She was shocked

"How does this keep happening?!" She rushed to my weapon and inspected it, running her fingers over the runes that Hinata had inscribed. "What the- Paul, did you see what caused this?" She looked at me with such a trusting face, that I almost told her everything, almost.

"No, you just went into the trance and then my sword started glowing, I figured that was suppose to happen." I raised my eyebrow and crossed my arms and tried to sound as unknowing as I could. "Why, is something wrong?" She looked a little panicked but slowly shook her head.

"No no, it's really a good thing! Free extra runes and the powers they entail, nothing bad there! But there might be, uh, interesting changes all of a sudden." She looked back at my sword and her eyes shimmered with magic. "I can't tell what they will be, but nothing bad I promise. You know, this might-" She stopped speaking and for a second, I swore she stopped breathing too. She traced the glowing rune multiple times and I saw her hand shake. "How-how, but, that's not... but it is somehow, I-" She took in a shaky breath and let out a much more steady exhalation.

She stopped her tracing and muttered words in a language that was foreign to me, and I saw a somewhat familiar stack of cards. She took specific ones and handed them to me. "Here look at these real quick, and then I will explain." I looked at them and saw the cards for the runes I had chosen.

"Please don't interrupt until I am done explaining." She stared at me with a serious look. "I mean it, please Paul. No flirting or anything. I have to document what happened and my, uh, superiors I guess you can call them, will be watching me while I do so."

"Very well, beautiful, though will there be time for more flirting when we are done." She looked at me with a sad face.

"No, probably not. Even when we move on to the last portion of this whole thing, they will keep watching." I nodded at her and marched up to her. She smiled a little and met my coming lips. We made out and embraced for awhile. When we broke off from each other, she quickly turned and distanced herself from me by a few feet and started to make intricate signs in the air. Before she finished... whatever she was doing, she turned to me with a happy smile. "I can't wait to meet you again and to go on our date! Please be as quick as possible." I gave her a happy smile in return.

"I promise, not only to be quick, but to impose divine level restraint so that I don't show your bosses how much I want you." I saw her blush at my statement and I was saddened at the sight, though I still smiled. I was sad because I will miss her blushes a lot. She did one last sign in the air and then I felt a heavy presence descend onto me. I saw as Maka lose her smile and became tense.

"WHY HAVE YOU CALLED UPON THE COMPLETE ATTENTION OF THE COUNCIL, MAKA ALBARN?!" The voice came from nowhere and echoed throughout the volcanic forge that we were in. Maka quickly got to one knee at the question.

"The newest forged weapon has-has been altered. The rune of-"

"WE ARE WELL AWARE OF THE UNIQUE QUALITIES THAT WEAPONS FORGED UNDER YOUR SUPERVISION HAS ATTAINED! YET, I BELIEVE WE HAVE TOLD YOU BEFORE THAT YOU NEED ONLY INFORM ONE OF US OF WHEN SUCH A THING HAPPENS, OR HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN?!" I saw Maka gulp at the question.

"I-I truly remember, but this is far more unique than all the others!"

"OH?!" The booming voice was just as loud as before, yet there was something in their tone that spoke of curiosity.

"Th-the rune of **** was applied to the weapon, yet the lifeforce of the weapon has not diminished and the weapon's human form has not suffered any major physical deformities or injuries!" The Presence of this 'Council' lightened at her words, as close to a display of shock that this method of communication could give, before it came back with twice the intensity. I barely resisted the effects of the pressure, yet Maka instantly went into a Dogeza position.

"RISE AND EXPLAIN IN DETAIL, ALL THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS WEAPON!" Maka stood up on shaky legs and began her report, the Council not lessening the pressure they exerted, what absolute assholes.

"B-bound to Paul Steele and shaped into an arming sword, this weapon is made of Tifaenium and has the innate rune of Alloy, blending Wrymscale into it! The-the weapon owner has made the weapon a submissive partner to him and had intensified the personality of the Shield to its near-maximum. I had inscribed the Bestow, Equivalent Exchange, and Telepathy runes into it, and entered into the trance to find a willing spirit. When I exited the trance, I noticed that one of the runes were glowing." At those words she gestured to the still glowing sword. "I inspected it and not only realized what it is, but also the two other additions that the weapon gained. Not the most additional changes that I-we have observed, but definitely the most impactful. Each of the additional runes where those that could house more runes within themselves. In order of magnitude, there is the rune of Adventure, Questant, which houses the runes, Navigator and Skeleton Key, and causes all but the rune that is within the Tifaenium metal to scatter across Ruyanei, the world we are on. Then there is the rune of Fate, Investment, which bears the runes, Aschente, Making a List, The Pen is Mightier, and Rewind. And finally, there is the rune of ****, Evanescent which grants the runes of PyroKinesis, Hydrokinesis, Telekinesis, Physiokinesis, Photokinesis, and Elemental Embodiment. While it is still effected by the rune of Adventure, It is not... normal. All it has become, is merely a rune that gives more runes, with no other side effects." She finished and the Council was silent for a while before it spoke once more.

"NINETEEN RUNES IN ONE WEAPON, A DEVASTATING WEAPON, PERHAPS THE GREATEST ONE EVER MADE! INTERESTING THAT SUCH A THING HAS OCCURED ON THE WORLD THAT WE ONLY JUST BEGUN CONTACT WITH! HAVE YOU GIVEN HIM THE LOCATION OF THE ACADEMY ON THE WORLD OR HAVE YOU OMITTED THAT ONCE MORE." I saw Maka blush at that, yet this blush was different to all the others, one made solely from embarrassment and shame. I was extremely grateful that this council could not see the work that my Chains allowed, yet not grateful enough to just let their treatment of Maka slide. I couldn't do anything now, but I'll find away to help her out somehow.

"I-I have! I promise that I wouldn't do that again and I kept my word!" The voice made a non-committal hum, and then turned its consideration to me.

"NEW WIELDER, COME TO THE ACADEMY AS SWIFTLY AS POSSIBLE! YOUR WEAPON MUST BE EXAMINED TO SEE HOW SUCH A MIRACLE HAS HAPPENED! DO AS WE, THE COUNCIL WHO HAS MADE THE CREATION OF YOUR NEW PARTNER POSSIBLE, COMMAND, AND YOU SHALL HAVE OUR FAVOR!" With that, the pressure lifted significantly, though I sensed that it wasn't completely gone. Maka was right, we really wouldn't be able to do anything else together. Maka turned to me with a fixed smile, and at that moment, I decided that this 'Council' was on my shit list.

"Now then, there's one last choice to make to finalize the contract and bind the soul to your weapon, finishing it. See, in battles, Soul Weapons aren't restricted to just being a weapon in your hands the entire time- they can actually temporarily take other forms to change the course of a fight! These abilities, which are called Burst Abilities, will have a great impact on what sort of strategies you'll be using to win, so choose carefully!" She then gave me three cards, which, unlike all the others, had no lewd pictures. I suppressed the urge to comment on it, and focused on what I wanted. After a little self-debating, I chose Soul Schism, and upon the chains prompting and trusting that the council couldn't sense it, I also chose Soul Meld.

When I thought of accepting Soul Schism and Soul Meld, I hadn't even thought to vocalize my choice before I felt something happen. My Soul's wavelength came out from me again, though with a far stronger and sustained energy this time. The energy collided with my shield, which still laid on the ground, and it begun to vibrate rapidly. I believe it was also giving off its own energy too. Suddenly, the shield was enveloped in a blinding white light, and when my vision clears, I see a girl standing where my shield once was. The first detail that I noticed about her was just how jaw-droppingly beautiful she is- and for a second, I felt as though I did when I first saw Chloe, Zynthia, and Rebeza, Like my heart had stopped at the sheer sight of her.

Tifaenium made her human form elf-like, with the specific type of elf left for me to decide. I chose a High Elf, with Blonde hair, Blue glowing Eyes, and fair skin. Evertimber put its own transformation in the mix as well, her pale skin took on a green tint and her blonde hair grew a mohawk of yellow and red leaves. Her form was how I envisioned it, Fit and Feminine, yet it also possessed purple and pink flowers that bloomed randomly across her and vines came forth to wrap themselves around her arms and legs. As my eyes took her in, they widened, as I couldn't help but notice a detail that I had overlooked at first glance. She had no left arm, merely a stump at her shoulder, with a vine hanging limply in the empty space.

She begun to look around, slightly confused, but as soon as we locked eyes, her confusion vanishes. Her face bore a wide smile and her eyes brightened, though that quickly was hidden. She crossed her arms and looked away in a huff, though she couldn't help her eyes glancing towards me every once in a while. I chuckled at her actions which caused her to blush before I looked at Maka.

"I thought you said that the Evanescent rune had no negative side effects?" She also noticed the missing arm, yet did not seem shocked, merely sad.

"This happened because of the Questant rune. You will find the arm on your adventures, and said arm will be most likely be heavily tattooed. But look on the bright side, unlike what usually happens, the arm will actually be able to attach to her, and not like usual where the lost limb simply disintegrates when you obtain the Evanescent rune." I turned back relieved, and saw that the new girl had not paid attention to our conversation. Her attention completely on the male member that was pointing at her.

"Like something down there?" I teased and saw as the weapon turned human... elf... dryad? Lets go with woman, jumped at my words. She looked up at me in the eyes with a blush.

"I-I just didn't know that humans were that big. This body I inhabit also makes me feel things I have never felt before in... well forever." I smirked at her.

"Do you have a name?" She rolled her eyes at me cutely.

"No, Spirits are not like material lifeforms. We don't need to state who we are, for other spirits already know that upon looking at us."

"While weapons don't technically need names, I think that it would be mean to deny her one. I know of a few Soul Weapons with no names, and they eventually fell into depression and also-" Maka was interrupted by the diminished pressure of the Council strengthening again for a second before receding. "NOT- NOT THAT YOU NEED TO, OF COURSE!" She quickly stated with a look of fear on her face. I definitely need to ask her about her experiences with the Council when I meet with her again. I won't allow her to be abused for no reason. I smiled at Maka and assured her.

"Don't worry, I think it's unnecessarily cruel as well." I turned to my weapon. "Do you have any thoughts or suggestions?"

She sighed in a way akin to a long-suffering wife dealing with a dense husband.

"I don't know where to begin with mortal names, and I don't care. As-as long as I have your last name, I'm fine with whatever. And-and that's because we are bonded, and that's it! Don't think too hard about it, Idiot!" I tried not to tease her about her words, no matter how much I want to.

"Hmmm..." I tried to think of a suitable name, yet was a little bit distracted with my new life long companion. Than I was struck with a random name that was as good as any other. "Ashley Steele sounds alright with you?"

Her lips twitched a little, before she scowled. "Sounds good enough, not like I expected more from some sex-crazed pervert."

I looked at Maka, who gave me a genuine smile at giving her a name, before her fake smile came back and she continued.

"I hope you're really happy with your weapon, and that the two of you will go on to keep forging a strong bond together. On that note, though, I actually have a couple quests you can choose from here. Quests are... errands that the academy would appreciate help with, and would no doubt help the two of you bond faster! Nothing says 'friendship' like fighting for your lives together! Also, they have some great rewards for completing them! You have to pick one, uh, two of these Quests to go on, as they help to 'lock in' the fate of your weapon. If you want to do your own thing, then simply choose tier 1-" Maka's smile became strained and I got the sense that the Council was up to something. "But please consider the higher tiers. If at any point during a Quest you realize that you're way over your head and that you'll probably die if you keep going, you can return to the Academy and take a lower tier quest instead- but you can never take a quest with a higher tier than what you went down to. Similarly, after you're successful with a Quest, you can choose to go on any lower-tier quest, so you can complete it and gain its rewards as well. During this 'bonus round' of Quests only, the Council will show its gratitude to you by fixing fate so that you won't die in battle during these extra quests- though this only extends to battle with things related to said Quest. Taking on a Titan while doing a Tier 1 Quest when you completed a tier 2 Quest will still lead to ****, as the Titan had no relation to the tier 1 Quest. It'd worth mentioning that these Quests are each safely sequestered away in their own World Lines and the blessing of being a Soul Weapon wielder will prevent you from coming into contact with anything from a Quest that you do not choose. It's pretty hard to explain, kind of like a Schrodinger thing, Maybe?"

Maka looked in the general direction of where the presence of the Council seemed to be and waited for confirmation. Silence was their answer.

"Uh, anyway, it's convenient because it means that some world ending cataclysmic monster doesn't devour the world while you're relaxing after finishing your Quest. However, the academy has a vested interest in many World Lines, and I think it's nice to save people from less fortunate realities than ours when we can. Here are some cards with the necessary details of the quests available." She handed me some cards.

Just like the last ones, these were also Safe For Work. I didn't waste much time, as Hinata already convinced me. I picked the card with the Tier 3 Quest, The Beast, and the Tier 4 Quest, King of Harems.

"Are-are you sure? There are much safer and just as fun Quests and-" The pressure of the Council came back, yet Maka pressed onwards- "Th-there is no- no need to **** your-yourself into life threatening con-conflicts." Even as the pressure grew, Maka did not back down, looking at me with worried eyes. I realized that even with the fact that she was acting out against her superiors, she cared for me too much to late me take on a task that might kill me. I smiled gently at her.

"I'm sure, and like you said, if it becomes too much for me, I will quickly retreat back to the academy and choose a lesser Quest. I am in no rush to die, I assure you." At my words, Maka broke into the greatest smile I have ever seen from her since the Council came. The pressure lessened after a minute and Maka straightened up and continued with her speech.

"That's it then. The process is now finished, and I shall send you on your way! Good luck with your Quest and with your weapon! And-and I, uh, I shall be cheering for your success!" I had a feeling she was going to say something else before she reminded herself that the Council was still watching. I felt as the world shifted around me, bringing me and Ashley back into the beige void where I met Maka, Ashley still folding her arms and pretending as though she didn't have time for me.

I was tempted to spend a few minutes to an hour with her, to see if I could seduce her, but then the beige world became inverted. I saw as Ashley seeminbly froze, not moving a muscle, and then began levitating towards me and instantly turned into a Sword again and then... melted into me, and I knew that she was within my Inner World that my Predator powers gave me. I felt as I was seemingly sucked through a straw into a familiar place. A near replica of the Volcanic forge I was just in, yet with one major change. All the colors were the opposite of the ones I spent the last thirty minutes or so with. The magma was a deep to light blue and the black ash had become white. Standing there waiting for me was a woman.

Blonde hair and blue eyes with a traditional wizards hat. She wore what you might assume a female, sexy, witch Sherlock Holmes would wear and seemed to really prefer using light browns and white for her clothing. She looked at me with a dazzling smile and put her hands on her hips.