Chapter 20

Lightning struck the workshop over Exill's head and was diverted through the anvil as it grounded itself. The accompanying shockwave threw him off his feet against the stacked tool shelf, crumpling it beyond repair. He came to, a moment later and was greeted by the smell of ozone mixed with smoke. Staggering to his feet, he saw a small fire had spread around the anvil and a barrel of arrow shafts had been set ablaze. Exill limped out of the smoking workshop and was quickly followed by Ham and a few other apprentices. A crowd had formed outside as people gawked in fear at the spreading fire.

"Someone fetch water!"

"Isn't that Ham's workshop?"

"I swear I felt it on me mother's grave! The anger! It was the World Spirit!"

The crowd's volume rose at the mention of the Spirit, and many tapped above their hearts twice to fend off bad luck.

"That greedy dwarf had it coming! No doubt the Spirit be angry how he exploited them people." A red-faced craftsman exclaimed.

Many nodded in agreement. Everyone had been swindled by Ham at one point or another during the past six months. They saw this as a comeuppance, a punishment imparted by the Will of the World. Many renewed their resolve to lead an honest life.

Ham had collapsed on his knees. Blood trickled down his ears and he could only hear the muffled jabs of those around him. His glistening eyes reflected the fire that now consumed his life's work. There was simply no way he could recover from this. Exill glanced guiltily over his shoulder at the still kneeling dwarf as he stumbled his way to the healer's tent.

***

Exill handed 60 Denars, approximately 9 days of wages to the healer. The woman had tapped his ears to instantly mend the damaged ear drums. Clarity had been restored and the ringing subsided. She had made it look too easy and Exill was a little envious about her capacity for earning easy money.

Out of curiosity, he summoned his Card to check his Vitality stat. The stat held no numerical value and was simply denoted by a red bar that had decreased by a miniscule amount. 'She had the audacity to use my own vitality to heal, and she charged me for it!' Exill swallowed his fury as he made his way to the barracks.

He double checked his belongings and eventually wandered over to the mess hall where other displaced workers had gathered now that they no longer had any work. The smithy that had burned down earlier today was a critical part of the supply chain feeding a network of smaller workshops in Camp B. No arrowheads meant no more fletching. No spearheads meant there was nothing to attach to the end of staves.

Clerks and camp coordinators could be seen milling around in panic as they wondered how they would reach quotas now. A tired looking official entered the mess and motioned people to quieten down. "Attention please! You will return to your barracks and assemble here midday tomorrow for your next assignments!"

Exill finished the watery gruel in his bowl and stood up. He was lost in thought as he joined the queue to exit the building, only now was he coming to terms over what happened. 'I nearly died today… I nearly died twice. If the crowd hadn't been convinced that Ham was the subject of tribulation… I would have been lynched. I am never going to raise my rejection again!'

***

"Exill of Lindtree, step forward." The official called out, and nodded as he saw a mousey haired adolescent with intelligent green eyes stand up and make his way to the front. There were now 9 people assembled in front of the mess hall.

"You all know what happened yesterday… but the work must continue. You will be assigned new placements at smithies around Ark." The official pointed to the two oldest apprentices, "Based on seniority, you two will be assigned placements in the Inner City, with temporary resident permits and sleeping quarters." the other seven apprentices, Exill included, looked at their seniors with intense jealousy.

"The rest of you lot will be placed in the outskirts. You will be given a permit to exit the camp in the morning, but you must return here before nightfall." The official then worked down the line of apprentices, assigning them new masters and confirming they had memorized the address of the smithy.

"Exill of Lindtree, you will be working with Master Ham. Outskirts, Eastern Marketplace, look for an Anvil sign." Exill looked at the official, his mouth open in disbelief. The other apprentices glanced at him, both pity and relief evident on their faces.

"Outskirts, Eastern Marketplace, look for an Anvil sign." the official repeated the address again to confirm Exill understood.