Seed Of Speed

The next day, Shadowbolt sent Diego a message, telling him that the current prediction for the next Metal Void Passage was in roughly a month and a half. He had just over a month to prepare his ten-man team and get them into fighting shape. She stressed that teamwork would be essential to passing the examination, so the sooner he created the group, the sooner they could start practicing together.

Some of the member were obvious, such as Silverflame, Stormblade, and Tovao. He wanted to ask Rainshower as well, but he was not sure if she could as a member of Healing Hall. True healers like her were rare and very protected by the sect. Moonfall was another option, and it had been awhile since he had spent any extended time with his spunky senior disciple-sister. His only real problem was thinking of who could fill the other four positions as he was not close to many people in the sect.

Kang Chan was one of his first thoughts after watching him fight the other day in the Catacombs for one of the martial disciple positions, but other than him, he only knew Kibal and Korto. They were the first martial students he had partnered with during his first trip to the Catacombs and their level of teamwork could put to shame most partnersh.i.p.s as the brothers were always together. But no matter how Diego racked his brain, he could not think of who he could ask to be his last member. Only Quicksand popped in his mind, but as another core disciple, it seemed a little foolish to ask him to join his team.

Diego sent a few messages to his friends, asking if they would join his team, before making his way over to Silverflame's workshop in Crafter's Corner. After knocking and being told to enter, he found the adapt working on what Diego guessed was Tovao's new glaive as it looked similar to the drawing. The shaft was made from a black metal while the blade was a crimson color and together the weapon stood taller than Silverflame himself. Where the blade and the shaft joined, there was an orange, metallic flame detail that reinforced the joint.

Silverflame did not even look up as he continued to pump the pedal with his foot, sharpening the blade on a grindstone. His red hair was tied up, so that it was safe from the sparks flying from the point of contact. He finished a few more passes on the same side of the blade before standing up and picked up the glaive then placed it on one of the racks. He pressed a button on the wall and the grindstone slid into a hidden slot in the wall.

"Good morning, Brightmelody, what can I do for you today?" Silverflame asked.

"Good morning, Silverflame. I wanted to let you know that I have arranged the expedition, I just need to build my team," Diego replied.

"What was the timeline you were given?"

"A month and a half until it opens, and a month until the team test. I plan on inviting Stormblade, Tovao, and some other friends, though I still need another person, if everyone agrees."

"And you have your martial disciples?"

"I have four in mind."

"Then let me contact a friend of mine. Adapt Flowingrock would make our mining far easier than you could imagine and she excels at locking down opponents," Silverflame offered.

"Thank you," Diego replied with a slight bow.

"Well, if we only have a month before testing, let me get your measurements and requirements for your armor and weapon, so that it can be ready in time."

Diego nodded and stepped forward. Silverflame retrieved a notebook and a measuring tap from a shelf on a nearby rack. He quickly went about take various measurements all around Diego's body and jotted down the numbers in his notebook. When he was done, he dropped the notebook on the anvil then started making a general sketch of a body on a blank sheet.

"So, what is your focus with your manifested armor?" Silverflame asked.

"Speed, with Light and Thunder magics to support," Diego said with a light smile as Katalina had already supplied this answer.

"Hmmm…" he said as he tapped his charcoal pencil against his chin. "Typically, speed designs will sacrifice defense for its lightweight designs, but most supporting shamans choose a strong defense or magic boosting specialties. Are you sure you want speed to be your focus?"

"Yes, I know it may seem strange, but that is what I want."

"Alright, the design of the armor will be simple as it will only act as a focus for your manifested form. What is your preference on weapons?"

Diego retrieved his black spear from his storage space and passed it over to Silverflame, "This spear was made by my clan's craftsmen to be similar to the one I have used for most of my life. Honestly, if possible, I would like two as I specialize in cloning techniques."

"It won't be too much trouble," Silverflame replied with a nod as he examined the spear then passed it back after a few minutes.

"Thank you," Diego replied as he stored away his spear.

"I will contact Flowingrock today, when would you like to arrange our first meeting?"

"If Rainshower is willing to join, she will need about a week to arrange her schedule with Healing Hall, so this time next week."

"Alright. The base of your armor will be done about that time, so I'll need to see your manifested armor to make all of the runes correlate to support the transformation."

"Then I'll see you next week," Diego said.

"Mmhmm," Silverflame replied with a nod.

Diego gave a slight bow as his goodbye then left the workshop. He sent off a quick message to Tovao, Rainshower, and Moonfall to ask them to join his expedition team, but for Stormblade, he requested to meet up. Diego did not have Kang, Kibal, and Korto numbers, so he had no way to contact them aside from going through Stormblade. Stormblade had been in the Catacombs for the morning, so he did not hear back from him until he returned to the real world. They met up for dinner, along with Tovao, and started going over the plans for the team.

"So, you've already arranged the expedition, huh? Why did you want to meet up about it?" Stormblade asked as he sat down with a plate of food.

"Well, I need a ten-man team, and shockingly, I don't know that many people within the sect. I was hoping you could reach out to Kang, Kibal, and Korto and ask if they would join. I want to have our first team practice next week," Diego said.

"That shouldn't be too hard. Kibal and Korto are always looking for something new and crazy to do and, as long as we provide plenty of liquor for Brother Chan, he will join us. Any idea where we will be heading?"

"Not sure, my master only told me that there is a month and a half before it opens and a month to our testing," Diego answered.

"Testing? What kind of testing is there going to be?" Tovao asked.

"My master said we would compete against another core disciple's team under the watch of a few Grand Masters. They will be looking for teamwork as much as skill, she stressed."

"Doesn't sound too bad since we have been working together for a while now," Stormblade added.

"That's why I wanted to have a few practices first so that everyone can get used to working with each other," Diego said.

"Who else are you inviting?" Tovao asked.

"Well, Silverflame, of course, and he had a friend who he said might be willing to come, Adapt Flowingrock. The other two spots are for Moonfall and Rainshower."

"Oh, Rainshower, your eyes are sooo pretty, and your skin…" Stormblade started to tease, but before he could continue, a gust of windknocked him back, tumbling end over end.

Diego continued to eat his meal as if nothing happened while Tovao roared with laughter. Stormblade chuckled as he stood up and dusted himself off then returned to his seat.

"What were you saying there, Brother Stormblade?" Diego asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing," he replied with a wry smile.

"Then you should eat up before your food gets cold… or ends up in the dirt," Diego warned.