Sometime during the two weeks after Utiog has been destroyed, Alexis is walking with Ethelred through what used to be the village green.
“Having seen the sword in action, do you still think it is very fragile and easy to break? From what you’ve said, Barra bashed it several times against the ground while destroying Utiog. A layman like me would think that a powerful being like Barra smashing a sword on the ground would destroy a weak sword.”
Ethelred thinks for a moment, considers the words from the gnolls, and what he has seen of the Broken Sword.
“The gnolls said the sword was twice broken. From what I have see there is nothing broken about this sword. If we hope to break this sword physically then we should see if there was a blacksmith living here. Breaking this sword with shear force would seem difficult. Heat and time would be my choice.
But even then…. will that truly break the sword? I think we had best study this item together. If we combine my knowledge of the material and your knowledge of the immaterial, we might be able to come up with a plan.”
Alexis gently nods hid head as Ethelred thinks out loud.
“And if the sword takes something truly grand to break it? What are your tentative plans ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’?”
“I would do some testing and request your do some learning.
Testing would be to look of material weaknesses: bending, chipping, filing, pounding, heating, cooling, stressing, applying acid…
Learning would be focused on the history of the blade, who made, how was it made, how was it broken, how was it repaired, how was it broken again, how was it repaired again…
If we are unable to find a material weakness, and unable to learn anything, then I suppose we need to seek help. The Gnolls might be a good start, but we don’t know where they are. Out here we have limited options.
I am guessing we are headed back to Sutheron if all else fails?”
Alexis gives a whistle at the suggestion of heading back to Sutheron.
“To Sutheron, with the sword. That would be a bold, and dangerous, move.”
“I have started studying of the sword. There are some connections between this sword and some histories I know. I’m promised that more will become evident with more study.”
With a slight grin, Alexis asks “have you considered that this could be the Fangblade?”
“Why would you think is it ‘The Fangblade’? And how does that help us break it?”
“I know. Seems unlikely to me too.”
“If it’s the Fangblade then it might be tied to you; keyed to you. And would you even want to break the Fangblade?”
“Keyed to me?… why me?
Maybe you should tell me what you know about Fangblade, because I do not know much.”
“It’s the blade your ancestor wielded. Bora Bloodfist told you about it.”
“With the little Bora told us about it, it could be something connected to Malor. Or it could be a human blade. Or something else, but there are some hints that the blade we’re looking at might, might, be the Fangblade.”