Chapter 2 Former - Adventurer Lambert and Guild Master Gayrum
At the back of the bar stood a medium-sized door. Carved into its surface was a dragon towering over a mountain, flames pouring into the sky.
Truly, a symbol of power
Lambert knocked.
Knock. Knock.
“Oiiiiii, Graybeard! Oiiiiii!”
A deep voice echoed from inside.
“Enter.”
Lambert pushed the door open and stepped in.
“What is it again, Beardy? I thought I told you already — I retired.”
At the far end of the room sat a small man behind an oversized desk. His long beard, streaked with red and gray, rested against his broad chest. Despite his height, he was thick and muscular, arms heavy with old strength. One forearm, resting lazily on the desk, bore a tattoo identical to the dragon carved on the door.
“We were just adventuring not that long ago,” the dwarf grumbled. “What’s with the attitude? Are we not friends?”
His eyes shifted downward.
“…What’s that?”
He squinted at the wooden weapons tucked beneath Lambert’s arm.
“Training gear?”
A slow grin crept across his face.
“Don’t tell me you’ve got a brat somewhere.”
Lambert rolled his eyes.
“Gayrum, is that too much? You know me very well. I found a kid today. He’s got some interest in swords. I’m free anyway. Don sponsored the training tools. So why not?”
“Free?” Gayrum snorted.
“What do you mean free? I told you to take over the Guild Master position already. I don’t have time to deal with this shit. My hammer’s collecting rust. I haven’t touched a proper anvil in years.”
Lambert smirked.
“Your portable smithing came in handy more times than I can count. Saved us more than once.”
Gayrum grunted but didn’t deny it.
“Anyway,” Lambert continued, shifting the wooden sword slightly, “what do you need?”
Gayrum leaned back in his chair, expression changing.
“Orcs are starting to appear near the mountains.”
Lambert raised a brow.
“Can you look into it for me?”
“Why don’t you just hire a scout? I’m busy.”
“Busy?” Gayrum lifted a brow.
“With that?” He gestured toward the training weapons.
“…Or with Linda?”
“What the hell do you mean?”
Lambert shot back immediately, but the dwarf only grinned.
Then Lambert paused.
“Wait. Orcs near the mountains… isn’t that a good thing? We can use them to train the adventurers. Even the town guard.”
Gayrum shook his head slowly.
“I don’t trust the recruits. Not like I trusted us.”
He leaned forward, fingers tapping against the desk.
“Even if we weren’t at the very top of the Empire’s rankings, we were still high-tier. And no one in this town can match the speed of the ‘Swift Arsenal.’”
Lambert’s expression dimmed slightly.
“The ‘Swift Arsenal’ isn’t complete without the ‘Forge Bastion’ fixing the terrain and adjusting as I move.”
He exhaled quietly.
“And we don’t have the Harmonic Witch anymore. That’s why we ended up here, right?”
The room grew quiet.
“Without the party…” Lambert muttered, “…we’re just fragments.”
Gayrum looked away.
“…Everybody supported each other. It’s just sad the other three suddenly vanished.”
Another silence followed.
Lambert’s jaw tightened.
“Arthas Frostbourne… where the hell are you?”
Gayrum did not answer.
After a moment, he cleared his throat.
“With your footwork, you can check the mountains and be back before nightfall. Just see what’s happening.”
Lambert nodded once.
“Fine.”
He turned toward the door.
“Let me borrow a horse, Beardy. I’ll get this over with.”
“Take mine. It’s in the stable.”
Lambert paused before stepping out.
“Oh, Beardy.”
He walked back toward the desk and placed something down.
“Since you’ve been wanting to do some smithing stuff for a bit… I’ll leave this here.”
Gayrum glanced down.
“Oh. That, huh?”
His eyes lingered on it for a second longer than necessary.
“I’ll finish it before you get back.”
He pushed himself out of his chair, cracking his knuckles.
“Finally got an excuse to head to the smithy.”
Lambert waved dismissively.
“Don’t overdo it.”
“Hah. Get out of here.”
Lambert stepped outside, closing the carved dragon door behind him.
Gayrum remained still for a moment, staring at what had been left on the desk.
Then he picked it up.
“Rusting already…” he muttered.
A faint grin tugged at his lips.
“Idiot.”
He turned toward the forge room at the back.
It had been a long time since the hammer sang properly.
Maybe today was a good day to start again.
---
As Lambert exited the Guild, he went straight home.
Inside his house, the living room was simple and orderly. Against one wall stood a weapon rack beside an armor stand.
On the main rack rested a spear, a halberd, a longsword, a short sword, and a dagger — each positioned neatly, each well maintained.
Beside it stood a smaller rack.
Resting there was a five-foot-long sword. Its sheath was fitted with a long leather strap designed to hang across the shoulder and rest along the left hip.
Next to it lay a combat belt.
Seven slots lined the back for throwing knives. On the right side were two holders — one for a standard sword and one for the short sword.
On the armor stand hung a bluish long-sleeved light armor. It looked more like a reinforced jacket than traditional armor. Thin metal plates were attached along the left shoulder and extended down toward the forearm — positioned deliberately to protect him when standing sideways while wielding a spear or halberd.
Across the torso ran another sling belt, fitted with a small dagger slot at the front for quick access. At the back were holders for a spear and halberd.
Lambert moved slowly and methodically.
He equipped the armor, secured the belts, slotted the throwing knives into place, fastened the short sword, and wore the shoulder harness for the five-foot-long blade.
On his left hip remained one empty slot.
His main weapon’s place.
“It’s been a while since I last wore this,” he muttered.
He rolled his shoulders.
“Did it get heavier?”
A faint scoff followed.
“No. I’ve just been slacking.”
He flexed his fingers.
“Might as well use this chance to get my senses back.”
He then went into his room.
On a small stand rested a jewelry box.
Inside were seven rings, two pendants, and a bracer.
He strapped the bracer onto his left arm. Strange carvings ran along its surface — deliberate and unfamiliar to most.
He wore the rings one by one.
“Orcs, huh…”
A slight smirk formed.
“Tonight’s going to be a feast.”
Then he put on the pendants — one bearing a bright blue crystal, the other shaped like a red dragon.
After fastening the last accessory, Lambert slapped his cheeks lightly.
The lazy guard’s gaze vanished.
In its place stood a sharp veteran.
He stepped out of the house.
People barely recognized him.
---
Lambert retraced his path toward the gates — past the guild, the weapon shop, the bakery, and the fences where he had met the kid earlier.
Near the stables lay an empty lot where horses usually grazed.
But today, something unusual was happening.
A scene he barely remembered.
A blast from the past.
Kids.
Nine of them.
Their ages ranged from seven to twelve.
They were swinging twigs as if they were swords, imitating movements in rough unison.
At the front stood Leon.
A small twig in his hand.
His oversized training sword hung on his back.
“One… two…”
Whoosh.
Then—
“Imber!!!”
The rest of the kids copied him enthusiastically.
Lambert approached silently.
Despite the amount of equipment he carried, not a single clink betrayed his presence.
He stopped behind Leon.
Smack.
“Kid. Didn’t I tell you to swing twenty times and end it there?”
“It hurts!”
Leon turned, rubbing the back of his head.
“But I’m not swinging a sword! I’m swinging a twig! I’m teaching my schoolmates how to swing a sword!”
Lambert raised a brow.
“Teaching?”
He glanced at the group.
“What’s with the ‘Imber,’ huh? And it’s not Imber. It’s Ember.”
Leon puffed his cheeks.
Lambert crossed his arms.
“You’re fifty years too early to be teaching kids.”
He turned to the others.
“Hey, kids! Go home for now. Ask your parents for permission if you want to train with swords. If they say yes, come back here tomorrow around the same time.”
He pointed at Leon.
“I’ll personally teach you. You too.”
“Yes!”
The kids scattered instantly, running off in excitement and mild panic.
Lambert sighed.
“Those kids…”
He glanced at the empty lot.
“…I’ll have to buy more training weapons.”
He walked past the field and into the stables, mounted a horse, and turned toward the mountain road.
Behind him, Leon slowly peeked from behind a fence.
He watched Lambert ride away.
On Lambert’s back, the dragon emblem stood proudly — the same one carved into the Guild Master’s door.
Leon’s eyes shone.
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WEAPON SET
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Name: Swift Arsenal
Owner: Lambert
Components:
• Gale Cutter — Halberd
• Silver Edge — Five-foot Odachi
• Wind Edge — Longsword
• Swift Edge — Short Sword
• Wind Piercer — Spear
• Wind Shards — Throwing Daggers (7)
• Wind Thorn — Dagger
Description:
A veteran adventurer’s weapon set designed for speed, versatility, and rapid weapon transitions.
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Status:
Information sealed.
Notes:
Each weapon within the arsenal appears capable of supporting additional properties.
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ACCESSORY SET
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Owner: Lambert
Classification: Special Accessories
Components:
• Arm Bracer
• Blue Crystal Pendant
• Dragon Emblem Pendant
• Seven Rings
Description:
A collection of combat accessories worn by Lambert. Each item appears carefully selected and carries subtle engravings or unusual craftsmanship.
The rings in particular appear to be part of a coordinated set, though their individual identities remain undisclosed.
Characteristics:
• Reinforced combat bracer
• Two specialized pendants
• Seven engraved rings worn across both hands
• Durable battlefield construction
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