Advent of Eternity - Chapter 130 (Patreon)

It was early morning when they returned to the city, and even that was a stretch. The sun had only just barely started to consider rising above the horizon, and the heavy blanket of gray clouds that hung in the horizon made sure that the few rays of light that did escape over the cold ocean were few and far in between.

Only a few dockworkers and merchants walked the streets, preparing for the day ahead. Knell and his crew made quick time to the Singing Anvil, where Knell was pleased to see that the fires of the forge were still lit.

The doors hung open a crack, which was about as much as an invite as Knell suspected they were going to get. They headed inside, their faint footsteps echoing through the spacious interior of the smithy. Before Knell could speak, Owen’s face poked out of the doorway.

He scrunched his nose and disappeared, emerging a few moments later with a bundle of leather in his hands.

“Don’t tell me you’ve gone and found any more Boons,” Owen said. “I’m starting to think that anything you bring me is an ill omen.”

“Why would you believe that?” Knell asked. “You must have gained several levels from all our business.”

“Aye,” Owen grunted. “But I’ve also gotten more attention than I’m used to. It’s not often an Artificer gets to make three different items of power in a short timespan, much less a few days. If the guild catches wind, I might have some explaining to do. It’s frowned upon.”

“What, making a lot of Artifacts?” Stix asked.

“Makes sense,” Cyll drawled. “The only way to make them is to kill the god’s toys.”

“We’ll be out of your hair after this one,” Knell promised. “Is it complete?”

Owen nodded. He peeled the leather back, revealing a small circular amulet with a green Boon embedded directly in its center. A pattern reminiscent of the waves ran all around the metal, rippling faintly in the torchlight.

“Does exactly what you want it to,” Owen said. “And I kept it discreet.”

“Fantastic,” Knell said, taking the amulet. He slung it around his neck, then tucked it into his coat. “It’s been a pleasure.”

“It’s been something, all right. Find me in a few months, maybe,” Owen said gruffly. “You’re a good client. I just don’t want my throat slit.”

“Noted,” Knell said. He turned and headed out of the smithy with his crew.

“What’s it do?” Cyll asked.

“Something secret.”

“Oh, come on,” Cyll complained. “You’re going to do that to me? That’s just cruel. What about a hint? I’ll guess.”

“No. You will learn what it does in due time. There is a reason for my secrecy.”

“Guessing game it is,” Cyll said. He tapped his chin. “Does it point toward treasure?”

Knell didn’t respond.

“Does it point toward the thing you want most?”

“It’s not pointing toward anything,” Stix pointed out. “Maybe it’s an invisible shield.”

They glanced at each other, then at Knell’s back. Cyll nodded to Stix. She shook her head, then nodded back at him. Cyll’s eyes narrowed and he thrust his finger at Stix, then pointed at Knell’s back once more. Stix vehemently shook her head. They both glared at each other. Then, as one, they both turned to Maya.

“Absolutely not,” Maya said.

Several minutes of hushed arguing later, the group reached the docks. The Withered Rose floated where they’d left it, its wood wreathed in faint green mist. Somehow, Coal had joined the conversation by thrusting his beak to point at the others.

Knell couldn’t help but wonder exactly how much Coal actually understood. He’d never met a bird with Coal’s level of intelligence, and his bloodshot eyes had just a little too much thought behind them to just be a normal creature.

As they drew closer to the boat, Maud materialized on the ship’s deck. The skeletal first mate saluted Knell, then gave him a toothy grin. Knell wasn’t sure if his memory was playing tricks on him, but the skeleton looked a little more corporeal than the last time he’d seen him.

“Welcome back, Captain.”

“Did anything of worth happen while we were gone?”

“Yes,” Maud replied. “There were some boarders. They have been dealt with.”

“Boarders?” Stix asked, her hand going to the bundled crossbow on her back. “Who? Are they dead?”

“They no longer draw breath,” Maud confirmed. “I did not bother to check who. They were not in a talkative mood, and neither was I.”

Cyll hopped onto the Withered Rose’s deck and extended a hand to Knell. He took it, and the tall man hefted him onto the deck.

“Where are their corpses?” Knell asked as Cyll released him and the girls jumped over to join them.

“Overboard,” Maud replied. “But I did keep an assistant who claims to know you.”

“Where?” Knell asked, his eyes glowing golden as he readied his staff.

“Below deck. She attacked the boarders when they tried to get onto the Withered Rose, before I had even acted.”

“Did you kidnap a guard?” Maya asked, aghast. “I think someone might notice if one of the guards goes missing.”

“She did not appear to be a guard. She came peacefully and did not speak of any relation to the city.”

“Why don’t we just go check ourselves?” Knell suggested. “Maud, get the Withered Rose moving. We’ll be leaving Apton.”

“Yes, Captain. To what course?”

“Undecided. Just follow the coast for now. If we were attacked, I doubt Apton is safe. The sooner we leave, the better.”

Maud saluted. Ropes rustled to life, some falling slack while others pulled taught. The sails unfurled and the anchor rattled as ghastly green energy drew it back up. Within seconds, the Withered Rose pulled away from the docks and slipped into the calm ocean.

“Isn’t this technically kidnapping?” Maya asked.

“We’re keeping to the coast,” Knell replied, limping toward the stairs. “We can drop them off within an hour of the city so long as they don’t pose us a threat.”

Cyll went down before Knell, resting his hand on Lassie’s hilt. A moment passed, and then he let out a sharp bark of laughter. His head poked back into view.

“It’s the artificer. Again.”

“I had my suspicions,” Knell said, very carefully descending the stairwell.

He reached the bottom and looked up. Lillicent sat on a wooden crate, her mouth bound with several tied strips of cloth and eyes narrow in annoyance. Her hands and legs were bound as well, though not very tightly.

Stix stepped in after Knell and drew a dagger, walking up to Lillicent and cutting the bindings off. Lillicent grimaced, licking her lips before giving Stix an appreciative nod. She rubbed her wrists together and let out a small sigh.

“I can’t say I’m a big fan of the way we keep running into each other,” Lillicent said. “You’ve got one creepy first mate. Not a particularly grateful one either. A bunch of guildies tried to hop on your ship in the middle of the night and I helped him take care of the problem. My thanks was getting tied up.”

“Better than run through,” Maud provided, stepping out from within a wall.

“Go back to steering the ship,” Knell said. Maud inclined his head and vanished once more.

“You really do have a knack for entrances, though,” Cyll said, giving her a thumbs up. “Keeps me on my toes wondering how you’ll show up next.”

“Thanks,” Lillicent said dryly. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Your help is appreciated,” Knell said honestly. He paused for a moment. “And my apologies.”

“Thank you,” Lillicent said. “I’ll settle for not getting tied up the next time I run into your skeleton friend, though.”

“That was not what I was apologizing for. You may have had a run in with a particularly unsettling individual recently.”

Lillicent’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know about that?”

“He has somewhat similar goals to I, and he owed me a small favor.”

“You sent him to kill me?” Lillicent asked, rising to her feet as her eyes narrowed in anger.

“Do you really think I need help to kill you?” Knell asked, cocking his head to the side. “I would do it myself or have one of my crew do it if that were the case. And – if he had come to kill you, do you truly believe you would still draw breath?”

Lillicent crossed her arms. “No. He was a monster. So why in the Sixteen Seas did you send him after me?”

“To ensure you weren’t feeble minded or willing to cave to the guild,” Knell replied. “Given the fact that you still live, it means you passed. I do not regret my actions, but I do apologize for them.”

“You’re one paranoid bastard, you know that?”

“It pays to be paranoid when you are in this line of work,” Knell said, adjusting his jacket. “I should inform you that this ship is no longer at Apton. We pulled away as soon as we arrived. Do you wish to be let off on the continent, or will you be joining us for the next leg of our journey?”

Lillicent blinked. “Why would I join you?”

“You had to have come here for a reason, did you not?”

She opened her mouth. Then she closed it again. “Okay, that’s a fair point. You offered me a job, and I need access to the Boons. That said, I’m not so sure I still want it considering you nearly had me killed.”

“Trust me, he only kills the people he likes the most,” Cyll said in a conspiratorial whisper that was loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

“A necessary evil for the level of the job I wish to give you,” Knell said. “If you would like, we will let you off before we leave Apton too far behind. Otherwise, you will have to journey together with us at least until the next sight of land.”

Lillicent pressed her lips together and studied Knell’s face for several moments.

“You going to try to get me killed again?”

“It is unlikely.”

“Just unlikely?”

“Yes.”

Lillicent pursed her lips, then sighed. “At least you’re honest. Doesn’t make you less of an asshole, but I can deal with that if you can supply me with Boons. But what job could possibly be so important that you needed to test me that rigorously?”

“Would everyone else head to the top deck for a short while?” Knell asked. “I need to speak with Lillicent in private, and I want eyes above in case we run into any trouble.”

His crew sent him surprised glances, then quickly headed up the stairwell and left the two in the darkness. Once they’d left, Knell’s eyes lit a faint golden and he took a step toward Lillicent.

“You are an Artificer. Do you know what my eyes are?”

“Giant Boons. Real powerful ones.”

“Not just any Boons,” Knell said with a wry smile. “They are the eyes of a fragment from Goddess of Death.”

“I already knew you were a Scion,” Lillicent said with a frown. “Having two Boons is pretty impressive, though. Wait – you mean the actual eyes?”

“Straight from her skull,” Knell said with a nod. “And therein lies the problem.”

“The fact that they’re her godsdamned eyes?”

“No. The fact that I am a Scion.” A deadly smile pulled at the corners of Knell’s lips. “The job I invited you here for was to take my eyes, Lillicent. You are here to turn them into artifacts and sever the final ties binding me to Mordrigal.”