138 A Little Shadow and the Forest of Danger’s Longevity 3 (1/2)
Satisfied with her selection, the young girl rolled her neck to loosen her muscles, before proceeding to reach for the complementary sheath of the qama.
Just as An Fei had grabbed onto the leather strap of the dagger's fabric sheath, she abruptly paused, tilting her head to her right in confusion.
”Who?”
A faint keen of protest, a barely audible croon seemed to ring within her vicinity.
The young girl vigilantly swept her gaze around the armory, the qama's deadly edge extended before her chest in a reverse grip.
The cool sensation of the dagger's pommel against her bosom calmed An Fei, allowing her mind to survey her surroundings with a rational gaze.
”Who's there?”
A stern reprimand escaped the young girl's throat, her entire body brimming with a murderous intent.
To her disapproval and perplexing her even further, all that responded to her cry of vigil were the soft twinkling of auras emanated from the weapons socketed into the sky-blue crystal wall.
An Fei gradually allowed the qama's blade to droop, her arm relaxed against her side. The young girl grasped the leather bindings of the sheath once more, sliding the violet steel blade into the fabric covers with a swift motion.
For some inexplicable reason, the incredibly sharp edge of the qama did not appear to be capable of slicing through the fabric sheath.
Just as An Fei was wondering where to place the weapon on her body, the quiet keen of protest filtered into her ear for the second time.
”Who!?”
The pair of scarlet irises flashed in anger as the young girl whirled around, the sheathed dagger held before her in a cautionary posture.
Surprisingly, the young girl decided to drop the dagger on top of the leather bag, marching towards a corner of the armory.
When the odd croon had rang out, she seemed to have noticed a faint streak of grey light soar throughout the armory from the corner…
Answering to her expectation, An Fei did notice an anomaly when she neared the socketed weapons.
The twin butterfly swords, whether disgruntled by her teasing action just moments ago or for a different, unknown reason, continued to emit a grey radiance at a pitched frequency.
The blades of plain steel and design roared its frustration behind barely audible croons, causing the young girl's mouth to twitch.
”You hurt me first, don't expect me to act so kindly to you, ah,” An Fei murmured in exasperated laughter, her fingers reaching out to stroke the twin blades' surface.
Midway, her hand froze in the air, as an unbelievable expression swept across her stunning countenance.
She was speaking to a sword as if it were a bullied child?
Why would she do… that?
The young girl proceeded to step back with the intention of returning to where she had placed the leather bag and her newly acquired qama.
The moment she had stepped more than a meter away, the butterfly swords crooned for a third time, the grey radiance exploding forth to dwarf the nearby weapons.
An Fei's countenance stiffened, a wry smile threatening to overtake the grim expression.
”Alright, then I'll take you as well, ah?”
The young girl reached out to pluck the twin blades from their sockets, marveling how the process required minimal effort compared to her task of extricating the qama.
The dual blades slid from the crystalline placements, sliding nicely into her palm as if they were destined to be wielded by her hands.
The butterfly swords released a soothing aura that surged into her palms, generating a stream of cool sensations that wrapped gently around her limbs.
An Fei pursed her lips for a brief moment, before reaching over to grasp the sheathes for the butterfly swords.
Just as the covering for the qama, the sheath for the twin short-swords were merely fabric covers bound by leather straps.
Returning to the location where she had deposited the leather bag, An Fei stared at the three weapons, her mouth silently moving in thought.
”Oh…”
Eventually, the leather bag was slung over her shoulder, and the girl strode out of the second corridor's armory with a contented grin.
The leather straps of the sheathes for the butterfly swords were wrapped and tied around the linen coat's sash, and the qama was positioned directly above her heart, hidden in a readily accessible location whenever she required its use.