The merchant lies on his side against a thick branch. He had one hand resting on his leg and the other keeping his head propped up. He gazes down at the huntress’ bewildered expression and waves.

"What's up?" He greeted cheerily.

“You…?! How long were you-”

“The whole time.”

The merchant stands up and leaps from the branch high atop the tree, crashing onto the ground and kicking up a small storm of dirt and debris upon landing. He straightens his poise and struts toward her with a swagger in his step. Cyrene was taken aback by how casually he went about a fall so high.  

“You had me worried there for a sec! Thought I was gonna have to scrape you off the floor and do your job!” 

The huntress shoots him a sneer.  

“Glad I could put on a show," she remarks sarcastically. "What do you want, anyway? You here to get your sword back?”

She draws the sword and extends her arm. She tilts the weapon horizontally.  

“Then take it and get outta here. I'll go find another weapon somewhere else."   

“Sorry, kid. I wasn’t lookin’ to take the sword back.” 

The merchant stops in his tracks. The young woman lowers her blade. 

“I was lookin’ for you.” 

Cyrene furrows her brow. She holds the armament to her side and assumes an offensive stance, raising the weapon against him.  

"I appreciate you helping me out earlier, but you need to take a few steps back! You're freakin' me out!" 

The merchant jokingly raises his open hands to his sides. 

“Hey, hey, chill out, will ya? I'm not here to fight. I wanna ask ya a question, that's all."  

“You want to ask me a question? After you watched me get tossed around for fun?" she snickered. "Get real."   

“Just hear me out this one last time. Then I'm outta your hair. I'll leave you alone. Promise!” He grinned.

The huntress scowls and rolls her eyes. She breathes out a heavy sigh. 

“What do you want?" 

“During your fight with that creature, did you experience anything... different... in terms of how your body was feeling?"

"Yeah," she rubs her neck with her free hand. "I was getting slapped around for a good few minutes if that's what you mean."

"N-no," he shook his head. "I mean..."

Cyrene's eyes hover from left to right, confused. The merchant puts his hand on the side of his head.

"Eh, how else should I word this?" he mutters before turning his attention back to her. "Were you feeling... stronger than usual?"

The merchant pauses and crosses his arms. The man's erratic behavior gradually caused the huntress to grow inquisitive.  

"Uh-"

Before Cyrene could answer, the merchant interrupted her.

“Actually, you know what, forget that," he dismisses. “That sword… did you feel anything strange when you grabbed it? Somethin' out of the ordinary, maybe?"

“Ya see, that thing’s gotta special little knack to it. It’s not your run-of-the-mill longsword. Honestly, it’s probably the reason you were able to stand up to that monster.”

Cyrene lowers her blade.

“What do you mean?"

The young woman brings the blade closer to her face and inspects its shimmering material.  

“There's no way a sword like this did anything special..."

“I’m serious.”

His flat delivery took Cyrene by surprise. She lowers her sword to see the merchant still standing from afar. Swiftly, she recollects herself, raising the armament once more. The light above cast her facial reflection from the weapon. 

“Well, I didn’t see or feel anything different happen. Could you even show me how the sword works?"

The merchant’s eyes recline to a deadpan, weighty glare.  

“No.” 

Cyrene moved her weapon down to view the merchant, but without warning, the mysterious man dashed in front of her, closing the distance between the two in seconds. The sight of his sudden appearance took her breath away and drove her into a state of heightened distress. He grabs her wrist with his hand and raises her arm, clutching vigorously while staring directly into her eyes. 

“I’d rather show you.”

The merchant’s hand began to emit a mysterious glow, followed by the sword emitting a similar, powerful illumination. The sheer strength of the light was becoming so bright that it began engulfing the totality of the Cliffside. The young woman tried to escape but was still encased by the iron grip of the merchant. The light blinds Cyrene, and the area falls to silence. A wispy pale burst of grayish energy eventually began to settle, revealing the devastation of a scorched precipice. The huntress lay motionless, albeit with not a new scratch on her. Razed elevations and freshly burned timberland drew the merchant's attention.

"Hm, good thing the blast wasn't that big..." He mutters.

The merchant looks down, crouching by her unconscious body.

“Sorry, kid. Had to do what I had to do. You're gonna grow up to be even stronger.”  

His eyes shift to the weapon still gripped in her hand.  

“Oh yeah, I lied. I'm takin' the sword back too.” 

He bends down and retrieves it from her grasp, sheathing it within his cloak.  

“I think someone you know might be needing this too…” He says, tapping the concealed weapon."Besides, I have a feelin' you'll be fine without it."

He playfully taps her twice on the head, stands up, and makes his way back to the village. The merchant waves to the young woman with his back facing her. 

“See ya, lady.” 

The merchant flees the scene, having defeated the huntress with a single grapple.