Chapter 327: Of Fangs, Venom, and Tests

Sophia stared at him for a long moment, her brows drawn together, eyes flicking from Orion’s face to the pale blade still resting in her hand.

"Skylur fangs?" she repeated slowly. "How did Mary even... use them?"

Orion shrugged, one shoulder lifting as his gaze drifted briefly toward the swords. "She didn’t explain every detail. Just said they were stubborn. That they didn’t like being treated like steel. And, um... even if she explained in detail, I wouldn’t understand. I don’t speak forge language after all."

Sophia chuckled a bit, her gaze still on the sword in her hand. She twisted it slightly, angling it so the light caught along the creamy surface. The blade gleamed softly, almost warm despite the cool air in the room. She turned it again, studying where fang met metal, where the material had been shaped and coaxed rather than forced.

"That’s actually a really good idea," she murmured. "Who would have thought that Skylur fangs could be made into weapons? And the perfect sheen on it... excellent."

Orion watched her now, attention sharpening. "You’re saying that like you understand what she did. And I’m sure about one thing, shorty—you and I don’t speak forge language."

Sophia rolled her eyes at him without looking up, even as a smile threatened to form at the corners of her mouth. "I never said that."

"Then why do you sound like you’re about to walk into the forge and start critiquing her technique?" he asked dryly. "Which, let me tell you now, is a really bad idea. Remember what happened the last time you were there? Let’s try to keep the fires to a minimum, please."

She snorted at that. The whole pack already knew about how she had almost burned down the whole smithy, and was she surprised that Orion was using it to tease her? Not even in the slightest bit.

"I do not speak forge language, neither do I have the hands for it either. I’m just amazed, is all—and maybe I even have other ideas too," she told him.

Orion tilted his head, studying her. "What ideas?" he asked.

She paused, then her eyes lit up with a sudden spark of thought. "You know... if Skylur fangs can be used like this, maybe other materials could too."

"Such as?"

She glanced at him, excitement creeping into her voice. "The Trihydra."

His expression shifted immediately. "No."

She blinked. "No? But why? I was thinking maybe we could use the skin to—"

"Shorty, the Trihydra itself is venom. The skin is soaked with venom from head to... to tail. Everything about that creature is poisonous. Using its skin wouldn’t just be difficult—it would be dangerous."

Sophia’s enthusiasm dimmed slightly as memory caught up with her. She remembered when she had first joined the pack, how the Trihydra and Skylur had attacked, and how Orion had collapsed after defeating them.

He wasn’t the only one who had collapsed that day. Brynhild had too, but that was more because she had overexerted herself. Orion had collapsed because he had been bitten by the Trihydra.

Orion hated seeing the look on her face, and honestly, it wasn’t a bad idea—what she suggested.

"Perhaps... if you could use that smart brain of yours to figure out a way to neutralize the venom, or isolate the useful properties without triggering it—"

She gave him a look.

"I’m just saying," Orion said with a small smile. "If you can come up with a way to use it safely, we’ll consider it."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Really?"

"Yes," he said. "For one, Tobias has always been the one taking my money, but this is an opportunity to take money back from him. If you are successful, he would look for every opportunity to get you what you want—every material you and your team would want—which would mean more money." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Sophia laughed, the sound light and surprised. "That’s a very mercenary way to motivate me."

"I’m practical," Orion corrected. "And I’d like some of my money back from him."

She shook her head, still smiling. "I’ll do my best, then."

She carefully lowered the short sword back into its place in the box, fingers lingering for a moment before she let go. Then she straightened, leaning back against the edge of the table, arms braced behind her.

"But first," she added, her tone shifting, "I need to start training again."

Orion nodded automatically—then froze.

"Wait... what? Why would you be training again?" he asked her in shock.

"For the placement test."

Orion turned to her fully now. "The placement test?"

"Yes."

He shook his head once, sharp and disbelieving. "No. That’s not happening."

Sophia tilted her head. "Why not?"

"Because you don’t need to take it," he said, irritation bleeding into his voice despite himself. "That was never the plan. From the very beginning, you said you weren’t trying to become a warrior or a guard or a fucking hunter. You wanted to learn how to defend yourself. That’s it."

"And that part hasn’t changed," she replied calmly.

"Then why take the test at all?"

She exhaled slowly and crossed her arms, thinking. "Because I want to know how far I’ve come."

Orion opened his mouth, then closed it again.

She continued, "I don’t expect to pass it. That’s not the point. I just... want to see where I stand. What I can do now compared to when I started."

"That test isn’t a measure," he argued. "It’s a filter. It’s meant to push people to their limits."

"I know."

"And you just recovered," he snapped. "You were in pain not that long ago."

"I’m aware," she said evenly.

"And your body—"

"Still needs rest," she finished for him. "I know."

Orion ran a hand through his hair, frustration building. "Then why are you even thinking about this now?"

She looked at him steadily. "Because when the others came to visit me, they talked about it, okay? They said it wouldn’t feel complete if I didn’t take the test."

Orion frowned. "Complete?"

"Yes," she said. "This opportunity—the early training, the accelerated progress—they only got it because of me. And it was also because of me that they even got the opportunity to train from you. And because of that, they’ve improved more in a few weeks than they would have otherwise."

Orion sighed. He already knew that there was no stopping her. He also knew that the reason the other trainees hadn’t yet taken the test—apart from the fact that he had been so focused on Sophia when she was sick—was because she had been the one to give them the opportunity to even take the test now.

It was a way to make people like Nia, Micah, and some others prove that they would no longer be labeled the oldest trainees, but instead be referred to by their professions.

And Sophia thought she was not going to pass the test. He didn’t believe that. If anything happened, Orion was sure she would pass.

"I’m not jumping straight back into training," she said gently, snapping him out of his thoughts. "I know my body isn’t ready for that. Even just swinging the sword just now felt... strange."

His eyes narrowed immediately. "Strange how?"

She hesitated, then answered honestly. "I just felt a little pain, that’s all."

His voice went flat immediately.

"You what?"