Two nights weren’t enough for a complete study of Lith’s spoils of war, but they were more than enough for a preliminary analysis.
“If the violet crystal has something special, I’m not able to notice it.” Lith said while storing it inside his tower.
“Guess both the Sergeant and the Rock Worm were right. The gemstone itself is just like any other, it’s the orcs who have the talent to use it in odd ways. That leaves us with a dilemma.
“Even though Invigoration couldn’t help me uncover the crystal’s secrets, it allowed me to sense the marking liquid this so called ‘Master’ applied to the crystal. This means I have to choose whether to cut the magic gemstone into smaller parts and use it for my creations, or to keep it as it is to learn about the orc’s way with the crystals.
“The two things are mutually exclusive. If I cut the gemstone, I’ll also destroy the markings in the process.”
“I don’t think it’s much of a dilemma.” Solus replied. “Even if you manage to successfully cut the crystal, there’s nothing we can use it for. Violet magic crystals are too rare to waste them on trivial enchanted items. It has to be a masterpiece.
“Even if we had the materials to make one, going public with a new weapon empowered by violet crystals right after the orc accident would be like putting a target on your chest, back, and nether regions.
“We have to let things calm down before doing anything. So, until we really need it to craft an artifact, let’s keep it as it is.”
“Agreed.” Lith nodded with a sigh, adding the violet crystal to his collection of precious but still useless things. It consisted of the dryad’s gifts, the various corpses he collected over the years, and the weapons he robbed from his opponents.
“I wish this was a video game. A timely chain quest would pop up and give me what I need the moment I need it.”
The Darwen had proven to be a temperamental mistress. To shield its user from detection techniques, it required to cover them entirely. It was very hard, but also brittle, making it easy to crack.
That was the reason why the shell protecting the Rock Worm was so rough. A more precise refining process would most likely cause it to shatter. It would also require a very powerful magic. Since the Darwen was resistant to magic, even analyzing it had been a hassle.
“The best use I can find for it is to turn it into fine dust and then coat some kind of ninja suit with it. I could save it for stealth missions since it’s useless in battle. If only I could enchant it to improve its performance…”
“Not even the ‘Master’ could, so I think it’d be better to bide our time and not waste the Darwen on a pet project.” Solus really wanted to cheer him up, but didn’t know what to say.
Even though he could now return home more often, leaving his family had made Lith sad again. During his past life, the only thing he had ever wanted was to be a good brother to Carl and a good uncle to his brother’s children.
Now he finally had the opportunity to live out his dream, yet he had to leave it behind to pursue his new goals.
‘If I take a break now, I’ll no longer be the Kingdom’s golden boy.’ He thought.
‘Now is my best chance to access all the libraries and databases that back when I was just a commoner were forbidden to me. With the Association backing me and a badge from the army, there shouldn’t be much outside my grasp.’
Lith Warped back inside his room. Aran and Leria were waiting for him right behind his door, knocking on it with their little hands.
“What are you doing up this early?” Lith asked them while pinching his nose to keep a headache at bay. All that noise was making him cranky. Mostly because he hadn’t slept in a week plus studying the Darwen had required multiple uses of Invigoration in a row.
“Are you really leaving today, uncle Lith?” Leria asked staring at him with her big, puppy, chestnut eyes.
“Yes, right after breakfast.” It was already the morning of the third day, he was expected to get back before lunchtime, which still left him a few hours. A wave of Lith’s hand made plates and cutlery float to the table while steaming hot food came out of his pocket dimension.
The whole family was reunited for his return, even Tista had interrupted her travels to meet her big brother.
“Can’t you stay here one more day? Pretty please?” How Aran had managed to have blue eyes was a mystery to Lith. Both the kids were beautiful and healthy. They would rarely get sick. Lith wondered if there was any correlation to their parents having received his special treatment.
Leria had blonde hair with shades of black, just like her mother Rena, while Aran had the family’s trademark dark brown hair. They were both so small Lith could easily keep both of them on his lap at the same time.
“No, I can’t. I’m really sorry.” Lith replied. He then snapped his fingers, producing a jingling sound with air magic to alert the rest of the family that the meal was ready.
“I’ll return as soon as I can. In the meantime, I’ve prepared a present for you.” Lith gave them what looked like a Rememberer each. It was an egg shaped recording device, used to capture important moments in the lives of those rich enough to afford them.
The ones Lith had forgemastered, instead of projecting real events, were able to replay the kids’ favorite fairy tale. Aran’s was the adventure of Forgemaster Lith Jones and the last crucible. Leria preferred the story of Battle Mage Solus Van Helsing, the kick ass vampire slayer.
“You should have given them the Projector just before your departure.” Rena scolded him. “The food will become cold before they get tired of it.”
“That’s unlikely.” Lith shrugged. “The magic crystal I used only allows for one use every few hours. It will teach them moderation.”
The children’s happiness was as big as their disappointment when the Projector finished its tale and refused to play it again. After the breakfast ended, Lith hugged every member of his family before taking his leave.
“Take care, little brother.” Rena said. “Always remember that no matter how many bad things you see out there, this house will always be the place you belong to. If you ever need our support, you’ll find us here.”
“Do whatever you need to return home safe.” Raaz whispered in Lith’s ear. “Your mother can’t bear to lose another son.”
Lith didn’t understand his father’s words until Elina asked him to bend down to caress his face.
“I know it’s stupid of me after all these years, but if you ever meet Trion, tell him to come home. I just need to know he is all right.” Her voice almost broke multiple times as she made the request.
‘Is she really afraid that I’ll disappear too?’ The pain in Elina’s words shocked Lith.
The moment he left home, his communication device appeared in his hand and Lith started to call in some favors. He arrived at the boot camp early, with plenty of time left to change into his uniform and make final preparations.
