterns stark against the firelight, his horns were shorter than most.

"Ah, Hero," he said, grinning. "Right on time."

He turned and lifted a cloth-wrapped bundle from a rack behind him, setting it carefully on the workbench. Unwrapping it with practiced movements, to revealing two identical blades.

It’s beautiful and intricate craftsmanship caught Leo by surprise.

Each blade width was least four times that of a broad sword, and just a bit shorter than a longsword. The metal shinned with a faint blue-gray sheen, looking deadly sharp. The handles were wrapped in dark leather, long enough for two-handed grips but balanced for single-hand use, just like the sword he used for the festival.

"What are you standing dazed for? Go on," the blacksmith said. "Pick them up, we ain’t got all day."

Leo stretched out his arm, picking up the first one and enveloped it with his fingers. The weight immediately felt comfortable in his hand, heavy but not awkward. He picked it up, examining its balance.

The weapon behaved as if it were a part of his arm, completely integrated with it, reacting to every shift of his wrist. He picked up the second one, which was sat in his other hand, two blades meant to be together. Light enough to shift quickly, yet heavy enough to hit hard.

’"In my old life, the most expensive thing I owned was a used laptop. Now I’m holding masterful made weapons crafted specifically for me. The weight just feels right." Leo thought to himself, smiling faintly.

"The enchantments are layered in,"

the blacksmith said as he walked around the bench.

"Sharpness that never gets dull, coupled with regeneration, you’ll never have to fix the blade,"

Leo stared at the blades, turning them slowly in the light.

The blacksmith went on.

"The added recall enchantment means they’ll always return to your hands if disarmed or thrown. Additionally, they are bound to you via the anti-theft enchantment, which makes the blades get really heavy and dull when someone else attempts to steal or take them."

" There are unique enhancements given though" he continued " one has as requested, durability negation but it feeds off the opponent to activate"

"Feeds?" Leo asked.

"The blade drinks blood," the blacksmith said, as a matter of fact. "Not much, just what touches the edge, but it remembers and each cut makes the next one easier. The other blade though has weight manipulation, you can go heavy to light to heavy whenever you want"

He crossed his arms. "Between the two, you can adapt to any fight. Use the heavy blade to break through, or the blood-drinker to wear them down."

"This is..." Leo started, then stopped. Words felt inadequate.

"A Masterpiece," he said proudly. "This kind of commission is uncommon for me especially with the enchantments, but it was nice creating it for someone deserving."

"It almost feels inadequate to just say thank you " Leo said.

He studied Leo with his arms folded, shrugging off what Leo had just said.

"You gave the outpost a fire not seen in years, so don’t think too much about something like this. If there’s anything I will say though, is for an interesting young man as yourself, try not to die early or stupidly, you seem like the type "

Leo laughed softly. "Second person to tell me that."

"Then it would do you good to listen" The blacksmith handed him two leather sheaths, reinforced and fitted with straps. "You don’t have to worry to much on how to wear em, they’re designed to draw smoothly either way."

Leo put them on and drew the blades. The blades drew smoothly with hardly a sound on the leather and went back in smoothly as well. Leo made some basic moves like cutting, blocking, and going from one blade to two, and all of these movements were illustrative of balance.

"They’re perfect," Leo said finally.

"How about you give them a name." The blacksmith said. "No sword is complete without a name"

He thought back to the hunt, the mana-dense forest, the days of running, adapting, barely surviving, the lynx that should have killed him, the moment he’d decided that if he was going to die, he’d make it costly.

He lifted the weight manipulation blade, feeling its heft. This one could become heavy enough to break through anything, a truly unstoppable force.

Defiance.

He set it down and lifted the second blade, the one that feeds on blood, that turned strength into weakness with patience and persistence.

If the first was refusal to yield, the second was the will to push through no matter how long it took, to find the crack, exploit it, and break through.

Resolve.

" I’ll call them, Defiance and Resolve." Leo said, partly cringing.

Two sides of the same truth, refusal to break, refusal to stop. The weapons weren’t just weapons anymore, they were now a promise, a promise to himself.

The blacksmith nodded, satisfied. "Good. Now get out of my forge, I need to get back to work"

Leo gave a deep bow, thanking him and left.

Leo stepped back through the compound, and it felt different. Quieter, perhaps. Perhaps it was just him, knowing he was departing soon. His room was already prepared. The nice garments he’d been given: dark traveling robes strengthened at the shoulders and forearms, strong trousers, and boots, everything was practical, but definitely pricey.

He changed swiftly, putting his old clothes and other minor items into the spatial bracelets. It still amazed him how much could fit; complete outfits, supplies, even the gold he won, all of which vanished into invisible storage with just a thought.

The maids entered without knocking, as they usually do. They went rapidly, checking the room once more to ensure nothing had been overlooked. One of them silently fixed his collar, smoothing out a crease he had overlooked.

They finished by bowing together and departing. Leo stood alone in the empty room thinking to himself

"More than a week ago, I was running for my life, half-mad with exhaustion. Now i have gold, status, and respect. I died trying to save someone who didn’t need saving, reborn into a world where anything could have killed me again... maybe that’s exactly what i needed."

Before following them outside.

Iori was waiting near the main gate, and Leo stopped for a moment just to take her in.

She wore a tailored crimson coat that fell to mid-thigh, the front open to reveal fitted black wrappings across her large chest and torso, embroidered with silver thread at the edges. The coat was split high at the sides over black reinforced trousers that hugged her thighs. A wide black belt cinched her waist, emphasizing the dramatic curve of her hips, her twin katanas hanging from each side. Her white hair was pulled back partially with a dark cord, the rest falling loose down her back. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the morning light, red patterns flowing naturally across her neck, other exposed areas, like living ink.

"Damn...I am start to sound like a broken record, but what can I do when she looks breathtaking, dangerous and beautiful" Leo thought to himself.

She looked up as Leo approached, her eyes flicking to the crossed blades on his back.

"They suit you," she said simply.

"Thanks," Leo replied, smiling faintly.

She turned slightly, gesturing toward the group assembled behind her. "That’s my travel party. We set to leave within the hour, anything you need help with?."

Leo followed her gaze.

There were four guards, stationed in a loose formation beside a huge carriage. They were Oni, imposing and broad-shouldered, with white markings on their red skin. They wore similar armor, that being a set of black metal plates underneath deep crimson reinforced leather, intended for both fluid movement and protection.

They wore First House markings on their chest plates and shoulder guard assemblies, which signified that they were exceptional. They carried their weapons openly, wielding swords, spears, and even a huge war club carried across the back of one. There were two female Oni attendants standing alongside the carriage, shorter and slender compared to the guards but still poised. They wore similar travel attire, with synchronized crimson and black colors representing their house, bearing similar markings delicately stitched across their arms.

"They know who you are, everyone does" Iori said jokingly, reading his hesitation. "You’re traveling under my authority. They won’t question it." 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

One of the guards stepped forward, older than the others, a scar cutting through the white pattern on his left cheek. He bowed slightly to Iori, then nodded to Leo.

"Everything is prepared, my lady," he said. His voice was deep, formal. "We can depart at your command."

"Good." Iori turned back to Leo. " Let’s start moving."

Iori got into the carriage, then Leo followed, sitting on the comfortable bench that was on the opposite side of her. The inside of the carriage was roomier than one would have anticipated, made of reinforced wood and with shutter windows that slid for comfortable seating of four people.

The guards got on horseback and placed them behind the wagon. The servants climbed up into the driver’s seat. One of them driving. The carriage began rolling, and the wheels squeaking as it did. Leo watched out of the window as the gates to the compound behind them closed.The bend of the road started, moving downward with the island’s slope towards the sea. He saw the community below him from the window, with workshops, storage areas, and living quarters for the many races that passed through.

Within an hour, the smell of salt water reached them. The trail expanded into an important highway lined with warehouses and merchant stalls. Sounds of different voices filled the air, carrying various sounds of bartering and the groaning of goods being loaded.

The ship yard came into view. Leo leaned forward and looked. Many ships filled the harbor, ranging from trade vessels and fishing boats to sleek diplomatic cruisers made colorful with paints.

The docks extended out in either direction, occupied by workers, traders, and travelers who would soon be sailing out. Cranes were busy, and the sky was filled with the cries of gulls. The carriage came to a halt near one of the largest docks. Iori climbed down, then Leo, who was still trying to get a grasp on the immensity of the situation.

A vessel was docked at the end of this pier, the largest dock, and it had a deep crimson coloring with black highlights. The symbol of the First House indicated the sail.

"That’s ours," said Iori, gesturing Leo to the ship ahead "let’s go".