by Nikita Thorn
Next to it, deeper into the room, was another sign titled ‘How do we know there are sixteen?’, which gave a brief reference of a piece of text from the Inner Palace Treasury, and another one that was titled ‘How are unique weapons found?’, which explained treasure poems and instances.
“Do you run a museum in real life or something?” asked Mairin. “I mean, this is… quite professional.”
Kazuki laughed, looking even a little abashed. “Oh, well, that would be somewhat of a dream job.”
The fact that some of the items were replicas did not take away from the awe-inspiring effect they had, and the visitors found themselves moving through the room on tiptoes, as if entering sacred holy grounds.
Seiki finally caught himself holding his breath and forced himself to relax. Several of the pieces he had seen before, and seeing them again now brought back some rather surprising memories. There was Fuyu’s Fang of the Blood Moon, its blade gleaming with an ominous reddish hue. On the podium next to it was the crude-looking pitch-black Horn of the Ox Demon, which seemed unwieldy amid some of the more refined craftsmanship on the other pieces. The large staff, the Oar of Time, Seiki was less familiar with, as he had only caught a glimpse of it in the hands of the Kiyosei Temple healers during a world event.
It was a little disconcerting to think back to how little he had known, and Seiki suddenly felt like someone who had just been told they had walked across an active minefield. He supposed he should be grateful he had remained relatively unscathed until now.
His friends had scattered around the room, looking at the various pieces. Mairin made a cooing sound at a foot-long wand on display. The weapon looked almost like a wind instrument and seemed to be made of marble, with swirling black and white patterns interspersed with streaks of gold. “Kiku didn’t tell me she was lending you this.”
Rod of Burning Clouds
Netsu-un no Bou [unique]
On loan from the White Crane Order
Netsu-un no Bou [unique]. +16 defense +2% energy regeneration. Glowing clouds gather above the user, causing their next three abilities to radiate out and affect additional targets in a 30-foot radius around the target. Lockout: 10 minutes.
Mairin noticed Seiki inspecting its description and giggled. “They use it to beat all the dungeons. Basically a cheat.”
“Crap stats again, though,” said Yamura.
“Kiku said it’s one of the better ones already,” said Mairin.
Seiki supposed the low stats could be a worthwhile trade-off, especially with its relatively short lockout period of ten minutes, although at that very moment he could not yet come up with an optimum situation for its use.
Ippei was slightly deeper into the chamber, observing a slim dagger displayed together with its jeweled sheath. “You managed to get your hands on this,” said the samurai in amusement.
Ambition of the Sun Priestess
Himiko no Yashin [unique]
On loan from the West Defenders
Seiki instantly recognized the weapon from the Muraki Woods run. “When did they lend you this?”
“Aki just dropped it off a few hours ago.” Kazuki laughed. “They said they won’t be needing it for the rest of the Festival.”
“Okay, so they’re not planning to go again so soon,” said Ippei, most likely to himself.
Seiki had forgotten about the unique dagger and he now suddenly wondered if the West Defenders actually had it on them during Hitsu Temple the day before, or if anyone tried to cut the Youkakufuu Sorcerer with it in an attempt to turn his summoned fallen monks on him. If they did, it most likely did not work, as he had heard no mention of the strategy at all.
If Kazuki had heard about the clearing of the First Stage of Hitsu Temple, or if he had been aware of Seiki’s and Ippei’s part in it, he made no mention of it, and simply continued his casual explanation. “Since Taira Mansion, we have now come to a better understanding with the West Defenders. We’re now talking about a loan system. If they want to use the Horn of the Ox Demon, we’re happy to lend it to them.”
“And you even convinced the Archers to lend you the spear,” said Ippei, who was now looking at another piece beside the Ambition Dagger. Seiki could not tell if his friend was impressed or worried.
The weapon was about six feet long and was a single piece of metal from bottom to its slim bladed tip.
Spirit of the Morning Fog
Asakiri no Seishin [unique]
On loan from the Kyouhou Archers
Asakiri no Seishin [unique]. +59 speed +12 attack. Swinging the spear through the air calls upon the spirit of the morning and creates a thick fog that only the user and their two nearest group members can see through. Every second, the fog consumes 4% of the user’s energy and spreads a further 5 feet forward in all directions. The effect may be activated three times in any six-hour period. Enchantment: Gift of the Far-strider – extends the range of ranged effects by 20%.
Seiki took note of the clan name. “Kyouhou Archers? Wait… is this why no one can ever invade them and they can just snipe people?”
“Most likely.” Ippei chuckled, before turning towards the Society leader. “Is that the reason they were in town? What did they want in return?”
“Maybe.” Kazuki smiled. “And let’s just say they wanted a closer working relationship with us.”
There was a sense of mystery in the man’s tone, but Seiki could not guess the gist of that exchange. Neither Ippei nor Kazuki seemed interested in pursuing the topic at the moment, and they moved on to other displays.
Deeper into the room, Yamura suddenly started laughing. “Okay, and here are the fakes. I see, you put them behind the good stuff. Oh, and they’re all from the Nobles.”
The row of displays consisted of two very different daggers and one long bow.
Talon of Kashima [Replica]
Kashima no Tsume [unique]
Last known owner: the Shinshioka Nobles
Arc of the Eaten Sun [Replica]
Nisshoku no Enko [unique]
Last known owner: the Shinshioka Nobles
Ice of Yellow Springs [Replica]
Yomi no Kouri [unique]
Last known owner: the Shinshioka Nobles
A quick inspection showed that none of these were actual weapons. The first one was a low-level dagger called Kashima Fireblade, with +12 attack, whose black sheath with a streak of red along the edge looked strangely familiar. Seiki then realized he had seen it on a large number of players who had copied its appearance over to their dagger to make it match the Shinshioka black and red armor set.
The other two, a bow and a dagger, were not weapons at all, but were labeled Painted Sculpture made from Woodcrafting, complete with the crafters’ names.
“Oh, these are good-looking replicas,” said Mairin. “They even made it look like metal with glossy paint, whoever this Michiko is who made this ice dagger.”
These two weapons were also familiar. The long bow was polished black, and Seiki saw Yamura meeting his eyes from the other side of the podium. The piece was attributed to the Shinshioka Nobles, but they both knew the bow lay hidden in an underground territory owned by a well-mannered bandit. It was perhaps not their secret to share, and they remained quiet.
The replica dagger, Ice of Yellow Springs, was also familiar to Seiki. This one, too, he knew lay not in the hands of the Shinshioka Nobles but a group of ragtag outlaws out in the Wilderness.
“Seiki, you look like you have something to ask?” said Kazuki, who must have noticed his extra attention on the piece.
“Oh, uh… I thought the rumor was that the ice dagger was with the Fuoka Army?”
“That’s what I’ve heard as well,” said Kazuki. “But the Nobles insisted it was with them, and we have no way of proving or disproving it. The last trustworthy eyewitness saw it with the Nobles, so that’s why we keep it this way. Unless… you know otherwise.”
Seiki was not quite sure how to resp
ond. “Oh, okay… makes sense.”
“Let me get this straight. The Nobles actually told you they had these three weapons?” said Yamura.
“Yes.” Kazuki nodded. “But that they currently had use for them and therefore regretfully could not loan them out for the exhibition.”
Yamura let out an amused scoff. “Lies,” he said with a knowing smirk. “These rich people, man. It’s all fake.”
Ippei let out a thoughtful breath. “So, you wrote to all these clans and told them about your grand plan about having an exhibition of the uniques during the Festival… and they simply trusted you?”
“Yes,” said the Society leader, sounding surprised as if wondering why there would be need for such a question.
Ippei chuckled and shook his head. “All right, I hear your statement loud and clear.”
Kazuki lifted his brow. “Oh, and what would that be?”
“Flex,” said Yamura confidently. “Soft power flex. Soft power is gnarly.”
Kazuki nearly choked on laughter. “Well, that would be the wrong conclusion to make, considering it didn’t actually work on some cases.” He gestured to two more items behind the row designated to the Shinshioka Nobles.
An uneasy mood came over them the moment they saw the placards.
“Kano Castle,” said Mairin darkly. “Of course.”
The first was a sword, and Seiki recognized it from the sheath, which, if he recalled correctly for his brief visit to the clan, the crafter had not done a perfect model of.
Ire of Izanagi [Replica]
Izanagi no Ikari [unique]
Last known owner: Kano Castle
The second was a strangely shaped dagger. True to what its name suggested, the blade split into three prongs, all curved in shallow waves.
Antler of the Whale-killer [Replica]
Kujiragoroshi no Edatsuno [unique]
Last known owner: Kano Castle
“You actually wrote to Kano Castle, too?” said Mairin.
Kazuki nodded. “Yes. Their clan leader, Yoshinaga. Why, do you know him?”
“I wouldn’t care to,” said the kitsune, wrinkling her nose. “He’s a bastard.”
Kazuki cast a questioning glance around, somehow a little puzzled by how they all seemed to share her sentiment. “Well, they didn’t reply.”
“Of course they didn’t,” said Seiki, a bit more darkly than he intended. “But they have the sword all right.”
“You’ve seen it?” said Kazuki with interest.
“Yes.”
“Ah, good. I’ll take it as a trustworthy eyewitness account then. It’s been so long and we weren’t really sure.”
Seiki grimaced at the memory of their several encounters with the clan, which had somehow never failed to deeply unnerve him. Even after seeing all the unique weapons laid out and knowing that the Kano Castle could be in possession of no more than two of them, the mystery surrounding the clan and their true intent seemed to lend these two pieces an extra layer of enigma. If the Kano Castle was indeed trying to gather the uniques, it seemed they were not doing a very successful job at the moment, and that thought somehow made it even more unsettling.
“Anything you’d like to share, Seiki?”
Seiki nearly jumped as he looked up from the replica sword and saw the Society leader regarding him with perhaps more interest than he had hoped for.
“Oh, uh, no.” Seiki hastily glanced at the next row of items. “I was just wondering… what these were?”
At nearly the back of the exhibition were two more items. The first one was shaped like a generic curved dagger of pure white. The second was a bladed whip, coiled up neatly into a figure eight. Both were labeled Painted Sculptures.
Venom of the White Serpent [Approximate Replica]
Hakuorochi no Doku [unique]
Lost
Yearning of the Crane Wife [Artist’s Impression]
Tsuru Nyobo no Akogare [unique]
Lost
“Uh… artist’s impression?” said Mairin.
Kazuki chuckled. “Ah, the further we go, we venture into vaguer territories. The Venom Dagger was made from a… drawing made from a description of a drawing. And the Crane Whip.” He paused for a moment, to make sure he got their attention. “Well, people know from Beta that it exists. For some reason no one has ever seen it, which is strange, considering there are people who have actually died to it.”
“Oh, spooky!” said Mairin.
“So, unfortunately, there’s not much that we know about them.” Kazuki continued as he moved toward the back of the room. “And even less can be said about these.”
He gestured to the two empty podiums, both of which had labels that said:
[Unknown]
Never discovered
“And that’s… your sixteen,” said Kazuki. He then waited, looking at his visitors one after the other, as if inviting questions from them.
Ippei drew a deep breath. “Why?” he finally said. “Why put them all on display?”
“Oh, it’s to show that there are clearly good clans and bad clans,” said Mairin with some satisfaction. “Good clans have nothing to hide, and bad clans are cowards and bastards.”
“Yeah,” said Yamura. “This is like a…a call for the rise of the people. Common clans against the rich and powerful. Political Science.”
Kazuki looked a bit taken aback by the ferventness of the answer. “Um… that’s not exactly what we had in mind. We were trying to promote the sharing of knowledge. Imagine if you’re just starting out, and you get to come in and see all these unique weapons that you will never otherwise get to see. Then you’re also clued into the mystery of the missing pieces, and now suddenly you’re part of the whole world on a slow and perpetual treasure hunt. It promotes a sense of… society… of inclusivity, you see.”
Ippei looked at him. “Okay, that’s nice. But, really, why?”
Kazuki gestured to the exhibition. “Look at how scattered the pieces are. Everyone has a piece or two, and if we all work together, everyone can benefit from the unique effects. I mean, look at how useful the Needle Dagger is for crafters. It’s to promote more collaboration between the clans.”
Ippei simply kept looking at him.
Kazuki chuckled. “All right. I see you’re not convinced.” He then drew a deep breath, his expression turned serious, although he looked a bit uncertain. “What do you see when we put everything together?”
They all glanced around. Seiki could find no rhyme or reason on why the attributes were the way they were. Some had terrible stats, and some of the effects were extremely specific.
“They just seem… random,” said Mairin uncertainly.
“Yeah. There doesn’t seem to be any pattern,” Seiki agreed. “Not to mention that some of the weapons are really… rare, like I don’t think I’ve ever seen a whip before.”
“No one has seen this one either, allegedly,” said Mairin in a mysterious voice. “Maybe it’s… invisible… until it wraps around your neck.”
Seiki did not want to imagine what it would be like having an invisible bladed whip around his neck.
Kazuki simply waited.
“Okay, I give up. What are we supposed to see?” asked Mairin.
“I don’t know,” said Kazuki. “I was actually hoping someone would come along and tell us.”
“What?” cried Yamura.
“Don’t you have a feeling that the unique weapons were put into the game for a reason? Maybe if we put them all together, it will raise some questions, and someone might come forward with a good idea on how we go about solving this puzzle.”
Mairin blinked. “You’re trying to crowdsource the answer?”
“Yes.” Kazuki’s eyes sparkled. “We’re at our best when we all work together. Human civilization is based on collaboration.”
Seiki suddenly had a feeling Kentaro would get along perfectly fine with this man.
“Maybe i
t’s the other way around and it’s just to encourage PVP,” said Ippei. “Which is exactly why they don’t bind to players. They’re meant to change hands constantly. Like how clan territories can always be invaded with a simple invite. It’s the design that promotes a certain kind of play.”
Kazuki looked at him for a moment and smiled. “Well, going by your theory, looking at how well-distributed they are among the clans, they’re doing a good job of keeping the clans balanced.”
“Which is why putting them on display is just a bold open challenge that says ‘please invade us’.”
“Yeah, the… bastard clans,” said Mairin.
“Yeah,” Yamura agreed. “Aren’t these high-level clans trying to get all the uniques together so they can make a wish or something from the powers of the combined uniques?”
“What?” said Seiki, and Yamura simply shrugged.
“Not very successfully, then,” said Kazuki, who seemed more and more amused. “Look at how many pieces they have.”
Seiki realized it was true. The Nobles, who claimed they owned three, actually had one at most, and even the Kano Castle had no more than two, even if one of them happened to be the best sword in the game. He glanced at Kazuki, wondering what his true intention was.
The ninja smiled but said nothing.
Seiki glanced at the pieces on display again. Perhaps Mairin’s speculation was not as baseless as it had first sounded. If a clan was willing to lend a unique weapon, perhaps they would also be willing to lend armies in times of need, and by showing some sort of an alliance, it was sending the Kano Castle a strong message that it should stop its ambitious expansion.
Kazuki was still looking at him, as if waiting for him to state what he was thinking, but Seiki was not entirely sure how to go about it, or if he had listened too much to rumors of plotting and had attributed too much meaning into everything.