Gaia's Champion Ch. 32 - Teaser (Patreon)

“I know, babe! But, before we go any further, I have to ask something. Who is this Artificier dude you lot keep talking about? You talk about him like he’s some kind of legend,” the man went on.

“Maybe you knew of him by another name? Is there a name of a great spellcaster that was adept at crafting items of power?” Sheena suggested.

“There is a story I remember from my training about a legendary man they called the Spellsmith. How he could craft magic into items of wonder. How such things made the lives of people easier and gave great power to legends of the past,” Darnell stated.

“There was a symbol that was associated with his work. Did it look like this?” Xaera asked as she doodled a rudimentary rendering of it in the dirt.

“Yes!! That’s the symbol of the Spellsmith!” Darnell responded excitedly.

“Well, it seems like your Spellsmith and our Artificier are one and the same man!” Phalmina stated.

“Could I know some more about what he did? My memory of the history classes from my training is a little fuzzy,” Darnell admitted.

“The Artificier was a sorcerer from before humanity had even become civilized. Many people theorize he was the very first sorcerer who crafted the various spells and learned to harness the energies of the universe,” Sheena started, reciting what she knew of the man.

“As he grew in power and ability, he found he had a unique knack for crafting items that could mimic the abilities of a sorcerer. Not just for those who used his kind of magic, but for any discipline of magic! It was also rumored he made items that even normies could use!” Sheena continued, as she had everyone’s attention.

“Because of his innate talent for making such things and the level of craftsmanship he put into them, is what gave him the moniker of the Artificier. It was one of the few titles bestowed upon him that he accepted. In fact, word is that it was his favorite one to be known by,” Sheena giggled.

“He also knew his craft pretty well. His quality level could not be duplicated, not even by his best apprentices! Because of this, the items he made we so in demand that people were prepared to pay whatever price he wished. In short, this made the man immensely wealthy,” Phalmina stated, adding her two bits to the story.

“Just how wealthy was he?” Jason asked, curious about the details of the Artificier’s life.

“Enough to where he would have made the famed kings and queens of the ancient world look like paupers,” the fairy woman told him.

“Wealthier than the queen of Sheba? The Pharaohs of Egypt? The Sultans of the Persian Empire?” Darnell wondered.

“Combined, they would have been more like peasants to the man, as opposed to equals in terms of pure wealth,” Sheena told him.

“And you said the guy made things that even normies could use?” Darnell questioned, his excitement evident with what he was learning.

“Babe, he was supposedly the man who was behind many of the great and legendary weapons throughout history,” Aaliyah told her husband.

“Like what?”

“Durandal, Caladbolg, The Taming Sari, even Excalibur were weapons that the Artificier either made, or had a direct hand in crafting,” Aaliyah told the man.

“Holy… those weapons… they were real?!?” Jason asked, his eyes wide as saucers.

“Yeah, they were. All of them are now lost to time, as the final resting place of these weapons is a mystery. Such weapons and items haven’t been seen since those early days,” Phalmina told her fiancé.

“What happened?” Xaera wondered, curious about the decline of magical items.

“The Darkness happened. After their rise, they had heard of the Artificier and his works, and wished to have some of their own. They tried speaking with the man, to see if anything they could offer him would ply him to craft what they wished. He refused them, having seen the destructive works of the Dark, and he wanted no part in their plans or plots,” Sheena went on.

“I’m guessing that these folk didn’t take no for an answer?” Darnell guessed.