Advent of Eternity - Chapter 47 (Interlude 2) (Patreon)

Lillicent sat alone in the smithy, staring at her reflection in a barrel of water. Flame licked at her back and her hand panged with longing, an empty space where her Boon had once been.

“Lilly? Are you okay?” Burog, the burly blacksmith that had taken her in, put a hand on her shoulder.

“Fine,” Lillicent replied, rising to her feet. “Just thinking back on some memories. I’ve finished my work for the day.”

“You’re welcome to go home, then,” Burog said. “I’ll see you on the morrow.”

“On the morrow,” Lillicent agreed, heading out of the smithy. She ascended the stairs at its side, jumping up and pulling herself over to the roof. The small city stretched out before her. At its back was Temple Street, where monuments to the original Twelve had been erected.

A flicker of anger flared in her chest when her eyes fell on the temple of Holen. She hadn’t thought much of her fellows, but she’d at least believed they were comrades. When the Scion of Mordrigal had taken her Boon, they’d arrived only minutes later and saved her life. Then, when they discovered she no longer had a Boon, she’d been abandoned and banished from the temple.

Lillicent couldn’t help but feel a flicker of appreciation toward the man that had left her for dead – if he even had. The look in his eyes when he’d stabbed her, not to mention how he’d completely missed every vital organ, spoke volumes. He’d never tried to kill her at all. He was teaching her, and Lillicent considered herself a very good student.

It had been a rough few weeks since she’d lost her Scion Path. Without the support of Holen’s temple, she was completely destitute. If anything, that only served to strengthen her distaste of the god. She hadn’t even been allowed to get her belongings back before she was kicked out.

“Anything you want to talk about?” Burog asked, sitting down beside her.

“Just thinking about the gods,” Lillicent said, her hands tight at her sides.

“A dangerous line of thinking,” Burog said. “They don’t look kindly toward those that imagine them while clenching their fists.”

“They already abandoned me. I don’t have a Path anymore.”

“Not all Paths are useful,” Burog said. “Many men have made much of themselves in spite of their Path.”

“Well, I had one. Then I lost it,” Lillicent said bitterly. “I know it’s whiny of me to complain, but what am I supposed to do?”

“You’re a natural at smithing,” Burog said. “At the rate you’re learning at, you could find a lot of work in a few months.”

“Thanks,” she said, a smile flickering across her face. “But I feel like I should be… you know.”

“Doing more?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve had that feeling before,” Burog said. He pondered her for a few moments. “But we smiths are not as worthless as you seem to believe.”

“I never–”

“You thought it,” Burog said with a slight smile. “Come.”

He headed back down the stairs. Lillicent paused a moment, then followed him. The smith took her down into the basement, then over through a locked door that she’d never seen him open before.

A long, jagged sword sat in the center of the room, atop a marble pedestal. It shimmered with faint energy, and a yellow orb was embedded in the center of its pommel. Lillicent’s eyes widened.

“An artifact?”

“Made by yours truly,” Burog said with a cold grin. “And not the only one, girl. I have made dozens of such weapons, when warriors come to me in search of strength. Not all of us are chosen by the gods, but that does not mean their power is lost to us.”

Lillicent swallowed. “I thought you needed a Path to make such a thing.”

“You do,” Burog said. Lillicent visibly deflated and he chuckled. “Hope is not lost.”

He reached into his pockets and pulled out a small white stone. Lillicent glanced at it, her eyebrows raising slightly.

“A Path Upgrade Stone?”

“Close, but no,” Burog said. “It is a memory stone.”

“Oh, one of the ones they use in academies to train students faster?”

“Just like those,” Burog said. “Except this one contains my key teachings in the path of an Artificer.”

Lillicent stared at the stone. “You mean…”

“If you use this stone and are compatible, you can change your Path to that of an Artificer,” Burog said. “However, you will have to leave. An Artificer’s talent cannot be learned at the forge, but forged through fighting. Your experience will be what allows you to create weapons that are truly worthy of having a name.”

Lillicent swallowed. “What do you want for this? You’ve done nothing but help me ever since I wandered into your forge. Why?”

“Because if we all lived to help others, the world would be a better place,” Burog replied. “I need no other reason. Why should I not try to be the best I can? Now, please make your decision. I will not hold it against you either way. Remain here and learn smithing with me, or take this stone and seek your own path.”

Lillicent stared at Burog’s hand. Then she slowly looked back up into his eyes.

“Thank you.”

She took the stone.