Ty paused, considering how to explain their quest to the tiny creature. "The sword matters beyond the blade," he began, his voice low.
"It will help us stop a bigger threat than anyone here can really fathom. I don’t mean to bother you with our issues, but if something about this world is going to teach me anything, I’m going to guess you aren’t just going to up and leave us for a while."
The Spirit, a bit perplexed, simply stated, "Why do you want the Cross Link Sword? That’s such an old weapon, old even when I fell asleep forever ago."
Ty, equally perplexed, thought to himself, ’You know about the sword?’ before asking aloud, "How do you know about it?"
"Of course, I was around when the first user was still around, though it wasn’t anything too amazing," the Spirit replied with a hint of nostalgia.
"It was great at forcing one-on-one fights during wars and isolating threats. But there have been much stronger weapons that can reshape the world if used rightly or wrongly," the fairy concluded.
Ty nodded as he absorbed this explanation.
"That is what our reports told us," he confirmed, keeping his voice even despite the uncertainty.
"I don’t know anything about the other weapons, but for all intents and purposes, this is the only one we know can help against our enemy," Ty added.
The fairy tilted her head. "And who is this enemy? Is it the Calamity Dragoon? Or perhaps the venomous Raptors? Oh, could it be the Ancient Sword God user who lost his mind?"
Ty blinked at the names the fairy tossed around and yawned as he glanced at Nana. She had already passed out, with the fairy perched on her head.
"I’m not sure what those people or things are, but the man we are hunting is responsible for a lot of damage," Ty explained, his tone suggesting he was treading carefully around the details.
"He’s the reason I’m here to begin with, without going into too much detail."
"Feel free to tag along with us if you like, but do be careful, as I have no idea what to expect.
I see a future with a lot of bloodshed coming," Ty said, gazing past the small fairy and staring into the wall.
"I would very much like for things to go smoothly, but everything up to this point has been rough. So I beg you, if you are going to be following us for a while, at least make sure Nana stays safe in whatever fights emerge," Ty added.
The fairy looked back at Nana. The girl had curled sideways on the bed with one hand still closed around the blanket, as if sleep had not convinced her the room was safe. Todd snored against the wall. Every few breaths, one of the patched boards beneath him complained.
Ty lowered his voice.
"She keeps acting like she can laugh her way through all of this."
The fairy said nothing.
"Maybe she can. I cannot tell anymore."
Its wings twitched once.
"You are very loud for someone asking for quiet help," it said.
Ty rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a tired laugh.
"That sounds fair."
The fairy settled deeper into Nana’s hair, its tiny hands folding over one knee like it had taken ownership of the spot.
"If danger comes while she sleeps, I will bite it first."
"That is oddly comforting."
"Good. I hate doing comfort twice."
Giving a slight nod, the fairy asked, "Why did you reject her confession of love if you care so much about her?"
"I’m trying to get back to my world where the love of my life is fighting her own battles right now, not to mention," Ty explained, the regret clear even as he forced himself to keep speaking.
"But she is still someone important to me in this new world, even if I can’t return the feelings that she has blossomed in this short time."
Their conversation gradually wound down. The fairy watched silently as Ty’s eyes grew heavy and he eventually passed out, fatigue overtaking him.
It then quietly began to read through their notes, immersing itself in the written words as the night slowly gave way to the first light of daybreak.
The rest of the next four days passed in a relatively uneventful manner. The group, finding a rhythm in their daily routine, assisted the town with any lingering threats from creatures that were left, maintaining a vigilant eye.
There were no further sightings of the mysterious lady who had abruptly introduced herself to Nana. A second attack would have bothered Ty less.
Throughout this time, the fairy remained atop Nana’s head with its eyes closed, detached from most of the work around it. Ty found no mention of fairies in their notes. A few people in town remembered them as folklore or an omen, but none had seen one.
Ty asked the oldest soldier in camp. The man remembered blue lights over the river when he was a boy, but no creature. A cook claimed her grandmother blamed fairies for a flooded harvest. Their stories shared nothing except water and fear.
However, most of the soldiers who saw the creature chalked her up to just being some harmless monster, not an attacker.
The fairy seemed to enjoy that answer. Whenever a soldier called it harmless, it opened one eye and smiled until Ty revised the word harmless into currently bored.
Nana noticed too.
"You are making faces at people," Nana said on the third morning.
"Faces are free," the fairy replied.
"Are you going to tell us your name?"
"No."
Todd looked over from a barrel he had been helping move. "Can we call you something then?"
"You can try."
The answer sounded like a threat. Nana laughed, which made it worse.
Waking up on the final day, a bang came to their door as they all arose. Armond Zaraki greeted the group, stating it was time for them to head out towards the capital. He thanked them for all the help they had provided over the short time.
"If you leave today, you should arrive in the town with the Church Citadel about two days before the New Year ceremony begins," Zaraki said.
Giving a slight bow to Lady Nanako, he added, "I pray to the goddess that the day is a blessing to you, and that you are gifted a weapon fitting of your future."
Nanako, offering a brief smile and bowing back, replied, "Thank you. I hope to not disappoint, and I appreciate your hospitality over the last couple of days."
Todd, packing his giant blue and green sack along with a new green shirt pieced together by a bunch of the soldiers, thanked them.
The shirt, a patchwork of 10 shirts sewn into one to fit Todd’s size, was a token of appreciation from those who had come to respect him.
"Drinks will be on me next time," Todd said with a hearty laugh, expressing his gratitude. The soldiers also thanked Ty for his time and expressed their hopes that the group would find what they were seeking.
Nana, stretching her arms out as they departed the small town, remarked, "This place was comfortable, and I’m glad we stopped by."
She offered Ty a warm smile, while the fairy gave him a slight look of annoyance, its tiny face a mirror of complex emotions.
The rest of their trip passed quickly. Three days into their walk, under a shining sun that melted away the cold snow, they approached a large bridge.
It gleamed in the sunlight, a formidable structure stretching across the water. Two guards, wearing armor emblazoned with the symbol of (1) on their right plates, noticed Ty and the group approaching.
They stepped forward, blocking their path, and questioned, "What is your business, and why are you on foot?" Their tone was wary but professional, shaped by duty rather than hostility.
Ty, stepping forward, stated, "We have business at the Citadel Church. We are delivering Lady Nanako and accompanying my friend Todd."
He kept his words clear, making sure the guards understood their purpose. The guards whispered amongst themselves before responding, "We received news of her arrival. Please, move on in."
As they walked past the guards, they passed through a small bubble that seemed to burst upon their entry.
Inside, they were greeted by a bustling scene: hundreds of horses and carriages moved with goods, and people worked along the large bridge way that spanned 2 miles across and stretched straight for about 4 miles to a giant mainland that rose in height. The bridge was not simply a road. It had stalls, guard alcoves, loading platforms, and rail posts set every few dozen paces, each marked with the same church symbol the guards wore.
A loud roar overhead drew their attention. Ty and the others looked up to see a rail structure floating through an energy cloud while a steam-fronted train passed overhead.
Todd almost ducked on instinct.
Magic and machinery shared the same track above them. The train cast a brief shadow over the group before rushing farther across the bridge.