Reincarnated as a random race, of course I got goblin.

Chapter 64 - Divine Champion: Fire

Merkiv Blastguard's POV

It's night. I'm walking through the fields surrounding the village. Too unsettled to sleep properly, I always found that a nice long walk helps soothe my nerves.

As I walk, I notice a flickering light at the edge of the forest. I feel oddly lured in by it's dance. A Wisp? I approach the light, and it retreats further into the woods. I cast a hesitant look behind me, to the barely visible lights of the village in the distance. 

The urge to follow the light overwhelms me, however, and I go further into the forest in pursuit of it.

Once it comes upon a clearing a few hundred meters in, the light stops and waits for me. As I approach, I realize that it isn't a Wisp at all, but a beautiful woman with flowing locks of true fire. She is heavily muscled with bronze skin and is garbed in the traditional Pyrean Smith's attire. 

She turns to me and smiles. A beautiful smile, though I'm quite distracted by her right eye. It's an empty socket. I fall to my knees, showing my reverence to Eitri, the Divine Envoy of Fire.

"Rise, Merkiv." Her voice is soft, yet carries a hoarseness to it, as if her lungs are damaged. I obey, my knees shaking slightly. So it's true!

"Indeed. Your intended Fate's been altered, and you've been chosen as the Divine Champion of Fire. No doubt you've noticed your increase in strength?" Eitri walks up to me, handing me a silver hand-mirror. 

"M-my intended... Fate?" I stammer, not quite grasping the implications of her words. Too flustered to really think over what I'm doing, I accept the mirror from her. 

"If you want, you can see what would have come of you if not for the actions of the Monarch. Just gaze into the mirror, and it will show you." She seems amused by my reaction of staring dumbly at the back of the mirror for a moment. 

"I-I'm sorry, this is just a bit much..." I sit down on the ground, ignoring the cold wet that seeps through my pants. 

"It's quite all right. If anything, I'd be worried if this wasn't your reaction." Eitri sits down next to me, the cold is replaced with a pleasant warmth, and small trails of steam start rising from my pants as they're dried. 

"But why? Why me?" I ask. 

"Because your Fate was changed. Because you're the only eligible humanoid for this role that's close enough. That's why." Eitri waves a hand in the air, and several trails of fire appear floating mid-air. They twirl and dance, creating a map of the World.

Waving her hand again, several bright lights appear scattered across the map. "See, this is where thing's are going to go down, most likely." She points to a spot to the south of G'cal, within the Illomen Forest.

"And here you are." She points to the spark closest to it. The location correlates to where I am currently. It's the only spark even within Parshura, all the others are concentrated up north, in the Ashen Wastes. "So, since we're unsure about when things will go down, the Divine of Fire wants a Champion that's close enough to be able to quickly respond."

Eitri waves away the flaming map and shrugs. "If anyone else was picked, they would be too far away to even be useful."

I look down, fiddling with the hand-mirror, barely noticing the red thread that connects my wrist to it. "So it's because it was convenient?" I finally ask.

"Yes, and also you're associated with the Monarch, that's one other reason. She's quite fond of your group, you know." 

Considering her words, I happen to peer into the mirror. My reflection is softly lit by the gently swaying flames that are Eitri's hair. As I study it, the reflection shifts and swirls, giving way to a completely different scene.