Upon entering the cove, Smith took a moment to check his surroundings. He had never been in a place like this before. It was mostly dark, and the only source of light seemed to be the torch near the bottom of the chamber. The stone steps were cold to the touch and seemed to only accommodate one person at a time. Taking a deep breath, he carefully descended the steps to the bottom of the chamber.

The room was admittedly eerie, but something else stood out to Smith. A strange humming sound filled the room as he made his way to the bottom of the stairs. When he first entered, he barely noticed it, but the closer he got the base of the chamber, the louder the noise became. It wasn't an alarming sound or something that made him want to turn and run away, but it was certainly out of the ordinary. It faintly reminded him of the strange hiss he heard when he first woke up in his pod since both sounds had an otherworldly effect on his mind and body. However, unlike the hissing sound in the pod chamber, this humming noise was actually pleasant. Smith's mind was still very fuzzy, but he was able to relate the humming to the notes of a harp or a violin. As he listened, Smith almost felt a sense of sadness as the beautiful notes continued to resonate in his head. He couldn't put his finger on it, but the more he likened it to a classical piece of music, the more at ease he felt which made the trek down the cold, stone stairs easier.

Once he reached the last step, he was surprised to find that the torch illuminated a large wall of strange tablets. When he first heard that they would be visiting the weapon cove, he imagined a large cave filled with various weapons for him to examine and try out. Although, the more he thought about it, this strange wall of tablets seemed a better representation of monsters turned into weapons than a big pile of weapons in some dank old armory. However, as Smith moved off the last step, the humming became clearer, he was almost certain now that it was in fact someone singing.

"Hello? Is someone there?"

The room was silent and the humming sound continued uninterrupted. Smith stood there for a moment, but he quickly figured out that there was little for him to do besides find his weapon, even if someone was going to ruin his concentration by singing the whole time. Smith quickly made his way to the wall and began to examine the various tablets. Each one was different and seemed to be inscribed with the outline of a weapon. Some swords, bows, axes, staffs, and whips. However, as soon as he as raised his hand to examine a tablet with a crossbow etched in dark red, the humming abruptly stopped.

"Oh my, what lovely young man! I'm Raiquen, the crossbow in this beautiful runic tablet. Hehe. I have waited quite a while for you and now you are finally here! How wonderful~!"

An eloquent voice, definitely male filled his head. Smith turned to look around the room once more and found no one. Cautiously, his eyes darted around, looking for the source. Smith had heard that his weapon would speak only to him, but he wasn't prepared at all for the sensation of someone or something else to be inside his head. When they told him that the bonding ceremony between himself and the weapon would unique, he imagined something very different. The odd sensation of someone or something speaking inside his head was going to take a little while to get used to. The voice continued, whoever it was didn't seem to mind his reaction.

"Did you enjoy my singing? That is one of my favorite arias. It's so subtle and haunting. I could tell that you enjoyed it by the way that you relaxed. My singing has that effect on everyone, so I'm used to it. Don't worry, those goosebumps will go away in a few moments. Also, don't be afraid to cry as I'm used to people being physically moved by my talent.

Raiquen didn't miss a beat and Smith could easily tell that it was very confident in its abilities or at the very least its singing. Some may have found Rai's remarks arrogant or rude, but Smith actually appreciated the confidence and ease that radiated from this weapon. Smith wanted the bonding ceremony to go as smoothly as possible and definitely wanted to get on well with his weapon, so he could easily admire the voice's confidence and social aptitude. Smith certainly wouldn't have been as comfortable as Raiquen when it came to approaching a complete stranger. He wasn't sure he was going to like sharing his head with a weapon, but for now it was comforting to know that Raiquen seemed energetic and focused.

"Uh.. nice to meet you Raiquen, was it? My name is Smith Raymond."

He paused for a moment, his hand lingering over the tablet that glowed with an enticing dark red aura. Smith wasn't exactly sure why, but he instantly felt a connection with this Raiquen. He knew if he was reassured by the weapon's singing then there must have been something between them from the start. His musings were cut short by Raiquen.

"Oh Smith, lovely boy, now isn't the time to daydream~! Now that we have found each other, it's time to get going. This cave is dank and dark. I'm so bored! Are you ready to take the next step?"

Raiquen's voice was deceivingly polite. Smith could tell it wasn't really a question since Raiquen was already inside his head. Smith knew now that Raiquen was going to be his weapon. None of the others had reached out to him and he was content since their connection had been evident from the start.

"Yes, let's get going. Sorry for the hold up."

"Wonderful~! I knew you wouldn't disappoint me~! Let's make it official, Master."

In an instant, a dark red burst of energy encircled his hands and transformed into a large silver crossbow. It was heavy, but not to the point of discomfort. Grasping his new weapon firmly, he made his way out of the cove.