The platform atop the tower was the same as the one on the Divine Tower of Liurnia, except that a sword stood embedded in its center, with only the hilt and a short section of blade exposed.
The hilt was dark silver, its guard carved with intricate patterns resembling symbols of some kind of Great Runes. A faint golden light flowed along the blade, brightening and dimming.
Tracker had been waiting for some time. He stood with his arms folded, his thoughts unknown.
The player approached to talk.
Tracker: "...Hmm, these Great Runes...Oh, you're here. Well? Have you felt the influence of the Great Runes? They turn people upside down and leave them lost. To break their hold, you must first go mad."
"...It seems you don't need that warning. Heh, that was unnecessary of me."
Tracker turned to the matter at hand. "See? The rumors were true. Want to try? After me."
"This weapon chooses its own master-I may very well be rejected."
His voice grew low as he confessed his dilemma to the player. "Sigh. According to the rules, Inquisitor Knights aren't allowed near this place...because we're enforcers, not participants."
"I've already broken the rules, so I'll leave her in your hands...Whether I succeed or fail, I have to try, as a knight...no, as a person."
A cutscene triggered.
Tracker walked up to Caliburn and reached out to grasp its hilt.
He gripped the hilt with both hands and pulled upward with all his might. His arm muscles bulged, veins stood out, and his face flushed red.
But the sword did not budge, as though it had grown together with the stone. Sure enough, Tracker failed.
But he did not give up immediately. He tried three times in all.
The first time, the sword did not move. The