Episode 21: The Demon-Possessed Sword (Part 1)
Between Kruger Forest and the port city of Vaela lay several villages, large and small.
Among them was a small village called Lobiton at the forest's edge.
Days earlier, a hunter named Shunbe had encountered a dying man in the woods while hunting deer—a man riddled with arrows.
With his last breath, the man handed Shunbe a sword wrapped in bloodied cloth hidden in his robes.
"You must never wield this blade," he warned before dying.
Shunbe rushed home and unwrapped the sword.
The blade fell between a longsword and shortsword in length, adorned with grotesque patterns.
From hilt to scabbard, it gleamed obsidian-black, yet crimson mist seemed to rise from its surface when sunlight struck.
An unnatural urge to grip the hilt surged through him as he stared.
Shunbe fought the impulse and rewrapped it, haunted by the man's final words.
Too uneasy to keep it yet too reluctant to bury it, he eventually brought the sword to his blacksmith friend Point.
As a hunter who frequented the smithy, their friendship had grown naturally—this seemed the perfect excuse to be rid of it.
The blacksmith Point was hammering away when Shunbe arrived.
Shunbe thrust the blood-stained bundle at him.
"Something's off about this blade. Melt it down for scrap," he instructed before leaving.
After work, Point unwrapped the sword.
The jet-black blade appeared unremarkable at first, but closer inspection revealed masterful craftsmanship.
An inexplicable allure radiated from it—too fine to simply melt.
Then inspiration struck: this sword could settle his gambling debts.
The next day, Malem—a notorious thug in Lobiton—came to collect Point's debt with his gang in tow.
Point offered the cloth-wrapped sword instead.
"This was forged by a continental master smith. Worth ten times my debt. But sell it—don't use it."
Malem scoffed initially, but unwrapping the blade revealed its mesmerizing beauty.
Overcome by desire, he took the sword as payment.
Hanging it on his bedroom wall, Malem found the blade stirred strange excitement just by existing.
At dawn the next day, sunlight glinting off the sword caught his eye first.
Crimson mist swirled from the steel as Malem—hypnotized—reached for the hilt.
"Finally out of the forest!"
Shon stretched in sunlight after days under dense canopy. Surprisingly, they'd encountered no Kruger packs—the forest's vastness likely prevented it.
Golden fields rippled like ocean waves as the sun dipped westward.
Shon retied his messy black hair and checked their map.
"There's a village ahead. We'll exchange currency, get lodging—proper food and a hot bath for these stiff muscles."
Karon nodded silently, chewing herbs. He'd memorized the map when Shon first unfolded it but saw no need to mention it—Shon's guidance sufficed.
At dusk, they reached the village outskirts.
"Tell me," Shon reined his horse beside Karon, "do you even understand money? How exchange works? Maybe I should handle—"
"Gold coin: 1,000 shillings. Silver: 100. We'll exchange one gold. Five silver and remainder to copper. Satisfied?"
Shon gaped.
"That's... the most you've ever spoken! Might be your first full sentence since birth!"
Karon glared before muttering, "Relax. I'll give you ten gold."
"Ten? We have forty! What arithmetic is this?"
"Take it or leave it."
"Fine! Joking! Ten's plenty!" Shon laughed awkwardly, punching Karon's shoulder.
Suddenly, Karon's expression shifted—subtle but unmistakable to Shon after days together.
"What's wrong?"
Ignoring him, Karon spurred his horse ahead. Stranded, Shon sighed deeply before chasing after.
'The bloodscent thickens.'
Karon's eyes narrowed.
Stagnant air carried screams and blunt impacts growing clearer—alongside an indescribable aura of madness and primordial darkness.
Entering the village revealed blood-smeared walls and injured residents—as if monsters had ravaged the streets.
"Damn. No rest for us," Shon muttered as they rode to the central square.
Village guards surrounded a deranged man—yet they were the ones falling.
The madman's eyes bled crimson mist, features contorted demonically. His wild sword swings released sinister energy that slaughtered all near.
"Block him!"
"Drive him out!"
Another guard fell, chest cleaved. The civilian militia stood no chance.
"Looks demon-possessed. Your move, noble thief," Shon jeered, elbowing Karon.
But Karon's focus remained on the sword—the source of the corrupt aura. A dangerous craving flickered in his eyes.
'Must claim that blade.'
He analyzed the madman's movements—seemingly reckless yet following hidden patterns.
"KARON!"
The madman's frenzy intensified. Dark energy rotted flesh and crumbled stone on contact.
Srrrk—
Karon drew his sword and dismounted in one motion, charging through the guards before they noticed.
Swish—
His blade arced in a spinning strike.
Clang!
The parry released a dull resonance. The possessed sword's energy lashed out hungrily.
Karon disengaged, maintaining distance as the madman focused entirely on him.
"Who—"
"Look out!"
The guards finally noticed, but Karon remained fixated.
Crack!
He vanished—reappearing to thrust at the madman's heart. The latter leaned into the strike, swinging at Karon's shoulder.
In that instant, Karon saw it—the trapped despair in the madman's eyes. A body enslaved by the blade.
Karon twisted aside, barely evading. This wasn't normal combat—his opponent fought with reckless abandon.
Clang! Clang!
Each clash corroded Karon's sword with eerie sounds, yet he pressed faster. Muscle pain meant nothing compared to past trials.
The guards stared awestruck as Karon overwhelmed the madman.
Splurt!
Blood vessels burst in the madman's arm—his body failing to withstand the sword's will.
"GYAAAAH!"
Shunk!
Karon severed the arm in one stroke. The sword clattered away as the madman collapsed.
Murmurs swelled as Karon approached the fallen blade. Villagers recoiled—not from the madman now, but from him.
Unfazed, Karon pried the sword from the severed hand.
His fingers slowly closed around the hilt.
