“It’s not very different from Mages really. We can use Mana as well,” Dale shrugged without explaining anything more.

“Okay," Rick replied. He hesitated for a moment before asking. “Are you a space elemental warrior maybe?”

“No, no!“ Dale chuckled. “For Elemental Warriors like me, the nature of the element makes little difference. I use Mana only to reinforce our physical combat strength. So the nature of the element of the Mana doesn’t really mean much to me.”

“Then, how did you teleport the Shield?” Rick followed up.

“In general need to chant the summoning incantation and the hand seals,” Dale nodded proudly.

“So cool!” he squealed. “Could you summon it once more?”

“Give me a moment,” Dale said sitting down on the floor. “It’s quite heavy.”

He quickly made a few quick hand seals and held his hands before him just like before and articulated the spell. As soon as he finished,

Rick could feel a shrill squeak as the Achilles Shield materialized before his very eyes in Dale’s hands.

“Wow,” Rick exclaimed. With a dazed look he walked up to Dale, “Do you mind if I-”

“Go ahead,” Dale said dismissively. He already knew what Rick wanted.

“Thanks” Rick replied emotionlessly.

He sat down on the floor beside Dale.

“Amazing,” he said tracing his fingers through the intricate engravings.

The white round shield was cold to the touch with colorful images life brought to life on it. There were images of a happy wedding, next to that of a farmer toiling under the hot sun. There were men upon each other at war, next to others reading scrolls under candle-light

“What do these engravings mean?” Rick said, mesmerized by the carvings.

“I don’t know.” Dale scoffed.

“What an amazing shield!” Rick voiced, looking at Dale breaking eye with the shield finally.

“It sure is,” Dale replied with a slight nod. “But I am not strong enough yet. With its weight I can hardly materialize it for half an hour before draining my mana,” Dale said with a sigh.

“So how does it work?” Rick finally asked his. He was more interested in how he could summon a shield so easily.

“What do you mean? I just told you. I have to chant the spell and -”Dale said curtly with a frown on his face.

“No not that!” Rick interrupted.“I mean have you found out why it materializes when you do all that?”

“Why does that even matter?” Dale snapped back with an irritated tone.

“But-” Rick started but stopped midway. Instead, he shook his head and said, “Never mind.”

‘He doesn’t care about all that,’ Rick realized standing back up. There was nothing more he could uncover from the shield.

“You are done right?” Dale spoke through clenched jaws.

“Oh yes, yes. Thanks, Dale,” Rick smiled dismissively.

He watched Dale put his palm on the surface of the shield and chant the spell. But just as he finished the shield vanished, Rick’s eyes snapped into focus to where the shield was.

“Did you feel that?” Rick asked walking up to Dale.

“What are you talking about?” Dale said taking a step back, irritated. “I know you saved me from the Bank, but get out of my face.”

“The- the feeling!” Rick stammered in excitement. “Don’t you feel it? It’s almost like the sound of water breaking”

“No, I don’t,” Dale said, worried. He asked, “Is everything okay with you?”

But Rick did not have the time to hear a word of it. His mind completely occupied with thoughts of the feeling he could not describe. He could not place where he had felt it before. But the more he put his mind to it, the more he felt the answer was obvious. And then, it finally hit him.

“Dale thanks for the beast-cores. I am sorry but I have to leave right away,” he said in a hurry grabbing the bags. “Tell Rick if you want to convey something. Take care, see you later.”

“Hey. Is everything alright? Are we in danger?” Dale asked blocking his path.

“No, of course not! Why would you say that?” Rick stopped for a second. “I think I figured it out.”

Immediately after, he walked past Dale towards the exit.

“You are acting weird!” Dale called after him. “Is everything fine with you?”

“Yes, everything is fine. Take care,” Rick shouted back as he ran out the door.

The building became silent again as the door close behind Rick

“He is strong,” Dale towards the way Rick left. “But Kir isn’t the one.”

He silently walked up the stairs to the first floor of the building with the golem core clutched in the palm of his hand.

---

Outside, the sun was still blaring as Rick emerged.

He closed his eyes and quickly put both the bags into the Storage Ring wordlessly before sprinting towards his house at break-neck speed

“It’s the same! It’s the same!” he babbled. “It’s the same with the storage ring!”

By the time he reached his house, he was sweating through every pore in his body and while he himself was tired and panting like a dog.

“Okay I made it,” he rasped through his dry throat.

He walked into his house and immediately closed the door behind him with a bang.

“Water!” he gasped and rushed over to the kitchen.

He opened one of the bottles hoarded over and drank a bellyful.

“Too stuffy!” he complained removing the Golem-mask off his face as he returned back to his original self.

There were no lights in the house, the power lines were snapped off long back, but it was still bright enough inside with sunlight streaking in.

“I need some paper, I can’t afford to forget it,” he said looking around. There was no time to waste.

“I found you punk,” a voice called out from outside, making Rick stop in his tracks in a panic. “Oh you think you are so smart, don’t you. Let’s see who will laugh now.”

‘But how did he even find me?’ Rick panicked. 'The map should not be able to pinpoint to my house!’

But one thing was for sure, he had to retreat back to the Library immediately!

He took a step forward when he heard a knock on the door.

He heard knocks on the door and then a second later, a loud bang and the door broke right off the hinges.

A large figure walked over the door and inside the house.

“Is that bitch sister and that snitch Jay around?” Hands said looking right at Rick. He smirked with his broken tooth. “Of course you don’t. I check it on the Map you so lovingly gave me.”

Rick stood there in a panic, like a deer caught in headlights. But right then, the mana in his body stirred into action from the chest up the spine.

“And you repay my love by breaking the door and cursing my family?” Rick replied back, as his mind cleared of all his anger and panic.

*Ding

[The proficiency of the skill-Tranquil Heart has increase]