Advent of Eternity - Chapter 55 (Patreon)

“Don’t you find it strange that we’re going after something and don’t even know what it is?” Stix wondered. “I mean, what if it’s completely useless?”

“Then at least they won’t have it,” Knell said with a grin. “But don’t worry. We do know that there’s a Boon from Selenia in that mountain. At the very least, if we can get that, we’ll be able to make an artifact.”

“Or absorb it,” Cyll said. “You can get dozens of levels at once from eating Boons.”

“Eh. I tried it once,” Knell said, waggling his hand. “I only got a few. It was a waste.”

“What?” Cyll asked, nearly losing control of the sail he was preparing for docking. “How? Even the smallest Boon gave more than that – I remember how badly everyone wanted to get their hands on them.”

“I don’t know. I’m just telling you what happened,” Knell replied. The dock was quickly growing on them now, and there was little time left for conversation.

Cyll grabbed rope from the deck as they drifted into an open spot, throwing it over a post and then leaping onto the dock to moor them. Stix helped him and they were docked a few seconds later.

“Nicely done,” Knell said as Cyll helped him onto the dock. “And thank you.”

“No problem. Only crashed a few ships into the docks in my life,” Cyll said proudly.

“That doesn’t seem like something to be proud of,” Stix muttered.

“Come on,” Knell said, shaking his head as he walked toward the city. Several guards sat along the docks, watching them with half-lidded eyes. Nobody seemed particularly interested in the ship, and Knell liked it that way.

They entered the town proper. Small, one story homes had been arranged in neat rows. Most of them were built from cobbled brick, but there were a few stragglers that still had wooden walls.

A few people wandered around, mostly wearing seafaring clothes. Everyone was armed to varying degrees.

“What now? Find someone that can help out with…” Stix nodded at Knell’s bag, where the Boon was stored.

He nodded. “With some luck, there should be someone that can help, but let’s keep it to ourselves for now. I don’t want to deal with fighting off a bunch of idiots.”

They followed the street into the center of town, where a small market had been erected. Several dozen tents lined the square. Most of them looked to be selling supplies, but Knell spotted several weapon and armor shops.

The market was busy, but not oppressively so. Even better, the merchants didn’t call them over or bother the group as they wandered around. Everyone seemed content to just go about their own business.

“There,” Stix said, pointing at a stone building across from them. “There’s smoke coming out of its chimney. Probably means it’s a smithy of some sort, right?”

“Good catch,” Knell said. The building had no label, and it didn’t even have a door. There was simply an opening leading into a small room. The walls were covered with a mixture of weaponry and metal tools, and a bored man sat at a counter at the back, spinning a dagger in his hand.

He started when they walked in, nearly dropping the blade, but managed to grab it before it fell. The man cleared his throat and put the weapon away. His eyes caught on Knell’s appearance for a moment, but he was a professional and quickly got control of himself.

“Welcome to Greb’s Smithy. I’m Greb. What can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for a talented smith,” Knell replied. “One that can make some more… advanced tools. More than just metal.”

Greb’s eyebrows rose. “More than metal? You mean an artificer?”

“Depends. Are you an artificer?”

“I am,” Greb replied, letting out a sigh. “Not that I’ve gotten to do much work recently. Before you ask – no, I do not happen to be carrying around a Boon that I can just make into an item for you. I do not care how much money you have. I don’t have a Boon. That means I can’t make the item.”

“You get a lot of people asking?” Cyll asked, smirking.

“You have no idea,” Greb grumbled. “So, with that out of the way, maybe I can interest you in a well made sword instead? A good sword will kill you just as good as an artifact will, it just needs a bit more effort. They start at–”

Knell pulled the Boon out of his bag. Greb sputtered, his sentence dying on his lips as he stared at the orb.

“That’s a Boon.”

“And you’re an artificer,” Knell said. He took the demon skull out as well. “I believe this item has special properties. It’s from some sort of monster, so I imagine it would lend itself well toward artificing.”

Greb swallowed. “Aye, that’s true. I can work with that. Nobody better, you hear?”

He reached for it, but Knell pulled his hand back. “Hold on. We’ll be coming to a contract before I give you anything. I’ll not have my Boon wasted on something worthless or made by an incompetent.”

Greb narrowed his eyes. He jutted his chin out and crossed his hands, trying to make himself look as imposing as possible. “Boy, you might have a scary face, but you don’t intimidate me. I’m the only artificer ‘round these parts, and it’s because I’m damn good at my job. I’ve done work for guildies before, and I can make whatever you need.”

“Why’d you look so desperate for the job, then?” Cyll asked.

Greb seemed to deflate. “Because nobody has Boons. How many Scions do you think die in this area? I’ll give you a hint: not many. It’s damn find to find artificing work, and the artificers in larger cities are already established. I’d get chased out if I tried to ply my trade there, so I take the scraps I can find here.”

“How do we know you’re talented enough, then?” Knell asked. “If you haven’t gotten much experience artificing, why should I let you use my Boon?”

“Bah, I hate bargaining,” Greb said. He waved his hand, casting shimmering words out into the air between them.

Greb Smith

Artificer [Rank One]

Magical Energy Level: 29

Upgrade Orbs:

[ ???]

[ ???]

[ ???]

…

Bloodline:

[Copperforge Monkey]

“There,” Greb said, dismissing the information. “You can see I’ve evolved my Path since it’s Rank One, and I have at least three upgrade orbs, not to mention a Bloodline.”