Even though he had been walking for three hours, Siris still found it hard to believe his eyes. This lively and bustling city was on the back of a great insect, and people who appeared to be a combination of man and beast went about their daily lives. After an indeterminate amount of time, he had adjusted to the world's current state of affairs and was prepared to start anew. With no way to return to the remains of the Eclipse Temple and having felt he was overstaying his welcome, he decided it was time to procure new tools. Shiloh, swift as ever, suggested they visit a handful of places when he inquired where one could purchase a quality sword. It soon became apparent the stock in Adeluna and Baltil wouldn't do, as they were nowhere near the level of which was necessary for a spiritual weapon. Simple enchantments such as those could be imbued himself. Sensing he was searching for something more specific, Shiloh offered to take him somewhere where the wares were more exotic.

They were now perusing the markets, scanning the stalls and shop fronts for anything remotely similar to what he wanted. His hopes were dimming, and now he was considering looking for raw materials instead. Although he didn't specialize in artifice, he could at least create a functional spiritual blade. "See anything?" She asked. With a sigh, Siris shook his head. "Not yet. Let's just look for materials then. Ores shouldn't be too hard to find to create a base." 

Dala stared down her enemy and prepared for the greatest battle of her life. Her enemy was sharp, quick-witted, and a foe that would bring even the greatest of fighters down with one look. A tiny mistake was all that it would take for her to lose everything. The young woman didn't have time to think, to move, or even to properly form a snarky comment before…

"Sorry but its going to be 50 silver. I'm not lowering the prices." The old shopkeeper woman said. 

"Pleeeeeease!" Dala begged falling to her knees, "I promised the village I wouldn't waste a single silver piece!"

"I'm not giving you two herding dogs for anything less than fifty silver pieces. Take it or leave it." The shopkeeper declared once more. 

"Fiiine." She sighed and stood up, "Let me think about it then."

The villagers specifically wanted Kwama herding dogs as they were rumored to have expert senses and could adapt to any change in climate. Dala personally felt that normal dogs would probably work just as well but if that is what her people wanted, then that is what they would have. The only problem was that they had given her a budget and she was strictly told not to use her own money for it. Something about how they didn't like her using her wealth to solve all their problems and they were worried she would get herself killed from all the treasure hunting. The young woman glanced back at her purse, noting the 49 silver pieces inside. If only the shopkeeper would have lowered the price by one! As she walked along the crowded street markets and past the vibrant stalls, she noticed a familiar face. It had been a long time since they last met but she would recognize that deadpan expression anywhere! She didn't hesitate to pop  up next to Shiloh and her travelling friend, only hearing the last part of their conversation about materials. 

"Watcha looking for?" Dala asked with a big cat-like smile. 

The villagers wouldn't be too mad at her lateness if she told them she had run into an old friend. Besides, it would buy her more time to find a silver piece. If anybody asked, she just got the dogs on a discount and would fudge the records. Not like any of them were heading to Kwama anyways. Her interest was also piqued as she rarely saw Shiloh outside with a lot of people around. Usually she was held up in her temple with a series of projects to work on. Her eyes turned towards the other person her friend was traveling with and she gave them a wave. 

"Heya!" Dala said. 

When Siris came and said he needled a new sword, she thought this was going to be simple. She took him to some of the best forges in Adeluna and Baltil, which the latter was famous for, only for him to leave unsatisfied. At that point she was ready to just suggest him to have it commissioned when she asked him what should've been a rhetorical question. "So what kind of sword are you looking for anyways?" Weren't these good enough? "No, these aren't capable of becoming a bonded spiritual weapon. Their affinity for conducting aura is too poor and at best would only serve as an offhand artifact, much less levitate." She blinked in confusion. "Why does a sword need to levitate?" Siris answered matter-of-factly: "To fly, of course. It wouldn't be of any use as a spirit sword then." 

What.

"Wait I thought you were looking for a weapon, not a vehicle for transportation! Why do you even need a sword to fly?!" Shiloh was flabbergasted, trying to figure out how a sword was supposed to be a mode of transportation. "How are you going to use it? You can't sit on it like a broomstick!" 

"Oh there's no need to sit, you just stand." The man with a face identical to hers replied. "Where?! On–on the blade?!" She gestured wildly, still unable to grasp why anyone would opt to use a weapon in this manner. "Yes." 

So they decided to find materials to make a flying sword, because most people just use them to cut things instead of making them into enchanted mounts. While Siris was noting the lack of options, her downward spiral into confusion was interrupted by a familiar voice, and she saw Dala waving at them. It'd been a while since they crossed paths as Shiloh had been busy handling Siris' cognitive readjustment. "Oh hi, long time no see. Dala, this is Siris. Siris, this is Dala."

In response to the girl's question, Siris answered. "Condensed high-grade aura crystals, a primordial crystal core, and star iron ore." Shiloh translated. "We're looking for forging materials." As this was Dala's first time meeting Siris, it became very obvious how similar he looked to Shiloh. And how similar he sounded. The major differences were the facial expressions and voice tone.

"Nice to meet ya!" Dala exclaimed. 

The stranger next the Shiloh looked so similar to her that Dala could only assume they were family. Was this guy Shiloh's kid? Perhaps this was their family bonding time? Dala silently hoped she didn't interrupt their bonding time. Siris began listing off the materials he was looking for. The list was a series of complicated sounding crystals, cores, and ores that hardly anybody would sell in a shop. Even Dala knew that. 

"Yeah nobody here's gonna have that." Dala said with a deadpan expression, "What are you making anyway? Some sort of power source or a magical item?"

She knew that Shiloh usually needed things for her inventions and naturally assumed whatever they were making would be a part of that. Perhaps there was a world ending monster or a great disaster that needed to be avoided? Then she took another look at Shiloh and remembered her friend's shut-in ways. Nope. If something like that was going on, Shiloh would not be jumping into it unless it went to her doorstep directly. It had to be an invention of sorts. 

He was disappointed when the young blonde girl who was introduced told him those materials weren't being sold here. This was the third place they had browsed and not a single thing on the list was in sight. "Oh…is that so?" It had been ages since he had been trapped with the entire sect in that realm, maybe he was being too optimistic in expecting things to still be the same. When asked what he needed these materials for, Shiloh answered for him. "He wants to make a flying sword. ….Or a 'spiritual weapon' as he calls it. And it's supposed to be able to carry people I guess–as in people fly while on it." From the base description it was clear this wasn't something Shiloh would come up with. Things she made had a tendency to be more complex and have highly aggressive defense systems built into them. Even the mundane ones. It was clear this was more of her coming along while he was doing the shopping.

"You know, maybe we've been going at this at the wrong angle. If the stuff you're looking for exists, it might be called by other names." The look on her face said she personally believed this to be highly unlikely, but Siris was willing to give it a shot. "Or we can find a close substitute."

"I suppose that will do for the time being. Though it would be ideal if I could find the base materials on the first go." Sometimes you had to improvise. "But if the intrinsic properties of the substitute materials aren't close enough, they can't be used. There's only so much deviation one can allow in creating a spiritual blade. It must have a certain degree of aura resonance with whom it is bonded to." Shiloh nodded in agreement, not understanding a single word he said. She was just hoping this would mean they could finish this faster.

"A flying sword… that sounds awesome!!"Dala exclaimed, "And one that you can stand on while looking badass! Nothing is more intimidating than riding your own weapon into battle."

A big smile was on her face at the thought of Siris' idea. The thought of being able to enter a battlefield on a sword seemed too cool to NOT do. Siris also seemed to have the disposition that would be appropriate for such a feat. She grabbed Siris' hands and looked him dead in the eye with a suddenly serious expression. Coolness was a serious business and had to be treated like one.

"I will do everything within my power to help you." She declared before letting him go as she remembered something, "You know it's really annoying that you need to get materials for this stuff. I saw ghosts levitating a bunch of rusty swords back in the temple. It's too bad you can't just hire a spirit to fly you around."

She tried to think of the strange materials that Siris had asked for. Kwama had an assortment of magical items they had gathered from traveling around Onnen. The major benefit of being on a beetle's back was the trade they were able to have throughout the continent. Surely one or two of them had come across something like what Siris had been describing.

"There is an auction being held for wealthy collectors near the upper levels of the town. With luck, they might have one of the things you need." She said, "That's where they usually sell anything rare or strange."

"Perfect. Well, let's get going! Wait, this isn't one of those private auctions with a guest list right?" If it was, then getting in would be a pain and a half. She wasn't going to bribe someone just to let her in where there might be something that Siris needed. Plus the wealthy and eccentric tended to be very picky on whom they sold their collections to. "If they actually request identification then we should probably pass. Otherwise they won't let us in." Siris was feeling somewhat hopeful about it regardless. "Even if it's a low-grade version of the base materials, that will be fine." At this point Shiloh was just going along. Only Siris could determine if the things there were what he needed. As for funds…she probably didn't need to worry. It wasn't like she used most of the money she made anyway. 

"Really hoping there isn't a dress code. Not with this late-Venti heat. I can also check if there's any contraband circulating here or any cursed items that need disposing of." When the world wasn't heading towards its imminent doom, she was busy keeping tabs everywhere. Kwama was one of the few areas that were harder to put under surveillance due to the nature of its lack of a fixed location. As she saw the gleam in Dala's eyes, Shiloh was resigned to the conclusion that she was the only one who wasn't on board with the flying hover-sword.

"There's always bribery. And if there is a dress code, we could always excuse ourselves as dumb foreigners or something." Dala suggested, "Technically speaking I'm not supposed to use my own coin for this trip. But technically a sapphire is not a coin. We'll just have to look out for a morally loose guard and we'll be in!"

Her words were light and yet she acted like she had some experience in sneaking into gatherings. A mischievous smile appeared on her face as she showed the sparkling star sapphire to Siris. The star sapphire was just another piece she had borrowed from an asshole noble she found drunk at a bar. The young woman slipped it back into a safe place in her pocket.

"Come on. If we've got roughly four minutes to get there before it starts." She said, realizing she probably should have mentioned that part first.

If they sprinted, they might get there on time. The auction was being held inside a fancy banquet hall placed on the upper part of the beetle. Crowds of colorfully dressed wealthy people crowded around the entrance as they waited for the grand opening. Of course, many servants were also crowded around their wealthy masters, waiting for some order or sign to do something. Soon, the doors opened and a flood of people swarmed into the building.

"Four minutes?!" Before he could say more, Shiloh's face lost its emotion as her eyes stared into the distance. "ALRIGHT THEN LET'S GET MOVING!" Siris was half dragged along as she made a beeline for the auction site, following Dala's lead. Fixing their attire was a simple matter. Siris changed his clothes in an instant using magic while Shiloh used an illusion. Fortunately for them the auction was held in an open location so mingling into the guests wasn't difficult. Once the auction hall opened, everyone was aiming to get a good seat to see the goods or watch the upcoming bidding war. They managed to find three seats together in the middle, and as he looked around he noted some well-dressed individuals in the back with spyglasses. 

A hush fell over the hall as a curtain was raised and the master of ceremonies stepped forth. "Welcome, welcome dear guests. It is an honor for me to host this momentous occasion. I am confident that today's menagerie will tickle your fancies, so shall we see who fate smiles upon this auction?" His words were smooth like honey, and the tension in the air was palpable. He had to admit this was his very first time participating in an auction, and he was feeling quite nervous. He wasn't sure what to expect. Looking to his left, Shiloh had her usual deadpan expression, staring at the stage as the first item was being wheeled in. 

When the silk cloth was pulled back, a large pristine spear of what appeared to be ivory gleamed beneath the light. "For our first item, a rare specimen caught from the abyssal depths of the Nyella! This well-preserved piece of rib is rumored to be the trophy from a leviathan hunt during the biting cold of Glaciem. Any bigger and we might have to cart it in upon a carriage."

As the bidding began, Siris furrowed his brow as he inspected the bone from his seat. It indeed was in good condition, however the material didn't seem resilient enough to create a suitable handle. Even for decorative purposes it wouldn't be able to withstand a constant influx of aura in large quantities. The material also had poor conductivity for elements outside of water and similar subcategories. Blunt force trauma would deteriorate its structure easily. A man with small spectacles put up a bid for ten thousand right away, and after small competition from a decorated chieftain, it was his for twenty-five thousand. The next few items for sale were curios and oddities with little forging value. He did notice Shiloh eye an ornamental dagger with an emerald snake head, but she didn't place a bid. Her eyes kept following the object towards the person who ultimately purchased it. Was there something wrong? It didn't seem very special to him. 

Dala bolted in the direction of the auction at full force, forgetting about how she was supposed to look nice for auctions, and made it just in the nick of time. The woman had neglected to learn any spells that could change clothes and simply dusted herself off before stepping into the grande auction hall. Luckily, the surrounding aristocrats assumed she was a dirty servant for her better-dressed counterparts. She plopped into her seat and waited for the bidding to begin.

The master of ceremonies who was guiding the whole auction had a smooth voice that could compel many to surrender their coin. He spoke with such elegance and grace that Dala was tempted to fall asleep through this event. With all her strength, she managed to keep herself awake and focused. The ivory interested her to a degree but Dala let the other two decide what was important for the flying sword. If they didn’t jump at it, then she wouldn’t bother. However, there was one item that she really liked for some reason. It was a golden statuette of a goose holding a dagger in its beak.

“This is called the destroyer. Legends say that it went around terrorizing the locals and stealing all of their stuff. The artist created this statuette as a way to identify this creature but it ended up mysteriously stolen. We have only recovered it recently. The bidding will start at 10,000 silver.” The master of the auction declared. 

Dala gripped her hands tightly and held them in place to prevent herself from wasting money. She couldn’t buy such a thing. It would be a waste of money. And on top of that, she wasn’t even sure why she wanted it in the first place. Luckily, somebody else purchased it and they moved on to the next item. This was a purple and pink colored crystal propped up on a deep blue pillow, perhaps for its comfort? Dala was never certain why aristocrats did such things.

“And this ladies and gentlemen is an exquisite find. A crystal that can be forged into anything you’d like, with the exception of flying swords. Spears, shields, bows, and any other weapon works perfectly. We will start the bid at 100,000,000.5 silver.”

The specificity of this item greatly confused her.