The clearing was a wide open space, surrounded by broken trunks and rocks marked by old training sessions. They had fought there before.
Marcus cracked his neck.
— I'll go first.
Jay opened his mouth immediately.
— NO. You hit way too hard. I want to test the mechanism, not turn into human origami.
Ethan raised his staff.
— Easy. I'll conjure something light first. Just to charge the core.
Jay nodded.
Ethan traced a simple magic circle in the air.
— Ignis Orbis.
A small sphere of fire appeared. It was weak, more hot than dangerous. He threw it.
Jay raised the shield.
The sphere exploded against the metal.
The shield trembled, and an orange pulse ran through the metallic veins.
Jay's eyes widened.
— I… felt it. It absorbed it.
Ethan smiled.
— Again.
And like a rhythmic drumbeat, he launched successive small spells.
Ignis Orbis.
Ignis Orbis.
Ignis Orbis.
Each impact made the pistons grind. The core pulsed stronger and stronger, growing with energy.
Sienna crossed her arms, impressed.
— Hm. It's glowing like Marcus when I mess with him. That's probably a good sign.
Jay could feel it. It was as if the shield were breathing beneath his arm. It wasn't just weight. It was stored power, alive, waiting for a command.
He raised his arm.
— Okay. I think it's fully charged.
Marcus took three steps back.
— Then aim at that trunk over there. The thick one.
If it explodes, we know it works.
If it doesn't—
— The trunk explodes you — Sienna finished cheerfully.
Jay took a deep breath.
Planted his feet.
Firmed his stance.
Aligned his torso.
Shield forward.
The orange core now pulsed like a racing heart, about to burst.
— Alright… how do I activate this?
That's when he noticed the mechanism embedded in the inner grip of the shield.
Jay leaned forward, pushed off…
…and fired.
The impact wasn't just a sound.
It was an explosion, like the roar of thunder trapped inside a metal drum.
A blue-orange shockwave burst from the shield in the shape of a perfect cone.
The trunk, thick as three men combined, didn't crack.
It flew.
It was hurled more than ten meters, slammed into a rock, and split in half.
The ground trembled.
Leaves fell.
The wind spiraled.
Silence.
An almost respectful silence.
Until Sienna commented:
— …okay, Jay. That was officially way cooler than it had any right to be.
Emanueru's eyes went wide.
— I've never seen a shield do that. Never.
Elenya smiled, proud.
— Jay… that's you.
With or without a weapon. Always was.
Marcus slapped his friend on the back, hard enough to almost knock him over.
— Now you actually look like a tank.
Jay looked at the shield, still shaking with adrenaline.
— Taiga… she really did it.
Sienna flicked his arm.
— You all did. Now go thank her and let's head to the third floor.
The workshop vibrated with the constant sound of metal on metal. Sparks danced in the air like small orange stars.
Taiga didn't even need to look when the door opened.
— If someone's here to ask for a cute item, come back later. I'm busy.
Jay walked in without hesitation, the new shield on his arm, posture straight, expression firm.
— Relax. Today I'm not here to ask for anything. I came to say thanks.
Her hammer froze midair.
Taiga turned slowly, raising an eyebrow.
— Thank me? From you?
This should be good.
Jay rested the shield on the ground and lightly punched the reinforced metal. It answered with a THUM, heavy with energy.
— Taiga… you did more than give me equipment.
You gave me a path.
And I followed it.
She crossed her arms, studying his face. Steady. Calm. A different Jay.
— Finally stopped acting like a sad pillar and accepted your role as the group's tank, huh?
Jay smiled faintly.
— Not just the tank.
Now I hit back.
Taiga let out a short laugh.
— Yeah. And you hit back beautifully.
The kinetic mechanism is working exactly like I imagined.
And you still haven't broken anything… a miracle.
Jay ran his fingers along the metal edge where the pistons were embedded.
— This shield is perfect.
Retractable spikes, kinetic core, structural reinforcement…
It was exactly what my style was missing.
Taiga tilted her head, satisfied.
— And now? Gonna play the confident hero?
— I'm not playing.
I am.
She blinked, surprised by the firmness.
Jay took a step forward.
Then another.
He stopped close enough for her to feel the heat of his aura.
— I just wanted to make sure you knew that.
And thank you the right way.
Taiga frowned.
— And what's the "right" way?
Jay leaned in slightly…
…and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
It wasn't bold.
It wasn't long.
It was precise. Safe.
From someone who knew exactly what he was doing.
Taiga froze for half a second.
— W–WHAT?!
JAY! I—
He was already turning away, wearing a smile he'd never shown before.
— See you on the next floor, Taiga.
Take good care of our forge.
She watched him leave, unsure whether she wanted to hit him, yell… or smile.
In the end, she muttered, still holding her cheek:
— …Damn tank.
How dare you thank me like that?
But she was smiling.
The tent curtain suddenly opened.
Sienna came running in.
— Guys, I found another crystal here, it looks like—
She froze.
Jay was still too close to Taiga.
Taiga was still touching her own cheek.
The atmosphere was still dangerously strange.
Sienna blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then she broke into a diabolical grin.
— …good thing I came in.
Jay nearly choked.
— Sienna, NO—
— Relax — she raised her hands. — Imagine if I hadn't seen this.
Nobody would believe our tank turned into an attacker.
She turned to Taiga, theatrically.
— Congratulations.
Your shield evolved from "retaliation" to "seduction."
Taiga turned red instantly.
— SIENNA, IT'S NOT—
COME BACK HERE! DON'T TELL ANY—
But Sienna had already bolted out like a child carrying a nuclear secret.
The rest of the group was gathered near the campfire when she arrived, almost tripping from laughing so hard.
— PEOPLE!
She took a deep breath and dramatically raised a finger.
— …you missed the BIGGEST scene since we got here.
Ethan jumped up.
— What happened?
Monster? Attack? Did Taiga blow up the forge?
Sienna flashed a cruel smile.
— Jay…
went on the offensive…
Everyone leaned in.
— …and kissed Taiga inside the tent!
Ethan choked.
Marcus' eyes went wide.
Elenya turned red to the tips of her ears.
Jay appeared behind her, pale.
— SIENNA!!!
— I never promised anything — she shot back. — And even if I had, I'd lie.
This is gossip worth three floors.
Emanueru was laughing so hard he was crying.
— Man… you actually did it?
Jay covered his face.
— I'm going to kill Sienna.
— You won't — she replied, victorious. — You protect me too much for that.
Elenya smiled softly.
— It was sweet, Jay…
A little humiliating too.
Sienna raised her arms.
— I officially declare the tank's romance arc open!
— Guys… it wasn't like that! — Jay tried to defend himself. — It was just a thank-you!
And it was on the cheek!
ON THE CHEEK!
— Sure — Sienna replied. — Just like Ethan only uses weak magic.
— Hey— — Ethan started.
— Silence. You understood the comparison.
Jay sighed, defeated.
— Let's go. Please.
Sienna was already walking ahead.
— Let's go, people!
Now that our tank defends, attacks…
and kisses blacksmiths!
— SIEEEENNA!!!
She was already far away, laughing.
The rest of the group followed, laughing as well, while Jay walked last, grumbling, his ear still burning.