Anybody Need a Talking Sword?

The underpinning of a fantasy world is so often a grimy thing.

Following on from volume 2, the third volume of Apparently, Disillusioned Adventurers will Save the World finds the cast still in the ancient labyrinth, seeking the fabled Sword of Bonds. And they find it! Hooray, hearty handshakes and medals of congratulations all around!

Except the sword isn't very happy to be rescued from centuries of confinement, only to be turned over to the Adventurers Guild. But Nick and the others were hired to find and retrieve it, and besides, the only swordsman among them in Karan, and she's quite happy with her own sword.

Too bad the only way out of the labyrinth is through an immense, liquid metal golem. It's too powerful for Tiana's spells, and cutting it is useless, as it either heals up, or the severed pieces turn into smaller golems. The fight is everyone stalling and trying to find a plan, while slowly being driven to rely on the Sword of Bonds. Its ability can unite people whose hearts and minds are on the same wavelength into a warrior with their combined strength, squared. But the whole point of this group was accepting their lack of trust in others and integrating that into how they do things. Guess they're screwed, then.

The story's focus remains on Nick and Karan, as Nick offers to sacrifice himself to give the others time to escape, while Karan is the one who most vigorously rejects the offer. In the process, she opens her heart a bit about how much she appreciates Nick, albeit in a way that's kind of funny and makes him out to be a pain to deal with. And when the moment comes, Nick has to put aside his cynicism and trust in this whole notion of 'resonating wavelengths' if he wants himself and these people he leads to survive.

Golem destroyed and the Sword of Bonds' bonafides firmly established, the party has to decide what to do. Nick promised not to give the sword to the guild, but that's what they were hired for. The Sword itself has a solution, and the party gains a new member. There's also foreshadowing that a great danger looms in the future, and Bond will need this party to confront it.