The Mech Touch

While the Swordmaidens decided to allow Ketis to bring out the big guns, she did not choose to do so immediately.

The impact of unveiling her primary weapon against a regular tournament participant would not be great. Showing it off in a match that she was confident in winning with a normal weapon would also clue in every subsequent opponent of her full strength.​​

It was better to keep her personal greatsword in reserve until she faced her first challenge. While there was a small risk that the opponents before then may have hidden their strength as well, Ketis had surprises in store.

"I know you want to come out and help me defeat my opponents, but it's too early for me to bring you out. Let's wait until we bump into the better Heavensworders. You'll enjoy the fight a lot more."

Swish. Swish.

Although Sharpie had yet to express its power in any way, its presence alone was enough to give Ketis an edge in her matches. Sharpie was not just her intangible 'pet', but also her sword will, at least that was what she thought.

No matter what kind of existence Sharpie turned out to be, the sentient sword will was an extension of herself.

Ever since Ves had given it life, Sharpie constantly helped her with increasing her affinity with swords. It also played an invaluable role in developing her nascent design philosophy.

Her intuitive understanding of sharpness had even grown as of late due to all of the stimulating duels she fought!

Throughout her stay in the Heavensword Association, she slowly felt that she had truly entered a haven for sword fanatics like her. Just the people of the state alone made her and her fellow Swordmaidens think that they belonged here. The Larkinson Clan couldn't even begin to match the local highly-developed swordsmanship culture!

"We should issue a request to the clan to allow us to settle in the HA. We belong here. There are so many interesting sparring partners here that I can learn something everyday!"

"The clan would never agree. The interests of the Larkinsons aren't based in these parts. The Red Ocean is their true stage, and ours as well."

No matter how much the Heavensword Association accommodated sword lovers of all kinds, the Swordmaidens weren't used to living in such a utopian society.

It was too perfect. The Swordmaidens grew up on the frontier and constantly had to survive in the midst of pirates. Even after joining the Larkinson Clan, they never fully shed their feral nature.

Only in adversity would they be able to obtain true strength! The motto and ideals of the Larkinson Clan resonated with their mentality. This was one of the most important reasons why the Swordmaidens were content with their current arrangements.

Even though the Swordmaidens all knew that they would be departing the Heavensword Association sooner or later, they still wanted to enjoy the new locale while they were here. It was very likely that they would never have the opportunity to visit such a unique state again.

While Ketis spent most of her time participating in matches, exercising her body or receiving valuable pointers from Venerable Dise, she could not keep her body active at all times.

"You should go out and explore Omanderie." Commander Sendra advised as Ketis finished running some l.a.p.s in the garden of Harcourt's villa. "Augmented or not, you are still human enough to need a break every now and then. Give your muscles some time to recover and do something fun."

"I'm not here to go on a vacation." Ketis frowned as she hydrated herself with a special nutrient solution. "You put a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. I dare not slack off and disappoint your expectations."

"That's why you need to cleanse your mind. Once you face off against the stronger Heavensworders, I don't want you to enter the arena while you are tired and fatigued. The opponents you will meet in the future are so good that you can't afford to make too many mistakes. This is because their scientific understanding of swordsmanship has reached such a high level that all of them are freaks in their own rights."

Under Sendra's continued persuasion, Ketis eventually acquiesced and took the afternoon off in order to explore some of the local sights.

Out of safety precautions, she decided to let a small squad of Infinity Guards escort her around. The mercenaries hadn't been doing much so far, but they could definitely make life easier in several ways.

When Angelique Harcourt heard about the outing, she immediately invited herself.

"You didn't have to come. I can manage on my own." Ketis said to the smartly-dressed Journeyman.

Angelique wore a blue coat over a fashionable ensemble that made it clear that she was a woman of means.

In comparison, Ketis opted to wear a simple brown outfit while wearing her favorite beret to cover her horns.

The other woman approached and linked her arms with the reluctant Swordmaidens. "You don't know this planet as well as I do. I know a lot of good places that will interest you. The Greater Omanderie Festival encompasses more than just the tournaments. While the exciting matches are certainly the centerpieces of this celebration period, there are many other interesting events that are not as intense. Come on! It will be fun!"

The two women along with their escorts boarded a vehicle and headed into the city.

Scabbard City was the capital planet of Omanderie III and one of the main venues of the festival. As the site where the tournaments were being held, millions of tourists and participants had arrived, causing the city to become more boisterous than any other moment.

Despite the huge draw of visitors, Scabbard City still offered plenty of space for more despite the lack of high-rise structures. Only a handful of districts featured any structures that were taller than mechs.

"Omanderie III is not an industrial planet." Harcourt explained. "It's meant to be a haven for swordmasters and swordsman mech pilots. Scabbard City is especially geared towards accommodating their needs. Some of our finest mech academies and swordsmanship schools are headquartered here. If you need any consulting, you can approach one of the many companies that are specialized in helping you improve. Whether you want to solve a problem with your swordsmanship, need some advice on the direction of your design philosophy and so on, there is definitely a service provider who can fulfill your needs."

Ketis looked very intrigued at the options. "I didn't know you could do all of that. Are these services open to foreigners such as myself?"

"Of course. I wouldn't have mentioned them otherwise. Unlike the LRA, we don't believe in keeping most of the good stuff to ourselves. We welcome visitors who are earnest in advancing the development of swordsmanship. We're not afraid of competition. In fact, it would be better if the rest of the star sector catches up in this area so that we will be able to experience more sword styles. That said, business is booming right now due to all of the tournament participants looking to obtain some extra help. You will need to wait at least a week before a slot opens up due to the previous clients dropping off. Next time, you should make a reservation in advance."

The Swordmaiden mech designer lost interest once she heard that. "There won't be a next time."

Their vehicle soon arrived at its destination. Ketis, Angelique and their bodyguards soon came out and ventured alongside the broad avenues that were lined with trees and different monuments.

Due to the current celebration, the locals put up a lot of festive decorations. Lots of flags, banners and projected visuals caused the city to turn into a huge draw for tourists.

While most of the visitors came from other parts of the Heavensword Association, Ketis also spotted some Hexers and Fridaymen.

After ten minutes of walking and taking in the scenery, Angelique led her guest to their first destination for this outing.

"These swords!" Ketis gasped. "They're all old!"

"I knew you would love this place." Angelique grinned. "Welcome to the Sword Graveyard. Our state possesses many notable swords. Each of them has a story. While they are ordinarily stored in protective vaults, hardly anyone can appreciate the weapons there. This is why our state pulls out a selection of swords and plants them in parks like these. For the duration of the festival, any visitor can admire the swords up close. They might even be allowed to take them away if they satisfy special conditions. Don't bank on that, though. On average, only a dozen or so visitors are able to succeed."

From the entrance of the park, Ketis estimated that she saw over ten-thousand different swords. Many of them were man-sized but there were still hundreds of large blades that absolutely towered over humans!

Those swords were meant to be wielded by mechs!

Every sword was planted tip-first into the ground. Although it looked as if the Heavensworders haphazardly planted them into the soil, Ketis could tell that each insertion was carefully prepared for. None of the swords incurred any damage and wouldn't tip over. Near-invisible energy screens prevented bystanders from casually pulling the man-sized swords out of the ground."

If anyone wanted to take out the swords that were eligible to be taken away, they had to satisfy the unique conditions attached to them. Only a small proportion of swords offered these opportunities.

Ketis approached the first weapon that was comparable to a greatsword. It was a rather rustic-looking claymore that possessed a chipped edge and heavy signs of wear and tear.

She tried to imagine what its owner was like and how the weapon was wielded in battle.

"This is a nice sword." She eventually sighed. "Its quality isn't the best and the craftsmanship isn't very refined, but I can tell that the swordsmith put real love into his work. It's a pity that its owner and user didn't use this weapon very often. The blade hardly spilled any blood."

Angelique smiled ruefully at the shabby claymore. "While we love swords, we don't have that many opportunities to wield them in battle. Our state is at peace and what little friction takes place is not enough to give many people the opportunity to put their training to actual use. This is one of our state's persistent problems."

The weapon was one of the least-impressive displays in the Sword Graveyard. The only reason why it was here in the first place was because its owner was a notable personality back when he was alive.

When Ketis concentrated her mind, she did not feel any resonance with the weapon. The claymore hadn't been designed with the best possible sharpness in mind. Instead, its creator placed a lot more emphasis on other qualities.

She wandered else and passed by numerous smaller blades until another unusual sword caught her attention.

"Is this.. an organic weapon?"

"Yup." Angelique nodded. "It's probably from the LRA. We don't make these bioswords ourselves."

The biosword was an odd contraption to Ketis. Its hollow blade was made out of bone and was covered with strange gaps. The one-handed weapon also featured a squishy, fleshy hilt that made it seem as if it was made out of human flesh!

Ketis momentarily experienced some unpleasant flashbacks about her fight against the Grey Watcher turned monster.