"Well, back on my world, being bonded for life with someone you would not have any intimacy was the joke definition of marriage . "
"That's funny . " The voice chuckled . "And also kind of sad . "
"Never mind the jokes . Let me get this straight: you once were a mighty artifact, full of treasures and knowledge . But now everything you had and knew is lost, and you are dimished to the size of a marble . Am I missing something?"
"No, all your statements are correct . "
"Also, you did not pick me because of my talent or virtue, but simply because I possess, and I quote 'the bare minimum magical powers to sustain your life' . That makes me nothing more than an off-brand life support system . "
"That is not exact . I am now bonded with you until your death do us part . "
"That sounds more and more like marriage . " Lith grunted .
"I am no parasite, you can see me as a symbiote . We will both benefit from our relationship . "
"How? Are you saying that if you manage to get your strength back, you will also recover your memories and magical artifacts?"
"No, those are lost forever . I'm just like you . When you grow up, can you spit back the food you have eaten in the past to pass it on someone else? No . The same applies to me . "
"Then what's in for me? The pleasure of your company?"
"At the moment all I can offer you is a pocket dimension . "
"Say what?"
"One moment, I'm looking at your memories to make it easier to understand . It works like a Dungeons & Looting's Bag of Keeping . "
"That's interesting . " Lith pondered . "An interdimensional space where I can store my stuff without being hindered by its weight . How big is this pocket dimension?"
"Ten cubic metres big . It can store anything that amounts up to such volume, no matter the weight, as long as it's something inanimated . "
A cruel intuition flashed in Lith's eyes .
"Can it also store things like lightnings, fireballs or incoming arrows? If so, it would be an invaluable tool for both offense and defence . "
"No . " The voice killed Lith's hopes . "The pocket dimension is outside space and time, so it rejects both life and kinetic energy . " Feeling its host disappointment, the voice added quickly .
"This also means that whatever you store will not rot, cool down or warm up . A roasted blinker would be kept hot and tasty, frozen in the moment you finished cooking it . "
"That barely qualifies as a silver lining . " Despite their chat was quite long, it was only happening inside their minds . Barely a second had passed after Lith had accessed to the stone memories .
"Whatever . At least you save me from my current predicament . Now I know how to bring the boar back, I just need a decent excuse to explain how I managed it . "
The stone mind-shrugged .
"Keep it simple . Drop it to the edge of the woods, and tell Selia that you managed to kite it to that spot before killing it . It should be easier to believe that the truth . "
Lith nodded .
"Resourceful and smart . The fact that our minds are linked still creeps me out, but thanks to that I can see you have no malice or hidden agenda towards me . If you really are what you say to be, I'll keep you . True loyalty is a too rare commodity to turn it down when you find it . So, until I am convinced of your good faith, consider yourself on probation . "
Lith put the pouch back at his neck and the boar in the pocket dimension .
"By the way, I can't keep calling 'you' and 'stone' . Don't you have a name?"
"No . " The voice sounded really sad . "It's lost, like everything else . "
"Don't be a pouter . A name is just a name . You can call me Derek, Lith, host, CZ DELTA, whatever . I'll always be the same cynic, misanthropic, lying, cutthroat guy I have always been . Would you like me to name you?"
"Yes, please . " Lith had it ready since he heard the tower core's story .
"You are supposed to be a great artifact, so I'll name you after the greatest, albeit fictional, magical forgemaster that I always admired when I was a kid . Solus . "
"Thank you, Lith . I like how it sounds . And I really appreciate you named me after someone you loved, rather than give me a pet name like Happy or Lucky . "
Lith had the odd feeling Solus was mind-blushing .
They spent all the time on the way back chatting . Lith was really interested in understanding the limits and use of his new partner skillset .
After assessing that both Lith and Solus could activate the pocket dimension, he proceeded to pick the right spot . It needed to be close enough to the edge of the woods and covered enough to make spotting the boar from a distance impossible .
"There are countless things that can go wrong leaving a dead animal alone, even for a few minutes . A passerby that then claims it's his kill, a scavenger believing to have lucked out a free meal, take your pick . With my luck, I never trust the odds . "
"You trust no one . " Solus turned to a flat tone .
"You bet . That's life rule #1 . Rule #2 is 'No good deed goes unpunished' . "
Lith then used earth and wind magic to mess up the surroundings, mimicking the signs of struggle left by his previous fight with the boar .
"Bah! All this effort and I get such a sloppy result . If Selia throws a second glance at this scene, she'll expose my lie . I can only hope the prize catches her eyes enough to not make any question . "
He then gently dropped the pouch on the ground .
"As soon as you receive my signal, take the boar out the pocket dimension . I'll be back in a jiffy . "
Without waiting for a reply, Lith started running at full speed towards Selia's house . Once out of their mind link range (10 metres/10 . 9 yards), Lith could finally breathe a sigh of relief .
"Dammit, leaving her like that was d*ck move . She surely knows the real reasons why I did it . It's hard to accept someone else in your head, reading every single of your most embarrassing thoughts and memories . Not to mention that in D&L every sentient artifact was usually a bag full of troubles, trying to mind-control the owner or something . I know that it's just fiction, but still…
What if I just stumbled in this world's Lone Ring, like in Vasyli Bolkien's books?"
Lith shrugged his head, his body covered in cold sweat .
"I bet that as soon we are back together, she will have access to this inner monologue too . F*ck my life . No pain, no gain . If she really is what she says, she's worth the risk . At least I'll have someone who finally knows the real me . "
A few minutes later, Selia and Lith were approaching the drop spot, riding the two-horse cart she used to move around the heaviest goods .
"Is it really that big to require two horses?" She asked sceptically .
"I think one should be enough to move it once it's loaded . The second is necessary to drag it on the cart easily . "
Once Lith and Selia jumped down their ride, he gave Solus the signal . Selia detached the horses, guiding them by the bridle .
Lith took with him the thick ropes necessary to make a harness for the boar, making it easy for the horses to drag it out of the woods and into the cart .
When Selia saw the game with her own eyes, she whistled with approval .
"Good gods! This thing must be around 300 kilograms (661 pounds)! You weren't boasting as usual . "
"I never boast . " Lith used spirit magic to stealthily recover the pouch, while Selia was engrossed sizing the beast .
"Please, all men do . " Selia clicked her tongue . "You are not an exception . With all your magic and secrets, do you want me to believe you do not enjoy your short, dark and teethless act?" She added laughing out loud .
"It's not my fault I have a lisp now!" Lith was pissed off by her non-stop mockery of his new voice . "Will you ever let me hear the end of it?"
"I'm sorry, I really am . It's just that your tough boy attitude is even more hilarious now that you have a lisp . " The first time she had heard him call her "Phelia", she had laughed hard enough to fall from her chair, hugging her belly .
"Judging from its size, it was really close to become a magical beast . We could have sold it for a much bigger sum, it's kind of sad . " She sighed .
"Yeah, and if it was a magical beast, I would be much deader now . " Lith rebuked .
They kept bickering until the boar was safe and sound on the cart .
Only once they got back to her house and started bleeding out the game, Selia got her business attitude back .
"The most valuable piece is the head . If we can find a noble willing to stuff it, hang it over his fireplace and take the credit for the kill, we can sell it really well . The pelt and the meat are nothing special, do you have any plans about them?"
Lith nodded . "All this meat will allow me to skip hunting for a while, so I prefer to keep and maturate it . As for the pelt, it should make a nice carpet for my parents' bedroom . "
"Always a family boy, huh?" Selia ruffled his hair, this time there was no mockery in her voice . "I'm so proud of you being so considerate toward your family that I'll tan it for free . I still get half of the head price, though . "
"Perfect . "
"Good! Our best shot is with Count Lark himself . He is both loaded and very proud of his hunting skills . I must reach my contacts in his manor to test the waters . Fingers crossed!"
Lith suffered at the idea of losing so much money, but half was better than nothing . He didn't know how to tan pelts or stuff heads, and lacked both time and instruments to do it .
And even if he did, he had no way to sell the merchandise outside his little village .
After Lith left Selia, he and Solus started chatting again, feigning ignorance about each other's feelings .
"Solus, I think that your help will be invaluable to bring my martial arts training to the next level . "
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