Andre's spirit blade swung down at Vivi like an avalanche of pure power, its oppressive aura inducing utter panic. Vivi hadn't intended to fight full-out, but Andre's initial attacks forced her to defend with everything she had. Lucius pushed hundreds upon hundreds of ether to her feet to stop her from being sent flying. Vivi gritted her teeth as she haphazardly blocked Andre's blows. The air around her was like a thick fog; Andre emitted so much ether that she struggled to see the hunter behind the blows.

With each blow, Andre's spirit blade blinked, casting more cloudy ether into the air. Vivi's ears rang with the deafening sizzle. In theory, leaking ether was a loss for Andre. He was wasting ether. But in practice, the spirit blade's blinding aura clouded Vivi's senses almost as if Andre had Shadow Swipe active.

Vivi's sword held strong. Her runesword was like a lone surge hound stuck within the avalanche. That hound stood tall, facing the avalanche with hungry eyes. Vivi's sword held strong.

That didn't mean she was winning. Andre's attack landed, and immediately, a new one came from a seemingly impossible angle. Vivi reacted late, moving her sword to defend.

The swiftness rune of her sword was the only thing keeping her alive. The katana felt light, practically weightless. Vivi felt like she could move the sword with her imagination.

And she was still being outpaced. Andre's attacks came impossibly fast.

Lucius, more ether! Vivi shouted in her head. Aren't we supposed to be nearly maxed out?

"I'm pushing everything I have!" Lucius said. "Andre is purposefully clouding the air to intimidate us. Just focus on your own strength!"

Vivi gritted her teeth. Her limbs were filled with ether. Wisps oozed out of her body as well, escaping into the air at a rapid pace. She had her full aura active. This was as strong as she would get.

Andre was just faster, filled with seemingly double the ether Vivi had. He was an ether hunter with years of practice. He was strong enough to be involved in a mining operation on the fourth level. The Stewards had likely stripped him of his skill wisps, but his swordsmanship was still top notch.

"He has reached the second elevation," Lucius said. "He's in a totally different class from us. We can't expect to win. Just stand strong and gain as much as you can!"

Vivi bit her lip. Her muscles were already getting tired. Defense would get her nowhere. She needed to get an offensive advantage somehow.

We're in the dream realm… Vivi reminded herself. She couldn't get killed here.

She ignored her instinct to defend. Vivi swung at Andre's sword by force.

The hunter defended with a parry, sending Vivi off of her footing. Her heart skipped a beat, realizing that a spirit blade was aimed at her head. She had no way to defend.

Lucius was about to reveal himself to defend, but Andre stopped his attack.

"Runeswords will not beat spirit blades," Andre said.

You're just stronger, Vivi thought. This has nothing to do with runeswords.

Andre stood still, provoking Vivi to attack. He was playing with her. His technique with the sword was better; he had more ether, and his movements were faster.

The only advantage Vivi had was her sword. She had more firepower than Andre. If she landed a clean hit, she would win.

Vivi charged. Getting on the offensive was her only chance of defeating Andre. She performed a simple swing.

It will get parried, Vivi thought. Andre's movements were too fast, too cloudy, for her to see. But she knew Andre would parry her sword.

So she redirected her swing prematurely, attacking from a different angle. The swiftness rune made her sword flow as if Vivi was a practiced master.

Andre flinched. Vivi caught a moment of surprise in his eyes. He managed to defend, spirit blade blinking upon impact.

But his movements were late. Vivi had time for another attack. She threw forth a claw-swipe.

Andre was forced to defend again. He had no time for a counterattack. For the next fraction of a second, Andre was locked into defense. Vivi had another turn to throw an attack.

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She swung and reached into her core, hovering over Shadow Swipe. The skill could surprise Andre, letting her land a fatal hit.

Vivi hesitated, throwing a regular swing instead.

Suddenly, Andre's spirit blade glowed brighter. The shape switched into a rapier. Andre's movements became swift. Andre parried her blow, and the katana flung off of her hands. Andre read her attack completely.

But he didn't kill her. "This," he said, "is the weakness of runeswords. A runesword cannot adapt. A strength rune might make a sword powerful, but once you craft the runes, your options are locked. A versatile opponent can adapt and defeat you. Your runeswords might be more powerful in a direct blow, against monsters, but a runesword will never defeat a spirit wielder."

His spirit blade turned into a greatsword, brimming with ether. "A spirit can shape ether however they want. A light sword to mimic a swiftness rune? A heavy greatsword to cut down tougher opponents? Spirits can counter everything."

Vivi stood in shock. She called her runesword back to spatial storage before Andre could study it. I almost had him… If I activated the skill…

Lucius had his mouth wide open in awe. "Vivi, that… That was awesome! You almost hit him"

Sorry, I couldn't defeat him, she thought. I didn't want to reveal the skill.

"That was amazing!" Lucius gushed. "You kept up with him!"

Just for a few blows, Vivi thought.

"Talking with your spirit won't make you win," Andre said.

Vivi lifted her head. "You're correct in one thing, Andre. Runeswords can't change their shape. But a runesmith can adapt. I forfeit the duel. You win. Lucius, please take us out of here."

Andre's brows furrowed. While Lucius was disconnecting her from the spiritual realm, Andre charged forth in an attempt to cut Vivi's head off.

She disappeared just as his blade grazed the skin of her neck.

*

The smithy was dark and quiet.

Vivi sat up with a slight headache. It wasn't the worst wakeup she'd had, but the signs of overworking were still there. Vivi had been runesmithing for over twenty hours after already fighting her way out of the main dungeon.

I really need to start sleeping on a bed… Vivi thought. Lucius, are you there?

"Good morning," Lucius said. "I'm always here, Vivi. I don't just disappear."

Vivi smiled. A weak smile. She still wasn't accustomed to waking up anywhere that wasn't Grandpa's old shack of a smithy. Every morning, even after weeks in Zand, her first morning instinct was still to see if Grandpa was at work. If he was, Vivi would spend her morning assisting him. If he wasn't, she could continue her own projects.

Lucius floated in circles with a grin on his face. "Vivi, that was amazing! I can't believe it. Andre is a second elevation hunter. If we weren't hiding our powers, we would have defeated him!"

Vivi sighed. "We showed almost everything we had except Shadow Swipe. If it was a real match, Andre would have never let me on the offensive. And who knows what skills he's hiding."

Vivi knew she was far inferior to Andre in almost every regard. Yet, she had caught a glimpse of surprise in the hunter's eyes. For a few seconds, Vivi had commanded the fight, her quick attacks forcing Andre to defend.

Her heart raced recalling it. The intense feeling of ether clouding the air. For the duration of the fight, Vivi had been in a totally different realm of existence.

It felt strangely good. Similar to the feeling of being in the zone during runesmithing, but completely different at the same time.

The fight wasn't the only reason Vivi's heart raced with anxiety. She recalled Andre's offer—the one she'd rejected.

Was it the right decision to fight him at all? Vivi thought. Andre is cruel. But his offer…

"He's a scammer," Lucius said.

We're also scammers in his eyes, Vivi thought. We did back down on the earlier deal he gave us.

"He deserved it," Lucius said.

I'm not saying he didn't, Vivi thought. But by declining his deal, we're choosing to work with Ven and the demons instead.

Vivi lay on the ground, staring at the ceiling. Her whole body smelled like metal, and her fingers were black from aspen particles. The whole situation was so absurd. Zand's demons weren't any nicer than the hunters. Most of them tried to kill Vivi on sight. They were the same demons that Ythar's priests cursed as the bloodiest monsters to ever exist.

But Ven was different. He had to be. Somewhere in this world, fair people had to exist. Those who wouldn't scam Vivi for her swords.

"Vivi?" Lucius asked. "Is everything okay?"

Yes, of course, Vivi thought.

Lucius didn't seem convinced. "Are you still upset that I kidnapped you from home?"

Vivi considered her answer for a second. I'm not upset at you. I'm upset at the hunters. I've been in Zand for a week now. In that time, I'm already almost strong enough to rival Andre. A veteran hunter. But the hunters can't see past my 'ugly' raincoat or my debt.

"It's not an ugly raincoat, Vivi," Lucius said. "I think it looks nice."

Vivi smiled, but only for a second. Raincoats are the best outfit ever made. Of course it's not ugly.

Lucius was grinning. "We're ready to get back to smithing, right? Let's make a three-runed sword. We'll easily defeat Andre."

Vivi lay on the ground for a moment longer. Then she stretched her limbs and stood to examine her sack of ether roots. "About that…" she said. "I don't think a three-runed attempt is a good idea."

"Huh?" Lucius asked. "Why not?"

"We only have three ether roots, one of which is a rare locium root that I've never worked with," Vivi said. "It has a reputation of being unpredictable and difficult. If we attempt to craft a three-runed sword and fail, we'll be left with no sword at all."

"The third attempt will surely succeed, right?"

"I'm not warmed up in the slightest," Vivi said. "I'm not feeling good. It's a shame, but we should really just craft a two-runed sword for now to be safe. We'll save the locium root for later."

Lucius pouted. "Well, that's lame."

Vivi sighed. "It is how it is. Runesmithing isn't easy."

She picked up the last iron root she had and prepared her tools. She tied it to the vise. A two-runed sword was disappointing, but it would be powerful enough to help Vivi clear the first level of the main dungeon.

A knock came on the door. Vivi flinched. The door creaked open.

The armored man stepped in, Eem dangling before him. "Sorry for the intrusion," he said. "This little fiend won't stop bothering us no matter what we do. I believe she wants to tell you something."

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