My Dungeon Life: Rise of the Slave Harem-Chapter 1644
“I have one last piece of equipment to hand out before I go.” Sapphire declared.
Anne looked over at Sapphire tearfully. She had not only stuck around but had remained to cling to her side since the moment Sapphire came. It seemed that Anne had a sort of sister complex toward Sapphire. Since Mary was her actual sister, it felt a bit sad. I was starting to understand the dilemma that Mary was under, and ultimately why she went out of her way to rescue Rubee when she was enslaved by Demon Lord Aberis.
Sapphire appeared to be a bridge between the two women. Anne had turned Sapphire into her surrogate sister, disowning Mary in the process. She had even made her select the name Rubee instead of Ruby because the other name shared too many similarities with Mary, and she couldn’t stand it. I had always wondered about that. Her other names typically were based on gemstones, so I never understood why she had purposely misspelled it. She should have picked the same name as Ruby, Chalm’s vice-guild master. I thought it was a deep dwarf thing, but apparently, the answer was far sillier.
Sapphire seemed to take Anne’s reverence in stride. She acted like the big sister, never rejecting Anne, and maybe even spoiling her a bit. She could probably put an end to it with a few choice words but allowed Anne to keep looking up to her. I wondered if Mary had asked her to do that? I think Mary hoped that one day she could reconcile with her sister and that the only way to do it was through Sapphire. freёnovelkiss.com
“What is the last piece of equipment?” I asked.
Sapphire blushed suddenly. “That… would be Master’s protection.”
I blinked. I had been so busy making sure everyone else got properly retrofitted that I had forgotten about myself. I was planning on going to war against the fey and using a dangerous power to presumably fight and repel them, and I hadn’t even bothered to consider my equipment.
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“Yes, what did you bring for me.” I tried to cover up my embarrassment quickly.
“We don’t have time now to improve Alysia, but I recently forged this sword that I think suits Master well.” Sapphire’s shyness told me that she had personally made this weapon and probably given it a lot of thought.
I had enough experience with deep dwarves and more specifically Sapphire to know that making my armor specifically was something meaningful to her. She brought out a long blade that seemed to shine with blue-like steel. I wasn’t even going to ask what metals went into its creation. It was assuredly an alloy composed of metals so rare they weren’t found on the surface. It was large, balanced, yet surprisingly light. The handle was comfortable, and it looked sharp despite its size, but thick enough to be able to block an attack from the side.
“I’m being replaced!” Alysia cried out as I looked over the sword.
“Th-that’s not my intention!” Sapphire glanced tearfully at me.
“Of course not,” I responded. “Alysia, remember in the deep when we were separated?”
“Th-that? What of it?”
“If for any reason, I am unable to use your strength, the sword becomes sluggish. It’s like when you hold someone who is awake, versus a body that is a dead weight. The dead weight is much more difficult to handle. If I want to get better at wielding your blade, then I need to practice sometimes with a blade that doesn’t have your support. This would do very well for that purpose.”
This wasn’t just an excuse I was making up on the spot. I had actually thought about this for some time. I’d need to start practicing with a sword that didn’t give me her kind of help, or would only grow so used to it I wouldn’t be able to live without it. At any time, Alysia and I could be separated. It didn’t just happen in the deep, but King Roth had parted us once as well. She was my strength, and I didn’t want her to become my vulnerability.
